SYSTEM FOR PAYMENT USING A MOBILE PHONE IN ELECTRONIC COMMERCE SERVICE
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
5
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system for carrying out payment by using a mobile phone in an electronic commerce service. More specifically, the present invention relates to a system for carrying out payment by using a iϋ mobile phone in an electronic commerce service, in which when a user is connected to an electronic commerce transaction web site, if there is a commodity to be procured, the payment of the price is made by a mobile telephone.
15 2. Description of the Background Art
Recently, the use of computers is increased to an explosive degree, and in this context, the entire world is connected to a single network through the internet.
Accordingly, many enterprises have established web sites to advertise 20 their companies to the worldwide netizens. Further, their own information and the information of others can be easily exchanged.
That is, if a user drives the web browser to be connected to the internet and to input a particular URL (universal resource locator), then the web browser is connected to the server in which the relevant web site exists. Thus
25 the user can use the various kinds of information which consists of a text or a
graphic.
Thus the users of the world have come to be able to use the internet without any time limitation and spatial limitation. Further, according as the number of the web sites is increased, many discriminable web sites which are different from the existing ones have appeared.
Accordingly, many internet commerce web sites have appeared to give opportunities for electronic commercial transactions in which garments, books, musical discs and the like can be sold and bought at the cybernetic spaces of the internet. Further, besides the electronic commercial transactions, lectures are carried out, or various kinds of information are sold at the cybernetic spaces.
Further, the portal sites which provide a searching service, gratuitous electronic mails and the like are very popular. These portal sites earn their income by advertisements, but in order to overcome the limited income of the advertisements, they are introducing the electronic commercial transactions.
If the users utilize the web sites of the electronic commercial transactions, they can select the desired commodities at the cybernetic spaces of the internet to make various books, garments, and musical discs delivered to them through the postal route. Under this condition, the payments are made by credit cards, IC cards, digital cash and the like.
However, in the case where the payments are made by credit cards, the credit cards may be hacked, with the result that the card number is exposed, and that the contents of the cards may be stolen in an illegal manner. In the case of the smart cards such as IC card, there is the advantage
that the IC cards store the money value. However, the manufacture of the IC cards requires a high cost, and there is the risk of forgery. Further, there is required a card reader in using the IC cards.
Meanwhile, in the case of the digital cash, there is also the risk of information exposure, with the result that the card content may be illegally stolen. Further, in order to use the digital cash, a complicated program is required in which a pass word has to be inputted. Still further, if an abnormality occurs in the computer, the digital cash may be evaporated and lost.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is intended to overcome the above described disadvantages of the conventional techniques.
Therefore it is an object of the present invention to provide a system for carrying out payment by using a mobile phone in an electronic commerce service, in which when a plurality of users are connected to electronic commerce web sites, if there are commodities to be procured, the payments of the prices are made by mobile phones.
In achieving the above object, the system for carrying out a payment by using a mobile phone in an electronic commerce service according to the present invention includes: a communication network for connecting a plurality of communication lines together to carry out data communications between them; a plurality of electronic commercial transaction web sites for furnishing various kinds of commodity information on an on-line basis so as to enable a plurality of users to confirm the commodity information, and for delivering a commodity to a desired user upon payment for the commodity; a plurality of
client PC for proceeding connections to the plurality of the electronic commercial transaction web sites in accordance with communication connections by mobile phone subscribers (desiring electronic transactions), for carrying out a connection to an external server to receive a proxy payment through it upon receiving a commodity order, and for outputting the commodity information and a mobile phone data of an ordering person to the external server based on a document format of the external server; a main server for storing the commodity information and a mobile phone data of the ordering person upon receiving them from each of the plurality of the client PC, for proceeding a connection to a relevant one of the electronic commerce transaction web sites to carry out an electronic transaction, for executing a proxy payment upon receiving a request from the relevant one of the electronic commerce transaction web sites, and for requesting for a reimbursement (plus a commission fee) to a mobile phone managing server (to which the mobile phone subscriber using the relevant PC belongs); and a mobile phone managing server for carrying out a reimbursement to the main server upon receiving a request based on the electronic transaction of the mobile phone subscriber, and for billing for a payment to the mobile phone subscriber.
