Booking certificate issuing apparatus and method

Abstract

Booking venders are to be enabled to issue booking certificates without having to consume their own resources. Advance booking is made and sent to a retailer from a consumer terminal via the Internet. The retailer requests a booking certificate issuing center to issue a booking certificate associated with the product or the booking party, and receives the booking certificate issued from the booking certificate issuing center. The consumer terminal receives the booking certificate from the retailer via the Internet, and uses it to have itself verified to be the legitimate booking party by a verifying apparatus associated with a provider. The booking party can receive the supply of the booked product or service if its booking certificate is successfully verified.

Claims

1. A booking certificate issuance method for issuing an electronic booking certificate, comprising:

electronically preparing verification information required for verifying a legitimacy of a booking certificate, the booking certificate certifying that a supply of a product and/or a service is booked in advance for a specific consumer;

electronically inputting information for identifying the verification information;

electronically preparing a booking certificate including a booking value that includes a booking condition and is verifiable with the verification information identified by the inputted information for identifying verification information;

electronically outputting the booking certificate thus prepared;

electronically preparing an encrypted public key pair; and

electronically holding a private key out of the public key pair,

wherein the verification information is a public key out of the public key pair, and the booking certificate is prepared by using the private key.

2. A computerized booking certificate issuance system for issuing an electronic booking certificate, comprising:

verification information preparing means for preparing verification information required for verifying a legitimacy of a booking certificate including a booking value that includes a booking condition and certifies that a supply of a product and/or a service is booked in advance for a specific consumer;

verification information output means for outputting the verification information prepared by the verification information preparing means;

booking certificate preparing means, to which information for identifying the verification information is inputted, for preparing a booking certificate verifiable with the verification information identified by the input;

booking certificate output means for outputting the booking certificate prepared by the booking certificate preparing means;

encrypted public key pair preparing means for preparing an encrypted public key pair; and

private key holding means for holding a private key out of the public key pair prepared by the encrypted public key pair preparing means,

wherein the verification information is a public key prepared by the encrypted public key pair preparing means, and the booking certificate is prepared by using the private key held by the private key holding means.

3. A booking certificate issuance system, as claimed in claim 2, further comprising:

booking conditions preparing means for preparing booking conditions, which are conditions for limiting booking particulars, wherein

the booking certificate prepared by the booking certificate preparing means contains the booking conditions prepared by the booking conditions preparing means.

4. A booking certificate issuance system, as claimed in claim 2, wherein the booking certificate preparing means receives input of information for identifying an intermediary of a request for booking certificate, together with the information for identifying verification information, and a booking certificate intermediation license certifying that the intermediary is licensed to intermediate the request for booking certificate corresponding to the verification information thus identified, checks whether or not the intermediary is licensed for intermediation of the request for booking certificate corresponding to the verification information by referencing the booking certificate intermediation license, and prepares the booking certificate only when the intermediary is found to be licensed.

5. The booking certificate verification apparatus of claim 2, wherein the booking certificate is usable to be downloaded to a portable memory unit to be presented for receiving the booked product and/or service.

6. The booking certificate verification apparatus of claim 5, wherein the portable memory unit comprises an IC card.

7. A booking certificate issuance system as claimed in claim 2, further comprising:

a booking certificate issuance history memory unit that stores a booking certificate issuance history;

a booking certificate issuance history for provider preparing unit, to which information for identifying a provider of a product and/or a service is inputted, that extracts a booking certificate issuance history for provider regarding the product and/or the service available from the provider out of the issuance history stored in the booking certificate issuance history memory unit; and

a booking certificate issuance history for provider output unit that outputs the booking certificate issuance history for provider prepared by the booking certificate issuance history for provider preparing unit.

8. A booking certificate issuance system as claimed in claim 2, further comprising:

booking certificate request accepting means for accepting a request for booking certificate, wherein:

a booking certificate is prepared by the booking certificate preparing means when the booking certificate request accepting means has accepted a request for booking certificate, and wherein the system further comprises:

a booking certificate issuance history memory unit that stores a booking certificate issuance history;

a booking certificate issuance history for requester preparing unit, to which information for identifying a requester of booking certificate is inputted, that extracts a booking certificate issuance history for requester, which is a history of booking certificate issuance for the requester, out of the issuance history stored in the booking certificate issuance history memory unit; and

a booking certificate issuance history for requester output unit that outputs the booking certificate issuance history for requester prepared by the booking certificate issuance history for requester preparing unit.

9. A booking certificate issuance system as claimed in claim 2, further comprising:

a verification information issuance history memory unit that stores a verification information issuance history;

a verification information issuance history preparing unit, to which information for identifying a grantee of verification information is inputted, that extracts a verification information issuance history for grantee, which is a verification information issuance history regarding the verification information issued to the grantee, out of the issuance history stored in the verification information issuance history memory unit; and

a verification information issuance history output unit that outputs the verification information issuance history for grantee prepared by the verification information issuance history preparing unit.

