KR101854226B1 - Credit card payment apparatus and method - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an apparatus for payment using a credit card and a method thereof. The apparatus comprises: a payment method selection unit enabling a user to select a manner of paying for an article or service under the control of a control unit; a payment item selection unit enabling the user to select the amounts of money divided according to the payment manner or items to be paid under the control of the control unit; a card slot selection unit selecting a corresponding slot of a card reader unit into which a card for paying the amount of money for each item to be paid is to be inserted under the control of the control unit; and the control unit displaying the corresponding slot of the card reader unit through an indicator when the slot into which the card for payment is to be inserted is selected, reading information about the card inserted into the selected slot corresponding to the item to be paid, and paying the amount of money for the item. The present invention allows a user to perform payment in a short time, thereby increasing convenience.

Description

[0001] CREDIT CARD PAYMENT APPARATUS AND METHOD [0002]

The present invention relates to a credit card settlement apparatus and method, and more particularly, to a credit card settlement apparatus and a credit card settlement apparatus which can make a settlement in a short period of time when a purchase price of an article or service is divided and paid using at least one credit card, ≪ / RTI >

Recently, Dutch Pay is spreading socially.

This Dutch philosophy is derived from the Dutch Treat, which means that each person will bear the cost. This Dutch treat was a custom of the Dutch who treats or treats other people, but later the British used it as 'Pay' instead of 'Treat' instead of 'treat' So, the word 'Dutch pie' was used to mean the cost of each meal after eating together.

As a result of the spread of the Dutch pages, various inconveniences arise. For example, in the past, even if a plurality of people have eaten a meal, the waiting time at the counter (or counter) is not long because a representative has paid for the meal. As time increases, there is a problem that the cashier of the cashier or the guest becomes troublesome.

Therefore, even if people who eat together have a dutch paper, a technique for shortening the waiting time for payment is required as much as possible.

BACKGROUND ART [0002] The background art of the present invention is disclosed in Korean Patent Laid-Open No. 10-2008-0026802 (published on Mar. 26, 2008, a keyboard including a credit card reader, a computer main body, a computer system using the same, and a credit card payment method).

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a billing system for billing a bill for payment of an article or service purchase price using at least one credit card, And a credit card settlement apparatus and method.

A credit card settlement apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention includes a settlement type selection unit that allows a user to select a method of settlement of an article or service purchase price under the control of a control unit; A payment item selection unit that allows the user to select an item divided according to the payment method according to the control of the control unit or an item to be paid by the user; A card slot selection unit for selecting a corresponding slot of the card reader unit into which a card to be paid for the payment item is inserted under the control of the control unit; And a controller for reading the card information inserted in the slot corresponding to the selected item to be settled and performing settlement of the amount of the item when the slot into which the card to be settled is selected is selected.

In the present invention, the payment method includes a method of paying an article or a service purchase price equally by the number of persons (1 / n), and a method of paying each employee by selecting items to be paid do.

In the present invention, the payment item selection unit may be configured to select a payment item in bulk as well as to select individual payment items.

In the present invention, the control unit may automatically select a slot according to a pre-designated method through the card slot selection unit, or may select a slot manually according to a user's selection.

In the present invention, the card reader unit includes a multislot for inserting at least one or more cards at a time, and includes an indicator for indicating a slot into which a card to be inserted is to be inserted, and the indicator is displayed using an LED or a LCD Wherein the information corresponding to the payment item is displayed so that at least one of a color and a numeric value matches.

In the present invention, when dividing an article or a service purchase price into the payment items and then performing a partial payment using at least one card, the control unit sequentially selects each slot of the card reader unit according to the designated method The card information is read and the payment is executed.

A credit card settlement method according to another aspect of the present invention is a credit card settlement method using a credit card settlement device in which a card reader unit having a slot capable of inserting at least one card at a time is connected, Checking if it is completed; Matching the payment item classified according to the selected payment method and the slot of the card reader unit into which the card to be paid for the payment item is to be inserted; And when the card is inserted into each slot, the controller selects the card slot according to the designated method, and reads the card information to perform settlement.

In the present invention, the payment method includes a method of paying an article or a service purchase price equally by the number of persons (1 / n), and a method of paying each employee by selecting items to be paid do.

