GB2165384A - Admission control system - Google Patents

Abstract

An admission control system for regulating the admission of individual persons through an entrance port (1) comprises a token reader (9) for reading identification data carried on tokens individual to each person, memory means (10) for storing the identification data of valid and/or invalid tokens issued, data processing means (8) connected to the reader (9) and to the memory means (10) for controlling the admission of a token holder through the entrance port (1) in response to the presentation of a token to the token reader, according to whether the identification data of the presented token are valid or invalid, and an exit port (5) which is opened automatically upon the presentation of an invalid token to the reader. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Admission control system This invention relates to an admission control system for regulating the admission of individual persons through an entrance.

The invention has particular, but not exclusive, -application to the controlled and selective admission of persons to an enclosure, for example a sports ground or stadium.

Where large numbers of spectators are crowded into an enclosure such as a stadium, hall or sports ground, considerable damage and injury can be caused by unruly minorities.

Efforts have been made to minimise this risk by issuing season tickets or identity cards to bona fide supporters and patrons, and restricting admission to card holders. This enables some control to be exercised by withdrawing identity cards from individuals who misbehave.

A difficulty arises in the exercise of such control, since it may not always be possible to withdraw an identity card, and where large crowds are involved it would be impracticable to inspect individual cards before admitting holders to an enclosure. Moreover, if a holder of an invalid or cancelled card visits another town, for example to attend an "away" football match, the problem of checking individual identity cards becomes even more difficult, if not impossible.

The present invention seeks to provide a solution to this problem by the storage in an electronic memory of data identifying each individual to whom an identity card or other token has been issued, the memory being accessible under the control of a programme so that entries can be varied, inserted, removed or transferred from one register to another.

The electronic storage of the individual data can be updated as required, irrespective of whether or not a token has been withdrawn from an individual. By providing for the electronic reading of the data on each token at the admission gates of an enclosure it is then possible, by reference to the stored data, to identify instantaneously any invalid or cancelled tokens, without manual inspection being necessary.

In this specification the term "token" is used in a broad sense to comprehend any form of identity-bearing device, including, for example, a punched card of a printed card, using optical character recognition, or a magnetic card or other element, using magnetic character recognition.

According to the present invention there is provided an admission control system for regulating the admission of individual persons through an entrance port, comprising a token reader for reading identification data carried on tokens individual to each person, memory means for storing the identification data of valid and/or invalid tokens issued, data processing means connected to the reader and to the memory means for controlling the admission of a token holder throught the entrance port, in response to the presentation of a token to the token reader, according to whether the identification data of the presented token are valid or invalid, and an exit port which is opened automatically upon the presentation of an invalid token to the reader.

A token holder will be admitted through the entrance port only if the holder presents a valid token to the token reader; if the token presented to the reader is identified as invalid by the data processing means the token holder will be routed or channelled to the exit port.

In the control of very large crowds such as those attending a sports stadium or football ground, the amount of information which must be stored for the purpose of checking the tokens, will be large. The invention in its preferred form provides a means by which this information may be organised and rapidly accessed.

According to this aspect of the invention the identification data carried on each token includes a key and data further identifying the information to whom the token has been issued. The memory means comprises a large capacity memory such as a Winchester disc which is loaded with the keys and data of those tokens which are to be regarded as valid and a working memory is loaded from the large capacity memory with only the keys from the data stored in that memory. The data processing means then compares the key information read from the tokens by the readers with the keys stored in the working memory to determine whether or not an individual should be admitted.

The system may include a first gate, leading to the entrance port, which is unlocked or opened in response to the presentation of a valid token to the reader, and a second gate, leading to the exit port, which is unlocked or opened in response to the presentation of an invalid token to the reader, to route or channel the token holder to the exit port.

In an alternative arrangement the system includes a turnstile which, upon being released for rotation in one direction, admits a person to the entrance port, and which, upon being released for rotation in the opposite direction, admits a person to the exit, the data processing means being arranged to release the turnstile for rotation in one or the other direction according to whether a token presented to the reader is valid or invalid respectively.

The token reader may retain invalid tokens presented to it.

The identification data carried by each token may include, in addition to the name of the token holder, the holder's address and the name of the team, supporters' club or other authority which issued the token.

The system may include a printer and be arranged to provide a print-out of the identification keys of all invalid tokens presented for admission. Processing means may also be programmed to provide from the information stored in the working memory and the large capacity memory information identifying the holders of the valid tokens presented.

