GB2264580A - Metering apparatus including a token reader - Google Patents
Metering apparatus including a token reader Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- GB2264580A GB2264580A GB9204177A GB9204177A GB2264580A GB 2264580 A GB2264580 A GB 2264580A GB 9204177 A GB9204177 A GB 9204177A GB 9204177 A GB9204177 A GB 9204177A GB 2264580 A GB2264580 A GB 2264580A
- Authority
- GB
- United Kingdom
- Prior art keywords
- data
- ticket token
- token
- ticket
- reader
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Withdrawn
Links
Classifications
-
- 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
- G06Q20/08—Payment architectures
- G06Q20/12—Payment architectures specially adapted for electronic shopping systems
- G06Q20/127—Shopping or accessing services according to a time-limitation
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
- G06K—GRAPHICAL DATA READING; PRESENTATION OF DATA; RECORD CARRIERS; HANDLING RECORD CARRIERS
- G06K7/00—Methods or arrangements for sensing record carriers, e.g. for reading patterns
- G06K7/08—Methods or arrangements for sensing record carriers, e.g. for reading patterns by means detecting the change of an electrostatic or magnetic field, e.g. by detecting change of capacitance between electrodes
- G06K7/082—Methods or arrangements for sensing record carriers, e.g. for reading patterns by means detecting the change of an electrostatic or magnetic field, e.g. by detecting change of capacitance between electrodes using inductive or magnetic sensors
- G06K7/083—Methods or arrangements for sensing record carriers, e.g. for reading patterns by means detecting the change of an electrostatic or magnetic field, e.g. by detecting change of capacitance between electrodes using inductive or magnetic sensors inductive
- G06K7/084—Methods or arrangements for sensing record carriers, e.g. for reading patterns by means detecting the change of an electrostatic or magnetic field, e.g. by detecting change of capacitance between electrodes using inductive or magnetic sensors inductive sensing magnetic material by relative movement detecting flux changes without altering its magnetised state
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G07—CHECKING-DEVICES
- G07F—COIN-FREED OR LIKE APPARATUS
- G07F15/00—Coin-freed apparatus with meter-controlled dispensing of liquid, gas or electricity
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G07—CHECKING-DEVICES
- G07F—COIN-FREED OR LIKE APPARATUS
- G07F17/00—Coin-freed apparatus for hiring articles; Coin-freed facilities or services
- G07F17/0014—Coin-freed apparatus for hiring articles; Coin-freed facilities or services for vending, access and use of specific services not covered anywhere else in G07F17/00
Landscapes
- Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Business, Economics & Management (AREA)
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Accounting & Taxation (AREA)
- Theoretical Computer Science (AREA)
- Finance (AREA)
- Strategic Management (AREA)
- General Business, Economics & Management (AREA)
- Artificial Intelligence (AREA)
- Computer Vision & Pattern Recognition (AREA)
- Control Of Vending Devices And Auxiliary Devices For Vending Devices (AREA)
Abstract
A credit meter for the supply of electricity, gas or water includes a token reader adapted to receive a token 6 bearing a magnetic stripe 5a for crediting a consumer with a predetermined unit value. The token reader has a road head 1 and means 2 for erasing the data after it has been read. A token detector 11 is positioned in line with the magnetic stripe 5a when the token 6 is inserted, whereby cutting of the token to confuse the detector 11 would result in corruption of the data. Alternatively at least two LED detectors 12, 13 operated for token detection purposes sequentially upon insertion or withdrawal of the token, the sequence of operation of the detectors being detected to ensure that data is effectively readable during token insertion only, and erasure of the data is permitted only after insertion. <IMAGE>
Description
IMPROVEMENTS IN OR RELATING TO METERING APPARATUS
This invention relates to meters for the supply of gas, electricity or water and more especially it relates to electricity credit meters which operate, consequent upon the insertion of a ticket token bearing a magnetic stripe, having data magnetically imprinted therein for the supply to a consumer of a predetermined quantity of electricity determined in dependence upon the said data.
Such meters were introduced to overcome the problem of vandalism, fraud and theft which is associated with coin operated credit meters.
In operation of known meters of the kind which use ticket tokens bearing a magnetic stripe, a consumer is credited with a predetermined unit value of electricity, consequent upon insertion of a ticket token, the data which is magnetically imprinted thereon being thereafter erased or part erased to prevent re-use of the ticket token.
