JPS6356578B2 - - Google Patents

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a terminal for performing credit transactions using a credit card.

When conducting credit transactions using credit cards at retailers of various products, department stores, restaurants, and other shops, the legitimacy and creditworthiness (transaction limit) of the user (customer) are checked. There is. For this check, each store is equipped with a credit transaction terminal equipped with a card reader. This terminal can communicate with each credit card company's center via a communication line. A credit card company's center is equipped with a file that stores credit scores and other data of its members. Therefore, by having the user's credit card read by the terminal and performing necessary operations such as inputting the transaction amount, the terminal is automatically connected to the center and transaction data is transmitted to the center. At the center, the user's credibility is checked by referring to the files stored there. The check results are sent to the terminal.
Each store decides whether or not to accept credit transactions based on the results transmitted from the center.

Such a credit transaction terminal and a credit card verification method using it were disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 55-39992.
Details are given in the publication.

However, such conventional margin transaction terminals,
Since we were only able to handle credit cards with one specified type of information recording format, such as JIS standard credit cards,
If the user has a card in another format, e.g.
If you wish to make a credit transaction using a credit card that complies with the ABA standard (many cards from overseas credit companies, but their affiliated companies also have them in Japan, which comply with the ISO standard), you must use the terminal. I couldn't use it. Therefore, stores had no choice but to make credit inquiries to the center over the phone. Therefore, at each store,
Furthermore, each credit card company's center had to operate in two ways, which was inconvenient and required time and effort for telephone inquiries.

Summary of the Invention The purpose of this invention is to provide a credit transaction terminal that can handle credit cards with different information recording formats, thereby simplifying and unifying processes such as credit rating inquiries. do.

The credit transaction terminal according to the present invention is a single card reader capable of reading credit cards for multiple types of information recording formats.
A reader, a memory that stores a connection identification code for each center of each credit card company or a company related thereto, and one of a plurality of predetermined formats for the format of the credit card read by the card reader. If the format is one of predetermined formats,
Either card data or key input data relating to the credit card company or its related companies is selected in accordance with the determined format, and based on this selected data, the memory is referred to and the telephone number of the corresponding center is selected. It is provided with means for reading the number, connecting to the corresponding center and transmitting credit transaction data, and means for converting at least the data related to the creditworthiness transmitted from the center into visible information.

For example, if the credit card is JIS standard or ABA
Regardless of the standard, the data is read by a card reader. Information recording formats that can be handled by the credit transaction terminal are preset within the terminal, and it is checked whether the read card data is in one of the predetermined formats. The terminal also stores the telephone number of each credit company's center in correspondence with the company code of that company. If the card data format is one of predetermined types, the telephone number of the credit card company's center is searched from the company code in the card data, and the corresponding center is automatically dialed. Through communication between the terminal and the center, at least the creditworthiness of the user is inquired. Some credit cards do not have a company code recorded on them. For such cards, the terminal is provided with a key for entering the company code. Then, by automatically dialing the credit card company center specified by the key input number,
The terminal and its center are connected.

In this way, it becomes possible to inquire about the creditworthiness of users of credit cards in a plurality of formats using the credit transaction terminal.

Examples of the present invention will be described in detail below.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 shows the entire credit transaction system. The credit transaction terminal 10 is used for retail stores, department stores,
Located in restaurants and other shops. This store has contracts with 10 companies, A, B to J, and accepts credit cards issued by these 10 credit companies as well as credit cards affiliated with each of the credit companies listed above. Credit transactions are possible. The information recording format of these 10 companies and the credit cards affiliated with them shall be based on JIS standards (types, types) or ISO standards (including ABA standards). Company A~J
Each company has a center 20. Each center stores information regarding members of that credit company and credit card members affiliated with that credit company, such as information on the member's credit score (transaction limit), PIN number, and other information corresponding to each member number. A file is provided that stores the information. The terminal 10 is connected to each center 20 through a communication line.

FIG. 2 shows the configuration of the credit transaction terminal.
The credit transaction terminal 10 is controlled by a CPU 11. The CPU 11 includes a memory (see FIG. 4) that stores its execution programs and various data. It also includes a magnetic card reader 12 for reading data magnetically recorded on a credit card, a password keyboard 13 for inputting a user's unique password, and a keyboard for inputting product code, transaction amount, credit card company, etc. 14, a printer 15 for printing transaction results, communication results with the center, etc., a display 16 for displaying transaction amounts, communication results with the center, etc., and a transmission control device including an automatic dial circuit for communication with the center 20 18 is connected to the CPU 11.

Card reader 12 can read both JIS and ISO standard credit cards. JIS and ISO standard credit cards differ in their recording formats, but also in the locations where the magnetic stripes on which data is recorded are affixed. JIS and ISO standard credit cards have magnetic stripes on exactly opposite sides. Therefore, card reader 12
The card reader 12 is provided with two magnetic heads facing each other across the card transport path, or the card reader 12 is provided with one magnetic head and is provided with a circuit for later decoding the read data.
The CPU 11 is made to execute such a program.

