JP2822357B2 - Vending machine compatible with IC card - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vending machine compatible with an IC card which can be used as, for example, a prepaid card for a customer to purchase a product or a vending machine operator as a card for counting sales. The present invention relates to a vending machine which is capable of using an IC card with high reliability.

[0002] In the drawings, the same reference numerals indicate the same or corresponding parts.

[0003]

2. Description of the Related Art In a conventional vending machine compatible with an IC card, control for determining how many times the memory of the IC card has been rewritten (erased or written) is not performed, and whether or not the life of the memory rewriting has been reached is determined. It does not have output means such as display.

[0004]

However, in such a conventional vending machine for an IC card, when an E2 PROM is used as an electrically erasable and writable PROM in the memory of the IC card, erasing and erasing operations are not possible due to the characteristics of the E2 PROM. Although the number of rewrites has a lifetime, this lifetime is not particularly involved in control.

Accordingly, the present invention determines the total number of times of rewriting the memory of the E2 PROM, and outputs whether or not the end of the life has been reached to an external display or the like so that the IC card user can be advised of reissuing the card. It is an object to provide a vending machine compatible with an IC card.

[0006]

In order to solve this problem, a vending machine according to a first aspect of the present invention comprises an E2 PROM (6 or the like) as a memory for storing data for purchasing goods or operational data of the vending machine. ) IC card (1 etc.)
In an IC card compatible vending machine (e.g., 7) provided with a means (e.g., IC card reader / writer 8) capable of reading and writing data, the total number of times of rewriting the E2 PROM (e.g., 6a)
Through the CPU (5 or the like) in the IC card.
The vending machine is provided with means for calculating the total number of rewrites, and means for determining whether or not the total number of rewrites exceeds the predetermined number. If it is exceeded (writable display means 1
1a or the like), the display is displayed on the external display means 14 or the like). In the vending machine according to claim 2, the vending machine according to claim 1 is configured to calculate "the IC card calculates the total number of times of rewriting. Means for determining whether or not the cumulative number of rewrites has exceeded the predetermined number of times. "In the vending machine of claim 3,
2. The vending machine according to claim 1, wherein the vending machine includes a unit that calculates the total number of rewrites, and the IC card includes a unit that determines whether the total number of rewrites exceeds the predetermined number. In this configuration, I
The number of times the memory has been erased and rewritten is stored in the C card, and a judgment reference value for the number life is provided in the vending machine or the IC card. The judgment control is performed by the vending machine or the IC card, and the result is externally displayed by the vending machine. This allows the IC card user to know the life expectancy of the IC card.

[0007]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration as an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, 1 is I
A C card 2, an IC chip 3 in the card 1, an internal circuit in the IC chip, and a vending machine 7. 4 is a vending machine interface in the internal circuit 3, 5 is a CPU,
Reference numeral 6 denotes an E2 PROM. 6a is this E2P
The E2 PRO is written to a predetermined area in the ROM 6.
This is the total number of rewrites of M.

Next, 7 is a vending machine, 8 is a reader / writer of an IC card in the vending machine 7 (abbreviated as card R / W),
Reference numeral 13 denotes a vending machine control unit, and reference numeral 14 denotes an external display unit attached to the vending machine 7 for displaying an external display. Next, reference numeral 10 denotes a CPU provided in the vending machine control unit 13, reference numeral 11 denotes a ROM, and reference numeral 12 denotes a RAM. Also 11a
Denotes write-disabled display means described later as software in the ROM 11.

An IC having a built-in CPU 5 and E2 PROM 6
The card 1 is connected to an IC card reader / writer 8 of a vending machine 7 via a vending machine interface 4 to exchange signals. The vending machine 7 processes the data read from the IC card 1 by the CPU 10 and outputs the processed data to the external display means 14. Next, FIGS. 2 to 4 are flow charts for explaining the operation of FIG. 1 as first to third embodiments of the present invention, respectively. 2 to 4 will be described below with reference to FIG.
In the following, reference numerals 21 to 44 indicate steps in FIGS.

