DE29619000U1 - System for registration and billing of services using electronically processable credit carriers - Google Patents

Description

in fj

f^atentamvalt

zhael _/\ leinochmiat

Alexandra Pfisterer

German utility model registration

System for registration and billing of services using electronically processed credit media

Subject of the invention

The invention relates to a system consisting of several components for the registration and control of goods issued and services provided for billing and control purposes as well as for the billing and collection of such services with the help of credit institutions.

Object of the invention

In certain business areas, such as restaurants and other entertainment companies, especially discotheques, gaming rooms and similar locations, in which the service recipient (guest) should be able to move around as freely as possible, it is common for the service recipient to be able to order and receive services and goods at various locations. It has proven to be a disadvantage that payment must be made in cash after each service. The disadvantages are that the guest is put under unnecessary pressure when he is asked to pay in cash each time. However, the controlled transfer of payment from those who

who issue the service to the central cash desk. Embezzlement and fraud are particularly problematic, but so are other causes of money loss.

To solve this problem, payment systems were introduced in restaurants in the past, whereby the guest was given a card or a slip at the entrance, on which all services and/or their equivalent value were registered by handwriting, stamping, or cutting or punching out parts. With such billing systems, the cards or slips used are then collected at one or more central cash registers at the exit and paid for by the guest. With this type of billing, any cash payment to the waiters is eliminated and the possibility of fraudulent manipulation by those who have to provide the service (e.g. waiters) is significantly reduced.

In the recent past, a second system has also been used. This system uses an electronically writable and readable credit card, which is also issued at the entrance to the relevant establishment and where the service provider writes the service and/or the equivalent value onto the card using a data terminal. It is possible to check the credit limit, i.e. the equivalent value of a maximum permitted consumption, and to refuse a service if this credit limit is exceeded by the new service. In the exit area, the guest would then have to hand the card back and would be presented with the bill for the service received. In terms of the billing method, this system is roughly equivalent to the billing system with a card of the type mentioned above. However, the latter system does have the advantage that the electronically writable credit cards are reusable, whereas the punched, written or stamped cards of the conventional type are finally used up after they have been used - i.e. after the final billing. This is a disadvantage, as the cards are considered as limited payment methods in

must be forgery-proof to a considerable extent and their production therefore requires a certain amount of effort.

An additional requirement for the electronic system, namely that the guest must be able to understand at any time the services he has received so far and/or their equivalent value, can be met by additional data devices with which the guest himself or with the help of the staff can read the contents of the cards, but cannot change them.

Both methods are generally suitable for increasing the security of billing systems in which the service is initially provided using a cashless procedure. However, there is a need to further increase the security of generic systems without restricting flexibility. In this respect, systems in which the electronic credit card only contains identification and the services and/or their equivalent value are forwarded from the data terminal to a central service data station are not an option, as such systems would cause the entire operation and billing to collapse in the event of a failure or other technical malfunction.

However, all systems have the problem that the cards, whether they are made of paper or are now electronically readable, can represent a significant value that corresponds to the credit limit for the guest during their visit and can far exceed the production value of the cards. This is particularly problematic at the point of billing, e.g. at the restaurant exit, as the cards must either be destroyed or permanently invalidated or, as valuables, must be stored particularly carefully. This places considerable demands on the reliability of the staff at this location. But a significant number of these valuables must also be kept in the entrance area and this also leads to considerable problems with regard to the possibility of theft, embezzlement and other fraudulent manipulation, particularly by or with the involvement of the staff.

It is therefore an object of the invention to improve a payment and billing system in such a way that the possibilities for manipulation and thus the risk of loss of revenue are further reduced.

Another important feature of the task lies in the simplicity of the tool, which - in terms of the task - is characterized by the properties that the various components of the system can be operated independently, i.e. without exchanging data with each other, without such data exchange having to be excluded for this reason.

The object of the invention is achieved by a billing system according to the main claim. The measures of the invention result in the credit cards used not representing any object of value beyond their production value outside of their usage cycle, i.e. at any time when they are not assigned to a service recipient (guest). In addition, the system according to the invention can be designed in numerous ways to suit the individual business and yet retains the property of being easy to use.

