Method for payment processing, billhead for payment processing, billhead generation facility and facility for communicating with a financial institution

Abstract

In one aspect, a method for payment processing, wherein an entity issuing an invoice creates a payment form to be sent to a debtor, with the data required to process the payment being input on the form by the issuing entity, a first short-range radio transmit/radio receive facility with a storage facility being integrated into the payment form is provided. The necessary data is also stored permanently on the storage facility in such a manner that, when the form is located within the short-range radio transmit/radio receive area of a facility embodied with a second short-range radio transmit/radio receive facility and communicating with a financial institution, it transmits the stored data after detecting a first initiating action. Other aspects include a billhead generation facility, a billhead and a facility for communicating with a financial institution, which is embodied to implement the method.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

Further details and advantages of the invention are described in more detail with reference to the single FIGURE. This FIGURE shows a schematic diagram of the inventive method based on the inventive arrangements.

The FIGURE shows a schematic diagram of the inventive procedure based on the facilities implementing it.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION

In the case of the exemplary embodiment illustrated, the starting point is a first step 1, wherein an entity E creates a form VD for payment processing, shown schematically by the block-type arrow. Such creation thereby presupposes a service or another transaction establishing a contractual relationship, which has resulted in a customer becoming a debtor, owing something to the entity and therefore being the recipient of said form VD.

As can be seen, the entity E integrates a first short-range radio transmit/radio receive facility KF1 into the form VD. When the customer receives said form, said customer can initiate payment processing. According to the invention it is hereby advantageous that the payment form corresponds to a standard form for such transactions, such that the customer is able either to effect the payment directly at the financial institution at a counter or by placing it in a box provided there for this purpose or, as shown in the FIGURE, in a second step 2, to make the payment by way of a bank ATM BA, which is connected directly to a financial institution GI, or a PC, which is connected by way of the internet to the financial institution GI.

The PC, which will generally be the home computer of the customer, will have a second short-range radio transmit/radio receive facility KF2′ for this purpose according to the invention and a second short-range radio transmit/radio receive facility KF2 will similarly be integrated in the bank ATM.

It can be seen from the exemplary embodiment illustrated that in a third step 3 the form VD must be brought into the near field of the facilities BA and PC connected to the financial institution GI, in order to initiate payment processing.

The near field is hereby defined according to the invention by the first radio coverage area FV1, provided by the first short-range radio transmit/radio receive facility KF1. According to the invention it is hereby of particular advantage if this first radio coverage area FV1 is reduced where possible to a minimal radius by partial masking, in such a manner that the customer with the form VD must move very close to the facility BA, PC, preferably even holding said form VD up to a sensor surface provided for this purpose.

Alternatively the first radio coverage area may however only be reduced in such a manner that the presence of the customer in direct proximity to the facility BA, PC suffices, such that it is not necessary to take out the form VD, thereby preventing loss or spying by a third party similarly in proximity to the facility BA, PC.

By holding the form VD up to a sensor, it is possible however to prevent the simple action of passing close by the facility BA, PC triggering or possibly making a payment, which could result in the payment being made more than once, thereby debiting the account more than once or requiring an unreasonable effort on the part of the customer to reverse the transactions.

The invention therefore allows a particular degree of freedom in that it is possible to adapt to the respective requirements of the customer or financial institution by selecting the radius of the first radio coverage area FV1.

It is thereby also possible, alternatively or additionally, to define the near field by means of a second radio coverage area FV2, FV2′, provided by the second short-range radio transmit/radio receive facility KF2, KF2′. It is thus conceivable for example for the second radio coverage area FV2 to be reduced to a particularly significant degree for payment processing at a bank ATM BA, such that it is necessary to hold the form up to a sensor and payment cannot be triggered by the simple action of passing by, with the second radio coverage area FV2′ not having to be reduced to such a degree for use of the inventive method in the home area at the home PC, as in contrast to payment by way of the bank ATM BA, payment by way of the home PC does not require the second short-range radio transmit/radio receive facility KF2, KF2′ to be in constant operation but simply to be able and to have to be activated by the user when payment processing is required.

According to the exemplary embodiment it is possible, by bringing the form VD into the near field for example, for the payment only to be triggered by transmitting the payment-relevant data to the facility BA, PC on entry into the near area and inputting it automatically there into in input mask provided, it being possible for the payment procedure ultimately to be triggered by user input, which takes place for example at the home computer PC by operation of the input key, while at a bank ATM BA it may be triggered by a fingerprint sensor FS scanning the customer's fingerprint, to ensure that payment is also actually being made by the authenticated person. The biometric data determined is then compared with a reference variable stored in the financial institution GI, it being possible also to use biometric data, such as speech characteristics of the voice, iris features or even facial features as an alternative to the fingerprint.

