Billing system, mobile terminal, and billing method

• US 7,617,155 B2
• Filed: 01/19/2006
• Issued: 11/10/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Original Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Inventors: Uchida, Motoyuki, Takami, Tadao
• Primary Examiner(s): Kazimi; Hani
• Assistant Examiner(s): Akintola; Olabode
• Application Number:
  US11/334,422
• Publication Number:
  US 20060116958A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,391 Days
• Field of Search: 705/40, 705/39, 455/406, 235/379, 235/378, 235/384
• US Class Current: 705/40
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/04 Payment circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/127 Shopping or accessing services according to a time-limitation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/14 specially adapted for billing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3223 Realising banking transactions through M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3227 using secure elements embedded in M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/327 Short range or proximity payments by means of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/063 using wireless information transmission between the vehicle and a fixed station identification of vehicles G08G

Abstract

To provide a billing system capable of simplifying user'"'"'s operation and quickly performing a billing process even in the case where there exist a plurality of terminals for billing. A billing system 1 according to the present invention is a billing system for implementing billing by transmitting billing information transmitted from a billing information transmitting terminal 30 to a cellular phone 10, to a billing server 60 on a mobile communication network, in which a service code of a service for which a billing process is allowed is preliminarily stored in the cellular phone 10 and in which, when the billing information is transmitted from the billing information transmitting terminal 30, whether a service code included in the billing information is a service code for which the cellular phone 10 is allowed to perform the process is determined on the basis of whether it agrees with any service code preliminarily stored. When it is then determined that the cellular phone 10 is allowed to perform the billing process, the cellular phone transmits the billing information to the billing server 60 and performs the billing process.

Claims

1. A billing system applied to a billing scheme of determining a bill on the basis of entry into and exit from a billing zone, and comprising a billing server provided on a mobile communication network, a mobile terminal for transmitting billing information through the mobile communication network to the billing server, an entry point terminal located at an entry point into the billing zone and configured to communicate with the mobile terminal by short-range wireless, and an exit point terminal located at an exit point out of the billing zone and configured to communicate with the mobile terminal by short-range wireless,

wherein said entry point terminal comprises:

entry point information transmitting means for transmitting entry point information about the entry point along with a service code specifying a service of a billing object, to the mobile terminal,

wherein said exit point terminal comprises;

entry point information request transmitting means for transmitting an entry point information request to request entry point information, along with a service code specifying a service of a billing object to the mobile terminal;

bill determining means for determining a bill on the basis of the entry point information transmitted according to the entry point information request from the mobile terminal; and

billing information transmitting means for transmitting billing information including the bill determined by the bill determining means, to the mobile terminal, and

wherein said mobile terminal comprises;

service code storing means storing a service code of a service for which the mobile terminal is allowed to perform a billing process;

service code determining means for determining whether the service specified by the service code transmitted from the entry point terminal or from the exit point terminal is a service for which the mobile terminal is allowed to perform the billing process, on the basis of the service code stored in the service code storing means;

entry point information storing means for storing the entry point information about the entry point into the billing zone;

entry point information receiving means for receiving the entry point information transmitted from the entry point terminal and for, when the service code determining means determines that the service code transmitted along with the entry point information is a service code for which the mobile terminal is allowed to perform the billing process, storing the entry point information received, in the entry point information storing means;

entry point information request receiving means for receiving the entry point information request and the service code transmitted from the exit point terminal;

entry point information transmitting means for, when the service code determining means determines that the service code received by the entry point information request receiving means is a service code for which the mobile terminal is allowed to perform the billing process, retrieving the entry point information stored in the entry point information storing means and transmitting the entry point information to the exit point terminal;

billing information receiving means for receiving the billing information transmitted from the exit point terminal; and

billing information transmitting means for transmitting the billing information received by the billing information receiving means, through the mobile communication network to the billing server.

