Method and portable device for management of electronic receipts

• US 7,987,120 B2
• Filed: 01/23/2009
• Issued: 07/26/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Visa USA, Inc. (Visa, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Visa USA, Inc. (Visa, Inc.)
• Inventors: Shiftan, Nicholas, Gauthier, Patrick, Lins, Julie
• Primary Examiner(s): Gart; Matthew S
• Assistant Examiner(s): ULLAH MASUD, MOHAMMAD R
• Application Number:
  US12/359,244
• Publication Number:
  US 20090192817A1
• Time in Patent Office: 914 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1, 705/14, 705/21, 705/22, 705/24, 705/26, 705/44, 705/16, 707/10, 707/3, 707/204, 709/201
• US Class Current: 705/28
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/04 Payment circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/047 using payment protocols involving electronic receipts
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/209 Specified transaction journal output feature, e.g. printed receipt or voice output
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3221 Access to banking information through M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/346 Cards serving only as information carrier of service
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/389 Keeping log of transactions for guaranteeing non-repudiation of a transaction
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/1008 Active credit-cards provided with means to personalise their use, e.g. with PIN-introduction/comparison system

Abstract

A system for managing electronic receipts is provided. According to one aspect, the system includes a portable device, a base device, a user device and an electronic receipts administration system. The electronic receipts administration system provides the base device with the appropriate data to allow the base device to generate, store and manage electronic receipts accordingly. A user uses the portable device to conduct a transaction with the base device. The base device uses a variety of information to generate an electronic receipt for the transaction. Such information includes, for example, information stored on the portable device, information stored locally on the base device and information stored on another device such as an electronic cash register. The electronic receipt is then stored on the portable device. The user device allows the user to subsequently retrieve the electronic receipt for management purposes.

Claims

1. A portable device for storing electronic receipts, comprising:

a computing module;

a communications module operatively coupled to the computing module, and configured by a processor to communicate with a POS device, wherein the POS device supplies data representing at least one electronic receipt for a first transaction to the communications module; and

a memory module operatively coupled to the computing module, and configured by the processor to store the data representing the at least one electronic receipt;

wherein the data representing the at least one electronic receipt includes receipt status information, a unique receipt identifier, transaction identifying information, POS device information, and portable electronic device identification information;

wherein the data is logically structured, by the processor, in the memory module to allow the POS device to scan, without bypassing an access control condition of the at least one electronic receipt, the unique receipt identifier through the communications module to identify that the at least one electronic receipt can be managed by the POS device;

wherein during a second transaction the computing module, as configured by the processor, allows only a particular service provider via the POS device, or another POS device controlled by the particular service provider, to bypass the access control condition after the particular service provider communicates to the communications module that the particular service provider generated the at least one electronic receipt according to a particular receipt management policy, wherein the particular service provider controls the receipt management policy;

wherein the computing module as configured by the processor is required by the POS device, or another POS device controlled by the particular service provider, to delete the data representing the at least one electronic receipt to complete the second transaction, after the access control condition is bypassed, and based on a deletion request from the POS device, or another POS device controlled by the particular service provider, to the communications module.

2. The portable device of claim 1, wherein the computing module executes control logic stored in the portable device to require user authentication before allowing access to the data representing the at least one electronic receipt.

3. The portable device of claim 2, wherein the computing module executes control logic stored in the portable device to restrict access to the data representing the at least one electronic receipt.

4. The portable device of claim 3, wherein the computing module executes control logic stored in the portable device to refuse storage of new data representing the at least one electronic receipt under certain conditions.

5. The portable device of claim 4, wherein the computing module executes control logic stored in the portable device to prevent the storage of the new data representing at least one new electronic receipt if the storage will cause the memory module to exceed a memory capacity of the memory module.

6. The portable device of claim 1, wherein the computing module comprises control logic stored in the portable device configured to keep a record of storing the at least one electronic receipt.

7. The portable device of claim 6, wherein the record comprises a date of a transaction, a reference to a product or service rendered, and a price of the product or service rendered.

8. The portable device of claim 1, wherein the receipt status information identifies the data representing the at least one electronic receipt as being one of:

original, duplicated, invalid, or deleted.