10. A computerized booking certificate issuance system for issuing an electronic booking certificate for certifying that a supply of a product or a service is booked in advance for a specific consumer, comprising:

verification information preparing means for preparing verification information required for verifying a legitimacy of a booking certificate;

verification information output means for outputting the verification information prepared by the verification information preparing means;

booking certificate preparing means, to which information for identifying the verification information is inputted, for preparing a booking certificate verifiable with the verification information identified by the input;

booking certificate output means for outputting the booking certificate prepared by the booking certificate preparing means;

a booking certificate issuance history memory unit that stores a booking certificate issuance history;

a booking certificate issuance history for provider preparing unit, to which information for identifying a provider of a product and/or a service is inputted, that extracts a booking certificate issuance history for provider regarding the product and/or the service available from the provider out of the issuance history stored in the booking certificate issuance history memory unit; and

a booking certificate issuance history for provider output unit that outputs the booking certificate issuance history for provider prepared by the booking certificate issuance history for provider preparing unit.

11. A computerized booking certificate issuance system for issuing an electronic booking certificate for certifying that a supply of a product or a service is booked in advance for a specific consumer, comprising:

verification information preparing means for preparing verification information required for verifying a legitimacy of a booking certificate;

verification information output means for outputting the verification information prepared by the verification information preparing means;

booking certificate preparing means, to which information for identifying the verification information is inputted, for preparing a booking certificate verifiable with the verification information identified by the input;

booking certificate output means for outputting the booking certificate prepared by the booking certificate preparing means;

booking certificate request accepting means for accepting a request for booking certificate, wherein:

a booking certificate is prepared by the booking certificate preparing means when the booking certificate request accepting means has accepted a request for booking certificate, and wherein the system further comprises:

a booking certificate issuance history memory unit that stores a booking certificate issuance history;

a booking certificate issuance history for requester preparing unit, to which information for identifying a requester of booking certificate is inputted, that extracts a booking certificate issuance history for requester, which is a history of booking certificate issuance for the requester, out of the issuance history stored in the booking certificate issuance history memory unit; and

a booking certificate issuance history for requester output unit that outputs the booking certificate issuance history for requester prepared by the booking certificate issuance history for requester preparing unit.

12. A computerized booking certificate issuance system for issuing an electronic booking certificate for certifying that a supply of a product or a service is booked in advance for a specific consumer, comprising:

verification information preparing means for preparing verification information required for verifying a legitimacy of a booking certificate;

verification information output means for outputting the verification information prepared by the verification information preparing means;

booking certificate preparing means, to which information for identifying the verification information is inputted, for preparing a booking certificate verifiable with the verification information identified by the input;

booking certificate output means for outputting the booking certificate prepared by the booking certificate preparing means;

a verification information issuance history memory unit that stores a verification information issuance history;

a verification information issuance history preparing unit, to which information for identifying a grantee of verification information is inputted, that extracts a verification information issuance history for grantee, which is a verification information issuance history regarding the verification information issued to the grantee, out of the issuance history stored in the verification information issuance history memory unit; and

a verification information issuance history output unit that outputs the verification information issuance history for grantee prepared by the verification information issuance history preparing unit.

13. A booking certificate intermediation method for performing intermediation of a request for an electronic booking certificate, comprising:

electronically receiving a first request for booking certificate, which is a request for an issuance of a booking certificate including a booking value that includes a booking condition and certifies an advance booking of a specific product and/or service;

electronically preparing a second request for booking certificate, which is a request for the issuance of the booking certificate requested with the received first request for booking certificate, the second request prepared based on the received first request; and

electronically outputting the second request for booking certificate thus prepared.

14. A computerized booking certificate intermediation system for performing intermediation of a request for an electronic booking certificate for certifying that a supply of a product or a service is booked in advance for a specific consumer, comprising:

booking certificate request acceptance means for accepting a first request for booking certificate, which is a request for an issuance of a booking certificate including a booking value that includes a booking condition and certifies a booking in advance for a specific product and/or service that is offered for supply;

booking certificate request preparing means for preparing a second request for booking certificate requesting the issuance of the booking certificate requested with the accepted first request for booking certificate, the second request prepared based on the received first request; and

booking certificate request output means for outputting the second request for booking certificate generated by the booking certificate request preparing means.

15. A booking certificate intermediation system, as claimed in claim 14, wherein verification information needed for verifying a legitimacy of a specific booking certificate is associated with a specific product and/or service, and the first and second requests for booking certificates contain information for identifying verification information for specifying the product and/or service for which a booking certificate is requested with the requests.

16. A booking certificate intermediation system, as claimed in claim 14, wherein the requested booking certificate contains booking conditions, which are conditions for limiting booking particulars, and wherein the system further comprises:

booking conditions preparing means for preparing the booking conditions to be contained in the requested booking certificate, wherein

the second request for booking certificate prepared by the booking certificate request preparing means contains the booking conditions prepared by the booking conditions preparing means.

17. A booking certificate intermediation system, as claimed in claim 14, further comprising:

booking certificate intermediation license storage means for holding a booking certificate intermediation license to certify that the system is licensed for intermediation of the first request for booking certificate regarding the specific product and/or service, wherein:

the second request for booking certificate, outputted from the booking certificate request output means contains the booking certificate intermediation license to intermediate the first request for the booking certificate regarding the specific product and/or service.

18. A booking certificate intermediation system, as claimed in claim 14, further comprising:

billing means for charging a fee for booking certificate issuance to a requester of the first request for booking certificate, wherein

the fee is charged by the billing means to the requester when the first request for booking certificate is inputted.

19. A booking certificate intermediation system, as claimed in claim 14, further comprising:

account settlement means for collecting a fee for booking certificate issuance from a requester of the first request for booking certificate, wherein

the fee is collected by the account settlement means from the requester when the first request for booking certificate is inputted.

