JPH09192323A - Prepaid card management system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent an illegal deed using a fake card. SOLUTION: A medal lending apparatus 1 and a ticket issuing apparatus 2 are connected to a controller 3 via a communication line L1. The controller 3 is activated at the time of opening of a game house, produces a conversion code constructed by a random number sequence of 8 digits, and transmits the conversion code to the medal lending apparatus 1 and the ticket issuing apparatus 2, respectively. A control unit in each apparatus encodes ticket issuing information by using the transmitted conversion code upon issuing cards and records the coded information to an information recording part of a card. The medal lending apparatus 1 receives the card issued by itself or other apparatus and executes a process for lending medals to a neighboring slot machine. In this case, the information read out from the inserted card is decoded to the original ticket issuing information by the conversion code.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a prepaid card management system used for lending a game medium to a game machine such as a pachinko machine or a slot machine in a game hall such as a pachinko hall.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, with the spread of prepaid cards,
At playgrounds such as pachinko halls, play media such as pachinko balls and medals are lent out using prepaid cards. These playgrounds are provided with a ticket issuing device that issues a prepaid card in which the value of money is recorded, and a card processing device that accepts the prepaid card and lends a play medium to the amusement machine. I can do it.

Each of the above ticket issuing devices and card processing devices transmits information wirelessly or by wire via a plurality of relays to a control device provided at an appropriate place in a playground, and the ticket issuing device sells cards. The card processing device transmits information regarding the amount of money and information regarding the amount of money deducted from the received card. The control device processes the information received from each ticket issuing device or the card processing device, and uses the result to centrally manage the sales status of prepaid cards and the rental status of the game media in the entire playground.

The control device is further connected to the center device of the card company that sells the prepaid card, and transmits information relating to the value of money deducted by each game media lending device to the center device as appropriate.

In the center device of the card company, the amount of use of the prepaid card within a predetermined period such as a month is totaled for each amusement park using the information sent from each amusement park, and the payment is made according to the totaled result. Perform processing. Note that the writing information of the prepaid card is set in a common format by the card companies, and can be used at any playground where the system is installed. Also, the issued prepaid card can be used at any time as long as the value of money remains.

[0006]

In the above system,
Since the prepaid card has high versatility, it is easy to create a counterfeit card, and there is a problem that fraud occurs frequently. As a solution to this problem, a house card system in which each playground issues its own card is conceivable. According to this method, the data structure of the card is different for each playground,
It is impossible to make a counterfeit card that can be used at any playground, but it is not possible to decipher the information recorded on the card and make a counterfeit card for each playground. Yes, the problem of fraud still exists.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and generates a conversion code consisting of an arbitrary random number sequence in the control device, and the conversion code encrypts the ticket issuing information of the card issued by the ticket issuing device. It is a technical object to prevent fraud using a counterfeit card by decrypting the information read from the card accepted by the card processing device and decrypting the information.

[0008]

A prepaid card management system according to the present invention includes a ticket issuing device for issuing and issuing ticket issuing information including a predetermined amount value to a card having an information recording section, and a card issued by the ticket issuing device. It comprises a card processing device which accepts and lends a game medium corresponding to the value of money to a game machine, and a ticket issuing device and a control device which is connected to the card processing device via a communication line. The control device is an arbitrary random number sequence. A conversion code generating means for generating a conversion code including the conversion code, and a transmitting means for transmitting the conversion code generated by the conversion code generating means to the ticket issuing device and the card processing device via the communication line. Further, the ticket issuing device includes data conversion means for encrypting the ticket issuing information to be written on the card to be issued using the conversion code transmitted from the control device, and the ticket issuing information encrypted by the data converting means to the card information. The card processing device includes a card issuing unit for writing and issuing to a recording unit, wherein the card processing device reads the information recorded in the information recording unit of the received card, and the information read by the information reading unit. Data decoding means for decoding the original ticketing information using the conversion code transmitted from the control device, and card processing for executing the lending processing of the game medium to the game machine based on the ticketing information decoded by the data decoding means. And means.

In the invention of claim 2, the ticket issuing device and the card processing device are integrated as a game medium lending device electrically connected to the game machine.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the conversion code generation means of the control device generates the conversion code in response to activation of the device.