In the present invention, after the step of matching the slot of the card rear portion, the controller may display the matched slot through the indicator so that the matched slot can be distinguished according to the payment item.

In the present invention, in the step of displaying through the indicator so as to be distinguishable in correspondence with the payment item, the control unit displays a number indicating the slot order selected in the payment item displayed on the POS monitor, And the color of the payment item displayed on the monitor is equal to the information of the corresponding payment item corresponding to the indicator information.

A credit card settlement method according to another aspect of the present invention is a credit card settlement method using a credit card settlement apparatus in which a card reader unit having a slot capable of inserting at least one card at a time is connected, Detecting a slot in which a card is inserted and rearranging the order of slots in which the card is inserted internally; Checking whether the payment method is selected by the controller; Matching the payment items classified according to the selected payment method and the slot of the card reader unit into which the card for payment of the payment item is to be inserted according to the order of the internally rearranged order; Displaying the matched slot through an indicator so that the matched slot can be identified corresponding to the payment item; And if the card to be paid within a predetermined period of time is not changed, the controller sequentially selects the card slot according to the designated method, and reads the card information to perform settlement.

In the present invention, in the step of rearranging the order of the slots in which the card is inserted internally, the control unit controls the card reader unit And rearranging only the sequences in order.

In the present invention, the payment method includes a method of paying an article or a service purchase price equally by the number of persons (1 / n), and a method of paying each employee by selecting items to be paid do.

In the present invention, in the step of displaying through the indicator so as to be distinguishable in correspondence with the payment item, the control unit displays a number indicating the slot order selected in the payment item displayed on the POS monitor, And the color of the payment item displayed on the monitor is equal to the information of the corresponding payment item corresponding to the indicator information.

According to one aspect of the present invention, when a product or service purchase price is divided and paid using at least one credit card, settlement can be performed in a short period of time, Thereby improving convenience.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a credit card payment apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG.
FIG. 2 is an exemplary view showing a schematic shape for explaining the characteristics of the card reader unit in FIG. 1; FIG.
FIG. 3 is an exemplary view for explaining a method of dividing a card slot corresponding to a payment item by using the indicator of the card reader unit in FIG. 1; FIG.
4 is a flowchart illustrating a card settlement method according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a card settlement method according to a second embodiment of the present invention; FIG.
FIG. 6 is an exemplary diagram for explaining a method of rearranging the slot order according to the card insertion state of the card reader unit in FIG. 5; FIG.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of a credit card payment apparatus and method according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In this process, the thicknesses of the lines and the sizes of the components shown in the drawings may be exaggerated for clarity and convenience of explanation. In addition, the terms described below are defined in consideration of the functions of the present invention, which may vary depending on the intention or custom of the user, the operator. Therefore, definitions of these terms should be made based on the contents throughout this specification.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a credit card payment apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG.

1, the credit card payment apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment includes a payment method selection unit 110, a payment item selection unit 120, a card slot selection unit 130, a control unit 140, A communication unit 150, and a card reader unit 160. [

Hereinafter, the credit card payment apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment may be used in combination with a POS (Point of Sales) terminal or the like, and may include a part of a POS terminal such as a monitor, a keyboard, Can be used jointly.

Under the control of the controller 140, the payment mode selection unit 110 enables a user (for example, a cashier) to select a payment method for an article or service purchase price.

For example, a menu (or a button) for selecting a payment method is displayed on a monitor (not shown) of a POS, and a method of payment is selected through input means such as a keyboard or a mouse or touch input.

Herein, the payment method is a method (payment method 1) of paying the purchase price of goods or services equally by the number of persons (1 / n) (payment method 1) and a method of selecting each item Payment method 2).

For example, assuming that three people eat and pay for food of 20,000 won, 30,000 won, and 40,000 won each, the above-mentioned payment method 1 is a method in which three persons pay the same 30,000 won each, 10,000 won, and 40,000 won respectively.

Under the control of the controller 140, the payment item selection unit 120 allows a user (for example, a cashier) to select an item or an item to be paid for according to the payment method .

