Electronic transaction system

• US 6,338,048 B1
• Filed: 03/12/1999
• Issued: 01/08/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: OKI Electric Industry Company Limited
• Original Assignee: OKI Electric Industry Company Limited
• Inventors: Mori, Toru
• Primary Examiner(s): Millin, Vincent
• Assistant Examiner(s): AKERS, GEOFFREY R
• Application Number:
  US09/254,706
• Time in Patent Office: 1,033 Days
• Field of Search: 705/41, 235/380
• US Class Current: 705/41
• 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 20/105 involving programming of a portable memory device, e.g. IC cards, "electronic purses"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/363 with the personal data of a user
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/0866 by active credit-cards adapted therefor G07F7/1008 takes precedence

Abstract

A plurality of types of settlement conditions exist for transactions with electronic money. An electronic transaction system capable of being applied to a plurality of types of settlement conditions using a single automatic teller machine is provided. In order to achieve this, this system has the following configuration. Namely, in this electronic transaction system for carrying out transaction settlements using electronic money stored on a customer card while using an automatic teller machine, customer identification information and an electronic money amount are stored as balance information for each customer account established at a financial institution, with the customer card being such that stored information can be updated based on pre-decided transaction conditions. The automatic teller machine then houses customer cards corresponding to a plurality of transaction conditions and a plurality of ATM cards, and a plurality of control software is prepared. Control software coinciding with the transaction conditions is then activated, and transactions are carried out with the ATM cards stored in the automatic teller machine.

Claims

1. An electronic transaction system comprising:

a first IC card of a customer for storing information specifying a type of electronic money and electronic money issued by a money issuer;

a terminal capable of having the first IC card inserted into it; and

a plurality of second IC cards of the terminal for storing electronic money provided at the terminal, each of the plurality of second IC cards storing a different type of electronic money issued by different money issuers or by the same money issuer,

wherein the terminal reads out information specifying a type of electronic money stored in the first IC card when the first IC card is inserted into the terminal and selects one of the plurality of second IC cards storing the type of electronic money specified by the information read from the first IC card, and the type of electronic money specified by the information is transferred between the first IC card and the one of the plurality of second IC cards selected by the terminal.

2. The electronic transaction system of claim 1, wherein the terminal makes each of the plurality of second IC cards start sending the prescribed signal to the first IC card by a preset order when information specifying the type of the electronic money cannot be read from the first IC card, and makes the one of the plurality of second IC cards carry out at least one transaction with the first IC card when the first IC card returns an appropriate response to the terminal.

3. The electronic transaction system of claim 1, wherein information specifying the electronic money type is set for each money issuer or for each type of electronic money when the money issuer is the same.

4. The electronic transaction system of claim 1, wherein the terminal is an automatic teller machine.

5. The electronic transaction system of claim 2, wherein information specifying the electronic money type is set for each money issuer or for each type of electronic money when the money issuer is the same.

6. The electronic transaction system of claim 2, wherein the terminal is an automatic teller machine.

7. The electronic transaction system of claim 3 wherein the terminal is an automatic teller machine.

8. The electronic transaction system according to claim 1, wherein said information specifying the type of electronic money includes information showing a settlement condition of electronic money.

9. The electronic transaction system according to claim 8, wherein the terminal comprises:

memory in which is stored at least two different types of control software corresponding to at least two different types of settlement conditions of electronic money that may be stored on said first IC card, wherein the terminal uses the type of control software corresponding to the type of settlement condition of electronic money shown by the information specifying the type of electronic money.

10. The electronic transaction system according to claim 1, the terminal including:

a controller, said controller selecting one of the second IC cards storing the type of electronic money specified by the information read from the first IC cards.

11. The electronic transaction system according to claim 1, wherein at least one of said plurality of second IC cards stores different types of electronic money.

12. A method of performing electronic transactions using an electronic transaction system that includes a user IC card, a terminal, and a plurality of system IC cards, the user IC card storing information specifying a type of electronic money and storing electronic money issued by a money issuer, wherein the terminal is arranged so as to permit insertion of a user IC card into it, and wherein each of the plurality of system IC cards stores a different type of electronic money issued by the same money issuer or by different money issuers, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a user IC card in said terminal;

reading out information from the user IC card, said information specifying a type of electronic money stored in the first IC card;

selecting one of said plurality of system IC cards storing the type of electronic money specified by the information read from the user IC card; and

transferring electronic money between the user IC card and the selected system IC card.

13. The method according to claim 12, further comprising the step of:

if information specifying a type of electronic money can not be read from the inserted user IC card, sending, in a preset order, prescribed signals from each of the plurality of system IC cards to the user IC card; and

when, in response to the prescribed signals from one of the plurality of system IC cards, the user IC card returns an appropriate response to the terminal, causing at least one transaction to be performed between the user IC card and that one of the plurality of system IC cards.

14. The method according to claim 12, wherein at least one of said system IC cards stores at least two different types of electronic money.

15. The method according to claim 12, wherein the information specifying the type of electronic money includes information showing a settlement condition of electronic money.

16. The method according to claim 12, further comprising the step of:

establishing a connection through a settlement network to a financial institution or other card issuer for confirmation purposes.

17. The method according to claim 12, further comprising the step of:

selecting control software corresponding to the information read from the user IC card.