TWM659126U - Backend clearing and settlement system for electronic ticket card benefits - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided is a backend clearing and settlement system for electronic ticket card benefits, including a clearing module and a settlement module. The clearing module receives transaction information from frontend card-reading apparatus and generates financial transaction files based on the transaction information. The settlement module receives financial transaction files from the clearing module and manages a ticketing fund pool according to the financial transaction files. The settlement module’s management of the ticketing fund pool includes: in response to a refund request from an intermediary apparatus, the settlement module transfers refund amounts from the ticketing fund pool to the electronic wallet of the electronic ticket card through the intermediary apparatus; and/or the settlement module transfers refund amounts from the ticketing fund pool to a specified account.

Description

Electronic ticket card discount backend clearing system

This invention relates to the clearing and settlement mechanism of electronic ticket cards, and in particular to a background settlement system and method for electronic ticket card discounts.

Electronic ticket cards are chips, cards, certificates or other forms of debt that store monetary value in electronic, magnetic or optical form and have data storage or computing functions. They are used as a multi-purpose payment tool. Due to their light and easy-to-use characteristics, electronic ticket cards have been widely accepted and used by the public to replace the traditional transaction method of cash payment. Nowadays, the use of electronic ticket cards is no longer limited to specific means of transportation. For example, public transportation such as MRT, high-speed rail, trains, buses, passenger transportation, public places such as parking lots, hospitals, libraries, gas stations, tourist attractions such as zoos, amusement parks, scenic spots, and even convenience stores, supermarkets and retailers can all see the application of electronic ticket cards.

In response to market demand, electronic ticket cards are often combined with a variety of preferential schemes, such as regular tickets (such as weekly tickets, monthly tickets, and season tickets) and packages across regions or living circles, across industries (such as trains to passenger transport), and even across venues (such as transportation combined with tourist attractions or special merchants). These schemes usually offer more attractive price discounts compared to the sum of unit prices to meet the diverse needs of different consumers. In addition, consumers only need to pay for the electronic ticket card once, and there is no need to pay additional fees as long as it is used within the scope of use specified in the above preferential scheme (such as time limit, region, venue, etc.).

In response to the above preferential schemes, the front desk card reader that interacts with consumers on the first line needs to be able to identify whether the electronic ticket card used by the consumer is a ticket type with the above preferential treatment, so as to decide whether to deduct money from the electronic wallet in the electronic ticket card. More specifically, if the electronic ticket card is a ticket type with the above preferential treatment, the front desk card reader will not deduct money from the electronic wallet in it, because the consumer has already paid the relevant fees in advance; on the contrary, if the electronic ticket card is not a ticket type with the above preferential treatment, the front desk card reader will deduct money from the electronic wallet in the electronic ticket card according to the standard operating procedures for general ticket types. In order to realize the above-mentioned diversified preferential schemes, especially to meet their cross-regional, cross-industry and even cross-field characteristics, it is necessary to adjust the large number and variety of front-end card reading devices so that they can correctly identify the preferential tickets. However, this approach will bring very high costs, making the technical feasibility face severe challenges.

In view of the above technical challenges, a background clearing system and method for electronic ticket card discounts are provided.

One embodiment of the present invention provides a backend clearing system for electronic ticket card discounts, which includes a clearing module and a settlement module. The clearing module receives multiple transaction information from the front-end card reading device and generates a financial flow file based on the transaction information. Each transaction information includes the identification code of the electronic ticket card and the corresponding transaction amount. The financial flow file records the identification code of the electronic ticket card and the corresponding refund amount. The settlement module receives the financial flow file from the clearing module and manages the ticket fund pool based on the financial flow file. The settlement module manages the ticket fund pool, including: in response to a return request from an intermediary device, the settlement module transfers the return amount from the ticket fund pool to the electronic wallet of the electronic ticket card through the intermediary device, wherein the return request includes the identification code of the electronic ticket card; and/or the settlement module transfers the return amount from the ticket fund pool to a designated account.

In one embodiment, each transaction information is generated by a front-end card reader in response to a transaction event, in which the front-end card reader deducts the transaction amount from the electronic wallet of the electronic ticket card.

In one embodiment, the clearing module further selectively sums up the transaction amounts corresponding to the identification codes of the electronic ticket cards in the transaction information based on a set of specified rules to calculate the refund amount. In a further embodiment, the set of specified rules includes regional restrictions and time restrictions.

In one embodiment, the financial flow file further records the accounts receivable of multiple operators. The settlement module further allocates funds from the ticket fund pool to the operators based on the accounts receivable recorded in the financial flow file.

In one embodiment, the intermediary device is an interactive kiosk or a mobile device running an electronic payment application.

