JPS6325793A - Automatic season ticket issuing system - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Abstract] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a commuter pass issuing system used by electric railway companies and the like when using trains and buses, and particularly to an automatic commuter pass issuing system.

[Invention (already required)]

It consists of a center device, a plurality of terminal devices, and a communication line used for exchanging information between these centers and terminals.The center device registers and stores each customer's commuter pass information in advance, and each terminal device It accepts each customer's credit card and commuter pass information for renewal, communicates with the center device online, prints the commuter pass based on the new commuter pass information, and automatically sends the commuter pass to each customer. It issues tickets.

[Conventional technology]

Commuter pass issuing devices that are currently widely used are of the following types. Customers who wish to purchase a commuter pass must first go to the designated nearest station where a commuter pass issuing device is installed.
After filling out the specified information on the application form or marking the specified information on the application card, it will be sent to the dedicated operator (
(station staff).

The dedicated operator inputs the application form and the like into the commuter pass issuing device, performs necessary key operations, and upon receiving the required amount, the desired commuter pass is printed and ejected. This is handed over to the customer to complete one commuter pass issuance operation.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] The conventional commuter pass issuing device described above has various problems. The first point is cost. This commuter pass issuing device usually has many parts that are operated by a dedicated operator, and the number of operation keys is enormous. Therefore, the device becomes larger, which inevitably leads to an increase in cost. The second point is operating costs. In the first place, the conventional commuter pass issuing device described above is not an automated device. It cannot be simply automated because it requires the receipt of large sums of money. Therefore, the intervention of a dedicated operator is always required, and the operating cost (personnel cost) of the device is indispensable. The third point is service. As mentioned above, conventional commuter pass issuing devices are expensive and large, so they cannot be installed at each station. Therefore, customers have to go to the designated station where the system is installed. Moreover, there is the hassle of filling out the designated items on the application form. Additionally, customers must bring the required cash with them.

In addition, since a dedicated operator is required, it is generally impossible to purchase early in the morning or late at night. As a result of this, the validity period of the commuter pass may be exceeded.

[Means for solving problems]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the basic configuration of a system according to the present invention. In this figure, 10 is an automatic commuter pass issuing system according to the present invention, which is composed of a center device 11, a plurality of terminal devices (only one is shown) 13, and a communication line 12 wired between them. . Among these, the center device 11 has a built-in so-called host computer, and it is common for national railways, private railways, companies, department stores, banks, etc., to already have their own devices.For example, banks use online services. It is essential for execution. The present invention assumes that such an existing center device will be used. Furthermore, since it is assumed that the communication line 12 has already been wired (including a public line), the system IO will be constructed using this.

Therefore, since only the terminal device 13 is newly manufactured, the cost of the entire system is substantially reduced to the terminal device 13.
It is determined by 3. As will be described later, this terminal device 13 can significantly reduce costs compared to conventional commuter pass issuing devices.

In FIG. 1, the terminal device 13 is basically an information input section 1.
8 and a commuter pass issuing section 19. The information input unit 18 cooperates with a credit card C insertion slot (not shown) and a required commuter pass information input key (not shown) provided on the outside of the device 13. On the other hand, the center device 11
The commuter pass issuing unit 19 issues a desired commuter pass P based on the commuter pass information transmitted from the terminal via the communication line 12.

The most noteworthy point of this terminal device 13 is that a desired commuter pass P can be issued by inserting a credit card C.

Credit card C is extremely convenient for identifying the customer who owns it, and the customer's personal information can also be easily read from the recording section. This recording unit is a so-called file, and corresponds to the customer information recording unit 14 in the center device II. This recording section 14 is accessed by an information input processing section 15, and information for this access is input from the terminal device 13 via the communication line 12. On the other hand, the information input processing section 15 inputs the commuter pass information given from the terminal device 13 side to the numerical calculation section 1.
Supply to 6. This calculation unit 16 calculates the usage period of the commuter pass,
A predetermined numerical calculation is performed on the amount, etc., and the calculation result is passed to the information output section 17.

The output unit 17 transmits the commuter pass information already registered for the customer as well as the calculation results to the terminal device 13 via the communication line 12.

[For production]

The customer inputs his or her credit card C at the terminal device 13.
When the center device 11 inserts the fixed commuter pass information regarding the customer (use period 1 name) based on the input feelings U from the credit card C, etc.) and new commuter pass information (first day and last day of the section used, etc.), and then update the terminal device 1.
The information is sent to the commuter pass issuing unit 19 in 3. The issuing unit 19 performs a process of issuing a commuter pass based on the information just received, and issues it to the customer as a commuter pass P in FIG.

