KR20020070667A - System and Method for Precharging the Fee of Public Traffic Means - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: Provided are a system and a method collecting the fee of public transport means in advance by charging an RF credit card with the fee online and the RF card can be also used as cyber money. CONSTITUTION: The system provides the RF credit card with a prepayment card's own number through a communications net like internet(15) according to the request of many users who have the RF credit cards and provides a fee charging function and a left money checking function and decides whether to take a user on the transport means or not according to the left money of the RF credit card of the user by interconnecting a central server(14) of the transport means. The prepayment card's number and the RF credit card's number are not duplicated.

Description

System and Method for Precharging the Fee of Public Traffic Means}

The present invention relates to a system and method for prepaying the usage fee of public transportation such as a bus or subway by using an RF credit card.

Pass cards for public transportation currently in use include rechargeable prepaid and postpaid cards. In the case of using a rechargeable pass card as a means of collecting the transportation fee, the money value is stored in the rechargeable memory provided in the IC chip of the RF card, and when the public transportation such as a bus or subway is used, It uses a method of subtracting the value of the charged money using the installed RF card reader. On the other hand, in case of using a postpaid pass card as a means of collecting the transportation fee, the credit card number is stored in the IC chip of the RF card, and the credit card company reads the credit card number by the RF card recognition device installed at the entrance of the transportation. Use the method of approval and settlement from the company.

By the way, the rechargeable pass card can only be used as a means of paying the transportation fee, and thus there is an inconvenience in that the user must possess various types of cards such as a credit card in addition to the pass card. In addition, post-paid pass cards using RF credit cards are unrecoverable bonds, as most RF card holders tend to use RF cards only for the purpose of pass cards. Deterioration in profits caused by the company's business has a disadvantage in that the burden on card companies is increased.

In recent years, several credit card companies have commercialized cards that integrate the credit card function and the pass card function. This can only be achieved by the physical combination of a rechargeable pass card and a postpaid pass card. There are still many points to expect to expand the use.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, by charging the RF credit card on-line to give the Internet prepaid card function, which can expand the use of credit cards and reduce the operating burden of credit card companies The technical problem is to provide a prepaid collection system and method for transportation fee.

Another technical problem of the present invention is to expand the range of use of a credit card by charging an online fee to an RF card and using the same to purchase Internet contents.

1 is a complete block diagram of a system for prepaid collection of public transportation charges in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 2 is a detailed block diagram of the prepaid card charging / management site shown in FIG.

3 is a flowchart illustrating a prepaid method of collecting public transport charges according to the present invention.

<Description of the symbols for the main parts of the drawings>

11-1 to 11-n: User computer 12: Prepaid card charging / management site

13: credit card company 14: transport central server

15: Internet 16: RF card reader

20: Web server 21: application program interface

22: Application 23: Database Management System

30: database system 22-1: membership management program

22-2: credit card company management program 22-3: card number management program

22-4: Prepaid Card Recharge Program22-5: Balance Inquiry Program

22-6: Fee Settlement Program 30-1: Member Database

30-2: Credit card company database 30-3: Card number database

30-4: Fee Management Database

The present invention for achieving the above-described technical problem is to assign a unique prepaid card number to the RF credit card through the communication network, according to the request of a plurality of users with an RF credit card, and provides a charge and balance inquiry function A system for prepaid collection of public transportation charges for interconnection with a transportation central server to determine whether the user is authorized to ride a vehicle in accordance with the balance of the user's RF credit card, comprising: a web server; And a database for receiving and storing the user information, credit card company information, credit card related information, and fee related information from the web server.

The web server includes a member management program for receiving and authenticating user information and storing the information in the database; A credit card company management program for receiving the credit card company information and storing it in the database; A card number management program for managing a prepaid card number assigned to the user and storing it in the database; A prepaid card charging program for charging an amount required by the user to the RF credit card of the user; A balance inquiry program for inquiring a balance of the RF credit card according to a request of the user and the transportation central server; And a fee settlement program for subtracting the corresponding amount from the amount charged to the RF credit card according to the details of the user using the RF credit card.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a user with an RF credit card accesses a prepaid card recharge / management site via the Internet, charges a certain amount to his card and receives a prepaid card number. This gives a prepaid card function to the user's RF credit card. The user uses the means of transportation while holding an RF credit card filled with a certain amount. When using the means of transportation, the RF card recognition device installed at the entrance of the means of transportation reads out the number of the RF credit card possessed by the user. Send to the prepaid card recharge / management site and ask them to approve balance check and ride. According to the approval of riding of the prepaid card recharge / management site, the user can use the means of transportation, and the prepaid card recharge / management site remits the transportation fee to the central headquarters of the vehicle at predetermined intervals. The user pays the amount charged on the prepaid card recharge / management site on his RF credit card payment date.