In one embodiment, the clearing module further receives the transaction information from a variety of front-end card reading devices, including ticket gates, mobile ticket validators, station customer service ticket validators, and/or dongle readers.

The following description lists various embodiments of the invention, but is not intended to limit the content of the invention. The actual scope of the new invention is defined by the scope of the patent application.

In each of the embodiments listed below, the same reference numerals will be used to represent the same or similar elements or components.

The serial numbers in this specification and the scope of the patent application, such as "first", "second", etc., are only for the convenience of explanation and have no sequential relationship with each other.

The following descriptions of the embodiments of the apparatus or system are also applicable to the embodiments of the method, and vice versa.

FIG. 1 is a system architecture diagram of a backend clearing system 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1 , the backend clearing system 10 may include a clearing module 11 and a settlement module 12.

The backend clearing system 10 may include one or more computer devices with computing functions, such as personal computers (such as desktop computers or laptops), server computers, and/or mobile devices such as tablet computers and smart phones, but the present invention is not limited to this. Each computer device includes a processing unit and a storage unit, although not shown in the figure. The processing unit may include any one or more general or special processors for executing instructions, such as a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), a microprocessor, a controller, a microcontroller, a state machine and/or a combination thereof, but the present invention is not limited to this. The processing unit may further include volatile memory, such as random access memory (RAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), static random access memory (SRAM) and/or a combination thereof, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The storage unit may be any device including non-volatile memory (such as read only memory, electrically-erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, non-volatile random access memory (NVRAM)), such as a hard disk (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD) or an optical disk, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The storage unit stores a corresponding program of a method for clearing electronic ticket card benefits. When the processing unit loads the program from the storage unit, it can execute the corresponding instructions of the clearing module 11 and the settlement module 12 to implement the functions of the clearing module 11 and the settlement module 12. The clearing module 11 and the settlement module 12 can be implemented by the same computer device, or by different but interconnected computer devices, and this invention is not limited to this.

Generally speaking, the clearing module 11 receives multiple transaction information 101 from the front-end card reading device 13, and generates a payment flow file 105 based on the transaction information 101. The settlement module 12 receives the payment flow file 105 from the clearing module 11, and manages the ticket fund pool 107 based on the payment flow file 105. The management of the ticket fund pool by the settlement module may include any one or both of the following methods. The first method is that in response to a return request 108 from the intermediary device 14, the settlement module 12 transfers the return amount 106 from the ticket fund pool 107 to the electronic wallet 120 of the electronic ticket card 102 through the intermediary device 14. The second method is that the settlement module 12 transfers the return amount 106 from the ticket fund pool 107 to the designated account 130.

Each transaction information 101 mentioned above includes an identification code (ID) 103 of an electronic ticket card 102 and a corresponding transaction amount 104. This means that in a transaction event corresponding to the transaction information 101, the consumer used the electronic ticket card 102 to make a consumption behavior (such as taking the subway) with an amount of the transaction amount 104 (such as 40 yuan). The electronic ticket card 102 is a chip, card, voucher or other form of debt that stores monetary value in electronic, magnetic or optical form and has data storage or computing functions, and is used as a multi-purpose payment tool. The electronic ticket card 102 can be regarded as a carrier of the electronic wallet 120, and its physical form can be, for example, a physical card, or a mobile device or wearable device running an electronic payment application (APP), but this creation is not limited to this.

The front desk card reader 13 is a device for reading, identifying and processing electronic ticket information, such as a ticket gate, a mobile ticket machine, a station customer service ticket machine or a dongle reader, which can be used in public transportation, commercial facilities, tourism and entertainment venues to provide convenient payment and access control services. The front desk card reader 13 usually uses short-range wireless communication technology, such as Near Field Communication (NFC) or Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) to achieve contactless ticket reading. Consumers only need to bring the electronic ticket 102 close to the front desk card reader 13 to complete the transaction.

The above-mentioned money flow file 105 is used to record the amount to be paid to each participant of the electronic ticket card discount program. Participants may include consumers, operators (such as transportation operators, cooperative units and special merchants), and/or issuers of electronic ticket cards, but this creation is not limited to this. The above-mentioned refund amount 106 refers to the amount to be paid/returned to the consumer. Therefore, the content recorded in the money flow file 105 includes the identification code 103 of the electronic ticket card 102, and the corresponding refund amount 106. It should be understood that although Figure 1 only represents the identification code 103 and the refund amount 106, the content recorded in the money flow file 105 may further include the identification codes of multiple electronic ticket cards and their corresponding refund amounts.