9. The portable device of claim 1, wherein the transaction identifying information includes a transaction ID, transaction date, transaction amount, information on products or service delivered, and a receipt validity period.

10. The portable device of claim 1, wherein the portable device identification information links the data representing at least one electronic receipt to the portable device.

21. The portable device of claim 1, wherein the access control condition must be satisfied in order for the POS device, or another POS device controlled by the particular service provider, to retrieve the data from the memory module.

22. The portable device of claim 1, wherein the memory module is configured to store claim-data representing at least one claim ticket for redemption of a service or product from the POS device, or another POS device controlled by the particular service provider.

23. The method of claim 10, wherein the access control condition must be satisfied in order for the POS device, or another POS device controlled by the particular service provider, to retrieve the data from the memory module.

25. The portable device of claim 1, wherein additional data representing a second electronic receipt is located in the memory module, wherein the additional data representing the second electronic receipt is logically structured in the memory module to allow the POS device, or another POS device controlled by the particular service provider, to scan, without bypassing an access control condition of the second electronic receipt, a portion of the additional data and identify that the second electronic receipt is not manageable by the POS device, or another POS device controlled by the particular service provider.

26. The portable device of claim 25, wherein a second particular service provider generated the second electronic receipt according to a second particular receipt management policy, wherein the second service provider controls the second receipt management policy.

11. A method for receiving and storing an electronic receipt onto a portable device, comprising:

receiving data at a communications module of a portable device having a processor, from a POS device, the data representing at least one electronic receipt for a first transaction; and

storing, using the processor, the data representing the at least one electronic receipt in a memory module of the portable device;

wherein, the data representing the at least one electronic receipt includes receipt status information, a unique receipt identifier, transaction identifying information, POS device information, and portable device identification information;

wherein the data is logically structured, by the processor, in the memory module to allow the POS device to scan, without bypassing an access control condition of the at least one electronic receipt, the unique receipt identifier through the communications module to identify if the at least one electronic receipt is related to or can be managed by the POS device;

wherein during a second transaction the computing module, as configured by the processor, allows only a particular service provider via the POS device, or another POS device controlled by the particular service provider, to bypass the access control condition after the particular service provider communicates to the communications module that the particular service provider generated the at least one electronic receipt according to a particular receipt management policy, wherein the particular service provider controls the receipt management policy;

wherein the computing module as configured by the processor is required by the POS device, or another POS device controlled by the particular service provider, to delete the data representing the at least one electronic receipt to complete the second transaction after the access control condition is bypassed, and based on a deletion request from the POS device, or another POS device controlled by the particular service provider, to the communications module.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

allowing access to the data representing the at least one electronic receipt by an external device coupled to the communications module.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein user authentication is required for allowing access to the data.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

verifying the user authentication, and offloading the data representing the at least one electronic receipt to the external device.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

receiving a request to store new data representing at least one second electronic receipt, detecting that storing the new data representing the least one new electronic receipt will cause the memory module to exceed memory capacity of the memory module, and refusing the request to store the new data representing the at least one new electronic receipt.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

creating a storage record on the memory module for the data representing the at least one electronic receipt.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the storage record comprises a date of transaction, a reference to a product or service rendered, and a price of the product or service rendered.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the receipt status information identifies the data representing the at least one electronic receipt as being one of:

original, duplicated, invalid, or deleted.

19. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving a request at the communications module of the portable device to change a current state of the receipt status information.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

changing the current state of the receipt status information to a deleted state, in response to the request.

24. The method of claim 11, wherein the second transaction comprises:

sending claim-data stored on the memory module to the POS device, or another POS device controlled by the particular service provider, using the communications module, the claim-data representing at least one claim ticket for redemption of a service or product by a user of the portable device.

27. The method of claim 12, wherein additional data representing a second electronic receipt is located in the memory module, wherein the additional data representing the second electronic receipt is logically structured in the memory module to allow the POS device, or another POS device controlled by the particular service provider, to scan, without bypassing an access control condition of the second electronic receipt, a portion of the additional data and identify that the second electronic receipt is not manageable by the POS device, or another POS device controlled by the particular service provider.

28. The method of claim 20, wherein a second particular service provider generated the second electronic receipt according to a second particular receipt management policy, wherein the second service provider controls the second receipt management policy.