In another aspect of the present invention, the method for carrying out a payment by using a mobile phone in an electronic commerce service according to the present invention includes the steps of: (1) connecting to a main server by a client PC user, and for inputting an ordered electronic transaction data and a mobile phone data by the client PC user; (2) connecting to a relevant electronic commerce transaction web site by the main server based on the inputted data of the client PC user, so as to carry out an electronic commerce
transaction; (3) carrying out a proxy payment to the relevant electronic commerce transaction web site by the main server, and delivering a relevant commodity to a delivery address of the user; (4) requesting for a reimbursement for the proxy payment to a mobile phone managing server by the main server to receive the reimbursement; and (5) billing for a payment as much as the reimbursement to the relevant mobile phone subscriber by the mobile phone managing server to receive the payment.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the constitution of the price payment system using a mobile phone according to the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the constitution of the main server of FIG. 1 ;
FIG. 3 is a flow chart showing the constitution the method for the price payment using a mobile phone according to the present invention; and
FIGs. 4 to 9 are flow charts showing the operating procedures of the respective subroutines of FIG. 3.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described in detail referring to the attached drawings.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the constitution of the price payment system using a mobile phone according to the present invention.
As shown in this drawing, a communication network 10 is connected to a plurality of client PC 20, to a plurality of electronic commerce transaction web
sites 30, and to a main server 40, so that data communications can be carried out between them.
The plurality of the client PC 20 proceed to carry out connections to the plurality of electronic commerce transaction web sites 30 in accordance with the communication connections of mobile phone subscribers who want to transact through the communication network 10. Thus the users can survey various commodities such as books, musical discs and the like at the plurality of electronic commerce transaction web sites 30.
In accordance with the communication connections of the users, the plurality of the client PC 20 proceeds to be connected to the main server 40, and outputs to the main server 40 the commodity information and the mobile phone data of the user based on a required format of the main server 40.
The plurality of electronic commerce transaction web sites 30 furnish a plurality of commodity information to sell the commodities at the cybernetic space, so that the users of the client PC 20 can survey the offered commodities. If the main server 40 executes the proxy payments for the ordered commodities of the plurality of the users, then the commodities are delivered to the designated addresses.
The main server 40 stores the mobile phone data and the electronic transaction data such as the URL of the web sites, the commodity codes (or commodity names), the procuring quantities, the commodity destination addresses and the like. Further, the main server 40 proceeds to be connected to the relevant web site 30 based on the URL of the web site which has been inputted by the user, thereby executing the electronic transactions. Further, the main server 40 carries out a proxy payment upon receiving a
request from one of the electronic commerce transaction web sites 30, and requests for a reimbursement for the proxy payment to the mobile phone managing server of the relevant mobile phone subscriber. Thus the main server 40 receives the reimbursement from the mobile phone managing server 50 as much as the proxy payment.
If the mobile phone managing server 50 receives a reimbursement request from the main server 40, then the reimbursement is payed to the main server 40, while the mobile phone managing server 50 bills to the mobile phone subscriber as much as reimbursed so as to receive the payment. Under this condition, the mobile phone managing server 50 bills to the mobile phone subscriber as much as the reimbursed amount plus a commission fee, or the commission fee may be exempted for improving the service to the customers.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the constitution of the main server of FIG. 1.
As shown in this drawing, a program inputting part 41 downloads a program which is capable of handling the proxy payment for the commodity ordered by the user. Then this program is outputted to a main control part 42. The main control part 42 controls the storing of the mobile phone data and the electronic transaction data which are inputted by the users. Further, based on these inputs, the main control part 42 proceeds to be connected to the electronic commerce transaction web site 30 so as to carry out the procurement of the commodity and so as to control the proxy payment for the commodity. Further, the main control part 42 controls in such a manner that a sum as
much as the reimbursement and the commission fee as payed by the user is billed to the mobile phone managing server 50 to receive the relevant sum.
A data base part 43 stores the electronic transaction data and the mobile phone data of the respective client PC users under the control of the main control part 42, and also stores the results of the electronic transaction data and the proxy payment data.
A communication control part 44 outputs the electronic transaction data and the mobile phone data of the respective client PC users to the main control part 42, and proceeds to be connected to a particular electronic transaction web site 30 under the control of the main control part 42 so as to input and output the various data which have been generated during the electronic transactions with the web site 30. Further, the communication control part 44 outputs the payment data to the mobile phone managing server 50.
