JPH0576082B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a magnetic card recording method, and in particular to a method capable of recording a large amount of information in a small area. The present invention relates to a method for recording information on a magnetic card, in which information can be recorded with the same magnetic head and a magnetic recording band can be effectively used.

[Conventional technology]

Traditionally, magnetic cards (thin carriers made of plastic or paper with a magnetic stripe pasted on the surface)
For example, credit cards that allow you to purchase products or receive services within a predetermined credit balance instead of cash, and credit cards that allow you to use cash deposited at a bank to use your credit card. A cash card is used that can be withdrawn at any time. In addition, there are phone usage cards that allow you to call at public telephones within the range of the amount you have paid in advance, ticket issuing cards that issue tickets for fares within the range of the amount that you have paid in advance, or the range of the amount that you have paid. Prepaid cards, such as coupon cards that allow you to ride trains or buses within Japan, are widely used. Furthermore, depending on the purpose of use, specific signals or codes may be recorded, and when the recorded content matches the preset recorded content, it may be used as an entry permit card that opens a door or a gate, or on a product's price tag. It is also being widely used in POS cards that can be attached to record which products were sold and when each product was sold. Although their purpose of use is different, the essential act of attaching or coating a magnetic stripe to a card-shaped carrier and magnetically recording information on the magnetic stripe is the same.

Figure 1 shows the appearance of a conventional magnetic card 1, which is made of a carrier such as cardboard or plastic, and has a magnetic stripe 2 coated on its surface parallel to its length. There is. When recording information using this magnetic card 1, the magnetic card 1 is conveyed at a constant speed in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 2 using a belt or the like. Then, the magnetic head is fixed, and the fixed magnetic head is brought into contact with the surface of the magnetic stripe 2, and information is recorded as magnetic changes on the magnetic stripe 2 according to a conventionally well-known theory. The magnetic stripe 2 shown in FIG.
A magnetization pattern is formed in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction, and information can be read only along the direction of arrow A.

However, when information is recorded on a magnetic card using the conventional recording method, the magnetic head is fixed and the information is magnetically recorded in the direction in which the magnetic card is moved. For example, cards can only record a maximum of 72 characters according to the JIS standard, and the amount of information that can be recorded is extremely limited.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

In this way, in the conventional method of recording information on magnetic cards, the magnetic head is fixed in the direction of card transport and information is recorded along the direction of transport of the magnetic card, so there is a natural limit to the recording capacity. It was warm.

Because of these shortcomings, in recent years there have been new devices that can record a large amount of information on thin card-shaped carriers, called IC cards that have a built-in high-density integrated circuit, and optical cards that can record large amounts of information using laser light. A so-called laser card has also been developed that allows recording. However, IC cards have the disadvantage that they are expensive, and the contacts for inputting and outputting data must be precisely machined. It also had a characteristic of being extremely weak against static electricity.
Next, laser cards can store an extremely large amount of data, and the laser cards themselves are relatively inexpensive. However, laser card writing/reading devices for writing information on and reading information from laser cards require extremely high accuracy and have the drawback of being extremely expensive.

[Means for solving problems]

In view of the above-mentioned drawbacks, the present invention provides a magnetic card in which a magnetic recording body is provided on a part of a thin flat carrier, in which first information is recorded on a plurality of tracks inclined with respect to the traveling direction of the magnetic recording band. , characterized in that the second information is recorded in the same direction in which the first information was recorded in the slightly triangular remaining portion where the first information could not be recorded at the leading or trailing edge of the magnetic recording band. The present invention provides a method for recording information on a magnetic card.

