JP2000268132A - Recycle system for information recording card and ticket issuing machine with collection function - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To establish a recycle system of used information recording cards and to attain the effective use of resources by fetching and collecting the use information recording cards in a ticket issuing machine and issuing an information recording card of a denomination equivalent to the total sum of the balance of the used recording cards and the amount inserted out of the encoded information recording cards. SOLUTION: A ticket issuing machine 4 fetches and collects the 0-yen cards into a collection box when the 0-yen cards and cash are inserted into the machine 4. Meanwhile, a full amount IC card of a denomination equivalent to the amount that is selected by a selection button is selected as a card to be issued among those full amount IC cards which are previously stocked in a supply box. Then the card information, cash information, etc. are transmitted from a center 7. Thus, a full amount IC card is issued when a ticket issue permission command is received from the center 7. An encoding factory 2 encodes the 0-yen cards received from various service facilities 3, issues the full amount IC cards and delivers these IC cards to the facilities 3.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a system for recycling an information recording card used for paying for a service or for paying for a product, and a ticketing machine with a collecting function for a used information recording card.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, most of prepaid cards have been used mainly in a so-called "disposable" type, in which the card is discarded after being used up. The problem of effective use of the information) has been highlighted in many fields. For this reason, it is necessary to review the "disposable" type of usage, which is a general usage of the conventional prepaid card, and to promote the recycling and reuse of the card.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to establish a recycling system for a used information recording card and to make effective use of resources.

[0004]

The present invention has the following features to attain the object mentioned above. That is, a recycling system according to claim 1 is a recycling system for reusing an information recording card used for settlement of a price, wherein the encoder encodes the collected used information recording card and the encoder encodes the used information recording card. When the used information recording card and cash are inserted in the machine, the used information recording card is taken in the machine and collected, and the encoded information recording card is From among them, information transmitted and received between a ticket issuing machine for issuing an information recording card of a face equivalent to the total amount of the used information recording card balance and the inserted amount, and between the ticket issuing machine and the encoder And issuing a ticketing permission command for the information recording card based on the information. Those characterized by comprising an information management means for transmitting.

[0005] In this configuration, the used information recording card inserted into the ticket issuing machine is taken into the machine and collected, and the information recording card to be issued uses the encoded information recording card previously stored in the machine. Of these, the information recording card on the face corresponds to the total amount of the card balance and the inserted amount.

[0006] This ticketing process is performed in accordance with a ticketing permission command received from information management means for managing information transmitted and received between the ticketing machine and the encoder. The used information recording card captured inside the ticketing machine is encoded by the encoder and becomes reusable,
It is stocked in the ticketing machine again.

[0007] When a used information recording card is collected by a ticket issuing machine, a used information recording card collected by the ticket issuing machine is encoded by an encoder, or an information recording card is issued from the ticket issuing machine, the ticket issuing machine is used. And the information is transmitted from the encoder to the information management means. Thereby, the information management means can also manage the distribution state of the information recording card.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a ticket issuing machine for issuing an information recording card used for settlement of a value, wherein the used information recording card inserted in the card slot is taken in and collected in the machine. And a card surface corresponding to the total amount of the balance of the used information recording card and the inserted amount from among the encoded information recording cards previously stocked in the machine separately from the collected used information recording card. And a ticket issuing unit for issuing the information recording card.

In this configuration, the used information recording card inserted into the ticket issuing machine is taken into the collection unit and collected. On the other hand, the ticket issuing section issues an information recording card having a face equivalent to the sum of the balance of the used information recording card and the inserted amount from among the encoded information recording cards previously stored in the machine.

[0010] If the used information recording card balance is less than a certain amount, the ticket issuing machine displays the card balance on the screen without taking it into the collection unit, and discharges the inserted used information recording card as it is. May be configured.

In the ticket issuing machine according to a third aspect of the present invention, in the ticket issuing machine according to the second aspect, the ticket issuing unit records the information according to a ticket issuing permission command received from an information management unit that manages information on the information recording card. It has a control unit for issuing a card.

