JPH03220694A - Prepaid card terminal equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To eliminate necessity for exchange a cartridge to a cartridge corresponding to the kind of a prepaid card each time by providing a card recording and reproducing means to take-out the prepaid card in the cartridge one by one, to convey the card, to execute recording to the prepaid card and to punch it. CONSTITUTION:Plural cartridges 6 housing plural prepaid cards C are housed into cartridge housing means 8-11 to house the cartridges in a multiple step form vertically. Afterwards, the prepaid card C in the cartridge 6 is taken out one by one by a card taking-out means and conveyed by a conveying means and recording is executed to the prepaid card C by a recording means arranged in the middle of the conveying means. Further, recording/reproducing is executed to a recording part on the prepaid card C by a card recording and reproducing means arranged at the terminal part of the conveying part, and punching is executed to the prepaid card C. Thus, it is not necessary to exchange the cartridge to the cartridge corresponding to the kind such as the various amount of the prepaid card.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a prepaid card terminal device, and relates to a prepaid card terminal device that is used built-in or connected to, for example, a cash register device or a PO8 terminal device that handles money.

[Prior Art] Various prepaid card terminal devices have been proposed as prepaid cards, typified by telephone cards, have become widespread in recent years. In such a prepaid card terminal device, a plurality of prepaid cards of different types, such as face value, are stored in cartridges for different denominations, and when a prepaid card is issued, etc., the cartridge is replaced with a cartridge corresponding to the face value. Each prepaid cart process was performed according to the request.

[Problems to be Solved by the Present Invention] However, as described above, in the conventional prepaid card terminal device, especially when issuing a prepaid card, it is necessary to replace the cartridge one by one according to the type of face value etc. and process the prepaid card. However, there was a problem in that the operation was troublesome.

Therefore, the prepaid card terminal device of the present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and the object of claim 1 is to provide a prepaid card terminal device that can be used in cartridges according to different types of prepaid cards, such as different denominations. The purpose is to provide a prepaid card terminal device that does not need to be replaced.

Further, the object of claim 2 is to provide a prepaid card terminal device that does not require replacing cartridges one by one depending on the type of prepaid card, such as different denominations, and can also function as a standalone device. It is in.

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the objectives, the prepaid card terminal device of the present invention has the following configuration.
A prepaid card terminal device for processing prepaid cards, comprising: a cartridge storing a plurality of prepaid cards; a cartridge accommodating means for accommodating a plurality of the cartridges in a vertically multistage manner; and various parts of the cartridge accommodating means. a card ejecting means disposed in the cartridge for ejecting prepaid cards one by one from the cartridge;
A conveying means for conveying the prepaid card taken out from the card ejecting means, a recording means disposed in the middle of the conveying means to perform recording to be engraved on the prepaid card, and a recording means disposed at a terminal portion of the conveying section. The present invention includes a card recording/reproducing means for recording/reproducing information to a recording area on a prepaid card and punching a hole in the prepaid card.

Preferably, the prepaid card terminal device issues, settles, invalidates, and displays the remaining amount of a prepaid card, and the device includes a cartridge storing a plurality of prepaid cards, and a multistage structure in which the plurality of cartridges are vertically stacked. a cartridge accommodating means for accommodating the cartridge; a card ejecting means disposed at each part of the cartridge accommodating means to take out the prepaid cards in the cartridge one by one; and a card ejecting means for transporting the prepaid cards taken out from the card ejecting means. a conveyance means; a recording means disposed in the middle of the conveyance means for recording on the prepaid card; and a recording means disposed at the end of the conveyance means for recording and reproducing information on the recording area on the prepaid card and recording on the prepaid card. A card recording/reproducing means for perforating a card, a display means for at least displaying the contents of the recorded portion of a prepaid card, a control means for controlling each of the card ejecting means, the conveying means, the recording means, and the display means, and a power supply means. and are configured in one direction.

[For now] With the above configuration, a plurality of cartridges containing a plurality of prepaid cards are accommodated in the cartridge accommodating means that accommodates the cartridges in a multi-stage manner in the vertical direction. Thereafter, the prepaid cards in the cartridge are taken out one by one from the card taking out means, and the prepaid cards taken out from the card taking out means are conveyed by the conveying means. The prepaid card being conveyed is recorded on the prepaid card by a recording means disposed in the middle of the conveying means. The card recording and reproducing means disposed at the terminal end of the conveying section functions to record and reproduce information on the recording area on the prepaid card and to punch holes in the prepaid card.

Further, preferably, the above-mentioned functions are performed by a single unit that integrally includes a control means and a power supply means for controlling each of the card ejecting means, the conveyance means, the recording means, and the display means, and also performs the issuance of prepaid cards, settlement, etc. It works to invalidate and display the remaining amount.