20. The booking certificate verification apparatus of claim 14, wherein the booking certificate is usable to be downloaded to a portable memory unit to be presented for receiving the booked product and/or service.

21. The booking certificate verification apparatus of claim 20, wherein the portable memory unit comprises an IC card.

22. A booking certificate intermediation license method for licensing an intermediation of a request for an electronic booking certificate, comprising:

electronically inputting information for identifying an intermediary to perform intermediation of a request for a booking certificate including a booking value that includes a booking condition and certifies that a supply of a product and/or a service is booked in advance by a specific consumer;

electronically inputting information for specifying the product and/or service for which the intermediary is licensed for intermediation;

electronically preparing a booking certificate intermediation license for certifying that the intermediation of the request for booking certificate for the product and/or service specified by the latter input information is licensed to the intermediary identified by the former input information; and

electronically outputting the booking certificate intermediation license certificate thus prepared, wherein the booking certificate is prepared by using a private key of a public key pair.

23. A computerized booking certificate intermediation licensing system for licensing intermediation of a request, comprising:

booking certificate intermediation license preparing means, to which information for identifying an intermediary to perform intermediation of a request for an electronic booking certificate including a booking value that includes a booking condition and certifies that a supply of a product and/or a service is booked in advance for a specific consumer and information for specifying a product and/or a service for which the intermediary is licensed for intermediation are inputted, for preparing a booking certificate intermediation license for certifying that the intermediary identified by the former input information is licensed for the intermediation of the request for booking certificate for the product and/or service specified by the latter input information; and

booking certificate intermediation license output means for outputting the booking certificate intermediation license prepared by the booking certificate intermediation license preparing means, wherein the booking certificate is prepared by using a private key of a public key pair.

24. A booking certificate intermediation licensing system, as claimed in claim 23, further comprising:

booking conditions limitation information preparing means for preparing booking conditions limitation information, which is information for limiting a scope of booking conditions, which are conditions for limiting booking particulars to be entered in the booking certificate issued by intermediation by the intermediary, who is the recipient of the license, wherein

the booking certificate intermediation license prepared by the booking certificate intermediation license preparing means contains the booking conditions limitation information prepared by the booking conditions limitation information preparing means.

25. A booking certificate intermediation licensing system, as claimed in claim 23, further comprising:

a booking certificate intermediation license issuance history memory unit that stores a license issuance history;

a booking certificate intermediation license issuance history for intermediary preparing unit, to which information for specifying the intermediary of a request for booking certificate is inputted, that extracts out of issuance history recorded in the booking certificate intermediation license issuance history memory unit a booking certificate intermediation license issuance history for intermediary, which is a history regarding license issued to the intermediary; and

a booking certificate intermediation license issuance history for intermediary output unit that outputs the booking certificate intermediation license issuance history for intermediary prepared by the booking certificate intermediation license issuance history for intermediary preparing unit.

26. The booking certificate verification apparatus of claim 23, wherein the booking certificate is usable to be downloaded to a portable memory unit to be presented for receiving the booked product and/or service.

27. The booking certificate verification apparatus of claim 26, wherein the portable memory unit comprises an IC card.

28. A booking certificate verifying method for verifying a legitimacy of an electronic booking certificate, comprising:

electronically storing verification information for verifying a booking certificate including a booking value that includes a booking condition and certifies that a supply of a product and/or a service is booked in advance for a specific consumer;

electronically inputting the booking certificate;

electronically verifying the legitimacy of the input booking certificate by using the stored verification information;

electronically preparing an encrypted public key pair; and

electronically holding a private key out of the public key pair,

wherein the verification information is a public key out of the public key pair, and the booking certificate is prepared by using the private key.

29. A booking certificate verification apparatus for verifying a legitimacy of an electronic booking certificate, comprising:

verification information storage means for storing verification information for verifying the booking certificate including a booking value that includes a booking condition and certifies that a supply of a product and/or a service is booked in advance for a specific consumer;

booking certificate verification means, to which the booking certificate is inputted, for verifying the legitimacy of the input booking certificate by using the verification information stored in the verification information storage means;

encrypted public key pair preparing means for preparing an encrypted public key pair; and

private key holding means for holding a private key out of the public key pair prepared by the encrypted public key pair preparing means,

wherein the verification information is a public key prepared by the encrypted public key pair preparing means, and the booking certificate is prepared by using the private key held by the private key holding means.

30. A booking certificate verification apparatus, as claimed in claim 29, further comprising:

connection means for connecting a portable memory apparatus holding the booking certificate, wherein

the booking certificate verification means verifies through the connection means the legitimacy of the booking certificate stored in the portable memory apparatus.

31. The booking certificate verification apparatus of claim 29, wherein the portable memory apparatus comprises an IC card.

32. A storage medium storing a set of program instructions executable on a data processing device and usable to issue an electronic booking certificate, the set of program instructions comprising:

instructions for preparing verification information required for verifying a legitimacy of a booking certificate certifying that a supply of a product and/or a service is booked in advance for a specific consumer;

instructions for inputting information for identifying the verification information;

instructions for preparing a booking certificate including a booking value that includes a booking condition and is verifiable with the verification information identified by the inputted information for identifying verification information;

instructions for outputting the booking certificate thus prepared;

instructions for preparing an encrypted public key pair; and

instructions for holding a private key out of the public key pair,

wherein the verification information is a public key out of the public key pair, and the booking certificate is prepared by using the private key.