[0011]

When the card is issued in the ticket issuing device, the ticket issuing information encrypted by using the conversion code transmitted from the control device is written in the information recording portion of the card. Since this conversion code is randomly generated by the control device, the recording method of the ticketing information on the card is also set at random, and the recording method of the ticketing information can be changed every time the conversion code changes.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the ticket issuing device and the card processing device are integrated as a game medium lending device electrically connected to the game machine, so that the system configuration is simplified.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the conversion code is generated according to the activation of the control device, the issued card is valid from the activation of the control device to the end of the operation.

[0014]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS As an example for carrying out the present invention, a prepaid card management system as shown in FIG. 1 is shown. This system is configured by connecting a medal lending device 1, a ticket issuing device 2, and a control device 3 via a communication line L1, and the control device 3 generates a conversion code composed of an 8-digit random number sequence when the device is activated. And this is each medal lending device 1,
It is transmitted to the ticket issuing device 2. The medal lending device 1 and the ticket issuing device 2 execute encryption processing of the card issuing information issued by using the conversion code and decryption processing of the accepted card issuing information.

[0015]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 shows the configuration of a prepaid card management system in a playground according to an embodiment of the present invention.
This prepaid card management system includes a plurality of medal lending devices 1 and ticket issuing devices 2 installed in a specific playground.
The control device 3 is electrically connected to the control device 3 by a bidirectional communication line L1, and the control device 3 is further connected to the center device 6 of the card company via a communication line L2 such as a public line.

Each medal lending device 1 is provided adjacent to a slot machine 5, and each slot machine 5 and the medal lending device 1 are electrically connected by a cord line 7. Each medal lending device 1 has one inside
A card on the front of the machine that holds a number of cards, and when a predetermined amount of banknotes (for example, a thousand-yen bill) is inserted into the banknote receiving slot 8, writes information such as the card number and the amount of money into the possessed card. Issue at the doorway 9. The issued card is again taken into the medal lending device 1, and the medal lending process to the adjacent slot machine 5 is performed.

The ticket issuing device 2 is a dedicated prepaid card issuing machine, and when a bill is inserted into the bill accepting slot 10, a prepaid card of the same type as the issue card of the medal lending device 1 is issued from the card issuing slot 11. To do.

In this prepaid card management system,
Each issued card is set to be valid at this playground only on the day of issue, and information such as the value of money, the date of issue, and the ticket issuing number (hereinafter referred to as "ticket issuing information") written on each card is the issuer. In addition to being stored in the memory of the medal lending device 1 and the ticket issuing device 2, the medal lending device 1 and the ticket issuing device 2 are appropriately transmitted to the control device 3 via the communication line L1. When the customer leaves the store while leaving the value of money on the card, the card settlement process is performed by a settlement device (not shown).

Each medal lending device 1 can accept a card issued by another medal lending device 1 or a ticket issuing device 2 in addition to the card issued by its own device.
The card information of the inserted prepaid card is read to recognize which device issued the card. As a result, if the card issued by the device itself,
The read card information is collated with the card information stored in the memory to determine the suitability of the card.

On the other hand, if the inserted card is a card issued by another medal lending device 1 or a ticket issuing device 2, the medal lending device 1 sends the card information read from the card to the communication line L1. Via the card issuing device. Upon receipt of this transmission, the card issuing device collates the transmitted card information with the internal storage information and returns a response statement indicating the collation result to the card holding device.

When it is determined that the inserted card is a proper prepaid card based on the comparison result with the stored information of the own device or the comparison result received from another device, the control unit of the medal lending device 1 The monetary value deducted from the prepaid card (hereinafter referred to as "deducted monetary amount data") is converted into a predetermined frequency.

Each slot machine 5 is provided with three reels (not shown) on the peripheral surface of which a plurality of symbols are respectively displayed, and on the front surface thereof, a starting lever 12 and a stop button switch 13 for each reel. A medal lending switch 14, a frequency indicator 15, a medal number indicator 16 and the like are provided, and a control circuit section 17 for electrically controlling the respective components mainly composed of a CPU is incorporated in the machine.

The frequency display device 15 is electrically connected to the medal lending device 1 and displays the frequency data when the medal lending device 1 performs a frequency conversion process on the deduction amount data. When the player presses the medal lending switch 14 at this time, the control circuit unit 17 outputs a control signal to the control unit on the medal lending device 1 side.

When this control signal is input, the control unit of the medal lending device 1 rewrites the ticketing information stored in the card using the deduction amount data and the circuit control unit of the slot machine 5. The frequency data is transmitted to 17. Upon receiving this control signal, the control circuit unit 17 sets the machine body to a state in which medals of this frequency have been inserted, and waits for the start of the game.