In this configuration, the ticketing process is performed in accordance with the ticketing permission command transmitted from the information management means to the ticketing machine.
That is, the information management means checks whether or not the information recording card selected as the ticketing target has been encoded. If the encoded information recording card has been encoded, the ticketing is permitted. Re-select the recording card.

[0013]

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a payment system including an information recording card recycling system according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, an IC card (information recording card) delivered by a card maker 1 is subjected to an encoding process for recording card information necessary for settlement of a price at an encoding factory (encoder) 2 and transmitted to a service facility 3. Delivered.

In the IC card, card information such as card ID, status (for example, encoded, issued, and collected), amount information such as the face and balance, and date information such as the issue date and expiration date are recorded as card information. The user of the service facility 3 can receive various services using the IC card. The service facility 3 is a department store that provides goods sales (product sales) and entertainment services,
It is a facility that provides services to the public, such as supermarkets, retail stores, restaurants, and entertainment facilities. In the service facility 3, a ticketing machine 4, a deposit machine 5, a reading device 6, and the like are installed.

The ticket issuing machine 4 is a device for issuing a full-payment IC card to a user of the service facility 3 for a fee. The ticket issuing unit further includes a control unit for issuing a ticket in accordance with a ticket issuing permission command received from the center (information management means) 7. As shown in FIG. 2, when a 0-yen card is inserted into the ticket issuing machine 4 as shown in FIG. 2, the 0-yen card is taken into the collection box 12 in the machine and collected.

On the other hand, in the ticketing process, when cash is inserted into the cash insertion slot 13 and the selection button 14 is pressed, it corresponds to the selected amount from the full IC cards previously stocked in the supply box 15 in the machine. This is a process of selecting a full IC card and issuing it from the ticket issuing port 16. In addition,
In FIG. 2, reference numeral 17 denotes a money amount display screen, and 18 denotes a card sample. The money amount display screen 17 displays the inserted money amount and the card balance in parallel.

The depositing machine 5 is a device for adding the balance of the IC card possessed by the user. If the user inserts the IC card and cash, the card balance becomes the sum of the insertion balance and the inserted amount. Updated to the amount. The reading device 6 is attached to a device that provides product sales and entertainment services, and when a user receives a product sales or service using an IC card, the value is offset from the card balance.

The center 7 is connected to the encoding factory 2 and the service facility 3 and stores information on the IC card encoded in the encoding factory 2 and the IC card used in the service facility 3 in a fixed manner in each IC card. Are managed in a database based on the card ID given to the. The center 7 can also send commands to each device installed in the service facility 3 to control the operation of these devices.

For example, when a ticketing permission command is transmitted to the ticketing machine 4, or when the IC card inserted into the depositing machine 5 or the reading device 6 is to be collected due to improper use or expiration, the IC card Can be sent to the deposit machine 5 or the reading device 6 to be collected.

Thus, the information recording card recycling system according to the present embodiment is an encoding factory 2, a ticketing machine 4,
And the center 7. Next, an outline of the recycling system will be described with reference to FIG.

In the ticket issuing machine 4, when the 0 yen card and the cash are inserted, the 0 yen card is taken into the collection box 12 to be collected, and from the full IC card previously stocked in the supply box 15, The full-value IC card corresponding to the amount selected by the selection button 14 is selected as a ticketing target, and the card information and cash information of the zero-yen card and the full-value IC card are transmitted to the center 7. Thereafter, when a ticketing permission command is received from the center 7, a full IC card is issued.

In the encoding factory 2, each service facility 3
Encode the 0 yen card sent from the company, convert it to a full IC card, and deliver it to the service facility 3. At the center 7, a 0 yen card is collected or full I
Every time a C card is issued or a 0 yen card is encoded, the contents of the database related to the IC card,
For example, the status is rewritten in the order of “collected” → “ticketed” → “encoded”.

