TWM464761U - System for electronic voucher issuance - Google Patents

Abstract

An electronic voucher and a system for electronic voucher issuance 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 using the system for electronic voucher issuance according to a voucher ID, data of clearing amount, data of item to be exchanged, and the user's telephone number.

Description

Electronic voucher issuance system

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

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 the contract, the voucher can be used to claim the money in the exclusive account with the financial trust institution. Such a voucher can be referred to as a "full trust voucher".

In view of this, the present embodiment is directed to the above-mentioned "trust ticket". Use the environment to propose a new electronic exchange voucher and a system for automatically processing electronic voucher.

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). With the present embodiment, when an 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 new embodiment 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 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 new embodiment is that the electronic coupon identification code is generated by the financial trust institution individually according to the need, and the use status of the identification code is marked as "valid", and After the user uses the electronic voucher, the financial trust institution can electronically cancel the electronic voucher identification code generated by the electronically exchangeable voucher, and the identification code is The usage status is marked as "invalid" by the "effective" change, to prevent the electronic coupon from being reused, and the corresponding guarantee amount in the exclusive account can be immediately restored.

It can be seen from the above two aspects that the issuance and cancellation of the electronic coupons of this new type are carried out under the supervision of financial trust institutions and can be opened for public enquiry, thus 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 exchange coupons need to be mass-produced in advance, which also causes a large amount of funds to be deposited in advance in the trust's exclusive account, resulting in waste of idle funds and distribution 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 new electronic exchange voucher (especially the redemption voucher identification code of the financial trust institution) can be "produce on demand", and by electronic means, the settlement amount that can be arbitrarily set at the time of issuing the redemption voucher can be arbitrarily set. 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 redemption voucher of the present invention can be immediately written off by the financial trust institution after use, the above-mentioned trust credit can be immediately replied, and such a design makes the trust exclusive account unnecessary waste of excessive idle funds.

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 It may contain the user's identification data (such as a phone number) and be used as a registered exchange voucher.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the electronic coupon issuing system comprises: a billing module, and in response to a user request, the billing module electronically requests a financial institution for a billing amount identification data. a machine readable code production module, and a set of machine readable codes according to the exchange certificate identification code, the settlement amount data, and a redemption item data; and a transmission module Group machine readable code is transmitted electronically to a user The terminal, whereby the user terminal records the set of machine readable codes on a medium as an electronic coupon.

These features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the description and appended claims.

10‧‧‧Electronic voucher processing system

100‧‧‧Electronic voucher issuance system

102‧‧‧Invoicing module

104‧‧‧ machine readable code production module

106‧‧‧Encryption Module

108‧‧‧Transmission module

110‧‧‧Network Module

200‧‧‧Financial Trust

300‧‧‧ redemption project delivery system

400‧‧‧User terminal

EV1, EV2‧‧‧ electronic voucher

In order to immediately understand the advantages of the present invention, the present invention as briefly described above will be described in detail with reference to specific embodiments as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The present invention is described with additional clarity and detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: FIG. FIG. 1B is a schematic diagram of an electronic exchange ticket issuance system according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an electronic exchange ticket issuance system according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is an automated process according to an embodiment of the present invention; Flowchart of electronic coupons; Figures 3A-3B show electronic coupons in the specific embodiment of the present invention.

First, the term "electronic voucher issuing system" as used herein includes hardware and software (including firmware, resident software, microcode, etc.) corresponding to the purpose of implementing the automated process steps in the present invention. Or a combination thereof. The present invention can be implemented in various forms, such as a complete hardware embodiment, a complete software embodiment (including firmware, resident software, microcode, etc.), or can be implemented as a software and hardware implementation, in the following It will be called "circuit", "module" or "system". In addition, the present invention can also be implemented as a computer program product in any tangible media form, with computer usable code stored thereon.

The computer code used to perform this new operation 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 (such as C programming languages or other similar programming languages).

The 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 present invention. Each block of the flowchart and/or block diagram, as well as any combination of blocks in the flowcharts and/or block diagrams, 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.

2A to 2, a flowchart and a block diagram of the architecture, function, and operation of the 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. Combination of body and computer instructions Line specific features or operations.