If the card inserted in the medal lending device 1 is issued by another device when the above ticket issuing information is rewritten, this medal lending device 1
Sends the information including the deduction amount data to the card issuing device prior to the rewriting process. In response to this transmission, the device of the card issuer performs a rewriting process of the monetary value in the stored ticket issuing information, and then returns a predetermined response sentence indicating that the process is completed to the medal lending device 1 of the transmission source. Therefore, the medal lending device 1 holding the card executes the rewriting process of the monetary value by receiving the response sentence.

The control device 3 appropriately receives the card information of the cards issued by each medal lending device 1 and the ticket issuing device 2, and also receives and processes the data such as the number of used cards and the card sales amount in each device. , Monitor the processing result 1
Output to 8 etc. Further, the processing result is appropriately transmitted to the center device 6 of the card company via the communication line L2 and used for management such as settlement processing.

An identification number for identifying the device is set for each device in the prepaid card management system. This identification number is used not only for the card issue number issued by each medal lending device 1, but also for information transmission between the devices.

Further, in this prepaid card management system, in order to improve the security of the system, when each device is activated at the time of opening a store, a conversion code (details will be described later) composed of a predetermined random number sequence is generated in the control device. The medal lending device 1 and the ticket issuing device 2 are set to transmit this. This conversion code is used to encrypt the ticketing information when issuing the card and to decrypt the information read from the accepted card, and is stored in the memory of each device until the system is powered off at the end of business. To be done.

FIGS. 2 (1) and 2 (2) show the medal lending device 1 described above.
Of the display lamp 2 on the front upper door 19
2 and the bill receiving opening 8, the operation switch 23 and the card entrance / exit 9 on the middle door 20, and the insertion amount display unit 24 on the lower door 21.
Are provided respectively. The upper door 19, the middle door 20, and the lower door 21 can be opened and closed, and the upper door 19 and the lower door 21 are provided with locks 25 and 26 for locking, respectively.

The display lamp 22 is for notifying the operating state of the machine body, and is normally turned off, and blinks or lights up when an abnormality occurs in the machine body. Inside the bill receiving port 8, is a bill taking mechanism 34 (shown in FIG. 3) for taking the accepted bill into the inside, and whether the bill is a denomination determined as to whether the bill is true or false. A bill discriminator 35 (shown in FIG. 3) for discriminating whether
A bill processing unit 27 including a safe (not shown) for stocking the fetched bills is provided.

Inside the card entrance / exit 9, a card processing unit 28 for issuing and receiving a prepaid card is provided. This card processing unit 28
Is equipped with a card storage unit (not shown) at the rear for storing one card with a zero monetary value, and a predetermined amount of banknotes (thousand-yen bill) are inserted from the banknote receiving port 8. At this time, the card is unloaded from the card housing section, predetermined ticket issuing information is written, and then issued to the card entrance / exit 9.

The operation switch 23 is used for the card slot 9
It is used when the card issued by the company is immediately inserted inside, and by pressing this operation switch 23,
The card issued from the card slot 9 is again taken into the card processing unit 28, and the ticket issuing information is rewritten.

When the value of money of the card becomes zero after the rewriting process of the ticket issuing information, the card is stored in the card storage portion again. On the other hand, if the value of the value of the card remains, the card is carried out to the card entrance / exit 9, and is taken into the card processing unit 28 again in response to the pressing operation of the operation switch 23.

When a card issued by another medal lending device 1 or ticket issuing device 2 is inserted into the card entrance / exit 9 and the ticket issuing information is rewritten to the card, the possessed card is stored in the card accommodating portion. Is present, the rewritten card will be
It is carried out to the card entrance / exit 9. On the other hand, if no card is stored in the card storage and the value of the inserted card after rewriting is zero, this card
It is stored in the card storage unit as a new possessed card.

The inserted amount display unit 24 normally displays the amount of the banknotes inserted into the banknote receiving slot 8 and also displays information such as the total sales of cards in this apparatus as appropriate. A power supply unit (not shown) for supplying power to each of the above units is housed in the bottom of the medal lending device 1.

FIG. 3 shows an electrical configuration of the medal lending device 2. Reference numeral 29 in the figure denotes a control unit, which is an RO that stores a CPU 30 that is a main body of control and calculation, programs, and the like.
M31, and a RAM 32 in which various data such as the card information and the conversion code transmitted from the control device 3 are stored. In addition to the above-mentioned display lamp 22, the inserted amount display unit 24, the operation switch 23, the bill taking mechanism 34, and the bill discriminator 35, the CPU 30 is provided via a bus 33.
Card transport mechanisms 36, 37, card detectors 38, 39,
The magnetic head 40, the transmitter / receiver 41, etc. are connected.

