GB1325101A - Card actuated systems - Google Patents

Abstract

1325101 Card-actuated apparatus; cash dispensers OMRON TATEISI ELECTRONICS CO 19 April 1971 [3 March 1970 27 April 1970] 22860/71 Headings G4T and G4X In a card-actuated system, for example an automatic cash dispenser, in which data manually inserted by the user is checked for a predetermined correspondence with identification data read from the card, an error number related to the number of times of absence of such correspondence is stored with respect to each card, and a card is invalidated when the error number reaches a predetermined limit. In one embodiment the card number i.e. 1150 is read by reader 102 included in a terminal machine 140 and then transmitted to a computer 150 so that a corresponding secret number i.e. 1130 is withdrawn from a memory device 142 in the computer and stored in register 143. The manually inserted secret number applied by means of input device 106 is transmitted to the computer and stored in register 144 and the two secret numbers are then compared by arithmetic element 145. If the predetermined correspondence does not exist the error number is withdrawn from the memory device 142 and stored in register 143 whilst a limit setting device stores a predetermined limit error number in the register 144. The two error numbers are compared and if found equal the arithmetic element produces an output that actuates the card collector 105 in the terminal machine. If the error number is less than the limit number the card returning device 104 is actuated and also the error number increased by one. If the predetermined correspondence does exist the user then requests the amount of money he desires to withdraw by means of the keyboard and this amount is stored in register 144 whilst the present balance is withdrawn from the memory device 142 and stored in register 143. If the amount is less than the present balance the new balance is stored in the memory device, the cash dispenser 107 and card returning device 104 actuated and the error number reduced either to zero or by a predetermined amount. Alternatively the manually inserted secret number may be used to address the memory device and derive a card number therefrom, whch is then compared with the card number read by the reader 102. In another embodiment (Figs. 1 and 3, not shown) the card is held in the system until the third unsuccessful manual insertion of the secret number and then returned to the user with an error number written thereon (in this case the error number is the number of times the card has been returned to the user after such unsuccessful attempts). In further attempts to use the card the error number is read from the card and either reduced to zero or increased by one depending on the success of the attempt. When the error number reaches a certain value, e.g. four (that is twelve manual insertions of the secret number) the card is invalidated. The invalidation may be by collection of the card into the system or by defacing the card before returning it to the user. A timer is provided to limit the length of time allowed for the insertion of the manual data.