JP2001292255A - System and method for charging used equipment by portable terminal internet connection - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a system and a method for charging the used equipment by means of portable terminal Internet connection for processing charging while utilizing a portable terminal Internet service when a user uses equipment for providing the service. SOLUTION: This system is composed of a game navigation server B for providing this service through the Internet to a user A and a game server C for controlling each of game machines inside a game center or the like. The game navigation server B provides a game machine menu to the portable telephone of the user. Further, usage charge information is transferred to the charging server of a carrier by stringing user specification information and charging information. The game server C starts the game machines under control on the basis of game start information from the game navigation server B and transmits the charging information to the game navigation server B. At the time of starting the game machine, a password to be exchanged with the user is generated.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a system and a method for charging a device using an Internet connection of a mobile terminal, which performs a charging process through an Internet connection from a mobile terminal when using a device for providing a service.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, there has been an increasing number of opportunities to insert coins into intelligent terminals having a built-in CPU and use services provided by the terminals. For example, in a game center, when using a video game in which a player plays a game while looking at a monitor screen, a player plays the game after inserting a 100 yen coin.

[0003]

However, in the conventional method of playing with 100 yen coins, it is necessary to install a change machine in the game center, which is inconvenient for the user. In addition, 100
The work of collecting, depositing, and depositing yen coins into banks required a great deal of man-hours, making it easy for fraud by part-time workers to occur. In addition, they lack the flexibility of price setting, and could not set a price of 105 yen even if they wanted to collect consumption tax.

[0004] In order to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, the present invention uses a portable terminal Internet service instead of inserting coins when a user uses a device for providing a service. It is an object of the present invention to provide a system and a method for charging a device using an Internet connection of a portable terminal, in which a selected device is activated by selecting a desired device, and the usage fee can be withdrawn and collected from a user's bank account. And

[0005]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a portable terminal capable of connecting to the Internet, a plurality of devices capable of connecting to the Internet and providing a service to a user, A server that manages use of the device in response to access via the Internet, wherein the server provides the device list to the mobile terminal in response to access from the mobile terminal, and selects the selected device. Instructions to start using
It is characterized in that a billing process is performed for the use of the device.

With the above arrangement, the user of the device can start using the device by selecting the device from the device list displayed on the portable terminal, and the use is charged.

[0007]

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following embodiments, a server described in the claims means a server system that implements its function by a plurality of servers.

FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration of an embodiment according to the present invention, in which a user A uses a portable telephone (including a PHS).
In order to use the Internet connection service by the Internet, a game navigation server B that provides this service via the Internet, a game server C that controls each game machine in the game center, and an infrastructure for connecting the game center to the Internet are provided. . The Internet connection service using a mobile phone includes, for example, i-mode (a trademark of NTT DOCOMO). In i-mode, NT
It is connected to the Internet via a gateway server in the T-DOCOMO packet network.

The game navigation server B is composed of a computer such as a UNIX workstation or an NT server. The game navigation server B is installed in a provider using an operation proxy service such as an ISP (Internet service provider), and is carried by a user. Provide a game console menu to the telephone (PHS). Further, the game navigation server B obtains the user identification information from the carrier each time it is used, and transfers the usage fee information to the charging server of the carrier in association with the charging information received from the game server C.

The game server C is constituted by a computer such as a UNIX workstation or an NT server, and is connected to a LAN in a game center and to the Internet via a firewall.
Based on the game activation information from the game navigation server B, the subordinate game machines are activated and the billing information is transmitted to the game navigation server B. In addition, it has a function of generating a password exchanged with a user when starting up the game machine in order to maintain security.

[0011] The game center that provides this service is:
A dedicated line is connected to the Internet via a firewall. Therefore, a network device such as a firewall, a LAN, and a router is installed in the game center.