(1) First Embodiment: In FIG. 2, the CPU 10 of the vending machine 7 reads data in the IC card 1 via the IC card R / W 8 (21).
The read data includes the memory (E2
This IC card memory 6 stored in the PROM 6
And this value is set as a variable x (22).
The CPU 10 of the vending machine has a predetermined rated rewriting number a
The value x is compared with the variable x (23). If the value x exceeds the rated value a (branch Y), further writing and rewriting to the IC card 1 via the non-writable display means 11 are performed. Is displayed on the external display means 14 (27). Value x is rated a
If it is within (23, branch N), some processing is performed (2
4) The CPU in the E2 PROM 6 of the IC card 1
The total number of times of rewriting x obtained by adding the number of times of rewriting this time via 5 is written to the memory area as the number of times of rewriting 6a.

(2) Regarding the second embodiment: FIG. 3 is different from the first embodiment (FIG. 2) in that in the first embodiment, the number of rewrites is calculated by a vending machine, and the result is calculated. In the second embodiment, the number of times the vending machine has rewritten the IC card memory 6 is managed by the CPU 5 of the IC card 1 itself, and the addition of the number of times of rewriting is performed in the IC card. The CPU 5 writes the total sum as the number of times of writing 6a in the E2 PROM 6 belonging to itself (31). However, whether or not the variable x has exceeded the rated value a is determined on the vending machine side as in the first embodiment.

(3) Third Embodiment: FIG. 4 is different from the first embodiment (FIG. 2) in that the value x of the number of rewrites in the first embodiment has reached the rated number a. Although the vending machine determines whether or not the number of rewrites has reached the rated number in the third embodiment, the CPU 5 in the IC card 1 determines whether or not the number of rewrites has reached the rated number (42). According to the result, a rewrite disable signal is transmitted to the vending machine (43), and a rewrite permission signal is transmitted (44). The vending machine reads the determination result (21), and if the subsequent processing is permitted to be rewritten (41, branch Y), goes to the step 24 where the processing is performed. The process branches to step 27 where an external display indicating that the content cannot be inserted is made. However, in the third embodiment, the cumulative addition of the number of times of rewriting x is performed on the vending machine side (25).

[0013]

According to the present invention, E2 PRO is used as a memory.
In a vending machine using an IC card having an M, the total number of rewrites of the memory (E2 PROM) of the IC card is expressed by E2 P
At the same time as writing the data in the ROM, the vending machine or the IC card makes the vending machine or the IC card determine the cumulative addition operation and determine whether or not the cumulative addition number has reached the available limit number of the memory of the IC card. When this is done, the fact is displayed on the vending machine, so that the effect that the life of the E2 PROM memory of the IC card can be detected and guided to the user can be obtained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration as an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart for explaining an operation according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart for explaining an operation according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining an operation according to a third embodiment of the present invention;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 IC card 2 IC chip 3 Internal circuit 4 Vending machine interface 5 CPU 6 E2 PROM 6a Number of times of rewriting 7 Vending machine 8 IC card read / writer 9 Interface 10 CPU 11 ROM 11a Write disable display means 12 RAM 13 Vending machine control unit 14 External display means

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. An IC card-compatible vending machine comprising means for reading and writing an IC card using an E2 PROM as a memory for storing data for purchasing goods or operational data of a vending machine, wherein the E2 PROM And the vending machine calculates the total number of rewrites in the E2PROM via the CPU in the IC card.
Means for determining whether or not the total number of rewrites has exceeded the predetermined number, and when the total number of rewrites has exceeded the predetermined number, an indication to that effect is displayed. 2. The vending machine according to claim 1, wherein said IC card includes means for calculating said total number of rewrites, and said vending machine determines whether or not said total number of rewrites exceeds said predetermined number. An automatic vending machine compatible with an IC card, comprising means for determining. 3. The vending machine according to claim 1, wherein said vending machine has means for calculating said total number of rewrites, and determines whether said IC card has exceeded said predetermined number of rewrites. A vending machine compatible with an IC card, comprising: