JPH0542787A - Prepaid card and printing method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To improve extremely convenience for use by making the most of a stamp column by a method wherein when the stamp column is filled up with the first seal stamp on the first round in printing on the service stamp column of a prepaid card, the second seal stamp on the second round is enabled to be printed thereon. CONSTITUTION:An identification information display column 8, a use history display column 10, and a service stamp column 12 are formed on one side surface of a prepaid card 4. In transactions, use history information such as the remainder of an account on the card or the like is printed on the use history display column 10 and besides, printing of a service stamp corresponding to said transaction is performed on the service stamp column 1. Further, when the stamp column is filled up with the first seal stamp on the first round in printing on the service stamp column, the second seal stamp on the second round is printed thereon to enable the stamp column to be utilized two times. Conseguently, a sufficient number of service stamps can be printed with one sheet of the card 4.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention uses one card,
The present invention relates to a prepaid card that enables printing of information about usage history such as balance of card and printing of service stamp, and a printing method for the prepaid card.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, a prepaid card system has been developed which enables the purchase of goods and the like by presenting a prepaid card instead of paying money. This prepaid card is beginning to be actively used in specific shopping districts, employee cafeterias, and chain stores nationwide. In this case, the prepaid card has a structure in which a magnetic recording portion is entirely applied to a card made of paper or plastic, or a stripe-shaped magnetic recording portion is partially provided. Information about the balance and the number of transactions is magnetically recorded in a predetermined format. For example, in a prepaid card purchased for 10,000 yen, 10,000 yen is magnetically recorded as the balance at the beginning of purchase, and if you present this prepaid card and purchase a product for 5,000 yen, A prepaid card presented by a customer is inserted into a prepaid card terminal device connected to an ECR (electronic cash register) or the like, and the remaining amount magnetically recorded on the prepaid card is rewritten to 5,000 yen. And, in the usage history display column of the prepaid card,
Each time it is used, the prepaid card terminal device sequentially prints the remaining amount after reducing the usage amount. This allows the user to know the remaining amount, which is the monetary value of the current prepaid card.

[0003]

By the way, in the system using the above-mentioned prepaid card, since the service to the customer is provided according to the number of times of use of the card or the amount of use, the number of times of use of the card and the amount of use are used. , A service stamp may be added. In a conventional system using a prepaid card, a service stamp imprinting card is supplied to a customer in addition to the prepaid card, and a clerk imprints the stamp on the stamp card according to the usage amount.

However, in such a system, a clerk needs to stamp the stamp, which is complicated and the stamp stamping work is also complicated. In addition, for the customer who is the user, it is necessary to present the stamp card to the clerk in addition to the prepaid card, which is inconvenient and has the inconvenience that handling when the stamp card is forgotten becomes complicated. There is.

In order to eliminate such inconvenience, it may be possible to simply provide a service stamp section on the surface of the prepaid card. However, the size of the prepaid card is determined by the standard, and it is necessary to provide a field for displaying fixed information such as the customer's name and membership number and a field for displaying the usage history on the surface of the prepaid card. However, there is a problem that the space for providing the service stamp field cannot be made large. If you cannot print enough stamps in the service stamp field, the service stamp field will be full even if the card has a balance, and you will need to take some measures such as replacing the card. The procedure for that may be complicated.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances.
With one prepaid card, it is possible to manage the usage history of the card and the number of service stamps imprinted, and it is not necessary to present the service stamp separately when using the prepaid card. An object of the present invention is to provide a versatile prepaid card which is capable of printing a sufficient service stamp and is excellent in usability, and a printing method thereof.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, in the prepaid card of the present invention, identification information, usage history information and service information are visually printed on one surface. An identification information display column, a usage history display column, and a service stamp column are provided. In this service stamp column, after the first stamp mark of the first round is printed, the margin portion of the first stamp mark is displayed. The second stamp mark of the second order is overlaid and printed. Further, in the prepaid card printing method of the present invention, when issuing a new prepaid card, identification information such as the customer's name is printed in the identification information display field, and at the time of transaction, the balance and the amount that is sequentially updated according to the transaction and The usage history information about the number of times of use, etc. is printed in the usage history display field, and the service information for each customer given according to the number of times of use and the amount of usage is printed in the service stamp field. When the first stamp mark of the eye is printed and the field becomes full, the second stamp mark of the second round is printed so as to overlap the blank portion of the first stamp mark.