The above-mentioned ticket fund pool 107 is a mechanism for centralized control of funds related to electronic ticket card discounts. Please refer to Figure 2, which is a schematic diagram of the income and expenditure of the ticket fund pool 107 as an example according to one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 2, the income of the ticket fund pool 107 may include ticket sales income 201 and subsidies 202 of discount tickets (including regular tickets and discount packages), and the expenditure may include accounts receivable 203 from operators (such as transportation operators, cooperative units or special merchants), the total refund amount to be returned to consumers 204, and other costs 205, such as transaction costs and management costs. Subsidy 202 is used as the income of ticket fund pool 107 because the amount accumulated by consumers' actual consumption behavior often exceeds the fare of commuter tickets and discount packages. For example, if a consumer buys a commuter ticket for NT$1,200, it will generate NT$1,200 in ticket sales revenue 201, but the actual riding behavior during the period is equivalent to NT$1,800 in fares. In this case, the extra NT$600 must be supported by subsidy 202. In one embodiment, the clearing module 11 generates a subsidy report based on the transaction information 101, and sends the subsidy report to the subsidy unit providing the subsidy 202, such as but not limited to a central or local government agency, or a sponsor of a preferential activity, through a specific channel, such as but not limited to email, application program interface (API) interface, file transfer protocol (FTP) or electronic data interchange (EDI).

The intermediary device 14 can be an interactive kiosk, such as FamilyMart's FamiPort, 1President's ibon, or Hi-Life's Life-ET, but this invention is not limited to this. Alternatively, the intermediary device 14 can also be a mobile device running an electronic payment application (APP). When the consumer performs specific operations on the user interface of the intermediary device 14 and holds the electronic ticket card 102 close to the intermediary device 14, the intermediary device can read the identification code 103 of the electronic ticket card 102 through short-range wireless communication technology, such as Near Field Communication (NFC), Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID), Bluetooth, or Wifi Direct, and trigger a return request 108. The refund request 108 includes the identification code 103 of the electronic ticket card 102 to allow the settlement module 12 to determine the corresponding refund amount 106 based on the identification code 103. Then, the settlement module 12 can transfer the refund amount 106 from the ticket fund pool 107 to the electronic wallet 120 of the electronic ticket card 102 through the intermediary device 14.

The designated account 130 may be a fund or financial account designated by the consumer (who is also the holder of the electronic ticket card 102) or bound to the electronic ticket card 102, such as but not limited to a savings account, an electronic payment account, a debit card account or a credit card account.

In one embodiment, each transaction information 101 is generated by the front desk card reader 13 in response to a transaction event, in which the front desk card reader 13 deducts the transaction amount 104 from the electronic wallet 120 of the electronic ticket card 102. For example, when a consumer uses the electronic ticket card 102 to take the metro, regardless of whether the electronic ticket card 102 is a discount ticket, the ticket gate (i.e., the front desk card reader 13) at the exit will deduct the transaction amount 104 (e.g., 40 yuan) from the electronic wallet 120 of the electronic ticket card 102. In other words, the front desk card reader 13 does not need to identify whether the electronic ticket card 102 is a discount ticket, and can simply perform a normal deduction operation. This transaction amount 104 will be included in the clearing and settlement of the backend clearing system 10 and will eventually be returned to the consumer, so the consumer does not have to worry about being deducted twice.

In one embodiment, the clearing module 11 further selectively adds up the transaction amounts (including but not limited to the transaction amount 104) corresponding to the identification code 103 of the electronic ticket card 102 in the transaction information 101 based on a set of specified rules to calculate the refund amount. The set of specified rules may include regional restrictions of the discount program (e.g., limited to Taipei City and New Taipei City), time restrictions (e.g., the deadline is one month after activation), business restrictions (e.g., designated special merchants) and/or any combination thereof, but this invention is not limited to this. For example, a consumer buys a commuter ticket for NT$1,200, and the actual rides during the period accumulate to a total of NT$1,800 in fares. Of this NT$1,800, NT$1,400 meets the above specified rules. This NT$1,400 will be used as a refund amount 106, and will eventually be returned to the consumer's electronic wallet 120 or designated account 130.

In one embodiment, the financial flow file 105 further records the receivables of multiple operators (such as transport operators, cooperative units or special merchants), for example, operator A is owed 1 million yuan, operator B is owed 1.2 million yuan, and so on. In addition, the settlement module 12 further allocates funds from the ticketing fund pool 107 to these operators based on the receivables recorded in the financial flow file 105.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart of a method M30 for clearing electronic ticket card benefits according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 3, method M30 may include steps S31-S32. Among them, steps S31 and S32 are executed by the clearing module 11 of the backend clearing system 10, and step S33 is executed by the settlement module 12 of the backend clearing system 10.

In step S31, multiple transaction information 101 is received from the front-end card reading device 13. Each transaction information 101 includes an identification code of an electronic ticket card and a corresponding transaction amount, such as an identification code 103 of an electronic ticket card 102 and a corresponding transaction amount 104.

