Patent ID: 6966488

Claim:
A card settlement method, for settling a charge for a distribution or transportation associated service, comprising: exchanging data through a radio communication line between a portable card reader carried by a service dealer who provides the service and a host computer; wherein the portable card reader: reads card data from an accounting card used by the consumer at the destination of the distribution or the transportation; and transmits the card data, an inquiry number that represents a service management number, and service charge data through the radio communication line to the host computer, the host computer: receives the card data, the inquiry number, and the service charge data from the portable card reader; transmits a credit inquiry request with the card data to an account settlement server that settles accounts for the consumer; receives the result of the credit inquiry about the accounting card regarding the card data from the account settlement server; and transmits the result of the credit inquiry through the radio communication line to the portable card reader, the portable card reader: receives the result of the credit inquiry from the host computer through the radio communication line; and issues a receipt based on the result of the credit inquiry and the service charge data, the host computer: transmits the service charge data to the account settlement server; the account settlement server: transmits a money value calculated by subtracting a commission from the service charge to an account server that settles accounts for the service dealer; the host computer: transmits each inquiry number and each service charge data regarding each inquiry number to a service management server associated with the service dealer.