JP2002117280A - Point card system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a point card system in which required costs for system equipment and costs for system maintenance are reduced. SOLUTION: The point card system includes a POS terminal device 20 provided with an interface for reading and writing data from and to an IC card and data collecting and distributing terminals 30 provided with the interfaces for reading and writing data from and to an the IC card and networked with a main computer. In the system, when purchasing merchandise, the device 20 carries out only rewriting of data within the IC memory of the IC card to record data on the newest number of points constantly in the IC card. Only when a customer inserts the IC card into the terminals 30 or makes it read the IC card data with a proper timing, data stored in the IC memory of the IC card is transferred to the main computer to unnecessitate online real time processing to construct the system at low cost.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an IC card, and more particularly to a point card system using a non-contact IC card having a rewrite display section.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, it has been difficult for a retailer to use a card capable of recording computer-readable electromagnetic data as a point card for fixing customers.
Well done. In a point card system using a card having a magnetic storage unit (hereinafter referred to as a magnetic card) which is generally used at present, due to the limitation of the memory capacity, only the customer identification information (such as an ID number) is stored in the magnetic storage unit of the card. Since it is recorded and used, it is necessary to constantly manage information online with a main computer in a card reading / writing device integrated with a POS terminal in order to give points according to the purchase price and to manage the points. This is because the customer's point number data that needs to be constantly updated in real time is managed by the central main computer.

[0003]

Therefore, such a point card system using a magnetic card requires a system equipment cost and a system maintenance cost for maintaining a level of availability required as an online real-time processing system. And Further, in order to notify the customer of the number of points held by the customer, it is necessary to construct a notification system such as periodically notifying the customer by direct mail.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and provides a point card system which requires less system equipment cost and system maintenance cost and is more convenient than a magnetic card. As an issue.

[0005]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a point card system using an IC card, the POS terminal having an interface for reading and writing data from and to the IC card. In a system including a device and a data collection / distribution terminal having a data read / write interface to / from an IC card and connected to a main computer via a network, when a product is purchased, the POS terminal device is stored in an IC memory of the IC card. Only when the customer reads the data recorded on the card by, for example, inserting the IC card into the data collection and distribution terminal at an appropriate timing. Online real-time processing by transferring stored data to the main computer A point card system characterized in that it the system constructed at relatively low cost by eliminating the need.

According to a second aspect of the present invention for solving the above-mentioned problems, in the point card system according to the first aspect, the data collection / delivery terminal has a built-in printer, This is a point card system having a function of printing out a part of data stored in a memory by the printer and informing the customer of the number of points held by the customer.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, which solves the above-mentioned problems, in the point card system according to the first aspect, the data collection / delivery terminal includes a rewrite display for an IC card having a rewrite display section. A part of the data stored in the memory of the IC card is printed on a rewrite display section of the card to inform the customer of the number of points held by the customer. This is a point card system provided with.

Further, a fourth aspect of the present invention for solving the above-mentioned problems.
Is a point card system using a non-contact IC card having a rewrite display section,
A POS terminal device having an interface for reading and writing data to and from a card, a data reading and writing interface for a non-contact IC card, and a print head for a rewrite display unit, and connected to a main computer via a network. In a system including a data collection and distribution terminal, when purchasing a product, the POS terminal device only rewrites data in the IC memory of the non-contact IC card, and at an appropriate timing, the customer sends the data to the data collection and distribution terminal. When the non-contact IC card is inserted, the data stored in the IC memory of the non-contact IC card is transferred to the main computer, and the data stored in the IC memory is written to the rewrite display section of the non-contact IC card. Some information is printed, and data writing at the time of product purchase also improves operability. Is above the held points, etc. of the customer can be displayed as can be seen in the customer, and a point card system characterized in that it the system constructed at relatively low cost by eliminating the need for online real-time processing.

The non-contact IC card receives a modulated wave transmitted from a reader / writer, and a coil which functions as an antenna for transmitting a signal obtained by modulating data to be transmitted from the card to the reader / writer, and rectifies the received modulated wave. Rectifier circuit that supplies the power as power, a demodulation circuit that demodulates the modulated wave to a digital signal, a modulation circuit that modulates the digital signal and outputs the modulated wave, and a CPU that processes the digital signal
It has a configuration in which an integrated circuit in which a non-volatile memory or the like for storing data and the like is integrated into one chip is embedded in a card, and is used as a commuter pass for transportation or a permit for entering / leaving a building.

On the other hand, a so-called thermal rewritable card (hereinafter referred to as a rewritable card) capable of printing and recording character information and the like many times on a printing / recording surface of a card by heating treatment has been put to practical use. The print recording area of the rewritable card is formed by laminating a light reflection layer on a card base, a print recording layer thereon, and a protective layer thereon. In the print recording layer, particles made of an organic low-molecular substance (higher fatty acid) having a particle size of 1 μm or less are dispersed in a synthetic resin. By repeating a relatively large single crystal state and a polycrystalline state that tends to scatter light, cloudy character figures are repeatedly formed.

