Method for circulating an electronic gift certificate in online and offline system
DCFirst Claim
1. A gift certificate service system for managing sales, gifting, and usage of electronic gift certificates according to a request by a user'"'"'s communication terminal through a wired network, wireless network, or both, comprising:
- a gift certificate service server for managing purchase, gifting, and usage operations on the electronic gift certificates from the communication terminal;
a gift certificate database, accessed by the gift certificate service server, for storing electronic gift certificate information prior to transferring the gift certificate to a transferee, and processing a reply to an inquiry of electronic gift certificate usage from the gift certificate service server; and
a network server, accessed by the gift certificate service server and accessed by the user'"'"'s communication terminal through the wired network, wireless network, or both, for performing a client interface function with the purchase, gifting, and usage of the electronic gift certificates, and transmitting the user'"'"'s gift certificate purchase particulars and gift certificate information for usage of the corresponding gift certificate to the communication terminal,wherein the electronic gift certificate is a multimedia message including barcode data, wherein the network server is responsive to use of the electronic gift certificate occasioned by displaying the barcode data on the communication terminal, and wherein the electronic gift certificate information stored by the gift certificate database includes at least one of a gifting history of the gift certificates or a usage history of the gift certificates.
4 Assignments
Litigations
2 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Disclosed is an electronic gift certificate circulating method for a gift certificate service system including a gift certificate database and a gift certificate service server to manage sales of the electronic gift certificates according to requests by a communication terminal through wired and wireless networks, comprising: receiving a user'"'"'s purchase request from the communication terminal; checking a settlement state of the electronic gift certificate bought by the user; settling the electronic gift certificate bought by the user, and issuing the bought electronic gift certificate to the user, when the user requests settlement; storing the issued gift certificate information in the gift certificate database; and notifying the user of the gift certificate purchase particulars in a message format.
26 Citations
27 Claims
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1. A gift certificate service system for managing sales, gifting, and usage of electronic gift certificates according to a request by a user'"'"'s communication terminal through a wired network, wireless network, or both, comprising:
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a gift certificate service server for managing purchase, gifting, and usage operations on the electronic gift certificates from the communication terminal; a gift certificate database, accessed by the gift certificate service server, for storing electronic gift certificate information prior to transferring the gift certificate to a transferee, and processing a reply to an inquiry of electronic gift certificate usage from the gift certificate service server; and a network server, accessed by the gift certificate service server and accessed by the user'"'"'s communication terminal through the wired network, wireless network, or both, for performing a client interface function with the purchase, gifting, and usage of the electronic gift certificates, and transmitting the user'"'"'s gift certificate purchase particulars and gift certificate information for usage of the corresponding gift certificate to the communication terminal, wherein the electronic gift certificate is a multimedia message including barcode data, wherein the network server is responsive to use of the electronic gift certificate occasioned by displaying the barcode data on the communication terminal, and wherein the electronic gift certificate information stored by the gift certificate database includes at least one of a gifting history of the gift certificates or a usage history of the gift certificates. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. An electronic gift certificate circulating method for a gift certificate service system including a gift certificate database and a gift certificate service server to manage sales of the electronic gift certificates according to requests by a communication terminal through wired networks, wireless networks, or both, comprising:
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(a) receiving a user'"'"'s purchase request from the communication terminal which displays barcode data upon use of the electronic gift certificate; (b) checking a settlement state of the electronic gift certificate, wherein checking a settlement state of the electronic gift certificate comprises checking a settlement state of a multimedia message including barcode data; (c) settling the electronic gift certificate, and issuing the electronic gift certificate to the user, when the user requests settlement; (d) storing the issued gift certificate information in the gift certificate database prior to transferring the gift certificate to a transferee, wherein storing the issued gift certificate information comprises storing electronic gift certificate information including at least one of a gifting history of the gift certificates or a usage history of the gift certificates; and (e) notifying the user of the gift certificate purchase particulars and gift certificate information for usage of the corresponding gift certificate in a message format. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. An electronic gift certificate circulating method for a gift certificate service system including a gift certificate database and a gift certificate service server to manage gifting of the electronic gift certificates according to requests by a communication terminal through wired networks, wireless networks, or both, comprising:
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(a) receiving a user'"'"'s gifting request from the communication terminal which displays barcode data upon use of the electronic gift certificate; (b) inquiring within the gift certificate database of an existence state of the gift certificate possessed by the user, and determining the existence state, wherein inquiring within the gift certificate database of an existence state of the gift certificate comprises inquiring of an existence state of a multimedia message including barcode data, and inquiring of electronic gift certificate information including at least one of a gifting history of the gift certificates or a usage history of the gift certificates; (c) receiving information on the gift certificate to be gifted and a transferee when the user'"'"'s gift certificate is found; (d) transmitting the gift certificate selected by the user to the transferee based upon the determined existence of the gift certificate; (e) updating the user'"'"'s gift certificate information, storing the updated information in the gift certificate database together with the transferee'"'"'s gift certificate information; and (f) notifying the user of the gift certificate gifting information in a message format. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. An electronic gift certificate circulating method for a gift certificate service system including a gift certificate database and a gift certificate service server to manage usage of the electronic gift certificates according to requests by a communication terminal through wired and wireless networks, comprising:
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(a) receiving the user'"'"'s usage request from the communication terminal; (b) inquiring the gift certificate database of an existence state of the gift certificate possessed by the user, and determining the existence state prior to transferring the gift certificate to a transferee, wherein determining the existence state comprises determining the existence state of a multimedia message including barcode data, and determining the existence state of electronic gift certificate information including at least one of a gifting history of the gift certificates or a usage history of the gift certificates; (c) settling the price with the gift certificate and determining whether the settlement is possible, wherein settling the price with the gift certificate and determining whether the settlement is possible comprises presenting the gift certificate by displaying barcode data on the communication terminal; (d) allowing processing of the settlement on the price information when the settlement is possible based on the usage of the gift certificate; (e) settling the user'"'"'s gift certificate information, updating the settlement information, and storing the updated information in the gift certificate database; and (f) notifying the user of the gift certificate usage information in a message format. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
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Specification