Next, details of the processing flow of the recycling system according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. When the IC card and the cash are inserted into the ticket issuing machine 4, an error check of the IC card and the cash is performed. This error check is mainly a physical check of the card shape and the like. If the check cannot be passed, error processing such as taking in and collecting inside the machine and discharging outside the machine is performed.

If the IC card is not a zero-yield card even after passing the error check, the card balance is displayed on the money amount display screen 17 and the inserted IC card is inserted into the card insertion slot. It is discharged from 11 as it is. On the other hand, if the IC card is a 0 yen card, the 0 yen card is taken into the machine and collected in the collection box 12. At this time, the card issuing machine 4 transmits the card ID: A of the collected 0 yen card to the center 7, and the center 7 changes the status of the IC card having the card ID: A from "issued" to "collected". Rewrite the contents of the database so that

Next, assuming that the user presses the selection button 14 of, for example, 1000 yen, the ticket issuing machine 4 selects a ticketing target from the full IC card of 1,000 yen in the face which is stocked in the supply box 15 in advance. Then, the card ID: B of the selected IC card is transmitted to the center 7. Then
The center 7 searches the database for an IC card having the card ID: B received from the ticket issuing machine 4, and checks whether the status of the IC card is "encoded".

Here, the status is "encoded".
If not, the center 7 does not permit the ticketing of the IC card, transmits a change command of the ticketing target to the ticketing machine 4, and has a card ID different from the card ID: B in the ticketing machine 4. Error processing such as reselection of an IC card is performed.
In this process, the ticket issuing machine 4 which has received the change command selects another IC card from the supply box 15 and transmits the card ID to the center 7 again. At this time, the control unit does not cause the ticket issuing process to be performed.

As a result of the status check, if the status is “encoded”, the center 7
D: The status of the IC card having the B is rewritten to “issued ticket”, and a ticketing permission command is transmitted to the ticketing machine 4. The control unit causes the ticket issuing process to be performed according to the instruction. That is, the ticket issuing machine 4 writes information such as the date of issue and the service facility that issued the ticket on the IC card of the card ID: B to be issued, and issues the ticket. Thereafter, the card information is transmitted to the center 7.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5, the zero-yen card collected in the collection box 12 of the ticket issuing machine 4 and sent to the encoding factory 2 becomes reusable by being encoded. For the encoded IC card, the card ID: A is transmitted to the center, and at the center 7, the status of the IC card having the card ID: A is “issued ticket”.
Rewrites the database to "encoded" from.

As described above, the center 7 performs processing while performing information communication with the ticket issuing machine 4 and the encoding factory 2, and further, the result of the information communication performed with the deposit machine 5 and the reading device 6. In addition, the information on the IC card is rewritten and stored one by one. As a result, all the ICs used in the service facility 3 are grasped while grasping the distribution state of the IC card.
Comprehensively manages card payments.

As described above, according to the recycling system according to the present embodiment, the zero yen card inserted into the ticket issuing machine 4 is collected, and the full IC card previously stocked in the machine separately is collected. By issuing a ticket, a zero-yen card recycling system can be established. Therefore, resources can be effectively used, and the cost of the IC card medium can be reduced by increasing the number of reuses.

In the present embodiment, the ticket issuing machine 4 for collecting only the zero-yen card whose card balance is zero has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to the collection of zero-yen cards. It is also possible to make it possible for the ticketing machine 4 to collect used IC cards for which the amount of money is less than a certain amount. In such a case, if the balance of the used IC card inserted into the card insertion slot 11 is equal to or less than a certain amount, the used IC card is taken into the collection box 12 and collected, and the full IC card stocked in the supply box 15 is collected. From the middle, the full amount I corresponding to the total amount of the card balance and the inserted amount
It is configured to issue a C card.

