WO2005076169A1

WO2005076169A1 - Method for easily handling receipts

Info

Publication number: WO2005076169A1
Application number: PCT/EP2004/053253
Authority: WO
Inventors: Michael Stal
Original assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
Priority date: 2004-02-05
Filing date: 2004-12-03
Publication date: 2005-08-18

Abstract

According to the invention, a buyer of a good receives a corresponding paper receipt from a seller, whereby a corresponding electronic receipt is also created, is electronically signed by the seller and is sent to a database, which is associated, for example, with an account or a credit card of the buyer, and to a database of the seller. The buyer can then retrieve the corresponding receipts from the database, verify them or grant a third party access to them. This eliminates numerous costs such as those associated with, e.g. the separate collection of receipts and the media clash between electronic processes and manual processes.

Description

description

Procedure for easier handling of documents

The invention relates to a method for easier handling of documents, in which information that is considered to be an original document is stored, managed and made available to the buyer himself or a third person, if desired, for one or more business transactions.

Whoever buys goods today usually receives a receipt in paper form. This leads to a media break between electronic data processing and the management of receipts in paper form. Today, paper-based receipts are first either electronically scanned or created and saved separately.

The object on which the invention is based is now to specify a method in which the handling of information which is considered to be an original document is considerably simplified.

This object is achieved according to the invention by the features of patent claim 1. The further claims relate to advantageous embodiments of the invention.

The invention essentially consists in the fact that a buyer of a product receives a corresponding paper receipt from a seller and in addition also creates a corresponding electronic receipt, electronically signed by the seller and sent to a database, for example with an account or a credit card of the buyer associated as well as being sent to a database of the seller. The buyer can then retrieve the relevant documents from the database, check them or release them for access by a third person. This eliminates numerous costs, such as for the separate collection of receipts and the media break between electronic processes and manual processes is eliminated.

The invention is explained in more detail below on the basis of exemplary embodiments illustrated in the drawing, the drawing representing a business transaction (for example purchase / sale) with the possibilities for handling the associated documents during and after the business transaction.

A buyer K buys goods from a seller V in a step 1, whereupon this a step 2 a corresponding document, for. B. in paper form, created and handed over to the buyer and the latter paid for the goods in a step 3. In addition, a corresponding electronic document is created in a step 4 and electronically signed by the seller in a step 5, and in a step 6 to a database DB1, which is associated, for example, with an account or a credit card of the buyer K, and in one step 7 sent to a seller's DB2 database.

After the business transaction has taken place, the buyer can call up or check the corresponding documents in a step 8 from the database DB1 associated with his account or credit card within an agreed storage period.

If the buyer K in a step 9 a certain electronic document on the with his account or his If credit card-associated database DB1 is released, this electronic document can be transferred to a computer S of a third person in a step 10.

The chronological sequence of the steps labeled 1 to 10 in the drawing does not have to follow the numbering.

There are two options for the transfer, on the one hand an explicit transfer from the buyer K to the third person S and on the other hand an implicit transfer, the third person S being authorized to pick up exactly the document specified.

In addition to the information that is common today, such electronic records must also contain digital signatures of buyers and sellers, a signature by a so-called certificate authority, for example a bank or credit card company, encryption of all data and a corresponding goods code with article number, product group, country etc.

As a database for document storage, a database is advantageously used, the unique data from cards, for. B. credit card, EC card, etc. is available and, for example, evaluation software is available.

To further illustrate the invention, two typical application scenarios are given below. Business trip scenario Up to now, for frequent tickets and hotel bookings, business trips have been carried out by the employees themselves and a travel expense report is made with the employer after the trip. Often the trip is recorded electronically and after the trip a travel accounting form is printed and filled out and sent together with the corresponding paper documents to an office of the employer responsible for travel expense accounting.

In the method according to the invention, the employee concerned still receives a handwritten receipt with each order, but at the same time a corresponding electronic receipt is provided by the provider or

Seller signed and sent to a central location chosen by the employee, e.g. Bank or credit card company sent electronically. Via a data network, e.g. b. the Internet, the employee can then view all collected documents at any time within a certain period of time. If the employee carries out a travel expense report, he can add these signed receipts electronically to his travel expense report and can therefore handle the entire travel expense report electronically very easily and quickly.

Purchasing scenario

A private consumer or an employee of a company buys a certain product, receives from the supplier / seller, in addition to the written invoice, an electronic receipt according to the invention, which is central, e.g. B. at a bank or a credit card company. Does the consumer or employee need it later? the relevant document, e.g. B. for the tax return, a guarantee case or statistics, he can easily retrieve the document electronically.

Claims

claims

1. A method for easier handling of documents, in which a corresponding electronic document (B) is created during a business transaction, which is electronically signed by a seller (V) of a product or service and sent to a first one by a buyer (K) of the product concerned or Service accessible database (DBl) and a second database (DB2) of the seller is sent.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the electronic document contains digital signatures of buyers and sellers, a signature by a certificate authority, encryption of all data and a corresponding goods code.

3. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein the first database is associated with an account and / or a credit card of the buyer K.

4. The method as claimed in one of claims 1 to 3, in which, after the business transaction has taken place, the buyer retrieves or checks the corresponding documents from the first database (DB1) within an agreed storage period.

5. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, in which one or more electronic documents are transferred to a computer (S) of a third person, provided that the buyer releases these one or more electronic documents on the first database for transfer.