The card transport mechanisms 36 and 37, the card detectors 38 and 39, and the magnetic head 40 are all installed in the card processing unit 28. First card transport mechanism 3
6 is for carrying in / out of the card to / from the card entrance / exit 9, and the second card transport mechanism 37 is for carrying out / out of the card to / from the card accommodating section, respectively. Are detected by the card detectors 38 and 39, respectively.

The magnetic head 40 is provided on the transport path communicating from the card storage portion to the card entrance / exit 9, and the processing for writing the ticket issuing information from the card entrance / exit 9 is taken in from the card entrance / exit 9. The read-out processing of the ticket issuing information is executed for each card. The transmission / reception unit 41 is used for transmitting / receiving information to / from another device.

FIG. 4 shows the appearance of the ticket issuing device 2. On the front surface of the machine body, in addition to the above-mentioned bill receiving slot 10 and card issuing slot 11, an indicator lamp 41 and an operation switch 4 are provided.
2, a return switch 43 and the like are provided.

The display lamp 41 is for notifying the operating state of the machine body, and is normally lit, blinks when an abnormality occurs in the machine body, and when the issuing operation is stopped. Turn off the light. The operation switch 42 is for instructing the issuance of the card after the bill is inserted, and the return switch 43 is for instructing the return of the bill inserted from the bill receiving port 10.

FIG. 5 shows the electrical construction of the ticket issuing device 2, in which a control unit 48 comprising a CPU 45, a ROM 46 and a RAM 47 is connected to the display lamp 4 via a bus 44.
1. In addition to the operation switch 42 and the return switch 43, a bill discriminator 49, a bill taking mechanism 50, a card detector 51, a card transport mechanism 52, a magnetic head 53, a transceiver 54, etc. are connected.

The bill discriminator 49 is provided inside the bill receiving opening 10 and is used for bill detection and bill discrimination. The bill take-in mechanism 50 is for carrying the thrown bills to the bill collecting section inside. In addition, the card transport mechanism 52
Is for sequentially taking out the cards accommodated in the internal stocker (not shown) and carrying them to the card issuing port 11. The magnetic head 53 executes the writing process of the card information for the cards being carried. The card detector 51 is
This is for detecting the issuance of a card to the card issuing port 11. The transmission / reception unit 54 is used to exchange necessary information with other devices.

FIG. 6 shows an electrical configuration of the control device 3, which includes a control unit 59 including a CPU 55, a ROM 56, a RAM 57, and a random number generator 58, and an input unit 6 via a bus 60.
1, a display circuit 62, transmission / reception units 63 and 64, etc. are connected.

The ROM 56 stores programs relating to communication and information processing with other devices and card companies, and RAM
In 57, various data such as card information and conversion codes of cards issued by each medal lending device 1 and ticket issuing device 2 are stored. The random number generator 58 outputs 0 to 0 at predetermined intervals.
It is set to output any integer value of 9.

The input section 61 is composed of a keyboard and the like,
It is used to input data necessary for processing as appropriate. The display circuit 62 is for displaying the data processing result on the monitor 18.

The first transmission / reception unit 63 is connected to the communication line L1 and is used for exchanging information with the medal lending device 1 and the ticket issuing device 2. Second transmitter / receiver 64
Is connected to the communication line L2 and used for exchanging information with the center device 6 of the card company.

When the apparatus is activated, the CPU 55 samples eight random numbers from the random number generator 58 and sequentially arranges them to create a conversion code as shown in FIG. This conversion code is stored in the RAM 57 in the device, is also transmitted to each medal lending device 1 and the ticket issuing device 2 by the transmitting / receiving unit 63, and is stored in the respective RAMs 32, 47. Note that the arrow a in FIG. 7 indicates the reading order of each random value at the time of encryption processing.

FIG. 8 shows an example of the data structure of the ticket issuing information recorded on the card. In the figure, BL _{1 to} BL ₂₀ collectively represent 4-bit data (hereinafter, these are referred to as “data blocks BL _{1 to} BL ₂₀ ”), and each element in the ticket issuing information is It is represented by a combination of a plurality of data blocks.

