Store Server Payment Medium Verification Before Settlement

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Solution Overview

Problem

In existing transaction systems, salesclerks may unknowingly attempt to process transactions using unusable electronic payment mediums, leading to potential financial losses and inefficiencies.

Innovation Solution

A store server system that manages customer information, including medium states, to prevent transactions with unusable electronic payment cards by determining their status and displaying messages indicating their unusability, thereby ensuring valid payment methods are used.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the commodity data processing device attempts settlement using a medium without verifying its usability, then the transaction process is simple and fast, but unauthorized transactions with unusable mediums occur leading to financial loss

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetransaction securityVSAvoidsystem complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The store server performs preliminary verification of the medium's usability state before the settlement process begins. By checking whether the medium is usable or unusable in advance and notifying the commodity data processing device, the system prevents unauthorized transactions without complicating the settlement process itself.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The store server acts as an intermediary between the commodity data processing device and the first server. It receives the medium information, determines usability, and communicates the result back to the processing device, thereby enabling security verification without requiring the processing device to directly complex verification logic.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If the store server continuously monitors medium states, then transaction security is enhanced, but system resource consumption increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetransaction securityVSAvoidsystem resource consumption
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs verification only when needed - specifically when a medium is presented for settlement. Rather than continuous monitoring, the store server checks the medium state on-demand, consuming resources only when a transaction is being processed, thus balancing security with resource efficiency.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #16Partial or excessive action

3Reliability

If the medium usability verification process is detailed and thorough, then unauthorized transactions are prevented, but transaction processing time increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetransaction securityVSAvoidtransaction processing time
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The usability determination is performed as a preliminary step before settlement, and the result is communicated to the commodity data processing device in advance. This allows the verification to be completed without blocking the main settlement flow, minimizing impact on transaction processing time.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP4421713B1Store server, method, and store system
Publication Date: 2025.10.29 TOSHIBA TEC KK
  • EP4421713B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4421713B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4421713B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A store server for managing customer information received by a terminal in a store, includes a network interface connectable to the terminal and a first server that stores information about a customer, the information associating identification information of the customer with a state of a medium issued to the customer and that is usable for payment, and a processor configured to: acquire identification information of a customer from the terminal, control the interface to transmit the identification information to the first server, acquire from the first server the state of the medium issued to the customer, and determine whether the medium is in an unusable state, upon determining that the medium is not in a usable state, cause the terminal to accept the medium for payment, and upon determining that the medium is in the unusable state, cause the terminal to display a message indicating that the medium is unusable.