[0008]

According to the above construction, since the identification information display column, the usage history display column and the service stamp column are formed on one surface of the prepaid card, the remaining amount of the card, etc. can be used at the time of transaction. The history information can be printed in the usage history display field, and the service stamp corresponding to the transaction can be printed in the service stamp field. Therefore, the user does not need to separately prepare a service card for imprinting the service stamp, and the burden on the card user and the clerk can be reduced. Also, when printing on the service stamp field, even if the stamp field is full due to the printing of the first stamp mark of the first round, the second stamp mark of the second round is printed from above. , It is possible to double the stamp field. As a result, it is possible to print a sufficient number of service stamps with one card.

[0009]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 to 3 are front views of a prepaid card according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 4 is an overall schematic view of a system in which the prepaid card of the present embodiment is used, and FIG. 5 is a terminal for printing the prepaid card. 6 is a block diagram showing the circuit configuration of the device, and FIGS. 6 to 8 are flowcharts showing the processing contents of the terminal device.

The prepaid card of this embodiment is made of paper, plastic or the like, and a magnetic recording portion is formed on the entire surface or a part of the card. In this magnetic recording unit, at least information regarding the balance and the number of times of use, which are sequentially updated according to transactions, is magnetically recorded. As shown in FIG. 1, on the back surface of the card 4 on which the magnetic recording portion is formed, an identification information display column 8, a usage history display column 10,
The service stamp column 12 is displayed.

The identification information display field 8 displays fixed information such as the customer's name, issue amount, member number, card number, issuer name, issue date, and expiration date. Further, the usage history display column 10 can display information about the usage history such as the name of the shop where the card is used, the usage date, and the available balance. Further, in the service stamp field 12, service information corresponding to the amount of money used for the card is displayed. These pieces of information can be recorded in the magnetic recording section. Using this prepaid card 4, the prepaid card 4 displayed in the usage history display column 10
Are shown in FIGS.

Such a prepaid card 4 has a slot 6 of the prepaid card terminal device 2 as shown in FIG.
It is designed to be installed inside. The terminal device 2 is a device that is placed in a store and uses the prepaid card 4 to purchase products and the like. The terminal device 2 is equipped with an LCD (liquid crystal display device) 14 for displaying the transaction amount and the like, and a keypad 16 for inputting the transaction amount and the like. Further, the device 2 is equipped with a slot 20 for inserting the memory card 18. Memory card 1
Although the use of No. 8 is not particularly limited, for example, a usage history memory card for storing or updating usage history data for each customer, an issuing memory card used for issuing a new prepaid card, or each product or It is used as a memory card for parameters in which discount rates of products according to customers are stored.

Such a memory card 18 is a memory card lead / reader connected to a host computer 22.
The contents of the card are read in from the writer 24, and the host computer 22 centrally processes the information stored in the card 18.

In this embodiment, the prepaid card terminal device 2 stores hundreds of off-value cards having no monetary value, and predetermined printing is performed on the off-value cards to obtain various magnetic information. It also has a function of issuing as a prepaid card 4 by writing.

Next, the internal circuit configuration of the terminal device 2 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 5, a CPU (central processing unit) 26 that performs various calculations and controls each unit is connected via a bus 29 to a ROM 27, a RAM 28, a memory card interface 30, a reading circuit 31, a writing circuit 33, and printing. Device 34, card carrier 35, RS
A 232C interface 36, an LCD driver 37, and a keypad 16 are connected. ROM27 is CPU2
6 is a read-only memory for storing programs and the like calculated in 6, and the RAM 28 is a random access memory in which various data are temporarily stored in the process of processing the programs.

