JPH04302082A - Automatic fare payment system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a credit card system automatic fare payment system which quickly checks the validity and extends the use range of a credit card. CONSTITUTION:An entrance card reader 111 to which a user inserts a card 10 at the time of getting on a vehicle, an exit card reader 112 to which he inserts the card 10 at the time of getting off the vehicle, a controller 12 on the vehicle which transmits and receives signals to and from these card readers, an operation device 13 for indication input of information to the controller, and a display device 14 on which information outputted from the controller is displayed are provided. The controller 12 on the vehicle consists of a black card information storage device 122, a control part 121 which outputs required display information, and a use information storage part 123 where use information of the credit card and information inputted by the operation device are stored.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an automatic bill payment system using a card registered in advance with a financial institution.

0002

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, systems have been proposed in which transportation fees are paid using a card registered in advance with a financial institution. According to such a system, a card reading/writing device is installed at the entrance/exit of a transportation facility, and information such as the boarding station name is written on the card when boarding the vehicle, and information such as the boarding station name is read from the card when getting off the vehicle. Payment is made by calculating the fare between the two stations and debiting the amount equivalent to the fare from the account corresponding to the registered financial institution card. Such a system is described in, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 1-250187.

0003

[Problem to be Solved by the Invention] According to the above-mentioned conventional technology, the validity of the card is checked when the card is used, based on the registered financial institution code, expiration date data, and unpaid flag. It is said that this is done by determining whether or not. When automatic payment is not possible, the card's registration number etc. are recorded in the storage device, and when the card is attempted to be used, the unpaid flag is set.

However, when a credit card is used as the above-mentioned card, the following problems occur. That is, credit cards are generally highly versatile cards used for various transactions, and are issued in large numbers. Therefore, even if the above method is used, it is not possible to quickly check the validity of a credit card (determine whether or not a credit card can be used) in locations where real-time communication or easy communication with a central computer that manages credit cards is not possible. could not be done. This problem is particularly noticeable when credit cards are used to pay fares for transportation systems such as buses that operate separately from a central computer.

[0005]Furthermore, conventionally, no system has been realized in which a credit card has functions not directly related to processing at a financial institution, such as a commuter pass.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems and provide a credit card fee payment system that can quickly process validity checks.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an automatic bill payment system that can further increase the range of credit card usage.

[0008]

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention is characterized in that the above-mentioned method is implemented in a system for paying charges using a card, such as a credit card, registered in advance with a financial institution. means for adding usage condition information independent of the registration of the financial institution to a storage medium attached to the card; means for reading the usage conditions information from the card when using the card; The card has a means for determining whether or not the card meets the criteria without inquiring the central computer that manages the card, and if the criteria are met as a result of the determination, billing processing is performed in accordance with the above usage conditions. be.

Another feature of the present invention is that, in checking the validity of the card, a storage device stores information regarding whether or not the card can be used in correspondence with information specific to the card; means for reading the card-specific information stored in the card; means for determining whether or not the card can be used based on the information stored in the storage device and the card-specific information; and a usability information update means for deleting information on some of the cards among the information on the usability of the cards and setting information on the usability of new cards, and is independent of the financial institution. In other words, it is possible to determine whether or not a card can be used without inquiring the central computer that manages the card.

In the present invention, the means for reading the usage condition information from the card may be installed on a moving means of transportation such as a route bus.

[0011]

[Operation] In real time or in locations where it is not possible to easily communicate with the central computer that manages credit cards,
A user first inserts a credit card into a card reader. The card reader reads information stored in the storage area of the credit card, and also reads black information from a storage device that stores information (hereinafter referred to as black information) indicating whether the credit card can be used, and determines whether the credit card can be used. make judgments. This storage device does not store black information about all credit cards, but when card usage information is processed offline on the central computer that manages the credit card, the information on the financial institution contract account corresponding to the credit card is The latest credit card that is found to be a black card (meaning a card that cannot be used) due to lack of deposit or a report of loss of the credit card has been submitted is stored as black card information. Furthermore, the oldest black card information among the black card information in the storage device at that time is deleted.

[0012] If the credit card is available, the discount, number of items, amount, etc. are input into the system using the operating device as necessary, and the information is stored as credit card usage data. This stored data is compared with information from a central computer that manages credit cards in offline processing, and billing processing is performed. In this way, even in locations that cannot communicate with the central computer that manages credit cards in real time, you can perform the same checks as in locations that can communicate with the central computer that manages credit cards. Inputs to the system can also be easily performed using a controller.

[0013]

Embodiment FIG. 1 shows an overview of a route bus fare payment system using a credit card, which is an embodiment of the present invention. Credit card 1 used in this system
0 is held by each user, and information as shown in FIG. 2 is magnetically stored in the magnetic stripe section 101 thereof. In other words, in addition to regular credit card information such as membership code number and expiration date, the period, sector, gender, etc. required by this credit card fee payment system.
Usage condition information, which is conditions regarding the services received by using the card, is stored. Credit card information is information that is directly related to financial transactions with financial institutions, and as shown in the diagram, it includes a "membership code" that indicates the credit card number, an "expiration date" that indicates the expiration date of the credit card, and information on the use of the credit card. It consists of data such as "Password" that indicates the password of the time. The usage condition information is set independently of financial transactions with financial institutions, and sets various conditions for using the card. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the following information is set as usage condition information.