Known apparatus for receiving a ticket token comprises a magnetic read head adapted and arranged to read data carried on the magnetic stripe, an erase head for erasing the data after it has been read and a unit value has been credited to the consumer, and a ticket detection device which is used to detect the presence of a ticket and which serves to prime or enable a data reader when a ticket is inserted. In known arrangements the ticket detection device comprises an LED (Light Emitting Diode) and a light detector, which detector receives an optical signal when light from the LED is reflected from a ticket positioned adjacent to it or interrupted by the ticket. In these known arrangements a single LED is used, positioned so as to detect portions of the ticket to one side of the magnetic stripe which is imprinted magnetically and readable in both directions ie.
when the ticket token is inserted and when it is withdrawn. This known arrangement however, has the serious disadvantage that it can quite simply be defrauded. Thus, if a section of the ticket is cut away such that when the ticket is fully inserted the LED does not sense its presence, the ticket can then be withdrawn and read in reverse with the result that erasure of the data is not effected and accordingly the ticket may be re-used again and again thereby to obtain credit fraudulently.
In an alternative known system a ticket token is provided bearing a magnetic stripe having imprinted thereon data which is uni-directional and consequently can only be read when the ticket token is inserted in a predetermined direction, thereby to ensure that when the data has been read an erasure operation is performed to remove the data from the ticket token, thereby to prevent re-use.
With this alternative known system fraud is also possible since the ticket token may be cut in half and re-joined with the end carrying the code being reversed such that the code is read by the reader as the ticket token is withdrawn whereby erasure can not be effected.
Thus, it will be apparent that the ticket token may be re-used again and again thereby to obtain credit fraudulently.
It will appreciated that if the erasure process can be prevented or rendered ineffective, for example as just before described, then the ticket token may be re-used, and thus it will be appreciated that it is good practice to position the read head and the erase head on the same side of a ticket token when inserted, whereby the ticket token erasure process cannot simply be defeated by means of a magnetic screening film applied to one side of the ticket token which would clearly be effective to defeat the erasure process if the erase head were positioned on one side of the ticket token and the read head were juxtapositioned adjacent the other side of the ticket token..
It is an object of the present invention to provide a ticket token reader for credit ticket tokens bearing a magnetic stripe which cannot be defrauded as just before described.
According to one aspect of the invention, a credit meter for the supply of a product such as electricity to a consumer includes a ticket token reader adapted to receive a ticket token bearing a magnetic stripe having imprinted therein magnetically encoded data to which the reader is responsive for crediting the consumer with a predetermined unit value of the product, the ticket token reader comprising a read head responsive to data imprinted in the stripe, means for erasing the data after it has been read and a ticket token detector which is positioned to have positional correspondence with the data when the ticket token is inserted, whereby cutting of the ticket token in order to confuse the said detector will result in corruption of the data.
The said detector may comprise an LED.
The means for erasing the data may be a separate erase head or the read head may be used in an erase mode.
According to an alternative aspect of the invention, a credit meter for the supply of a product such as electricity to a consumer includes a ticket token reader adapted to receive a ticket token bearing a magnetic stripe having imprinted therein magnetically encoded data to which the reader is responsive for crediting a consumer with a predetermined unit value of the product, the ticket token reader comprising a read head responsive to data magnetically imprinted in the stripe, means for erasing the data after it has been read, and a ticket token detector comprising at least two LED detectors which are operated for ticket detection purposes sequentially consequent upon insertion or withdrawal of the ticket token, the sequence of operation of the LEDs being detected to ensure that data is effectively readable during ticket token insertion operations only, whereby erasure of the data is permitted only after an insertion operation.
Thus, it will be appreciated that with a credit meter having a ticket token reader according to the said one aspect of the invention, or according to the said alternative aspect of the invention, adaptation of a ticket token by means of cutting thereby to render the detector insensitive to the presence of a ticket token when it is fully inserted, so that a reading operation can be effected consequent upon withdrawal of the ticket token so as to avoid erasure, is impossible.