Advantageous embodiments of the system according to the invention are specified in the subclaims. The system according to claim 2 offers particular protection, in which, for example, cards that have been smuggled out, misappropriated within the active circuit or stolen are automatically deactivated after a period of time. An individual or general credit limit that cannot be exceeded can also be provided (claim 3). In both cases, a warning signal can indicate misuse (claims 4 and 5). Further protection against misuse is offered by the design that only a certain number of cards can be activated in a unit of time with the access data station according to the invention. This also has the advantage that, for example, the monitoring of official

Conditions regarding the maximum number of persons admitted can be supported. (Claim 7).

It is particularly advantageous for simpler processes of obtaining services that the service recipient (guest) can obtain the service himself as with a vending machine (claim 9). In such cases, but also in other cases in which not only authorized persons have physical access to the devices, it is only sensible to use the device with a password (claim 8). It is advantageous if the individual devices of the system are identical in construction and are only made available with an input for the respective function (claim 10), whereby this provision can be protected with a corresponding password (claim 11). It is advantageous to prepare the system in such a way that it can also support the cloakroom (claim 12). Another advantage - especially when used in discotheques - is the design of the keypads with the keypads claimed in protection claim 13.

The aforementioned system elements to be used according to the invention, as well as those claimed and described in the following exemplary embodiment, are not subject to any special exceptional conditions in terms of their size, shape and technical concepts, so that the selection criteria known in the respective field of application can be applied without restriction.

Further details, features and advantages of the subject matter of the invention emerge from the following description of the accompanying drawing, in which - by way of example - a device according to the invention is shown. In the drawing shows

Figure 1 is a block diagram of a system according to a first embodiment of the invention and Figure 2 is a block diagram of a system according to a second embodiment of the invention.

The system shown in Figure 1 as a block diagram has an access data station 10 with a write and read device 14 for the chip memory cards 50 used, a billing data station 20 with a write and read device 24 for the chip memory cards 50 used, and a large number of performance data stations 30 with write and read devices 34 for the chip memory cards 50 used. All of these data stations 10, 20 and 30 have the ability to read and modify credit cards 50. In the exemplary embodiment, the credit cards are designed as so-called chip memory cards, which initially have a memory area 56 and 58 that can be written to multiple times - and therefore also erased - and a memory area 52 that can only be written to once. Immediately after production, a first part of the memory area 52 that can only be written to once is provided with data that relates to the operator of the individual system and contains a code.

All of these data stations are set up in such a way that they can only be used if an access code has been entered, which is compared with a code on the non-changeable memory area 52 on the chip memory card 50 using a decryption and comparison process, whereby the access code itself is not on the chip memory card 50 to protect the encryption process and the access code cannot be deduced from the code on the chip memory card 50. The various data stations 10, 20 and 30 can be operated with different access codes, so that knowledge of the access code for a service data station 3 0 for the access data station 10 and the billing data station 2 0, for example, is just as useless as the access codes of the latter data stations among each other. The access codes can contain information about the person who is using the respective code.

The access data station 10 is now used to provide a part of the rewritable data area 58 of the chip memory card 50 with an activation code and also with an expiration time and

a credit limit. This activates the chip memory card 50. The access data station 10 therefore contains a clock 12.

The service data stations 30 are used by the designated persons to write service data onto a repeatedly writable memory section 56 of the chip memory card 50, whereby the service data in the exemplary embodiment of a restaurant usually includes the type, quantity and price of the service purchased and also contains time information. In the exemplary embodiment, the service data stations 30 are set up in such a way that this writing process is only possible if the expiration time of the chip memory card 50 has not yet expired and the specified credit limit has not yet been exceeded. The type and quantity of the service is entered by the operator (e.g. waiter), while the price information is calculated independently using pre-stored prices. A clock contained in the service data station 30 is also provided for time comparison. If the above-mentioned admissibility criteria are not met, the service data stations 30 emit an acoustic and/or optical warning signal. For this purpose, the performance data stations 30 have optical and acoustic signal generators 36 and 38. The performance data stations 30 can also display and output all performance data already recorded on the chip memory card 50.