The memory card interface 30 exchanges various data such as customer information with the memory card 18, and is installed in the memory card slot 20 shown in FIG. The reading circuit 31 converts the information read from the magnetic recording unit of the prepaid card 4 via the reading head 32 into digital data to convert the information into CP.
Supply to U26. The writing circuit 33 includes the keypad 16, the memory card interface 30 or the RS 23.
Various customer information input through the 2C interface 36 or the like is written in the magnetic recording unit of the prepaid card 4 through the write head 38.

The printing device 34 is a device for printing predetermined information on the prepaid card 4, and is mounted in the prepaid card slot 6 shown in FIG. 4 together with the reading head 32 and the writing head 34. .. As the printing device 34, for example, an irreversible printing device, such as a thermal head printer, in which characters or figures that have been printed once are not erased is used.

The card carrying device 35 is a device for setting the prepaid card 4 at a predetermined position in the slot 6 shown in FIG. 4 and ejecting the card 4 which has been subjected to a predetermined process from the slot. The card carrier 35 also has the function of setting the off-value card built in the terminal device 2 in the slot 6 when issuing a new prepaid card.

The RS232C interface 36 is shown in FIG.
Various kinds of data are exchanged online with the host computer 22 shown in FIG. 1 or an ECR (electronic cash register) 42 installed in a store. In the present embodiment, the memory card 18 inserted into the memory card interface 30 is used as an off-line type,
Since information such as customer information is exchanged with the host computer 22, the ECR 42 or another terminal device 2, RS
The 232C interface 36 is not necessarily required, but is used together with the memory card interface 30. Depending on the case, only one of the memory card interface 30 and the RS232C interface 36 may be provided. The communication means is not limited to RS232C, and other communication means can be used.

The LCD driver 37 is a circuit for driving the LCD 14 in response to a display command from the CPU 26. LCD
Information input from the keypad 16 and information recorded in the magnetic recording unit of the prepaid card 4 read by the reading circuit are displayed on the screen 14. From the keypad 16, transaction amount, customer information, operation command information for issuing a new prepaid card, etc. are input.

As shown in FIG. 4, such a terminal device 2 is placed in a store and has a host computer 22 and an ECR4.
2 or other terminal device 2 can communicate information online or offline via the memory card 18, and the information can be collectively managed by the host computer 22.

Next, the operation of processing the prepaid card 4 of this embodiment using the prepaid card terminal device 2 will be described. As shown in FIG. 6, when the control is started in step 70, the process proceeds to step 71, and it is determined whether or not it is a new prepaid card issuing process. If it is not the processing for issuing a new prepaid card, it is considered to be a normal transaction, so in step 72, it is judged whether or not the prepaid card 4 is set in the slot 6. If not set, the process returns to step 71. If it is determined that the card is set, the data magnetically recorded on the card is read, the process proceeds to step 73, the transaction amount is subtracted from the current balance, and the subtraction process is performed to calculate the balance after the transaction. .. Although the transaction amount is input using the keypad 16 of the terminal device 2, the transaction amount may be input using a bar code reading device without using the keypad.

Next, at step 74, the data to be printed is set in the above-mentioned usage history display column 10. In step 75, the data to be printed in the service stamp field 12 is processed. The processing content in step 75 is shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 7, first, at step 82, it is judged if the total n of the stamps after the transaction is equal to or more than a predetermined value N ₁ at which the stamp column in the first round is full. If it is less than the predetermined value N ₁ , step 8
Go to 3. In step 83, the first stamp mark is set in the number to be printed according to the transaction amount and the transaction number. In this embodiment, the first stamp mark is a circle mark 90 as shown in FIGS. The second stamp mark described later is a star mark 92 as shown in FIGS. In the present invention, the shape of these stamp marks is not particularly limited, and
The stamp mark may be the star mark 92, and the second stamp mark may be a circle mark. In the present invention, the shapes of the stamp marks are selected so that the stamp marks can be distinguished from each other by printing these stamp marks in an overlapping manner.