For example, when the user selects the payment method 1, the payment item divided by the same amount is displayed on a monitor (not shown) of the POS, and a payment item is selected through an input means such as a keyboard or a mouse or touch input Receive. If the user selects the settlement method 2, payment items divided into amounts to be paid for each item (goods or services) are displayed on a monitor (not shown) of a POS, and input means such as a keyboard or a mouse Alternatively, a payment item is selected through touch input.

However, in the present embodiment, in order to shorten the settlement time (or the waiting time for settlement), the settlement item selection unit 120 can select not only the individual settlement items but also collectively select the settlement items.

The reason why the payment items can be collectively selected in this embodiment is that at least one card (for example, credit card) is inserted into the card reader unit 160 (or the card reader unit) having at least one slot Card) can be inserted at once (see FIG. 2).

This will be described in more detail with reference to other drawings.

The card slot selection unit 130 selects a corresponding slot of the card reader unit 160 into which the card to be paid for the payment item is inserted according to the control of the controller 140. [ For example, assuming that the card reader 160 has five slots and three payment items, the card slot selector 130 automatically selects three slots in a designated manner (for example, (1 → 5), sequentially from the back (5 → 1), etc.). Of course, the card slot selection unit 130 can also select a slot in a manual manner by selecting a user (e.g., a cashier).

At this time, if a slot into which a card to be paid is inserted is selected, the controller 140 displays the corresponding slot of the card reader 160 through an indicator (see FIG. 2) (or a card selection indicator). That is, the card to be paid must be inserted in the slot in which the indicator is displayed.

The card reader 160 may be configured to insert at least one or more cards (e.g., credit cards) at a time so that the payment time (or payment) (I.e., waiting time for the user).

The control unit 140 includes transaction information (payment information) and merchant point information in the card information led through the card reader unit 160 and transmits a transaction approval request to the host 200 of the VAN company through the communication unit 150 send.

The communication unit 150 includes a first communication unit 151 for communicating with the host 200 of the VAN company and a second communication unit 152 for communicating with the card reader unit 160. However, in the present embodiment, the description related to the transaction approval request is not related to the gist of the present invention, and thus will be omitted.

The control unit 140 controls each slot of the card reader unit 160 through the communication unit 150 in a predetermined manner (e.g., sequentially from the front (1? 5), sequentially from the back (5? 1) ), And performs a transaction approval request operation using the card information that is selected and read.

This will be described in more detail with reference to other drawings.

However, sequential transaction approval request processing is performed because the communication line connected to the host 200 and the communication line connected to the card rear unit 160 are limited (for example, one communication line) If the number of communication lines is not limited, it is also possible to perform at least two transaction approval request operations at the same time.

At this time, the communication unit 150 and the card reader unit 160 may be connected in a wire / wireless manner.

The card reader unit 160 reads information of a user's card (e.g., a credit card, a check card, etc.).

The card reader 160 reads magnetic information or reads IC chip information according to the card scheme of the user.

Fig. 2 is an exemplary diagram showing a schematic shape for explaining the characteristics of the card reader unit 160 in Fig.

2, the card reader unit 160 (or the multi-card reader unit) has at least one slot (or card slot) into which a card can be inserted, and is not intended to limit its shape , A cylindrical shape (Fig. 2 (a)) or a rectangular parallelepiped shape (Fig. 2 (b)).

Each slot of the card reader unit 160 includes an indicator for indicating a slot into which a card to be inserted is to be inserted.

The indicator (or card selection indicator) may be formed in the slot or may be formed on the outside.

For example, when the indicator (or the card selection indicator) is formed outside the slot, the slot may be implemented using an LED or an LCD, and a slot through which a card to be inserted may be inserted may be an LED indicator, Or the backlight of the LCD indicator is turned on.

Also, in order to accurately distinguish the card slot corresponding to the payment item displayed on the POS monitor (not shown), the indicator may include at least one color (e.g. LED color, LCD backlight color) The same color as the payment item).

Also, when the indicator is implemented using a LCD, an amount to be paid for each slot is displayed, or a number for identifying a card slot corresponding to a payment item displayed on the monitor (not shown) of the POS (See FIG. 3).

FIG. 3 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a method for identifying a card slot corresponding to a payment item using the indicator of the card reader 160 in FIG.

3, assuming that four payment items (items to be paid by four persons) are displayed on a monitor (not shown) of the POS, the control unit 140 responds to each settlement item displayed on the monitor So that the indicator information of the slot is matched.

