JPH04190486A - Card processor - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To print and confirm necessary data in a limited print area up to balance which is 0 by changing a printing mode when it is judged that an area to be printed is too small from the size of the unprinted area on a card and value information. CONSTITUTION:When a prepaid card 2 is inserted into the card processor 1 and the amount of money of purchase is inputted from an input part 15, a read part 13 reads validity data, balance data, and a printing mode flag out of the storage area 21 on the card 2. When it is judged that the card 2 is valid, a transaction process is performed and amount data in the area 21 are rewritten. In this process, it is judged whether the data is to be printed on the print surface of the card 2 in normal mode or compression mode. This process is carried on until the balance becomes 0. Consequently, the necessary data can be printed in the limited area.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a card processing device, and more particularly to a card processing device that performs transaction processing using a cart in which value information is stored.

[Prior Art] As is well known, prepaid cards have recently come into widespread use. A prepaid card is a card that stores value information indicating the amount of money that can be used. When a prepaid card is used, a card processing device that performs transaction processing using a prepaid card rewrites value information stored in the prepaid card to an amount reduced by the amount used.

Some prepaid cards have data printed on them, such as the date and time the card was used and the balance.

A card processing device using such a card has a function of printing characters of a certain size at a certain line interval in a printing area of a prepaid card.

[Issue 2fi to be solved by the invention] However, with the conventional printing function, when a prepaid card is used many times for small transactions, the printing area where the transaction data should be printed may become insufficient even though there is a balance remaining. The problem arises that it disappears. In this case,
Since the usage status after that point is not recorded, there is a problem in that the user cannot check the validity or balance of the prepaid card.

Also, the value information stored on the prepaid card?
In order to print transaction data on prepaid cards for all transactions until
If this is done, there is a problem that the printed content becomes difficult to see because the characters become small.

Therefore, the present invention provides a card processing device that prints in the normal printing mode while the cart is used less often, and can change the printing mode when the unprinted area of the card becomes smaller than the balance. The goal is to provide the following.

[Means for Solving the Problems] A card processing device according to the present invention includes a card having a printing surface for printing transaction-related data and storing value information that is updated for each transaction; a printing means capable of printing transaction-related data in one of the first and second printing forms on the printing surface; and reading memory information and information indicating the current printing position on the printing surface from the card when making a transaction. and determining whether or not to switch the printing form of the printing means from the first printing form to the second printing form based on the value information and printing position information read by the reading means. and until the determining means determines that switching from the first printing format to the second printing format is to be performed, printing is controlled to be performed in the first printing format, and until it is determined whether to switch or not, printing is performed in the first printing format. and a control means for controlling printing by switching from the first printing form to the second printing form in accordance with the above.

The second printing form may be a form in which the characters of the first printing form are compressed, or may be a printing form in which predetermined character information is omitted from the character information in the first printing form. .

[Operation] In this invention, the size of the unprinted area is detected from the positional information of the printed line on the printed surface of the card, and the size of the unprinted area corresponds to the value information of the card that is updated and stored for each transaction. It is determined whether or not the size is the same. If the size of the unprinted area is secured in accordance with the value information,
Printing is performed in the first printing format, and if it is determined that the printing format is not secured, printing is thereafter performed in the second printing format instead of the first printing format.

[Embodiments of the Invention] Below, as an embodiment of the present invention, a prepaid card with a preset minimum transaction amount, such as a train,
The case where this invention is applied to a prepaid card used for paying fares for buses, taxis, etc. and prepaid cards used at gas stations will be explained, but it is also possible to apply this invention to any prepaid card. I would like to point out this in advance.

1st r1! J is a schematic block diagram showing the configuration of a card processing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, the card processing device includes a CPUI 1 that performs various calculation processes and controls the entire device. [CPU] has a clock circuit] 2° reading section 13. Printing section] 4.
Input section 15. ROM16 and RAM]7 are connected. The clock circuit 12 generates a clock signal of a predetermined period and provides data indicating the current date to the CPU II.

The reading section 13 is for reading data from the prepaid card 2. The prepaid card 2 may be a magnetic card or an optical card. If a magnetic card is used, the reader 13 is provided with a magnetic head, and if an optical card is used, the reader 13 is provided with an optical reader.

The area 21 of the prepaid card 2 contains data indicating the validity of the card, value information indicating the value of the card, such as amount information, and printing on the printing surface of the card 2 in a first printing form and a second printing form. A printing format flag for specifying which printing mode is to be used is stored magnetically or optically.

Note that the reading unit 13 includes a sensor that detects the number of the print line currently printed on the print surface of the prepaid card 2.

The printing unit 14 prints transaction-related data on the printing surface of the prepaid card 2. The printing unit 14 can print data using a first printing form and a second printing form, which will be explained later.

Here, the transaction-related data includes transaction date data, purchase amount data, balance data, and the like. The input unit 15 is for inputting the above-mentioned purchase amount data and the like. The ROM 16 stores an operating program <cpvll based on the flowchart shown in FIG. 5, which will be explained later. The RAM 17 stores data input from the input section 15, calculation results of the CPU 1, and the like.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a printing mode on the printing surface of the prepaid card shown in FIG. 1. FIGS. 3A and 3B are diagrams showing the font of the print shown in FIG. 2. In Figure 2,
An example of printing on a prepaid card used at a gas station is shown.

