CA1057854A

CA1057854A - Value dispensing system

Info

Publication number: CA1057854A
Application number: CA224,945A
Authority: CA
Inventors: Sizuka Horii; Yasuo Uchida; Takato Nagahama
Original assignee: Omron Tateisi Electronics Co
Current assignee: Omron Corp
Priority date: 1974-04-20
Filing date: 1975-04-18
Publication date: 1979-07-03
Also published as: DE2515879A1; DE2515879C3; JPS512366A; GB1505718A; FR2268317B1; CH588129A5; DE2515879B2; SE7504516L; FR2268317A1

Abstract

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE

An automatic value dispensing system wherein a card previously issued to each customer having an account therein is used to operate the system so as to dispense an amount of value requested by the customer. The card has recorded thereon necessary data including the identification number and the current off-line balance of the account, with the on-line balance thereof being recorded in a central processing unit. Despensation of the requested amount of value is determined by comparing the requested amount first with the sum of said on-line and off-line balances and then with said on-line balance alone, or first with said on-line balance alone and then with the sum of said on-line and off-line balances.

Description

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This invention relates to a system for automatically dispensing value and more particularly to such a system which is operated by cards.
A typical example of such a system is a cash dispen~ser. There are known two types of cash dispensersO One is the on-line type which is directly connected to a central processing unit (to be referred to as CPU
hereinafter), while the other is the off-line type which is not controlled by a CPU but in which necessary information is stored in cards.
The two types of cash dispensers have their respective advantages and disadvantages. In the on-line system, since the cash dispenser is directly connected to a CPU, when a customer asks for payment of cash from the dispenser, it is possible to instantly know the current balance of his or her savings account, so that payment canlbe made within the limits of ;~
the current balance. In other words, with thellon-line system it is possible to always withdraw cash from the updated balance. Thi9 Oertairlly iS one of the advantages the on-line system has.
Generally, however, the CPU in a banking system rests at night or on holidays-when the working rate of the terminal machines is greatly reduced, so that customers cannot use the on-line cash dispenser at night ~ ~ ;
i or on holidays. This is very inconvenient.
In the off-line system, each cash dispenser operates independently, `~
so that there is no limitation on its working time or location of installation but it can stand operative at night or on holidays and be installed at various places such as buildings, offices, amusement centers, etc. This is very convenient. However~ since the off-line cash dispenser is not connected to a CPU unlike the on-Line dispenser, it is possible for a customer to withdraw not from the current balance of his or her savings account but only from the balance recorded on the card the customer has.
This is quite unreasonableO
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~s mentioned above, both the on-line and off-line cash dispensers have their own advantages and disadvantages. There have been proposed no system which can operate in both on-line and off-line modes, ~o that people ~` are compelled to open two separate accounts in both on-line and off-line -systems and inconveniently have and use two cards for the two systems. ;
In order to overcome the above disadvantage there has been proposed a system in which a single cash dispenser can selectively operate in on-line and off-line modes. The cash dispenser operates in on-line mode while the CPU is operating. However, when the CPU stops its operation at night or on ~ ;
holidays or gets out of order, the cash dispenser is switched over to the off-line mode of operation. The card used in this system has recorded thereon necessary information including at least the account number and the off-line balance of the account ~to be referred to as the off-line balance). When ~ the system operates in on-line mode, the account number recorded on the card i is read for access to be made to the corresponding account recorded in the CPU so that payment is made within the on-line balance of the account ~to be ~! referred to as the on-line balance). When the system is operating in off-line mode, payment of the amount of money requested by the customer is made within ., . . :
the limits of the off-line balance recorded on the card.
The above system, however, has the following defect. Suppose that the amount of money the customer requests to be paid from the cash dispenser happens to be more than the on-line balance but less than the off-line balance.
If the system operates in on-line mode, no money is paid to the customer since payment is to be made wlthin the limits of the on-line balance even when the off-line balance is more than the requested amount of money. This is quite unreasonable.
Accordinglyj one obJect of the invention is to provide a system ~ for dispensing a monetary value in which when the system operates in :. .

