WO2000074006A1

WO2000074006A1 - System

Info

Publication number: WO2000074006A1
Application number: PCT/NL1999/000341
Authority: WO
Inventors: Johan Peter Eilander; Erik Vos
Original assignee: Ic Company
Priority date: 1999-06-01
Filing date: 1999-06-01
Publication date: 2000-12-07

Abstract

A system for the remote transfer of a money value, in particular for services to be rendered and/or goods to be supplied, which system comprises a value carrier which is provided with a visible identification code and with at least one invisible transaction code, wherein the value is transferred by communicating both codes. In particular, a system is proposed for paying for services to be rendered and/or goods to be supplied, wherein use is made of a value carrier which is provided with a visible identification code and with at least one invisible transaction code, wherein a payment is made by communicating both codes.

Description

SYSTEM

The invention relates to a system for the remote transfer of a money value, in particular for services to be rendered and/or goods to be supplied, which system comprises a value carrier.

The invention furthermore relates to the value carrier itself .

Such a system in the form of a payment system is generally known. The value carrier of the prior payment system is a voucher which has been purchased in advance, after which a buyer can purchase various articles, such as books, CD's and the like by means of said voucher.

One drawback of the prior payment system is that it is generally quite liable to fraud, which accordingly has a negative effect on its popularity. Moreover, it is considered a drawback of the prior payment system that in many cases only one type of articles, for example books, can be purchased by means of the voucher, whilst in addition the voucher can generally be used to purchase articles in only one type of store (chain store), for example a store belonging to a particular retail chain.

The object of the invention is to provide a system wherein the aforesaid drawbacks are overcome, and in order to accomplish that objective, a system for the remote transfer of a money value, in particular for services to be rendered and/or goods to be supplied, is according to the invention characterized in that a value carrier comprising a visible identification code and with at least one invisible transaction code is provided, wherein the value is transferred by communicating both codes. The remote transfer of the value can take place in several ways, whether or not wirelessly, via the telephone or via the Internet or the like, and it may take place in connection with a payment or with the granting of a discount on services and/or goods. The uniqueness of the combination of the two codes serves to prevent fraud, whilst the use of the present system can be realised in all kinds of (commercial) fields.

One preferred embodiment of a system according to the invention is a payment system for paying for services to be rendered and/or goods to be supplied, characterized in that a value carrier is used, in particular bought, which is provided with a visible identification code and at least one invisible transaction code, wherein payment takes place by communicating both codes . Once both codes have been communicated and payment has been approved, the value of the value carrier has been decreased by the amount that has been paid. The two codes form a unique combination, which makes the present payment system fraud-proof. In particular, the number of invisible transaction codes on the value carrier corresponds to the number of partial payments that can be made therewith. In this connection, the term partial payment is understood to mean a payment for which only part of the value of the value carrier is used. Preferably, payment in advance is used with the present payment system, that is, payment before respective services have been rendered and/or respective goods have been supplied, which makes it a prepayment system.

In another preferred embodiment of a payment system according to the invention, the invisible transaction code can be made visible by removing a layer of material which covers the transaction code. More particularly, use is made of existing technology, such as the technology which is known from so-called "scratch-off" lottery tickets.

In another preferred embodiment of a payment system according to the invention, the value carrier has a value which corresponds to the value of a banknote . The value carrier is in particular a voucher cheque . In the Netherlands, the voucher cheque may have a value of 10, 25, 100, 250 or 1,000 guilders, therefore.

In another preferred embodiment of a payment system according to the invention, the services to be rendered and the goods to be supplied are offered on the Internet. Preferably it concerns a central organisation having its own Internet site, on which the services and the goods of the companies/institutions affiliated with the present payment system are offered. Both the identification code and the transaction code are communicated to the central organisation when a payment is made . The central organisation not only verifies the validity and the value of the value carrier, but it also arranges the transfer of the amounts that have been received to companies/institutions which have rendered services and/or supplied goods. The central organisation receives the aforesaid amounts via instances which sell value carriers. Said instances must be reimbursed for this by the central organisation, of course.

The invention furthermore relates to a method of implementing the system according to the invention.

The invention will now be explained in more detail with reference to a figure illustrated in a drawing, which shows a preferred embodiment of two value carriers according to the invention. The figure shows two value carriers in the form of voucher cheques according to the invention, which voucher cheques, which are called "cybercheque" or "IC Internet Cheque", represent a value of, respectively, Hfl. 100.- and Hf1. 10.-. A "cybercheque" (voucher or voucher cheque) will be for sale in particular in chain stores, post offices, banks, bookstores and/or computer stores in the near future. When a "cybercheque" is purchased for the amount indicated thereon (Hfl. 100.- and Hfl. 10.- in the figure), the organisation which sells the "cybercheque", that is, a company or an institution, informs a central, coordinating organisation called "Cybercheque.com" or ICCompany.com" online of the sale of the "cybercheque" by means of a computer. This is done by passing on the identification code which is shown on the "cybercheque" as an identification number. In the figure, this identification code is "Nt 1547588" in the case of the Hfl. 100.- "cybercheque" of and "Gc 1944753" in the case of the Hfl. 10.- "cybercheque". This identification code or identification number is used by the central, coordinating organisation to register where (that is, from which company or institution) and when (date and, possibly, point in time) which "cybercheque" (that is, identification code) has been sold. It will be apparent that also "cybercheques" carrying a value indicated in euros, dollars, pounds, francs, German marks and the like are possible.