A non-contact rewritable card in which a print recording area of a rewritable card is formed in a part of the non-contact IC card has also been developed.

[0012]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A point card system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the point card system 1, a non-contact rewritable card in which a print recording area of a rewritable card is formed in a part of the non-contact IC card is used.

FIG. 4 shows a non-contact rewritable card 1 in which a print recording area of a rewritable card is formed in a part of the non-contact card.
FIG. A rewrite print recording area 503 is formed on the surface of the card. Inside the card, a coil 502 that receives a modulated wave transmitted from the reader / writer and also functions as an antenna for transmitting a signal obtained by modulating data to be transmitted from the card to the reader / writer, and rectifies the received modulated wave to generate electric power A rectifier circuit, a demodulation circuit that demodulates a modulated wave to a digital signal, a modulation circuit that modulates a digital signal and outputs a modulated wave, a CPU that processes a digital signal, and a non-volatile memory that stores data. A chip-shaped integrated circuit 501 is embedded.

FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of the point card system 1. Reference numeral 10 denotes a contactless IC card with a rewrite function used as a point card for customers. 20
Is a POS terminal having a built-in read / write interface of a non-contact IC card, which gives points to a customer at the time of purchase, and transmits point data to be added or point data after addition to the card 10;
Further, a program for performing point exchange and transmitting point data to be subtracted or point data after the subtraction to the card 10 is incorporated. Reference numeral 30 denotes a collection and distribution terminal. Equipped with a read / write interface for the non-contact IC card 10 and an erasure print head for the rewrite display area 503, read the recorded contents from the customer card 10 and transfer them to the main computer, and print the customer's possession point data and the like in the rewrite display area 503. Function is programmed. A main computer 40 manages a customer database 41. The plurality of collection / delivery terminals 30 and the main computer 40 form a network.

Next, an operation mode of the point card system 1 will be described with reference to a flowchart of FIG. In FIG. 3, the left column shows the operation of the customer, and the right column shows the operation of the main computer. First, a new customer creates a new point card 10 at the collection and distribution terminal 30 (S00). The information of the new customer is transmitted to the main computer 40, and the customer database 41 managed by the main computer 40
Registered in. Thereafter, when the customer comes to the store with the card 10 and pays for the purchase, the POS terminal 20
Information such as the purchase price, the number of points to be granted, or updated points retained is transmitted to the card 10. The card 10 receives this signal, the built-in CPU performs necessary calculations, and records it as the present point data (S02). Alternatively, the customer can carry the card 10 to visit the store and exchange the number of points when the customer pays for the purchase. Also in this case, necessary information is transmitted from the POS terminal 20 to the card 10, the card 10 receives this signal, the built-in CPU performs calculations necessary for the point exchange, and calculates the number of points after the point exchange. Record as current holding point data (S0
3). Thereafter, the same processing is performed every time the store is used.

[0016] The customer can use the rewrite display area 5 of the card 10.
03 to display the current number of points held or for other purposes at a certain timing.
When the card 10 is inserted into the card 10, the control program of the collection / delivery terminal 30 reads out customer identification information, the number of points held, and other data recorded in the nonvolatile memory of the card 10 and sends them to the main computer 40. The current point number is printed in the rewrite display area (S10). The main computer 40 receives the data transmitted from the collection and distribution terminal 30, and updates the customer's point data and the like in the customer database 41 (S1).
1).

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a point card system 2 using a magnetic card 12 as a point card system for comparison. Reference numeral 22 denotes a POS terminal provided with a data read / write interface for a magnetic card.
The POS terminal 22 and the main computer 40 form a network. The magnetic card 12 can have only customer identification information due to the limitation of the storage capacity of the magnetic storage unit. In order to always respond to the customer's point exchange request, it is necessary to always manage the latest acquired points of the customer with the main computer 40, and the number of points acquired according to the purchase price of the product is transmitted from the POS terminal 22 to the main computer 40. Must be transferred in real time. Therefore, it is necessary to always connect the main computer 40 and many POS terminals 22 online. Therefore, the system cost to maintain the system availability at a certain level,
System maintenance costs are required. Further, since the customer does not know the number of owned points, it is necessary to separately provide a mechanism for informing the customer of the number of owned points and inviting purchase.

There are the following three advantages of the point card system 1 compared to the point card system 2.
1) In the point card system 1, even if the main computer 40 does not manage point data in real time, points can be given and points can be exchanged between the POS terminal 20 and the card. This is because the card 10 always records the latest point number. There is no need to be always online between the collection / delivery terminal 30 and the main computer 40. The data may be stored in the collection / delivery terminal 30 and the data may be transferred to the main computer 40 (batch transfer) once a day, for example. Therefore, the cost of maintaining the availability of the system at a certain level may be dramatically reduced as compared with the point card system 2. This is because the data transfer from the collection / delivery terminal 30 to the main computer 40 may be offline when a failure occurs. 2) Since the number of points held by the card 10 can be printed and displayed at the collection / delivery terminal 30, there is no need to prepare a special mechanism for informing the customer of the number of points. 3) In the case of a magnetic card, it is necessary to insert and remove the card, but in the case of a non-contact IC card, such an operation is unnecessary (just hold the card over the transmitting antenna of the POS terminal) and write point data. It takes less than one second, so handling on a POS terminal is very convenient.