33. A storage medium storing a set of program instructions executable on a data processing device and usable to perform intermediation of a request for an electronic booking certificate, the set of program instructions comprising:

instructions for receiving a first request for booking certificate, which is a request for an issuance of a booking certificate including a booking value that includes a booking condition and certifies an advance booking of a specific product and/or service;

instructions for preparing a second request for booking certificate, which is a request for the issuance of the booking certificate requested with the received first request for booking certificate; and

instructions for outputting the second request for booking certificate thus prepared.

34. A storage medium storing a set of program instructions executable on a data processing device and usable to license an intermediation of a request for an electronic booking certificate, the set of program instructions comprising:

instructions for inputting information for identifying an intermediary to perform intermediation of a request for a booking certificate including a booking value that includes a booking condition and certifies that a supply of a product and/or a service is booked in advance for a specific consumer;

instructions for inputting information for specifying the product and/or service for which the intermediary is licensed for intermediation;

instructions for preparing a booking certificate intermediation license for certifying that the intermediation of the request for booking certificate for the product and/or service specified by the latter input information is licensed to the intermediary identified by the former input information; and

instructions for outputting the booking certificate intermediation license certificate thus prepared, wherein the booking certificate is prepared by using a private key of a public key pair.

35. A storage medium storing a set of program instructions executable on a data processing device and usable to verify a legitimacy of an electronic booking certificate, the set of program instructions comprising:

instructions for storing verification information for verifying a booking certificate including a booking value that includes a booking condition and certifies that a supply of a product and/or a service is booked in advance for a specific consumer;

instructions for inputting the booking certificate;

instructions for verifying the legitimacy of the input booking certificate by using the stored verification information;

instructions for preparing an encrypted public key pair; and

instructions for holding a private key out of the public key pair,

wherein the verification information is a public key out of the public key pair, and the booking certificate is prepared by using the private key.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a technique for booking in advance a tangible product or a service through a computer system, and more particularly to issuance of a booking certificate for certifying that a consumer has booked in advance a tangible product or a service and to legitimacy verification of the booking certificate.

2. Description of the Related Art

The method most extensively used today to allow the acquisition of a tangible product or the usage of a service, both often limited to a specific place or a specific time, independently of the place and/or time of the acquisition or the usage is the issuance of a booking certificate.

In selling a product item for which a rush of buyers is anticipated, it is a very extensively followed marketing practice to accept bookings in advance of its introduction to the market and, when it is introduced, to give priority to the consumers who booked for it in advance. To distinguish the consumers who did book from those who did not, something to certify the booking is issued. This booking certificate may be a piece of paper on which various items of information are printed or an identification number. The price of the product may be paid upon its delivery or at the time of advance booking.

In the supply of service, some of the most typical examples are advance tickets for cinemas and concerts, sold by ticket agencies ahead of scheduled presentation. In these cases, tickets, which are pieces of paper on which relevant information is printed, are the booking certificates.

Today, when computers have found their way into households and many consumers can have routine access to the Internet, various items have become available for booking through web sites opened on the Internet. Each site issues digital data, which serve as booking certificates, to the users who booked in advance an item of tangible product or service with the respective site. When the item is to be delivered to each booking consumer, he or she is required to present the data issued by the site, and if the data are found to be a legitimate booking certificate, the item will be delivered. This is the typical way of this kind of transaction.

Sales of goods and services through the Internet have given consumers the benefit of being able to book in advance the goods and services while staying at home. They also mean to the sellers of the goods and services the benefit of being able to expand their markets without having to pay the cost of maintaining physical stores, and this marketing channel is becoming indispensable especially for small venders who cannot afford to maintain large physical chains of stores.

At present, sales of goods and services through acceptance of bookings in advance via the Internet are carried out by individual venders independent of one another. Each vender manages its own site, where it generates and issues to consumers its own booking certificates. The vender, besides having to develop the system needed for issuing its booking certificates, has to bear the cost of managing the site that issues the certificates. Managing a system that handles booking certificates in the form of digital data, which are subject to the risk of being forged or copied, entails an enormous extra cost and thereby constitutes a high barrier to venders desiring to launch sales activities by accepting advance bookings via the Internet. This also imposes extra prices on the consumers who buy from these venders.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the present invention, these problems are solved by preparing a server to issue booking certificates (hereinafter to be referred to as the booking certificate issuing center or simply the center) on the Internet. The center is independent of any specific tangible product or service offered for sale by accepting advance booking. Moreover, the center is independent of any specific vender accepting advance booking. The booking certificate issuing center would take charge of everything relating to the preparation and maintenance of booking certificates. Venders offering goods or services by accepting advance booking (booking venders) could outsource to the booking certificate issuing center much of their workloads relating to booking certificates. Since many booking venders could use the common booking certificate issuing center, the development and operating costs of the booking certificate issuing center per booking vender could be kept lower than what they would have to pay if each of them had its own advance booking system.

According to the invention, each booking vender sends a booking certificate against each of the bookings that it receives from consumers. The booking certificates are issued by the booking certificate issuing center. Although each booking vender prepares on the Internet a server to accept bookings from consumers, the function to generate booking certificates is absent in this server. This function is performed by the booking certificate issuing center.

