System and method for sending a short message containing purchase information to a destination terminal

• US 6,067,529 A
• Filed: 08/12/1998
• Issued: 05/23/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ericsson, Inc. (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson)
• Original Assignee: Ericsson, Inc. (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson)
• Inventors: Alperovich, Vladimir, Ray, Dipankar
• Primary Examiner(s): Trammell, James P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Retta, Yehdega
• Application Number:
  US09/133,024
• Time in Patent Office: 650 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26, 705/27, 705/29, 705/35, 705/37, 705/39, 705/42, 455/466, 455/403, 455/517, 455/405, 455/406, 380/270, 380/271
• US Class Current: 705/24
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/047 using payment protocols involving electronic receipts
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/12 specially adapted for electronic shopping systems
• 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 20/3255 using mobile network messaging services for payment, e.g. SMS
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 19/20 Automatic teller machines [ATMs]
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/0036 Checkout procedures

Abstract

A telecommunications system and method is disclosed for providing a substantially immediate electronic receipt after a consumer has made a purchase. When a consumer makes a purchase, the sales terminal, which is attached with a short message/e-mail sending capable terminal, can generate and route a short message along with the detailed purchase information to a transport address or alias address associated with the consumer via a Gatekeeper for the Internet for the area that the sales terminal is located in. Upon receipt of the short message, the Gatekeeper can then convert the alias address to the transport address, if the alias address is given and the consumer does not want the short message sent to the alias address, and forward the short message through the Internet to that transport address (or alias address) as an Internet Protocol datagram for storage and retrieval of the short message by the consumer either immediately or at a later time.

Claims

1. A telecommunications system for providing a short message containing purchase information to a destination terminal, comprising:

a sales terminal having a short message terminal connected therewith, said sales terminal generating said short message containing said purchase information and instructing said short message terminal to send said short message to an address associated with said destination terminal via the Internet; and

a mobile terminal in wireless communication with a mobile network, said mobile terminal having a memory therein for storing said address, said sales terminal establishing a call connection with said mobile terminal via said mobile network to retrieve said address.

2. The telecommunications system of claim 1, wherein said address further comprises a transport address associated with said destination terminal.

3. The telecommunications system of claim 1, wherein said short message is routed to said destination terminal through the Internet using User Datagram Protocol/Internet Protocol.

4. The telecommunications system of claim 1, wherein said address is an alias address.

26. The telecommunications system of claim 1, wherein said memory further stores at least one credit card number, said sales terminal receiving a select one of said at least one credit card number during said call connection, said select credit card number being used to authorize said purchase.

5. The telecommunications system of claim 5, further comprising a gatekeeper connected to the Internet, said gatekeeper determining a transport address associated with said alias address and routing said short message to said destination terminal using said transport address.

6. The telecommunications system of claim 6, wherein said transport address is an Internet Protocol (IP) address, said gatekeeper routing said short message to a gateway node associated with said destination terminal using said IP address, said gateway node sending said short message to said destination terminal.

7. The telecommunications system of claim 6, wherein said gateway node is a Gateway Short Message Service Center (GSMSC), said destination terminal being said mobile terminal.

8. The telecommunications system of claim 7, wherein said GSMSC obtains routing information associated with a Short Message Service Center (SMSC) serving said mobile terminal from a Home Location Register, said GSMSC routing said short message to said SMSC, said SMSC sending said short message to said mobile terminal.

9. The telecommunications system of claim 7, wherein said short message is stored in said memory within said mobile terminal.

10. The telecommunications system of claim 9, wherein said memory is a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card.

11. The telecommunications system of claim 7, wherein said gatekeeper converts said short message into Internet Protocol (IP) packets, said IP packets being sent to said GSMSC through the Internet, said GSMSC converting said IP packets back into said short message.

12. The telecommunications system of claim 6, wherein said gateway node is a credit card gateway, said alias address being a credit card number, said credit card gateway determining routing information for sending said short message to said destination terminal.

25. The telecommunications system of claim 12, wherein said sales terminal uses said credit card number to authorize said purchase.

13. A method for providing a short message containing purchase information to a destination terminal, said method comprising the steps of:

storing an address for said destination terminal within a memory in a mobile terminal in wireless communication with the Internet;

establishing a call connection between a sales terminal and said mobile terminal via the Internet;

transmitting said address from said mobile terminal to said sales terminal during said call connection;

generating said short message by said sales terminal having a short message terminal connected therewith;

instructing, by said sales terminal, said short message terminal to send said short message to said address associated with said destination terminal; and

routing, by said short message terminal, said short message to said destination terminal through the Internet using said address.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein said address is a transport address associated with said destination terminal.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein said step of routing uses User Datagram Protocol/Internet Protocol.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein said address is an alias address and wherein said step of routing further comprises the step of:

routing, by said short message terminal, said alias address to a gatekeeper connected to the Internet.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein said step of routing further comprises the step of:

determining a transport address associated with said alias address by said gatekeeper.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein said of determining said routing information is performed by said gatekeeper transport address is an Internet Protocol (IP) address, said step of routing said short message to said destination terminal further comprising the steps of:

routing, by said gatekeeper, said short message to a gateway node associated with said destination terminal using said IP address; and

sending, by said gateway node, said short message to said destination terminal.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein said gateway node is a Gateway Short Message Service Center (GSMSC), said destination terminal being said mobile terminal.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein said step of sending said short message by said GSMSC to said destination terminal comprises the steps of:

obtaining, by said GSMSC, routing information associated with a Short Message Service Center (SMSC) serving said mobile terminal from a Home Location Register;

routing, by said GSMSC, said short message to said SMSC; and

sending, by said GSMSC, said short message to said mobile terminal.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein said short message is stored in said memory within said mobile terminal.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein said memory is a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card.

23. The method of claim 19, wherein said step of routing said short message by said gatekeeper to said GSMSC further comprises the steps of:

converting, by said gatekeeper, said short message into Internet Protocol (IP) packets;

sending said IP packets to said GMSC through the Internet; and

converting, by said GSMSC, said IP packets back into said short message.

24. The method of claim 18, wherein said gateway node is a credit card gateway, said alias address being a credit card number, said step of sending said short message by said gateway node to said destination terminal being performed by said credit card gateway determining routing information for sending said short message to said destination terminal.

27. The method of claim 24, further comprising the step of:

authorizing said purchase by said sales terminal using said credit card number.

28. The method of claim 13, further comprising the steps of:

storing at least one credit card number within said memory;

transmitting a select one of said at least one credit card number from said mobile terminal to said sales terminal during said call connection; and

authorizing said purchase by said sales terminal using said select credit card number.