[0012] The carrier system comprises a server serving as a portal site for providing mobile phone Internet services and a server system for managing user billing. Since the communication interface with these servers is disclosed based on the contract, the system is designed based on the information.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. S1. The user A connects to the Internet connection service of the contracted carrier from a mobile phone (PHS). S2. The content menu is transmitted from the portal site server on the carrier side. S3. Select the game center navigation menu from the service list. S4. Available game center list information is transmitted from the game navigation server B installed in the ISP. S5. S6. User A selects his or her store from the game center list displayed on the mobile phone (PHS) (FIG. 4). For example, in the present embodiment, the Shibuya store is selected. S7. A list of games available at the selected store
It is sent from the game navigation server B. S8. S9. The user A selects a game machine he wants to play from the game list displayed on the mobile phone (PHS) (FIG. 5). S10. S11. The game navigation server B transmits to the game server C the ID number of the game machine selected by the user A and the user ID number passed from the carrier (or inquired of the carrier). S12. The game server C stores the user ID number, the selected game machine ID number and the current time (YYYYMM
DDhhmmss) is used to generate a 10-digit password from the hash value and display it on the screen of the selected game machine (FIG. 6). S13. The user A inputs and transmits the password displayed on the game machine screen from the mobile phone (PHS). S14. The game navigation server B transfers the password received from the mobile phone of the user A to the game server C. S15. If the passwords match, the corresponding game machine is started. S16. When the game is over, the usage fee is displayed on both the game machine screen and the mobile phone (PHS) (FIG. 7). S17. The user A confirms that the displayed amount on the game machine screen matches the displayed amount on the mobile phone (PHS). S18. The game server C adds billing information to the user ID number, and transmits the information to the game navigation server B. S19. The game navigation server B transfers the user ID number and the user billing information received from the game server C to the carrier billing server. S20. The carrier-side billing server searches for a telephone number from the user ID and performs a billing process. (This flow is slightly different for each carrier system.) S21. The usage fee is deducted from the bank account D of the user A together with the telephone fee in the month following the usage (FIG. 8). S22. S23. Payment is made to Game Center Transaction Bank Account E via the carrier's settlement bank account, and the payment is completed.

Next, as another embodiment of the present invention, the present invention is applied to a 24-hour coin parking lot. A terminal with a monitor screen is installed in the parking lot, and when using the parking lot, the user connects to the Internet from a mobile phone,
Select the parking lot from the parking lot list. Further, when an arbitrary parking position number is selected from the list of vacant parking position numbers of the selected parking lot, a password is generated from the ID number corresponding to the parking position, and the password is generated on the monitor screen of the terminal installed in the parking lot. A password is displayed, and when the password is entered into the mobile phone and a match is confirmed, the gate at the parking position opens and becomes available. Then, when leaving from the parking position, a fee is charged, and a usage fee is charged. For this reason, there is the convenience that the user can pay the fee by telephone from the inside of the vehicle in the case of rain. The operation of collecting, counting, and depositing coins is not required for the parking lot manager.

[0015]

As described above, according to the present invention, a list of devices providing a service is displayed on a portable terminal connected to the Internet, and a list of devices selected from the list of devices displayed on the portable terminal is displayed. Since the use of the device is started and the use is charged, the user does not need cash when using the device, and the service provider does not need to collect, account, and deposit coins. Price can be set elastically with

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing a configuration of an embodiment according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a flow of processing according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a flow of processing in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a game center list displayed on a mobile phone (PHS).

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a game list displayed on a mobile phone (PHS).

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a password displayed on the game machine screen.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a usage fee displayed on a game machine screen.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a billing example of telephone charges.

[Explanation of symbols]

 A User B Game navigation server C Game server D User bank account E Game center bank account

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Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A portable terminal that can be connected to the Internet, a plurality of devices that can be connected to the Internet and provide services to users, and use of the device is managed in accordance with access from the portable terminal via the Internet. The server provides the portable device with the device list in response to access from the portable terminal, instructs the use of the selected device to start, and performs a billing process for the use of the device. A device usage billing system using a mobile terminal Internet connection. 2. The server generates a password based on an ID number of the device selected from the device list displayed on the portable terminal and outputs the password to a display device. 2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the password is compared with a password input from the mobile terminal, and when the two passwords match, an instruction to start using the device is issued. . 3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the portable terminal is a portable telephone, and the charged fee is charged together with the telephone charge. 4. The system according to claim 1, wherein said device is a video game machine. 5. A method for performing billing processing from a portable terminal via the Internet when using an apparatus for providing a service to a user, comprising: a step of connecting to the Internet from the portable terminal; Displaying on the portable terminal connected to the Internet; starting use of a selected device in the device list displayed on the portable terminal; and charging for use of the selected device And a processing step. 6. A step of generating a password based on an ID number of a device selected from the device list displayed on the portable terminal and outputting the password to a display device, the output password and the portable terminal 6. The mobile terminal Internet connection according to claim 5, further comprising: checking a password input from the mobile terminal; and, when the two passwords match, starting use of the selected device. Device usage billing method.