JPS63108458A - Wireless personal identification number pad - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To devise the countermeasure to the useless consumption of a battery and to keep the secrecy of a personal identification number by using three timers different in time setting and turning off the power source when the operation by a special key input is not respectively completed in the specified time. CONSTITUTION:When a power source on key is inputted, a timer 1 is started, and when a personal identification number key is inputted, a timer 2 is started. When the input of the personal identification number key is not executed for a prescribed time, the power source is turned off. When a personal identification number figure is inputted from a ten-key, the timer 2 is started, the input is eliminated, and when a prescribed time passes, the power source is turned off. When the input of all digits is completed, a setting key is inputted and the personal identification number stored in a memory 11B of a control part 11 is sent to a transmitting device 13 as a modulating signal. When the setting key is not inputted for the prescribed time, the power source is turned off. Next, when the transmitting key is inputted, a timer 3 is started, and when transmission is correctly executed from a pad to a POS main body, the signal of a data receiving is displayed. When the transmission is not correctly transmitted and a prescribed time passes, the power source is turned off.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a wireless password pad for inputting a password.

[Conventional technology]

In the POS system, a PO8 terminal (hereinafter referred to as the PO3 main body) is connected to a host computer. When a purchaser purchases goods etc. using a card, the purchaser must enter the PIN number recorded on the card and PO8 each time.
The host computer first confirms that the password matches the password entered into the main unit. The purchaser enters his/her PIN number
In order to keep the password secret from others, input operations to the s main body are normally performed from an input device separate from the PO8 main body. As such an input device, a wireless PIN pad is well known, which has an infrared transmitter and transmits a signal to the POS main body by modulating the PIN data for portability. In addition to infrared rays, there are also unrelated sources.

In addition, such a wireless PIN band is a POS
It is not limited to the purchase of goods using a terminal, but is also widely used when receiving services from a terminal connected to a host computer.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

A wireless PIN number pad (hereinafter abbreviated as a pad) is small, lightweight, and portable due to its intended use, so a battery with a relatively small capacity is used as its power source.

In order to avoid the hassle of battery replacement and to enable long-term use, it is necessary to prevent battery consumption by using the pad only when it is used, and by minimizing unnecessary use.

However, conventionally, such considerations have not been shown.

Furthermore, in order to keep the password confidential, it is necessary that the password entered into the pad be stored in the band only when the operator operates the pad. Confidentiality can be improved by automatically clearing the password without the operator having to consciously clear it.

Conventionally, no measures have been taken regarding this point either.

An object of the present invention is to provide a wireless PIN pad that has measures against battery consumption and secrecy of the PIN as described above.

[Means for solving problems]

In the present invention, the wireless PIN pad includes a keyboard including a power key and various function keys for inputting a PIN, a control unit that receives input from the keyboard and drives a transmitting unit to be described later, and a wireless means. A transmitter is provided to transmit the password to the terminal body.

The control section is provided with three types of timers, one of which measures the total time from turning on the power key until the end of transmission.

In the other two, a timer period is set to regulate the operating time in the password input stage and the transmission control stage, respectively, and the power is turned off when the timer period expires.

[Effect]

In the present invention, each timer provided in the control unit starts measuring time by inputting a specific function key from the keyboard. If the operator does not perform an operation corresponding to a specific function key within the specified time,
When the timer expires, the power is turned off. One timer is started by inputting the power key and defines the total time, and the other two timers are determined to set time constraints for each operation within the total time.

〔Example〕

Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a circuit block diagram, and FIG. 2 is a panel display. In FIG. 1, a keyboard circuit 10
The controller 11 has corresponding parts of a power on key, a password key, a setting key, a send key, function keys, and numeric keys, and the control unit 11 has a timer 1.1 as a timer unit 11A. Timer 2 and timer 3 are provided. Timer 1, 2.3
corresponds to a specific key force, as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 3, which will be described later. The control unit 11 further includes a memory 11B for storing password data, and holds each digit of the number until transmission. The display device 12 is an LCD
(liquid crystal device) is used, but it does not display the numbers themselves, but only recognizes that the numbers are being input. The transmitting device 13 includes an infrared light emitting section using an LED and a transmitting data modulating section. The battery 14 is a battery for the entire pad, and is turned on and off by the control unit 11.