On the other hand, the disadvantage of the point card system 1 compared to the point card system 2 is that the point data held for each customer recorded in the customer database 41 managed by the main computer 40 is the latest data. That cannot be guaranteed. This may be inconvenient at the time of selecting good customers to send direct mails and the like in a sales promotion campaign, etc., but the seriousness of this disadvantage is how to use the customer database 41. This is an issue that should be evaluated by comparing this with the magnitude of the merits described above.

As a modification of the point card system 1,
Point card system 3 using IC card 13 without rewrite print area 503 as a customer's point card
Can be considered. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing the entire configuration of the point card system 3. The IC card 13 may be a contact type having a terminal electrically connected to the built-in IC or a non-contact type having a built-in transmitting and receiving coil antenna. A POS terminal 23 has a built-in read / write interface for the IC card 13. Reference numeral 33 denotes a collection / delivery terminal, which incorporates a small printer. Although similar to the collecting / distributing terminal 30, the collecting / distributing terminal 33 prints out the number of points held in the non-volatile storage unit incorporated in the IC card 13 from a built-in printer to paper instead of printing it in the rewrite print area 503. The customer can see the number of points currently held by looking at the output. The transfer of the read number of points and other information to the main computer 40 is the same as that of the collection / delivery terminal 30. Like the point card system 1, the point card system 3 can enjoy the advantages of the above 1) and the advantages of the above 2).

As a modification of the point card system 1, a rewrite print area 5 is provided as a customer's point card.
A point card system 4 using a contact-type IC card having the number 03 is also conceivable. Like the point card system 1, the point card system 4 can enjoy the advantages of the above 1) and the advantages of the above 2).

[0022]

As described above, the point card system 1 and the point card systems 3 and 4 have been described as the embodiments of the present invention. These loyalty card systems are:
While the latest point data is always recorded on the loyalty card used by the customer, the customer database managed by the main computer is configured to allow point data to be updated with a time delay. Since no system is required, the required system equipment costs and system maintenance costs can be expected to be reduced as compared with a point card system using a magnetic card. Non-contact I
Using a C card makes it possible to provide a more convenient point card system than using a magnetic card.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a point card system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an overall configuration diagram of a point card system 2 using a magnetic card.

FIG. 3 is an operational flowchart of the point card system 1.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of the non-contact rewritable card 10;

FIG. 5 is an overall configuration diagram of a point card system 3 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 point card system 2 point card system (use magnetic card) 3 point card system (use IC card without rewrite display) 10 point card (use non-contact rewrite IC card) 12 point card (use magnetic card) 13 point card (use 20 POS terminal (built-in read / write interface of non-contact IC card) 22 POS terminal (built-in read / write interface of magnetic card) 23 POS terminal (built-in read / write interface of contact or non-contact IC card) 30 Collective distribution Terminals (built-in rewrite display part erasure printing function) 33 Collection / delivery terminal (built-in printer) 40 Main computer 41 Customer database

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) G06K 17/00 G06K 17/00 R

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A point card system using an IC card, comprising: a POS terminal having an interface for reading and writing data from and to an IC card; and a main computer and a network comprising a data reading and writing interface to and from an IC card. And a data collection / distribution terminal having an interface for reading and writing data from / to an IC card, the POS terminal executes only rewriting of data in the IC memory of the IC card when purchasing a product. The data stored in the memory of the IC card is transferred to the main computer only when the customer reads the data recorded on the IC card by the data collection and distribution terminal at an appropriate timing. By eliminating the need for online real-time processing A point card system characterized by the fact that a system can be constructed at low cost. 2. The point card system according to claim 1, wherein the data collection and distribution terminal has a built-in printer, and prints a part of data stored in a memory of the IC card by the printer. A point card system having a function of notifying the customer of the number of points held by the customer. 3. The point card system according to claim 1, wherein said data collection / distribution terminal includes an erasure print head of a rewrite display unit for an IC card having a rewrite display unit. A point card system having a function of printing a part of the data stored in the memory on a rewrite display section of the card to inform the customer of the number of points held by the customer. 4. A point card system using a non-contact IC card having a rewrite display section, comprising: a POS terminal device having an interface for reading and writing data from and to a non-contact IC card; In a system including both a data read / write interface and a print head for a rewrite display unit, and a data collection / distribution terminal configured to be connected to a main computer via a network, when the product is purchased, the When only the data in the IC memory of the IC card is rewritten and the customer inserts the IC card into the data collection and distribution terminal at an appropriate timing, the non-contact I / O is performed.
The data stored in the IC memory of the C card is transferred to the main computer, and a part of the data stored in the IC memory is printed on the rewrite display section of the non-contact IC card. The point that the data writing operability at the time of purchase is improved, the number of points owned by the customer can be clearly displayed to the customer, and the system can be constructed at low cost by eliminating the need for online real-time processing. Card system.