In the above, the present invention was described based on the case where the proxy payments are carried out by the main server 40. However, the present invention is not limited to this form, but can be changed to a case in which the proxy payment is executed directly by the web site.
Now the action of the payment system according to the present invention will be described referring to FIGs. 3 to 9. FIGs. 4 to 9 are flow charts showing the operating procedures of the respective subroutines of FIG. 3.
First, in the case where the users utilizing the web sites 30 do not use the general credit cards but want to use mobile phones, the client PC users survey the commodities of the web sites 30, and proceed to be connected to the main server 40 so as to input the electronic transaction data of the desired
commodities and the mobile phone data (S10).
That is, a plurality of the client PC users proceed to be connected to the electronic transaction web sites 30 to try the electronic transactions (S11 ). Then the client PC users check as to whether there are the desired commodities at the electronic transaction web sites 30 (S12). Then the client PC users proceed to be connected to the main server 40 which carries out the proxy payments (S13).
Then each of the client PC users who have been connected to the main server 40 inputs the mobile phone data and the electronic transaction data such as URL of the web site, the commodity code (or commodity name), the procurement quantity, and the delivery address (S14).
If such inputs are completed, then the main server 40 proceeds to be connected to the relevant electronic transaction web site 30 based on the input of the relevant user. Thus an electronic transaction is realized (S20). That is, the main server 40 stores the mobile phone data and the electronic transaction data of the relevant user (S21), and outputs a message to the client PC user to confirm the order (S22). Then the main server 40 judges as to whether the user has acknowledged and certified the order (S23).
Then a connection is made to the relevant electronic transaction web site 30 (S40). Then the commodity which has been designated by the user is selected at the relevant electronic transaction web site 30 (S25). Then the data such as payment method, procurement quantity, and commodity delivery address are inputted based on the data of the client PC user (S26).
Then as shown in FIG. 6, unlike the step S20, the main server 40 stores the mobile phone data and the electronic transaction data as inputted by the
client PC user (S21-1). Then the main server 40 proceeds to be connected to the relevant electronic transaction web site 30 based on the input of the user (S22-1).
Then a connection is made to the relevant electronic transaction web site 30, and then, the commodity which has been designated by the user is selected at the web site 30 (S23-1). Then the data such as payment method, procurement quantity, commodity delivery address and the like are inputted based on the input of the client PC user (S24-1).
Then the relevant electronic transaction web site 30 confirms as to whether the main server 40 has executed the proxy payment. Then the relevant electronic transaction web site 30 ships the relevant commodity to the delivery address which has been entered by the user (S30).
That is, the main server 40 carries out a proxy payment to the relevant electronic transaction web site 30 based on the electronic transaction of the user, and stores the result of the proxy payment for each of the users (S31 ).
The relevant electronic transaction web site 30 checks as to whether the main server 40 has executed the proxy payment for the ordered commodity (S32). If the proxy payment has been made, then the relevant electronic transaction web site 30 ships the ordered commodity to the delivery address of the user (S33).
If the proxy payment and the shipping of the ordered commodity are completed, then the main server 40 which has executed the proxy payment request for a reimbursement to the mobile phone managing server 50 so as to be reimbursed (S40). That is, the main server 40 calculates the amounts of the proxy
payments and the commission fees based on the proxy payments for the commodities which have been delivered to the respective users (S41). Then based on this calculation, the main server 40 requests for a reimbursement to the mobile phone managing server 50 (S42). Then the main server 40 makes a judgment as to whether the requested reimbursement has been done (S43). If the reimbursement has been done by the mobile phone managing server 50, then the service to the mobile phone subscriber is terminated (S44).
Finally, the mobile phone managing server 50 which has done the reimbursement as requested by the main server 40 sends a billing to the mobile phone subscriber to receive the payment (S50).
That is, the mobile phone managing server 50 stores the amounts of the reimbursements (to the main server 40) for the respective users (S51 ). Then the mobile phone managing server 50 sends a billing as much as the reimbursement to each of the mobile phone subscribers (S52), and receives the payments from the respective mobile phone subscribers (S53).
According to the present invention as described above, the means for payments for electronic transactions is not necessarily credit cards, digital cash or IC cards, but may be the mobile phone. Therefore, any exposure of private information and any disaster due to computer malfunctions need not be apprehended, but the electronic transactions can be carried out in a safe manner.