When a product or a service is to be delivered to the consumer who booked it, he or she will be required to present the booking certificate. The legitimacy of the certificate is then checked by using digital data, which are called verification information. The verification information is generated to satisfy a relational requirement with booking certificates, and the legitimacy of a given booking certificate is judged according to whether or not the booking certificate satisfies this requirement. If a specific product or a service is bound to a specific verification information, it can be judged whether or not a prospective buyer booked in a proper way according to whether or not the booking certificate he or she presents satisfies the requirement for a specific relationship with the pertinent verification information.

Verification information is generated by the center. Anybody who can use the pertinent verification information can check the legitimacy of a booking certificate.

This feature has an effect to further reduce the cost imposed on a vender undertaking a business to sell goods and/or services on an advance booking basis. The invention allows providers of goods and/or services and their booking venders to be viable independent of each other. A provider of goods and/or services, by commissioning retailing of the goods and/or services it deals in to many booking venders, can concentrate on the supply of those goods and/or services. A booking vender, even though it has no goods or services it can provide on its own, can attract advance bookings for many different goods and/or services available from many providers.

Some aspects of the present invention relate to the booking certificate center.

According to one aspect of the invention, there is provided a method for issuing electronic booking certificates each certifying that the supply of a tangible product or a service to a specific consumer is committed, including: a step to prepare verification information needed for checking the legitimacy of booking certificates; a step to input information for specifying the verification information; a step to prepare a booking certificate that can be verified by the verification information that can be specified by the inputted information; and a step to supply the booking certificate so prepared.

According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a computer system for issuing electronic booking certificates each certifying that the supply of a tangible product or a service to a specific consumer is committed, including: a verification information preparing unit for preparing verification information needed for checking the legitimacy of booking certificates; a verification information output unit for supplying verification information prepared by the verification information preparing unit; a booking certificate preparing unit, into which information for specifying verification information is inputted, for preparing a booking certificate that can be verified by the verification information that is specified by the inputted information; and a booking certificate supplying unit for supplying the booking certificate prepared by the booking certificate preparing unit.

The booking certificate center according to either of these aspects of the invention issues not only booking certificates but also verification information for verifying booking certificates. This verification information is used for checking the legitimacy of a booking certificate presented by a consumer when delivering a product or a service. Since the set of booking certificates verifiable by specific verification information are limited, a different booking certificate can be issued for each specific item or product or service by allocation a different verification information to each specific item or product or service. However, the booking certificate center need not be concerned about which verification information matches a given item of product or service. The provider of each item of product or service can freely decide upon the linkage between a specific item of product or service and verification information. This enables the booking certificate issuing center to be an infrastructure concentrating on the issuance of booking certificates without being committed to any specific item or product or service.

Other aspects of the invention relate to a server for selling tangible products and services to consumers having booked for them in advance.

According to one of these aspects of the invention, there is provided a method for intermediating a request for an electronic booking certificate for certifying that the supply of a tangible product or a service to a specific consumer is committed, including: a step to receive a first booking certificate request, which is a request for the issuance of a booking certificate certifying that the supply of a tangible product or a service to a specific consumer is committed; a step to prepare a second booking certificate request, which is a step to request the issuance of a booking certificate requested by the first booking certificate request so received; and a step to supply the second booking certificate request so prepared.

According to the other of these aspects of the invention, there is provided a computer system for intermediating a request for an electronic booking certificate for certifying that the supply of a tangible product or a service to a specific consumer is committed, including: a booking certificate request receiving unit for receiving a first booking certificate request, which is a request for the issuance of a booking certificate certifying that the supply of a tangible product or a service to a specific consumer is committed; a booking certificate request preparing unit for preparing a second request for a booking certificate, which is a request for the issuance of a booking certificate requested by the first request for booking certificate so received; and a booking certificate request output means for supplying the second request for booking certificate prepared by the booking certificate request preparing unit.

A server, to which either of these aspects of the invention is applied, for selling tangible products and services to consumers having booked for them in advance accepts a request for the issuance of a booking certificate from a consumer or another booking vender connected to the Internet. However, it is not this server that prepares the booking certificate covered by the accepted request. Booking certificates are issued only by the booking certificate issuing center, and the server for selling products and services on an advance booking basis only intermediates the issuance of booking certificates. What the server does is confined to the intermediation of requests, and it is the responsibility of the center to provide some protection against such violations as the alteration, forging and copying of booking certificates. So, the costs of architecture and operation of any server engaged in the marketing of goods and/or services in accordance with these aspects of the invention can be kept much lower than otherwise.

Other aspects of the invention relate to a provider of products and services.

Where there exist providers of goods and/or services and their booking venders independent of each other, it would be basically more favorable for each provider to have the goods and/or services it offers for sale sold by a greater number of booking venders. However, having its products and/or services handled by unreliable booking venders would be liable to invite subsequent troubles and accordingly impermissible. Therefore, the provider needs a means by which it can limit booking venders who are authorized to handle the goods and/or services available from the provider.

According to one of these aspects of the invention, there is provided a method for approving intermediation of a request for an electronic booking certificate for certifying that the supply of a tangible product or a service to a specific consumer is committed, including: a step to input information for specifying an intermediary to intermediate a request for a booking certificate regarding a product or a service; a step to input information for specifying the product or service regarding which intermediation is licensed for the intermediary; a step to prepare a booking certificate intermediation license certificate to certify that intermediation of the request for a booking certificate regarding the product or service specified by an input is licensed for an intermediary specified by another input; and a step to supply the booking certificate intermediation license certificate so prepared.