[Embodiments] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the prepaid card terminal device of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a prepaid card terminal device configured as a single unit and connected to an OS device and put into use. In this figure, the prepaid card terminal device is a PO
3. The main body 1 of the prepaid card terminal device has an outer shape that approximately matches the outer shape of the operation surface of the device 5, and has various constituent means described below built therein.

The PO6 device 5 has a well-known configuration, including a barcode scanner 51 for reading product barcodes, a slip issuing machine 52 for issuing receipts, and a numeric keypad 53 for inputting amounts.
, a tablet 55 for inputting items, and a cash safe 56.
A display 54 is arranged as shown in the figure, and the PO8 device 5 can handle the case without using a prepaid card.

On the other hand, the main body 1, which is disposed by partially penetrating the bottom surface of the tablet 55 of the PO8 device 5 to reduce the occupied area, is used to issue, settle, invalidate, and display the balance of the prepaid card C, and is not shown in the figure. On the entire surface facing the operator side, there is a card entrance/exit 2 through which the prepaid card C is inserted and removed in the direction of the double arrow, an operating side display 3 that displays the status of the prepaid card C, and a customer side display that displays the information to the customer. A container 4 is integrally provided as shown in the figure.

The main body 1 installed on the right side of the PO8 device 5 is connected to the main control section of the PO8 device 5 via a signal line 42, which will be described later, and exchanges various signals with the PO8 device 5. is executed to perform processing using the prepaid card C. The main body 1 also has a standalone operating function, and has standalone functions unrelated to the transfer and receipt of money, such as verifying the balance of the prepaid card C.

Next, FIG. 2 shows the prepaid card terminal device in FIG.
It is an external perspective view of the O8 device as seen from the customer side. In this figure, a customer display 57 that displays the amount, etc. to the customer is located on the back side of the display 54 of the PO8 device 5.
is provided.

On the other hand, a lid 38 is rotatably supported under the customer-side display 4 of the main body 1 via a hinge 44 shown in broken lines with respect to the main body 1 so as to open sideways, and is locked with a key 37.
is provided. This lid 38 is further provided with a card holder 46 that removably holds a transparent plate, and a sample of a prepaid card C is displayed.

Further, a side cover 40 is detachably provided on the side of the main body 1, and if the prepaid card C jams during the conveyance path of the conveyance means described later, this side cover 40 can be removed. This makes it possible to access the location where trouble has occurred in the transport means so that the normal state can be restored.

Incidentally, the key 37 is designed so that it cannot be directly operated by anyone other than the person in charge, thereby preventing financial troubles from occurring.

Next, FIG. 3 is an external perspective view of the lid 38 shown in FIG. 2 with the lid 38 opened. In this figure, the cartridge 6 is made of a translucent resin material of red, yellow, green, etc., and stores about 50 prepaid cards C in a stack so that the inside can be seen. Prepaid cards C with different denominations are placed in a predetermined cartridge accommodating section 8.
We are making sure that it is contained on 9.10.11 without any doubt.

For this purpose, the cartridge accommodating portions 8.9.1o, 11 are provided with protrusions (not shown) that selectively engage with the grooves 6a. Further, this cartridge 6 is sealed to prevent theft when removed, and is disposable after use, so it is composed of the minimum necessary components necessary for storing and taking out a prepaid card.

On the other hand, in this way, there are multiple cartridges C (4 in the figure).
The installation area of the main body 1 can be minimized by accommodating the main body 1 in multiple stages in the vertical direction. Further, a signal line 42 connected to the above-mentioned PO8 device 5 is provided from the lower side of the main body l.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of the internal configuration of the main body 1, and each component means will be explained in this figure. Cartridge 6-4 mentioned above
A pickup roller 35 that is driven vertically in the direction of arrow E in the figure and constantly rotated in the direction of the arrow by the DC motor 16 is mounted on the bottom of each of the cartridge accommodating sections 8 to 11 that accommodate individual cartridges in a multistage manner in the vertical direction. It is provided,
The pickup roller 35 is brought into contact with the prepaid card C placed at the bottom of the cartridge 6, thereby feeding the prepaid card C toward the separator 33. A roller (not shown) is provided below the separator 33, and the distance between the separator 33 and the outer peripheral surface thereof is approximately equal to the thickness of the prepaid card C, and the roller is constantly driven to rotate together with the pickup roller 35. Prepaid cards C are sent out one by one to the left in the figure.

Near the left of these separators 33 is a roller 3 that is constantly driven to rotate in the direction of the arrow by a DC motor 16.
2 are provided respectively, and the prepaid card C is further conveyed to the left between the following pinch rollers 29, and finally conveyed upward along the guide plate. There is.

