Method and system for electronic purchases using an intelligent data carrier medium, electronic coupon system, and interactive TV infrastructure

• US 8,538,892 B2
• Filed: 03/06/2006
• Issued: 09/17/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Thomson Licensing SAS (Vantiva SA)
• Original Assignee: Thomson Licensing (Vantiva SA)
• Inventors: Humpleman, Richard, Watson, Dan, Mehta, Manu
• Primary Examiner(s): OBEID, MAMON A
• Application Number:
  US11/369,371
• Publication Number:
  US 20060179006A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,752 Days
• Field of Search: 705 50- 79, 705/14.1, 705/14.25, 705/14.49, 705/14.52, 705/14.53, 705/14.65, 725/23, 709/238, 370/324
• US Class Current: 705/71
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/382 insuring higher security of transaction
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3821 Electronic credentials
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/387 Payment using discounts or coupons relating to marketing G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0222 During e-commerce, i.e. online transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0225 Avoiding frauds
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0255 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0635 Processing of requisition or of purchase orders
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/56 Financial cryptography, e.g. electronic payment or e-cash
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/60 Digital content management, e.g. content distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3247 involving digital signatures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3263 involving certificates, e.g. public key certificate [PKC] or attribute certificate [AC]; Public key infrastructure [PKI] arrangements network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using certificates in a packet data network H04L63/0823
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25883 being end-user demographical data, e.g. age, family status or address arrangements for identifying locations of users in broadcast systems H04H60/52
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4181 for conditional access
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4184 providing storage capabilities, e.g. memory stick
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44222 Analytics of user selections, e.g. selection of programs or purchase activity monitoring of user selections in data processing systems G06F11/34; arrangements for monitoring the user's behaviour or opinions in broadcast systems H04H60/33
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47815 Electronic shopping payment schemes, payment architectures or payment protocols for electronic shopping systems G06Q20/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4784 receiving rewards
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8543 using a description language, e.g. Multimedia and Hypermedia information coding Expert Group [MHEG], eXtensible Markup Language [XML] information retrieval of semistructured data, the underlying structure being taken into account, e.g. mark-up language structure data G06F16/80
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 : by receiver means only
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 : Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A method and a system for electronically transacting a purchase between a purchaser and a merchant are disclosed. The method includes storing accrued incentives on an intelligent data carrier medium via interactive television (DTV/STB) equipment and redeeming a discount or a value corresponding to the accrued incentives present on the data carrier medium when a purchase is made. The electronic purchase system using an electronic network contains a purchaser interactive television (DTV/STB) equipment connected to the electronic network, a fixed intelligent data carrier medium connected to the interactive television (DTV/STB) equipment for service authentication and decryption and a detachable intelligent data carrier medium connected to the interactive television (DTV/STB) equipment.

Claims

1. An electronic purchase system comprising:

an interactive purchase television equipment connected to the electronic network;

a fixed intelligent data carrier medium connected to said interactive purchaser television equipment, the fixed intelligent data carrier medium comprising a first processor that is programmed to authenticate and decrypt services, the services include receiving incentives from an incentives provider;

a detachable intelligent data carrier medium connectable to said interactive purchaser television equipment, such that when the detachable intelligent carrier medium is mated to the interactive purchaser television equipment, the detachable intelligent data carrier medium is further programmed to communicate with the interactive purchaser television equipment;

the detachable intelligent data carrier medium comprising a second processor that is programmed to store accrued incentives received from the incentives provider in a memory equipment on the detachable intelligent data carrier medium;

the detachable intelligent carrier medium is programmed to process the accrued incentives, wherein a first signature validates the accrued incentives and a second signature validates the use of the accrued incentives;

a merchant terminal connected to the electronic network is programmed to read the accrued incentives stored on the detachable intelligent data carrier medium, to redeem a discount or a value corresponding to the read accrued incentives, apply the discount or value to a purchase transaction and store purchase information related to the purchase transaction onto the detachable intelligent data carrier medium;

the interactive purchase television equipment is programmed to read the purchase information stored on the detachable data carrier medium when said detachable data carrier medium is mated with the interactive purchase television equipment; and

in response to reading the stored purchase information, the interactive purchase television equipment is further programmed to store onto the detachable data carrier medium further incentives based on the read purchase information.

