JP2003502737A - Remote purchase payment method and system - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] A method and system for remote purchase payment of goods at a vending machine (10) or other automatic goods or service providing devices using a cellular telephone (30). The method includes the steps of identifying an identifying characteristic of the cellular telephone (30), determining whether a desired transaction is available, executing the transaction by an automated machine (30), and paying for the transaction. To the cellular telephone (30). The present invention also provides a remote purchase payment system for the automatic machine (10). The system is coupled to a cellular telephone (30) having a distinguishing characteristic, a communication interface (20) coupled to the automated machine (10), and executing the transaction by the automated machine (10). And an automatic transaction manager (36) for calculating the transaction price.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates generally to methods and systems for remote purchase payments, and more particularly to cellular telephones for goods or services at vending machines and other automatic purchasing machines. The present invention relates to a remote purchase payment method and system used.

Prior Art Vending machines and other automated or automated service providers have long been known. These devices require the insertion of coins or bills corresponding to the purchase price and are counted in the machine when the coins are inserted in the coin receiving slot or the bills are inserted in the bill validator.

Such devices have many disadvantages. First, these devices cannot be used unless the buyer has cash, coins or bills, and often, not the exact coin. Secondly, money receiving devices and bill validators often do not work well, and sometimes do not record receipts even when coins or bills are inserted, or reject even non-defective coins or bills. To do Third, these devices require potential buyers to carry banknotes and lots of currency at all times. In addition, there is a high cost of handling cash. This is, for example, the cost of collecting, transferring and counting cash, and
Theft can occur at many stages. Furthermore, the machine itself can be destroyed in order to steal the cash stored in it.

Various remote purchase payment methods such as using a debit card or a credit card are known. According to these, it is possible to purchase various things by presenting cards instead of requiring payment in cash, and the charges for these purchases are charged monthly with the card possession. It is done to the person's account. Details regarding the user's account can be read on a magnetic / chip card reader or can be manually recorded on a credit slip sent to the credit company. These methods eliminate the need to pay in cash all the time, but require the user to carry around one or more cards and to obtain a credit rating.

In particular, US Pat. No. 5,754,655 to Hughes et al.
A system for payment for remote purchases and payment transactions for remote bills is shown. The system includes a terminal for making remote bill payment transactions using a remote host computer.
In one embodiment, the terminal comprises a cellular telephone integral with the terminal with a modem in communication with the remote host computer system. This device replaces traditional computer terminals and keyboards and magnetic card readers at the time of purchase, but still requires the use of credit or debit cards. In addition, the device, including the telephone and QWERTY keyboard, is relatively bulky and thus cumbersome.

US Pat. No. 5,728,999 to Teicher shows a vending machine that allows free access to a variety of goods. This machine selectively permits or prohibits multiple customers from accessing various items in the accessible inventory stored therein, and payment for the items is performed by a card payment system. It This card payment system can make sure that the price of the whole inventory that the customer can access can charge the customer, and the completion of the purchase depending on the item that the customer takes from the accessible inventory. Sometimes you can charge the customer. The card payment system can exchange information with electronic checkbooks, credit cards, bank debit cards, combined smart cards, electronic wallets and local account cards. In order to exchange information with these cards, the vending machine determines which card is being used, selects the appropriate verification and billing method, and performs remote or local verification and billing. In order to do so, various programs and hardware are required.

All of these payment systems via payment cards are associated with relatively high cost procedures for communication, authentication, calculation and reporting, and these procedures are widely known. In addition, these cards are subject to theft and can be used by the thief for several days before invalidating the card. Also, most credit card companies are reluctant to accept small credit transactions. Other disadvantages are that cards can be forged and that about 5% of credit card purchases are fraudulent.

Therefore, there is a long felt need for a method of payment for goods in a vending machine that does not require cash, credit cards or other bulky devices.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, a method of remote purchase payment from a vending machine, the steps of establishing a telephone connection with the vending machine by using a cellular telephone, and identifying characteristics of the cellular telephone. feature), determining whether the selected transaction or service is available, executing the transaction or service by the vending machine, and charging the cellular phone for the transaction. And a method is provided.

Further in accordance with the present invention, there is a vending machine remote purchase payment system comprising a conventional cellular telephone, a telephone interface coupled to the vending machine, and an automatic transaction manager for the vending machine. And an automated transaction manager that identifies the identifying characteristics of the cellular phone, determines if the selected transaction is available, and calculates the price of the transaction to be charged to the cellular phone. .