0-ra 30 is the prepaid card C transported in this way.
The pinch roller 29 is provided to change the direction diagonally downward to the left while conveying the prepaid card C in both forward and reverse directions. At least two are provided.

Therefore, this roller 30 is a platen roller 1 described later.
5 and roller 25, respectively, are connected to a stepping motor 18 that can drive the rollers 25 and 25 forward and backward by a predetermined amount.

Diagonally below and to the left of this roller 30, a thermal head 14, which is a recording means, is rotatably supported in the direction of the arrow and is fixed at the position shown by the solid line, supported by a gimbal (not shown). While applying uniform pressure to the outer peripheral surface, the thermal head 14
A print recording signal is applied to the prepaid card C to dissolve the tin film coated on the prepaid card C so that the black background of the underlying PET is represented, thereby printing a code.

On the other hand, further diagonally below this thermal head 14 is a roller 25 that sends the prepaid card C to the card reader/writer 12 and also sends the prepaid card C sent in the opposite direction from the card reader/writer 12 to the above-mentioned thermal head 14. A pinch roller 29 is provided which contacts and rotates the outer peripheral surface of the lower 25.

This card reader/writer 12 has a configuration exclusively for prepaid cards, and includes a first magnetic head 22 for recording and reproducing information on the magnetic stripe on the prepaid card C, and a bar code embedded and recorded on the magnetic stripe on the prepaid card C. The second ri! An air head 23, a punching section 24 for punching the prepaid card C, and a conveyance section for conveying the prepaid card C in the direction of the double-headed arrow of the broken line are integrally formed.

A card slot 2 is fixed to the left end portion of the card reader/writer 12, through which a prepaid card C can be taken in and taken out.

Below the card reader/writer 2, there is a power supply for driving the above-mentioned DC motor 16, stepping motor 18, a power supply for vertically driving the pickup roller 35, a power supply for driving the thermal head 14, and a power supply for the control means described later. A power supply unit 20 that integrally forms a power supply is provided.

Next, FIG. 5 is a block diagram built into the main body 1,
In this figure, the control means is an electronic circuit board composed of a CPU element and the like configured as a so-called one-board board, and is placed vertically. This control means includes a power source of the aforementioned power source section 20,
A pair of display means, which are the above-mentioned operation-side display 3 and the customer-side display 4 for displaying information to the customer, and detection means provided in the cartridges A to D of the above-mentioned cartridge accommodating sections 8.9.10 and 11. and a recording means comprising a thermal head 14, a card ejecting means comprising a DC motor 16, a stepping motor 18, a solenoid (not shown), etc., and a conveying means.

On the other hand, it is connected to the PO3 device via a signal line 42.

With the above configuration, prepaid cards are issued, settled, invalidated, and remaining amount displayed based on commands sent from the PO8 device via the signal line 42.

Next, issuance, settlement, and invalidation of prepaid cards will be explained based on a flowchart.

Figure 6 is flowchart 1 of prepaid card issuing mode.
~It is a diagram. In this figure, when the above-mentioned PO8 device 5 supports the issuance of a prepaid card (hereinafter referred to as a card) to the main body 1, in step S1, the card issuing mode is set and started. Next step S
In Step 2, a card of a predetermined denomination type is designated, and in Step S3, the solenoid of the pickup roller 35 provided in the storage portion of the designated cartridge 6 is driven.

As a result, the card is transported by the transport means and passed through the recording section (comprised of a thermal head 14 and a platen roller 15). (Step S4) In the following step S5, before putting the card into the cartridge 6 and sealing it, the information recorded on the card (issue serial number, etc.) is read in advance and this information is sent to the PO8 device 5. On the other hand, the process advances to the next step S6 to perform recording based on the information. In step S6, the thermal head 14 of the recording section performs recording based on the information on the card. The card is therefore transported backwards in the transport path.

After this, proceed to step S7 and insert the card into the card reader/
The card is ejected from the card slot 2 via the writer, and card issuance is completed.

A predetermined card is issued based on the above flow chart.

Next, FIG. 7 is a flow chart diagram of the card payment mode. In this figure, when the above-mentioned PO8 device 5 issues a card payment mode instruction to the main body 1, in step S1, the card payment mode is set and the operation is started. In the following step S2, the card is inserted through the card slot 2. In step S3, the card reader/writer 12 reproduces and records the card after the subtraction. Subsequently, in step S5, step S4
Approximately before and after that, the remaining amount is displayed on the display 3.4.

Thereafter, in step S5, the punching section 24 of the card reader/writer 12 punches a hole in the card at a position corresponding to the usage frequency recording. And finally, card entry/exit 2
The card is discharged and the card payment is completed.

A predetermined card transaction is performed based on the above flowchart. Although not specifically explained, balance verification is performed in substantially the same manner as card payment, but of course no punching is performed.

