Chinese Business Method Patent "Computer System for Data Management and Method for Operating Same" (CN 1097799C)

June 23, 2003
HARAKENZO World Patent & Trademark Patent Law Firm
IT Team

The State Council for Intellectual Property Rights, which is the Chinese equivalent to the Japan Patent Office, recently allowed two business method patents including an electronic money system applied by Citibank (U.S.A.).
This is the first business method patents ever allowed in China. In Japan, business method patents are called "business-related patents".
Citibank has filed 17 other patent applications with the State Council.
If these are allowed, license fees and other problems will affect business activities of banks in China.
It is therefore necessary for companies in China to take new measures to deal with intellectual property rights including not only conventional technology patents but also business patents.
In this connection, the following describes one of the business method patents allowed in China. This article introduces the Chinese patent using a patent family. For its precise contents, see the patent publication for the Chinese patent.
Chinese Patent No. 1097799
Title of the Invention: Computer system for data management and method for operating said system
Application Date: September 10, 1996 (expiration date is September 10, 2016 at maximum)

1. Related Applications
(1) Application whose priority is claimed
European Patent Application, No. 95114467.4 (Application Date: September 14, 1995) is the application whose priority is claimed in the International Patent Application, PCT/EP96/03972, for which the Chinese patent was granted.
The international patent application is disclosed as International Publication, WO97/10559 (English text).
(2) Related application to Japan
There is an equivalent to the patent application to China: Japanese Patent
Application, No. 2002-2838 (Title of the Invention: Computer system for data management and method for operating said system, Application Date:
September 10, 1996, a divisional application of Tokuganhei 9-511652), which claims priority based on the European patent application. The application to Japan is disclosed as Tokukai 2002-373256).

2. Outline of the Chinese Patent
Independent claims 1 and 18 are Chinese translations of the equivalent claims in the International Publication. In order to outline the Chinese patent, the abstract and independent claims 1 and 18 in the International Publication are cited below. For equivalent parts of the application to Japan, see the Japanese pages of this website.

(1) Abstract
The invention relates to a computer system for data management including at least the management of data relating to the trading of warrants (citi CATS-OS), comprising a data processing system (1), an input unit (2), a display unit (3) and a data input (5), wherein the display unit (3) displays a first mask having a format allowing the input of a request for specific data by the input unit (2), the data input (5) is read if the request is input by the input unit (2), the display unit (3) displays a second mask including the requested data, and the data processing system (1) holds the requested data for a predetermined time period Tset and performs a transaction relating to the specific data, if a transaction request is input by the input unit (2) during a predetermined time period Tset.

(2) Independent Claims
1. Computer system for data management including at least the management of data relating to the trading of warrants, comprising a data processing system (1), an input unit (2), a display unit (3) and a data input (5), wherein
the display unit (3) displays a first mask having a format allowing the input of a request for specific data by the input unit (2), the data input (5) is read if the request is input by the input unit (2), the display unit (3) displays a second mask including the requested data, and the data processing system (1) holds the requested data for a predetermined time period Tset and performs a transaction relating to the specific data, if a transaction request is input by the input unit (2) during a predetermined time period Tset.
18. Method for operating a computer system for data management including at least the management of data relating to the trading of warrants (CATS-OS) comprising the steps of displaying on a display unit (3) a first mask having a format allowing the input of a request for specific data by an input unit (2), reading the requested data, if the request is input by the input unit (2), displaying on the display unit (3) a second mask including the requested data, holding the requested data for a predetermined time period Tset, and performing a transaction relating to the specific data if a transaction request is input by the input unit (2) during the predetermined time period Tset.

3. All claims of the International Application
For reference, all claims of the international application are cited below.

1. Computer system for data management including at least the management
of data relating to the trading of warrants, comprising
a data processing system (1), an input unit (2), a display unit (3) and
a data input (5), wherein
the display unit (3) displays a first mask having a format allowing the
input of a request for specific data by the input unit (2),
the data input (5) is read if the request is input by the input unit (2),
the display unit (3) displays a second mask including the requested data,
and
the data processing system (1) holds the requested data for a predetermined
time period Tset and performs a transaction relating to the specific data,
if a transaction request is input by the input unit (2) during a predetermined
time period Tset.

2.Computer system according to claim 1, characterized in that the first mask is a trading mask (13) and the second mask is a quotation mask (14).

3. Computer system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the trading mask (13) allows the input of an identification number for the specific data by the input unit (2) in order to read the specific data from the data input(s).

4. Computer system according to claim 3, characterized in that the identification number is a stock exchange number.

5. Computer system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the trading mask (13) allows the input of a request for a rates page (18) including a plurality of specific data and the rates page (18) allows the input of the request for specific data.

6.Computer system according to at least one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the data processing system (1) comprises a security network (6) connected to an external device (7), a security device (8), a data management device (9), a data interface device (10) and an output device (11), the external device (7) includes the input unit (2) and the display unit (3).

