Data transfer system using mobile terminal and two-dimensional barcode

• US 8,244,631 B2
• Filed: 03/28/2001
• Issued: 08/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions Holdings Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Ueno, Toshihiko, Hoshino, Yoshihiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Nga B.
• Application Number:
  US09/819,459
• Publication Number:
  US 20010051915A1
• Time in Patent Office: 4,157 Days
• Field of Search: 705/16, 705/17, 705/26, 705/27, 705 39- 41, 705/35, 705/36, 455/406, 455/419, 235/462, 235/487
• US Class Current: 705/39
• 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 20/12 specially adapted for electronic shopping systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3274 using a pictured code, e.g. barcode or QR-code, being displayed on the M-device
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/341 Active cards, i.e. cards including their own processing means, e.g. including an IC or chip
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/385 using an alias or single-use codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/403 Solvency checks
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/0886 the card reader being portable for interacting with a POS or ECR in realizing a payment transaction
• 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 data transfer system using a mobile terminal and a two-dimensional barcode, and more particularly, a processing system, server, processing terminal, and communications terminal that can be used to pay for purchases and manage membership cards and admission tickets, and other services.

Claims

1. A processing system comprising:

a data management server storing registration information about a customer, the registration information communicated through a network between the data management server and a financial account of the customer with an external financial institution;

a customer communication terminal communicating data with said data management server and for outputting information for identifying a customer; and

a process execution terminal receiving said information for identifying the customer from said customer communication terminal and executing a process for said customer, wherein;

said process execution terminal provides said information to said data management server when receiving said information for identifying the customer;

said data management server identifies the customer based on said information provided from said process execution terminal, generates reply information based on said registration information about said customer, the reply information indicating an approval of payment from the financial account, and provides said reply information to said process execution terminal; and

said process execution terminal executes a process for said customer based on said reply information when receiving said reply information;

wherein the information for identifying the customer and the registration information about the customer is associated with each other only at the data management server, the data management server being different than the process execution terminal that receives the information for identifying the customer.

2. The processing system according to claim 1, wherein:

said data management server sends said information for identifying the customer to said customer communication terminal when said customer communication terminal accesses said data management server; and

said customer communication terminal receives said information sent from said data management server and outputs said information to said process execution terminal.

3. The processing system according to claim 1, wherein said data management server inquires to an external credit institution about a credit card number for payment and provides information obtained from said external credit institution as said reply information if said registration information is the number of a card for payment.

4. The processing system according to claim 1, wherein said data management server communicates an amount billed included in said registration information as said reply information if said registration information is information about billing issued to said customer.

5. The processing system according to claim 1, wherein:

said data management server determines whether an admission ticket is valid or not and provides the determination as said reply information, if said registration information is information about said admission ticket; and

said process execution terminal outputs information indicating whether said customer is granted admittance or not based on said reply information from said data management server.

6. A processing system comprising:

a data management server associating an identification code identifying a customer with registration information registered for said customer, the registration information communicated through a network between the data management server and a financial account of the customer with an external financial institution, and sending mark data representing said identification code to a customer communication terminal; and

a process execution terminal communicating data with said data management server, said process execution terminal having a mark reader for reading a mark displayed on the display of said customer communication terminal based on said mark data, and executing a process for said customer based on said read mark data, wherein;

said process execution terminal sends said mark data read by said mark reader to said data management server;

said data management server identifies said registration information associated with said identification code based on said mark data sent from said process execution terminal, generates instruction information indicating a process to be performed for said customer based on said registration information, and sends said instruction information to said process execution terminal; and

said process execution terminal, which receives said instruction information, executes the process for the customer based on said instruction information;

wherein the identification code and the registration information is associated with each other only at the data management server.

7. The processing system according to claim 6, wherein said mark is a two-dimensional barcode.

8. The processing system according to claim 6, wherein said mark data sent to said customer communication terminal from said data management server is invalidated after the completion of the process in said process execution terminal.

9. The processing system according to claim 6, wherein said data management server sets information different from a payment card number held by said customer or an account number of said customer as said identification code.

10. The processing system according to claim 9, wherein said data management server sets a telephone number of said customer communication terminal as said identification code.

11. A server comprising:

data storage associating an identification code identifying a customer with registration information registered for said customer, the registration information communicated through a network between the data storage and a financial account of the customer with an external financial institution, and storing said identification code and said registration information;

a customer communication section communicating data with a customer communication terminal; and

a code issuing section sending said identification code to said customer communication terminal through said customer communication section in response to a received request;

wherein the identification code and the registration information is associated with each other only at the data storage of the server.

12. The server according to claim 11, wherein said code issuing section sends said identification code in barcode data form.