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on~line mode, pa~men-t of money ls determined on the basis of the sum total of the balances the cus-tomer has.
Another obJect of the invention is to provide such a system as aforesaid, ~hereln the amoun-t.of mone~ the customer requests to be paid is checked with the total of the on-line and off-line balances for determination of payment of the requested amount. ~ :~
; Another obJect of the inven-tion is to provide such a system :
as aforesaid, whereln a single kind o~ card can be used regardless of the mode of operation o~ the cash dlspenser.
Another object of the invention is to provide such a system as '~
aforesaid, wherein when payment of the requested amount of money is permitted on -the basis of the total of the on-line and off-line balances, ~ ~
the requested amount is then checked wlth the on-line balance alone, so ~.
that paymen-t is made preferentially from the on-line balance. ~his ls because the on-line balance is likely to be automatlcally increased by an automatic credit system, whereas in order to increase the off-line ,( , - ~ ~
` balance the customer must present to the bank his card together with an ;~

~ amount of money for the off-line balance to be rewritten.
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Another ob~ect of the inventlon is to provide such a system as aforesaid, wherein payment of the requested amount of money is determined in consideration of the off-line balance even when the system operates in on-line mode.
In accordance with this invention there is provided a system ~ `.
for automatically dispensing value such as cash, wherein a card for :
i operating said system is previously issued to each customer having an ~
- account in the system, said card having recorded thereon necessary data ~ ;
. including at least the identification number and the current off-line ~ balance of said account, said system comprising: means for receiving said -` card; means for reading said data from said card; means for setting the ~ ~
30 amount of value which said customer requests to be dispensed; means for ~ :
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s-tori.ng the account numbers of all customers and the corresponding on-line balances so that access is made by the account nurQber of said card received by said receiving means -to the corresponding one o:~ said on~:line balances;
and means for determining whether said requested amount o~ value ls -to be dispensed in on-line mode on the basis of sald of:r-line and on-line balances and said requested amount of value. ~ :
The invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying dra~ings, wherein:
Figure 1 is a top plan view of a card used in the system of the invention;
Figure 2 is a block diagram of one embodiment of the invention;
and ~`
Figure 3 is a flow chart of the sys-tem o~ the invention.
Referring first to Figure 1, there is sho~n a card CRD used in the ~ystem of the in ention. he card has three storlng are~s 3, 4 snd 5.

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The area 3 stores the secret n~ber of the card; the area ~ stores the off-line balance of the accolmt of the card owner; and the area S stores the account number of the card owner. These data are stored in the respective areas in a well known manner such as magnetically.
Turning to Figure 2, the sys~em of the invention is shown comprising a cash dispenser CD as a terminal machine and a central processing unit CPU
with a storage device MD included in the CPU0 The on-line mode of operation will first be described, in which data are transmitted between the component parts. ~he operation of the system is initiated by the card CRD shown in Figure 1 that has been put into `;
an inlet (not shown) provided on the front panel of the cash dispenser CDo The card introduced into the machine is led to a card reader 101 provided with a reading and writing head 102, which reads the data stored in the storing areas on the card. The secret number read from the card is stored in a register 103; the off-line balance, in a register 104; and the account ~ number, in a register 105. The secret number stored in the register 103 is ;
- applied to a comparator 106. ~
The customer then operates a keyboard 107 to enter into the machine -the secret number previously known to and memorized by him. The entered ~0 secret number is stored in a register 108. The secret number stored in the register 108 is applied to the comparator, which compares the secret number read from the card and the secret number entered by the customer~ If the two numbers agree, the comparator produces an agreement output signal, but if they disagree, it produces a disagreement output signal.
; m e agreement output signal is applied as one input to an AND gate Gl, whereupon the keyboard 107 is ready for the customer to enter the amount of money he wishes to withdrawO The disagreement output signal is applied back to the card reader 1017 which then operates to return the card to the customer.
~hen the customer has entered the amount of money he w:ishes to withdraw through the keyboard, the entered data are applied as the other input to the gate Gl and thence to a register 109 to be stored therein.