If the guest now wants to leave the restaurant, he goes to the exit, where at least one billing data station 20 is available. Here, the service data contained is summarized in an invoice, which the guest can then either pay in cash or which is transferred to another cashless credit system (e.g. billing via a conventional credit card system). At the same time, the memory area 58 of the chip memory card 50 is overwritten and thus automatically deleted. The form of deletion is not important. It is possible, for example, to delete the expiry time and/or the credit limit. However, it can

A separate date can also be overwritten and thus logically deleted.

In the embodiment described here, the accounting data stations 20 are as such neither able to provide chip memory cards 50 with a new, valid expiration date or a new credit limit, nor can services be booked with them.

This means that the chip memory cards 50 are worthless for use in the described cycle after billing until they are reactivated at the access data station 10. This is the essence of the system according to the invention, since the improper introduction of a chip memory card 50 from the inventory or from previous uses does not allow any misuse of services.

In the embodiment described here, the access data station 10 and the billing data station 20 are spatially separate devices. In the preferred embodiment shown, however, all data stations are identical devices that are only set up for the respective function with the help of a password entry - alternatively with the help of a key. This has the advantage that if, for example, the billing station 20 fails, one of the performance data stations 30 can simply be converted to the billing station 20. This saves the effort of having replacements of each type of station ready. In the preferred embodiment, however, it is ensured that the individual data station is only activated for one of the three functions.

In an alternative embodiment, parts of the service provision are automated, i.e. the guest can request the service from a service data station 31 without an assistant. This is useful for drinks machines or similar facilities. However, this operating mode is particularly suitable for game rooms in which the guest operates gaming machines or similar facilities.

Furthermore, data control stations 60 can be provided, where the guest can have the services provided so far and the equivalent value displayed on a data display device or printed out on an output station. These control data stations only have reading devices 64 for the chip memory cards 50 used or, if they are to be of the same construction as the service data stations 30, the writing devices are blocked when operating as control data stations 60. The control data stations also have a clock to show whether the checked chip memory card 50 is still within the valid time limit.

In the preferred embodiment, one or more of the service data stations 30 can be set up as a cloakroom data station 70. This performs different functions than the other service data stations. On the one hand, it is noted on the chip memory card 50 for billing purposes that cloakroom items are being accepted. On the other hand, the cloakroom data station 70 also recognizes whether cloakroom items have already been accepted. If this is not the case, a cloakroom number can also be noted on the chip memory card 50. If a cloakroom number has already been noted, the cloakroom items can be returned using this. The cloakroom number is then deleted. Although the card 50 is then free for further use of the cloakroom, a mark remains on the card so that the usage fee can be charged at the billing data station 20 with the payment for other services.

The accounting data station 20 is set up in such a way that it can be used to detect whether an item of clothing is to be returned, i.e. whether there is still an undeleted wardrobe number on the chip memory card 50. In this case, the accounting data station 20 automatically prints out a corresponding receipt, with which the item of clothing can be picked up and passed through the cash register without presenting a chip memory card 50 again. The access data station is set up in such a way that when

the next time the guest enters the restaurant, the cloakroom number can be noted on the chip memory card 50 by presenting (and collecting) the receipt. This means that the operator does not have to pay the costs of purchasing cloakroom receipts or cloakroom tokens, whereby paper receipts can only be used once and cloakroom tokens must be replaced if lost. Since the guest keeps the chip memory card 50 issued to him more carefully than a cloakroom slip, the loss of which is generally sanctioned by calculating the maximum credit amount, this also significantly reduces the workload on the cloakroom staff.

In the exemplary embodiment, the system is equipped with the additional cloakroom function together with the activation and deactivation function of the access and billing data stations 10 and 20. This provides the advantage described that, with the help of the receipt issued by the billing data station 20, the cloakroom can be read again by the access data station 10 into a new chip memory card 50 in the event that the cloakroom has not yet been collected. Alternatively, a system with the cloakroom function described can also be equipped without a time-limited activation code. It is also possible to set up a system with the cloakroom function in such a way that it does not require the access data station 10 or that the cloakroom data station 70 includes or replaces the access data station 10.

In the preferred embodiment, all data stations 10, 20, 30, 31, 60 and 70 have a keyboard whose key fields are provided with a substance that either glows and/or - preferably - glows strongly with the "black light" that is almost always present in discotheques, i.e. UV radiation, so that the data stations can be operated without any problem even under difficult lighting conditions.

