TW201514883A - Electronic voucher and method for automatic processing the same - Google Patents

Abstract

An electronic voucher and a method for automatic processing the same are provided. The electronic voucher includes a medium and a set of machine-readable codes recorded in the medium. For example, the set of machine-readable codes is recorded in the medium in the form of 2-dimensional barcodes. Meanwhile, the set of machine-readable codes is created by a voucher issuer according to a voucher ID, data of clearing amount, data of item to be exchanged, and the user's telephone number.

Description

Electronic voucher and method for automatically processing electronic voucher

The present invention relates to electronic coupons and methods for automated processing of electronic coupons, and more particularly to electronic coupons that use financial institution trust proprietary accounts as performance guarantees and automated processing methods thereof.

For a conventional technique for an electronic coupon (also referred to as an electronic coupon, an electronic coupon, or an electronic ticket), reference may be made to the following patent documents: Chinese Patent No. CN100383817C and Chinese Patent Publication No. CN1542664A, CN101739766A, CN101840560A, CN102289763A, CN101996373A.

The above-mentioned prior art refers to the electronic exchange coupons, but still cannot meet the actual needs, and it is still necessary to improve.

In the case of issuing paid coupons such as redemption vouchers, in order to win consumer trust or comply with regulatory requirements (such as Taiwan's Consumer Protection Act), the redemption voucher issuer will provide a performance bond. The general practice is that the issuer of the redemption voucher opens a special account with the financial trust institution and deposits enough money to secure the voucher until the user completes the voucher, and the money can leave the exclusive account or for other purposes. If the consumer exercises the redemption voucher in the future but fails to perform, it can be held Renew the bond to the financial trust, claiming the money in the exclusive account. Such a voucher can be referred to as a "full trust voucher".

In view of this, an embodiment of the present invention provides a new electronic exchange ticket and a method for automatically processing an electronic exchange ticket for the above-mentioned "trust ticket" use environment.

One of the technical problems to be solved by the present invention is that in the prior art, the "full trust ticket" practice, whether it is an electronic exchange coupon or a paper exchange coupon, lacks a reliable confirmation mechanism for the guarantee amount.

There is no technical means available in the prior art to "prevent" the issuer of the redemption voucher to intentionally or negligently exceed the amount of the guarantee (exceeding the guarantee amount). According to the embodiment of the present invention, when the electronic coupon issuer wants to issue an electronic redemption voucher, the electronic payment method can be used to settle the amount information in an electronic manner, and the financial trust institution is required to confirm whether the exclusive account has a corresponding guarantee amount, and Only when the financial trust institution confirms that the corresponding account has a corresponding guarantee amount, the financial trust institution will provide the electronic coupon certificate identifier required by the electronic coupon issuer to make the electronic coupon. In the absence of this electronic voucher identification code, the electronic voucher issuer cannot issue electronic voucher.

In other words, the technical means used in the embodiments of the present invention is that each electronic coupon identification code (for one electronic coupon) is generated separately by the financial trust institution as needed, instead of the redemption ticket as in the prior art. The identification code is provided in advance to the redemption voucher issuer in large quantities or in batches, thus creating the problem of not being able to control the issuer's over-issuance.

On the other hand, one of the technical problems to be solved by the present invention is the "full trust ticket" practice in the prior art, whether it is an electronic exchange coupon or a paper exchange coupon, when the user uses the redemption ticket or for other reasons. After the issued voucher has been cancelled, it is not possible to adjust or restore the guarantee amount of the exclusive account immediately.

In this regard, the technical means used in the embodiments of the present invention is that the electronic exchange coupon identification code is generated by the financial trust institution individually according to the need, and the identification code is The use status is marked as "valid", and when the user uses the electronic voucher, the financial trust can also immediately log off the electronically by means of the machine readable code on the electronic voucher. The generated electronic exchange voucher identification code, and the use status of the identification code is changed from "valid" to "invalid", so that the electronic voucher is reused, and the corresponding guarantee in the exclusive account can be immediately restored. Amount.

It can be seen from the above two aspects that the issuance and cancellation of the electronic coupons of the present invention are carried out under the supervision of financial trust institutions and can be opened for public inquiry, thereby avoiding the forgery or over-issuance of electronic coupons or It is a situation of repeated use, which greatly improves security.