13. The server according to claim 11, wherein:

said data storage associates a password set by said customer with said identification code and stores said password and said identification code; and

said code issuing section verifies whether a password, input from said customer communication terminal, matches said password stored in said data storage, and issues said identification code.

14. The server according to claim 11, further comprising:

a process executer communication section communicating data with a process execution terminal for execution of a process requested by said customer; and

an instruction information issuing section generating instruction information indicating the process to be performed by said process execution terminal for said customer based on said registration information associated with said identification code when receiving said identification code issued by said code issuing section through said process executer communication section from said process execution terminal, and providing said instruction information to said process execution terminal through said process executer communication section.

15. The server according to claim 14, wherein:

said data storage stores as said registration information a number of membership points held by said customer;

said instruction information issuing section informs a process execution terminal of the number of membership points as said instruction information when receiving said identification code and stores a new number of membership points in said data storage when receiving a new number of membership points changed from said number of membership points from said process execution terminal.

16. The server according to claim 15, further comprising a process confirmation section for confirming whether a process requested by said process execution terminal should be performed or not with said customer communication terminal before said instruction information issuing section provides said instruction information to said process execution terminal.

17. A processing terminal comprising:

a code receiver receiving an identification code, output from a communications terminal of a customer, for identifying said customer; and

process information output logic inquiring of an external server about said identification code received by said code receiver, the identification code to be communicated through a network between the external server and a financial account of the customer with an external financial institution at the external server, and outputting process information for said customer based on a reply from said external server about said identification code, the reply information indicating an approval of payment from the financial account;

wherein the identification code is associated with registration information about the customer only at the external server.

18. The processing terminal according to claim 17, wherein said code receiver receives said identification code data from said customer communications terminal by a wireless communication.

19. The processing terminal according to claim 17, wherein said code receiver comprises a barcode reader for reading a two-dimensional barcode displayed on the display of said customer communications terminal.

20. The processing terminal according to claim 17, wherein said process information output logic displays an amount claimed from said customer based on a reply provided by said external server about said identification code.

21. A communication terminal comprising:

a display displaying an image;

a communicator accessing an external server;

a code issue requester accessing an external server through said communicator and requesting said external server to issue a process code; and

a display controller causing said display to display said process code in two-dimensional barcode form, wherein said process code is issued from said external server and received through said communicator;

wherein the external server issues the process code by associating information for identifying a customer using the communication terminal with registration information about the customer, the registration information communicated through a network between the external server and a financial account of the customer with an external financial institution, and wherein the information for identifying the customer and the registration information is associated with each other only at the external server.

22. The communications terminal according to claim 21, wherein said two-dimensional barcode displayed on said display is associated with information on billing issued to a customer holding said communications terminal.

23. The communications terminal according to claim 21, wherein said two-dimensional barcode displayed on said display includes data for an admission ticket.

24. A processing method performed when requested by a customer who registers registration information in a data management server to perform a predetermined process, the method comprising the steps of:

transferring an identification code generated by said data management server for said customer to a terminal held by said customer;

communicating said identification code from said terminal held by said customer to a process execution terminal;

sending an inquiry about said identification code from said process execution terminal to said data management server, the identification code to be communicated through a network between said data management server and a financial account of the customer with an external financial institution at the data management server;

generating instruction information for indicating a process to be performed for said customer based on said registration information associated in said data management server with said identification code and communicating said instruction information to said process execution terminal, the instruction information indicating an approval of payment from the financial account; and

executing a process in said process execution terminal based on said communicated instruction information;

wherein the identification code and the registration information is associated with each other only at the data management server, the data management server being different than the process execution terminal that receives the identification code.

25. A data management method comprising the steps of:

receiving and storing registration information about a customer in a data management server, the registration information communicated through a network between the data management server and a financial account of the customer with an external financial institution;

issuing an identification code identifying said customer, associating said identification code with said registration information only at the data management server, and sending said issued identification code to said customer when requested by said customer; and

identifying said registration information associated with said identification code, generating reply information based on said registration information, the reply information indicating an approval of payment from the financial account, and sending said reply information to a process execution terminal when said identification code is provided by said process execution terminal, the process execution terminal being different than the data management server.

26. A program product stored on a computer readable medium and executable on a computer for causing the computer to perform the steps of:

receiving registration information about a customer and storing said registration information in a data management server, the registration information communicated through a network between the data management server and a financial account of the customer with an external financial institution;

in response to a request received from said customer, issuing an identification code identifying said customer and associating said identification code with said registration information;

sending said issued identification code to said customer;

identifying said registration information associated with said identification code only at the computer and generating reply information based on said registration information, the reply information indicating an approval of payment from the financial account, when said identification code is communicated from a process execution terminal, the process execution terminal being different than the computer; and

sending said reply information to said process execution terminal.