DE9218120U1 - Cashless means of payment - Google Patents

Description

SAMSON & PARTNER

PATENT ATTORNEYS · EUROPEAN PATENT ATTORNEYS

Applicant:

Dr. Willi Foldenauer
Verdistrasse 101
8000 Munich 60

F888-6-T 92Gbm 1 June 1993

Tu/4

Cashless payment method

Description
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The present invention relates to a cashless means of payment according to the preamble of claim 1.

Such means of payment for cashless

Payment transactions have been generally known for a long time and are enjoying ever-increasing popularity. More and more bills and purchases are being paid for using a checkbook, a check card with a magnetic strip or a credit card rather than cash. The term "cashless means of payment" is not to be understood in a restrictive sense and includes all components that are used to carry out cashless payment transactions:

The cashless means of payment "chequebook" includes cheques and envelopes with accompanying sheets (for overview or, in the broadest sense, for identification of the means of payment) and

the check card. The "cashless" payment method "credit card" includes the credit card itself, but also possibly an associated receipt and a device for reading the card.

Cashless payment transactions not only increase convenience, but also create the need to check the associated booking data. The consumer must process this data - whether private or for business purposes - appropriately in order not to lose track of cashless payment transactions. The booking data must be checked and - for any existing accounting - assigned to the relevant invoice documents.

The facilities available for identifying the means of payment do not meet these requirements adequately. For example, a checkbook usually contains the supplementary sheet or form (Fig. 9) mentioned above, which has fields for writing on it. The relevant check number, the date the check was issued, the payment amount and the name of the check recipient can be entered in the fields. However, filling out such a form is rather tedious, which is why it is often not done or is only done incompletely. Subsequent booking control is therefore difficult or even impossible. Even if the form is filled out carefully, it is still necessary to laboriously search for a link to the relevant booking later using this form and the invoices that have accumulated in the meantime by comparing the date, DM amount and check number on the form, invoice and bank statement.

When paying by credit card, the effort required to monitor the transactions is even greater. When paying an invoice, a separate receipt is issued in addition to the usual invoice receipt - shown in Fig. 10 -

issued with which a payment transaction can be assigned to a later booking transaction. The buyer must therefore keep two documents - the special receipt and the invoice - together at least until the corresponding credit card statement arrives a few weeks after the payment transaction and the booking check can be carried out.

When paying with a check card with a magnetic strip - or when withdrawing money from an ATM - there is often no information on the receipt that indicates the type of payment. Subsequent checking of the transaction is then either only possible from memory or not possible at all.
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Another problem is that the invoices generally do not indicate whether payment was made in cash, by check, by magnetic check card or by credit card. This makes it even more difficult to determine the respective means of payment when there are a large number of 0 invoices.

The invention aims to further develop cashless payment methods in such a way that even after a cashless payment transaction, an assignment between an invoice receipt and the cashless payment method used is possible.

The aim of the invention is achieved in a generic cashless means of payment in that the identification device is detachably connected to the means of payment (claim 1).

The identification device that can be removed from the cashless payment method can easily be attached to an invoice with such a design.

The identification device thus enables an uncomplicated, direct assignment between the invoice and the cashless means of payment. The cashless means of payment developed in this way can be handled more easily, as there is no need for complicated and lengthy labeling. This leads - which is also of general interest - to an acceleration of payment transactions, which in turn increases the willingness to use cashless means of payment.

Preferably, the identification device is designed so that it can be attached directly to or on an invoice document (claim 2). The term "direct" implies that the identification device can be attached to the invoice document without using an additional clip, which further simplifies handling.

The identification device is particularly preferably a sticker (claim 3). Such a design makes it possible to easily and conveniently remove the identification device from the cashless payment method and attach it to the invoice.

According to a preferred embodiment, the identification device bears a company identification (claim 4). The identification device is thus designed in a simple manner so that it can be assigned to the cashless means of payment even after it has been removed from the means of payment.