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The various data stored in the registers, i.e., the off-line ha:Lance in the register 104, the account number in the register 105 and the requested amount of money in the register 109 are transmitted through a transmission control unit 110 and a MODEM 111 to the CPU.
At the CPU, the data from the MODEM 111 are received by a MODEM 211.
A communication control unit 217 operates so that the requested amount of money, the off-line balance and account number are stored in registers 209, 204 and 205, respectively.
The account number stored in the register 205 is read out by a reading and writing device 302 provided in the memory device MDo The device MD is provided with a file 319 comprising, say, a magn~etic disk pack which ; stores the on-line and off-line balances of the savings accounts of all the customers in the system. By the account number read out by the device 302 a~cess is made to the corresponding on-line and off-line balances in the file 319, which are read out by the device 302.
The on-line and off-line balances are stored in a memory register 301 and then the on-line balance is applied to an- operation and control circuit 218 provided in the CPU. The requested amount of money and the off-line balance stored in the registers 209 and 204, respectively3 are also applied to the circuit 218. On the basis of these input data the circuit 218 decides whether the requested am~unt of money is payable or not.
First, the sumi of the off-line balance from the register 204 and the on-line balance from the register 301 is calculated so as to determine whether the sum total exceeds or equals the requested amount stored in the register 209, that is, whether (the on-line balance) + ~the off-line balance) - the ;
requested amount.
., If the sum of the on-line and off-~ine balances is less than the requested amount of money, the circuit 213 produces a payment rejection sig-nal. If the sum is equal to or more than the requested amount, the circuit ; 30 218 judges that the requested amount is payable, whereupon the circuit 218 operates so as to see if the requested amount is payable on the basis of the on-line balance alone, that is, if the on-line balance - the request0d ~VS'7~
amount. If the on-line balance equals or exceeds the requested amount, the ;
de~ice 218 produces a message No. 1 to permit payment. IY the sum of the off-line and on-line balances equals or exceeds the réquested amount, but the ~ ;~
on_line balance is less than the requested amolmt, the device 218 produces a message No. 2 to permit payment.
In other words, if the requested amount is payable from the on-line balance alone, the payment permission message No. 1 is produced, if the on-line balance is short of the requested amount but the sum of the on-line and off-line balances enables payment of the requested amount, the payment `
permission message No. 2 is produced3 and if the sum is short of the requested amount, the payment reaection message is produced In accordance with these messages the cash dispenser determines its mode of payment in the following manner.
Suppose that the operation and control circuit 218 has produced ;
the payment rejection message. This message is stored in a payment mode register 212, from which it is transmitted through the communication control unit 217 and the MOD~M 211 to the cash dispenser C~. The payment rejection message transmitted from the MODEM 211 is received by the ~ODEM 111 and ;;
thence sent through the transmission control unit 110 to a payment mode ^
register 112 and thence to a payment mode discriminator 114. When the message received has been recognized as the payment rejection message, the device 114 produces a payment rejection signal to be applied to the card reader 101, which then operates to return the introduced card to the ; .
customer.
Suppose that the operation and control circuit 218 has produced i the payment permission message ~o~ 1. This message is transmitted through ~ `~
`~ the same path as the payment rejection message to the payment mode registor ~ -~ 112 to be stored therein and thence to the payment mode discriminator 114, . . ,~
whereupon the device 114 produces an output signal OEl to be applied to a cash dispensing device 115, which dispenses the requested amount of cash.
The signal OK1 is simultaneously applied to a slip issuing device 116, which issues a slip on which necessary data are printed. The sign~l OKl is also ;

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~5'~85'1 applied ~o the card reader 101, wh~ch returns the card to the customer.
On the other hand, the operation and control circuit 2I8 subtracts the requested amount (that is, the amount dispensed) from the on-line balance, and the result of the subtraction is stored in the re~ister 301 and then written by the reading and writing device 302 as a new on-line balance in that on-line balance storing area or address in the file 319 which corresponds to the custGmer's account number and from which the previous on-line balance was read out. The off-line balance re~ains unchangedO
The payment permission message No. 2 is transmitted through the same route as the message No. 1 to the payment mode register 112 to be stored therein and ~hence applied to the payment mode discriminator 114, which produces an output signal OK2. This signal causes the cash dispensing device 115 to dispense the required amount of cash and the slip issuing device 116 to issue a slip having necessary data printed thereon just as in the case of the signal OKl. However, in the case of the signal OK2 it is necessary to rewrite the off-line balance on the card and in the file 319 as well as the on-line balance in the file 319 in the CPU. To this end, the circuit 218 subtracts the on-line balance from the requested amount and then subtracts the result of the above subtraction from the off-line balance. In other words, when the signal OK2 has been produced, paymentis made first from the on-line balance, and the shortage is then covered by the off-line balance.
The result of the above subtraction, that is, the off-line balance - 1 the requested amount - the on-line balance) is stored in the register 301 as the new~off-line balance, which is written by the reading and ; writing device 302 in that off_l;ne balance storing area or address in the - file 319 which corresponds to the customer's account to which access was ., ~
previously made. iAt the same time the new off-l~ne balance is stored in a register 213. The new off-line balance is sent to the cash dispenser together with the payment permission message No. 2. The off-line balance is stored in a register 113. The signal OK2 ~rom the payment mode discrimina-tor 11~ is applied as one input to the gate G2, to which the new off-l~ne :, :