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention may be better understood by reading the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The present invention is directed to a method and system for remote purchase payment for items at vending machines or other automated goods or service providers. Unlike conventional systems, the present invention does not require cash or credit cards and no special equipment. Instead, the present invention uses what is readily available to most purchasers at all times: a cellular telephone. As cellular phones have become smaller and smaller, they have become more convenient not only to carry in a car, but also to carry in a pocket or carry on.

According to the invention, the user establishes a telephone connection with the vending machine via the service provider of the cellular telephone, the vending machine being the cellular phone of the user provided by the service provider. Identify the phone's identifying characteristics and perform the transaction.

Furthermore, according to the present invention, transaction fees for the purchase of goods or services from automated equipment and payments at automated tolls or parking lots are charged to the cellular telephone account and the user's account is charged. It becomes possible to pay monthly together with telephone usage charges. For this purpose, in the automatic device a suitable interface is provided for communicating with the cellular telephone. If the goods or services are not available, the price will not be registered in the cellular telephone account or will be deleted before the transaction ends. Although it is optional, it is possible to issue a receipt using a printer.

Referring now to FIG. 1, there is shown an overview of a system for remote purchase payments constructed and operative in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, the system including an automated machine 10. The automatic machine 10 can be any vending machine that provides selectable items, an automatic service provider such as an automatic washing machine, an automatic toll booth and parking lot, and any kind of currency operated machine. Vending machines with free access,
Includes automatic machines such as gasoline pumps. In the illustrated embodiment, the device provides data such as a money store 12, a bill validator 14, a card reader 15, and data for selecting a desired item, such as are all known. A keypad 18 provided to the customer and an article delivery area 16. Such machines are well known in the art and will not be described in further detail.

The present invention provides a communication interface 20, including any interface that facilitates the exchange of information. This includes, for example, automatic machine 10 and keypad 32.
A telephone interface for establishing a telephone connection with a conventional cellular telephone 30 having a display 34 and an infrared interface for receiving an infrared encoded PIN number from an infrared transmitter 31 of the cellular telephone 30. Cellular or cell phone 30 has at least one identifying characteristic unique to the phone, such as a phone number and / or code. This identifying characteristic can be associated with a transaction fee that will be charged later, as described in detail below.

The automated machine 10 further includes an automated transaction manager 36 coupled to the communication interface 20. The automated communication manager 36 exchanges IDs between the machine 10 and the cellular telephone 30, also approves the transaction, determines if the selected transaction or service is available, and executes it. Register the transaction result and transaction price.

A feature of the invention, prior to authenticating a transaction, the automatic transaction manager 36 identifies to the cellular telephone 30 by identifying the identifying characteristics provided by the cellular telephone's service provider. Verify if the transaction can be billed. Upon confirmation, the automated transaction manager 36 hangs up the phone call initiated by the purchaser, authorizes the transaction to be performed by the automated machine 10, and retrieves or utilizes the vending machine 10 item. The total amount of the service is charged to the cellular phone 30. This is, as is known, any sensing means for sensing the removal of the respective item from the stock stored in the storage device or display unit and the provision of toll booth or parking service or payment. Can be achieved by

The cellular phone service provider may indicate, in any manner, that the transaction may be charged for the particular cellular phone account. Preferably, this is done in such a way that it is not necessary to contact the cellular telephone's service provider with each purchase. However, it is also possible to communicate with each time. A preferred method of indicating transaction approval is to use the so-called "Caller ID", which displays the telephone number and / or caller's name on some phones. Call to do (ca
ll) screening function. This is a service provided by the telephone service provider that allows the cellular telephone receiving the call to identify the person or telephone making the call. If caller ID service is provided, the cellular telephone owner can turn this service feature on or off as desired. If the cellular phone is lost or stolen, or if the owner no longer wishes to use the phone for purchasing purposes, the cellular phone service provider shall notify the cellular phone owner of that fact. The caller ID service can be interrupted immediately after the call is made. The automated transaction manager 36 can use this service as an identifying feature of the potential purchaser's cellular telephone. Thus, when a purchaser wishes to purchase an item at an automated machine, he / she dials the telephone number associated with that particular vending machine. This number is optionally displayed on the machine 10 by a scrollable LCD or other display 22. If the purchaser's cellular telephone has the option of caller ID, the automatic transaction manager 36 receives an identification of the caller's identity. If the automatic transaction manager 36 is able to identify the calling cellular telephone 30, this may mean that this particular cellular telephone owner may use his or her cellular telephone to perform a purchase transaction. Serves as an identification of what is permitted. Once the automatic transaction manager 36 has identified that the cellular phone has been approved, it will approve the transaction and disconnect the call initiated by the purchaser. As an option, the automatic transaction manager 36 may direct the transaction to a potential purchaser by sending a pre-recorded message or by turning on an indicator light 24 attached to the machine 10. You can say that you can proceed. Next, when the purchaser selects the desired item using the keypad 18,
Automatic transaction manager 36 executes the transaction and charges the identified cellular telephone for the transaction. In this case, telephone service
The provider gives comprehensive authorization for all transactions.