<Electronic Exchange Voucher Processing System>

As shown in FIG. 1A, the electronic coupon processing system 10 includes an electronic redemption voucher issuing system 100, a financial trust institution 200, and a redemption item provider (such as a restaurant or airline or department store) System 300. The electronic coupon issuing system 100, the financial trust institution 200, and the redemption item providing system 300 may be privately connected to each other to ensure transaction security, but also through an open Internet, but the data transmission is better. Additional encryption is required. For details of this part, please refer to the existing electronic trading system, for example, the same applicant's star Quanan ticket network (http://www.25462222.com/index.php), this new model does not want to Limitations are incorporated herein by reference.

It should be noted that the electronic coupon issuing system 100 for a single electronic coupon issuer can be exchanged with a plurality of financial trust institutions 200 and a plurality of redemption project providers (ie, a plurality of restaurants or airlines or department stores). The present invention is to be implemented by the system providing system 300. It should be understood by those skilled in the art that FIG. 1 is simplified for the purpose of illustrating the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Moreover, the present invention does not limit the electronic coupon issuing system 100 and the redemption item providing system 300 to be independent of each other. In other words, in some embodiments, the electronic coupon issuing system 100 and a certain redemption item providing system 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 issuing system 100 and the redemption item providing system 300 are independent of each other, and in particular, the electronic coupon issuing system 100 serves as an electronic coupon issuing platform, that is, different redemption item providers. Electronic coupons can be issued through the same electronic coupon issuing system 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 issuing system 100/exchange item providing system 300.

FIG. 1A further shows that the electronic coupon issuing system 100 operates in a computer host and can communicate electronically with the user terminal 400 (for example, a mobile phone with a display screen or a personal computer with a printing device), and electronic exchange. Voucher issuing system 100 and user terminal The 400 can communicate via a mobile phone network or other network.

1B shows a schematic diagram of an electronic coupon issuing system 100, which includes a billing module 102, a machine readable code creation module 104, an encryption module 106, a transmission module 108, and a network module 110.

2 is an embodiment showing the automated processing of electronic coupons using the electronic coupon processing system 10 in conjunction with the system architecture of FIGS. 1A and 1B.

<Order>

Step 210: In this example, the user, or through other permeable e 400 (e.g., Web site) or electronic user terminal conduit (e.g., counter and) Usually the electronic voucher to request the electronic coupon issuing system 100 in the present embodiment. 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, the user may prompt the user to identify the information to the electronic coupon issuing system 100 when the electronic coupon issuing system 100 requests to order the electronic coupon, for example, the electronic coupon issuing system 100 pre-specifies the member number of the user. Or the user's own email address and / or phone number.

Regarding the availability of the redemption item and other redemption item information (e.g., redemption item identification code), in one embodiment, the electronic voucher issuance system 100 has previously confirmed to the redemption item providing system 300 before the user orders the electronic voucher. The availability of the redemption project and the acquisition of the redemption project identification code (for example, in the case where the redemption voucher issuer is the exclusive distributor of the redemption project provider), and avoiding the redemption project offering after the sale of the electronic voucher to the user The redemption items that the system 300 can provide are already sold out.

In another embodiment, after receiving the user's subscription request, the electronic coupon issuing system 100 immediately confirms the availability of the redemption item and obtains the redemption item identification code by electronically to the redemption item providing system 300. If the redemption item providing system 300 reply fails to provide a redemption item (for example, has been full or cancelled due to weather or force majeure factors), the electronic coupon issuing system 100 rejects the user's order request. In addition, implemented here In the example, if the quotation has not been submitted to the user in advance, the electronic coupon issuing system 100 can immediately request the offer price data by electronically to the redemption item providing system 300, after the redemption item providing system 300 replies, Instant quotes to users.

After obtaining the selling price information and the redemption item data (for example, the redemption item identification code), the electronic coupon issuing system 100 accepts the user's order and pays according to the selling price data, and enters the electronic exchange ticket issuing operation (or Refer to the billing operation), see step 212 below.

<issuance/invoicing>

Step 212: The billing module 102 of the electronic coupon issuing system 100 uses the selling price information of the electronically vouchers (ie, the payment amount of the user) as the settlement amount data, and electronically transfers the settlement amount information to the financial trust institution. 200 requests a redemption voucher identification 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 issuance system 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 issuing system 100 receives the redemption voucher identification code from the financial trust institution 200 through electronic means, the machine readable code generating module 104 of the electronic voucher issuing system 100 can perform settlement according to the voucher identification code. The amount data and the redemption project data create a set of machine readable codes. Preferably, the machine readable code creation module 104 is a 2-dimensional barcode creation module for creating a set of 2D barcodes according to the exchange coupon identification code, the settlement amount data, and the redemption item data. In another embodiment, the electronic coupon issuing system 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.