After step 83, the process goes to step 78 shown in FIG. 6 to print the first stamp mark and the usage history display column 10. In step 82 shown in FIG. 7, if n is determined to be N ₁ or more,
Go to step 84. In step 84, it is determined whether or not the stamp total n after the transaction is N ₂ or less. N ₂
Indicates the number of stamps that fill the service stamp column 12 by printing the second stamp mark in the second round.
If n is less than that, it is possible to print the second stamp mark of the second round, so the process proceeds to step 85, and the second step mark is set by the number corresponding to the transaction amount or the like.

Then, go to step 78 shown in FIG.
The second stamp mark is printed so as to overlap the blank portion of the first stamp mark. In addition, the usage history display column 10 is also printed. The state is shown in FIGS.

If it is determined in step 84 that n is larger than N ₂ , the second stamp mark cannot be printed. Therefore, the process proceeds to step 86, where a new prepaid card issuance process is performed and the new prepaid card is processed. After that, the service stamp is printed. The first stamp mark of the first round is printed on the new prepaid card. Since the relationship with the old card becomes a problem during the issuing process of the new prepaid card, like the process shown in FIG. 8 which will be described later, similar to the case where the printing column of the usage history display column 10 of the prepaid card is full. It is desirable that various processes be performed.

In step 78 shown in FIG. 6, as described above, the data set in steps 74 and 75 are printed in the usage history display column 10 and the service stamp column 12, respectively. At the same time, in step 79,
The printed data is magnetically recorded on the magnetic recording portion of the card. Next, in step 80, the prepaid card 4
Is discharged, and the control ends in step 81.

When it is determined in step 71 shown in FIG. 6 that a new prepaid card is issued, the terminal device 2
The off-value card housed inside is pulled out and automatically set in the slot 6. Next, in step 77, the data to be printed is set in the identification information display field 8 described above. This data is stored in the keypad 16 of the terminal device 2.
It is also possible to drive from the host computer 22, but preferably, the host computer 22 shown in FIG.
Customer data is recorded in the issuing memory card 18 by using the writer 24, the memory card 18 is inserted into the slot 20 of the terminal device 2, and the information is recorded.
When the customer number and the issued amount are input from the keypad 16, the data setting is automatically completed. Alternatively, when the terminal device 2 and the host computer 22 are connected online and the customer number and the issued amount are entered through the keypad 16, the data setting may be automatically completed.

Next, at step 78, the set identification information data is printed in the identification information display field 8. At the same time, in step 79, the identification information data is magnetically recorded in the magnetic recording portion of the card. As a result, the operation of issuing the new prepaid card is completed. In step 80, the card 4 is ejected from the slot 6 and the control ends in step 81.

In this embodiment, on one surface of the prepaid card 4, an identification information display column 8, a usage history display column 10,
Since the service stamp field 12 is formed, at the time of transaction, the usage history information such as the remaining amount of the card should be printed in the usage history display field, and the service stamp according to the transaction should be printed in the service stamp field. You can Therefore, the user does not need to separately prepare a service card for imprinting the service stamp, and the burden on the card user and the clerk can be reduced.

When the service stamp field 12 is printed, even if the stamp field is full due to the printing of the first stamp mark of the first round, the second stamp mark of the second round is printed from above. Since it is printed, it is possible to use the stamp field twice. As a result, one card 4
Will print a sufficient number of service stamps.

As shown in FIG. 3, when the usage history display field 10 of the prepaid card 4 is full, but there is a remaining amount available for the card,
The process is performed in the flowchart as shown in FIG.