[0014] "Regular/Non-regular": Indicates whether the ticket is a commuter pass or not. You can also write down the section of your commuter pass.

"Gender": Indicates whether the user is male or female.

"Adult/Dwarf": Indicates whether the user is an adult or a child. You can also write the age of the user. "Discount type": Indicates fare discounts such as student discounts, disability discounts, and senior citizen discounts. “Usage period”: Indicates the period during which the commuter pass can be used.

[0017] These usage condition information is information indicating whether or not a specific transaction can be performed with the card.
Unlike the original financial transaction of a credit card, the propriety of the transaction is determined independently of the financial institution or the central computer, and only according to predetermined criteria stored in the on-board controller 12 in this embodiment. It is.

In FIG. 1, each bus has an entrance card reader 111 into which the user inserts the card 10 when boarding the bus.
, an exit card reader 112 into which the card 10 is inserted when exiting the vehicle, and an on-vehicle controller 12 connected to these card readers to exchange signals with the card readers.
An operating device 13 for inputting information such as discount, quantity, unit price, etc. to the on-board controller by a crew member, and a display 14 installed at the exit to display information output from the on-board controller are installed. There is. On-board controller 1
2 determines whether or not the card can be used based on the black card information storage device 122 that stores black card information, the information on the card 10 read by the card reader, and the information stored in the black card information storage device 122, and determines the fare. Collect information for calculation from card reader,
It is comprised of a control section 121 that outputs necessary display information, and a usage information storage section 123 that stores and accumulates credit card usage information and information input from the operating device.

The information stored in the black card information storage device 122 is provided off-line from the central computer 15 separated from the bus, as will be described later. Further, the information stored in the usage information storage unit 123 is supplied offline to the central computer 15 at predetermined intervals, for example, when the daily bus service ends. These information transfer media include floppy disks,
An IC card or the like is used.

[0020] Automatic bill payment using this system is carried out as follows. First, the user carries his or her credit card with him and boards the bus. When boarding the bus, the credit card 10 is inserted into a boarding gate card reader 111 installed near the boarding gate of the bus. As a result, the credit card information is read, and it is determined whether the card is from a credit company that can be used, whether the credit card is within its expiration date, and whether it is a black card. A warning will be given to the user using a lamp, etc. In that case, the user will board the train by paying money as usual. If it is usable, the membership code of the read credit card is stored in the usage information storage unit 123 together with the stop code determined for each stop.

When getting off the bus, the user inserts the credit card 10 into the exit card reader 112 installed near the exit of the bus. As a result, the credit card usage condition information (see FIG. 2) is read out and its contents are displayed. At the same time, the membership code of the credit card is read out and stored in the usage information storage unit 123 along with the stop code of the alighting stop. Furthermore, if there are various special conditions regarding fares that can be set and input by the crew from the operating device 13 as needed, such information is also stored. The operation device 13 is used as follows. When paying for bus fares using a credit card, usually only one person can use one credit card. Therefore, when multiple people use the vehicle at the same time, such as when accompanying a family member, it is necessary to insert the card into the card reader many times, resulting in crowded boarding and alighting. In order to prevent this, the crew member can input the number of passengers, various discounts, baggage fees, etc. using the operating device 13, so that a variety of situations can be handled by reading the card once. An example of the operation panel 131 of the operation device 13 is shown in FIG.

[0022] As described above, the usage information storage unit 123 stores the credit card membership code, boarding stop code, getting off stop code, and various special conditions for fares such as discounts, if necessary, in association with each other. The central computer 15 inputs this information offline,
Fares are calculated using a predetermined fare table. Based on this, the financial institution 16 performs a fee withdrawal process from the credit card account. If a commuter pass is set on your credit card, its validity period and section data are also stored, so when calculating the fare, the boarding date falls within the validity period and the boarding point falls within the valid section. In some cases, the fare is not deducted as a ride using a commuter pass.

Next, referring to FIG. 3, the automatic fee payment procedure in this embodiment will be explained, focusing on the handling of usage condition information. FIG. 3 shows a case where usage conditions for a commuter pass are set for a credit card. First, the user inserts the credit card 10 into the card reading device 112 (for example, when getting off the train). As a result, information on the magnetic stripe section 101 is read (301). Based on this information, whether or not the card in question is from a credit company that can be used (302)
, it is determined whether the credit card is within its expiration date (303). These determinations are made using normal credit card information. Further, these determinations are made when the vehicle gets on the vehicle, but in this embodiment, they are also made when the vehicle gets off the vehicle. By doing this, even if the card is not used only when boarding the vehicle, it will be possible to deal with it. Next, a judgment is made regarding the usage condition information. First, it is determined whether or not it is within the period of regular use (30
4). Next, the display 14 displays whether the gender is male or female (306), whether it is an adult or a child (306), and whether there is a discount (307) based on the usage condition information of the card (3
051, 3052, 3053). The crew member compares the content displayed by the user with the content displayed on the display, and if there is a discrepancy between the two, issues a notification that the card cannot be used (310). Next, the black card information is checked to see if the card has been reported as lost (308). This process is performed by determining whether the number of the card matches the number stored in the black card information storage device 22. As a result of the above checks, if the card is determined to be usable, it is processed as a usable card (309). That is, the usage information storage unit 123 stores the membership code of the credit card, the boarding stop code, the alighting stop code, and various special conditions regarding charges such as discounts set as necessary.