First, the first five data blocks BL ₁ ...
BL ₅ indicates the store number SN given to the amusement park, and the next 5 data blocks BL _{6 to} BL ₁₀ indicate the card issue date DT (last two digits of the Christian era, numbers indicating the month and day). Further, the next two data blocks BL ₁₁ and BL ₁₂ show the monetary value VL ₀ given to the card at the time of issuance, and the next data blocks BL ₁₃ and BL ₁₄ show the monetary value VL _c at the present time of the card. After being processed, the last six data blocks BL _{15 to} BL ₂₀ are used to issue the card issue number C.
D is shown.

Of the above data, the store number SN
Is transmitted from the control device 3 when the system is started at the time of opening the store, like the conversion code. The issue date DT is set based on the time indicated by the clock inside the device of the card issuer. The issuance number CD is a number set by the control unit of the card issuing device, and includes the identification number assigned to the issuing device, as described above.

FIG. 9 shows a conversion method of various data used in the encryption processing of the ticket issuing information in association with each random number value used in the conversion code. This correspondence is stored in advance in the ROMs 31 and 46 of the medal lending device 1 and the ticket issuing device 2, respectively.
The U30 or 45 reads the random number values of the conversion code stored in the RAM in ascending order (the order of the arrow a in FIG. 7), and sequentially executes eight conversion processes corresponding to the random number values.

Next, details of each data conversion method will be described with reference to FIGS. (1) Negative conversion process This is a process corresponding to a random value "0", and is a process of converting data into a negative in a data block unit. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 10, each bit is inverted for each data block, and then “1” is added to the fourth bit. If a carry occurs in the most significant bit, it is truncated.

(2) Bit inversion process This process corresponds to the random value "1", and each bit is inverted as shown in FIG.

(3) Bit exchange processing NO. 1 is a process corresponding to the random number value “2”, and as shown in FIG. 12, the 1st bit and 2nd bit data and the 3rd bit and 4th bit data are exchanged for each data block, respectively. To do.

(4) Bit exchange process NO. 2 This is a process corresponding to the random number value "3", and as shown in FIG. 13, the second bit and the third bit are exchanged for each data block (the data of the first bit and the fourth bit are maintained. Be done).

(5) Bit right rotation process This process corresponds to the random number value "4", and the data is moved bit by bit to the next stage (right side in the figure). As a result, as shown in FIG. 14, the 1st to 3rd bits of data in each data block are moved to the 2nd to 4th bits, and the 4th bit of data is moved to the 1st bit of the next-stage data block. . The 4th bit data of the data block BL _{20 at} the final stage moves to the 1st bit of the data block BL ₁ .

(6) Bit rotate left process This process corresponds to the random number value "5", and conversely to the above, the data is moved to the previous stage (left side in the figure) bit by bit. In this case, the 1st bit data of the data block moves to the 4th bit of the data block BL ₂₀ (FIG. 15).

(7) Data block right rotate process This process corresponds to the random value "6", and the data position is moved to the next stage in data block units. This allows
As shown in FIG. 16, each data block BL ₁ to BL ₁₉
Data of the next stage are data blocks BL _{2 to} BL of the next stage, respectively.
_Then , the data of the data block BL ₂₀ at the final stage is moved to ₂₀ , and the data is moved to the _first data block BL ₁ .

(8) Data block left rotation process This process corresponds to the random number value "7", and the data of each data block is moved to the preceding stage in the reverse of the above process. As a result, as shown in FIG. 17, each of the data blocks BL _{2 to} B ₂ -B
The data of L ₂₀ are the data blocks BL ₁ to BL _{1 of the} preceding stage.
The data of the data block BL ₁ is moved to BL ₁₉ , and the data of the data block BL ₁ is moved to the last-stage data block BL ₂₀ .

(9) Data block exchange processing NO. 1 is a process corresponding to the random number value “8”, the data of the data block BL _{1 and} the data of the data block BL ₂ are exchanged as shown in FIG. Replace.

(10) Data block exchange processing NO.
2 (Random number value 9) This is a process corresponding to the random number value "9", in which four data blocks are set as one unit and data is moved within each unit.
Specifically, as shown in FIG. 19, the data of the first and fourth data blocks are maintained as they are, and the data of the second and third data blocks are exchanged. The data conversion method is not limited to the above methods, and may be set freely.