That is, control is started in step 50,
In step 51, customer information, balance information, etc. are read from the magnetic recording section of the prepaid card 4. In step 53, the balance of the prepaid card and the transaction amount are compared, and it is determined whether or not the product can be purchased based on the balance. If it is not possible, the process proceeds to step 57, the card is ejected, and control is performed in step 58. finish. If possible, go to step 54 and subtract the transaction amount from the current balance,
Calculate the balance after trading. Next, at step 55, it is checked whether the number of times of use of the current prepaid card is a predetermined value Nmax or more. If the specified value is not reached,
3 to 3 indicate that there is a blank print column of the usage history display column 10 of the prepaid card 4, and in that case,
Go to step 56. In step 56, the writing circuit 33 shown in FIG. 5 writes the usage history information including the remaining amount information after the purchase of the product into the magnetic recording portion of the prepaid card. At the same time, the printing device 34
In the usage history column 10 shown in FIGS. 3 to 3, usage history information such as date of use, store used and balance is printed so as to be visualized. At that time, service information corresponding to the purchase price of the product, the number of times of use, etc. is printed in the stamp field 12. When printing on the stamp column 12, processing as shown in FIG. 7 is performed.

Thereafter, the process proceeds to step 57, where the prepaid card 4 is sent out from the slot 6 by the card carrier 35, and the control ends in step 58. The usage information for each customer written in the prepaid card 4 is RS2.
It is sent to and managed by the host computer 22 shown in FIG. 4 online via the 32C36 or offline via the memory card 18.

When the prepaid card 4 is used many times,
As shown in FIG. 3, the print column of the usage history column 10 is full, and further printing is impossible, but the remaining amount may not be 0. In such a case, in this embodiment,
From step 55 to steps 59 and 60, a new prepaid card is issued in place of the old prepaid card 4.

That is, at step 59, the old prepaid card whose usage history display field is full is set so that the remaining usable amount becomes 0 so that the old prepaid card cannot be used. As shown in FIG. 3, a printout for displaying that the remaining usable amount is 0 while updating the information is displayed on the margin portion 9 of the identification information display column 8.
And eject the old card. Next step 6
At 0, the off-value card stored in the terminal device 2 is sent into the slot 6, and the new prepaid card 4 is created from the off-value card. At that time, in the new prepaid card, the identification information for each customer is recorded in the magnetic recording section, and the identification information is printed in the identification information display field 8. At this time, information is recorded in the magnetic recording unit so that the amount corresponding to the remaining amount of the old prepaid card is added and the card can be used, and the usable amount display is printed in the usage history display column 10.

The new prepaid card is step 57.
At slot 6, then step 57
The control ends at. As described above, such control can be similarly applied when the second round printing in the service stamp field 12 is also full.

In the method of issuing a prepaid card using the terminal device 2 as described above, when issuing a new prepaid card in place of the old prepaid card, it is clear that the remaining usable amount of the old prepaid card is 0. Since it is displayed in, the user will not misunderstand that the old card can be used. Moreover, since the balance of the old prepaid card is added to the new prepaid card, there is no need to change the money, which is convenient for the user and the operator of the apparatus.

The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, but can be variously modified within the scope of the present invention. For example, the prepaid card of the present invention only needs to have an identification information display column, a usage history display column, and a service stamp column, and the arrangement order of these items does not matter.

Further, in the above-mentioned embodiment, when the printing column of the usage history display column 10 of the prepaid card 4 becomes full, the new prepaid card is issued instead of the old prepaid card. It is also possible to issue the prepaid card 4 to which the additional amount has been added in the same manner as in the above-mentioned embodiment even when the remaining amount becomes small, even if is not full. In this example,
Instead of step 55 shown in FIG. 8, or step 5
Along with step 5, a step of determining whether or not the remaining amount of the prepaid card after the transaction is less than or equal to a predetermined amount is added, and if it is less than or equal to the predetermined amount, a new prepaid card may be issued. Further, without providing such a step, it is possible to issue a new prepaid card in which the remaining amount of the old prepaid card is added in response to a request from the customer. In that case, the keypad 1 shown in FIG.
It is necessary to input the instruction signal from 6.

