Electronic settlement system, settlement apparatus and terminal

• US 7,448,540 B2
• Filed: 01/27/2005
• Issued: 11/11/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/02/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kioba Processing, LLC (IP Investments Group LLC), Keiichi Nakajima
• Original Assignee: Softbank BB Corporation (SoftBank Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Nakajima, Keiichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Le; Uyen-Chau N
• Assistant Examiner(s): VO, TUYEN KIM
• Application Number:
  US11/043,050
• Publication Number:
  US 20050127167A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,384 Days
• Field of Search: 235/382, 235380-383, 235/379, 705/64, 705/67, 705/75
• US Class Current: 235/382
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/02 involving a neutral party, e.g. certification authority, notary or trusted third party [TTP]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3674 involving authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/382 insuring higher security of transaction
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40 Authorisation, e.g. identification of payer or payee, verification of customer or shop credentials; Review and approval of payers, e.g. check credit lines or negative lists
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/401 Transaction verification
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/4012 Verifying personal identification numbers [PIN]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/4014 Identity check for transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40145 Biometric identity checks
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0603 Catalogue ordering
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0609 Buyer or seller confidence or verification
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/10 together with a coded signal , e.g. in the form of personal identification information, like personal identification number [PIN] or biometric data
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/1075 PIN is checked remotely

Abstract

An electronic settlement system for settling a transaction through a communication network comprises a settlement apparatus which performs the settlement of the transaction; a billing terminal connecting to the settlement apparatus via the communication network; and a paying terminal, connecting to the settlement apparatus via the communication network, wherein the settlement apparatus performs the settlement of a transaction by synchronizing a communication to the billing terminal with a communication to the paying terminal when the settlement apparatus sets up a transaction identifying number which identifies the transaction and when the paying terminal transmits the same transaction identifying number to the settlement apparatus.

Claims

1. An authentication apparatus for communicating with a first terminal and with a second terminal demanding to authenticate a user of the first terminal, and performing the authentication demanded by the second terminal, the apparatus comprising:

a user database storing authentication information registered by a user of the first terminal;

a first communication unit connecting to the first terminal via a first communication network, said first communication unit transmits to the first terminal an order to inquire said authentication information and receives from the first terminal an answer inputted by the first terminal corresponding to the order;

a second communication unit connecting to the second terminal via a second communication network, said second communication unit receives from the second terminal an authentication demand to authenticate the user of the first terminal; and

a processing unit performing the authentication, said processing unit sets up an identifying number to identify the authentication demanded by the second terminal, and when the first terminal transmits the same identifying number as said identifying number to said authentication apparatus, synchronizes a communication to the first terminal with a communication to the second terminal, retrieves from said user database authentication information to authenticate the user of the first terminal, and by inquiring the answer received from the first terminal with said authentication information retrieved from said user database, authenticates the user of the first terminal;

wherein

said second communication unit, by transmitting to the second terminal an authentication result judged by said processing unit, authenticates the user of the first terminal.

2. An authentication apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said authentication information, said processing unit retrieving from said user database, registered by the user of the first terminal is at least one of a password of the user, voice data spoken by the user, facial portrait image data of the user, at least one of iris and retina data of the user, and finger print image data of the user;

and the answer of said processing unit receiving from the first terminal in order to inquire with said authentication information is at least one of character data, voice data, and image data.

3. An authentication apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said processing unit presents said transaction identifying number on the communication network.

4. An authentication apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said transaction identification number relates to an order in the transaction.