For example, if the slot to which the card to be settled for the payment item (menu 1) is to be inserted is slot 1, the control unit 140 controls the indicator of the slot 1 161 of the card reader unit 160 to be displayed on the monitor (not shown) At least one or more indicator information of the number indicating the slot order selected in the payment item (menu 1), the amount to be paid in the corresponding slot, and the color same as the color of the payment item (menu 1) displayed in the monitor (not shown) Display. When the payment item is 'menu 2' to 'menu 4', the indicator is displayed in the same manner as the 'menu 1'.

4 is a flowchart illustrating a card settlement method according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 4, the controller 140 checks whether the payment method is selected (S101).

Herein, the payment method is a method (payment method 1) of paying the purchase price of goods or services equally by the number of persons (1 / n) (payment method 1) and a method of selecting each item Payment method 2).

In addition, the controller 140 matches slots of the card reader 160 into which the payment item (or the amount) classified according to the selected payment method and the card to which the payment item is to be inserted is inserted (S102).

The control unit 140 may automatically select a user based on a predefined scheme (eg, sequentially from (1 → 5), (5 → 1), etc. sequentially) You can also select slots manually.

If the slot to which the card to be paid for the payment item matches is inserted as described above, the matching slot is displayed so as to be distinguishable according to the payment item (S103).

For example, the control unit 140 displays a number indicating the slot order selected in the payment item displayed in the POS monitor (not shown), the amount to be paid in the corresponding slot, and the color of the payment item displayed in the monitor Color 'in accordance with the information (display information) of the corresponding settlement item corresponding to at least one of the indicator information.

If the card is inserted into each slot (Yes in S104), the controller 140 checks whether or not the card is inserted into each slot indicated by the indicator in step S104. And reads the card information to perform settlement (that is, transaction approval request operation) (S105).

4, a method of performing card settlement by first selecting a payment method and a payment item and then inserting a card into the card reader 160 has been described. 5, a method of performing card settlement in a state in which a card is first inserted into the card reader 160 will be described.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining a card settlement method according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 illustrates a method of rearranging the slot order according to the card insertion state of the card reader unit in FIG. Fig.

5, the control unit 140 detects a slot in which the card is inserted in the card reader unit 160 (S201) and rearranges the order of the inserted slots internally (S202) (See FIG. 6).

For example, as shown in FIG. 6, if it is assumed that a card is inserted into the first, second, fourth, and fifth slots of the five slots formed in the card reader unit 160, After the slot is detected, the order of the slots in which the card is inserted is internally rearranged and stored. That is, the slot 4 is changed to the slot 3, and the slot 5 is changed to the slot 4. Therefore, the order is sequentially rearranged internally irrespective of the order of the actual slots in which the card is inserted into the card reader unit 160. [

Next, the controller 140 checks whether the payment method is selected (S203).

Herein, the payment method is a method (payment method 1) of paying the purchase price of goods or services equally by the number of persons (1 / n) (payment method 1) and a method of selecting each item Payment method 2).

Also, the controller 140 determines the payment item (or the amount) classified according to the selected payment method and the slot of the card reader 160 into which the card to settle the payment item is to be inserted, (S204).

The control unit 140 may automatically select a user based on a predefined scheme (eg, sequentially from (1 → 5), (5 → 1), etc. sequentially) You can also select slots manually.

If the slot to which the card to be paid for the payment item is matched as described above, the controller 140 displays the matched slot so as to be distinguishable according to the payment item (S205).

For example, the control unit 140 displays a number indicating the slot order selected in the payment item displayed in the POS monitor (not shown), the amount to be paid in the corresponding slot, and the color of the payment item displayed in the monitor Color 'in accordance with the information (display information) of the corresponding settlement item corresponding to at least one of the indicator information.

If the card to be paid is not changed within the predetermined time (or when it is confirmed that the user does not change the card to be paid) (YES in S206), the controller 140 sequentially sets each card slot And reads the corresponding card information to perform settlement (that is, transaction approval request operation) (S207).

As described above, the present embodiment can shorten the settlement time (or the waiting time for payment) when the purchase price of the goods or services is divided and paid using at least one credit card.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but, on the contrary, I will understand the point. Accordingly, the technical scope of the present invention should be defined by the following claims.