Next, FIG. 8 is a flow chart diagram of the card invalidation mode. This card invalidation mode is for invalidating the card if it is jammed during transportation or if the card is severely damaged and cannot be used even though it has a balance.

In this mode, when a card invalidation mode instruction is issued from the above-mentioned PO8 device 5 to the main body 1, the card invalidation mode is set and the operation is started in step S1. In the following step S2, the card is inserted through the card slot 2.

In step S3, the human power of card invalidation is PO8.
This is done from device 5. In this way, card revocation information is sent to the card issuing center via a telephone line or the like. Thereafter, the card is conveyed to the recording means (step S4), and the recording means prints an overprint on the already recorded code to indicate that the card has become invalid.

3 Finally, the card is ejected from the card entrance/exit 2, and the card invalidation is completed.

A predetermined card invalidation is performed based on the above flowchart.

Here, in FIG. 5, only the so-called mechanical parts of the card recording/reproducing means, the cartridges A to D of the cartridge housing section 8.9.10.11, the recording means, the card ejecting means, and the conveying means, which are surrounded by broken lines, are controlled. By completely separating the means and the power source and configuring them in one piece, it becomes possible to supply only the mechanism part as a single unit. In this case, for example, only the mechanical part can be built into the register device, while the control means can be shared with the control means of the register device, and the display means can also be shared with the display means of the register device.

In other words, the mechanical part 4 of the prepaid card terminal device Only the parts can be supplied on an OEM basis.

In addition, in the above explanation, cartridge 6 is 10,000 yen, 5,000 yen,
In addition to the 3,000 yen and 1,000 yen denominations, prepaid cards from different prepaid card issuers and prepaid cards from different industries can be issued and processed using a single prepaid card terminal device. is also possible.

[Effects of the Invention] As described above, according to the prepaid card terminal device according to claim 1, it is possible to provide a prepaid card terminal device that does not require replacing cartridges one by one depending on the type of prepaid card. I can do it.

Further, according to the prepaid card terminal device according to claim 2, it is possible to provide a prepaid card terminal device that can function as a stand-alone card without the need to replace each cartridge with a cartridge according to the type of prepaid card. .

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Figure 1 shows a prepaid card terminal device configured as a single unit.
Fig. 2 is an external perspective view of the prepaid card terminal device and PO8 device shown in Fig. 1 as seen from the customer side, and Fig. 3 shows the lid 3 of Fig. 2.
Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of the internal configuration of main body 1, Fig. 5 is a block diagram of each means built into main body 1, and Fig. 6 is a flowchart of prepaid card issuing mode. 1
Figure 7 is a flowchart of the card payment mode, and Figure 8 is a flowchart of the card invalidation mode. In the figure, 1...Main body, 2...Card entrance/exit, 3...
Operation side display, 4...Customer side display, 5...PO8
Device, 6...Cartridge, 8-11...Cartridge housing section, 12...Card reader/writer, 14.
...Thermal head, ■5...Platen roller, 16
...DC motor, 18...Stepping motor, 2
0...Power supply unit, 25...Roller, 29...Pinch roller, 30...Roller, 32...Roller, 33...
...Separator, 35...Pickup roller, 38
...Key, C...prepaid card.

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) A prepaid card terminal device for processing prepaid cards, which includes a cartridge storing a plurality of prepaid cards, a cartridge accommodating means for accommodating the plurality of cartridges in a vertically multistage manner, and the cartridge accommodating means. a card ejecting means disposed at each part of the cartridge to take out the prepaid cards one by one from the cartridge; a conveying means for conveying the prepaid card taken out from the card ejecting means; and a conveying means disposed in the middle of the conveying means. and a card recording and reproducing means that is disposed at the terminal end of the conveyance section and performs recording and reproducing to and from the recording area on the prepaid card and punching into the prepaid card. A prepaid card terminal device characterized by: (2) A prepaid card terminal device that issues, settles, invalidates, and displays the remaining amount of a prepaid card, and includes a cartridge containing a plurality of prepaid cards, and a plurality of cartridges that are accommodated vertically in multiple stages. a cartridge accommodating means, a card ejecting means disposed at each part of the cartridge accommodating means to take out the prepaid cards in the cartridge one by one, and a conveying means for transporting the prepaid cards taken out from the card ejecting means. a recording means disposed in the middle of the conveyance means for recording on the prepaid card; and a recording means disposed at the terminal end of the conveyance means for recording and reproducing the recording part on the prepaid card and punching the prepaid card. a display means for at least displaying the contents of the recording area of the prepaid card; a control means for controlling each of the card ejection means, the conveyance means, the recording means, and the display means; a power supply means; A prepaid card terminal device characterized by integrally configuring.