According to the other of these aspects of the invention, there is provided a computer system for approving intermediation of a request for an electronic booking certificate for certifying that the supply of a tangible product or a service to a specific consumer is committed, including: a booking certificate intermediation license preparing unit, into which information for specifying an intermediary to intermediate a request for a booking certificate regarding a product or a service and information for specifying the product or service regarding which intermediation is licensed for the intermediary are inputted, for preparing a booking certificate intermediation license to certify that intermediation of the request for a booking certificate regarding the product or service specified by an input is licensed for an intermediary specified by another input; and a booking certificate intermediation license output unit for supplying a booking certificate intermediation license prepared by the booking certificate intermediation license preparing unit.

According to these aspects of the invention, a provider of goods and/or services issues a booking certificate intermediation license to each booking vender authorized to sell on an advance booking basis the goods and/or services offered by the provider. This booking certificate intermediation license is presented by the booking vender to the center when it requests the center to issue a booking certificate. The center can check, according to the booking certificate intermediation license so presented, whether or not the booking vender presenting it is authorized to sell on an advance booking basis the product of service regarding which the issuance of a booking certificate is requested.

Other aspects of the invention relates to verification of booking certificates.

According to one of these aspects of the invention, there is provided a method for checking the legitimacy of an electronic booking certificate for certifying that the supply of a tangible product or a service to a specific consumer is commiitted, including: a step to store verification information for checking the legitimacy of booking certificates; a step to input a booking certificate; and a step to check the legitimacy of the inputted booking certificate by using the stored verification information.

According to the other of these aspects of the invention, there is provided an apparatus for checking the legitimacy of an electronic booking certificate for certifying that the supply of a tangible product or a service to a specific consumer is committed, including: a verification information storage unit for storing verification information for checking the legitimacy of booking certificates; and a booking certificate checking unit, to which a booking certificate is inputted, for checking the legitimacy of the booking certificate by using the verification information stored in the verification information storage unit.

Incidentally, although the invention is intended to enable an infrastructure to issue booking certificates independently of booking venders, it is obviously acceptable for a certificate issuing center affiliated with booking venders or providers of goods and/or services to issue booking certificates by availing itself of the invention. Also, providers directly selling goods and/or services can use the booking certificate issuing according to the invention.

Certificates may be issued via some other means of communication than the Internet, such as telephone lines. Further, certificates may as well be exchanged between apparatuses via a portable recording medium.

An advance booking in this context is an expression of a desire to receive the supply of a product or a service in the future. Therefore, the booking need not be made before the product or the service becomes commercially available. This invention can be used for the delivery of a product or a service take place some time after it is booked, For instance, if the buyer offers to buy a certain product at a certain point of time and receives it a few days later at his or her own home or a nearby convenience store, this still can be an advance booking in this context.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 illustrates the configuration of a preferred embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates the configuration of a booking certificate issuing center to which the invention is applied;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of the booking certificate issuing center to which the invention is applied;

FIG. 4 illustrates the internal structure of a verification public key information request processing unit provided in the booking certificate issuing center to which the invention is applied;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the operation of a processing control unit of a verification public key information request processing unit provided in the booking certificate issuing center to which the invention is applied;

FIG. 6 illustrates the structure of a provider DB provided in the booking certificate issuing center to which the invention is applied;

FIG. 7 illustrates the structure of a public key pair DB provided in the booking certificate issuing center to which the invention is applied;

FIG. 8 illustrates the structure of a retailer DB provided in the booking certificate issuing center to which the invention is applied;

FIG. 9 illustrates the structure of a consumer DB provided in the booking certificate issuing center to which the invention is applied;

FIG. 10 illustrates the structure of a booking certificate issuance history DB provided in the booking certificate issuing center to which the invention is applied;

FIG. 11 illustrates the internal structure of a booking certificate request processing unit provided in the booking certificate issuing center to which the invention is applied;

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the operation of a processing control unit of the booking certificate request processing unit provided in the booking certificate issuing center to which the invention is applied;

FIG. 13 illustrates the configuration of a provider to which the invention is applied;

FIG. 14 illustrates the structure of a verification public key DB in the provider to which the invention is applied;

FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing the operation of a verification public key information delivery processing unit;

FIG. 16 illustrates the internal structure of a booking certificate intermediation license request processing unit provided in the provider to which the invention is applied;

FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing the operation of a processing control unit of a booking certificate intermediation license request processing unit provided in the provider to which the invention is applied;

FIG. 18 illustrates the configuration of a retailer to which the invention is applied;

FIG. 19 illustrates the structure of a booking certificate intermediation license DB provided in the retailer to which the invention is applied retailer;

FIG. 20 illustrates the structure of a booking certificate intermediation license DB provided in the retailer to which the invention is applied;

FIG. 21 is a flowchart showing the operation of a booking certificate intermediation license delivery processing unit provided in the retailer to which the invention is applied;

FIG. 22 illustrates the internal structure of a booking certificate request processing unit provided in the retailer to which the invention is applied;

FIG. 23 is a flowchart showing the operation of the booking certificate request processing unit provided in the retailer to which the invention is applied;