Confirmation of this nature can also be followed, in particular at the home PC, by the display of data stored on the form VD, which is not payment-relevant but for example contains advertising content or general information relating to the payment procedure, viewing of which must be acknowledged, with said acknowledgement serving as confirmation as an alternative or in addition to the scanning of biometric data or user details. The scope of this content is thereby restricted to the storage capacity available on the first short-range radio transmit/radio receive facility, which should be deemed to be quite small with the RFID chip technology used in preference.

After confirmation, in a fourth step the payment-relevant data is transmitted to the financial institution GI, which debits the customer's account and makes the payment to the entity E.

Claims

1.-15. (canceled)

16. A method for payment processing, comprising: by an entity issuing an invoice: creating a payment form to be sent to a debtor;including in the payment form data required to process the payment being input on the form;integrating a first short-range radio transmit/radio receive facility with a storage facility in the payment form; andstoring the data on the storage facility such that, when the form is located within the short-range radio transmit/radio receive area of a facility embodied with a second short-range radio transmit/radio receive facility and communicating with a financial institution, the stored data is transmitted after detecting a first initiating action.

17. The method as claimed in claim 16, wherein the initiation occurs in response to an entry of the form into a near field of the second short-range radio transmit/radio receive facility.

18. The method as claimed in claim 17, wherein the near field is reducible by restriction of a transmit power of the second short-range radio transmit/radio receive facility.

19. The method as claimed in claim 16, wherein the initiation occurs in response to a user input at the facility communicating with the financial institution and at the form.

20. The method as claimed in claim 16, wherein the initiation occurs in response to a user input at the facility communicating with the financial institution or at the form.

21. The method as claimed in claim 16, wherein after the data has been transmitted, the data is automatically input into an input screen provided by the facility.

22. The method as claimed in claim 16, further comprising: capturing a biometric data of the user;comparing the captured biometric data with a stored biometric user data; andforwarding the payment to the financial institution for processing if the comparing indicates the captured biometric data matches the stored biometric data.

23. The method as claimed in claim 22, wherein the biometric data is a finger print.

24. The method as claimed in claim 16, wherein facility is a bank ATM communicating with a bank communication network.

25. The method as claimed in claim 16, wherein the facility is a computer connected by way of a communication network is operated as the facility.

26. The method as claimed in claim 16, wherein further data is transmitted by the entity and it is realized as confirmation of the reading of said data in response to a second initiating action.

27. The method as claimed in claim 16, wherein the form is created as a form accepted by financial institutions.

28. A billhead generation facility for payment processing, comprising: generating a payment form to be sent to a debtor;integrating a first short-range radio transmit/radio receive facility having a storage facility in the payment form; andstoring data for processing the input on the storage facility in order to transmit the data after detecting an initiating action when the form is located within the short-range radio transmit/radio receive area of a facility,wherein the facility is embodied with a second short-range radio transmit/radio receive facility and communicating with a financial institution.

29. A billhead, comprising: data required to process a payment;a payment form to be sent to a debtor; anda first short-range radio transmit/radio receive facility having a storage facility integrated in the payment form,wherein the data is stored on the storage facility in order to transmit the data after detecting an initiating action when the form is located within the short-range radio transmit/radio receive area of a facility, andwherein the facility is embodied with a second short-range radio transmit/radio receive facility and communicating with a financial institution.

30. The billhead as claimed in claim 29, wherein the first short-range radio transmit/radio receive facility is embodied as an RFID.

31. The billhead as claimed in claim 29, wherein the second short-range radio transmit/radio facility is embodied such that its radio coverage area defines a near field by restriction of a transmit power of the facility.

32. An ATM facility for communicating with a financial institution, comprising: providing second short-range radio transmit/radio receive facility;receiving payment data from a payment form via the second short-range radio transmit/radio receive facility, the payment form includes the payment data and a first short-range radio transmit/radio receive facility in order to transmit data the payment data from the form; andforwarding the payment data to the financial institution.

33. The ATM facility as claimed in claim 32, wherein the second short-range radio transmit/radio receive facility is embodied such that its radio coverage area defines the near field by a restriction of a transmit power of the second short-range radio transmit/radio receive facility.