Some embodiments of the invention will now be described solely by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:
FIGURE 1 is a somewhat schematic sectional view of a ticket token reader and a ticket token to be read by the reader;
FIGURE 2 is a somewhat schematic sectional view of a ticket token reader which bears the same numerical designations as the ticket token reader of Figure 1, and a ticket token which has been modified for fraud purposes;
FIGURE 3 is a somewhat schematic sectional view of a ticket token reader which embodies the present invention and a modified ticket token for insertion in the ticket token reader; and
FIGURE 4a is a plan view of a uni-directional ticket token; and,
FIGURE 4b is plan view of a uni-directional ticket token which has been modified for fraud purposes.
Referring now to Figure 1, a ticket token reader comprises a read head 1, an erase head 2 and an LED ticket token sensor 3. The ticket token sensor 3 comprises an LED (Light Emitting Diode) and a photo-detector (neither of which are shown in detail) positioned and arranged such that when a ticket token 4 is inserted into the ticket token reader in the direction of an arrow 5, light from the LED is reflected from the ticket token and detected by the photo-detector.
It will be appreciated that alternatively light may be interrupted by the ticket token. Thus, normally the detector 3 is used to ensure that a reading operation is effected only when a ticket token is inserted whereby it is followed thereafter by an effective erase operation. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that it is possible to insert a ticket token relatively slowly so that the data imprinted in the magnetic stripe 5 (which is arranged to be readable in both directions) cannot be read by the reader 1, thus the ticket token could be fully inserted without any risk of the data carried in the magnetic stripe 5 being read. The ticket token detector 3 is therefore provided to ensure that the ticket token presence is detected and that reverse data reading consequent upon withdrawal is inhibited.
Referring now to Figure 2, a ticket token 6 is shown together with a ticket token reader 7 wherein parts corresponding to Figure 1 bear the same numerical designations. It can be seen from the drawing that the ticket token 6 differs from the ticket token 4 of
Figure 1 in that a small rectangular portion 8 has been cut out. Thus, it will be appreciated that when the ticket token 6 is inserted in the ticket token reader 7, the cut-out will assume the position as shown by a broken line 9 whereby the ticket token sensor 3, which is positioned adjacent the cut-out 8, can no longer detect the presence of the ticket token 6.Thus, when the ticket token 6 is withdrawn the read head 1, reads the data 5a imprinted in the magnetic stripe 5 in reverse as the ticket token is withdrawn and it will be appreciated that the erase head 2 is ineffective on withdrawal since as the ticket token is being moved in the direction of an arrow 10 during withdrawal the data passes clear of the erase head 2 when it is energised.
Referring now to Figure 3, in order to ensure that a ticket token 6, as shown also in Figure 1, which is adapted to include the cut-out 8 cannot be used for fraud purposes, a repositioning or a rearrangement of the ticket token sensor can be effected.
According to one possibility, a ticket token sensor 11 is provided which is arranged to be on the same positional axis as the magnetic stripe 5, when the ticket token is positioned in the reader.
Thus it will be appreciated that any cutting of the ticket token in this region will result in corruption of the data 5a which is carried in the magnetic stripe 5.
In accordance with an alternative embodiment of the invention a pair of LED detectors 12 and 13 are provided, output signals from the detectors 12 and 13 being detected in a signal processor (not shown), so that their sequence is noted whereby the direction of travel of the ticket token 6 is determined. Thus it can be ensured that the data carried in the magnetic stripe 5a is detected only during an insertion operation whereby it is subsequently erased.
It will appreciated that in order to avoid fraud, either of the two alternative arrangements of ticket token detection may be effected.
Referring now to Figure 4, in an alternative form of ticket token a magnetic stripe 14 is provided as shown in Figure 4a, having imprinted thereon a magnetic stripe 15 bearing uni-directional data 15a. With the ticket tokens so far described the data can be reversibly read ie. the reader will recognise the data when the ticket token is withdrawn as well as when it is inserted. With the ticket token as shown in Figure 4a however, a reading operation is permissible only when a ticket is inserted. This kind of ticket token can be quite easily be defrauded by cutting it in half along the broken line 16 as shown in Figure 4a, and reversing the portion on the left hand side so that the arrows 17 face in the opposite direction as shown in Figure 4b. Thus, it will be appreciated that with the modified ticket token, (including a cut-out 18 reading is possible only when the ticket token is withdrawn from the reader and consequently erasure of the data does not take place whereby the ticket token can be re-used again and again. It will be appreciated however, that if two LEDs are used as shown in Figure 3, whereby a read operation is only possible when a ticket token is inserted. This method of obtaining credit fraudulently by ticket token adaption will not work.
