Classifications

• • G—PHYSICS
  • G07—CHECKING-DEVICES
  • G07F—COIN-FREED OR LIKE APPARATUS
  • G07F7/00—Mechanisms actuated by objects other than coins to free or to actuate vending, hiring, coin or paper currency dispensing or refunding apparatus
  • G07F7/08—Mechanisms actuated by objects other than coins to free or to actuate vending, hiring, coin or paper currency dispensing or refunding apparatus by coded identity card or credit card or other personal identification means
  • G07F7/10—Mechanisms actuated by objects other than coins to free or to actuate vending, hiring, coin or paper currency dispensing or refunding apparatus by coded identity card or credit card or other personal identification means together with a coded signal, e.g. in the form of personal identification information, like personal identification number [PIN] or biometric data
  • G07F7/1008—Active credit-cards provided with means to personalise their use, e.g. with PIN-introduction/comparison system
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A45—HAND OR TRAVELLING ARTICLES
  • A45C—PURSES; LUGGAGE; HAND CARRIED BAGS
  • A45C11/00—Receptacles for purposes not provided for in groups A45C1/00-A45C9/00
  • A45C11/18—Ticket-holders or the like
  • A45C11/182—Credit card holders
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
  • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
  • G06F15/00—Digital computers in general; Data processing equipment in general
  • G06F15/02—Digital computers in general; Data processing equipment in general manually operated with input through keyboard and computation using a built-in program, e.g. pocket calculators
  • G06F15/0216—Constructional details or arrangements
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
  • G06Q—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • G06Q20/00—Payment architectures, schemes or protocols
  • G06Q20/30—Payment architectures, schemes or protocols characterised by the use of specific devices or networks
  • G06Q20/34—Payment architectures, schemes or protocols characterised by the use of specific devices or networks using cards, e.g. integrated circuit [IC] cards or magnetic cards
  • G06Q20/341—Active cards, i.e. cards including their own processing means, e.g. including an IC or chip
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
  • G06Q—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • G06Q40/00—Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
  • G06Q40/02—Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G07—CHECKING-DEVICES
  • G07F—COIN-FREED OR LIKE APPARATUS
  • G07F7/00—Mechanisms actuated by objects other than coins to free or to actuate vending, hiring, coin or paper currency dispensing or refunding apparatus
  • G07F7/08—Mechanisms actuated by objects other than coins to free or to actuate vending, hiring, coin or paper currency dispensing or refunding apparatus by coded identity card or credit card or other personal identification means
  • G07F7/0873—Details of the card reader
  • G07F7/088—Details of the card reader the card reader being part of the point of sale [POS] terminal or electronic cash register [ECR] itself
  • G07F7/0886—Details of the card reader the card reader being part of the point of sale [POS] terminal or electronic cash register [ECR] itself the card reader being portable for interacting with a POS or ECR in realizing a payment transaction

Definitions

• the present invention relates to an electronic account register for updating transactions made on an account, comprising a keypad on which the user can enter transactions made on the account, a memory for storing the data entered and a display for informing the user of the balance of the account.
• cash & debit card covers an identification card granting the user access to draw money from an account.
• Cards of this type are usually made of plastic and provided with a magnetic strip with information confirming the validity of the card.
• Cards of said type are widely used today, as the user then does not need to carry large amounts of cash, since many of the daily payments can be performed with such a card.
• the card has the disadvantage that the user will usually only receive an updated statement of the pertaining account once a week or once a month. This makes it quite easy to lose the overview of the balance on the account.
• books of transactions have been made in which the user manually writes the entries with a pen.
• note books may be provided with updating facilities for current accounts. In order for these to function satisfactorily, the user would basically have to bring his electronic note book along every time he needs to make a payment by means of his cash & debit card.
• US 5 272 319 describes an electronic account register, where the cash & debit card is kept in a separate room in the casing of the register.
• the account register is not protected against external influences and must be stored carefully to avoid unintentional switching on of the calculating unit or damage to the LCD display of the unit.
• the object of the invention is therefore to provide an electronic account register for helping account holders to update an account to show the current balance.
• the account register must be easy to use and easy to keep together with the cash & debit card, and at the same time the calculating unit and LCD display must be protected against unintended influences.
• an electronic account register which is distinguished in that the casing of the account register surrounding the user interface is formed with holding members for gripping the rim of a cash & debit card and fixing it releasably.
• the cash & debit card protects the user interface of the account register against external influences, and the rather sensitive magnetic strip is protected by facing the account register.
• Cash & debit card and account register will thus be kept together as an entity.
• Fig. 1 shows the preferred embodiment of an account register according to the invention
• Fig. 2 shows a cross-section of the account register shown in Fig. 1 along the line II-IP
• Fig. 3 shows an embodiment of the electronics of the account register.
• the embodiment of an account register according to the invention shown in Figs. 1 and 2 is referred to in its entirety with the reference numeral 1.
• the account register has a casing 5 which is manufactured of plastic by injection moulding.
• the front of the casing is designed with an opening for an LCD display 2 and for a keypad 3.
• the display 2 comprises four numeric fields, the top one in the left corner stating the transaction number.
• the movement on the account is stated as entered by the user.
• the bottom left corner is an indication of the date which the central processing unit of the account register retrieves from a built-in clock.
• the balance of the account is calculated by the central processing unit of the account register after entry of the movements made on the account is complete.
• the keypad has ten numeric keys and a decimal point key. Furthermore, the keypad is designed with an on/off key for switching the account register on or off. A clear key deletes the latest entry, whereas the sub and add keys register whether the amount entered is to be subtracted from or added to the current balance.
• An enter key terminates the entry of a transaction.
• the keypad has two scrolling keys (prev/next) for scrolling forwards or backwards among transactions already entered.
• the casing 5 has projecting wall sections 4 along three of its rims on the front of the account register, and these tumed-in wall sections constitute holding members for retaining a cash & debit card.
• the cash & debit card is inserted along the front of the account register from the display end.
• its full length will cover both the display and the keypad of the account register, and it will protect both the LCD crystals of the display and the keypad so that the account register is not switched on unintentionally.
• the reverse of the cash & debit card with its magnetic strip will face the front of the account register, so that also the magnetic strip is protected against mechanical influence.
• the channel formed by the tumed-in wall section can advantageously be designed with friction-enhancing means, as the cash & debit card will then be retained safely in its place; it would then be possible to release the card with the thumb, the friction between thumb and card being sufficient to release the card, when the thumb moves towards the keypad.
• Fig. 3 shows the electronic construction of the account register.
• the user communicates with the account register by means of a keypad 3, where the data entered are transferred to an input/output user interface 6, which will preferably be a standard i/o chip.
• This input/output interface 6 communicates with a calculating chip 7 designed with a central processing unit (CPU) connected with a register, where the algebraic functions are made, a read only memory (ROM) where the software required is stored, and a balance memory (RAM) for storing data on the transactions made. Apart from the amounts in question the latter data will include a transaction number and date.
• the calculating chip has access to a timer 8 providing the account register with information on date and time, if desired.
• the input/output interface 6 displays data retrieved from the calculating chip on the display 2.
• the scrolling keys prev and next make it possible to display previous transactions on the display 2, which is effected by means of the transaction number.
• the transaction number functions as a sort of counting-up unit, since the counter in case of overflow would start over again.
• the account register has two separate power supplies, one of which supplying the units above the dash-dot line in Fig. 3 while the other supplies the units below the line.
• the power supplies could advantageously be lithium batteries, but it would be possible to add solar cells.
• the use of separate power supplies ensures that the memory units are not supplied with power from the same source as the more power-consuming units such as the LCD display.
• the account register can moreover be designed with an output plug for connection to an external personal computer. This would render it possible to transfer the contents of the account register to the harddisk of a PC via a suitably designed interface module. However, it is important that the account register can function on its own.
• the account register can also be designed to include a currency program rendering it possible, by entering exchange rates into the register, to enter amounts in other currencies and update the account in one's own currency.
• the amount of the transaction could advantageously be indicated as being an approximate value, as there would be some uncertainty with regard to the actual exchange rate.
• this currency conversion facility would require some keys, it would be obvious for a worker skilled in the art to implement it into an account register according to the invention.
• the casing of the account register and the holding members for retaining the cash & debit card are designed as two separate units, cf. Fig. 4.
• the casing 9 is designed as described above, but without the holding members for the cash & debit card.
• the holding members are formed by a separate unit 10 made of an injection-moulded plastic material.
• This unit consists of a shell with tumed-in wall sections on the two long sides of the unit and on one of the short sides.
• the casing of the account register is inserted through the open, short side of the shell and then retained in the shell.
• the shell is designed so that it surrounds the casing of the account register and so that the tumed-in wall sections of the shell form the holding member for the cash & debit card.
• the cash & debit card is retained releasably by the holding members formed by the shell with the reverse of the card with its magnetic strip facing the front of the account register.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Business, Economics & Management (AREA)
• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Theoretical Computer Science (AREA)
• Accounting & Taxation (AREA)
• Strategic Management (AREA)
• Finance (AREA)
• General Business, Economics & Management (AREA)
• Technology Law (AREA)
• Marketing (AREA)
• Economics (AREA)
• Development Economics (AREA)
• Computing Systems (AREA)
• Computer Hardware Design (AREA)
• General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Microelectronics & Electronic Packaging (AREA)
• Computer Networks & Wireless Communication (AREA)
• Cash Registers Or Receiving Machines (AREA)
• Calculators And Similar Devices (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=8154685

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (4)

Families Citing this family (5)

Family Cites Families (3)

• 1994
  • 1994-02-28 DK DK9400103U patent/DK9400103U4/da not_active IP Right Cessation
• 1995
  • 1995-02-13 EP EP95908893A patent/EP0755545A1/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 1995-02-13 AU AU17053/95A patent/AU1705395A/en not_active Abandoned
  • 1995-02-13 WO PCT/DK1995/000065 patent/WO1995023377A1/en not_active Application Discontinuation

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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