Electronic payment system, payment apparatus and terminal thereof

• US 7,296,755 B2
• Filed: 09/08/2005
• Issued: 11/20/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Intellectual Ventures Holding 81 LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Softbank BB Corporation (SoftBank Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Nakajima, Keiichi
• Primary Examiner(s): WALSH, DANIEL I
• Application Number:
  US11/220,580
• Publication Number:
  US 20060000890A1
• Time in Patent Office: 803 Days
• Field of Search: 235/379, 235/380, 235/384, 235/492, 705/13, 705/39, 705/6, 340/928, 340/931, 340/462.16, 340/539.1
• US Class Current: 235/492
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/04 Payment circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/26 Debit schemes, e.g. "pay now"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/322 Aspects of commerce using mobile devices [M-devices]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3223 Realising banking transactions through M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3227 using secure elements embedded in M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/327 Short range or proximity payments by means of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/403 Solvency checks
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/425 using two different networks, one for transaction and one for security confirmation
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/06 Arrangements for road pricing or congestion charging of vehicles or vehicle users, e.g. automatic toll systems
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/14 Systems including one or more distant stations co-operating with a central processing unit data transmission in general H04L; telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station H04Q9/00

Abstract

An electronic payment system for making electronic money payments for transactions. A payment terminal stores a balance of electronic money for payment on a dealing by electronic money. A demanding terminal communicates with the payment terminal to demand the payment and a payment apparatus communicates with the demanding terminal and stores a balance of electronic money to correspond to an identification number of the payment terminal for allowing settlement on the dealing. The demanding terminal receives from the payment terminal the balance stored in the payment terminal and transmits the balance to the payment apparatus. The payment apparatus detects an improper use by checking the balance stored in the payment terminal, which was received from the demanding terminal, with the balance stored in the payment apparatus. The system of the present invention provides secure and convenient electronic money payment for a user'"'"'s transaction.

Claims

1. A communication terminal that can be attached to a vehicle and which communicates with a payment apparatus and a charging system for a toll road to make payment on a transaction using electronic money, the payment apparatus storing a reference number of the electronic money for making settlement on the transaction by electronic money, the charging system demanding the payment on the transaction, the communication terminal comprising:

a memory unit which stores a check reference number of the electronic money;

a first communication unit which communicates with said payment apparatus and receives from said payment apparatus an update rule for updating said check reference number stored in said memory unit;

an operation unit which updates said check reference number stored in said memory unit in accordance with said update rule,

a detection unit which detects an electric wave signal transmitted from said charging system; and

a second communication unit which communicates with said charging system and, after being updated by said operation unit, sends said check reference number to said charging system.

2. The communication terminal as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a sound notification unit operable to generate a first sound for notifying a result of a validation of said electronic money, in a case where a result of said validation of said electronic money was received from said charging system.

3. The communication terminal as claimed in claim 2, wherein said payment apparatus sends a balance of said electronic money to said charging system, and said sound notification unit generates a second sound for notifying a shortage of said balance of said electronic money, in a case where the shortage of said balance was notified from said charging system.

5. A communication terminal as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first communication unit receives from said payment apparatus said update rule for updating said check reference number in a case where a deposit-requested amount of said electronic money is sent to said payment apparatus.

6. A communication terminal as claimed in claim 5, wherein said update rule uniquely determines said check reference number based on an initial value and time information in such a manner that said check reference number is changed when at least one of said initial value and time information is changed.

7. A communication terminal as claimed in claim 6, wherein said time information is a time period that has passed after a time at which said update rule was received by said first communication unit.

8. A communication terminal as claimed in claim 7, wherein said initial value is an irrational number, and said update rule selects a number at a decimal place of said irrational number as said check reference number, said decimal place being determined based on said time information.

9. A communication terminal as claimed in claim 5, wherein said memory unit stores a number of times that transactions using said electronic money were performed, and said update rule uniquely determines said check reference number based on an initial value and said number of times that transactions were performed in such a manner that said check reference number is changed when at least one of said initial value and said number of times is changed.

10. A communication terminal as claimed in claim 1, wherein said memory unit stores a term of validity of said electronic money, and

in a case where said term of validity has expired, said first communication unit sends a change request for said update rule to said payment apparatus and receives a changed update rule from said payment apparatus, while said operation unit updates said term of validity stored in said memory unit.

4. A communication terminal that can be attached to a vehicle and which communicates with a payment apparatus and a charging system for a toll road to make a payment on a transaction using electronic money, the payment apparatus storing a balance of electronic money for making settlement on the transaction using the electronic money, the charging system demanding the payment on the transaction, the communication terminal comprising:

a first communication unit which communicates with said payment apparatus and receives, from said payment apparatus, said balance of said electronic money stored in said payment apparatus;

a memory unit which stores said balance of said electronic money received by said first communication unit;

a detection unit which detects an electric wave signal transmitted from said charging system;

a second communication unit which communicates with said charging system and receives a payment amount of said electronic money from said charging system; and

a processor which updates said balance of said electronic money stored in said memory unit based on said payment amount.

11. A communication terminal as claimed in claim 4, wherein said first communication unit receives said balance of said electronic money from said payment apparatus in a case where a deposit-requested amount of said electronic money was sent to said payment apparatus.

12. A communication terminal as claimed in claim 11, wherein said second communication unit sends said balance stored in said memory unit to said payment apparatus for validating said balance, when sending said deposit-requested amount of said electronic money to said payment apparatus, and receives a new balance from said payment apparatus in a case where said validation of said balance was successful.

13. A communication terminal as claimed in claim 12, wherein said second communication unit sends said balance stored in said memory unit to said payment apparatus when a predetermined time has passed after a time at which said new balance was received from said payment apparatus, and receives a result of said validation of said balance.

14. A communication terminal as claimed in claim 12, wherein said memory unit stores a term of validity of said electronic money, and

said processor notifies a user of said payment apparatus that said electronic money is unavailable in a case where a time that has passed after a start time, at which said second communication unit received said new balance from said payment apparatus, has gone beyond said term of validity.