FIG. 24 illustrates the internal structure of the booking certificate delivery processing unit provided in the retailer to which the invention is applied;

FIG. 25 is a flowchart showing the operation of the booking certificate delivery processing unit provided in the retailer to which the invention is applied;

FIG. 26 illustrates the configuration of a consumer terminal to which the invention is applied;

FIG. 27 is a flowchart showing the operation of a booking certificate delivery processing unit provided in the consumer terminal to which the invention is applied;

FIG. 28 illustrates a first example of configuration of a portable memory unit and a booking certificate verifying apparatus held by a consumer;

FIG. 29 is a flowchart showing the operation of the portable memory unit and the booking certificate verifying apparatus in checking a booking certificate in the first example of configuration of the portable memory unit held by a consumer and the booking certificate verifying apparatus;

FIG. 30 illustrates a second example of configuration of a portable memory unit held by a consumer and a booking certificate verifying apparatus;

FIG. 31 is a flowchart showing the operation of the portable memory unit and the booking certificate verifying apparatus in checking a booking certificate in the second example of configuration of the portable memory unit held by a consumer and the booking certificate verifying apparatus;

FIG. 32 illustrates a third example of configuration of a portable memory unit held by a consumer and a booking certificate verifying apparatus;

FIG. 33 is a flowchart showing the operation of the portable memory unit and the booking certificate verifying apparatus in checking a booking certificate in the third example of configuration of the portable memory unit held by a consumer and the booking certificate verifying apparatus; and

FIG. 34 illustrates the structure of a booking certificate intermediation license issuance history DB in a provider to which the invention is applied.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described below.

FIG. 1 illustrates the configuration of a preferred embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment has plural computer systems connected to the Internet, and their coordinated operation enables goods and/or services to be sold on an advance booking basis.

Where this embodiment is at work, a consumer books a product or a service in advance via the Internet, and receives a booking certificate, made up of digital data certifying that his or her booking has been completed. The consumer, after storing the received booking certificate into a portable memory unit, such as an IC card, carries it to where the booked product or service is to be delivered. The place where the consumer receives the delivery of the product or the service, a verifying device, to which the portable memory unit can be connected, for checking the booking certificate is installed. If the legitimacy of the booking certificate is verified by this device, the product or the service will be delivered to the consumer.

[Group of Computer Systems Constituting the Embodiment]

The computer systems constituting this embodiment of the invention can be classified into the following four types, each of which is connected to the Internet 101 for mutual communication.

Consumer terminal: This is a computer system for use by the consumer to book a product or a service in advance, and corresponds to 109 in FIG. 1. It may be a computer used by the consumer at home or a terminal installed in a convenience store. It is connected to the Internet 101, and can access other computer systems via the Internet 101.

The consumer terminal 109 allows connection of a portable memory unit, such as an IC card. The consumer's portable memory unit 110 is connected to it to enable the booking certificate acquired by the consumer to be recorded into the portable memory unit 110. A laptop computer or a portable telephone set may as well be used so the functions of both a consumer terminal and a portable memory unit can be performed by a single device.

Although a single consumer terminal is shown in FIG. 1, numberless similar consumer terminals connected to the Internet are used as consumer terminals.

The portable memory unit held by the consumer using the consumer terminal stores a consumer identifier for identifying the consumer and consumer private information whose value is kept secret from even the consumer who is the owner of the portable unit.

Pairs each of a consumer identifier and consumer private information are held by the center for use in the generation of booking certificates.

Retailer: This is a computer system for selling goods and/or services to consumers on an advance booking basis, and corresponds to 103 or 104 in FIG. 1, and actually any number of retailers may be present on the network. It is connected to the Internet 101, and is accessible by consumers via the Internet 101. Although a retailer in this context is a system operated by a merchant selling goods and/or services on an advance booking basis, in the following description no distinction will be made between a retailing computer system and the retail merchant operating it. Both will be referred to as retailers.

Booking certificate issuing center: This is a computer system that generates and issues booking certificates, and corresponds to 102 in FIG. 1. It is connected to the Internet 101, accepts requests for booking certificates via the Internet, and generates and issues booking certificates on demand.

Provider: This is a computer system for use by the supplier of goods and/or services to exchange information with the retailer or the center, and is connected to the Internet 101. It corresponds to 105 or 107 in FIG. 1. Actually, any number of providers may be present on the network. In the following description, no distinction will be made between a supplier of goods and/or services and a computer system operated by the supplier, and both will be referred to as providers.

Certifying Authority (CA): Messages sent to and from consumer terminals, retailers, the center and providers are digitally signed to detect any alteration and to refuse negation. The legitimacy of the public key for verifying the digital signature is ensured by an X.509-based public key certificate. The certifying authority 111, which is a computer system having a function to prepare and issue such public key certificates, is connected to the Internet 101. The certifying authority issues public key certificates and holds them, and has a function to send one to a person having demanded it. The certifying authority will be hereinafter abbreviated to CA.

[Booking Certificates and Verification Public Keys]

Where this embodiment of the invention is employed, a set of digital data known as a booking certificate is issued to certify that the consumer holding the certificate booked a product or a service in advance. The legitimacy of the booking certificate is checked with a corresponding verification public key. As the term "verification public key" suggests, a public key encrypting technique is applied to booking certificates and verification public keys in this embodiment.

