Apparatus and methods for collecting value

Abstract

This invention discloses a system for safe collection of payment in return for goods, values or services, the system including a multiplicity of electronic system elements wherein each individual one of the elements has a purse storing an amount of credit for value receivable granted to the individual system element, each purse including a purse monitor operative to sign and authenticate a transaction record of each transaction in which the purse uses some of the credit for value receivable which it has been granted, and a purse control unit operative to prevent the purse, off-line, from exceeding the credit for value receivable which it has been granted. A method for safe collection of payment in return for goods, values or services, is also disclosed.

1 . A system for safe collection of payment in return for goods, values or services, the system comprising: 
 a multiplicity of electronic system elements wherein each individual one of the elements has a purse storing an amount of credit for value receivable granted to the individual system element, each purse including: 
 a purse monitor operative to sign and authenticate a transaction record of each transaction in which the purse uses some of the credit for value receivable which it has been granted; and  
 a purse control unit operative to prevent said purse, off-line, from exceeding the credit for value receivable which it has been granted.  
   
     
     
         2 . A system according to  claim 1  wherein each of said purses includes a SAM (security application module).  
     
     
         3 . A system according to  claim 1  wherein each purse monitor is public-key protected.  
     
     
         4 . A system according to  claim 1  wherein each purse control unit is public-key protected.  
     
     
         5 . A system for safe collection of payment in return for goods, values or services, the system comprising: 
 a multiplicity of electronic system elements wherein each individual one of the elements has a purse storing an amount of credit for value receivable granted to the individual system element, each purse including: 
 a purse monitor operative to sign and authenticate a time-stamped transaction record of each transaction in which the purse uses some of the credit for value receivable which it has been granted; and  
 a purse control unit operative to prevent said purse, off-line, from extending a credit for value receivable which it has been granted over more than a predetermined period of time.  
   
     
     
         6 . A system according to  claim 5  wherein said purse control unit operates off-line.  
     
     
         7 . A public-key protected system for safe collection of payment in return for goods, values or services, the system comprising: 
 a multiplicity of electronic system elements wherein each individual one of the elements has a purse storing, in public key protected form, an amount of credit for value receivable granted to the individual system element, each purse including: 
 a public-key protected purse monitor operative to sign and authenticate a transaction record of each transaction in which the purse uses some of the credit for value receivable which it has been granted; and  
 a public-key protected purse control unit operative to prevent said purse, off-line, from exceeding the credit for value receivable which it has been granted.  
   
     
     
         8 . A system for safe collection of payment in return for goods, values or services, the system comprising: 
 a multiplicity of electronic system elements wherein each individual one of the elements has a purse storing an amount of credit for value receivable granted to the individual system element, each purse including: 
 a purse monitor operative to sign and authenticate a transaction record of each transaction in which the purse uses some of the credit for value receivable which it has been granted; and  
 a purse control unit operative to prevent said purse from exceeding the credit for value receivable which it has been granted,  
   wherein at least one first purse from among said multiplicity of purses includes a credit granting unit operative to grant an amount of credit for value receivable granted to at least one second purse from among said multiplicity of purses only in response to activation by a predetermined plurality of system directors.    
     
     
         9 . A system for safe collection of payment in return for at least one of goods, values and services, the system comprising: 
 a multiplicity of electronic system elements wherein each individual one of the elements has a purse storing an amount of credit for value receivable granted to the individual system element, each purse including: 
 a purse monitor operative to sign and authenticate a transaction record of each transaction in which the purse uses some of the credit for value receivable which it has been granted; and  
 a purse control unit operative to prevent said purse from exceeding the credit for value receivable which it has been granted,  
   wherein at least one first purse from among said multiplicity of purses includes a credit granting unit operative to grant an amount of credit for value receivable granted to at least one second purse from among said multiplicity of purses only in response to activation by at least one system director and operative to record information regarding the activation including the identity of said at least one system director.    
     
     
         10 . Apparatus for transmitting electronic cheques over open channels, each cheque having an intended beneficiary, the apparatus comprising: 
 a cheque-sending security access module including a first monolithic public key protected cryptocomputer having a first secured externally immutable non-volatile memory which is operative to generate a cheque having an intended beneficiary;    a cheque-receiving security access module including a second monolithic public key protected cryptocomputer having a second secured externally immutable non-volatile memory which is operative to use a cheque; and    a set of rules frozen within said first and second memories which allows a cheque issued by the cheque sending security access module to be used by the cheque receiving securing access module only if said cheque has not been used previously and only if the intended beneficiary of said cheque is said cheque-receiving security access module.    
     