Next, the procedure for creating and updating black card information will be explained with reference to FIG. Information in the black card information storage device 22 is updated off-line with a central computer (not shown) that manages credit cards. FIG. 4(a) shows the procedure for extracting a black card number. Accident card file 450 registers loss, etc. for all credit card members for each case of card usage information 401 stored in usage information storage unit 123 in FIG. 1 and imported into the central computer offline
Check whether it is an accident card by referring to (402
). In the case of an accident card, since the accident card was used, the corresponding member code is registered in the black card information update file 470 (404). If it is not an accident card, it is determined whether the charge can be debited from the account file 460 (403), and if the charge cannot be debited, the corresponding membership code is registered in the black card information update file 90 as a black card (404).

FIG. 4(b) shows the old black card information 41.
The procedure for updating 1 is shown below. It is checked whether there is free storage space (412). If there is no space, delete part of the old black card information to create a free area (41
3). The black card membership code stored in the black card information update file 470 is written in this empty area (414) to create new black card information 415. By doing so, black card information can be effectively prepared with a small storage capacity. That is, information about a black card among recently used cards can be stored as black card information, and it is possible to prevent unauthorized use in the same system again. When deleting part of the black card information, delete the oldest information. Alternatively, a predetermined priority order may be set for deletion, and the data may be deleted in accordance with the priority order.

Although the present invention has been described above by taking the example of route bus fare payment, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, but can be widely applied. For example, it can be applied to a payment system for fees for transportation other than buses and various facilities other than transportation. As the usage condition information, various types of membership tickets other than commuter passes can be set as desired.

[0027]

Effects of the Invention According to the present invention, in a credit card fee system that cannot communicate in real time with a central computer that manages credit cards, users, periods,
By writing usage condition information independent of financial institutions such as sections, it is possible to determine whether a credit card holder is eligible to receive a specific service in addition to the original usage of the credit card, independent of financial institutions. It became like this,
The range of credit card usage has been expanded. Furthermore, by setting information (black information) about whether or not a credit card can be used offline, it has become easier to determine whether or not a credit card can be used.

[0028]

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 shows a conceptual system diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 shows an example of information stored on a credit card 10.

FIG. 3 shows an example of an automatic fee payment procedure in this embodiment.

FIG. 4 shows a procedure for creating and updating black card information.

FIG. 5 shows an example of an operation panel of the operation device 13.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10...Credit card, 111, 112...Card reader, 12...Onboard controller, 13...Operator, 14...Display device, 15...Central computer, 16...Financial institution.

Claims (6)

[Claims] [Claim 1] Using a card registered in advance with a financial institution,
In a system for paying fees, a means for adding usage condition information independent of the registration of the financial institution to a storage medium attached to the card, and a means for reading the usage condition information from the card when using the card. , a means for determining whether or not the above-mentioned usage conditions information matches a predetermined standard, and if the result of the determination matches the criteria, billing processing is performed according to the above-mentioned usage conditions. Automatic fee payment system. 2. The automatic toll payment system according to claim 1, wherein means for reading usage condition information from the card when using the card is installed on a moving means of transportation. [Claim 3] Using a card registered in advance with a financial institution,
In a system for paying fees, a storage device stores information regarding whether or not the card can be used in correspondence with information unique to the card, and when using the card, information unique to the card stored in the card is stored. reading means; means for determining whether or not the card can be used based on the information stored in the storage device and card-specific information; and part of the information stored in the storage device regarding whether or not the card can be used. and a usability information update means for deleting information about the card and setting information regarding the usability of a new card, and determining whether or not the card can be used independently of the financial institution. An automatic fee payment system characterized by: 4. The storage device, the means for reading the card-specific information, and the means for determining whether or not the card can be used are installed on a moving means of transportation. Automatic bill payment system. 5. The automatic fare payment system according to claim 2 or 4, wherein the means of transportation is a route bus. Claim 6: In a system for paying fares on a moving transportation system using a financial transaction card registered in advance with a financial institution, a storage medium attached to the card is stored independently of the registration of the financial institution. means for assigning usage condition information regarding the commuter pass of the above-mentioned transportation facility, means for reading the usage conditions information from the above-mentioned card when using the above-mentioned card, and means for determining whether the above-mentioned usage conditions information conforms to predetermined standards. 1. An automatic charge payment system comprising: means for making a determination; and if the result of the determination satisfies criteria, usage processing is performed in accordance with the commuter pass.