More specifically, a verification public key is a public key in public key encryption, and a booking certificate is made up of data including booking value prepared on the basis of a private key matching the public key. Only when the private key used in preparing the booking value contained in the booking certificate is found matching the verification public key, the booking certificate can be confirmed to be legitimate. In no other case the booking certificate can be acknowledged to be legitimate.

Selling a product or a service on an advance booking basis using this embodiment requires a verification public key bound to the specific product or service to be booked in advance for sale. By binding a specific verification public key to a specific product or service, a booking certificate valid only for the specific product or service can be realized.

Applying a public key encrypting technique to the booking certificate and the verification public key is to enable the verification public key to be made public. If the verification public key is a public key, making it public does not injure the security of the booking certificate. This not only facilitates transmission/reception and management of the verification public key but also provides the additional benefit of enabling third parties to check the legitimacy of the booking certificate and thereby preventing otherwise possible subsequent trouble.

A verification public key is prepared by the center 102 at the request of a provider and, contained in data known as verification public key information, sent to the client. Upon receiving a request for the issuance of a verification public key, the center 102 prepares a new pair of public keys. After holding the generated keys together with a verification public key identifier, which is information for uniquely identifying the public key pair, delivers to the client verification public key information including the public keys and the verification public key identifier. The provider having received the verification public key information will be called the user of the verification public key information or of the verification public key contained in the verification public key information.

The center 102 has no part in the binding of the specific verification public key to a specific product or service. The party who determines the binding is the provider to whom the verification public key was issued, and the provider should hold information on the binding it has determined between the specific product or service and the verification public key.

The provider having been granted a verification public key sets the booking certificate for the product or the service matching that verification public key into the verifying device 106 or 108.

A consumer acquires a booking certificate for a specific product or service on the Internet via a retailer. The acquired booking certificate is stored into the consumer's portable memory unit. The consumer brings the portable memory unit to the place where the product or the service is to be delivered. He or she connects the portable memory unit to the verifying device 106 or 108 installed there to have the legitimacy of the booking certificate verified.

Where a tangible product item is to be sold on an advance booking basis, a booking certificate verifying device is installed at the delivery outlet of the item, and the goods are delivered to only those consumers whose booking certificates have been verified to be legitimate by the verifying device. The delivery outlet may be any place where the verifying device can be physically installed, such as a convenience store or a kiosk in a railway station.

Products available to consumers in these modes of carrying out the invention include paper tickets, such as admission tickets for concerts or cinemas, passenger tickets for trains or aircraft, or accommodation tickets for hotels. In these modes of implementation, the booking certificate verifying device may be installed at the box office of the concert hall or the theater, the counter of the station or the airport, or the travel agency, where the ticket is delivered after the booking certificate has been verified to be legitimate.

Or else, the verifying device and the product delivering function can be automatically interlocked and houses in a common box, which automatically discharges the product after the verification of the booking certificate as an automatic vending machine does.

Where the booked product is to be delivered to the buyer's place, the delivering person may carry a portable device for checking booking certificates. The person checks the legitimacy of the booking certificate held by the consumer before delivering the product to its supposed buyer, and delivers only when the booking certificate is successfully verified.

Where the subject of booking is a service of admission to a concert hall or a film theater, it is conceivable to mount a booking certificate verifying function on the entrance gate of the hall or the theater to check the legitimacy of the booking certificate borne by each consumer he or she enters the gate, and to admit only the bearers of successfully verified certificates.

Where the subject of booking is a service to make available a specific seat in a concert hall or a film theater, a booking certificate verifying function may be appended to the seat. Only the consumer whose booking certificate has been successfully verified by the verifying device of the seat will be allowed to occupy that particular seat. The same arrangement would be applicable to use of a specific seat of a train or an aircraft.

Another suitable mode of implementation for reservation of a specific seat in a concert hall or a film theater or on a train or an aircraft is to have attendants carry a portable verifying device each and move from seat to seat check whether or not the occupant of each seat has the legitimate booking certificate.

Where the service to be provided is making a hotel room available for use, a verifying device may be installed at the front desk of the hotel to check the legitimacy of booking certificates. Or if a verifying device is installed at the door of each room and interlocked with the lock of each room to allow the door to be unlocked only when the booking certificate carried by the supposed occupant of the room is successfully verified, there will be an additional effect of the reduce the workload on the front desk personnel. A similar arrangement can be applied for the use of lockers, warehouses or the like.

The product which is the subject of booking needs not be a physical object, but may be digital data or the like. For instance, the invention can be applied to booking of downloading of digital data of pieces of music, visual images or software on the Internet. In this case, the verifying device is realized as a site on the Internet, and the consumer presents his or her booking certificate to the verifying site on the Internet via a personal computer (PC) at home or a terminal installed in a convenience store or elsewhere. The site allows only the consumer whose booking certificate has been successfully verified to receive downloading of the booked data.

As the portable memory unit for storing the booking certificate, a memory unit card or an IC card having only a storage function can be used. A smart card having a calculating function can be used as well. It may be either a contact type or a non-contact type card. For installation at the entrance gates of a concert hall where a heavy congestion is anticipated, the use of non-contact type card is preferable.

A terminal that can be connected to the Internet and at the same time is portable, such as a portable telephone, also offers a preferable mode of mounting. The use of a portable device having a function for wireless communication is particularly suitable because it would be more convenient for consumers.

The data structure of the verification public key information is as follows.

Verification public key information::={