     
         11 . Apparatus according to  claim 10  wherein each of said memories comprises a public-key signature protected in non-volatile memory.  
     
     
         12 . A method for safe collection of payment in return for goods, values or services, the method comprising: 
 providing a multiplicity of electronic system elements wherein each individual one of the elements has a purse storing an amount of credit for value receivable granted to the individual system element; and, for at least one purse    signing and authenticating a transaction record of each transaction in which the purse uses some of the credit for value receivable which it has been granted; and    preventing said purse, off-line, from exceeding the credit for value receivable which it has been granted.    
     
     
         13 . Apparatus according  claim 10  wherein said second cryptocomputer is operative to generate a sequence of non-repeating numbers, wherein said set of rules includes the following rules: 
 a. A cheque cannot be received by said cheque receiving module unless a request therefor has been generated by said cheque receiving module, said request including a unique number from said sequence;  
 b. A cheque generated by the cheque-sending module must include the unique number associated with that cheque, the amount of the cheque and the identity of the intended beneficiary of the cheque, and the cheque-sending module's signature upon said number, said amount and said identity; and  
 c. The cheque-receiving module must keep a record enabling itself to differentiate used cheques from unused cheques and must confirm that a cheque is an unused cheque before using said cheque.  
 
     
     
         14 . Apparatus for transmitting electronic receipts over open channels, each receipt having an intended beneficiary, the apparatus comprising: 
 a receipt-sending security access module including a first monolithic public key protected cryptocomputer having a first secured externally immutable non-volatile memory which is operative to generate a receipt;    a receipt-receiving security access module including a second monolithic public key protected cryptocomputer having a second secured externally immutable non-volatile memory which is operative to use a receipt to generate credit; and    a set of rules frozen within said first and second memories which allows a receipt issued by the receipt sending security access module to be used by the receipt receiving securing access module only if said receipt has not been used previously to generate credit and only if the intended beneficiary of said receipt is said receipt-receiving security access module.    
     
     
         15 . Apparatus according to  claim 14  wherein each of said memories comprises a public-key signature certificate protected in non-volatile memory.  
     
     
         16 . Apparatus according to  claim 14  wherein said set of rules is protected by a tamper-resistant architecture.  
     
     
         17 . Apparatus according to  claim 15  wherein said set of rules is protected by a tamper-resistant architecture.  
     
     
         18 . Apparatus according to  claim 14  wherein said second cryptocomputer is operative to generate a sequence of non-repeating numbers, wherein said set of rules includes the following rules: 
 a. A receipt cannot be received by said receipt receiving module unless a request therefor has been generated by said receipt receiving module, said request including a unique number from said sequence;  
 b. A receipt generated by the receipt-sending module must include the unique number associated with that receipt, the amount of the receipt and the identity of the intended beneficiary of the receipt, and the receipt-sending module's signature upon said number, said amount and said identity; and  
 c. The receipt-receiving module must keep a record enabling itself to differentiate used receipts from unused receipts and must confirm that a receipt is an unused receipt before using said receipt.  
 
     
     
         19 . Apparatus according to  claim 15  wherein said second cryptocomputer is operative to generate a sequence of non-repeating numbers, wherein said set of rules includes the following rules: 
 a. A receipt cannot be received by said receipt receiving module unless a request therefor has been generated by said receipt receiving module, said request including a unique number from said sequence;  
 b. A receipt generated by the receipt-sending module must include the unique number associated with that receipt, the amount of the receipt and the identity of the intended beneficiary of the receipt, and the receipt-sending module's signature upon said number, said amount and said identity; and  
 c. The receipt-receiving module must keep a record enabling itself to differentiate used receipts from unused receipts and must confirm that a receipt is an unused receipt before using said receipt.  
 
     
     
         20 . A system according to  claim 1  wherein said value receivable comprises cash receivable.  
     
     
         21 . A system according to  claim 5  wherein said value receivable comprises cash receivable.  
     
     
         22 . A system according to  claim 7  wherein said value receivable comprises cash receivable.  
     