Advantageously, the identification device can also be labelled (claim 5). In addition to the company identification that already enables the device to be assigned to a cashless payment method, further individual data can then be applied to the identification device, in particular written or printed. The additional labelling can be carried out in a particularly convenient manner by

the bank when issuing the identification devices.

Preferably, the identification device has numbers that allow a clear assignment between the invoice document and the means of payment (claim 6). Such numbers can, for example, be the final digits of the respective check number. This ensures, in addition to the general assignment between the identification device and the means of payment, the assignment to the individual check form. Accounting is further simplified and clearer.

In a further preferred embodiment of the invention, the numbers are calendar day numbers (claim 7). With the help of the detachable identification device, the respective booking or payment day can be recorded in a simple manner: For example, the number corresponding to the booking day can be additionally marked with a pen, or the identification device is torn off at a point corresponding to the booking day. Identification devices torn off in this way can then be compiled, for example, on a supplementary sheet, so that it is easy to see on which days bills were paid or when withdrawals were made from ATMs.

Particularly preferred is a small tear-off notch next to each number on the edge of the identification device for easy marking and tearing (claim 8). If, for example, there is no pen to hand to mark the payment date, the sticker can simply be torn off or torn off.

5 Preferably, the sticker has a slightly adhesive coating on one side, such that it can be repeatedly peeled off from paper

can be removed without paper sticking to the adhesive gum (claim 9).

In another particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, the individual stickers are arranged in a removable manner on an empty spot on the checks, in particular in a label row that is provided with the individual check data (claim 10). If the checks are printed with a consecutive check number, account number, bank code and identification number before being handed over to the customer, the printer used for this purpose can print the sticker stuck to the check with the final digits of the respective checks in the same operation. There is no need to keep a separate sheet with the stickers on it and the user is reminded to remove the stickers.

According to a further variant of the invention, at least one sticker is arranged on a separate sheet, preferably of the checkbook or credit card (claim 11). The individual stickers are thus arranged in a particularly clear manner and it is easy to see how many checks have already been taken from the checkbook or how many credit card payments - e.g. within a month - have already been made.

It is particularly preferable for the separate sheet of the checkbook to have numbers that correspond to the numbers on the sticker and that are visible after the sticker is removed (An-0 saying 12). This further optimizes the handling and clarity of the cashless payment method. When looking at the sheet, the user can immediately see which checks have already been removed from the checkbook.

Advantageously, the stickers have a carbonless coating at least in a partial area (claim 13). When labels are applied to the sticker,

the labels are pressed through to the sheet underneath. If the bank prints the stickers with the final digits of the checks using a dot matrix printer, for example, these final digits are pressed through to the sheet underneath. The final digits of withdrawn checks are therefore also compiled on a separate sheet, which further improves the clarity of cashless payment transactions.

The invention is described in more detail below with reference to the attached drawings using several exemplary embodiments. They show:

Fig. 1 shows a preferred embodiment of identification devices according to the invention;

Fig. 2 shows a further preferred embodiment of identification devices according to the invention;

Fig.3A shows a third embodiment of identification devices according to the invention;

Fig. 3B shows a variant of the embodiment of Fig. 3A;

Fig. 4 shows an embodiment of identification devices according to the invention, which are provided with numbers that correspond to the individual calendar days;

Fig. 5 shows a further embodiment of identification devices according to the invention, which are provided with numbers that correspond to the individual calendar days;

Fig. 6 the application of the embodiment from Fig. 5 provided with calendar day numerals;

Fig. 7A-D a check form, which in Fig. 7B and 7C with

is provided with identification devices according to the invention;

Fig. 8A-B invoices onto which identification devices according to the invention are glued;

Fig. 9 a checkbook supplement or an identification device according to the state of the art;

Fig. 10 a credit card receipt or an identification device according to the state of the art.