In step S32, a money flow file 105 is generated based on the transaction information 101. The money flow file records the identification codes of multiple electronic ticket cards and their corresponding refund amounts, for example, including the identification code 103 of the electronic ticket card 102 and the corresponding refund amount 106.

In step S33, the ticket fund pool 107 is managed according to the money flow file 105. Furthermore, step S33 may further include operation O331 and/or operation O332. Operation O331 includes responding to the refund request 108 from the intermediary device 14, transferring the refund amount 106 from the ticket fund pool 107 to the electronic wallet 120 of the electronic ticket card 102 through the intermediary device 14. Operation O332 includes transferring the refund amount 106 from the ticket fund pool 107 to the designated account 130.

Since the method M30 is executed in the background, it can be implemented without modifying the front-end card reading device 13. In other words, the method M30 can break through the limitations of the front-end card reading device 13. Therefore, in one embodiment, the clearing module can receive transaction information 101 from a variety of front-end card reading devices, including ticket gates, mobile ticket machines, station customer service ticket machines, and/or dongle readers.

The above paragraphs are described in various ways. Obviously, the teachings of this article can be implemented in many ways, and any specific architecture or function disclosed in the examples is only a representative case. According to the teachings of this article, it should be understood in the art that each aspect disclosed in this article can be implemented independently, or two or more aspects can be implemented in combination.

Although the present invention has been described above with the help of embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present invention. Anyone skilled in the art may make some changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the new invention shall be subject to the scope of the patent application attached hereto.

10: Backstage clearing system

11: Clearing module

12: Settlement Module

13: Front desk card reader

14: Intermediary equipment

101: Trading Information

102: Electronic ticket card

103:Identification code

104:Transaction amount

105: Financial Flow File

106:Refund amount

107:Ticket Fund Pool

108: Return request

120:Electronic wallet

130:Specify account

201: Ticket sales revenue

202: Subsidy

203: Accounts receivable

204:Total refund amount

205:Other costs

M30: Method

S31-S33: Steps

O331,O332: Operation

The content of this creation can be more clearly understood by reading the description of the following exemplary embodiments and referring to the accompanying diagrams. In addition, it should be understood that in the flowchart of this creation, the execution order of each block can be changed, and/or some blocks can be changed, deleted or merged. Figure 1 is a system architecture diagram of a background clearing system according to an embodiment of this creation. Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the income and expenditure of a ticket fund pool as an example according to an embodiment of this creation. Figure 3 is a flowchart of a clearing method for electronic ticket card discounts according to an embodiment of this creation.

10: Backstage clearing system

11: Clearing module

12: Settlement module

13: Front desk card reading equipment

14: Intermediary equipment

101: Transaction information

102: Electronic ticket card

103: Identification code

104: Transaction amount

105: Financial Flow File

106: Refund amount

107: Ticket Fund Pool

108: Return request

120:Electronic wallet

130:Specify account

Claims (8)

A backend clearing system for electronic ticket card discounts, comprising: A clearing module, receiving multiple transaction information from a front-end card reading device, and generating a cash flow file based on the transaction information, wherein each transaction information includes an identification code of an electronic ticket card and a corresponding transaction amount, and the cash flow file records the identification code of the electronic ticket card and a corresponding refund amount; and A settlement module, connected to the clearing module, receiving the cash flow file from the clearing module, and managing a ticket fund pool according to the cash flow file; The management of the ticket fund pool by the settlement module includes: In response to a return request from an intermediary device, the settlement module transfers the return amount from the ticket fund pool to an electronic wallet of the electronic ticket card through the intermediary device, wherein the return request includes the identification code of the electronic ticket card; and/or The settlement module transfers the return amount from the ticket fund pool to a designated account. A system as described in claim 1, wherein each transaction information is generated by the front desk card reading device in response to a transaction event, in which the front desk card reading device deducts the transaction amount from the electronic wallet of the electronic ticket card. A system as described in claim 1, wherein the clearing module selectively adds up the transaction amounts corresponding to the identification code of the electronic ticket card in the transaction information based on a set of specified rules to calculate the refund amount. A system as described in claim 3, wherein the set of specified rules includes a regional restriction and a time restriction. A system as described in claim 1, wherein the cash flow file further records a receivable item for each of the multiple operators; and wherein the settlement module further allocates funds from the ticketing fund pool to the operators based on the receivable items recorded in the cash flow file. A system as described in claim 1, wherein the revenue of the ticket fund pool includes ticket sales revenue and subsidies. The system of claim 1, wherein the intermediary device is an interactive kiosk or a mobile device running an electronic payment application. A system as described in claim 1, wherein the clearing module further receives the transaction information from a plurality of front-end card reading devices, the front-end card reading devices including a ticket validation gate, a mobile ticket validation machine, a station customer service ticket validation machine, and/or a dongle reader.

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