7.Computer system according to claim 6, characterized in that upon the input of the request for specific data by the input unit (2), the external device (7) outputs the request for specific data and transmits the request to the security network (6), the security network (6) checks the request regarding its authorization and transmits the same to the data management device (9) if the performed checking resulted in an authorization of the external device (7) for the data management device (9), the data management device (9) outputs a message to the security network (6) in order to access data (5) from the data interface device (10) if the performed checking resulted in an authorization of the external device (7) for the data interface device (10), the data interface device (10) transmits the accessed data to the data management device (9) via the security network (6) and the data management device (9) transmits the data to the external device (7) via the security network (6).

8. Computer system according to claim 6 or 7,
characterized in that each sending device transmits a respective identification information and the security network (6) checks for every data transfer through the same if the identification of the respective sending device fits with prestored information stored during an authorization procedure.

9.Computer system according to at least one of claims 6 to 8, characterized in that during the authorization procedure the security network (6) reads identification information from the external device (7) and the security device (8) checks the identification information and outputs an access authorization which is stored in the security network (6).

10. Computer system according to at least one of claims 6 to 9, characterized in that at the time of the first connection of the external device (7) to the security network (6), the security network (6) sends a seed to the external device (7) and the external device (7) encrypts the identification information according to the seed and transmits the encrypted identification information to the security network (6).

11.Computer system according to claim 10, characterized in that the security network (6) transmits the received encrypted identification information together with the seed to the security device (8) which decrypts the identification information and performs a security check.

12. Computer system according to at least one of claims 6 to 11, characterized in that during the authorization procedure the security device (8) is checking if the transmitted user information matches with data stored in an authorization file in the security device (8), a predetermined number of security requirements are fulfilled, including data of access, disusered and number of login fails, and the identification information was sent from the security network (6), and the security device (8) is reading a prestored address information out of an address file if the security check is positively fulfilled and sends the address information to the security network (6).

13. The computer system according to claim 12, characterized in that the security network (6) stores the address information in order to define to what parts of the computer system the external device (7) may have access.

14.Computer system according to claim 12 or 13, characterized in that the security device (8) determines if the prestored address information is sent from the security network (6) by checking if the channel on which the security network (6) is sending is equal to a channel given to the security network (6) during the setup procedure, wherein the security network (6) is the only device allowed to transmit and receive data to and from the security device (8).

15. Computer system according to at least one of claims 6 to 14, characterized in that the data management device (9) is storing a dependency list including information regarding the devices which are needed for a specific data management.

16.Computer system according to claim 15, characterized in that during a start-up procedure the data management device (9) is checking according to the dependency list if all required devices are in an on-line status before the data transfer for a specific data management is activated.

17. Computer system according to at least one of claims 6 to 16, characterized in that the data interface device (10) receives permanently a data stream including at least warrant rates and stores the data in specific memory locations, wherein new data coming in is overwriting the old data on the specific memory location.

18. Method for operating a computer system for data management including at least the management of data relating to the trading of warrants (CATS-OS) comprising the steps of displaying on a display unit (3) a first mask having a format allowing the input of a request for specific data by an input unit (2), reading the requested data, if the request is input by the input unit (2), displaying on the display unit (3) a second mask including the requested data, holding the requested data for a predetermined time period Tset, and performing a transaction relating to the specific data if a transaction request is input by the input unit (2) during the predetermined time period Tset.

19.Method according to claim 18, characterized in that the first mask is a trading mask (13) allowing the input of an identification number for the specific data by the input unit (2) in order to read the specific data from the data input (5).

20. Method according to claim 19, characterized in that the identification number is a stock exchange number.

21. Method according to claim 18, characterized in that the first mask allows the input of a request for a rates page (18) including a plurality of specific data and the rates page (18) allows the input of the request for specific data.

22. Method according to claim 21, characterized in that the rates page (18) allows the input of a refresh rates request resulting in a reading of the listed plurality of specific data and displaying the same in the rates page (18) on the display unit (3).

23.Method according to at least one of claims 18 to 22, characterized in that the input of a request for specific data or the refresh rates request causes the reading of a data stream being permanently received by the
system from the data input (5).

24. Method according to at least one of claims 18 to 23, characterized in that the second mask is a quotation mask (14) allowing the input of a re-request for the specific data, if the transaction request is not input during
the predetermined time period Tset.

25. Method according to at least one of claims 18 to 24, characterized by displaying a trade confirmation mask (15) on the display unit (3), if the transaction request is input in time, including transaction information.

26. Method according to at least one of claims 18 to 25, characterized in that
the trading mask (13) and the quotation mask (14) are displayed on the display unit (3) on different screens or on one screen.

27. Method according to at least one of claims 18 to 26, characterized in that the specific data include warrant rates.

28. Method according to at least one of claims 18 to 27, characterized in that the data management comprises the management of data relating to the trading of stocks, bonds, derivatives or foreign exchange, wherein the specific data include stock rates, bond rates, derivative rates or foreign exchange rates.