JPH045787A - Prepaid card and its punch hole detection method - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To confirm forgery and alteration on the card easily by performing a magnetic recording in a part where the hole for the prepaid card is opened. CONSTITUTION:In the part where a hole 8 for the face-value-amount of money and a punch hole 9 for a user are opened corresponding to a magnetic data recording parts 3-5 of a prepaid card 1, a pulse magnetic recording part 2 is provided. Therefore, when reading this recording part 2, the prepaid card forged and changed by filling up holes 7-9 can be recognized easily and surely.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to prepaid cards such as telephone cards, which are currently widely used, and how to use them, and particularly to prepaid cards, which have not been used for this purpose in the past. This invention relates to a method for using punch holes in prepaid cards as valid data to prevent counterfeiting and alteration of cards.

[Prior Art] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the back side (the side that is not printed) of a conventional prepaid card.

In the same figure, l is the prepaid card body, 3 to 5
indicates the magnetic data recording section, S indicates the barcode for identifying the face value (number of usable units in an unused state), 7 indicates the punch hole for identifying the face value, and 8.9 is mechanically punched each time it is used. The user punch holes each indicate the number of remaining prescriptions that can be used.

Here, in conventional prepaid cards, the face value and the remaining power after being used are determined by detecting the data contents of the magnetic data recording sections 3 to 5 using a magnetic reading method, and reading the barcode 6 for power identification. This was confirmed by detecting the data contents using a bar code reading method, further detecting the positions of the punch holes 7 to 9 using a phototube method, and comparing these data.

However, magnetic data recording sections 3 to 5 and barcode 6
The contents can be rewritten or tampered with by an outsider using a specific method, and the punch holes 7 to 9 can also be closed using a specific method. Therefore, if such a prepaid card is forged or altered, it becomes possible to use the card fraudulently, such as increasing the face value of the card to a higher value than the original one, or turning a used card into an unused state. It had become.

[Summary of the Invention] Accordingly, one aspect of the present invention is to pre-record a certain amount of magnetic information in the punch hole part of the prepaid card.
When checking the face value and remaining usable power, by detecting the magnetic recording state in relation to the position of the punch hole, even if the card has been counterfeited or altered, it can be easily confirmed. It is something to do.

[Example] Hereinafter, a prepaid card according to the present invention will be explained using FIG. 2. Among the reference numerals in the figure, the same ones as the reference numerals in FIG. 1 have the same names and functions, so the explanation thereof will be omitted. Also.

Reference numeral 2 denotes a pulse magnetic recording section in which pulses at regular intervals are recorded by a magnetic recording method.

Here, the magnetic data recording sections 3 to 5 are provided in the longitudinal direction of the back surface of the prepaid card body l, and the Pal code 6 is provided below, as in the conventional case. Punch holes 7 to 9 parallel to the top of 5 are punched at a certain interval (in this example, 210
The difference from the conventional method is that the pulsed magnetic recording sections 2, which perform pulsed magnetic recording at a pulse rate of (pulses/inch), are provided in an overlapping manner.

When a user uses a prepaid card in a device such as a public telephone, a punch hole 7 is formed in the pulse magnetic recording section 2.
9 are punched, so the conventional method of detecting the position of the punched hole using a phototube becomes impossible to detect if the punched hole is closed.

However, in the prepaid card according to the present invention,
Since the pulse magnetic recording section 2 in which punch holes are punched has been magnetically recorded in advance by pulses at constant high-density intervals, the position of the punch holes can be detected by a magnetic sensor (not shown) (any known device can be used). It is carried out by

Therefore, when a hole is not punched (when the BUJ BAIT card is in an unused state), when reading is performed with a magnetic sensor, pulses having a predetermined pulse width at regular intervals are read as they are. It turns out. However, once it is used and a punched hole is punched, there is no magnetic recording in the area where the punched hole was punched, so a pulse with a pulse width equivalent to the diameter of the punched hole will be read. Become. Therefore, the positions of punch holes 7 to 9 are specified by detecting pulses with a pulse width corresponding to the diameter of the punch holes.

As a result, even if a punch hole that has been punched for the purpose of unauthorized use is somehow closed, there will be no magnetic recording in the closed area, making it difficult for a magnetic sensor to detect the position of the punch hole. will have no effect.

Specifically, the detection is performed by appropriately combining the positions of punch holes 7 to 9 made in the pulse magnetic recording section 2, the contents recorded in the magnetic data recording sections 3 to 5, and the contents of the barcode 6. This is done by dissolving the two.

Furthermore, since magnetic recording in the pulsed magnetic recording section 2 is performed at a high density of 210 pulses per inch,
The width of the pulse becomes as minute as lOOμ. It is virtually impossible to perform magnetic recording with such a pulse width only on the portion where the punch hole is closed. Furthermore, it is completely impossible to magnetically record a pulse having such a pulse width only in the closed part (circular part) of the punch hole and in alignment with the surrounding part.

The above is a method to prevent unauthorized use of a prepaid card that has been counterfeited or altered by blocking the punch hole of a prepaid card that has been used. The same goes for preventing unauthorized use in the event that a forgery or alteration is made to make the product more expensive than the original.

In other words, general prepaid cards are pre-installed with power identification barcodes 6 (in the illustrated example, two barcodes indicate 50 degrees) that indicate different degrees of power depending on the face value.
The position of the punch hole 7 for partial denomination identification is determined so as to indicate the same frequency as the bar code, and the punch hole 7 punched when the card is first read is compared with the bar code 6. Since the face value is confirmed, the magnetic pulse reading of the pulse magnetic recording section 2 according to the present invention can be applied as is.

Furthermore, the pulse width recorded in the pulse magnetic recording section 2 indicates the same frequency as that indicated by the barcode 6 (arbitrary).
The width may be set in advance and both may be compared.

In addition, when changing a prepaid card according to the conventional method currently in use to a prepaid card according to the method of the present invention, pulse magnetic recording is newly performed on the part of the conventional card where the punch hole should be made. 2
This can be easily changed by On the other hand, equipment in which the prepaid card according to the present invention is used can be easily modified by attaching a magnetic sensor.

[Effects of the Invention] As described above, according to the present invention, forgery and falsification by blocking the punch holes 7 to 9, rewriting the contents of the magnetic data recording sections 3 to 5, and rewriting the frequency identification barcode 6 can be prevented. This has the effect that when a prepaid card is used, the fact can be immediately confirmed.

Therefore, if we confirm the fact of such unauthorized use, we will issue some kind of warning or automatically! This makes it possible to report the information to the police, thereby effectively preventing unauthorized use of the Bunobade card.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a conventional prepaid card, and FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of a prepaid card according to the system of the present invention. l... Prepaid card body, 2... Pulse magnetic recording section, 3-5... Magnetic data recording section, 6... Barcode for frequency identification, 7... Punch hole for face value, 8 .9 - User punch hole

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A punch hole in a prepaid card, in which pulsed magnetic recording is performed at regular intervals on the punched hole part of the prepaid card, and the position where the punched hole is punched is detected by a magnetic sensor. Detection method. 2. A prepaid card with pulsed magnetic recording at regular intervals in the area where optically detected punch holes are made.