On the other hand, one of the technical problems to be solved by the present invention is that the traditional redemption voucher needs to be mass-produced in advance, which also causes a large amount of funds to be deposited in advance in the trust exclusive account, which causes waste of idle funds, and also causes distribution and redemption. The increase in the cost of the voucher and the settlement amount set for each voucher must also be determined in advance (because it is subject to the default guarantee amount) and cannot be adjusted afterwards.

The electronic exchange voucher of the present invention (especially the voucher identification code of the financial trust institution) can be "produce on demand", and the electronically available method can set the settlement amount arbitrarily set at the time of issuing the redemption voucher. The financial institution is required to confirm immediately whether there is a corresponding guarantee amount in the exclusive account. Except that the settlement amount can be freely set, the amount in the trust exclusive account can also be designed to be deposited on demand (depose on Demand).

In addition, since the electronic exchange voucher of the present invention can be immediately written off by the financial trust institution after use, the above trust credit can be immediately replied, and such a design makes the trust exclusive account unnecessary to have too much idle funds and waste.

On the other hand, one of the technical problems to be solved by the present invention is that the traditional redemption voucher cannot directly memorize the user's identification data at the time of production (that is, the registered voucher cannot be made), and the electronic voucher identification code of the present invention is Can include user identification Information (such as a phone number), and as a registered exchange voucher.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the method for automatically processing an electronic coupon includes the following steps, but it should be understood that the following steps do not need to be performed continuously, but can be performed in stages: ■ The electronic coupon issuer immediately passes the electronic device at the request of the user. For the settlement amount information, the financial trust institution is requested to exchange the voucher identification code; ■ after the financial trust institution approves the request, a redemption voucher identification code is generated, and the use status of the voucher identification code is marked as "effective"; The issuer of the redemption voucher receives the voucher identification code electronically from the financial trust institution; ■ the issuer of the electronic voucher creates a set of machine readable codes based on the voucher identification code, the settlement amount data, and the redemption item data; ■ The electronic coupon issuer transmits the set of machine readable codes to the user terminal electronically; ■ the user terminal records the set of machine readable codes in a medium (eg, an optical readable medium) As an electronic redemption voucher, selectively, the set of machine readable codes is recorded in the medium in the form of a 2-dimensional bar code. ; ■ In response to the user prompting the electronic coupon as described above, the redemption item provider reads the set of machine readable codes by the reader to obtain the redemption voucher identification code, the redemption item data, and the settlement amount data; The project provider electronically transmits the redemption voucher identification code to the financial trust institution, whereby the financial trust institution records the use status of the voucher identification code from "effective" to "invalid"; ■ the redemption project provider is electronically And transmitting the redemption item data and the settlement amount data to the electronic exchange ticket issuer for verification and payment operation; or alternatively, the redemption item provider electronically transmits the settlement amount information to the financial trust Institutions to carry out the payment work. These features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the description of the appended claims appended claims.

10‧‧‧Electronic voucher processing system

100‧‧‧Electronic voucher issuer

200‧‧‧Financial Trust

300‧‧‧ redemption project provider

400‧‧‧User terminal

EV1, EV2‧‧‧ electronic voucher

In order to immediately understand the advantages of the present invention, the present invention briefly described above will be described in detail with reference to the specific embodiments illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The invention is described with additional clarity and detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: FIG. A schematic diagram of an electronic coupon processing system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a flow chart of automated processing of electronic coupons in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; and FIGS. 3A-3B illustrate a specific embodiment of the present invention. Electronic voucher.

First, the "e-voucher issuer", "financial trust institution", and "exchange program provider" referred to herein include hardware and software corresponding to the purpose of implementing the automated process steps in the present invention. (including firmware, resident software, microcode, etc.), or a combination thereof.

Computer code for performing the operations of the present invention can be written using a combination of one or more programming languages, including object oriented programming languages (eg, Java, Smalltalk, C++, or the like) and traditional programming languages (eg, C programming languages or Other similar programming languages).