It is envisaged that the system according to the invention would be adopted uniformly by all sports-ground authorities associated with a given competitive sport. For example, all the football grounds affiliated to a given football league or association or other group of clubs would install equipment in accordance with the system. Where two clubs were due to play against each other at a given stadium the managing authority of the stadium would be given the necessary data, for example on magnetic tape or disc, to update the memory means with all the identification date of the valid token holders affiliated to the two clubs.

Spectators who are not associated with the two clubs, or who for other reasons do not hold tokens, will have to use separate entrances, but since these spectators will be in minority the policing and supervision of these entrances should not prove difficult.

The system according to the invention may be installed as permanent equipment at a sports ground or stadium. Alternatively, the system may be embodied in a form which can be erected temperarily as required, using, for example, portable interconnected wire mesh panels to form barriers and the boundary walls of entrance and exit ports and channels.

Such a temporary installation may, for example, be erected at a railway station to control admission to special trains for football supporters travelling to an 'away' match.

The invention will be further described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an admission control system according to one embodiment of the invention, and Figure 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an admission control system according to another embodiment of the invention.

Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the data handling features of the preferred form of the invention.

Fig. 1 illustrates an entrance to a sports ground or stadium. The entry to the ground or stadium is through an entrance port 1 along a corridor 2 defined between parallel steel mesh fences b, each approximately 7 feet high. Access to the corridor 2 is controlled by a first turnstile 3. A second corridor 4 is erected between mesh fences b adjacent the first corridor 2 and leads to an exit port 5. Access to the second corridor is controlled by a second turnstile 6.

The two turnstiles 3, 6, which are closely adjacent to one other, are both controlled by a common trip device 7 the operation of which is controlled remotely by a data processor 8. Thus each turnstile 3, 6 has a solenoidreleased locking pawl which normally locks the associated turnstile and which is selectively releasable by the trip device 6 to release the turnstile 3 or 6 under control of the data processor 8.

The data processor 8 is connected to a token reader 9 of any suitable type for reading identification data carried on a token. The token may, for example, comprise a card provided with a magnetic strip on which the identification data are recorded. The token reader 9 provides a digital electronic output signal representing an identification key recorder in the token. This output signal is compared by a comparator in the processor 8 with a key stored in a random access working memory 10, and if the data match the processor 8 provides an output signal to the trip device 7, causing the latter to release the turnstile 3 to admit the token holder to the entrance corridor 2. Conversely, if the data do not match, the processor provides an output signal to the trip device 7, causing the latter to release the turnstile 6 to admit the token holder to the second corridor 4.

The memory 10 may additionally include means for storing the identification data of all invalid tokens. If an invalid token is presented to the reader 9 an acoustic alarm 11 may be tripped.

The processor 8 has an associated printer 12 which may be used to list the keys of all invalid tokens presented.

The printer 12 may also be used to provide a list of all persons admitted. For this purpose the processing means must include programmes which record the identification keys of the tokens presented and use this information to access the more complete records in the large capacity memory.

Fig. 2 shows schematically an alternative turnstile arrangment, in which the same reference characters are used to identify the same or corresponding parts. In the embodiment of Fig. 2 the two turnstiles 3, 6 are replaced by a single bi-directional turnstile 13 which controls admission both to the entrance port 1 and the exit port 5. When the trip device 7 is activated by a signal from the processor 8 resulting from the presentation of a valid token to the reader 9 it releases the turnstile 13 for rotation in the direction R to admit the token bearer to the corridor 2 leading to the entrance port 1; when the trip device 7 is activated by a signal from the processor 8 resulting from the presentation of an invalid token to the reader 9 it releases the turnstile 13 for rotation in the direction L to admit the token bearer to the corridor 4 leading to the exit port 5.

Where the token bearer 9 is of the type which receives a card through any entry slot, the reader may be adapted to retain any invalid token presented to it, such "reject tok ends" being collected in a sealed bin 14. Valid tokens are returned by the token reader 9 immediately the processor 8 has sent the relevant turnstile release signal to the trip device 7.

The schematic diagram of Fig. 3 shows the data handling arrangements for a particular embodiment of this invention.

The embodiment is designed for a stadium or sports ground having a total capacity of 100,000. It will be assumed that the tokens of those attending contain an identification key comprising eight decimal digits. Such a key would occupy four bites of memory, giving a total memory requirement of 400,000 bites.