FIG. 20 shows the correspondence relationship between various data conversion methods at the time of decoding ticketing information and each random number value used for the conversion code. This correspondence is also stored in the ROMs 31 and 46 of each medal lending device 1 and the ticket issuing device 2, except that the correspondence between the bit rotation process and the data block rotation process is opposite to that in the encryption process. Is the same as in FIG. During the decoding process, the random number values of the conversion code are read in the descending order of the code (the reverse order of the arrow a in FIG. 7).

FIG. 21 shows a control procedure when the control device 3 is activated. When the power of the device is turned on, the CPU 55 first resets each part of the device in step 1 (indicated by "ST1" in the figure), and then in the subsequent step 2, the random number generator 5
A conversion code is generated by sampling eight random number values of eight.

Next, in step 3, the CPU 55 creates a predetermined transmission sentence including this conversion code, and transmits this from the transmitting / receiving unit 63 to each medal lending device 1 and ticket issuing device 2. Further, the CPU 55 creates a transmission sentence including the store number SN described above in step 4, and a transmission sentence including current time data in step 5, respectively, and similarly, from the transmission / reception unit 63, each medal lending device 1 and ticket issuing. After transmitting to the device 2, it shifts to the normal operation mode. The store number S
N is transmitted from the center device 6 of the card company, and a different number is transmitted every business day.

FIG. 22 shows a control procedure of the medal lending device 1. When the conversion code is received from the control device 3 after each part of the device is reset in step 1 after the device is activated, step 2 becomes “YES”, and the CPU 30 stores this conversion code in a predetermined area in the RAM 32. (Step 3). Next, when the store number SN from the control device 3 is received, step 4 becomes "YES", and the CPU 3
0 stores this store number in the RAM 32 as in the above (step 5).

When the time data is further received from the control device 3, step 6 becomes "YES" and the process shifts to step 7, and the CPU 30 adjusts the time of the internal clock using the received time data, The system waits in a state capable of handling all of the insertion of banknotes into the banknote receiving slot 8, the insertion of cards into the card slot 9, and the transmission of verification data from another medal lending device 1.

When a bill is inserted from the bill receiving port 8, step 8 becomes "YES", and the CPU 30 causes the ROM 3
The program relating to the card issuing process in 1 is read and executed. If the inserted banknotes are proper, a prepaid card in which ticketing information such as the value of 1,000 yen is written is created and issued from the card slot 9 (step 9).

When the card issued in step 9 is taken into the machine again by pressing the operation switch 23, or another card issued by the medal lending device 1 or the ticket issuing device 2 is inserted from the card entrance 9 into the machine body. When it is put into the inside, step 10 becomes "YES", and the CPU 3
0 reads out and executes the program relating to the medal lending process in the ROM 31 (step 11).

On the other hand, when the transmitting / receiving unit 41 receives the data for collating the ticket issuing information from the other medal lending device 1, step 12 becomes "YES" and the process proceeds to step 13, and the CPU 30 R received data
After collating with the ticket issuing information stored in the AM 32, in the following step 14, the collation result is returned to the medal lending device 1 of the transmission source.

When the transmitter / receiver 41 receives the rewriting data for the card issued by the own medal lending device 1 from the other medal lending device 1, step 15 returns "YE".
Then, the CPU 30 shifts to step 16 and the CPU 30
After rewriting the corresponding ticket issuing information in the RAM 32 using the received data, in a succeeding step 17, a response sentence indicating that the rewriting process is completed is returned to the medal lending device 1 of the information transmission source.

FIG. 23 shows a detailed procedure of the card issuing process of the step 9. First, the CPU 30 executes step 9
In -1, it is checked by the discrimination signal of the bill discriminator 35 whether or not the inserted bill is proper, and if this determination is "NO", the accepted bill is returned to the bill receiving port 8. (Step 9-7).

If the accepted bill is valid, step 9-1 becomes "YES", and the CPU 30 next checks whether or not a card is accommodated in the card accommodating portion. At this time, if the detection signal of the card detector 39 is not output, the determination in step 9-2 is "NO".
Then, the process proceeds to step 9-7.

When the determination in step 9-2 is "YES", the CPU 30 stores the store number S stored in the RAM 32.
Using the N, the current time, the identification number of the device itself, etc., the ticket issuing information having the configuration shown in FIG. 8 is created and stored in the RAM 32 as the information of the new card (step 9-
3).