2. The billing system according to claim 1, wherein the entry point information receiving means stores the entry point information in association with the service code received with the entry point information, in the entry point information storing means, and

wherein the entry point information transmitting means of the mobile terminal retrieves the entry point information stored in association with the service code received by the entry point information request receiving means, from the entry point information storing means and transmits the entry point information to the exit point terminal.

3. The billing system according to claim 1, wherein the mobile terminal further comprises:

determination result transmitting means for transmitting a result of the determination by the service code determining means on whether the service code is a service code for which the mobile terminal is allowed to perform the billing process, to the entry point terminal or to the exit point terminal, and

wherein said entry point terminal and said exit point terminal further comprise a gate controlled to open and close on the basis of the result of the determination on the service code transmitted by the determination result transmitting means from the mobile terminal.

4. A billing method applied to a billing scheme of determining a bill on the basis of entry into and exit from a billing zone, and adapted to perform billing by a billing server provided on a mobile communication network, a mobile terminal for transmitting billing information through the mobile communication network to the billing server, an entry point terminal located at an entry point into the billing zone and configured to communicate with the mobile terminal by short-range wireless, and an exit point terminal located at an exit point out of the billing zone and configured to communicate with the mobile terminal by short-range wireless, said billing method comprising:

a first entry point information transmitting step of transmitting entry point information about the entry point along with a service code specifying a service of a billing object, from the entry point terminal to the mobile terminal;

a first service code determining step of determining whether the service specified by the service code transmitted in the first entry point information transmitting step is a service for which the mobile terminal is allowed to perform a billing process, with reference to service code storing means preliminarily storing a service code for which the mobile terminal is allowed to perform the billing process;

an entry point information storing step of, when it is determined in the first service code determining step that the service code transmitted in the first entry point information transmitting step is a service code for which the mobile terminal is allowed to perform the process, storing the entry point information transmitted to the mobile terminal in the first entry point information transmitting step, in entry point information storing means;

an entry point information request transmitting step of transmitting an entry point information request to request entry point information, along with a service code specifying a service of a billing object from the exit point terminal to the mobile terminal;

a second service code determining step of determining whether the service specified by the service code transmitted in the entry point information request transmitting step is a service code for which the mobile terminal is allowed to perform the billing process, with reference to the service code storing means preliminarily storing the service code for which the mobile terminal is allowed to perform the billing process;

a second entry point information transmitting step of, when it is determined in the second service code determining step that the service code transmitted in the entry point information request transmitting step is a service code for which the mobile terminal is allowed to perform the process, retrieving the entry point information stored in the entry point information storing mean'"'"'s and transmitting the entry point information from the mobile terminal to the exit point terminal;

a bill determining step of letting the exit point terminal determine a bill on the basis of the entry point information transmitted in the entry point information transmitting step;

a first billing information transmitting step of transmitting billing information including the bill determined in the bill determining step, from the exit point terminal to the mobile terminal; and

a second billing information transmitting step of transmitting the billing information transmitted in the first billing information transmitting step, from the mobile terminal through the mobile communication network to the billing server.

5. The billing method according to claim 4, wherein said entry point information storing step is to store the entry point information in association with the service code received in the first entry point information transmitting step, in the entry point information storing means, and

wherein said second entry point information transmitting step is to retrieve the entry point information stored in association with the service code received in the entry point information request transmitting step, from the entry point information storing means and transmit the entry point information to the exit point terminal.

6. The billing method according to claim 4, further comprising:

a first determination result transmitting step of transmitting a result of the determination in the first service code determining step from the mobile terminal to the entry point terminal;

an entry gate opening and closing step of opening and closing a gate provided at the entry point terminal, on the basis of the result of the determination transmitted in the first determination result transmitting step;

a second determination result transmitting step of transmitting a result of the determination in the second service code determining step from the mobile terminal to the exit point terminal; and

an exit gate opening and closing step of opening and closing a gate provided at the exit point terminal, on the basis of the result of the determination transmitted in the second determination result transmitting step.