The following description of the present invention will be described with reference to the flowchart and/or block diagram of the systems, devices, methods and computer program products according to the embodiments of the invention. When you understand each block in the flow chart and / or block diagram, and flow Any combination of blocks in the diagram and/or block diagram can be implemented using computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be executed by a general purpose computer or a special computer processor or other programmable data processing device, and the instructions are processed by a computer or other programmable data processing device to implement a flowchart and/or The function or operation described in the block diagram.

The computer program instructions can also be stored on a computer readable medium to instruct a computer or other programmable data processing device to perform a particular function, and the instructions stored on the computer readable medium constitute a finished product. The instructions contained therein may implement the functions or operations illustrated in the flowcharts and/or block diagrams.

Computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing device for performing a system operation on a computer or other programmable device, and executing the command on the computer or other programmable device A computer implementation program is generated to achieve the functions or operations illustrated in the flowcharts and/or block diagrams.

2 to 2, a flowchart and a block diagram of a architecture, function, and operation of a system, method, and computer program product according to various embodiments of the present invention are shown. Thus, each block of the flowchart or block diagram can represent a module, a segment, or a portion of a code that includes one or more executable instructions to implement the specified logical function. It is to be noted that in some other embodiments, the functions described in the blocks may not be performed in the order shown. For example, the blocks in which the two figures are connected may in fact be executed simultaneously, or in some cases, in the reverse order of the drawings. It should also be noted that each block diagram and/or block of the flowcharts, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and/or flowcharts may be implemented by a system based on a special purpose hardware, or by a special purpose. A combination of body and computer instructions to perform a specific function or operation.

<Electronic Exchange Voucher Processing System>

As shown in FIG. 1, the electronic coupon processing system 10 includes an electronic exchange coupon. Walker 100, financial trust 200, and redemption project provider (eg, restaurant or airline or department store) 300. The electronic coupon issuer 100, the financial trust institution 200, and the redemption project provider 300 may be privately connected to each other to ensure transaction security, but also through the open Internet, but the data transmission is better. Additional encryption is required. This section refers to the existing electronic transaction system, and the present invention is not intended to be limited.

It should be noted that, for a single electronic coupon issuer 100, the present invention can be implemented with a plurality of financial trust institutions 200 and a plurality of redemption project providers 300 (ie, a plurality of restaurants or airlines or department stores). The skilled person will appreciate that Figure 1 is simplified for purposes of illustrating the invention and is not intended to limit the invention. Moreover, the present invention does not limit the electronic exchange ticket issuer 100 and the redemption item provider 300 to be independent of each other, in other words, in some embodiments, the electronic exchange ticket issuer 100 and a certain redemption item provider 300 may be integrated into one. That is, it is possible to provide both the issuance of electronic coupons and the provision of redemption items.

Preferably, however, the electronic coupon issuer 100 and the redemption item provider 300 are independent of each other, and in particular, the electronic coupon issuer 100 serves as an electronic coupon issuing platform, that is, a different redemption provider 300. E-vouchers can be issued through the same electronic coupon issuer 100.

However, in order to comply with the purpose of the "trust ticket", the financial trust institution 200 should be independent of the electronic coupon issuer 100/ redemption item provider 300.

1 additionally shows a user terminal 400 (eg, a mobile phone having a display screen or a personal computer having a printing device) that can communicate electronically with the electronic coupon issuer 100, and the electronic coupon issuer 100 and the user terminal The 400 can communicate via a mobile phone network or other network.

2 shows an embodiment of a method of automated processing of electronic coupons using electronic coupon processing system 10.

<Order>

Step 210: In this embodiment, the user can request the electronic coupon issuer 100 to order the electronic coupon through the user terminal 400 or through other electronic (such as a website) or a non-electronic pipeline (such as a counter). Prior to this, users can know the price of electronic coupons and redemption items (such as specific goods or services) through advertisements or other instructions, but the price of electronic coupons can be confirmed at a later stage. After redeeming the availability of the item, quote the user again.

In an embodiment, when the electronic coupon issuer 100 requests to order the electronic coupon, the user may prompt the electronic coupon issuer 100 with the user identification information, for example, the electronic coupon issuer 100 pre-designates the user's member number. Or the user's own email address and / or phone number.