Having bought a "cybercheque" to the amount of Hfl. 100.-, for example, the person who has bought it can make purchases on the Internet site of the aforementioned organisation "Cybercheque.com" with all kinds of affiliated companies or institutions, which can be directly approached via hyperlinks. Once the decision has been made to purchase a service or a product, payment can be effected as follows. First, the visible identification code is communicated to the central organisation "Cybercheque.com" via the Internet by inputting the number in question (as already said before, this is number is Nt 1547588 in the case of the Hfl.100.- "cybercheque"). "Cybercheque.com" will then verify whether the "cybercheque" in question has indeed been purchased and is registered as such at "Cybercheque.com", whereby it may furthermore be verified whether the "cybercheque" has been reported lost or stolen. Then the buyer must communicate the transaction code, which is (still) invisible, to "Cybercheque.com". To this end, he scratches off the layer covering the transaction code to expose said code in order to input it. In the figure the transaction code is indicated "purchase code" . If there are no irregularities, "Cybercheque.com" will give its approval for the payment, so that the service or the product being offered is paid, after which said service or product can respectively be rendered or supplied. In order to make sure that he is connected to the right central organisation, the following can be done as an additional precaution. After having input the visible identification code, the buyer receives information from "Cybercheque.com", via the Internet, in particular a (commercial) message which is also mentioned on the

"cybercheque". This (commercial) message is different for each identification code. The buyer can thus establish unequivocally in a simple manner whether he is communicating with the right central organisation.

Of course it is also possible to use more than one "cybercheque" for making a purchase.

Furthermore it is possible to make a partial payment with the "cybercheque", for example because that which is being purchased costs less than the amount of the "cybercheque" itself. To this end, two invisible transaction codes or purchase codes are provided on the "cybercheque" as shown in the figure. When a first purchase is made, the first transaction code ("purchase code") must be communicated to "Cybercheque.com", whilst the second transaction code must be communicated to "Cybercheque.com" when a second purchase is made. The "cybercheques" which are shown in the figure comprise a space indicated as "balance amount", in which the remaining amount of the "cybercheque" can be noted by hand when a partial payment is made.

The payment system in accordance with the invention as used on the Internet has numerous advantages in comparison with the present (Internet) payment systems:

it is a low-threshold system, because no credit card, invoice or hardware is needed; since it can be used directly, it can be quickly implemented on the Internet by means of promotional activities, whereby the money can only be spent on the Internet (the advantage of this is that the market can be conquered much more easily) ; a "cybercheque" can also be presented as a gift voucher; - it presents a new target group for Internet retailers, namely the small-time consumer who has hardly been able so far, if at all, to use the possibilities as regards purchases which the

Internet offers; - the "cybercheques" can be introduced as a tangible phenomenon outside the Internet; since the "cybercheques" has only a very short

"life" on the Internet, a significant amount of security is offered. LEGEND TO THE FIGURE:

herkenningsnummer = identification number aankoopcode 1 = purchase code 1 restbedrag = balance aankoopcode 2 = purchase code 2 restbedrag = balance

Claims

1. A system for the remote transfer of a money value, in particular for services to be rendered and/or goods to be supplied, which system comprises a value carrier which is provided with a visible identification code and with at least one invisible transaction code, wherein the value is transferred by communicating both codes.

2. A system according to claim 1 for paying for services to be rendered and/or goods to be supplied, wherein use is made of a value carrier which is provided with a visible identification code and with at least one invisible transaction code, wherein a payment is made by communicating both codes .

3. A system according to claim 2, wherein the number of invisible transaction codes on the value carrier corresponds to the number of partial payments to be made therewith.

4. A system according to claim 1, 2 or 3 , wherein the invisible transaction code can be made visible by removing a layer of material which covers the transaction code.

5. A system according to any one of the preceding claims 1 - 4, wherein the value carrier has a value which corresponds to the value of a banknote.

6. A system according to any one of the preceding claims 1 - 5, wherein the value carrier is a voucher cheque.

7. A system according to any one of the preceding claims 1 - 6, wherein the services to be rendered and the goods to be supplied are offered on the Internet .

8. A system according to any one of the preceding claims 1 - 7, wherein both the identification code and the transaction code are communicated to the central organisation when a payment is made.

9. A system according to claims 7 and 8, wherein said central organisation has its own site on the Internet , on which the services to be rendered and the goods to be supplied are offered.

10. A value carrier suitable for use in a system according to any one of the preceding claims 1 - 9, which value carrier is provided with a visible identification code and at least one invisible transaction code.

11. A method for the remote transfer of a money value, in particular for services to be rendered and/or goods to be supplied, which system comprises a value carrier which is provided with a visible identification code and with at least one invisible transaction code, wherein the value is transferred by communicating both codes.

12. A method according to claim 11 for paying for services to be rendered and/or goods to be supplied, wherein use is made of a value carrier which is provided with a visible identification code and with at least one invisible transaction code, wherein a payment is made by communicating both codes.