The amount of money charged to the RF credit card by accessing the prepaid card charging / management site can be usefully used as electronic money for purchasing Internet contents. This is done by using a prepaid card number granted at the time of charging the amount, thereby spreading the range of use of the credit card.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is an overall block diagram of a system for prepaid collection of public transportation charges in accordance with the present invention.

As shown, the prepaid collection system for public transport charges includes at least one user computer 11-1 through 11-n, a prepaid card recharge / management site 12, a credit card company 13, and a transportation central server 14 ), They have an environment in which they can communicate with each other via the Internet 15. In addition, the transportation central server 14 is connected to the RF card recognition apparatus 16 provided in each transportation entrance and exit by the communication network.

In the present invention, the Internet 15 is a set of networks interconnected by standard protocols such as TCP / IP and HTTP and wireless Internet protocols (e.g., WAP, etc.) and changes or additions to existing standard protocols. The concept includes various changes that can be made in the future, including.

The user computers 11-1 to 11-n are equipped with a modem and are connected to the Internet 15 using a telephone line or a dedicated line, and any type of computing device that enables browsing of the site using a conventional web browser. (Computing device). Internet users access the prepaid card recharge / management site 12 through a computer 11-1 to 11-n to purchase a prepaid card (electronic money), or add a desired amount to an RF credit card owned by them. You can receive services such as checking your balance. The RF credit card used in the present invention refers to a contactless credit card in which an IC chip and an antenna (coil) are built in, which may include a magnetic tape on the outside.

The prepaid card charging / management site 12 provides the user with a service such as releasing a prepaid card or charging a user's desired amount of RF credit card owned by the user. The prepaid card, which is released on its own at the prepaid card charging / management site 12, is given a 16-digit unique number like a credit card which is usually used. It is preferable that the unique number of the prepaid card does not overlap with the unique number of the credit card so that the credit card number can be used as the prepaid card number. However, a user who owns an RF card may apply the RF credit card number of the user as a prepaid card number or issue a new prepaid card number according to the user's request.

The credit card company 13 is preferably affiliated with the prepaid card charging / management site 12. The transport central server 14 receives information about the user's RF credit card number and the like from the RF card recognition device 16 installed at the entrance and exit of the vehicle, and transmits the information to the prepaid card charging / management site 12 to transmit the user RF credit. Inquire about the availability of the card and request payment.

FIG. 2 is a detailed block diagram of the prepaid card charging / management site of FIG. 1.

As shown, the prepaid card charging / management site 12 includes a web server 20 and a database system 30, the web server 20 having an application program interface (API) 21, an application program ( 22), a database management system (DBMS) 23. The web server 20 operates as an HTML server that provides HTML documents for each user computer 11-1 to 11-n. The web server 20 accesses the application program 22 through the API 21 to access each user computer 11-n. 1-11-n), the application program 22 is executed by the request of the credit card company 13 and the transportation central server 14.

In the above, the application program 22 is a member management program 22-1, credit card company management program 22-2, card number management program 22-3. A prepaid card charging program 22-4, a balance inquiry program 22-5, a rate settlement program 22-6, and the like. The member management program 22-1 accesses the prepaid card charging / management site 12, receives information on the names, IDs, passwords, and the like of each individual who has registered as a member, stores the information in the member DB 30-1, and adds a new member. Each time there is a subscription, the member DB 30-1 is updated.

The credit card company management program 22-2 receives and stores information on credit card companies in partnership and stores them in the group DB 30-2, and updates the credit card company DB 30-2 whenever a new affiliate occurs.

The card number management program 22-3 generates a unique number of the prepaid card given to the customer and stores it in the card number DB 30-3. The prepaid card can be classified into a card that is directly released from the prepaid card charging / management site 12 and an RF credit card owned by the user. The card number management program 22-3 is a prepaid card charging / management site 12 ), So that the unique number of the prepaid card sold directly from) does not overlap with the number of the RF credit card. On the other hand, the web server 20 applies the prepaid card number or the new prepaid card number of the RF credit card number possessed by the user as it is selected by the user.