Regarding the availability of the redemption item and other redemption item information (such as the redemption item identification code), in one embodiment, the redemption voucher issuer 100 has previously confirmed to the redemption item provider 300 before the user subscribes to the electronic voucher. The availability of the redemption item and the acquisition of the redemption item identification code (for example, in the case where the redemption voucher issuer 100 is the exclusive distributor of the redemption item provider 300), while avoiding the redemption of the item after the sale of the electronic voucher to the user The redemption item that the provider 300 can provide has been sold out.

In another embodiment, after receiving the user's order request, the redemption voucher issuer 100 immediately confirms the availability of the redemption item to the redemption item provider 300 by electronic means and obtains the redemption item identification code. If the redemption item provider 300 reply fails to provide a redemption item (for example, if it has been full or cancelled due to weather or force majeure factors), the redemption voucher issuer 100 rejects the user's order request. In addition, in this embodiment, if the quotation has not been submitted to the user in advance, the redemption voucher issuer 100 can immediately request the offer item information by electronic means to the redemption item provider 300 to be redeemed for the item provider. After 300 replies, the user will be quoted immediately.

When the selling price data and the redemption project information (for example, the redemption item identification code) are obtained, the electronic coupon issuer 100 accepts the user's order and pays according to the selling price data, and enters the electronic exchange ticket issuing operation (or Calling the billing operation), the following reference See step 212.

<issuance/invoicing>

Step 212: The electronic coupon issuer 100 uses the selling price information of the electronically redeemed voucher (ie, the payment amount of the user) as the settlement amount data, and electronically requests the financial trust institution 200 for the identification of the redemption voucher for the settlement amount information. code. The electronic exchange voucher in this embodiment is designed as a "full trust ticket", so the financial trust institution 200 confirms whether there is a sufficient amount in the trust exclusive account as a guarantee for the user's payment amount, if the financial trust institution Upon confirmation of 200, a valid redemption voucher identification code is provided and transmitted electronically back to the electronic voucher issuer 100. In addition, the financial trust institution 200 also notes the use status of the exchange certificate identification code as "valid" at its local end, and is open for public inquiry.

Step 214: After the electronic coupon issuer 100 receives the redemption voucher identification code electronically from the financial trust institution 200, the electronic voucher issuer 100 may create a group according to the voucher identification code, the settlement amount data, and the redemption item data. The machine can read the code. In another embodiment, the electronic coupon issuer 100 can make the set of machines readable according to the redemption voucher identification code, the settlement amount data, the redemption item data, and the user identification data (such as a phone number) provided by the user. code. One of the advantages of adding user identification data to machine readable codes is that "name" is provided so that the set of machine readable codes can be tracked and controlled in use in the future.

Alternatively, the electronic coupon issuer 100 may encrypt or otherwise process the set of machine readable codes according to a predetermined manner, but this is not a requirement of the present invention. In a preferred embodiment, the electronic coupon issuer 100 can encrypt the set of machine readable codes using the user identification data (e.g., phone number) as a password. For details on this encryption, refer to the existing methods of making an encrypted PDF file or a MICROSOFT WORD file, which will not be described here. One of the advantages of encrypting the user identification data further ensures that the set of machine readable code systems can only be obtained by the user or the user authorized by the user, reducing the risk of theft. And because only the user can know the user identification data, when the user identifies the user When the encrypted set of machine readable codes is successfully decrypted, it can be used as a basis for the electronic coupon issuer 100 to deliver the set of machine readable codes to the user. However, in other embodiments, the electronic coupon issuer 100 may also randomly generate a random number as a password to encrypt the set of machine readable codes, and the manner of decryption will be described in a subsequent step 216.

Step 216: The electronic coupon issuer 100 transmits the set of machine readable codes to the user terminal 400 electronically, whereby the user terminal 400 records the set of machine readable codes on the medium as an electronic The voucher is exchanged, and the electronic voucher issuer 100 completes the issuance of the electronic voucher.

In the case that the user provides an email address or a phone number as the user identification data, the electronic coupon issuer 100 can transmit the set of machine readable codes to the user terminal according to the email address or the phone number. 400. One of the advantages of this approach further ensures that the set of machine readable codes is transmitted to the address specified by the user.