Next, the CPU 30 reads out each random number value of the conversion code stored in the RAM 32 in ascending order, and sequentially applies the data conversion processing shown in FIG. 9 to each read random number value to obtain 8 The data is converted as described above and the ticketing information is encrypted (step 9-4). Then CPU30
Drives the card transport mechanisms 36 and 37 to carry out the carried card in the card storage portion onto the transport path and transport it, and records the encrypted ticket issuing information using the magnetic head 40 (step 9-5). ). The card for which the writing process has been completed is further transported and is delivered to the card issuing port 9 (step 9-6).

FIG. 24 shows a detailed procedure of the medal lending process of the step 11. First, in step 11-1, C
The PU 30 drives the card transport mechanism 36 to load the card into the card processing unit 28, and further uses the magnetic head 40 to read the information recorded on the card. After reading this information,
The CPU 30 reads the random number values of the conversion code stored in the RAM 32 in descending order and sequentially applies the data conversion process shown in FIG. 20 to the read random number values to decode the ticket issuing information. Is executed (step 11-
2).

Next, the CPU 30 executes step 11-3.
Then, it is checked whether or not the decrypted ticket issuing information matches the data structure shown in FIG. 8 (that is, whether the ticket issuing information is composed of a total of 20 data blocks). When it is "," it is further confirmed whether or not the content of the ticket issuing information is proper (step 11-4).

This confirmation processing differs depending on the identification number of the issuing device included in the issue number CD of the ticket issuing information, and when it is confirmed from the issue number CD that this card is issued by the own device. The CPU 30 collates the decrypted ticket issuing information with the information stored in the RAM 32, and determines the suitability of the information. On the other hand, when the identification number included in the issue number CD is the identification number of another device, the CPU 30
Creates the matching data of the ticket issuing information for the device, and transmits it using the transmitting / receiving unit 41. As a result, when the verification result is returned from the device that issued the card, the content of the returned data is checked to determine the adequacy of the issued card issuing information.

As a result, if it is determined that the content of the ticket issuing information is proper, step 11-5 becomes "YES",
The CPU 30 creates the above-mentioned deduction amount data in step 11-6. Further, the CPU continues to step 11-
In 7, the ticketing information for the rewriting process is created, and then the ticketing information is encrypted using the conversion code as in the above.
It is temporarily stored in the RAM 32.

The deduction amount data is converted into predetermined frequency data and the frequency display 1 of the adjacent slot machine 5 is used.
When the player presses the medal lending switch 14, the medal lending signal corresponding to this operation is input from the slot machine 5 to the medal lending device 1. As a result, step 11-8 becomes “YES”, and if the accepted card is issued by the device itself, the CPU 30 uses the deduction amount data to read R.
The ticketing information in AM32 is updated. On the other hand, if the accepted card is issued by another device, the CPU
30 transmits rewriting data including the above-mentioned deduction amount data to the card issuing device, and confirms that the ticket issuing information is updated by receiving a response sentence to this transmission.

When the processing of step 11-9 is completed, the CPU 30 reads out the encrypted ticketing information temporarily stored in the RAM 32, rewrites the card recording information using this information, and at the same time stores the frequency data. It is transmitted to the control circuit section 17 of the slot machine 5 (steps 11-10, 11-11).

In the next Step 11-12, the CPU 30
Checks the updated monetary value of the card, and if it is zero, in the next step 11-13, after confirming that the inside of the card storage section is empty, the card transport mechanism 37 is driven to remove the card. The card is stored in the card storage section (step 11-14). When the value of money remains in the card, or when the card is held in the card accommodation portion, step 11-12 becomes "NO", or step 11-13 becomes "YES", and the CPU 30 causes the card transportation. The mechanism 36 is driven to carry out the card to the card slot 9 (steps 11-15).

After the decryption processing in step 11-2, if the decrypted ticket issuing information does not match the data structure shown in FIG. 8 or if the content is not determined to be proper, step 11- The process returns to 15 card return processing.

FIG. 25 shows a control procedure of the ticket issuing apparatus 2. The CPU 45 executes the same processing as that of FIG. 22 in steps 1 to 7, and then inserts a bill into the bill receiving slot 10. Alternatively, one of the medal lending apparatuses 1 is on standby in a form capable of coping with both verification data and rewriting data. The procedure after step 8 is the same as steps 8, 9 and steps 12 to 16 in FIG.
The description is omitted here.

In the above prepaid card management system, the control device 3 generates the conversion code when the device is activated at the time of opening the store and transmits it to each medal lending device 1 and the ticket issuing device 2, so that the conversion code is changed every business day. Will be. By doing this, even if you return the issued card and decrypt the recorded information to create a counterfeit card,
The next day, the ticketing information will be recorded in a different way, making it impossible to use a counterfeit card. Further, according to this method, the card is valid only on the day of issuance, and the card management becomes easy.