Alternatively, or in addition, each telephone number associated with the machine may be given a code number and, when dialing the number of the machine, the purchaser dials this code number or by the service provider. This code number can be automatically attached. This will allow the telephone service provider to grant access to machines with specific codes only to specific cellular phone users. If additional identification of the caller is desired, a personal identification number (PIN number) may be required to be submitted (eg, cellular after the call initiated by the purchaser has been disconnected). Input via the keypad 32 of the telephone 30 or the keypad 18 of the machine 10).

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the PIN number is automatically and automatically assigned by the cellular telephone service provider to the telephone number associated with the machine 10 while the buyer dials the telephone number. Secretly attached. Once the telephone connection is established between the cellular telephone 30 and the communication interface 20, the automatic transaction manager 36 informs the purchaser, preferably by means of a pre-recorded message, during a period of time. You can request to present your PIN number, P
The IN number presentation is provided by the keypad 3 when the call initiated by the purchaser is disconnected.
2 or using the mechanical keypad 18. When the purchaser presents the PIN number, it is compared by the automatic transaction manager 36 with the PIN number secretly attached to the machine number by the service provider. If a match is detected within a certain amount of time, the automatic transaction manager 36 approves the transaction. If no match is found, or if a certain amount of time has passed, the automatic transaction manager 36 uses the purchaser's cellular telephone 3
Disconnect the call initiated by 0.

According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the purchaser dials the PIN number immediately after dialing the telephone number associated with the machine 10 and the automatic transaction manager 36. The PIN numbers are automatically compared, as in the above case, and the transaction is approved, or the buyer's cellular telephone call is disconnected if no match is detected as described above.

According to yet another preferred embodiment of the present invention, a potential purchaser may call a special number of the telephone service provider who can identify his / her cellular telephone. it can. If the caller is identified and the purchase is approved, the telephone service provider will send the code number back to the caller, which will be recognized by the vending machine as the identity of the cellular telephone. Alternatively, the telephone service provider could send the approval for the transaction directly to the automated transaction manager 36 of that particular vending machine.

A particular feature of the present invention is that the transaction price is charged directly to the account of the owner of the cellular phone. In this way, the user does not have to carry cash with him to make purchases from the automated device, and billing is done in the same manner as conventional cellular telephone billing. However, the transaction fee will be added. Handling small purchases is not a problem, as telephone charges often include small amounts, and it does not unduly increase billing costs.

The operation of the system of the present invention is as follows. Referring to FIG. 2, a flow chart of a method of remote purchase payment according to the present invention is shown. When the buyer sells (PO
Upon arrival at S), the point-of-sale automated device is ready to receive a call (block 40). According to one embodiment of the present invention, the automated device includes a display 22 displaying the identification number of this machine or the toll-free number of the participating cellular telephone service providers (block 42). When the buyer uses his or her cellular phone to dial the machine identification number or the toll-free number displayed on the machine, a telephone connection is established between the cellular phone 30 and the communication interface 20 of the automated machine 10. (Block 44) and the identification information is exchanged. Alternatively, the keypad 32 of the cellular telephone is used and the coded PI is transmitted via the infrared transmitter 31.
The N number is sent to the communication interface 20. The automatic transaction manager 36 (block 46) performs identification, approves the transaction, disconnects the cellular telephone call, determines if the selected transaction or service is available, and does so, It is responsible for executing the charging procedure. The operation of the automatic transaction manager 36 is outlined in FIG. Following the establishment of the telephone connection between the communication interface 20 and the cellular telephone 30,
The automatic transaction manager 36 exchanges identification information between the cellular telephone and the machine (block 60).