Accordingly, the system is provided with a working memory 10 of a capacity of half a megabite. In addition, there is a large capacity memory comprising a Winchester disc drive 15 with its disc controller 16. The processor which is a 16 bit processor 8, the working memory, the disc memory and other components to be described are coupled to an interconnecting bus 17. The processor 8 is also connected to a console unit comprising a VDU and keyboard 18 and to a printer 12.

The card readrs 9 and the turnstile controllers 7 are connected respectively to input/output interfaces 19, 20 which are coupled to the bus 17 and a tape steamer 21 is also coupled to the bus.

Assuming that it is required to control the admission of spectators to a football match, the home football club and the visiting football club will each provide, in advance, a tape containing the names and addresses and identification keys of their supporters who hold valid tokens. These tapes are read into the Winchester disc drive 1 5 from the tape streamer 21 through the interconnecting bus 17 and the appropriate interfaces. The processor then causes the identification keys only of the valid token holders to be read from the Winchester disc into the working memory 10.

As each spectator enters he places his token in one of the card readers 9 where the identification key is read and supplied via the interface 19 and the bus 17 to the processor which compares it with the keys held in the working memory 10. According to whether or not a match is recorded the corresponding turnstile controller 7 is activated to admit the holder or to bar him from entry and allow him only access to the exit. If the comparison fails to match the card reader may be caused to retain the token and the printer 12 to print the rejected identification key. Alternatively the keys of rejected tokens may be stored in a further memory (not shown in the Figure) and sorted and printed at a later time.

If required records of those who have attended can be printed by reading the keys from the working memory and accessing the appropriate records in the Winchester disc drive.

The capacity of Winchester disc drive required depends on the record size and the maximum crowd to be accommodated. Assuming a maximum crowd of 100,000 as above, and supposing that the data required to be held comprise 150 bites the capacity needed would be 15 megabites of storage half of which would be occupied by data contributed by the home and half by the visiting team. Each tape would thus be required to store approximately 721 mega bites of information. As an alternative other forms such as floppy discs could be used but in general magnetic tape is likely to be the most convenient medium.

For security against failure of the control system the processor and possibly the working memory may be duplicated and if desired also the disc drive and tape streamer, back up copies of the tapes are in any case desirable.

Claims (8)

1. An admission control system for regulating the admission of individual persons through an entrance port, comprising a token reader for reading identification data carried on tokens individual to each person, memory means for storing the identification data of valid and/or invalid tokens issued, data processing means connected to the reader and to the memory means for controlling the admission of a token holder through the entrance port in response to the presentation of a token to the token reader, according to whether the identification data of the presented token are valid or invalid, and an exit port which is opened automatically upon the presentation of an invalid token to the reader.

2. An admission control system according to Claim 1 in which the identification data carried on each token includes a key and data further identifiying the individual to whom the token has been issued, the memory means comprises a large capacity memory which in operation is loaded with the keys and data of valid tokens and a working memory loaded from the large capacity memory with the valid keys, and the processing means compares the keys read from the tokens by the reader with the valid keys stored in the working memory.

3. An admission control system according to Claim 1 or Claim 2 in which the tokens include an identification of the authority issuing the token, and the processing means is arranged to check the issuing authoriser identification.

4. An admission control system according to any preceding claim including a first gate leasing to the entrance port, which is unlocked or opened in response to the presentation of a valid token to the reader, and a second gate leading to the exit port, which is unlocked or opened in response to the pre sentation of an invalid token to the reader to admit the token holder to the exit port.

5. An admission control system according to Claim 1, 2, or 3 including a turnstile which, upon being released for rotation in one direction admits a person to the entrance port, and which, upon being released for rotation in the opposite direction, admits a person to the exit port, the data processing means being arranged to release the turnstile for rotation in one or the other direction according to whether a token presented to the reader is valid or invalid respectively.

6. An admission control system according to any preceding claim in which the token reader is adapted to accept and retain all invalid tokens presented thereto.

7. An admission control system substantially as herein described with reference to and as shown in Fig. 1 or Fig. 2 of the accompanying drawings.

8. An admission control system according to Claim 1 in which the data processing and memory means are organised and arranged to operate substantially as shown in and as herein described with reference to Fig. 3 of the drawings.