The above embodiment relates to a system in which a medal lending device for issuing a prepaid card and a medal lending process for a slot machine, a ticket issuing device, and a control device are connected via a communication line. However, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to this configuration and can be applied to, for example, a system in which a normal ticket issuing device and various play medium lending devices are connected to a control device.

[0086]

As described above, according to the present invention, in the control device, the conversion code is generated and transmitted to the ticket issuing device and the card processing device, and when the card is issued by the ticket issuing device, the ticket issuing information is encrypted by the conversion code. The information read from the card accepted by the card processing device is decrypted by the conversion code as well as being written in the information recording unit, and the recording method of the ticketing information on the card is randomly set according to the conversion code, and The method of recording ticketing information can be changed each time the conversion code changes. As a result, even if the information recorded on the card is decrypted to create a counterfeit card, it becomes difficult to use it and the security of the system can be greatly improved.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the ticket issuing device and the card processing device are integrated as a game medium lending device electrically connected to the game machine, so that the system configuration is simplified and the card can be easily used.

According to the third aspect of the invention, since the conversion code is generated in response to the activation of the control device, the issued card is valid from the activation of the control device to the end of the operation.
Card management becomes easy.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration of a prepaid card management system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2A and 2B are a front view and a perspective view showing an appearance of a medal lending device.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the medal lending device.

FIG. 4 is a front view showing an appearance of a ticket issuing device.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the ticket issuing device.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of a control device.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration example of converted data.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing a data structure of ticket issuing information.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing each data conversion process used for encryption.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a data conversion process corresponding to a random value “0”.

FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing a data conversion process corresponding to a random value “1”.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing a data conversion process corresponding to a random value “2”.

FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing a data conversion process corresponding to a random value “3”.

FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram showing a data conversion process corresponding to a random value “4”.

FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram showing a data conversion process corresponding to a random value “5”.

FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram showing a data conversion process corresponding to a random value “6”.

FIG. 17 is an explanatory diagram showing a data conversion process corresponding to a random value “7”.

FIG. 18 is an explanatory diagram showing a data conversion process corresponding to a random value “8”.

FIG. 19 is an explanatory diagram showing a data conversion process corresponding to a random value “9”.

FIG. 20 is an explanatory diagram showing each data conversion process used in the decoding process.

FIG. 21 is a flowchart showing a control procedure when the control device is activated.

FIG. 22 is a flowchart showing a control procedure of the medal lending device.

FIG. 23 is a flowchart showing a detailed procedure of a card issuing process.

FIG. 24 is a flowchart showing a detailed procedure of a medal lending process.

FIG. 25 is a flowchart showing a control procedure of the ticket issuing device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 medal lending device 2 ticket issuing device 3 control device 30, 45, 55 CPU 40, 53 magnetic head 58 random number generator L1 communication line

Front page continuation (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification code Office reference number FI Technical display location G06K 17/00 G06K 17/00 L S G07F 7/12 G07F 7/08 C 7/08 S M

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A ticket issuing device for issuing and issuing ticket issuing information including a predetermined monetary value to a card having an information recording section,
A prepaid card including a card processing device that accepts a card issued by a ticket issuing device and lends a play medium corresponding to the value of the money to the game machine, and a control device connected to the ticket issuing device and the card processing device through a communication line. In the management system, the control device generates a conversion code including an arbitrary random number sequence, and a conversion device generated by the conversion code generation device via the communication line. The ticket issuing device, wherein the ticket issuing device encrypts the ticket issuing information to be written in the card to be issued by using the conversion code sent from the control device; and the data converting device. A card issuing means for writing and issuing encrypted ticket issuing information in an information recording unit of the card, The processing device uses the information reading means for reading the information recorded in the information recording part of the received card, and the information read by the information reading means into the original ticketing information using the conversion code transmitted from the control device. A prepaid card management system comprising: a data decoding unit for decoding; and a card processing unit for executing a process of lending a game medium to a game machine, based on the ticket issuing information decoded by the data decoding unit. 2. The ticket issuing device and the card processing device,
The prepaid card management system according to claim 1, wherein the prepaid card management system is integrated as a game medium lending device electrically connected to a game machine. 3. The conversion code generation means of the control device,
The conversion code is generated in response to activation of a device.
Prepaid card management system described in.