According to an embodiment of the invention, as already mentioned, the purchaser's cellular telephone is
Identified by the automated transaction manager using the caller ID provided by the telephone service provider or in any other manner or any other characteristic. Optionally, the purchaser may be prompted for a PIN number or other identification number to prevent unauthorized purchases by telephone users. The automated transaction manager identifies certain characteristics of the cellular telephone and, in the preferred embodiment of the invention, verifies the PIN number (block 62).

According to another embodiment of the present invention, using the keypad 32 of the cellular telephone 30,
The infrared coded PIN number is sent to the communication interface 20 via the infrared transmitter 31. Then, the automatic transaction manager 36
It is required to submit the N number within a certain time. This is the mechanical keypad 1
8 or via the keypad 32 of the cellular telephone.
When the buyer submits the PIN number, it will be used by the Automatic Transaction Manager3.
6 is compared with the coded PIN number sent by the infrared transmitter 31. If a match is detected within a certain amount of time, the automatic transaction manager 36 approves the transaction.

If the cellular telephone is not identified by the automated transaction manager 36, or further, if the PIN number is not verified, the transaction is rejected (block 64), the transaction is aborted, and the automated machine 10 is in standby. Return to (block 76).

Once the cellular phone is identified, or in addition, the PIN number is confirmed, the cell phone call is disconnected (block 66) and the transaction proceeds. Using the machine keypad 18, or by any other suitable aspect, the user indicates the desired purchase or service (block 68), which is identified by the automated transaction manager (block 70). ). The automated transaction manager determines whether the item or service is available by checking the inventory list stored in the automated machine or automated transaction manager's memory.

If the article or service is not available (block 72), the transaction is canceled (block 74) and the automatic transaction manager
The machine 10 is prompted to return to its standby state (block 76). Alternatively,
The automated transaction manager optionally asks via a pre-recorded message if he wants another article or service instead (block 78). If there is such a desire, the automated transaction manager receives the data provided by the purchaser via the keypad 18 (block 68) and identifies the desired service or item (block 70). , Proceed as above.

If the goods or services are available (block 72), the automated transaction manager determines or calculates the transaction price (block 80). The cell phone user is asked to confirm the transaction (block 82). If the transaction is not confirmed, the transaction is canceled (block 74). Once the transaction is confirmed, the transaction is recorded (block 84) and the service or item is provided. The automated transaction manager preferably asks if another item or service is desired (block 78). If there is such a desire, proceed as described above. If there is no such desire, the automatic transaction manager prompts machine 10 to return to its standby state (block 76).

It will be appreciated that the order of operations of the automatic transaction manager can be changed. For example, additional items may be selected after confirmation of the transaction, or the total transaction value may be recorded after all items have been selected. Alternatively, multiple items can be selected before the transaction price is calculated and sent to the purchaser for confirmation.

Referring again to FIG. 2, block 50 shows that the transaction price is calculated and, optionally, if the automated device has a printer integrated, a receipt via the printer. Can be issued. The transaction value is then recorded and filed in the automated transaction manager. The inventory of automated equipment will then be updated and the automated transaction manager will know which goods or services are available (block 52).

The filed transaction price and associated cell phone number may be downloaded via a handheld computer to a central database, which is typically the central database of the cellular phone service provider (block 54), or
Alternatively, it can be sent periodically or online on request.
Thereby, the telephone service provider can charge the user for all purchases and transactions in the same manner as charging for the use of cellular phones. In this way, the user pays once a month for all small purchases from automated machines, thereby freeing him from the hassle of carrying a lot of coins and bills for this purpose. If the automated transaction manager is unable to complete the transaction (block 48), the charge will not be registered in the cellular telephone account or will be deleted prior to the end of the transaction.

The invention is not limited to what has been described above by way of example. Rather, the invention is limited by the claims that follow.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a system for remote purchase payments constructed and operative in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

[Fig. 2]   3 is a flowchart of a method of remote purchase payment according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of the operation of the automatic transaction manager in the system of the present invention.