On the surface of the pad, there is a numeric keypad 21 as shown in Figure 2.
．． A function key 221 display section 23 is provided. When the power is on, a dot display 23A appears on the display section 23, indicating whether the power is on or off. In addition, a bar is displayed each time you enter your PIN with your finger, so you can confirm your input.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be explained in the third example in the case of a POS terminal.
This will be explained with reference to the flowchart shown in the figure.

Here, timer 1 is started when the power on key is input, and the timer time limit is on the order of several minutes, and is the longest time (T1) among the timers. Timer 2 is started manually using a password key or number keys, and the time (T2) is 10 to 15 seconds. Timer 3 is started manually by the transmission key, and its time (T3) is several tens of seconds. and,
In any case, when the timer time limit T1 of timer 1 is reached, the power is turned off.

First, when the power on key is input at Pl, each part of the circuit is cleared and timer 1 is started (P2).

Next, when the password is input (P3), timer 2 starts (P5). If the password has not been entered and the time has elapsed, the power will be turned off (P4). Whether the power is on or off can be determined by the display 23A on the display section 23.

Next, start entering the numbers for your PIN using the numeric keypad 21 (
P6). Timer 2 starts from the first input (Pl
). When T2 time has elapsed without any input from the numeric keypad 21, the power is turned off (P8).

After entering all digits (P9), enter the setting key (P
IO). As a result, the password data stored in the memory 11B of the control section 11 is sent to the transmitting device 13 as a modulated signal. If the setting key is not input and time passes T2, the power is turned off (pH). Next, when the send key is input (Pl2), timer 3 starts (P14)
. If the transmission from the pad is correctly input to the PoS main unit, a data reception signal will be displayed on the PoS main unit. If there is a problem with the transmission, please input the send key repeatedly ( Pl3).

The timer 3 is started by manually pressing the transmission key for the first time (Pl3, Pl4).

A case where the information is not input correctly to the PoS main body is a case where the direction of infrared radiation from the pad is not correctly directed to the light receiving window of the PoS main body. Data transmission (Pl5) starts immediately when the transmission key is input, but the above-mentioned PoS
In consideration of the case where correct input is not made to the main body, a timer 3 is provided and the time T3 is set longer than the time T2 of the timer 2. After the T1 time, the power is turned off (Pl
6).

As described above, three timers with different time settings are used to turn off the power if the manual operation of a specific key is not completed within a predetermined time.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As described in detail above, the present invention is a wireless PIN number pad that is provided with three timers so that the operation time can be limited, which was not possible in the past. Depending on the combination of the start point of each timer and the set time limit, the power is turned off after the appropriate time specified for the total operation time, PIN input stage, and data transmission stage has passed, and the battery is discharged. Prevents wear and tear.

Furthermore, since the power is always turned off when the timer 1 expires, each circuit (especially the memory) in the pad is cleared, and even if the pad operator cancels the operation midway through, the data will always disappear. Therefore, no matter how a stranger operates the pad, no data is input into the terminal, and the password data remains confidential as it cannot be used by others.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The drawings relate to one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1 is a circuit block diagram, FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a display panel surface, and FIG. 3 is an operation flowchart. 10-・Keyboard circuit, 11-・Control unit, 11
A--Timer section, 11B--Memory (Password data storage memory),
I2-display device, 13-transmission device, 14--battery, 21--11-numeric keypad, 22.
-・Function keys, 23~Display section.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claim] In a system in which a terminal is connected to a host computer, there is provided a keyboard including a power key and various function keys for inputting a password, which serves as a pad for inputting a password into the terminal, and a keyboard for inputting a password from the keyboard. It has a control section that receives an input and drives a transmitting section described later, and a transmitting section that transmits a password to the terminal body by wireless means, and the control section is provided with three types of timers, one of which is For the other two, a timer period is set that regulates the entire time from the power key input to the end of transmission, and for the other two, the operation time during the PIN input stage and transmission control stage, and the power is turned off when the timer period is exceeded. A wireless PIN pad characterized by: