JP3109671B2 - Prepaid card payment machine - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Summary] Regarding a prepaid card issued by prepaid payment and a prepaid card payment machine arranged at a retail store, etc., payment can be made even when the currency unit of the prepaid card and the billing amount are different. In a prepaid card payment machine that performs payment using a prepaid card based on the billed amount input, the amount information and the currency unit information are recorded from the prepaid card in which the amount information and the currency unit information are recorded. Reading means for reading the currency unit information, storage means for storing a table for storing a conversion rate of various currency units for the currency unit of the billed amount, and referring to the table based on the currency unit information read from the prepaid card, Conversion rate extraction means for obtaining a conversion rate in the prepaid card; Based on the calculated conversion rate, the input billing amount is converted into a currency unit recorded on the prepaid card, subtracted from the amount information read from the prepaid card, and settled by the settlement means for performing the settlement, and calculated by the settlement means And a writing means for writing the transaction balance to the prepaid card.

[Industrial applications]

The present invention relates to a prepaid card issued by prepaid billing and a prepaid card settlement machine arranged at a retail store or the like.

In the recent distribution industry, prepaid cards have been widely introduced for cashless use, customer fixation, sales promotion, and the like.

Under these circumstances, it has become possible to use prepaid cards internationally in the future.

[Conventional technology]

In the prepaid card, frequency information corresponding to the issuer's identification number and the amount was recorded. That is, the money amount was managed by the frequency.

However, the settlement by the frequency and the management of the amount of money are not particularly problematic in the case of settlement by a fixed amount such as a telephone charge, but when the settlement unit is the amount of money (unit of yen) as in general shopping. Needs to convert the billing amount into frequency information. Also, the correspondence between the residual count and the balance was unclear. For this reason, recently, there have been many prepaid cards in which the amount of money is recorded as it is instead of the frequency information according to the purpose of use.

[Problems to be solved by the invention]

By the way, in a prepaid card in which an amount is recorded as it is, only a numerical value corresponding to the amount is stored, and a currency unit is not stored. Therefore, when the currency unit in the prepaid card and the currency unit to be settled are different, the settlement by the conventional prepaid card cannot be performed.

An object of the present invention is to solve such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a prepaid card and a prepaid card payment machine that can perform payment even when the currency unit of the prepaid card and the billing amount are different. .

[Means for solving the problem]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the recorded contents of a prepaid card.

In the figure, the prepaid card records the identification number and the amount of the issuer.

In the prepaid card of the present invention, currency unit information indicating the currency unit of the amount is recorded.

 FIG. 2 is a principle block diagram of the present invention.

In the figure, a prepaid card payment machine setstles a billed amount in a transaction using a prepaid card.

The reading unit 11 reads the amount information and the currency unit information from the prepaid card in which the amount information and the currency unit information are recorded.

The storage unit 12 stores a table that stores conversion rates of various currency units with respect to the currency unit of the billed amount.

The conversion rate extracting means 13 refers to a table based on the currency unit information read from the prepaid card, and obtains a conversion rate for the prepaid card.

In the invention described in claim (1), the settlement means 15 converts the input billing amount into a currency unit recorded on the prepaid card based on the obtained conversion rate, and reads the amount read from the prepaid card. Subtract from information and settle. Further, in the invention described in claim (2), the settlement means 15 converts the money amount information read from the prepaid card into a currency unit of the inputted billed money based on the obtained conversion rate, and The billing amount is subtracted from the amount information and the settlement is performed.

The writing means 17 according to the first aspect of the present invention.
Writes the transaction balance calculated by the settlement means 15 on the prepaid card. Further, in the invention described in claim (2), the writing means 17 writes the transaction balance calculated by the settlement means 15 and converted into the currency unit of the prepaid card again, into the prepaid card.

(Operation)

In the prepaid card shown in FIG. 1, the amount of money and its currency unit information are recorded on the prepaid card, so that the currency unit can be identified.

According to the inventions set forth in claims (1) and (2), currency unit information is read from the prepaid card shown in FIG.
The conversion rate between the currency unit of the amount of the prepaid card and the currency unit of the specified billing amount is obtained, and the settlement is performed after the currency amount of the prepaid card and the currency unit of the billing amount are aligned. That is, payment can be performed even when the currency unit of the prepaid card and the billing amount are different.

Note that the balance of the prepaid card after the settlement is updated in the currency unit.

〔Example〕

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an embodiment of the prepaid card payment machine of the present invention.

In the figure, the control unit 31 has an insertion unit 33 into which a prepaid card is inserted, a reading unit 35 that reads the identification number of the issuer, the amount and the currency unit information from the prepaid card inserted into the insertion unit 33, and reads A primary storage unit 37 for storing information, a storage device 39 for storing a currency unit conversion rate table, an operation unit 41 for performing calculations for settlement and conversion of currency units, and a display unit 43 for displaying an amount and the like. A keyboard 45 for inputting the amount to be charged, a writing unit 47 for writing the remaining amount after the payment to the prepaid card, a discharging unit 49 for discharging the prepaid card to the outside of the apparatus, and a line for controlling the connection with the host computer 55. The control unit 51 is connected.

 Here, the correspondence between FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 will be described.

The reading unit 11 corresponds to the insertion unit 33, the reading unit 35, and the temporary storage unit 37.

 The storage unit 12 corresponds to the storage device 39.

Conversion rate extraction means 13 corresponds to control unit 31 and a currency unit conversion rate table.

 The settlement means 15 corresponds to the calculation unit 41.

The writing unit 17 corresponds to the discharging unit 49, the writing unit 47, and the temporary storage unit 37.

