Method for operating pay stations of an ID-based access control system for a post-payment scenario

• US 10,235,700 B2
• Filed: 12/11/2015
• Issued: 03/19/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SKIDATA AG (Thales SA)
• Original Assignee: SKIDATA AG (Thales SA)
• Inventors: Kerschbaumer, Andreas
• Primary Examiner(s): Sheikh, Asfand M
• Application Number:
  US14/966,162
• Publication Number:
  US 20160171471A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,194 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/202 Interconnection or interaction of plural electronic cash registers [ECR] or to host computer, e.g. network details, transfer of information from host to ECR or from ECR to ECR
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40 Authorisation, e.g. identification of payer or payee, verification of customer or shop credentials; Review and approval of payers, e.g. check credit lines or negative lists
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 2240/00 Transportation facility access, e.g. fares, tolls or parking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0284 Time or distance, e.g. usage of parking meters or taximeters
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0014 for vending, access and use of specific services not covered anywhere else in G07F17/00 meter-controlled dispensing of liquid, gas or electricity G07F15/00

Abstract

As part of the method for operating pay stations of an ID-based access control system for a post-payment scenario comprising a central server (1) and at least one access control device (5), each access control device (5) of the access control system is assigned to a zone and each pay station (4, 4′, 4″) is assigned to a zone. Each zone comprises a unique zone-ID and, at the start of the execution of the method for each zone a presence record created in the central server (1) is forwarded via one or more proxy-servers (2,3) to the pay stations (4, 4′, 4″) of each zone and stored in the pay stations (4, 4′, 4″). Subsequently, at pre-set, definable time intervals or when the Delta changes recorded in the central server (1)—namely the IDs of the customer media no longer present in the zone and the IDs of customer media newly added—a pre-set threshold in a zone for the customer media newly added in this zone and/or for the customer media no longer present in the zone is exceeded, a file containing the Delta changes for updating the presence record stored in the pay stations (4, 4′, 4″) is transmitted via one or more proxy-servers (2, 3) to the pay stations (4, 4′, 4″).

Claims

1. In a method for operating pay stations in a post-payment scenario of an ID-based access control system which covers a given area and comprises a central server which is connectable with a plurality of pay stations and at least one access control device for communicating therewith to facilitate calculation, by the pay stations, of an amount due when the pay stations are disconnected from the central server, the method comprising:

assigning each access control device and each pay station of the access control system to a zone having a unique zone-ID,

creating a presence record in the central server and forwarding the presence record via one or more proxy-servers to the pay stations of each zone, the presence record being stored in the pay stations,

recording Delta changes in the central server the Delta changes being IDs of the customer media that are no longer present in the zone and IDs of the customer media that are newly added in the zone,

subsequently, transmitting a file containing the Delta changes to the pay stations of each zone via one or more of said proxy-servers for updating the presence record stored in the pay stations, the Delta changes being transmitted either at pre-set definable time intervals or when the IDs of the customer media that are no longer present in the zone and the IDs of the customer media that are newly added in the zone exceed a pre-set threshold;

wherein the presence record of each zone comprises, as parameters, (1) a zone ID, (2) IDs of the customer media present in the zone, (3) a point in time at which a customer medium was first registered in the zone and (4) a service-ID;

wherein in a case where only one zone is provided, the zone-ID is omitted;

wherein if only one service is offered, the service-ID is omitted;

registering the new customer media in the zone by the at least one access control device of the zone;

recording in the central server, the customer media no longer present in the zone based on transaction data of the pay stations of the zone;

when the pay station in the zone is offline such that communication between the pay station and the central server is prevented, calculating an amount due with the offline pay station using the presence record last updated by means of the Delta changes of the zone based on data contained in the presence record and fee and tariff information stored in the pay station;

subsequently performing a payment operation with the pay station, while the pay station in the zone is offline, and in which a customer pays the calculated amount due, and storing, in the pay station, transaction data of the payment operation,

while the pay station in the zone is offline, communicating the performance of the payment operation from the pay station to the access control device bypassing the central server, and actuating a barrier element of the access control device in an opening direction to allow the customer to leave the zone, and

when the pay station enters an online modus at a later time, communicating the transaction data of the offline payment operation from the pay station to the central server for the purpose of synchronization.

2. The method for operating pay stations of an ID-based access control system for a post-payment scenario according to claim 1, wherein the file containing the Delta changes for updating the presence record stored in the pay stations is communicated to the pay stations of each zone via a passive proxy-server, which in turn communicates the file containing the Delta changes to the respective pay stations following a respective request from the pay stations;

wherein the file containing the Delta changes from the proxy-server is requested by the pay stations at pre-set, definable time intervals;

wherein these intervals are the same for all pay stations of a zone;

wherein the files containing the Delta changes for each interval in a zone comprise a unique name;

wherein, when the file containing the Delta changes for a pre-set interval is requested for the first time by a pay station, the request is forwarded by the proxy-server to the central server, and the central server creates the file containing the Delta changes and communicates this to the proxy-server, which in turn stores the file and communicates it to the pay station and wherein, when subsequently the file containing the Delta changes for the same time interval is requested by a further pay station in the same zone, the file already stored in the proxy-server for this interval is retrieved and communicated to the pay station.

3. The method for operating pay stations of an ID-based access control system for a post-payment scenario according to claim 1, wherein the file containing the Delta changes for updating the presence record stored in the pay stations establishes, without control commands generated by a pay station, a connection via an active proxy-server to the central server at pre-set or definable intervals in order to request the file containing the Delta changes, to buffer it and to communicate it to the pay stations.