[Effect]

In the present invention, a magnetic stripe is applied to the surface of a carrier to form a magnetic card, and first information can be sequentially written on tracks diagonal to the direction of travel of the magnetic card. The amount of information that can be displayed can be extremely increased, and the manufacturing cost of the card itself can be reduced. Most of this magnetic stripe is recorded with the first information diagonally with respect to the direction of travel, but at the leading edge or trailing edge of the magnetic stripe, the first information is recorded from one side of the magnetic stripe to the other. On the track where the oblique first information is recorded, there is a residual portion where the first information, which is slightly triangular in shape, cannot be written.
Then, in the remaining portion of this slightly triangular magnetic stripe, second information is written in a direction parallel to that in which the first information was written, but diagonally to the direction of travel of the magnetic card. I can do it. This second information allows you to set the criteria for determining whether or not the magnetic card is valid and whether or not it can be read by storing the PIN number and specific information about the magnetic card. It is possible.
That is, when recording the first information on the magnetic stripe in a diagonal direction with respect to its traveling direction,
As is well known, azimuth recording devices such as video tape decks are already in use, and these azimuth recording devices record information similar to the first information on a magnetic tape, and record the azimuth on a card. Forgery is possible by attaching magnetic tape. However, by having secondary information recorded at the leading or trailing edge of the magnetic stripe, certain information that cannot be read or written from these counterfeit tapes can be used to decode the magnetic card. It is possible to determine whether the magnetic card is forged and whether the information on the magnetic card can be read. In this way, by writing the first information and the second information in the remaining portion of the magnetic stripe where the first information could not be written, the security of use of the magnetic card can be maintained at an extremely high level. It is something that can be done.

[Example] Hereinafter, an example of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

First, FIG. 3 shows the direction in which information is recorded on the magnetic card 1 according to this embodiment. As mentioned above, this magnetic card 1 has the same structure as the conventional magnetic card 1 shown in FIG.
A magnetic stripe 2 in which a magnetic recording medium is applied in the form of a strip is attached to the surface of the recording medium. This magnetic card 1 is conveyed in the direction indicated by A in FIG. The magnetic stripe 2 is formed as a helical recording section 5 in which first information is sequentially recorded in a large number of tracks in the direction of arrow B in the figure by a rotating head that is inclined with respect to its length direction. In this helical recording section 5, a large number of tracks are recorded so as to approach one after another and become parallel to the B direction, and one track is sequentially recorded from one side of the magnetic stripe 2 to the other side. It is. In this way, a large amount of information is recorded diagonally with respect to the length direction of the magnetic stripe 2 in the B direction to form the helical recording section 5. However, at the front end and rear end of the magnetic stripe 2 in the traveling direction,
A remaining portion remains, each having a slightly triangular shape and in which a track of normal length cannot be formed by the helical recording portion 5. In other words, when recording is performed by bringing the rotating head into contact with the magnetic stripe 2 in the B direction, if the portion recorded from one side of the magnetic stripe 2 to the other side is considered as one track, then the tip of the magnetic stripe 2 This is because the rear end cannot be long enough to form one track, and a slightly triangular unrecordable area inevitably occurs. However, even in this triangular part, the magnetic stripe 2
has magnetization ability, so a preliminary recording section 6 of a short track length in the direction of arrow B is recorded in this slightly triangular portion using the same rotary head as that used for recording in the helical recording section 5. I can do it.
The contents of the second information recorded in this preliminary recording section 6 will be explained in detail later. It goes without saying that the recorded portion of the helical recording section 5 and the recorded portion of the preliminary recording section 6 should be spaced apart so that they do not interfere with each other.

Next, FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of the tip of the magnetic stripe 2, schematically showing the recorded contents of the second information in the preliminary recording section 6. Here, in the preliminary recording section 6, for example, a password known only to the user of the magnetic card 1, the data name and data number of the information recorded in the helical recording section 5, etc. are digitally recorded. It is something that exists.

Next, FIG. 5 shows the external appearance of a magnetic card writer/reader 10 for embodying this new information recording method.

This magnetic card writer/reader 10 has a slightly rectangular outer shape, and a slit-shaped insertion opening 11 that opens vertically is opened at a position biased to one side of the front panel. A slit-shaped discharge port 12 opening upward and downward is opened at a position biased to the other side. The magnetic card 1 is inserted through an insertion slot 11, and is ejected from an ejection slot 12 after writing or reading information is completed.