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balance stored in the register 113 is applied as the other input and thence to the register 104 to be stored therein.
The reading and writing head 102 writes the new of~-line balance stored in the register 104 in the off line balance storing area on the card in place of the previous off-line balance. Then the card reader returns the card to the customer.
On the other hand, the on-line balance previously stored in the register 301 is reduced to zero, which is written by the reading and writing device 302 in the on-line storing area in the file 319 which corresponds to the customer`s account number stored in the register 205 In the above embodiment, the requested amount of money is compared . . . - .
first with the sum of the on-line and off-line balances, and if the sum is equal to or more than the requested amount, then the requested amount is compared with the on-line balance alone.
In another embodiment, however the requested amount is compared ~ ?~
first with the on-line balance, and if the on-line balance is less than the requested amount, then the requested amount is compared with the sum of the on-line and off-line balances. In this case, if the on-line balance equals or exceeds the requested amount, the payment permission message~No. 1 - 20 is produced; if the sum of the on-line and off-line balances equals or exceeds the requested amount, the payment permission message NoO 2 is produced;
and if the sum is less than the requested amount, the payment rejection mes-sage is produced, just as in the case of the previous em~odiment.
The cash dispenser can be switched over to the off-line mode by, . ~
say, a manual switch operated by an officer in charge. When the cash dis~ ~
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penser is in off-line mode, there is no communication between the terminal machine and the CPU, and payment of the requested amount is determined on the basis of the off-line balance recorded on the oard alone In this case, the comparator 106 compares the secret number read from the card and the secret number manually entered through the keyboard 107. If the two numbers coincide~ the requested amount of money manually ~ -; entered by the customer through the keyboard 107 and stored in the register : ; ; . ; , : :

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109 and the off-line balance read from the card and stored in the register 104 aI~e compared with a suitable comparator not shown. If the requested amount is equal to or less than the off-line balance, the cash dispensing device 113 and the slip issuing device 116 are operated accordingl~. The difference between the off-line balance and the requested amount i9 recorded on the card in place of the previous off-line balance thereon. The details of the payment are recorded on a punch tape ~not shown), which is processed at a suitable time, for example, once in a day, so that the of~-balances in the file 319 in the CPU are rewritten.
In the above embodiments7 the operation of various data is conducted in the CPU. The arrangement may also be such that the operation is con-ducted in the terminal machine. In this case, the on-line balance is sent to the terminal cash dispenser, and after the required operation has been conducted therein the new on-line balance is sent back to the central station to be stored therein.
There are various modified forms of the invention such as ~ollows:
(1) If a loan can be obtained from the ~ank, the on-line balance comprises the sum of the actual balance of the customer's account and the -maximum amOunt to be loaned out to the customer. m e sum may be calculated beforehand or whenever required.

(2) Cash may be handed to the customer by a teller at the window without using the cash dispensing device 1150

(3) In the illustrated embodiment, when the signal o~2 has bèen produced, the requeste~amount is paid preferentially from the on-line balance. Payment may be made preferent1all~ from the off-line balance, or a predetermined portion of the requested amount may be paid from one of the on-line and off-line balances, with the rest of the amount being paid from the other balance.

(4) In the illustrated embodiment, the invention is applied to a system for withdrawing cash from savings accounts. It is also applicable to systems for vending articles or services by POS (point of sales) terminal machines.