First, the first embodiment of Fig. 1 will be described.
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A supplementary sheet 1 is provided with a plurality of stickers 2 which serve as identification devices. The

Sheet 1 provided with the stickers 2 is part of a cashless means of payment, for example a cheque book with the associated cheque card, a credit card or a cheque card with a magnetic strip (“EURO”) (not shown).

A bank issues a corresponding number of stickers 2 for a predetermined number of checks. The stickers 2 are designed or labeled in such a way that they easily indicate which bank or credit card is involved, or whether, for example, euro and/or cleared checks are being used. The bank or credit card company provides the individual stickers 2 with a marking 3 (e.g. an emblem or a logo), so that the sticker 2 can be clearly assigned to the cashless payment method.

If a payment or booking is to be made now, the customer pays in the usual way using their cashless payment method. After receiving the invoice, all that is needed is to remove sticker 2 from the cashless payment method and stick it onto an invoice. The invoice usually contains the date, business address, type of purchase and the payment amount, so that this data does not have to be written separately on the stickers 2. It is advantageous to leave a certain area on the sticker 2 unlabeled so that the user can still write down individual data.

The embodiment of Fig. 2 has additional numbers 4 in addition to the marking 3. The numbers 4 correspond, for example, to the final number of the 5 checks issued. If the stickers 2 marked with numbers in this way are stuck onto an invoice, the invoice will show the following during a subsequent accounting check:

a) which means of payment, ufrd

b) which (cheque) form
was used for paying.

In an embodiment shown in Fig. 3, the stickers 2 are also labeled with the last digits 4 of the checks. In addition, the stickers 2 are provided with a carbon copy coating on their self-adhesive side at the point where the check numbers are to be entered, instead of an adhesive gum. When entering the last digits 4 of the check number, the last digits 4 are pressed through to the supplementary sheet 1 as a carbon copy 5. This makes it easy to document on the supplementary sheet or the sticker carrier 1 which checks have already been used.

Fig. 3B shows a variant of the embodiment from Fig. 3A. Instead of the carbon copy numbers 5, numbers 5a are printed next to the individual stickers 2. If a laser printer is used to print the stickers 2, the printed numbers do not press through a carbon copy coating. The numbers 5a, which correspond to the final numbers 5 of the individual checks in the same way as in the example from Fig. 3A, can, however, be printed by the laser printer next to the individual stickers. The stickers 2 therefore do not need to have a carbon copy coating in this embodiment. As in the embodiment in Fig. 3A, the user immediately recognizes which checks have already been removed from the checkbook.

In another embodiment of the invention, thirty-one calendar day numbers 6 are printed on the edge of the stickers 2. A small notch 7 is arranged next to each calendar day number 6 on the edge of the stickers 2. In particular when paying using a check card with a magnetic strip, the

the appropriate place or by means of a colour marking - the payment date is recorded.

Another such embodiment is shown in Fig. 5 and Fig. 6. In Fig. 5, six stickers 2 with calendar day numbers 6 are arranged on a supplementary sheet 1. Whenever you pay using a magnetic stripe card, but for example when you withdraw cash from an ATM - the withdrawal date is documented by tearing off the sticker 2 at the appropriate place. This creates (Fig. 6) a clear summary, for example, of the withdrawals made in the respective month using a magnetic card.

For example, various shops also offer the option of making purchases by direct debit. There are card readers that read the account number and bank code from the card, but do not then debit the amount directly from the check card, but instead require the customer to sign a direct debit authorization for the respective purchase. Even for such purchases, the stickers 2 with the calendar day numbers 6 can be used to provide an overview of the purchases made in the month and to identify the means of payment. Even if, for example, no explicit company identification 3 is printed on the sticker 2, the identification function can be retained if the sticker 2 is designed to be visually memorable.

