Portable payment terminals and network of such terminals

A payment terminal is used for electronic banking carry out a transaction between a merchant or other professional, the terminal holder, and customer carrying a payment medium, such as a bank card, memory or magnetic stripe, or check, and to validate the transaction may seize on the terminal a confidential code of its own after the terminal holder is especially seized the amount of the transaction. Such a terminal being considered as a slave, the transaction can be then transmitted to a master which retransmits, by Switched Telephone Network PSTN or a specialized network, as the Transpac network, a treatment center CTC traders.

are already known, for example from document US-A-4,601,011, payment terminals comprising, each, an input module and a module communication, connected by cables to a central station and organized in clustered like grapes system - modules communication of all terminals are connected to the station Central by the same bus - or concentrated system - communication modules of the terminals are connected individually to the central station -. These cable systems have the double disadvantage to understand non-mobile terminals, whose position is fixed, and having to lay cables, which is really a disadvantage when such a system must be wired located in a place of sale already installed or the point of collection to be moved.

The need for payment terminals Cell is obvious for some professionals anxious not to require their customers they move to enter their PIN. We can made especially restaurateurs. To consider as the latter, it is highly preferred that the restaurant staff present the terminal to a customer on the restaurant table rather than him ask to move the crate.

Are also known portable payment terminals having an input unit and an interface communication by infrared signals with a post serving central actually base, or base, functional for each terminal. Each terminal is powered independently by battery and temporarily stores transactions before transfer into the memory storage of the base for subsequent transmission to a CTC center. These terminals, admittedly mobile, present but also two disadvantages. Communication between them and their associated base, although carried by infrared signals, is only permitted if they are placed on the base, prerequisite initializing the infrared transmission. Of this disadvantage of mechanical initialization stems the second, that, these terminals being isolated from their base during transactions, interrogation by them to request transaction authorization, for example, is impossible. EP-A-168 836 teaches a terminal of the latter type, but that is not portable, or mobile. More specifically, the terminal of this document provides only part of the functions necessary to transaction, the other functions being performed by the support payment. The terminal of this document prohibited any use of current credit cards.

The present invention therefore aims to propose a terminal Mobile payment for over the communication transactions with the central station and does not have the drawbacks of terminals wired systems.

To this end, the present invention relates to a terminal portable payment comprising input means transaction data, a communication interface wirelessly with a remote central station connected to a processing center and electronic initialization and means for, during the transaction, please with the central station and send him a request for verification of any prior transactions.

Certainly, US Patent 4,947,028 teaches a payment terminal comprising transaction data input means, a wireless interface for communication with a station central remote and electronic initialization and means for communicating with the central station being transaction.

As wireless link between the terminal of the invention and its associated central station, we can offer by example an infrared bonding, wave wireless, etc.

The terminal of the invention can be connected to station central as an online mode (on line), or as a offline mode (offline).

In the first case of online mode, transactions are not stored in the terminal but transferred to central station in the presence of customers. they involve a request from the terminal to the central station and a response from the central station to the terminal and to finish validate. Transactions may be preceded a request for transaction authorization which proceeds as follows: the terminal sends a request to the central station which transmits an authorization center CA, regional or national, before the terminal receives the response of the central station. Exchanges between the central station and the authorization center are made according to well known specifications GCB group of bank cards.

Also in the case of online mode, it can be checked during a transaction, if the holder of payment medium previously conducted further transactions with other transaction points, equipped as a terminal on the same point of sale, since the central station of the considered point of sale, which are all connected handhelds, stores all transactions of all portable terminals him that are associated. This possible verification prior transactions is by comparison, the central station, with all stored transactions. This is one of the audits conducted by the central station on request from the terminal before validation of the transaction and the response of the central station terminal.

In the second case the offline mode, each terminal stores its transactions to only transfer the position Central eg once a day before remote data center by the CLC. Once a day Also, the central station transfers to terminals Portable list of canceled numbers (derived from the Following loss, theft and misuse).

It will be noted that in offline mode, as transactions are not immediately transferred to central station, the eventual verification prior transactions by the same holder to other portable terminals connected to the same central station is Not possible.

The online mode is well suited to private networks the type that are located on the sales premises called "superstores" and in restaurants. The mode off line is well suited to the type of public networks radio, for example the brand Pointel France Telecom based on the specification UK MPT 1325 "Common Air Interface", May 1989. The Pointel network comprises a central station and a network fixed relay terminals which are public associated mobile terminals, as combined custom, which, within a given radius, eg 200 m around the terminals, enable communication with the central station. But that specification can also be used for a private network with on-line terminals.

The applicant also intends to claim a network a plurality of terminals like that of the invention.

The invention will be better understood using the following description of preferred embodiments a portable payment terminal of the invention and associated central station, with reference to the accompanying drawings on which<ul><li>Figure 1 is a diagram of the system wherein fits the terminal;</li><li>Figure 2 is a schematic representation of and terminal</li><li>Figure 3 is a schematic representation of central station.</li></ul>

The terminal 1 to be described is part of a series of identical terminals 1, 2 ... nn connected by link radio, telephone type, to a central station 10 itself connected by a "merchant processing center" CTC 20. The connection between the central station 10 and CTC center can be made either by the network switched telephone PSTN 30 or by a network 40 specialized, eg Transpac type itself still connected to the PSTN through a PAD interface 50. So here is a concentrated configuration known.

The terminal 1 comprises, around a microprocessor 70, a display 71, a keyboard 72, a battery supply 73, a card 74 processing module memory, a 75 track playback unit magnetic swipe cards, memory program 76, a memory 77 transactions, a module input-output interface 78 and 79 communication with the central station 10.

Mode offline, the memory transactions 77, which is Here backed RAM, stores the transactions and the list opposite numbers. In online mode, the memory 77 is a working memory for each current transaction and which according to the program memory 76 can optionally store the transaction Previous order to provide a double facturette without having to send a request to that effect to the position central.

The program memory 76 can be a PROM, with fixed program, or a flash PROM or RAM saved with a program downloadable from the central station.

The interface 79 provides a radio link with the central station 10, initiated electronically so classic or from the terminal itself or from the central station.

The microprocessor 70, the program memory 76 and transactions memory is 77, with the interface 79, means of communication with the central station 10. The keyboard 72, the microprocessor 70 and memories 76, 77 constitute the data input means transaction.

The module input-output allows connection to 78 Devices like a box terminal register, a check reader.

Optionally, as shown in dashed lines in Figure 2, Terminal 1 can be associated with a housing 80 additional integrating a ticket printer 81 with the battery 82, and optionally a module 83 check processing.

Note that the terminal 1 could also be replenished directly from the sector.

The central station 10 comprises, around a microprocessor 84, a power supply 85, a RTC 86, a module 87 of input-output devices, a program memory 88, a memory storage 89, a communication interface 90 with the terminal 1 and the other terminals of the network and a 91 modem for connection with the PSTN.

The central station manages all mobile terminals associated with it. There may be e.g. around twenty. management functions allow the setting in particular, implement the transfer, from terminals, transactions, one at a time or together, requests for transaction authorization, the checks for any prior transactions, but in online mode only, required by the terminal 1 using the microprocessor 70 and its memories 76, 77. The CTC center, the station center which provides remote data transactions. This is still the central station which receives for the entire network, the list opposite numbers, off line, the transmit terminals.

Note that the power supply 85 of the central station can be used to charge the battery (73) of terminals.

As for the terminals to the central station 10 may be associated with an additional housing option 92 incorporating for example a newspaper printer.

The module input-output allows connection to the post central, for example, a central fund, a reader checks, a personal computer PC.