FIG. 6 shows the internal structure of the magnetic card writer/reader 10 described above. Inside this magnetic card writer/reader 10, the above-mentioned insertion slot 11
A pair of rollers 13 and 14 are pivotally supported near the. A helical recording mechanism 15 is installed at the back of the magnetic card reader/writer 10. This helical recording mechanism 15 has almost the same structure as that commonly used in video tapes and the like, and has a cylindrical outer periphery. The lower part is a fixed cylinder 16 whose cylindrical axis is inclined at an angle θ with respect to the vertical direction.
An inclined card guide 17 is formed as a stepped portion on the lower outer periphery of the fixed cylinder 16. A cylindrical rotary cylinder 19 is mounted on the upper part of the fixed cylinder 16 so as to be rotatable at high speed with both axes being the same.The outer diameter of the rotary cylinder 19 is approximately the same as the outer diameter of the fixed cylinder 16. Rotating heads 20 are mounted at four locations around the lower part of the rotating cylinder 19 at equal intervals. Also, this magnetic card writing/reading machine 1
0 and on the side opposite to the helical recording mechanism 15, rollers 22 and 23 are in contact with each other and are pivotally supported, and furthermore, a pair of rollers 24 and 23 are located close to the aforementioned discharge port 12. 25 are in contact and pivotally supported.

Next, as shown in FIG.
The operation of recording the second information will be explained.

First, the magnetic card 1 on which information is to be recorded.
In the state shown in FIG. 5 or 6,
Insert into the insertion port 11 from direction D. Then, the magnetic card 1 is moved to the rollers 13 and 1 as shown by A in FIG.
4 and pulled into the inside of the magnetic card writer/reader 10. The magnetic card 1 conveyed by the rollers 13 and 14 is further conveyed in the direction of the helical recording mechanism 15, and is guided while contacting the upper surface of the card guide 17. In the state shown in FIG. 7B when the magnetic card 1 first contacts the outer periphery of the fixed cylinder 16,
is constantly rotating in the direction of the arrow in the figure, and a rotating head 20 is attached to its rotating cylinder 19, so that the rotating head 20 comes into contact with the magnetic stripe 2 of the magnetic card 1. In the condition (b), the rotary head 20 does not have a contact length that allows it to record one track of normal length from one side of the magnetic stripe 2 to the other side. Therefore, in the first stage, it is not possible to record from one side of the magnetic stripe 2 to the other, and the first track is recorded on a short track at the tip of the magnetic stripe 2.
This information will be recorded as the preliminary recording section 6. When the magnetic card 1 is further transferred and advances with the lower part of the magnetic card 1 in contact with the upper surface of the card guide 17, the magnetic card 1 is bent and comes into contact with the fixed cylinder 16 and the rotating cylinder 19 along the curved surfaces. . It is only when the magnetic card 1, in its bent state, is wrapped around the rotating cylinder 19 to a length of one quarter of its circumference that the rotating head 20 can come into contact with the entire width of the magnetic stripe 2. Become. When the magnetic stripe 2 comes into contact with up to a quarter of the outer circumference of the rotating cylinder 19 as shown in C in FIG. One rotary head 20 can write one track of normal length from the time it starts contacting the magnetic stripe 2 from one side to the other until it finishes contacting it. By recording one full-width track by the rotary head 20, the helical recording section 5 described above is formed. When the magnetic card 1 moves, the rotary cylinder 19 is rotating at high speed, and each rotary head 20 contacts one track between one side of the magnetic stripe 2 and the other side. The first information can be written in a state where the two do not overlap.
Then, when the magnetic card 1 is still being transferred and the rear end of the magnetic card 1 is further away from the position where the magnetic card 1 first contacts the rotating cylinder 19, the rotating head 20 contacts the magnetic stripe 2 over the entire width thereof. Therefore, recording of the first information in the diagonal direction in the helical recording section 5 ends. The transferred magnetic card 1 is then held between rollers 22 and 23, and is moved with its transfer direction reversed to a right angle direction (see FIG. 7D). The magnetic card 1 that has been reversed by the rollers 22 and 23 is held between the rollers 24 and 25, and is ejected from the ejection port 12 in the direction E (see FIG. 7E).