In the keyboard 14, the numeric key 17 has both the function of inputting numerical values and the function of specifying the credit card company. These functions are distinguished by the processing steps of the program, as will be described later.

FIG. 3 shows the information recording format of a credit card. Figure 3A shows an example of the JIS standard. As is clear from this figure, data such as the starting code, card ID mark, credit company code, membership number, (PIN), and ending code are recorded. FIG. 3B shows an example of the ABA (ISO) standard, in which data such as a starting code, membership number, (PIN), and ending code are recorded.

FIG. 4 shows part of the memory within the CPU 11. This memory includes an area for storing data read from a credit card, and data input via the keyboard 14 (product code, product code, etc.).
Keyboard 13, area for storing transaction amount, etc.)
an area for remembering the PIN number entered by
A telephone number table, an area for editing data sent to the center, an area for holding data received from the center, etc. are provided. In the telephone number table, a credit company code and a central telephone number of the credit company are preset corresponding to each key of the number keys 17.

FIG. 5 shows an example of a message transmitted from the terminal to the center. This transmitted message includes the number of the calling terminal, credit card data, keyed-in password, keyed-in product code, transaction amount, and the like.

FIG. 6 shows the processing procedure of the credit transaction terminal. When the clerk inserts the credit card received from the user into the card reader 12, the card data is read and stored in the memory (step (21)). Further, since the clerk inputs the product code and transaction amount using the keyboard 14, these are read and stored in the memory (step (22)). If necessary, the user is prompted to enter a password using the keyboard 13. This PIN number is stored in memory. Further, the password read from the card and the password input by key are compared to check the authenticity of the user. The verification of the password may be performed by transmitting the password read from the card or keyed in to the center and comparing it with the member's password recorded at the center. Step (21) (22)
The order of processing may be in any order.

Next, the format of the read card data is analyzed. First, it is checked whether the card data format matches the JIS standard card format (step (23)). If it is a JIS standard, the card data includes the credit company code, so it is difficult to tell which company it is from A to J, or which company it is affiliated with. Found (steps (26) to (28)). When the credit card company is determined, a telephone number table in memory is referred to and the phone number of the credit card company is retrieved. Then, the transmission control device 18 automatically dials the center of that telephone number, and the terminal 10 is connected to the corresponding center 20 (steps (29) to (31)). Various data edited in the memory (see FIG. 5) are sent to the center (step (32)).

In step (23), the read card
If the data format is not JIS standard, then it is determined whether it is ISO (ABA) standard (step (24)). If it conforms to the ISO standard, that fact is displayed on the display 16 (this process is not shown). It is often easy to tell that the card is ISO standard at a glance, so it is not necessary to display it.
In the case of the ISO standard, the company code is not included in the card data, so the clerk enters the affiliated credit company of the credit card using the number keys 17 (step (25)). . Thereafter, the telephone number of the designated credit card company is searched, the center is automatically dialed, and the required data is transmitted, as described above (steps (26) to (32)).

If it is not an ISO standard at step (24),
An error will occur and the transaction will be canceled.

When transaction data is received from the terminal, the center searches the center file using the membership number included in the data and checks the creditworthiness of the user. In other words, if the transaction amount is less than the credit rating (transaction limit), the transaction is OK; otherwise, it is rejected. Further, if necessary, verification processing of the user's personal identification number and other processing are performed.

The processing results at the center are sent to the terminal, so when the terminal receives the message from the center (step (33)), it displays the result on the display 16 and prints it out on the printer 15 (step (33)). 34)).

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the entire credit transaction processing system, FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a credit transaction terminal, FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a credit card format, and FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the contents of the memory of the terminal, FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a message sent from the terminal to the center, and FIG. 6 is a flow chart showing the processing procedure in the terminal. 10... Credit transaction terminal, 11... CPU, 1
2...Card reader, 14...Keyboard, 1
5...Printer, 16...Display device, 17...Number keys for inputting numerical values and credit card company, 20...
center.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. With respect to a plurality of types of credit cards issued by different credit card companies and whose information recording formats are classified into at least two types, each credit card is used to check at least the creditworthiness of the user. A credit transaction terminal capable of communicating with each center of the company or its related companies, with a single card reader capable of reading credit cards in at least two types of information recording formats, each credit card reader; Whether the format of the credit card read by the memory and card reader that stores connection identification codes for each center of the company or its related companies is one of multiple predetermined formats; means for determining whether, if the format is one of predetermined formats, any of the card data and key input data relating to the credit card company or its associated company corresponds to the determined format; means for reading the connection identification code of the corresponding center by referring to the memory based on the selected data, connecting to the corresponding center, and transmitting credit transaction data;
and a means for converting at least the data relating to creditworthiness transmitted from the center into visible information. 2. The credit transaction terminal according to claim 1, comprising means for inputting a unique code of a credit card user. 3. The credit transaction terminal according to claim 1, which is provided with a keyboard for specifying a credit company.