In an embodiment in which the electronic coupon issuer 100 encrypts the set of machine readable codes with a random number as a password, the electronic coupon issuer 100 preferably utilizes the electronic based on the email address provided by the user. The method of mailing conveys the machine readable code to the user terminal 400, wherein the email contains an electronic file (such as a PDF file or a WORD file) generated by encrypting the machine readable code, and the email may be A start link (URL) is provided, the link is directed to the electronic coupon issuer 100, so when the user clicks on the launch link, the electronic exchange voucher issuer 100 will be triggered to decrypt the machine readable code. A pipe that is pre-agreed with the user through an e-mail (for example, a short message service (SMS)) is sent to the user, so that the user can use the password to decrypt the machine readable code. In this way, once the machine readable code is successfully decrypted by the password sent by the electronic coupon issuer 100, it can be used as the electronic coupon issuer 100. The basis for delivering the set of machine readable codes to the user.

It should be noted that the medium does not need to be part of the user terminal 400, but can be independent of the user terminal 400, and the medium can be implemented as various types of computer memory. Magnetically readable media, optically readable media, and even paper or other printing media. Preferably, the medium of the present invention allows the set of machine readable codes recorded thereon to be read by the reader in a contactless manner.

Preferably, the electronic coupon of the present invention is a portable electronic coupon. In an embodiment, the user terminal 400 is a personal computer having a printing device, and after receiving the machine readable code transmitted by the electronic coupon issuer 100, it can be printed on the paper in the form of a 2-dimensional barcode. The electronic exchange voucher EV1 in the form of a paper is formed as shown in FIG. 3A and can be read in a non-contact manner by a conventional 2-dimensional bar code reader (not shown).

In another embodiment of the portable electronic coupon, the user terminal 400 is a mobile phone or other portable electronic device having a display screen, which is readable by the machine transmitted by the electronic coupon issuer 100. After the code, the image of the 2D barcode can be displayed on the display screen of the mobile phone to form the electronic exchange coupon EV2 in a non-physical form, as shown in FIG. 3B, or through a conventional 2D barcode reader (not shown). ) Read in a contactless manner. The user terminal 400 may need to install a specific application to display an image of the 2-dimensional barcode, but this is known to those skilled in the art and will not be described here.

<Logout and Billing>

Step 218: In use, the user prompts an electronic coupon (which may be a paper or a non-physical electronic coupon) as described above, and the redemption item provider 300 reads the electronic coupon with a reader (not shown). The set of machines on the machine can read the code to obtain the redemption voucher identification code, the redemption item data and the settlement amount data.

Step 220: The redemption item provider 300 electronically transmits the redemption voucher identification code to the financial trust institution 200, and requests confirmation of whether the voucher identification code is valid. If it is valid, the financial trust institution 200 is further requested to use the voucher identification code. The "effective" change note is "invalid", which means that the e-voucher is cancelled to avoid repeated use. The redemption voucher identification code after this cancellation can also be opened for public enquiry to protect the transaction security.

Step 222: On the other hand, if the financial trust institution 200 confirms that the redemption ticket identification code is valid and cancels, the redemption item provider 300 may further transmit the redemption item data and the settlement amount data to the electronic exchange ticket issuer 100 by electronic means. To perform the write-off and payment operation; or alternatively, the redemption item provider 300 electronically transmits the settlement amount information to the financial trust institution 200 to perform the payment operation, whereby the financial trust institution 200 may be scheduled from The account (or the aforementioned proprietary account as a guarantee) is allocated to the redemption item provider 300 and/or the electronic voucher issuer 100.

The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The aspects of the specific embodiments are to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is indicated by the appended claims rather All changes that fall within the meaning and scope of the patent application are deemed to fall within the scope of the patent application.

