SCTN offers smart card loyalty in Japan
Japan's Patent Office has issued Smart Chip Technologies (SCTN) with 'gateway' patent no. 3416141, "Method and system for allocating and redeeming incentive credits between a portable device and a base device".
According to SCTN, the technology-independent business process patent, originally filed in February 1995, covers any loyalty transaction event regardless of its occurrence in the life cycle of the transaction.
To launch the new Japanese patent and Smart Rewards Management System licensing campaign in Japan, the Japanese point-of-sale solutions firm, TechTrex Inc., has been assigned exclusive SCTN patent and product licensing rights for the country.
Warnings issued As smart cards, mobile commerce, and smart chip-based rewards programmes are far more prevalent in Japan than in North America, TechTrex has already begun to engage in several licensing discussions, and has notified numerous firms of potential patent infringement.
"At the IC Card World 2004 convention in Tokyo earlier this month, we introduced SCTN's loyalty system to an enthusiastic audience," said Charles Lee, president for TechTrex.
Regional market growth "With the new patent, global popularity of loyalty programmes, and proliferation of smart chips, Japan represents an ideal market for our Smart Rewards Management System," commented Neale Brown, vice president of sales for SCTN, who expects a substantial portion of early licensing revenues to come from the region.
According to SCTN, an August 2003 IC card market report said that an estimated 66 million smart cards were issued in Japan during the year, and that an estimated 420 million smart cards were expected to be issued in 2010.
For additional information: · Visit SCTN at http://www.sctn.com · Visit TechTrex at http://www.techtrex.com