Claims (13)

&igr;&zgr; l _/\ l& atentanwalt einackmiat Alexandra Pfisterer System for the registration and invoicing of services by means of electronically processable credit carriers Protection claims 1. System for registering and invoicing services using electronically writable and readable credit media, with a plurality of credit carriers (50) with a data area (52) that has already been written and can no longer be changed, and a writable data area (56), a plurality of performance data stations (30, 31) with a reading and writing device (34) for the credit carriers (50) used for registering the services provided and/or their equivalent value in the data area (56) of the credit carrier (50) and at least one billing data station (20) with a reading and writing device (24) for the credit carriers (50) used and an output device (28) for outputting data with the aid of which the data recorded in the data area (56) of the credit carrier are billed and paid, characterized in that the credit carriers (50) have a second writable data area (58), at least one access data station (10) with a reading and writing device (14) for the credit carriers used (50), for activating the credit carrier (50) by writing an activation code in the second data area (58) is provided, »··· ft the billing stations (20) are set up in such a way that during the billing process they deactivate the billed credit carrier (50) by overwriting or deleting the activation code in its second data area (58) and the performance data stations (30, 31) cannot write the second data area (58) of the credit carrier (50) with the activation code, and can only write the first data area (56) if the credit carrier contains a valid activation code. 2. System for registering and billing services by means of electronically writable and readable credit media according to claim 1, in that the second data area (58) contains information about the point in time until which the activation code is valid and the service data stations (30, 31) can only change the first data area (56) if the point in time at which the activation code expires has not yet been reached. 3. System for registering and billing services by means of electronically writable and readable credit media according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that one of the data areas (52, 56, 58) contains information about a credit limit and the service data stations (30, 31) can only change the first data area (56) if the credit limit is not exceeded with the service information to be described. 4. System for registering and billing services by means of electronically writable and readable credit carriers according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the service data stations (30, 31) the first Data area (56) can only be changed if the end of the validity of the activation code has not yet been reached. 5. System for registering and billing services using electronically writable and readable credit media according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that the performance data stations (30, 31) have an optical and/or acoustic warning device (3 6, 38), the performance data stations (30, 31) are set up so that they emit a warning signal when a credit medium (50) is used after the expiry of the validity of the activation code and/or when the credit limit with the performance information to be described is exceeded. 6. System for registering and billing services by means of electronically writable and readable credit media (50) according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized by further control data stations (60) with a reading device (64) for the credit media used, with which a list of the services received can be displayed and/or output. 7. System for registering and billing services by means of electronically writable and readable credit carriers according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the access data stations (10) are set up in such a way that they can only activate a predetermined number of credit carriers (50) in a predetermined time unit. 8. System for registering and billing services by means of electronically writable and readable credit carriers (50) according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that at least some of the service data stations (3 0) can only be operated with a protection word. 9. System for registering and billing services by means of electronically writable and readable credit media according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that at least some of the service data stations (31) automatically provide services with the aid of corresponding devices (38). 10. System for registering and billing services by means of electronically writable and readable credit carriers according to one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that all Data stations (10, 20, 30) are identical in construction and can be equipped with the aid of an input for the respective function. 11. System for registering and billing services using electronically writable and readable credit media according to claim 10, characterized in that the equipment of the data stations is protected with a password. 12. System for registering and billing services using electronically writable and readable credit media according to one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that that at least one performance data station (30) is set up as a wardrobe data station (70) in such a way that when a piece of clothing to be stored is received, the credit holder (50) is electronically identified accordingly, that the performance data station (30) set up as a wardrobe data station (70) is further set up in such a way that the said marking is partially erased when the stored item of clothing is returned, that the accounting data station (20) is set up in such a way that it recognizes whether the credit holder has been marked in the manner mentioned by the cloakroom data station (70), even if this has already been partially deleted, that the billing data station continues to be set up in such a way that a cloakroom fee is charged when billing and collecting the credit, the above-mentioned marking is completely deleted and a collection receipt is issued even if the above-mentioned marking has not been partially deleted. 13. System for registering and billing services by means of electronically writable and readable credit media according to one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that the data stations (10, 20, 30, 31, 60, 70) are equipped with a keyboard, the key fields of which exhibit luminescence phenomena when exposed to UV radiation and/or as afterglow.