     
         23 . A system according to  claim 8  wherein said value receivable comprises cash receivable.  
     
     
         24 . A system according to  claim 9  wherein said value receivable comprises cash receivable.  
     
     
         25 . A system according to  claim 1  wherein said value receivable comprises accounts receivable.  
     
     
         26 . A system according to  claim 5  wherein said value receivable comprises accounts receivable.  
     
     
         27 . A system according to  claim 7  wherein said value receivable comprises accounts receivable.  
     
     
         28 . A system according to  claim 8  wherein said value receivable comprises accounts receivable.  
     
     
         29 . A system according to  claim 9  wherein said value receivable comprises accounts receivable.  
     
     
         30 . A method for safe collection of payment in return for goods, values or services, the method comprising: 
 providing a multiplicity of electronic system elements wherein each individual one of the elements has a purse storing an amount of credit for value receivable granted to the individual system element; and, for at least one of the purses,    signing and authenticating a time-stamped transaction record of each transaction in which the purse uses some of the credit for value receivable which it has been granted; and    preventing said purse, off-line, from extending a credit for value receivable which it has been granted over more than a predetermined period of time.    
     
     
         31 . A public-key protected method for safe collection of payment in return for goods, values or services, the method comprising: 
 providing a multiplicity of electronic system elements wherein each individual one of the elements has a purse storing, in public key protected form, an amount of credit for value receivable granted to the individual system element; and, for at least one of the purses    signing and authenticating a transaction record of each transaction in which the purse uses some of the credit for value receivable which it has been granted; and    preventing said purse, off-line, from exceeding the credit for value receivable which it has been granted.    
     
     
         32 . A method for safe collection of payment in return for goods, values or services, the method comprising: 
 providing a multiplicity of electronic system elements wherein each individual one of the elements has a purse storing an amount of credit for value receivable granted to the individual system element; and, for at least one of the purses,    signing and authenticating a transaction record of each transaction in which the purse uses some of the credit for value receivable which it has been granted; and    preventing said purse from exceeding the credit for value receivable which it has been granted,    wherein at least one first purse from among said multiplicity of purses grants an amount of credit for value receivable granted to at least one second purse from among said multiplicity of purses only in response to activation by a predetermined plurality of system directors.    
     
     
         33 . A method for safe collection of payment in return for at least one of goods, values and services, the method comprising: 
 providing a multiplicity of electronic system elements wherein each individual one of the elements has a purse storing an amount of credit for value receivable granted to the individual system element; and, for at least one of the purses,    signing and authenticating a transaction record of each transaction in which the purse uses some of the credit for value receivable which it has been granted; and    preventing said purse from exceeding the credit for value receivable which it has been granted,    wherein at least one first purse from among said multiplicity of purses grants an amount of credit for value receivable granted to at least one second purse from among said multiplicity of purses only in response to activation by at least one system director and operative to record information regarding the activation including the identity of said at least one system director.    
     
     
         34 . A method for transmitting electronic cheques over open channels, each cheque having an intended beneficiary, the method comprising: 
 providing a cheque-sending security access module including a first monolithic public key protected cryptocomputer having a first secured externally immutable non-volatile memory which is operative to generate a cheque having an intended beneficiary;    providing a cheque-receiving security access module including a second monolithic public key protected cryptocomputer having a second secured externally immutable non-volatile memory which is operative to use a cheque; and    following a set of rules frozen within said first and second memories which allows a cheque issued by the cheque sending security access module to be used by the cheque receiving securing access module only if said cheque has not been used previously and only if the intended beneficiary of said cheque is said cheque-receiving security access module.    
     
     
         35 . A method for transmitting electronic receipts over open channels, each receipt having an intended beneficiary, the method comprising: 
 providing a receipt-sending security access module including a first monolithic public key protected cryptocomputer having a first secured externally immutable non-volatile memory which is operative to generate a receipt;    providing a receipt-receiving security access module including a second monolithic public key protected cryptocomputer having a second secured externally immutable non-volatile memory which is operative to use a receipt to generate credit; and    following a set of rules frozen within said first and second memories which allows a receipt issued by the receipt sending security access module to be used by the receipt receiving securing access module only if said receipt has not been used previously to generate credit and only if the intended beneficiary of said receipt is said receipt-receiving security access module.