Method and apparatus for validating credit information during home delivery of order

• US 5,334,824 A
• Filed: 03/30/1993
• Issued: 08/02/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Doyle W. Boatwright, Henry W. Martinez, John E. Epert, Tod Nissle
• Original Assignee: Jerry R. Martinez
• Inventors: Martinez, Jerry R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hajec, Donald
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chin, Esther
• Application Number:
  US08/039,850
• Time in Patent Office: 490 Days
• Field of Search: 235/380, 235/381, 235/384, 235/385, 364/478, 364/401, 364/403
• US Class Current: 705/41
• 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 20/06 Private payment circuits, e.g. involving electronic currency used among participants of a common payment scheme
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/105 involving programming of a portable memory device, e.g. IC cards, "electronic purses"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/209 Specified transaction journal output feature, e.g. printed receipt or voice output
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/322 Aspects of commerce using mobile devices [M-devices]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/325 using wireless networks
• 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 20/343 Cards including a counter
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/403 Solvency checks
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/4037 Remote solvency checks
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/02 by keys or other credit registering devices
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/08 by coded identity card or credit card or other personal identification means without personal verification means G07F7/02
• 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 method and apparatus for delivering an order to a home and utilizing credit information to verify and accept payment for the order. The method and apparatus verify credit information on site at the door of a home contemporaneously with delivery of an order.

Claims

1. In a home delivery system for validating credit tendered to a delivery person when the person delivers an order to a recipient at a residence,

(a) a host computer with memory means for storing credit validation data;

(b) portable housing means carried by the delivery person;

(c) credit data entry means mounted in said housing means for entering credit information concerning the recipient;

(d) data processing means mounted in said housing means and coupled with said credit data entry means for storing said credit information;

(e) first transmission means mounted in said housing means and operatively associated with said data processing means to transmit said credit information from said portable housing means to said host computer for examination to generate validation information indicating whether said credit information is acceptable;

(f) receiver means mounted in said housing and operatively associated with said data processing means;

(g) printer means mounted in said housing and operatively associated with said data processing means; and

,

(h) second transmission means operatively associated with said host computer for transmitting said validation information to said receiver means to generate validation information signals from said receiver means to said data processing means, said data processing means, when said validation information signals indicate said credit information is acceptable, activating said printer means to print a receipt for the recipient to confirm that the order was delivered to the recipient and paid for by the recipient.