0 In another variant of the invention, the stickers 2 are stuck onto a check form instead of onto a separate sheet 1 that is enclosed with the checkbook. This particular variant of the invention is illustrated in Figs. 7A-D. Fig. 7A shows a check 8 labeled in the conventional manner. At the bottom of the check 8, a series of numbers or labels 9 can be seen, which are printed by the bank before issuing a certain amount.

number of checks 8 is printed. The number series 9 contains the data relevant to banking transactions, including the check number. The bank leaves a field free for later labeling. One of the stickers 2 is glued into this field as shown in Fig. 7B. When printing the check 8, the bank can now print the final digits of the check 8 onto the sticker 2, as shown in Fig. 7C. When paying, the sticker 2 is removed and the field containing the sticker 2 can be labeled in the usual way by the bank after "receiving" the check 8 and used for internal bank entries.

The paper of the checks 8 in circulation is already often designed in such a way that stickers 2 provided with an appropriately designed adhesive gum or coating can be removed or peeled off without damaging the paper.

The identification device arranged and used in this way does not change the check system that is already in use and - in its basic principle - has also proven itself, nor the type of issuing and the usual further processing of the checks. However, it does bring the significant advantages of a marking or labeling aid described above, both at the cash register, for the issuer and for the accounting department.

Fig. 8A and 8B show invoice documents 10, each of which has a sticker 2 stuck to it. The sticker 2 in Fig. 8B is additionally printed with the final number 4 of the corresponding check 8. The invoice 10 contains all relevant data (date, etc.), so that in conjunction with the stickers 2, simple booking control is ensured.
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The marking 3 of the sticker 2 of the invoice 10 from Fig. 8A - a black circle - symbolizes, for example, a

Credit card organization. In contrast, the sticker ² in Fig. 8B contains the identification 3 of a bank and the information "check". The user can thus see at a glance that he has paid the invoice 10 in Fig. 8A with his credit card and the invoice 10 in Fig. 8B with his check no. "...3715" from the "XY Bank".

If an invoice does not have a sticker, this means that the corresponding amount was paid in cash.
10

Claims (13)

SAMSON & PARTNER PATENTANWÄLTE · EUROEBAN PATENT ATTORNEYS Applicant: Dr. Willi Foldenauer Verdistraße 101 000 Munich 60 F888-6-T 92 Gbm 1 June 1993 Tu/4 Cashless means of payment 15 claims 1. Cashless means of payment, in particular chequebook or credit card, with a device for identifying the means of payment,
characterized in that the identification device (2) is detachably connected to the means of payment (8). 2. Cashless payment means according to claim 1, characterized in that the identification device 0 (2) is designed so that it can be directly connected to or on an invoice document (10). 3. Cashless payment means according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the identification device is a sticker (2). 4. Cashless means of payment according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the identification device (2) bears a company identification (3). 5. Cashless payment means according to claim 4, characterized in that the identification device (2) can additionally be labeled. 6. Cashless means of payment according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the identification device (2) bears numbers (4) which allow a clear assignment between the invoice document (10) and the means of payment (8). 7. Cashless payment means according to claim 7, characterized in that the digits are calendar day digits (6). 8. Cashless means of payment according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a small tear-off notch (7) is provided next to each digit (4, 6) on the edge of the identification device (2). 9. Cashless means of payment according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the sticker (2) has a slightly adhesive coating on one side, such that it can be removed from paper several times without paper sticking to the adhesive coating. 10. Cashless means of payment according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the individual stickers (2) are arranged in a removable manner at a preferably empty 5 location on the checks, in particular in a label row (9) which is provided with individual check data. 11. Cashless means of payment according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least one sticker (2) is arranged on a separate sheet (1), preferably of the checkbook or the credit card. 12. Cashless means of payment according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the separate supplementary sheet (1) of the checkbook bears numbers (5) which correspond to the numbers (4, 6) of the sticker (2) and which are visible after the sticker (2) has been removed. 13. Cashless means of payment according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the stickers (2) have a carbon copy coating at least in a partial area.