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Claims (27)

[Claims] 1. A method of remote purchase payment from an automated machine, the method comprising the steps of contacting the automated machine with a cellular telephone, identifying an identifying characteristic of the cellular telephone, and a desired transaction is available. A step of performing the transaction by the automated machine, and charging the cellular telephone for the transaction price for the transaction. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifying step is performed by a cellular telephone service provider. 3. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein the step of performing the transaction comprises the step of providing a product from a vending machine. 4. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein the step of executing the transaction comprises the step of providing a service from an automated service provider. 5. A method according to any of claims 1 to 4, wherein the identifying step comprises the step of identifying the cellular telephone by an identifying characteristic provided by a cellular telephone service provider. 6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the identifying characteristic is a caller ID service provided by a cellular telephone service provider. 7. The step of identifying comprises:   Connecting to the cellular telephone;   Comparing the identifying characteristic with an authorized identifying characteristic;   7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, comprising: 8. The method of claim 7, wherein the connection with the cellular telephone is disconnected after the identifying step. 9. The identifying step comprises the steps of: requesting a PIN number; the PIN number; and the cellular telephone service during the connecting step.
8. The method of claim 7, further comprising: comparing a PIN number secretly provided to the automated machine by a provider. 10. The identifying step comprises: submitting a PIN number; the PIN number; and the cellular telephone service during the connecting step.
8. The method of claim 7, further comprising: comparing a PIN number secretly provided to the automated machine by a provider. 11. The method of claim 9 and 10, wherein the connection with the cellular telephone is disconnected after the identifying step. 12. The identifying step includes the steps of connecting to the cellular telephone by infrared means, requesting a PIN number, the PIN number and an infrared transmitter of the cellular telephone between the steps of connecting. Comparing the encoded PIN number provided to the automated machine by the method according to any one of claims 1 to 4. 13. The identifying step includes the steps of connecting to the cellular phone by infrared means, submitting a PIN number, the PIN number and the infrared transmitter of the cellular phone between the connecting steps. Comparing the encoded PIN number provided to the automated machine by the method according to any one of claims 1 to 4. 14. The step of performing   Identifying the desired transaction,   Determining whether the desired transaction is available,   The method according to any one of claims 1 to 13, comprising: 15. The method of claim 14, wherein the performing step further comprises requesting confirmation of the transaction. 16. The billing step comprises: identifying a desired transaction; calculating a transaction price associated with the desired transaction; and identifying the calculated transaction price of the cellular telephone. 16. A method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, including the step of recording with the characteristic. 17. The billing step comprises: identifying a desired transaction; calculating a transaction price associated with the desired transaction; recording the calculated transaction price together with the PIN number. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 16, comprising the steps of :. 18. A system for remote purchase payment from an automated machine, comprising a cellular telephone having identifying characteristics, a communication interface coupled to the automated machine, and an automated transaction manager coupled to the automated machine. Identify the identifying characteristics of the cellular telephone, record the identifying characteristics, identify a selected transaction, determine availability of the selected transaction, and execute the transaction by the automated machine. , A transaction manager that calculates a transaction price, and billing means associated with the automatic transaction manager and associating the price with the identifying characteristics of the cellular telephone. 19. The system of claim 18, wherein the automated transaction manager is further configured to verify a PIN number of a user of the cellular telephone. 20. A system for remote purchase payment from an automated machine comprising a cellular telephone having infrared means, a communication interface coupled to the automated machine, and an automated transaction manager coupled to the automated machine. Confirm the PIN number of the user of the cellular phone, record the PIN, identify the selected transaction, determine the availability of the selected transaction, and execute the transaction by the automated machine. , An automatic transaction manager that calculates a transaction price, and billing means associated with the automatic transaction manager and associating the price with the PIN number of a user of the cellular telephone. 21. The automatic transaction manager comprises means for identifying an identifying characteristic of the cellular telephone, means for recording the identifying characteristic, means for identifying a selected transaction, and utilization of the selected transaction. 19. The system of claim 18, including means for determining a likelihood, means for calculating a transaction price associated with the selected transaction, and means for storing the transaction price with an identifying characteristic of the cellular telephone. 22. The system of claim 21, wherein the automated transaction manager further comprises means for verifying a PIN number. 23. The automatic transaction manager comprises means for confirming a PIN number, means for recording the PIN number, means for identifying a selected transaction, and determining availability of the selected transaction. 21. The system according to claim 20, further comprising: means for calculating, a transaction price associated with the selected transaction, and a means for storing the transaction price together with the PIN number. 24. The method of any of claims 1-17, substantially as shown and described below with reference to any of Figures 1-3. 25. A method according to any of claims 1 to 17, substantially as shown in any of figures 1 to 3. 26. A system according to any of claims 18 to 23, substantially as shown and described below with reference to any of Figures 1-3. 27. A system according to any of claims 18 to 23, substantially as shown in any of Figures 1 to 3.