110: payment method selection unit 120: payment item selection unit
130: Card slot selection unit 140:
150: communication unit 151: first communication unit
152: second communication unit 160: card reader unit
161 to 163: Slot 200: Host

Claims (14)

A payment method selection unit that allows a user to select a method of payment for an article or service purchase price under the control of the control unit;
A payment item selection unit that allows the user to select an item divided according to the payment method according to the control of the control unit or an item to be paid by the user;
A card slot selection unit for selecting a corresponding slot of the card reader unit into which a card to be paid for the payment item is inserted under the control of the control unit; And
And a controller for reading the card information inserted in the slot corresponding to the selected item to be settled and performing settlement of the amount of the item when the slot into which the card to be set is selected is selected,
The card reader unit includes:
And a plurality of slots for inserting at least one card at a time, and an indicator for indicating a slot into which a card to be charged is to be inserted.
The method of claim 1,
A method of paying the purchase price of an article or service equally by a number of people (1 / n), and a method of paying each of the items to be paid by each person.
The billing method according to claim 1,
Wherein the credit card payment device is implemented so as to perform a bulk selection of payment items as well as to select individual payment items.
The apparatus of claim 1,
Wherein the slot selection unit automatically selects a slot according to a predetermined method through the card slot selection unit or selects a slot manually by a user's selection.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the indicator is implemented using an LED or a liquid crystal display (LCD), and the information corresponding to the payment item is displayed so that at least one of a color or a numeric value matches.
The apparatus of claim 1,
When a purchase price of an article or service is divided into the above-mentioned payment items and then a partial payment is made using at least one card,
And sequentially selects the respective slots of the card reader unit in accordance with the predefined scheme, and reads the corresponding card information to perform settlement.
A credit card settlement method using a credit card settlement apparatus to which a card reader unit having a slot capable of inserting at least one card at a time is connected,
Checking whether a payment method is selected by the controller;
Matching the payment item classified according to the selected payment method and the slot of the card reader unit into which the card to be paid for the payment item is to be inserted;
Selecting the card slot according to the designated method when the card is inserted into each slot, and reading the card information to perform settlement; And
And displaying the matched slot through an indicator so that the matched slot can be distinguished according to the payment item, after the step of matching the slot of the card reader unit.
8. The method of claim 7,
A method of paying the purchase price of an article or a service equally by the number of people (1 / n), and a method of selecting and paying each member for payment.
delete The method according to claim 7, further comprising the step of displaying, through an indicator,
Wherein the control unit displays at least one of a number indicating a slot order selected in a payment item displayed on a monitor of a POS, an amount to be paid using a card inserted in the slot, and a color equal to a color of a payment item displayed on the monitor And the indicator information is displayed so as to match the information of the corresponding payment item.
A credit card settlement method using a credit card settlement apparatus to which a card reader unit having a slot capable of inserting at least one card at a time is connected,
The control unit detects a slot in which the card is inserted in the card reader unit and internally rearranges the order of the slots into which the card is inserted;
Checking whether the payment method is selected by the controller;
Matching the payment items classified according to the selected payment method and the slot of the card reader unit into which the card for payment of the payment item is to be inserted according to the order of the internally rearranged order;
Displaying the matched slot through an indicator so that the matched slot can be identified corresponding to the payment item; And
And if the card to be paid within a predetermined period of time is not changed, the controller sequentially selects the card slot according to the designated method, and reads the card information to perform settlement .
12. The method of claim 11, wherein, in rearranging the order of the inserted slots internally,
Wherein the control unit rearranges only the order of slots in which the card is inserted internally, regardless of the order of the actual slot in which the card is inserted in the card reader unit.
[12] The method of claim 11,
A method of paying the purchase price of an article or a service equally by the number of people (1 / n), and a method of selecting and paying each member for payment.
12. The method according to claim 11, further comprising the step of displaying, through an indicator,
Wherein the control unit displays at least one of a number indicating a slot order selected in a payment item displayed on a monitor of a POS, an amount to be paid using a card inserted in the slot, and a color equal to a color of a payment item displayed on the monitor And the indicator information is displayed so as to match the information of the corresponding payment item.

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