Mobile telephone

• US 7,363,252 B2
• Filed: 08/03/2001
• Issued: 04/22/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Takashi Fujimoto
• Original Assignee: Takashi Fujimoto
• Inventors: Fujimoto, Takashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Sobutka; Philip J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rego; Dominic E.
• Application Number:
  US10/381,658
• Publication Number:
  US 20030177068A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,454 Days
• Field of Search: 455/414.1, 455/457, 455/567, 455/419, 455/186.1, 340/5.2, 340/5.4, 725/13, 705/2, 705/90, 705/26, 705/41, 379/93.12
• US Class Current: 705/26.8
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/105 involving programming of a portable memory device, e.g. IC cards, "electronic purses"
• 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 20/32 using wireless devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3223 Realising banking transactions through M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/083 using passwords cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0202 Portable telephone sets, e.g. cordless phones, mobile phones or bar type handsets constructional features of telephone transmitters or receivers, e.g. of speakers or microphones H04M1/03
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/673 the user being required to key in a code
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724 User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/126 Anti-theft arrangements, e.g. protection against subscriber identity module [SIM] cloning
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

A portable telephone including a transmission and reception unit, a control unit, a speaker, a display unit, a code reader unit, an operation input section, a microphone and a storage unit. The storage unit includes a telephone number memory, a password-data memory, and a personal-attribute memory. A buyer scans a code, in which product information is encoded, using the code reader unit, and enters password data via the operation input section. The control unit performs a comparison of the entered password data and password data previously stored in the password-data memory. After the comparison, the transmission and reception unit transmits via an antenna the product information, the telephone number stored in the telephone number memory, and personal-attribute data stored in the personal-attribute memory to a mobile telephone company. The transmitted information is used in settlement of the sales amount.

Claims

1. A sales amount settlement method comprising:

A) inputting product-related information related to products a buyer wants to purchase at a participating store, said product-related information being input by the buyer into a mobile telephone operated by the buyer;

B) transmitting, via a private leased line, to a mobile telephone company of the mobile telephone, individual-identifying information of the buyer together with the product-related information input in step A;

C) determining whether or not it is possible to pay a sales amount for the products the buyer wants to purchase from a funds account of the buyer based on the individual-identifying information transmitted together with the product-related information in step B such that the buyer can purchase the products; and

D) transferring the sales amount to the participating store when it is possible to pay the sales amount,

wherein the individual-identifying information of the buyer together with the product-related information is transmitted via the private leased line directly from the mobile terminal to the mobile telephone company, and

wherein the product-related information further includes information about the participating store,

wherein the step B comprises;

entering password data for the buyer into the mobile telephone;

determining, via the mobile telephone, whether or not the entered password data and password data stored in a memory of the mobile telephone match; and

transmitting the individual-identifying information of the buyer together with the product-related information to the mobile telephone company when the password data match.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the individual-identifying information transmitted in the step B is a telephone number stored in a memory of the mobile telephone.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

E) transmitting a sales amount transfer completion notification to the mobile telephone after the step D) is completed.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the product-related information provided in the step A is provided to the buyer as a product code which is shown in a product catalog distributed by the participating store.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the product-related information provided in the step A is provided by the participating store to the buyer as encoded data, and the product-related information is input to the mobile telephone via a scanner provided in the mobile telephone.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the private leased line includes a packet communication line.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the store information includes a participating store code such that the participating store code can be used to identify and distinguish a payment account of the participating store from a payment account of other participating stores.

8. A sales amount settlement method comprising:

displaying individual-identifying information of a buyer buying products at a participating store on a display unit of a mobile telephone operated by the buyer;

scanning the individual-identifying information displayed on the mobile telephone at a terminal in a participating store;

transmitting the individual-identifying information, together with sales amount information of a product that the buyer purchases from the terminal to an account-specifying computer;

verifying, via the account-specifying computer, whether the buyer is able to purchase the product based on the individual-identifying information; and

transferring funds from a money account of the buyer to the participating store if it is verified the buyer is able to purchase the product,

wherein the individual-identifying information of the buyer is encoded,

wherein the encoded individual-identifying information comprises at least one code,

wherein the code comprises at least one of a two-dimensional code and a colored code,

wherein the method further comprises;

before the transferring step, entering by the buyer, password data into the mobile telephone; and

determining if the password data entered by the buyer matches password data stored in a memory of the mobile telephone, and

wherein the displaying step only displays the individual-identifying information on the display unit of the mobile telephone apparatus if the password data matches.

9. The method according to claim 8, further comprising:

notifying the terminal in the participating store about a completion of funds transferred from the account-specifying computer to the participating store.

10. A mobile telephone apparatus comprising:

an input section configured to input product-related information related to products a buyer wants to purchase at a participating store;

a transmitting unit configured to transmit, via a private leased line, to a mobile telephone company of the mobile telephone apparatus, individual-identifying information of the buyer together with the product-related information input into the input section; and

a receiving unit configured to receive information from an external computer about whether or not it is possible to pay a sales amount for the products the buyer wants to purchase from a funds account of the buyer based on the individual-identifying information transmitted together with the product-related information,

wherein the individual-identifying information of the buyer together with the product-related information is transmitted via the private leased line directly from the mobile terminal to the mobile telephone company,

wherein the product-related information further includes information about the participating stores,

wherein the apparatus further comprises;

a memory section configure to store a password for operating the mobile telephone apparatus; and

a control unit configure to determine whether or not password data entered by the buyer matches the password data stored in the memory section, and

wherein the transmitting unit only transmits the individual-identifying information of the buyer together with the product-related information to the mobile telephone company when the password data match.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the transmitted individual-identifying information is a telephone number stored in the memory of the mobile telephone apparatus.

12. The apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising:

a display unit configured to display a sales amount transfer completion notification when funds are transferred from the funds account of the buyer to the participating store.

13. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the product-related information comprises a product code which is shown in a product catalog distributed by the participating store.

14. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the product-related information provided is provided by the participating store to the buyer as encoded data, and the product-related information is input to the mobile telephone via a scanner provided in the mobile telephone.

15. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the private leased line includes a packet communication line.

16. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the store information includes a participating store code such that the participating store code can be used to identify and distinguish a payment account of the participating store from a payment account of other participating stores.

17. A mobile telephone apparatus comprising:

a scanning section configure to scan products at a participating store; and

a display unit configured to display individual-identifying information of a buyer buying the products at the participating store such that the participating store may scan the displayed individual-identifying information of the buyer,

wherein the individual-identifying information comprises a code, and

wherein the bar code comprises at least one of a two-dimensional code and a colored code,

wherein the apparatus further comprises;

a transmitting unit configured to transmit to a mobile telephone company of the mobile telephone apparatus, an identification of the buyer together with product-related information scanned into the scanning section;

a receiving unit configured to receive information from an external computer about whether or not it is possible to pay a sales amount for the products scanned at the participating store from a funds account of the buyer based on the identification information transmitted together with the product-related information such that the buyer can purchase the products without interaction with a checkout station of the participating store;

a memory section configured to store a password for operating the mobile telephone apparatus; and

a control unit configured to determine whether or not password data entered by a user of the mobile telephone apparatus matches the password data stored in the memory section, and

wherein the transmitting unit only transmits the identification information of the buyer together with the product-related information to the mobile telephone company when the password data match.

18. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the transmitted identification information is a telephone number stored in the memory of the mobile telephone apparatus.

19. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the display unit further displays a sales amount transfer completion notification when funds are transferred from the funds account of the buyer to the participating store.

20. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the product-related information comprises a product code which is shown in a product catalog distributed by the participating store.