Terminal device, accounting system and data processing method

• US 20070005454A1
• Filed: 07/05/2006
• Published: 01/04/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Yodo, Fumitake
• Granted Patent: US 8,015,082 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/27
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/00 Payment architectures, schemes or protocols apparatus for performing or posting payment transactions G07F7/08, G07F19/00; electronic cash registers G07G1/12
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/085 involving remote charge determination or related payment systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/28 Pre-payment schemes, e.g. "pay before"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3676 Balancing accounts
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/382 insuring higher security of transaction
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/4037 Remote solvency checks
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/123 Tax preparation or submission
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/08 by coded identity card or credit card or other personal identification means without personal verification means G07F7/02

Abstract

This invention relates to a terminal device capable of communicating with an accounting center, an accounting system, and a data processing method. A point memory 45 of a recording/reproducing device 10 stores accounting point information. An HDD 15 stores information distributed from an external source. A CPU 11 updates the accounting point information stored in the point memory 45 and updates attributes of the distributed information when the distributed information is stored onto the HDD 15. Thus, such inconvenience that communication with a distribution/accounting center 1 is carried out every time information is distributed to the recording/reproducing device 10 is avoided.

Claims

1-12. -12. (canceled)

13. A method for receiving chargeable information to a terminal device comprising the steps of:

storing accounting point information representing a monetary balance in a first memory of the terminal device;

receiving chargeable information from an external source;

recording the chargeable information along with a management file having an information use permission flag corresponding to the received information to a second memory of the terminal device;

determining whether the first memory has sufficient points to pay for the received chargeable information;

subtracting points from the first memory to pay for the received chargeable information and setting the information permission flag to the AVAILABLE state when it is determined that the first memory has sufficient points to pay for the received chargeable information; and

initiating an actual accounting process to an accounting center to pay for the received chargeable information and setting the information permission flag to the AVAILABLE state when it is determined that the first memory does not have sufficient points to the pay for the received chargeable information.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein when it is determined that the first memory does not have sufficient points to pay for the received chargeable information and the initiated actual accounting process to the accounting center to pay for the received chargeable information does not complete successfully, the information permission flag is set to the UNAVAILABLE state.

15. The method of claim 13 additionally comprising the step of:

periodically purchasing additional points by initiating another actual accounting process to the accounting center and storing the additional points as updated accounting point information in the first memory of the terminal device.

16. The method of claim 13 additionally comprising the step of:

purchasing additional points by initiating another actual accounting process to the accounting center and storing the additional points as updated accounting point information in the first memory of the terminal device when it is determined that the available points are fewer than a predetermined number.