Claims (14)

A method for automatically processing an electronic redemption voucher includes: (a) an electronic voucher issuer receives a redemption voucher identification code from a financial trust institution via an electronic means, wherein the voucher identification code corresponds to a settlement amount data; (b) the electronic voucher issuer creates a set of machine readable codes based on the voucher identification code; (c) the electronic voucher issuer transmits the set of machine readable codes to a user electronically The terminal, whereby the user terminal records the set of machine readable codes on a medium as an electronic coupon. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic coupon issuer further creates the set of machine readable codes based on a redemption item profile. The method of claim 1 or 2, further comprising: the electronic coupon issuer obtaining a user identification data of a user; and the electronic coupon issuer further making the set of machines readable according to the user identification data code. A method for automatically processing an electronic redemption voucher includes: (a) an electronic voucher issuer receives a redemption voucher identification code from a financial trust institution via an electronic means, wherein the voucher identification code corresponds to a settlement amount data; (b) the electronic coupon issuer creates a set of codes based on the redemption voucher identification code and a redemption item data; (c) the electronic voucher issuer transmits the set of codes to a user terminal electronically, The user terminal records the group code on a medium as an electronic coupon. A method for automatically processing an electronic coupon, comprising: (a) an electronic coupon issuer electronically requests a financial institution for a coupon identification code at the request of the user; (b) the electronic coupon issuance Receiving the voucher identification code electronically from the financial trust institution; (c) the electronic voucher issuer creates a set of codes according to the voucher identification code and a redemption item data; (d) the electronic voucher The issuer transmits the group code to a user terminal electronically, whereby the user terminal records the group code on a medium as an electronic coupon. A method for automatically processing an electronic voucher includes: (a) an electronic voucher issuer electronically requests a financial institution for a settlement amount identification data; (b) the electronic exchange certificate is issued Receiving the voucher identification code electronically from the financial trust institution; (c) the electronic voucher issuer creates a set of machine readable codes based on the voucher identification code; (d) issuing the electronic voucher The set of machine readable codes is electronically transmitted to a user terminal, whereby the user terminal records the set of machine readable codes on a medium as an electronic coupon. The method of claim 6, wherein the electronic coupon issuer further creates the set of machine readable codes based on a redemption item profile. The method of claim 6 or 7, further comprising: the electronic coupon issuer obtaining a user identification data of a user; and the electronic coupon issuer further making the set of machines readable according to the user identification data code. A method for automatically processing an electronic voucher includes: (a) in response to a request from a user, an electronic voucher issuer electronically requests a financial institution for a redemption voucher identification code for a settlement amount data; The electronic coupon issuer receives the redemption voucher identification code electronically from the financial trust institution; (c) the electronic voucher issuer creates a set of machine readable based on the voucher identification code and a redemption item data (d) the electronic coupon issuer transmits the set of machine readable codes to a user terminal electronically, whereby the user terminal records the set of machine readable codes in a medium Up as an electronic coupon. The method of claim 9, further comprising: the electronic coupon issuer obtaining a user identification data of the user; and the electronic coupon issuer further creating the set of machine readable codes according to the user identification data. A method for automatically processing an electronic redemption voucher includes: (a) an electronic voucher issuer receives a redemption voucher identification code from a financial trust institution via an electronic means, wherein the voucher identification code corresponds to a settlement amount data; (b) the electronic coupon issuer creates a set of machine readable codes based on the redemption ticket identification code; (c) the electronic coupon issuer transmits the set of machine readable codes to a user terminal electronically, whereby the user terminal records the set of machine readable codes on a medium as An electronic voucher. A method of automatically processing an electronic voucher, the method comprising: (a) a financial trust providing electronic exchange for the method of any one of claims 1 to 2, 4 to 7, and 9 to 11 One of the coupons is exchanged with the coupon identification code, and the use status of the redemption ticket identification code is marked as "valid"; and (b) the financial trust institution determines the exchange coupon identification code according to one of the requests transmitted electronically The usage status is marked as "invalid" by the "effective" change. A method for automatically processing an electronic voucher includes: (a) an electronic coupon issuer creates a corresponding one-group code after obtaining a electronic confirmation by a financial trust institution of a settlement amount data; and (b) The electronic coupon issuer transmits the group code to a user terminal electronically, whereby the user terminal records the group code on a medium as an electronic coupon. A method for automatically processing an electronic redemption voucher, the method comprising: (a) a financial trust institution electronically confirming an settlement amount of an electronic voucher to an electronic coupon issuer, the electronic exchange voucher passing through the request item Generated by the method of 13; and (b) the financial trust institution cancels the electronic redemption voucher in response to a request transmitted electronically.