〔Example〕

(A) Description of terminal device (FIG. 2) FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing one embodiment of the terminal device 13. In this figure, the terminal device 13 is the information input section 1 described above.
8 and a commuter pass issuing section 19, and is connected to the communication line 12 via a transmitting/receiving section 23 to exchange information with the center device 11 (FIG. 1). In this case, it is convenient for the customer if the information display section 20 is provided. The transmitting/receiving section 23 is a typical one in an online system, and is composed of a communication modem and a line control unit I-(NCU). The transmitting/receiving section 23 also includes an address/number circuit as required. When a plurality of terminal devices 13 are not individually connected to the center device 11 through a dedicated line but are connected in a fixed manner, individual address information indicating the destination terminal device is added to the information sent from the center device 11. be done. This address-number circuit takes in only the transmission information addressed to itself based on the match with this address information.

Further, on the outside of the terminal device 13, at least a card insertion slot 21, a personal key 22, and a commuter pass exit 24 are provided. The collation information possessed by the credit card C inserted from the insertion slot 21 and the commuter pass information (and password) to be updated, which is input from the input key 22, are sent to the card reader 181 and the key human resource section forming the information human resource section 18, respectively. 182. The read information is transmitted to the center device side via the transmitting/receiving section 23.

On the other hand, the desired information of the commuter pass that the customer is trying to issue is received by the transmitter/receiver 23 and the commuter pass issuer 19
supplied to This received information is decoded by the received information processing section 191 and converted into data suitable for printing by the printing section 192. A part of the received information is temporarily displayed on the information display section 20.

The ticket issuing processing section after the printing section 192 is also commonly used in conventional commuter pass issuing devices. Here, as an example, a process for issuing a commuter pass P using general paper will be shown. That is, the roll paper on which predetermined commuter pass information is printed in the printing section 192 is cut into predetermined dimensions by the cutter section 193, further laminated in the packaging section 194, and then delivered to the discharge section 19.
It is sent out to the discharge port 24 by the feed roller in 5. Here, the customer receives the desired commuter pass P. In addition to the above-mentioned papers, commuter passes P can be magnetic cards, prepaid cards (
It is also possible to use a medium such as a telephone card in which the amount of money that can be used is reduced each time it is used.

(B) Description of center device (FIG. 3) FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing one embodiment of the center device 11. In this figure, the center device 11 includes the customer information recording section 14, the information input processing section 15, and the numerical calculation section 16.
and an information output section 17, which is connected to the communication line 12 via the transmitting/receiving section 31, and is connected to the terminal device 13 (
(Fig. 1) and exchanges information with each other. This transmitter/receiver 31 performs the same functions as the transmitter/receiver 23 (FIG. 2) described above.

The information input processing section 15 includes a verification section 151 and a file access section 152. The verification inspection unit 151 receives verification information from the terminal device, so-called TD k (id
verification number) and password to verify whether the customer who just inserted the credit card C is truly the customer.
It also checks whether Dm is valid or invalid (whether a stolen card is being used or not), and if both pass, the verification process 11 (
10Th) is input to the file access unit 152. The file access section 152 accesses the customer information recording section 14 based on this verification information. This recording unit 14 is a so-called file, and is composed of, for example, a magnetic disk device. Therefore, the file access unit 152 converts the collation information into corresponding address data and performs a data read operation for the magnetic disk device (14).

On the other hand, the verification inspection unit 151 continues to send the received commuter pass information to be updated to the period update unit 161 and the amount calculation unit 1.
62. These update section 161 and calculation section 16
2 forms the previously mentioned numerical calculation section 16.

Since the required commuter pass information is obtained by reading data from the file (magnetic disk device) 14, it is given to the period update section 161 on the one hand, and to the information output section 17 on the other hand.

What is now given to the information output unit 17 is information that is fixed to the customer, such as name, usage section, gender, etc., among the required commuter pass information. Information other than these fixed information, that is, the last day of the usage period of the commuter pass in use (already recorded in file 14 via route R in Figure 3 when the previous commuter pass issuance was completed) is the period. Update section 161
The last day of the next usage period is calculated based on the commuter pass information to be updated, that is, the usage period (1 month or 3 months) given to and received in full. Information regarding this period of use is also given to the amount calculation unit 162, which calculates the amount to be charged to the customer, taking into account the period of use.