The prepaid card charging program 22-4 charges the amount of money in the user's RF credit card as much as the user desires, and stores the charge in the charge management DB 30-4. Charge amount stored in the fee management DB (30-4) is updated to the amount deducted by the transportation fee each time the user uses the transportation.

The balance inquiry program 22-5 checks how much is left in the user's RF credit card according to the request of the user or the transportation central server 14. The user can recharge a certain amount of money in his RF credit card again after the balance inquiry, and the transportation central server 14 determines whether to approve the ride according to the balance inquiry result of the user RF credit card.

The fare settlement program 22-6 is subtracted from the amount the user has used as a transportation fee, and the prepaid card charging / management site 12 and the credit card company 13 or the transportation central server for the amount. 14) It pays the price at regular intervals and pays the amount.

3 is a flowchart illustrating a prepaid method of collecting public transport charges according to the present invention, a case in which the user uses the subway as an example.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention the user must possess an RF credit card. A user holding an RF credit card logs in after accessing the prepaid card charging / management site 12 (S301). For the user authentication process to be described later, it is preferable to perform the login using the RF credit card number of the user. When logging in using the user ID / password, the process of receiving the RF credit card number of the user after login is separately performed. need.

Prepaid card charging / management site 12 performs a user authentication process to check the credit status of the user and the availability of the card using the RF credit card number entered by the user (S302). This authentication process may be performed in conjunction with a credit information center for determining the credit status of the credit card holder.

If the user's card is a card that can be used as a result of user authentication, the prepaid card charging / management site 12 gives the user a unique prepaid card number (S303). The prepaid card number is applied by applying a normal prepaid card number system sold by the prepaid card charging / management site 12 itself, or by applying an RF credit card number possessed by the user as a prepaid card number. After that, the user charges a fee to the user's RF credit card as much as desired amount (S304).

Now, if a user with an RF credit card charged more than a certain amount passes through the RF card reader 16 installed at the entrance of the vehicle, the RF card reader 16 will pass the credit card number and ride of the RF credit card. Information about the location is transmitted to the transportation central server 14 (S305). For example, when the user uses the subway as a means of transportation, the RF card recognition device 16 is installed in every local history, the riding position means the riding history, and the transportation central server 14 is the center of the subway construction. Means server.

The transportation central server 14 receiving the card number and the ride history information from the RF card recognition device 16 transmits the corresponding RF credit card number to the prepaid card charging / management site 12 so as to transmit the RF credit card. Request to check the balance (S306). As a result of receiving the balance inquiry result of the prepaid card charging / management site 12 (S307), when there is more than enough balance to use the transportation means, the transportation central server 14 approves the ride, and the RF card recognition apparatus. Open the switchgear attached to (16) to allow the user to enter the history (S308). If the user's RF credit card does not have enough balance to use the means of transportation, the user's ride is refused by preventing the opening and closing device attached to the RF recognition device from being opened.

When checking the balance using the user's RF credit card number, unlike the conventional one, it is not necessary to check the credit status of the credit card holder. This is a result of introducing the prepaid method of the transportation fee collection system proposed in the present invention, and thus does not need to operate a separate system for checking creditors.

When the user arrives at the destination and wants to exit from the destination history, the RF card recognition device 16 installed at the exit of the destination history transmits the information about the user's RF credit card number and the getting off location to the transportation central server 14. (S309), the transport central server 14 transmits the corresponding RF credit card number to the prepaid card charging / management site 12 to request the payment of the fee, and to the RF card recognition device 16 installed in the drop off history. Open the attached switch to allow the user to go out of history (S310). Each time the vehicle is used in the manner described above, the prepaid card charging / management site 12 subtracts the transportation fee from the user's initial charge amount and stores it in the fare management database 30-4.

In addition, the settlement of transportation fee is set a predetermined period between the prepaid card charging / management site and the transportation central server (S311), between the credit card company and the prepaid card charging / management site (S312), and between the user and the credit card company (S313). It is done every time.

