Data processing: financial – business practice – management – or co – Business processing using cryptography – Secure transaction
Reexamination Certificate
1999-11-24
2004-01-27
Hayes, John W. (Department: 3621)
Data processing: financial, business practice, management, or co
Business processing using cryptography
Secure transaction
C705S016000, C705S017000, C705S018000, C705S065000, C705S072000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06684200
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cashless vending machine system using a portable terminal.
This application is based on Japanese Patent Application No. Hei 10-338234, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 4
is a block diagram showing a conventional vending machine system, which allows deferred payment, using a portable telephone terminal, and
FIG. 5
is a flowchart showing its operation.
As shown in
FIG. 4
, the vending machine system comprises a PHS terminal
101
which is a portable telephone terminal, a number of vending machines
106
A,
106
B, . . .
106
N, and a controller
113
. The personal handyphone system (PHS) terminal
101
comprises an input device
102
such as a keyboard for inputting a code number, a memory
104
for storing the input information to be transmitted, a controller
103
for controlling the entire operation of the PHS
101
, and a transmitter
105
for converting the information into a radio wave signal and sending it. The transmitted information includes a personal identification code for identifying a user (which is a person, or a company) and a vending machine addressing code for addressing a vending machine. The personal identification code is, e.g., a telephone number assigned to the portable telephone terminal, or a number or code which can be distinguished from those of the other persons.
The vending machine
106
A comprises a communication interface
107
for interface with the PHS
101
, a controller
108
with a microprocessor for controlling the entire operation of the vending machine
106
A and performing signal processing, a communication I/O device for on-line interface between the vending machine controller
108
and the controller
113
, and a product delivery device
109
for delivering a product under the control of the memory
104
. Other vending machines
106
B, . . . ,
106
N have the same structure as the vending machine
106
A.
These vending machines
106
A to
106
N are connected to the controller
113
through the on-line network via local buses
111
A to
111
N and a communication data bus
112
. The controllers
108
and
113
control the vending machine
106
A according to the control algorithm described later (see FIG.
5
). The controller
113
includes a micro processor and a memory, and transmits data between the vending machines
106
A to
106
N through the communication data bus
112
and the local buses
111
A to
111
N while referring to internal ROM and RAM (not shown), to thereby control the entire operations.
The control operation will be explained with reference to FIG.
5
. Initially, a user sets the vending machine number through the input device
102
of the PHS
101
(step S
1
). The controller
103
reads the ID code from the memory
104
, and transmits the ID code and the vending machine number to the transmitter
105
. The transmitter
105
converts the ID code and the vending machine number into the carrier signal, and transmits it to the vending machines
106
A to
106
N by radio communication (step S
2
). The vending machines
106
A to
106
N receive the ID code and the vending machine number (step S
3
), and send them to the vending machine controller
113
through the communication interface
110
, the local buses
111
A to
111
N, and the communication data bus
112
(step S
4
).
The controller
113
receives the ID code (step S
5
), and judges the received ID code (step S
6
). The judgement of the ID code includes a security check of whether the use of the ID is prohibited or not. When there is no problem in the judgement, the controller
113
sends a selling permission signal to the vending machine controller
108
through the communication data bus
112
, the local buses
111
A to
111
N, and the communication interface
110
(step S
7
).
The vending machine controller
108
receives the selling permission signal (step S
8
), and turns on the price indicator for a product section to permit selling of the product. Then, the user pushes a product selector button (step S
9
). The vending machine controller
108
extracts the selected product from a product rack in the vending machine, and delivers the product through the product delivery unit
109
(step S
10
). The vending machine controller
108
transmits the product code to the controller
113
(step S
11
). The controller
113
receives the product code (step S
12
), and collects and records the sales data of the vending machine
106
A to
106
N to send a bill to the user later (step S
13
).
According to the conventional technique, the vending machine, which is designated by the portable telephone terminal such as a PHS, communicates with the controller by the data communication, and sells the product to the user who is identified by the ID code of the telephone terminal. This technique eliminates use of an ID card, and allows deferred payment. However, the user must initially input the vending machine number through the PHS, which is more troublesome than using an ID card.
In general, PHS terminals do not perform the operations of reading the ID code from the memory by the controller, transmitting the ID code and the vending machine number to the transmitter, converting the ID code and the vending machine number into the carrier signal, and transmitting it by radio communication. Disadvantageously, the conventional technique requires a special PHS different from a general PHS.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a vending machine system which uses an existing portable radio-communication terminal such as a PHS, eliminates troublesome operations, does not require a dedicated terminal and a cash card, and allows deferred payment, reduces the costs and improves the reliability by using the PHS which originally employs improved cryptographic security.
In order to accomplish the above object, the cashless vending machine system comprises: a plurality of radio-communication terminals with terminal verification keys assigned in a one to one correspondence to the terminals; and a vending machine for verifying the terminal verification keys.
According to the present invention, because the vending machine system uses an existing portable radio-communication terminal such as a personal handy phone (hereinafter referred to as a PHS or a PHS terminal), the system eliminates troublesome operations, does not require a dedicated terminal and a cash card, and allows deferred payment. By means of the pseudo network for the radio-communication terminal for data communication, the verification key, which is assigned in a one to one correspondence to the terminal, is read by the vending machine by radio communication, and is recognized as personal data of the user. Because the PHS originally employs the improved cryptographic security, the invention is sufficient against leaking private information. The invention incorporates the general PHS as a part of the system, thereby reducing the costs and improving the reliability of the cashless vending machine system.
In another aspect of the invention, the cashless vending machine system comprises: a radio-communication terminal having a terminal information storage device for storing a verification key, and a terminal encryption processor for performing encryption with a random number and the terminal verification key; a vending machine having a radio-communication terminal pseudo network forming a pseudo network for the radio-communication terminal, and a verification key storage area for storing the terminal verification key from the radio-communication terminal, the radio-communication terminal pseudo network having a decryption processor for decrypting the terminal verification key from a value produced by the terminal encryption processor and a random number produced by a random number generator; and a center for communicating with the vending machine by radio or cable communication.
In another aspect of the invention, the vending mac
Foley & Lardner
Hayes John W.
NEC Corporation
Reagan James A.
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