It will be appreciated that although the foregoing embodiments describe a ticket token insertion direction indicator comprising two
LEDs that other direction sensing means may be provided as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art.
Claims (6)
1. A credit meter for the supply of a product such as electricity, gas, or water, to a consumer, which meter includes a ticket token reader adapted to receive a ticket token bearing a magnetic stripe having imprinted therein magnetically encoded data to which the reader is responsive for crediting the consumer with a predetermined unit value of the product, the ticket token reader comprising a read head responsive to data imprinted in the stripe, means for erasing the data after it has been read and a ticket token detector which is positioned to have positional correspondence with the data when the ticket token is inserted, whereby cutting of the ticket token in order to confuse the said detector will result in corruption of the data.
2. A meter as claimed in Cairn 1, wherein the said detector comprises an LED.
3. A credit meter for the supply of a product such as electricity, gas, or water, to a consumer which meter includes a ticket token reader adapted to receive a ticket token bearing a magnetic stripe having imprinted therein magnetically encoded data to which the reader is responsive for crediting a consumer with a predetermined unit value of the product, the ticket token reader comprising a read head responsive to data magnetically imprinted in the stripe, means for erasing the data after it has been read, and a ticket token detector comprising at least two LED detectors which are operated for ticket detection purposes sequentially consequent upon insertion or withdrawal of the ticket token, the sequence of operation of the LEDs being detected to ensure that data is effectively readable during ticket token insertion operations only, whereby erasure of the data is permitted only after an insertion operation.
4. A meter as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the means for erasing the data is a separate erase head.
5. A meter as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the means for erasing the data is the read head used in an erase mode.
6. A meter as substantially hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB9204177A GB2264580A (en) | 1992-02-27 | 1992-02-27 | Metering apparatus including a token reader |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB9204177A GB2264580A (en) | 1992-02-27 | 1992-02-27 | Metering apparatus including a token reader |
Publications (2)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| GB9204177D0 GB9204177D0 (en) | 1992-04-08 |
| GB2264580A true GB2264580A (en) | 1993-09-01 |
Family
ID=10711136
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB9204177A Withdrawn GB2264580A (en) | 1992-02-27 | 1992-02-27 | Metering apparatus including a token reader |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| GB (1) | GB2264580A (en) |
Cited By (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GB2453918A (en) * | 2007-06-29 | 2009-04-29 | Paluku Lusi | Erasing magnetically held information |
Citations (4)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GB1165140A (en) * | 1966-01-14 | 1969-09-24 | Ibm | Sheet Marking Apparatus |
| GB1210587A (en) * | 1968-01-15 | 1970-10-28 | Ibm | Recording and reproducing apparatus |
| GB1450361A (en) * | 1974-01-11 | 1976-09-22 | Hewlett Packard Co | Card reader-recorder for use in a handheld calculator |
| GB2152720A (en) * | 1983-12-15 | 1985-08-07 | Cubic Western Data | Automated system for conducting transit fare transactions |
-
1992
- 1992-02-27 GB GB9204177A patent/GB2264580A/en not_active Withdrawn
Patent Citations (4)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GB1165140A (en) * | 1966-01-14 | 1969-09-24 | Ibm | Sheet Marking Apparatus |
| GB1210587A (en) * | 1968-01-15 | 1970-10-28 | Ibm | Recording and reproducing apparatus |
| GB1450361A (en) * | 1974-01-11 | 1976-09-22 | Hewlett Packard Co | Card reader-recorder for use in a handheld calculator |
| GB2152720A (en) * | 1983-12-15 | 1985-08-07 | Cubic Western Data | Automated system for conducting transit fare transactions |
Cited By (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GB2453918A (en) * | 2007-06-29 | 2009-04-29 | Paluku Lusi | Erasing magnetically held information |
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| GB9204177D0 (en) | 1992-04-08 |
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| WAP | Application withdrawn, taken to be withdrawn or refused ** after publication under section 16(1) |