 Other components are standard components of the payment machine 30.

FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the flow of processing in an embodiment of prepaid card settlement.

Hereinafter, the operation will be described with reference to FIG. 1, FIG. 3, and FIG.

It is assumed that the payment machine performs processing by determining all input numerical values as the currency unit “dollar”. The code number “1002” corresponds to the currency unit “yen”.

The reading unit 35 reads the issuer identification number “123456”, the amount “632345”, and the code number “1002” of the currency unit information from the prepaid card inserted into the insertion unit 33. These pieces of information are stored in the temporary storage unit 37 by the control unit 31.

The control unit 31 searches the currency unit conversion rate table stored in the storage device 39 using the code number “1002” as a key.

As shown in FIG. 3, the storage unit 39 stores a currency unit conversion rate table indicating conversion rates of various currency units for the currency unit “dollar”. As a result of searching the currency unit conversion rate table, the conversion rate “145” of the code number “1002” is extracted.

 The charge amount “175” is input from the keyboard 45.

The control unit 31 converts the input billing amount “175” into the currency unit “yen” recorded on the prepaid card and subtracts it from the amount “632345” recorded on the prepaid card (632345−). 175 × 145 = 60697
0). That is, using the prepaid card of the currency unit "yen", it is possible to make a purchase in the currency unit "dollar" and settle it.

As a settlement method, there is a “dollar” method in addition to the “yen” method. When making payments in dollars, the prepaid card amount "632345"
Is converted from "yen" to "dollar" (632345/175
= 4361), the input billing amount is subtracted from the amount converted into the currency unit “dollar”, and the currency unit of the remaining amount is returned to “yen” ((4361−175) × 145 = 606970).

The control unit 31 updates the balance of the prepaid card stored in the temporary storage unit 37, and writes the updated balance into the writing unit 47.
To write on the prepaid card.

The prepaid card for which the settlement processing has been completed is discharged from the discharge unit 49 to the outside of the device, and the transaction is completed.

Settlement machine 30 transmits the payment-processed amount to host computer 55.

The host computer 55 has a currency unit conversion rate table, transmits the currency unit conversion rate table to the payment machine 30 at the start of use of the payment machine 30 or at a predetermined time interval, and converts the currency unit conversion table of the storage device 39. Update the rate table.

As a method of obtaining the conversion rate, a method may be used in which the host computer 55 is inquired as necessary, instead of providing the currency unit conversion rate table inside the settlement machine 30 as described above.

Further, in the above-described processing, after obtaining the conversion rate of the currency unit, the arithmetic unit 41 converts the currency unit of the amount of the prepaid card “632345” from “yen” to “dollar”,
The amount information “4361” converted into the currency unit “dollar” can be displayed and output from the display unit 43. This display output displays the amount of the prepaid card issued in the currency unit of another country in the currency unit of the country of use, and clarifies the amount of shopping available to the user of the prepaid card.

In addition, the method of specifying the currency unit of the billing amount in the payment machine 30 includes a method of fixing to the payment machine, a method of providing a key for specifying the currency unit on the keyboard 45, and a method of selecting a currency unit to be used before settlement. Either may be used.

[Effects of the Invention] According to the present invention, the prepaid card is provided with currency unit information of the amount, and the payment machine is provided with a function for calculating the conversion rate in the currency unit, so that the amount of the prepaid card and the billing amount are Since payment can be made in the same currency unit, the prepaid card can be used in countries with different currency units. The ability to be used in multiple countries with different currency units allows prepaid cards to be used as alternatives to travelers checks.

[Brief description of the drawings]

 FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the recorded contents of a prepaid card, FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the principle of the present invention, FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an embodiment, and FIG. It is. In the figure, 11 is a reading means, 12 is a storage means, 13 is a conversion rate extracting means, 15 is a settlement means, 17 is a writing means, 31 is a control section, 33 is an insertion section, 35 is a reading section, and 37 is a temporary storage section. Reference numeral 39 denotes a storage device, 41 denotes a calculation unit, 43 denotes a display unit, 45 denotes a keyboard, 47 denotes a writing unit, 49 denotes a discharging unit, 51 denotes a line control unit, and 55 denotes a host computer.

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A prepaid card payment machine for performing payment using a prepaid card based on an input billing amount, wherein the prepaid card in which the money amount information and its currency unit information are recorded is used to calculate the money amount information and the currency. Reading means for reading unit information; storage means for storing a table for storing conversion rates of various currency units with respect to the currency unit of the billed amount; and referring to the table based on the currency unit information read from the prepaid card A conversion rate extracting means for obtaining a conversion rate in the prepaid card; and converting the input billing amount into a currency unit recorded on the prepaid card based on the obtained conversion rate, and reading from the prepaid card. Payment means for subtracting and performing payment from said received amount information; Prepaid card payment machine, characterized in that the transaction balance calculated and a writing means for writing the prepaid card by the payment means. 2. A prepaid card payment machine for performing a payment using a prepaid card based on an input billing amount, wherein said money amount information and said currency are obtained from a prepaid card in which the money amount information and its currency unit information are recorded. Reading means for reading unit information; storage means for storing a table for storing conversion rates of various currency units with respect to the currency unit of the billed amount; and referring to the table based on the currency unit information read from the prepaid card A conversion rate extracting means for obtaining a conversion rate in the prepaid card; and converting the amount information read from the prepaid card into a currency unit of the input billing amount based on the obtained conversion rate. Payment means for subtracting the billed amount from the amount information, and performing the settlement, Serial converted back into currency units of a prepaid card, a prepaid card payment machine, characterized in that a writing means for writing transaction balance calculated for the prepaid card by the payment means.