The numerical calculation results (last date, amount, etc.) and the above-mentioned fixed commuter pass information are temporarily stored in a register (not shown) in the information output unit 17, and then transferred to a predetermined data transmission format. After being assembled, it is transmitted to the terminal device 13 side via the transmitting/receiving section 31, and the commuter pass P is issued as described above.

Note that the withdrawal of money associated with the issuance of a commuter pass is done offline through a credit card company, just as in the case of a normal shopping card, so it will not be described in detail here.

(C) Operations within the automatic commuter pass issuing system (FIGS. 4A and 4B) FIGS. 4A and 4B are flowcharts showing an overview of operations within the system according to the present invention. Note that since the operations within this system are always performed online, the symbols 5TART at the start and END at the end of the flowchart are not attached.

Insert the credit card C into the step mini insertion slot 21 (Fig. 2).

Step b: Based on the password input using the input key 22 (FIG. 2), the verification checking section 151 (FIG. 3) confirms that the user is the person in question. However, this confirmation may be performed by the terminal device 13 itself.

Step C: Information display unit 20 provided in the terminal device 13
(Figure 2) shows the ride section and price again. The price is for one month in the relevant Eastern Army section.

These are separate charges for 3 months and 6 months, and are preferably stored in advance in the form of a list in a charge list memory (not shown) within the center device 11.

This step C can be executed by the information output unit 17 in the center equipment H1l and the received information processing unit 191 in the terminal device 13.

Step d: Using the input key 22, input information indicating the desired period of use (1, 3, or 6 months) for the commuter pass for which the user wishes to receive the issue.

Step e (4th B[k): After calculating the required amount in the amount calculation unit 162 (FIG. 3) in the center device 11, this is presented through the information display unit 20 of the terminal device 13. This takes into account the practical problem that people may decide not to purchase a commuter pass after seeing the price. In addition, the validity period, etc. will also be presented for reference.

Step r: The center device 11 confirms the customer's intention to purchase by pressing a confirmation key (described later), and confirms whether the money will be withdrawn from the customer's bank account. Further debit processing is performed.

Step C: In the terminal device 13, the credit card C is sent out from the insertion slot 21 and returned to the customer.

Step h: The terminal device 13 further includes the commuter pass issuing unit 19.
Ticket issuing processing is performed according to (Fig. 2).

(D) Operation inside the center device (FIGS. 5A and 5B) FIGS. 5A and 5B show the center device 1 according to the present invention.
1 is a flowchart showing an example of operation of FIG.

Verification information from the step mini terminal device 13 (the above-mentioned 10
N11 and password).

Step b: Based on the verification information, the verification inspection unit l51 (
The above-mentioned verification test is performed on the third tooth).

If it passes, the file 14 is accessed via the file access unit 152 (FIG. 3).

Step C: Through the access, the travel section and price of the customer are read from the file 14 and the above-mentioned price list memory, respectively, and further output to the terminal device 13 (fourth
(corresponds to step C in Figure A).

1°3 or 6 received from the step mini terminal device 13
The other information of the month is notified to the period update section 161 and the amount calculation section 162 (FIG. 3) (see step d in FIG. 4A).

Step e (FIG. 5B): The period update section 161 and the amount calculation section 162 calculate the validity period and amount, respectively. Commuter ticket I! In the case of a renewal purchase, the starting date will be the day after the last day of validity of all commuter passes held. The data for this last day was saved in file I4 when purchasing the commuter pass last time.
recorded in In addition, in the case of an expired purchase, the starting date is the day after the purchase date.

Become.

The calculation results from step 0 and step e are sent to the terminal device 13.
(corresponding to step e in Figure 4n).

Step g: Receive confirmation information using a confirmation key from the terminal device 13 side (see step f in FIG. 4B). If i'i authentication information is not received after a certain period of time (for example, about 1 minute), or if a cancel key (described later) is pressed, all operations in the above step group are cleared.

Step h: Write to the file. The files mentioned here include the aforementioned file 14 and order file 1.
4'. The end date of the usage period of the new commuter pass issued to the customer is written in the file 14, and is used as commuter pass information for the next purchase. On the other hand, order file 14'
For , write the amount billed to the customer. Thereafter, the amount will be debited from the bank account through the credit company. This withdrawal process is a well-known matter.

(E) Operations within the terminal device (6A, 6B and 60)
Figures 6A, 6B and 60 are flowcharts showing an example of the operation of the terminal device 13 according to the present invention.

Step mini Same as step a in Figure 4A.

Step b: From credit card C, card reader 1
81 (FIG. 2), the name is read.

Step C: Display the service. For example, "This is Mr. ○○. Please enter your password" is displayed on the information display section 20.
to be displayed.

Step d: Enter the password using the input key 22 (FIG. 2).

Step e (FIG. 6B): The password and the information read from the credit card, that is, the verification information, are sent to the center device 11 (corresponding to step a in FIG. 5A).

Step f: Corresponds to step C in FIG. 5A.

Step g: Input predetermined information (period of use, password, etc.) using the input key 22.

Step 1: Corresponds to step d in FIG. 4B.

Step i (Figure 6C): Corresponds to step f in Figure 5B.

Step j: Press the confirmation key to approve (OK) the issuance of the commuter pass.

Step: Corresponds to step g in FIG. 5B.

Step l: Same as step g in Figure 4B.

Step m: Print and package (laminate) the commuter pass based on the received required commuter pass information.

Step n: Eject the completed commuter pass.

If confirmation cancellation is not sent in step 0, return the card and restore.

In addition, in printing the commuter pass in step m above, for example, the following is printed.

(B) Commuting ZIM study (B) Railway company name (C) Period of use (d) Section of use (including: transit) (E) Amount (f) Name/Age/Gender (g) Date of issue/station of issue (C) ) Ticketing number Among the above (a) to (h), regarding (f), age is determined based on the pre-registered date of birth at the center device 1.
It is desirable to update automatically on the first side. In addition, it is desirable that the issue date (G) 1 issuance station be automatically printed on the terminal device side.

Next, I will give an example of a credit card data former. The divisions within this data formant consist of the following divisions. However, even (a) is an example.

(b) Name (b) IO'1lh (c) Password (encrypted) (d) Bank code/store code/account number Also, the center device 11
An example of the data format for each customer in the file 14 will be given below. This data format consists of the following divisions, but this is also just an example.

(B) Name/Gender (B) ID (C) Password (D) Address (E) Date of Birth (F) Occupation code/Commuting/School/Respect for the Aged, etc. (G) Ride section (coded) ( H) Last day of usage period (S) Bank code/store code/account number Furthermore, an example of the data format in the order file 14' in the center device 11 will be given, but this is merely an example.

(B) IDllh (B) Ticket number (C) Issuing station (D) Date and time of issue (E) Update/Continuation (F) Period of use (first and last day) (G) Name (H) Bank code/Store code/ Account number (su) Amount/withdrawal date/withdrawal method (nu) Commuting, commuting to school, respect for the elderly, etc. Of the above (a) to (nu), (b).

(D), (F), and (S) are information that should be set uniquely to the center device 11. Further, the above (e) can be easily determined by comparing the last day of the usage period, which is already recorded in the file 14 at the time of completion of the previous ticket issuing process, with the current purchase date.

FIG. 7 is a front view showing an installation example of the terminal device 13 according to the present invention. In this figure, the information display section 20 (for example, composed of a liquid crystal display), the insertion port 21, the input key 22, and the ejection port 24 are as already explained in FIG. 2. 71 is a confirmation key, 72 is a cancellation key, and 73 is a staff call button.

Arranged side by side with the terminal device 13 shown at the left end are conventional automatic ticket vending machines 81 and 82 located at the ticket gates of each station, and the terminal device 13 according to the present invention is small and easy to operate. This means that it can be installed in exactly the same way as these previous vending machines.

It is convenient for customers if a receipt is also issued when purchasing a commuter pass. The receipt discharge lower 3 is provided for this purpose.

As for the printed contents of the receipt, the necessary parts of the information printed on the commuter pass may be used as is. This receipt is ejected at the same time as the commuter pass, for example, in step n of FIG. 6C. Furthermore, if there is a request to issue a new commuter pass in exchange for a used commuter pass (old ticket), it is necessary to provide an old ticket insertion lower 4. There is no problem if this new commuter pass is renewed (purchased after the expiration date), but if it is continued (purchased within the expiration date of the old ticket), the old ticket is still valid for the remaining period until the end of the day. During the period, the old ticket and the new commuter pass will coexist validly, and there is a risk that the old ticket will be used illegally. To avoid this inconvenience, when a new commuter pass is a continuation, a new commuter pass is not issued unless the old ticket is returned to the old ticket insertion lower 4. As mentioned above, whether to continue or renew can be easily determined by comparing the last day of the usage period already recorded at the time of completion of the previous ticket issuing process in the file 14 with the current purchase date. Continuation/update information is also transmitted from the center device 11 to the terminal device 13 in step e of FIG. 4B, for example, and if the transmitted information is "m continuation", the old ticket insertion lower A new commuter pass will not be issued unless it is confirmed that a signal indicating that the old ticket has been returned has been generated.