3. The electronic purchase system according to claim 1, wherein the fixed intelligent data carrier medium comprises a fixed smart card, and wherein the detachable intelligent data carrier medium comprises a detachable smart card.

4. The electronic purchase system according to claim 1, wherein the first processor of the fixed intelligent data carrier medium is programmed by program instructions for service authentication and decryption, and wherein the second processor of the detachable intelligent data carrier medium is programmed by program instructions for storing accrued incentives and for generating a user'"'"'s digital signature.

5. The electronic purchase system according to claim 1, wherein the first processor the fixed intelligent data carrier medium comprising a circuit programmed for service authentication and decryption, and wherein the second processor of the detachable intelligent data carrier medium comprises a circuit programmed to store accrued incentives and for generating a user'"'"'s digital signature.

10. The electronic purchase system according to claim 1, wherein the second signature validates the use of the accrued incentives during collection and refund stages.

11. The electronic purchase system according to claim 1, wherein the first signature is received from a publisher of the accrued incentives.

12. The electronic purchase system according to claim 1, wherein the interactive purchaser television equipment is one of a set top box (STB) and a digital television (DTV).

13. The electronic purchase system according to claim 1, wherein an electrical interconnection is formed between the intelligent data carrier medium and the interactive purchaser television equipment.

14. The electronic purchase system according to claim 1, wherein the intelligent data carrier medium communicates with the interactive purchaser television equipment via electrical signals.

15. The electronic purchase system according to claim 1, wherein the intelligent data carrier medium communicates with the interactive purchaser television equipment via electrical signals.

16. The electronic purchase system according to claim 1, wherein the incentives are accrued via impression.

17. The electronic purchase system according to claim 16, wherein the incentives are based on impression ads.

18. The electronic purchase system according to claim 16, wherein the incentives are based simple viewing.

2. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having programming instructions for performing a method of transacting a purchase between a purchaser and a merchant, comprising:

authenticating a service provided to an interactive television equipment using a fixed intelligent data carrier medium, the fixed intelligent data carrier medium comprising a first processor for service authentication and decryption, the service includes receiving incentives from an incentives provider;

storing accrued incentives onto a detachable intelligent data carrier medium via the interactive television equipment without requiring user interaction to activate storage to the intelligent data carrier medium, such that when the detachable intelligent data carrier medium is mated to the interactive purchaser television equipment, the detachable intelligent data carrier medium communicates with the interactive purchaser television equipment, the detachable intelligent data carrier medium comprising a second processor that processes the accrued incentives; and

redeeming, at a merchant terminal, a discount or a value corresponding to the accrued incentives stored on the detachable data carrier medium when a purchase is made, wherein a first signature validates the accrued incentives and a second signature validates the user of the accrued incentives;

in response to redeeming the discount or value, storing by the merchant terminal onto the detachable data carrier medium, a purchase information related to the purchase;

detecting by the interactive television equipment that the detachable data carrier medium is mated to the interactive television equipment;

in response to detecting that the detachable data carrier medium is mated to the interactive television equipment, the interactive television equipment reading the purchase information stored on the detachable data carrier medium; and

storing by the interactive television equipment onto the detachable data carrier medium further incentives based on the read purchase information.

6. The computer readable medium according to claim 2, wherein the fixed intelligent data carrier medium comprises a fixed smart card, and wherein the detachable data carrier medium comprises a detachable smart card.

7. The computer readable medium according to claim 2, wherein the second processor of the detachable intelligent data carrier medium is further programmed to generate a user'"'"'s digital signature and to receive purchase information when the purchase is made.

8. The computer readable medium according to claim 2, wherein the first processor of the fixed intelligent data carrier medium is programmed by program instructions for service authentication and decryption, and wherein the second processor of the detachable intelligent data carrier medium is programmed by program instructions for storing accrued incentives and for generating a user'"'"'s digital signature.

9. The computer readable medium according to claim 2, wherein the first processor of the fixed intelligent data carrier medium comprises a circuit programmed for service authentication and decryption, and wherein the processor of the detachable intelligent data carrier medium comprises a circuit programmed for storing accrued incentives and for generating a user'"'"'s digital signature.