GB1351455A - Apparatus for transmitting information regarding monetary trans actions - Google Patents

Abstract

1351455 Substation apparatus R C FREETHY 19 April 1971 [6 Feb 1970] 5900/70 Heading H4K [Also in Division G4] A system for making monetary transactions between a plurality of local stations and a main station, e.g. via a telecommunication system comprises at each local station means to accept cash, to generate an encoded signal characteristic of the cash value received and to transmit that signal to the main station the signal generator means and/or the transmitter means being controlled by clock pulses, the main station including means to decode signals produced by a local station apparatus and a synchronizing signal generator arranged to transmit said clock pulses to the local stations. The system described is used for placing bets. A punter wishing to place a bet employs a card reader 32 or a push-button automatic dialling code generator to couple that local station to the main station via a telephone system including wire or radio links. After an initial conversation between the punter and a clerk at main station switches 33 and 41 are thrown to interconnect the automatic equipments shown in the lower portion of the Figure to allow the monetary transaction to take place. Each local station includes coin and note acceptors 36, an alarm 39 which operates if either acceptor is tampered with, an encoder 35 (detailed in Fig. 3, not shown) comprising a pair of seven stage shift registers with selectively controlled feedback loops which generate (under the control of incoming clock signals) 127 bit codes for ú1 and 10p coin signals and counters which control repeated cycling for ú5 and 50p coins, a display unit 37 for displaying the values transmitted and a receipt unit 38 which issues a receipt under control of a local push-button, signals from the betting office or from the cash acceptor. The main station or betting office includes a clock signal source 47, a decoder unit 44 (detailed in Fig. 4, not shown) operating in a manner similar to the encoder 35 to generate simultaneously the ú1 and 10p codes and including AND gates that compare these codes bit by bit with an incoming code and increment error counters every time a difference is detected a signal being declared valid if less than a predetermined number of bits are in error, a display unit for displaying the values received to enable the clerk to make a record and a printer unit for printing those values. A tape recorder unit 42 operating throughout the connection records both the verbal transactions and the coin signals which due to modems 34 and 43 are of audio tone form.