When the magnetic card 1 is transferred in the magnetic card writer/reader 10 in this way, the four rotary heads 20 provided in the helical recording mechanism 15 cause the tip of the magnetic stripe 2 to be marked with a second one by the preliminary recording section 6. Information is recorded, and the helical recording unit 5 writes the first information in most of the information.

When reading the information recorded in this way, by inserting the magnetic card 1 through the insertion slot 11 in the same manner as described above, the rotary head 20 will read the information recorded in the preliminary recording section 6 and the helical recording section 5. It is possible to read certain information.

Note that FIG. 8 shows another embodiment of the method of recording the first information and the second information on the magnetic stripe 2. In FIG.

That is, in the first embodiment, each of the magnetic heads of the rotary head 20 was provided with a gap perpendicular to the direction of rotation thereof. However, in this embodiment, among the four rotary heads 20 attached to the rotary cylinder 19, the inclination angles of the gaps of the adjacent rotary heads 20 are changed, and the adjacent tracks X, Y are recorded sequentially. It is also possible to perform recording by so-called azimuth recording, in which magnetic recording directions are recorded so that they do not interfere with each other. According to this azimuth recording, the proximity of adjacent tracks X and Y can be made extremely high, and the degree of integration of tracks in the magnetic stripe 2 can be increased, so that the recording capacity of the second information can be made extremely high. It is something that can be done. Further, the preliminary recording section 6 can record a predetermined cipher reading start code using numbers or codes. Since this reading start code is recorded, the rotary head 20 will first read this reading start code, and the reading start code will be written to the magnetic card writer/reader 10 in advance.
If it does not match the code set in , it is assumed that the magnetic card 1 has been recorded illegally.
This prevents reading and writing of the second information in the helical recording section 5. However, if the reading start code matches a preset code, the second information recorded in the helical recording section 5 can be read and normal writing and reading operations can be performed. . This makes it possible to eliminate counterfeit cards in which a magnetic tape recorded by a helical recording mechanism is simply attached to the card.

〔Effect of the invention〕

Since the present invention is configured as described above, the storage capacity can be dramatically increased while using a magnetic card having the same configuration as the conventional one. Therefore, it is possible to record information with a storage capacity comparable to that of an IC card or laser card while using an inexpensive magnetic card, and the mechanism for writing and reading that information is compared to the writing/reading device of an IC card or laser card. The structure is extremely simple and can be made at low cost. Furthermore, in order to store data in the helical recording section, it is necessary to record only in tracks of normal length from one side of the magnetic stripe to the other. There is an area that cannot be recorded, and the second information can be recorded in the same inclination direction in the remaining area that cannot be recorded. This second information can record other information different from that recorded in the first helical recording section, so for example, it can be used to eliminate cards that have been recorded illegally, or to find specific information. Therefore, it is possible to widen the scope of use of magnetic cards with helical recording.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing the surface of a conventionally used magnetic card, FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a method of writing information on a conventional magnetic card, and FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a method of recording information on a magnetic card according to the present invention. An explanatory diagram showing an example, FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an enlarged recording method at the tip of the magnetic stripe in FIG. 3, and FIG. A perspective view showing the appearance of the machine,
Figure 6 is a skeleton diagram showing the internal configuration of the same as above;
FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing the order of writing and reading information, and FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing another embodiment of the present invention. 1...Magnetic card, 2...Magnetic stripe, 5
... Helical recording section, 6... Preliminary recording section.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. In a magnetic card in which a magnetic recording band is provided on a part of a thin flat carrier, the first information is recorded on a plurality of tracks that are inclined to the traveling direction of the magnetic recording band, and the A method for recording information on a magnetic card, characterized in that second information is recorded in the same direction in which the first information was recorded in the slightly triangular remaining portion where the first information could not be recorded at the edge.