In area 23 of printing surface 22, data regarding one transaction is printed on one coin body, and in area 24, data regarding one transaction is printed in 172 lines. Area 23
The transaction-related data printed in area 24 are the year, month, date, and sales ff11 balance. The printing in area 23 is normal printing, and as shown in FIG.
It consists of ×8 dots. The printing in area 24 is compression printing and consists of 8×5 dots, as shown in FIG. 3B.

The timing at which these font changes are made will be explained later in FIG. 5.

FIG. 4 shows an example in which the printing format is changed by omitting the printed content. In the area 25 shown in FIG. 4, data relating to one transaction, with year data and sales volume data omitted, is printed in line 72.

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram for explaining the operation of one embodiment of the present invention. Next, referring to Figures 1 to 5,
The operation of one embodiment of this invention will be explained.

A clerk at the gas station inserts the prepaid card 2 entrusted by the customer into the card processing device 1, and inputs the amount of gasoline purchased by the customer from the input section 15. Step S
1 (abbreviated as Sl in the figure), the reading unit 13 reads the validity data, balance data, and printing form flag from the storage area 21 of the prepaid card 2. If the card is determined to be valid, the transaction is processed and the amount data in the storage area 21 is rewritten to the amount reduced by the amount used. After that, processing for printing on the printing surface of the prepaid card 2 is performed. First, in step S2, it is determined whether the printing form flag is "0" or not. Here, the print format flag is “
If it is 0', it means that the mode for normal printing with the font shown in Figure 3A is specified, and if it is "1", the mode for compressed printing with the font shown in Figure 3B is specified. means that If the normal print mode is specified, it is determined whether it is necessary to change to the compressed print mode. This determination is made in step S3. S
4 and S5. Step S3
Then, Ll is calculated using the F2 equation (1).

If the amount of prepaid card 2 at Uni is 1000 yen, and the minimum transaction amount is 50 yen, Ll-10
becomes.

In step S4, L2 is calculated using equation (2) below.

L2- (Maximum number of printed lines) - (Current number of printed lines + 1)・
(2) Here, assuming that the maximum number of printed lines on the printing surface 22 of the prepaid cart 2 is 14 lines and the current number of printed lines is 0, then L2-'13 is obtained.

In step S'5, the magnitude of 1 and L2 described above is compared. If Ll is equal to or smaller than L2, normal printing is performed in step S6 in the font shown in FIG. 3A.

Each time a transaction is processed, steps S1' and S are performed.
2. 'S3. S4. The processes of S5 and S6 are performed, but if the unprinted area on the printing surface becomes smaller than the selected data, 'Ll>L'2.

For example, if you make 50 yen purchases eight times using a 1,000 yen prepaid card that can print up to 14 lines, L1≦L2 holds true up to the seventh time, but Ll>L2 holds for the eighth time. If Ll>L2, the printing form flag is set to "1°" in step S7, and the flag in the storage area 21 of the prepaid card 2 is rewritten to "1°." Next, in step S8, compression printing is performed in the font shown in Figure i3B. prepaid card 2
When the printing format flag stored in is switched to "1", in the subsequent transaction processing, in step S2,
Since it is determined that the flag is "1", the process advances from step S2 to step S9, and compression printing is automatically performed. Therefore, if -danLl>L, 2, then
Thereafter, compression printing is performed until the balance reaches O.

It goes without saying that if the amount of one transaction is large and the frequency of use is low, normal printing may be performed until the balance reaches O.

[Effects of the Invention] As described above, according to the present invention, when it is determined that the area to be printed is small based on the size of the unprinted area in the cart and the value information, the printing form is changed. Therefore, even if the transaction amount per transaction is small and the usage frequency is high, the necessary data can be printed in the limited printing area until the balance reaches O, allowing the card user to check the balance etc. You will be able to check at any time.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram showing the configuration of a card processing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a printing mode on the printing surface of the prepaid card shown in FIG. 1. FIGS. 3A and 3B are diagrams showing the font of the print shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example in which the printing form is changed by omitting the printed content. FIG. 5 is a flow diagram for explaining the operation of one embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, 1 is a card processing device, 2 is a prepaid card, 11 is a CPU, 12 is a clock circuit, 13 is a reading unit, 1
4 is the printing part, 15 is the input part, -16 is ROM, 17 is R
AM, 21 is a storage area, 22 is a printing surface, 23 is a normal printing area, and 24 is a compressed printing area. Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 4 Figure 5

Claims (3)

[Claims] (1) A card having a printing surface for printing data related to transactions and storing value information that is updated for each transaction; and either a first or second printing form on the printing surface of the card. a printing means capable of printing transaction-related data in the form of a transaction; a reading means for reading memory information and information indicating a current printing position on the printing surface from the card when making a transaction; a determining means for determining whether or not to switch the printing form of the printing means from the first printing form to the second printing form based on value information and printing position information; Said first
Until it is determined that the printing mode should be switched from the printing format to the second printing format, the printing means is controlled to print in the first printing format, and in response to the switching being determined. , from the first printing form to the second printing form.
A card processing device comprising: a control means for controlling printing by switching to a printing mode of the above. (2) The card processing device according to claim 1, wherein the second printing form is a form in which characters of the first printing form are compressed. (3) The card processing device according to claim 1, wherein the second printing form is a printing form in which predetermined character information is omitted from the character information in the first printing form.