Patent ID: 6119946
Filing Date: 2000-09-19
Classification: G06Q

Abstract:
A countable electronic monetary system for the transfer of electronic money in amounts which are an integer multiple of an elementary monetary unit, the transfer of electronic money made between two selected ones from a plurality of payment cards, a plurality of points of sale and a number of financial institutions, the countable electronic monetary system comprising:a) at least one electronic coin type, each electronic coin type of said at least one electronic coin type having a denomination of an integer number of said elementary monetary unit;b) a plurality of electronic coins each belonging to one of said at least one electronic coin type, each electronic coin of said plurality of electronic coins having a serial number;c) a plurality of stored-value devices, each for storing electronic coins from said plurality of electronic coins, comprising:i. a plurality of electronic coin purses, each included in a payment card of the plurality of payment cards;ii. a plurality of electronic coin drawers, each included in a point of sale of the plurality of points of sale; andiii. a number of electronic coin pools, each included in a financial institution of the number of financial institutions; andd) transaction means for the transfer of a selectable number of electronic coins belonging to a selectable electronic coin type, from a source stored-value device selected from said plurality of stored-value devices to a another, target stored-value device selected from said plurality of stored-value devices, said transaction means being operative to recording the serial number of each one of said selectable number of electronic coins in said target stored-value device and to erase said serial number from said source stored-value device, said transaction means being further operative, when transferring electronic coins from a stored-value device, to pick the transferred electronic coins according to preselected picking criteria.