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Claims

THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:

1. A system for automatically dispensing value such as cash, wherein a card for operating said system is previously issued to each customer having an account in the system, said card having recorded thereon necessary data including at least the identification number and the current off-line balance of said account, said system comprising: means for receiving said card;
means for reading said data from said card; means for setting the amount of value which said customer requests to be dispensed; means for storing the account numbers of all customers and the corresponding on-line balances so that access is made by the account number of said card received by said receiving means to the corresponding one of said on-line balances; and means for determining whether said requested amount of value is to be dispensed in on-line mode on the basis of said off-line and on-line balances and said requested amount of value.

2. The system of claim 1, further including means for determining whether said requested amount of value is to be dispensed in off-line mode on the basis of said off-line balance and said requested amount of value.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said determining means determines dispensation of said requested amount of value in on-line mode by comparing the sum of said off-line and on-line balances with said requested amount of value.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said determining means determines dispensation of said requested amount of value in on-line mode by comparing said requested amount of value first with said on-line balance and then with the sum of said on-line and off-line balances.

5. A system for automatically dispensing value such as cash, wherein a card for operating said system is previously issued to each customer having an account in the system, said card having recorded thereon necessary data including at least the identification number and the current off line balance of said account, said system comprising: means for receiving said card;
means for reading said data from said card; means for setting the amount of value which said customer requests to be dispensed; means for storing the account numbers of all customers and the corresponding on-line balances so that access is made by the account number of said card received by said receiving means to the corresponding one of said on-line balances; means for obtaining the sum of said off-line and on-line balances; means for comparing said sum and said requested amount of value; means for comparing said requested amount with a predetermined one of said on-line and off-line balances if said sum equals or exceeds said requested amount; means for producing a first payment permission message if said balance equals or exceeds said requested amount; means for producing a second payment permission signal if a predetermined one of said on-line and off-line balances is less than said requested amount but said sum equals or exceeds said requested amount; and means for producing a payment rejection message if said sum is less than said requested amount.

6. A system for automatically dispensing value such as cash, wherein a card for operating said system is previously issued to each customer having an account in the system, said card having recorded thereon necessary data including at least the identification number and the current off-line balance of said account, said system comprising: means for receiving said card; means for reading said data from said card; means for setting the amount of value which said customer requests to be dispensed; means for storing the account numbers of all customers and the corresponding on-line balances so that access is made by the account number of said card received by said receiving means to the corresponding one of said on-line balances;
means for comparing said requested amount with said on-line balance; means for producing a first payment permission message if said on-line balance equals or exceeds said requested amount; means for summing said on-line and off-line balances if said on-line balance is less than said requested amount;
means for comparing said requested amount with said sum; means for pro-ducing a second payment permission message if said sum equal or exceeds said requested amount; and means for producing a payment rejection message if said sum is less than said requested amount.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein said predetermined one balance is said on-line balance and said first payment permission message is produced when said on-line balance equals or exceeds said requested amount.

8. The system of claim 7, further including means for subtracting said requested amount from said on-line balance when said first payment permission message has been produced; and means for rewriting said on-line balance by the result of said subtraction.

9. The system of claim 5, including means for subtracting from said requested amount said predetermined one of said on-line and off-line balances which is less than said requested amount and then subtracting the result of said first subtraction from the other of said balances.

10. The system of claim 9, further including means for rewriting said predetermined one balance by zero and said other balance by the result of said second subtraction.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein said predetermined one balance is the on-line balance and said other balance is the off-line balance, and further including means for rewriting the off-line balance on said card by the result of said second subtraction.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein said setting means is a keyboard manually operable by the customer to enter said requested amount of value;
and further including means controlled by said determining means to dispense said requested amount of value to said customer.

13. A system for automatically dispensing value such as cash, wherein a card for operating said system is previously issued to each customer having an account in the system, said card having recorded thereon necessary data including at least the identification number and the current off-line balance of said account, said system comprising; a central processing unit and a plurality of terminal machines so connected to said central processing unit through a data transmission controlling device that when said terminal machines operate in on-line mode, said off-line balance and said account number recorded on said card and an amount of value said customer requests to be dispensed are transmitted from said terminal machines through said data transmission controlling device to said central processing unit, wherein access in made by said account number to the corresponding on-line balance so as to be read out, so that on the basis of comparison of said requested amount with said read out on-line balance and said off-line balance read from said card, said central processing unit produces a payment permission message or a payment rejection message to be transmitted back to said term-inal machines through said data transmission controlling device.