Communication system, communication terminal and communication method

• US 7,905,395 B2
• Filed: 10/17/2007
• Issued: 03/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications Japan Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Asa, Kenji
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, THIEN MINH
• Application Number:
  US11/873,900
• Publication Number:
  US 20080128483A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,245 Days
• Field of Search: 235/379, 235/382.5, 235/383, 705/23, 705/24, 705/26, 705/27, 705/29, 705/41, 705/50
• US Class Current: 235/379
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/327 Short range or proximity payments by means of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

A communication system includes a communication terminal wirelessly communicating with a predetermined base station and a server capable of transferring data through the wireless communication with the communication terminal. The communication terminal includes a payment settlement processing unit capable of carrying out payment settlement processing, a record memory unit configured to store a record of the payment settlement processing carried out at the payment settlement processing unit, a display unit configured to display record data stored in the record memory unit, and a control unit configured to transfer the record stored in the record memory unit to the server. The server includes a storage unit configured to store the record data transferred from the communication terminal, and a record disclosure processing unit configured to transfer the record data stored in the storage unit to other communication terminals within a predetermined range.

Claims

1. A communication system comprising:

a communication terminal configured to wirelessly communicate with a base station and including

a position information acquisition unit configured to obtain position information of the communication terminal at present,

a payment settlement processing unit configured to perform payment settlement processing for a purchase by transmitting a purchase request from the communication terminal to a management server, and receiving authorization of a deposited amount of funds corresponding to the purchase request from the management server,

a record memory unit configured to store the position information, when performing the payment settlement processing, and a record of a completed purchase for which the payment settlement processing was performed at the payment settlement processing unit,

a display unit configured to display a map based on the position information stored in the record memory unit when performing the payment settlement processing and the record of the completed purchase stored in the record memory unit, and

a control unit configured to transfer the record of the completed purchase stored in the record memory unit to the server; and

a data server configured to transfer data through the wireless communication with the communication terminal, including

a storage unit configured to store the record of the completed purchase transferred from the communication terminal; and

a record disclosure processing unit configured to transfer the record of the completed purchase stored in the storage unit to other communication terminals within a predetermined range.

2. A communication system according to claim 1, wherein

the payment settlement processing unit is a short-range wireless communication processing unit configured to perform wireless communication with a reader/writer in proximity to the communication terminal.

3. A communication system according to claim 1, wherein

information based on a record of completed purchases carried out by other communication terminals transferred from the data server is displayed when the display unit displays the map.

4. A communication system according to claim 1, wherein

the range of transfer of the record of the completed purchase stored in the record disclosure processing unit of the data server is limited within a group of communication terminals registered in advance.

5. A communication system according to claim 1, wherein

the communication terminal further includes a data processing unit configured to add data to the record of the completed purchase, the data indicating a merchandise or a service for which the payment settlement processing was performed.

6. A communication system according to claim 1, wherein

the storage unit of the server stores, as part of the record of the completed purchase, the transfer range of which is predetermined.

7. A communication system according to claim 1, wherein

the payment settlement processing unit is configured to perform payment settlement processing for a purchase by transmitting the purchase request from the communication terminal to the management server via a point-of-sale terminal, and receive authorization of the deposited amount of funds corresponding to the purchase request from the management server via the point-of-sale terminal.

12. A communication system according to claim 1, wherein

the predetermined range includes identification information corresponding to other communication terminals that are permitted to access the record data transferred from the communication terminal to the server.

8. A communication terminal for performing wireless communication with a base station, comprising:

a position information acquisition unit configured to obtain position information of the communication terminal at present;

a payment settlement processing unit configured to perform payment settlement processing for a purchase by transmitting a purchase request from the communication terminal to a management server, and receiving authorization of a deposited amount of funds corresponding to the purchase request from the management server;

a record memory unit configured to store the position information, when performing the payment settlement processing, and a record of a completed purchase for which the payment settlement processing was performed at the payment settlement processing unit together with information indicating a disclosure range of the record of the completed purchase;

a data processing unit configured to store the record of the completed purchase that is stored in the record memory unit and a record of a completed purchase that is transferred from a predetermined server related to a completed purchase carried out by other communication terminals in the record memory unit;

a display unit configured to display a map based on the position information stored in the memory unit when performing the payment settlement processing and the record data of the completed purchase stored in the record memory unit; and

a control unit configured to transfer the record of the completed purchase stored in the record memory unit to the predetermined server.

9. A communication terminal according to claim 8, wherein

the information indicating the disclosure range includes identification information corresponding to other communication terminals that are permitted to access the record data transferred to the server from the communication terminal.

10. A communication terminal according to claim 8, wherein

the payment settlement processing unit is configured to perform payment settlement processing for a purchase by transmitting the purchase request from the communication terminal to the management server via a point-of-sale terminal, and receive authorization of the deposited amount of funds corresponding to the purchase request from the management server via the point-of-sale terminal.

11. A communication method between a communication terminal performing wireless communication with a predetermined base station and a server capable of transferring data through the wireless communication with the communication terminal, comprising:

obtaining, by a position information acquisition unit at the communication terminal, position information of the communication terminal at present,

storing record data of a completed purchase for which payment settlement processing was performed in the case where the payment settlement processing is performed by a payment settlement processing function provided in the communication terminal by transmitting a purchase request from the communication terminal to a management server, and receiving authorization of a deposited amount of funds corresponding to the purchase request from the management server,

storing the position information, when performing payment settlement processing, and the stored record of the completed purchase,

displaying, by a display of the communication terminal, a map based on the stored position information when performing the payment settlement processing and the stored record of the completed purchase,

transferring the stored record of the completed purchase to the server, and

storing the record of the completed purchase transferred to the server and transferring the stored record of the completed purchase to other communication terminals within a predetermined range.

13. A communication method according to claim 11, wherein

the predetermined range includes identification information corresponding to other communication terminals that are permitted to access the record data transferred from the communication terminal to the server.

14. The communication method according to claim 11, wherein

the payment settlement processing function at the communication terminal performs payment settlement processing for a purchase by transmitting the purchase request from the communication terminal to the management server via a point-of-sale terminal, and receives authorization of the deposited amount of funds corresponding to the purchase request from the management server via the point-of-sale terminal.