When a completely new prepaid card is issued using the terminal device 2 described above, for example, the host computer 22 shown in FIG. 4 and the prepaid card terminal device 2a connected to the host computer 22 issue the new prepaid card. An intermediate card 4a in which identification information other than the amount of money is stored and printed is issued, and the intermediate card 4a is inserted into the slot 6 of the terminal device 2.
Alternatively, the completed new prepaid card may be issued by inserting it into the keypad 16 and inputting the issued amount from the keypad 16.

Further, the terminal device of the prepaid card for realizing the printing method of the present invention is the above-mentioned terminal device 2.
It is not limited to the above and can be variously modified. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the printing method of the present invention may be realized by the prepaid card terminal device 2b connected to the ECR 42. This terminal device 2b has an ECR42
The keypad 16 and the LCD 14 of the terminal device 2 are unnecessary because they are connected to the terminal device 2. This is because the ECR 42 itself has these functions. Terminal device 2b
Other configurations in are the same as the terminal device 2. Furthermore, the printing method of the present invention is provided by a host computer 2
2 and the terminal device 2a connected to it.

[0044]

As described above, according to the present invention,
On one surface of the prepaid card, an identification information display field,
Since a usage history display field and a service stamp field are formed, at the time of a transaction, usage history information such as the remaining amount of the card is printed in the usage history display field, and the service stamp is printed according to the transaction. Can be printed in the field. Therefore, the user does not need to separately prepare a service card for imprinting the service stamp, and the burden on the card user and the clerk can be reduced.

When the service stamp field is printed, even if the stamp field is full due to the printing of the first stamp mark in the first cycle, the second field in the second cycle is printed from the top.
Since the stamp mark is printed, it is possible to use the stamp column twice. As a result, it is possible to print a sufficient number of service stamps with one card, it is possible to make the service stamp field small, and it is possible to increase the area of the other print fields. Therefore, the usability of the prepaid card is significantly improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view of a prepaid card according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the prepaid card according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a front view of the prepaid card according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an overall schematic diagram of a system in which the prepaid card of this embodiment is used.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration of a terminal device for performing a printing process on the prepaid card.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the processing contents of the terminal device.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing processing contents of the terminal device.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the processing contents of the terminal device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 2, 2a, 2b prepaid card terminal device 4 prepaid card 6 slot 8 identification information display column 10 usage history display column 12 service stamp column 31 reading circuit 33 writing circuit 34 printing device 26 CPU 90 circle mark (first stamp mark) 92 Star mark (second stamp mark)

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. Identification information such as a customer's name, usage history information about the remaining amount and the number of times of use, which are sequentially updated in accordance with transactions, and service information for each customer given according to the number of times of use and the amount of money used. Is a prepaid card having a magnetic recording portion for magnetically recording, and the identification information, the usage history information, and the service information are visually printed on one surface of the prepaid card. A display column, a usage history display column, and a service stamp column are provided, and after the first stamp mark of the first round is printed in the service stamp column, the margin portion of the first stamp mark is arranged in two order. A prepaid card characterized in that the second stamp mark of the eye is overlaid and printed. 2. A printing method for a prepaid card having an identification information display field, a usage history display field, and a service stamp field on one surface. When issuing a new prepaid card, the customer's name is used. Identification information such as is printed in the identification information display field, and at the time of transaction,
The usage history information regarding the balance and the number of times of use, which is updated sequentially according to the transaction, is printed in the usage history display field, and the service information for each customer given according to the number of times of use and the amount of usage is displayed in the service stamp field. If the first stamp mark of the first round is printed on this service stamp column and the column becomes full, the second stamp mark of the second round is overlaid on the margin of this first stamp mark. A printing method for a prepaid card characterized by printing.