If the user uses the bus as a means of transportation, the RF recognition device installed at the entrance and exit of the bus transmits only the RF credit card number to the means of transportation central server. In this case, the transportation central server must approve the ride according to the balance of the RF credit card and request a fare settlement request from the prepaid card charging / management site.

On the other hand, users who have charged a certain amount of RF credit card at the prepaid card recharge / management site can use the RF card to access transportation such as subways and buses, as well as purchase Internet contents within the balance limit. . That is, by using the prepaid card number assigned when charging the RF credit card, the content can be used online from an internet site affiliated with the prepaid card charging / management site.

As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the present invention can be implemented in other specific forms without changing the technical spirit or essential features thereof. Therefore, the above-described embodiments are to be understood as illustrative in all respects and not as restrictive. The scope of the present invention is shown by the following claims rather than the detailed description, and all changes or modifications derived from the meaning and scope of the claims and their equivalents should be construed as being included in the scope of the present invention. do.

The present invention as described above has the following advantages.

First, as the prepaid card function is provided to the RF credit card, it can be used not only for the transportation pass card but also as an electronic money for purchasing Internet contents, thereby extending the use of the credit card.

Second, by collecting the transportation fee in advance, credit card companies' uncollected bonds can be reduced, reducing the burden on the credit card companies.

Third, the introduction of a prepaid collection method is unnecessary because a separate system for checking the credit card holder's credit status is unnecessary, it is possible to more easily and smoothly operate the system.

Fourth, the user can solve both offline and online purchases, public transportation, etc. using only one card.

Claims (6)

According to the request of a plurality of users with an RF credit card, the RF credit card is assigned a prepaid card number, a charge recharge and balance inquiry function is provided through a communication network, and the user is interconnected with a transportation central server. A prepaid collection system of public transportation fee for determining whether the user is authorized to ride a vehicle according to the balance of an RF credit card, A web server; And a database for receiving and storing the user information, the credit card company information, the credit card related information, and the fee related information from the web server. The web server includes a member management program for receiving and authenticating user information and storing the information in the database; A credit card company management program for receiving the credit card company information and storing it in the database; A card number management program for managing a prepaid card number assigned to the user and storing it in the database; A prepaid card charging program for charging an amount required by the user to the RF credit card of the user; A balance inquiry program for inquiring a balance of the RF credit card according to a request of the user and the transportation central server; And And a fare settlement program for subtracting the corresponding amount from the amount charged to the RF credit card according to the details of the user using the RF credit card. The method of claim 1, The prepaid card number of the public transportation fee to apply the number of the prepaid card number does not overlap with the number of the RF credit card. The method of claim 1, The communication network is a prepaid collection system of public transport charges using the Internet. According to the request of a plurality of users with RF credit card, the RF credit card can be assigned a unique prepaid card number through the communication network, and the charge recharge and balance inquiry function can be enabled. A method of prepaid collection of public transportation fee for determining whether the user is authorized to ride a vehicle according to the balance of an RF credit card, When a user having an RF credit card accesses through a communication network, authenticating whether the RF credit card can be used; Assigning a unique prepaid card number to the RF credit card of the user; Charging the RF credit card for a predetermined amount or more according to the user's request; When a user holding an RF credit card filled with the predetermined amount or more attempts to pass through an RF card recognition device installed at an entrance of a vehicle, the RF card recognition device transmits the RF credit card number and boarding position information to the center of transportation. Transmitting to a server; Requesting a balance inquiry of the RF credit card by transmitting the number of the RF credit card to a prepaid card charging / management site; When the balance of the RF credit card is received from the prepaid card charging / management site and there is more than enough balance to use a transportation means, the RF card recognition apparatus approving the user's ride; If the user wants to pass through the RF card reader installed at the destination exit, the RF card reader transmitting information about the user's RF credit card number and the getting off location to the transportation central server; Transmitting the RF credit card number to the prepaid card charging / management site to request a fare settlement, and the RF card recognition device approving getting off of the user; And Calculating a transportation fee for each predetermined period between the prepaid card charging / management site and the transportation central server, between the credit card company and the prepaid card charging / management site, and between the user and the credit card company. How to prepay for public transportation. The method of claim 4, wherein The prepaid card number is a method of prepaid collection of public transportation fee to give a number that does not overlap with the number of the RF credit card. The method of claim 4, wherein The communication network is a method for prepaid collection of public transport charges using the Internet.