Optionally, the encryption module 106 of the electronic coupon issuing system 100 can be The set of machine readable codes is encrypted or otherwise processed in a preset manner, but this is not necessary for the new model. In a preferred embodiment, the electronic coupon issuing system 100 can encrypt the set of machine readable codes by using a user identification material (e.g., a telephone 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 successfully decrypts the encrypted set of machine readable codes by using the user identification data, the set of machines can be used as the electronic coupon issuing system 100. The basis for the readable code to be delivered to the user. However, in other embodiments, the electronic coupon issuing system 100 may also randomly generate random numbers as passwords to encrypt the set of machine readable codes, and the manner of decryption will be described in the subsequent step 216.

Step 216: The transfer module 108 of the electronic coupon issuing system 100 transmits the set of machine readable codes to the user terminal 400 through electronic means, whereby the user terminal 400 records the set of machine readable codes in the set. The medium is used as an electronic coupon, and the electronic coupon issuing system 100 completes the issuance of the electronic coupon.

In the case that the user has provided the email address or the phone number as the user identification data, the transmission module 108 further includes a network module 110, which can be transmitted through the Internet according to the email address or according to the phone number. The telephone network transmits the set of machine readable codes to the user terminal 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 the embodiment in which the encryption module 106 encrypts the set of machine readable codes by using the random number as the password, the transmission module 108 preferably transmits the email according to the email address provided by the user. The machine can read the 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 an email link may be provided in the article. (URL), the link is directed to the electronic voucher issuance system 100. Therefore, when the user clicks on the activation link, the transfer module 108 will be triggered to decrypt the password required by the machine to read the code, and the A pipeline agreed with the user (for example, a short message service via a mobile phone) The Service (SMS) is sent to the user, whereby 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 transmitting module 108, the electronic coupon issuing system 100 can deliver 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 medium, and optical type. Read media, even paper or other print 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 one embodiment, the user terminal 400 is a personal computer having a printing device. After receiving the machine readable code transmitted by the electronic coupon issuing system 100, the user terminal 400 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 received by the electronic coupon issuing system 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 providing system 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 providing system 300 transmits and redeems electronically The voucher identification code is sent to the financial trust institution 200 to request confirmation of whether the voucher identification code is valid. If it is valid, the financial trust institution 200 is further requested to change the use status of the voucher identification code from "valid" to "invalid". That is, cancel this electronic coupon 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 providing system 300 can further transmit the redemption item data and the settlement amount data to the electronic coupon issuing system 100 by electronic means. To perform the write-off and payment operation; or alternatively, the redemption item providing system 300 electronically transmits the settlement amount information to the financial trust institution 200 for 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 providing system 300 and/or the electronic coupon issuing system 100.

The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics of the invention. The aspects of the specific embodiments are to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive. Therefore, the scope of the novel is as shown in the accompanying claims and not as the foregoing description. All changes that fall within the meaning and scope of the patent application are deemed to fall within the scope of the patent application.

100‧‧‧Electronic voucher issuance system

102‧‧‧Invoicing module

104‧‧‧ machine readable code production module

106‧‧‧Encryption Module

108‧‧‧Transmission module

110‧‧‧Network Module

Claims (6)

An electronic exchange voucher issuance system, which is operated in a computer host, and includes the following modules: a billing module, which, in response to a request from a user, electronically converts a settlement amount data to a financial trust institution Requesting a voucher identification code; a machine readable code making module, and generating a set of machine readable codes according to the voucher identification code, the settlement amount data, and a redemption item data; and a transfer module, 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 system of claim 1, wherein: the invoicing module obtains user identification data of the user; the machine readable code creation module is based on the exchange coupon identification code, the settlement amount data, and the redemption item data And the user identification data to create the set of machine readable codes. The system of claim 1 or 2, wherein the machine readable code production module is a 2-dimensional barcode production module. The system of claim 2, further comprising: an encryption module for encrypting the set of machine readable codes with the user identification data before transmitting to the user terminal. The system of claim 2 or 4, wherein the user identification data is a phone number, the transmission module further comprising a network module for using the phone number to transmit the set of machine readable codes to a telephone network The road is transmitted to the user terminal. The system of claim 2, further comprising an encryption module for encrypting the set of machine readable codes with the user identification data before transmitting to the user terminal; wherein the transmission module utilizes transmission encryption The set of machines can transmit the decrypted password to the user in a manner other than the readable code.