At this time, it is convenient for the customer to display a message on the information display section 20 saying, "Please return the old ticket to the old ticket insertion slot."

〔Effect of the invention〕

As described in detail above, the present invention connects the center device that collectively manages commuter pass information and each terminal device online, and provides the following advantages. Firstly,
Since the hardware of the terminal device 13 is relatively simple and can be made small, it has the advantage that it can be manufactured at low cost, and is a fraction of the cost of conventional large automatic commuter pass issuing devices.
It is expected that the cost will be

Second, since it is a complete vending machine, there is no need for a dedicated operator at all, and the operating cost is the same as the cost of maintaining the device.

Third, because it is fully automated, small, inexpensive, and has low operating costs, terminal devices can be placed at each station, allowing you to: ■ send people to designated locations, ■ fill out application forms, and ■ prepare cash. Disadvantages such as not being able to buy even if you want to because of the 0-hour constraint.

Customers are freed from inconvenience. In particular, regarding item (2) above, if you use a credit card affiliated with an electric railway company, you will be able to obtain commuter passes at department stores, hotels, etc. directly managed by the electric railway company, which is a unique sales channel that has not existed before. become.

In short, you can buy a commuter pass as if you were making a purchase with a shopping card, or as if you were withdrawing cash from a bank with an ATM card. The customer simply needs to have a credit card that can be used for shopping on commuter passes, and register his or her commuter pass information in advance at the information center.

Fourth, since the railway company will have a complete customer database of commuter pass users that is automatically updated, it can be used as a marketing tool for the railway company's diversified business purposes (hotels, department stores, etc.). can.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1 is a block diagram showing the principle configuration of a system according to the present invention; FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the terminal device 13; FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the center device 11; 4A and 4B are flowcharts showing an overview of operations within the system according to the present invention, and FIGS.
FIGS. 6A, 6B, and 60 are flowcharts showing an example of the operation of the terminal device 13 according to the present invention, and FIG. 7 is a front view showing an example of the installation of the terminal device 13 according to the present invention. . 10... Automatic commuter pass issuing system, 11... Center device. 12... Communication line, 13... Terminal device, 14... Customer information recording section, 15... Information input processing section, 16... Numerical calculation section, 17... Information output section, 18. ...Information input section, 19.Commuter pass issuing department, C..Credit card, P..Commuter pass. Fig. 1 10 Automatic commuter pass issuing system 11...Center device 12...Communication line 13...Terminal device 'C0, Frenot Card P...Block showing one embodiment of commuter pass terminal device 13 figure'! s2 Figure 12 - Communication line 21... Insertion port 138. Terminal device 22...Input key 18...Information input section 24
. . . Outlet port 19 . . Commuter pass issuing section 11 . . . Center device 12 Communication line 15, information input processing section 16 Numerical calculation section To step f8 in Fig. 4B, an outline of the operation in the system according to the present invention is shown. Flowchart Figure 4A Flowchart '4' showing an outline of the operation! Fig. 4B is a flowchart showing an example of the operation. Fig. 5B is a flowchart showing an example of the operation.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A plurality of terminal devices, a center device that exchanges information between the plurality of terminal devices, and a communication line wired between the center device and the plurality of terminal devices. The center device includes: an information input processing unit that receives verification information for each customer and commuter pass information to be updated received from the terminal device side; a customer information recording unit that outputs required commuter pass information for each customer; and a numerical calculation unit that performs a predetermined numerical operation based on the required commuter pass information and the commuter pass information to be updated from the information input processing unit. and an information output unit that transmits the numerical calculation results from the numerical calculation unit and the required commuter pass information to the terminal device, and each terminal device transmits the verification information for each customer to the credit card. an information input unit that inputs the commuter pass information to be updated through a card and an input key and transmits it to the center device; and the numerical value received from the information output unit in the center device. An automatic commuter pass issuing system comprising: a commuter pass issuing unit that performs commuter pass issuing processing based on calculation results and required commuter pass information.