In this configuration, when the balance of the used IC card inserted in the ticket issuing machine 4 is small, the used IC card is taken into the machine without being discharged as it is and collected, and the total amount of the card balance and the inserted amount is used. Since a full-value IC card corresponding to is issued again, it is possible to effectively collect not only a zero-yen card but also a used IC card having a small card balance.

That is, if the user receives an article purchase or an entertainment service in the service facility 3 and the card balance becomes zero, the 0 yen card is discarded on the spot or possessed. Often leave without leaving. Then, when the user enters the same service facility 3 next time, the user does not necessarily enter with the 0 yen card, so that there is a possibility that the 0 yen card cannot be recycled.

On the other hand, even if the amount is small, if there is a balance in the IC card owned by the user, when re-entering,
It is common to have the IC card. In such a case, since the balance of the IC card possessed is small, when the purchase of goods or the provision of entertainment services is provided, the card balance becomes zero in a relatively short time after entry, and the ticketing machine 4
You will receive a ticket at Therefore, used IC
The collection rate of the card is improved, and the reduction in the cost of the card medium due to the increase in the number of times of reuse and the effective use of resources become more effective.

Further, in the above embodiment, the money amount information is recorded on the IC card, and when the card balance becomes zero or a fixed amount or less, the money amount is collected. It is also possible to record information, record expiration dates and the like in addition to the price information and the frequency information, and set these as parameters for checking whether card collection is necessary. In such a case, the parameters are set by a command from the center 7.

Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the zero yen card is converted into a full IC card at the encoding factory 2 and then delivered to the service facility 3, but the service facility 3 is kept with the card balance being zero. And the card balance may be written based on a command from the center 7 when a ticket is issued from the ticket issuing machine 4.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the ticket issuing machine 4 is configured to issue a full IC card different from the inserted IC card. If the amount is equal to or less than the fixed amount, the amount information obtained by adding the deposit amount to the balance of the inserted used IC card is recorded on the inserted IC card, discharged, and the card information is transmitted to the center 7. Is also good.

[0038]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, the used information recording card inserted into the ticket issuing machine is collected, and the information recording card previously stocked in the machine separately from this is collected. I am trying to issue tickets. The information recording card to be issued is an information recording card that has already been collected as a used card by a ticket issuing machine and encoded by an encoder. Therefore, according to the present invention, a recycling system for a used information recording card is established, resources can be effectively used, and the cost of an IC card medium can be reduced by increasing the number of times of reuse.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram showing a payment system using an information recording card.

FIG. 2 is an overall configuration diagram showing an embodiment of a recycling system according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing one embodiment of a ticket issuing machine according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a processing flow in a ticket issuing machine and a center.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a processing flow in an encoding factory and a center.

[Explanation of symbols]

 2 Encoding factory (encoder) 3 Service facility 4 Ticketing machine 7 Center (information management means)

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A recycling system for reusing an information recording card used for settlement of a value, comprising: an encoder for encoding a recovered used information recording card; and an information recording card encoded by the encoder. When the used information recording card and cash which have been stocked in the machine in advance and used are inserted, the used information recording card is taken into the machine and collected, and the used information recording card is used out of the encoded information recording card. A ticket issuing machine that issues an information recording card of a face equivalent to the total amount of the balance of the information recording card and the inserted amount, and manages information transmitted and received between the ticket issuing machine and the encoder, and Information management means for transmitting a ticketing permission command for the information recording card to the ticketing machine based on information. A recycling system characterized by becoming. 2. A ticket-issuing machine for issuing an information recording card used for settlement of a value, a collection unit for taking in a used information recording card inserted into a card slot and collecting the card in the machine, Issuing an information recording card having a face equivalent to the sum of the balance of the used information recording card and the inserted amount from among the encoded information recording cards previously stored in the machine separately from the information recording card. A ticket issuing machine comprising: a ticket issuing unit. 3. The ticket issuing unit according to claim 2, further comprising: a control unit configured to issue a ticket of the information recording card in accordance with a ticket issuing permission command received from an information management unit that manages information on the information recording card. The ticketing machine described.