Distributed processing system for processing transportation fees and operating method thereof

• US 10,395,225 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2014
• Issued: 08/27/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG CNS Company Limited (LBHunet Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: LG CNS Company Limited (LBHunet Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Lee, Yongkyu
• Primary Examiner(s): Bridges, Christopher
• Application Number:
  US14/503,099
• Publication Number:
  US 20160092856A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,792 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/145 Payments according to the detected use or quantity
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/18 involving self-service terminals [SST], vending machines, kiosks or multimedia terminals
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/34 using cards, e.g. integrated circuit [IC] cards or magnetic cards
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/352 Contactless payments by cards
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/28 the pass enabling tracking or indicating presence

Abstract

An operating method of a distributed server includes downloading operating information from a central server, the operating information including information related to card transactions and terminal information on one or more card terminals, receiving a payment request for a card tagged on a card terminal from the card terminal, and performing an operation related to a payment requested by the card terminal based on the operating information. The operating method may further include receiving status information from the central server, the status information indicating whether or not the central server is overloaded, processing the payment requested by the card terminal if the status information indicates that the central server is overloaded, and transmitting a result of processing the payment to the card terminal.

Claims

1. An operating method of a distributed server in a distributed transportation fee payment processing system, the operating method comprising:

receiving, by the distributed server, status information from a central server, the status information indicating whether or not the central server is overloaded;

downloading, by the distributed server, operating information from the central server, the operating information including information related to card transactions and terminal information on a plurality of card terminals;

receiving, by the distributed server, a transportation fee payment request for a card tagged on one of the plurality of card terminals from the card terminal;

when the status information indicates the central server is not overloaded, forwarding, by the distributed server, the transportation fee payment request to the central server;

when the status information indicates the central server is overloaded, generating, by the distributed server, a result by processing the transportation fee payment request from the card terminal based on the operating information; and

transmitting, by the distributed server, the result of processing the transportation fee payment request to the card terminal,

wherein the distributed server is disposed between the central server and the plurality of card terminals, and

wherein the distributed server is one of a plurality of distributed servers, the central server being coupled to each of the plurality of distributed servers, each of the plurality of distributed servers corresponding to a region and being coupled to a plurality of card terminals.

2. The operating method of claim 1, wherein the status information is pushed to the distributed server from the central server when the central server is in an overloaded state in which traffic for card payments exceeds a processing limit of the central server or after the overload of the central server is resolved.

3. The operating method of claim 2, wherein the processing limit comprises a preset limit for at least one of the number of transactions being simultaneously processed, a processing time for each transaction, and available resources of the central server.

4. The operating method of claim 1, wherein the status information is first status information, and

wherein the method further comprises:

receiving, by the distributed server, second status information from the central server, the second status information indicating that the overload of the central server has been resolved; and

requesting, by the distributed server, the central server to process the transportation fee payment request from the card terminal when the second status information indicates that the overload of the central server has been resolved.

5. The operating method of claim 1, wherein receiving the status information comprises receiving the status information through a communication channel that is separate from a communication channel through which the operating information is received.

6. The operating method of claim 1, wherein processing the transportation fee payment request comprises processing the transportation fee payment request when the card tagged on the card terminal is determined to be a commutation ticket based on the operating information.

7. The operating method of claim 1, wherein processing the transportation fee payment request comprises:

determining whether or not the card is tagged on the card terminal more than one time within a predetermined time based on the operating information;

informing the card terminal that a transportation fee for the card has been paid if it is determined that the card is tagged more than one time within the predetermined time; and

requesting the central server to process the transportation fee payment request for the card when it is determined that the card is tagged only one time.

8. The operating method of claim 1, further comprising:

searching for, by the distributed server, another distributed server capable of communicating with the central server when communication between the central server and the distributed server is disconnected; and

communicating, by the distributed server, with the central server through a found distributed server.

9. The operating method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting, by the distributed server, the operating information to another distributed server that is unable to communicate with the central server.

10. An operating method of a central server in a distributed transportation fee payment processing system, the operating method comprising:

processing, by the central server, transportation fee payment requests based on traffic for card payments received from a plurality of distributed servers;

determining, by the central server, whether the traffic for card payments exceeds a processing limit of the central server;

transmitting, by the central server, status information to the plurality of distributed servers based on the determination result, the status information indicating whether or not the central server is overloaded; and

transmitting, by the central server, operating information to the plurality of distributed servers, the operating information including information related to transactions of cards and terminal information on a plurality of card terminals,

wherein when the status information indicates the central server is overloaded, the plurality of distributed servers process the transportation fee payment requests based on the operating information, and transmit a result of processing the transportation fee payment requests to the card terminal, and

wherein the plurality of distributed servers are disposed between the central server and the plurality of card terminals, and each of the plurality of distributed servers corresponds to a region and is connected to at least one corresponding terminal of the plurality of card terminals.

11. The operating method of claim 10, wherein the status information is first status information and wherein the method further comprises:

determining, by the central server, whether or not the overload has been resolved; and

transmitting, by the central server, second status information to the plurality of distributed servers, the second status information indicating that the overload of the central server has been resolved.

12. The operating method of claim 10, wherein the status information is pushed to the plurality of distributed servers from the central server when the central server is in an overloaded state in which the traffic exceeds the processing limit or after the overload of the central server is resolved.

13. The operating method of claim 10, wherein the processing limit of the central server comprises a preset limit for at least one of the number of transactions being simultaneously processed, a processing time for each transaction, and available resources of the central server.

14. The operating method of claim 10, wherein transmitting the status information comprises transmitting the status information through a communication channel that is separate from a communication channel through which the operating information is transmitted.

15. A distributed server in a distributed transportation fee payment processing system, the distributed server comprising:

a memory configured to store a program for controlling operations of the distributed server; and

one or more processors configured to execute the program,

wherein the processor performs a method, the method comprising;

receiving status information from a central server, the status information indicating whether or not the central server is overloaded;

downloading operating information from the central server, the operating information including information related to card transactions and terminal information on a plurality of card terminals;

receiving a transportation fee payment request for a card tagged on one of the plurality of card terminals from the card terminal;

when the status information indicates the central server is overloaded, processing the transportation fee payment request from the card terminal based on the operating information, and transmitting a result of processing the payment to the card terminal; and

when the status information indicates the central server is not overloaded, forwarding the transportation fee payment request to the central server,

wherein the distributed server is one of a plurality of distributed servers, the central server being coupled to each of the plurality of distributed servers, each of the plurality of distributed servers corresponding to a region and being coupled to a plurality of card terminals.

16. A distributed transportation fee payment processing system comprising:

one or more card terminals each of which is configured to request a transportation fee payment for a card tagged thereon;

a plurality of distributed servers configured to receive operating information, which includes information related to transactions of the card and terminal information on the one or more card terminals, and status information, which indicates whether or not a central server is overloaded, from the central server, to process the transportation fee payment requested by the card terminal based on the operating information when the status information indicates that the central server is overloaded and transmit a result of processing the transportation fee payment to the card terminal, and to forward the transportation fee payment to the central server when the status information indicates the central server is not overloaded; and

the central server configured to determine whether or not traffic for payments of cards, received from the plurality of distributed servers, exceeds a processing limit thereof, and transmit the status information to the plurality of distributed servers based on the determination result.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions, which, when executed by a processor in a distributed server of a distributed transportation fee payment processing system, performs a method, the method comprising:

receiving status information from a central server, the status information indicating whether or not the central server is overloaded;

downloading operating information from the central server, the operating information including information related to card transactions and terminal information on one or more card terminals;

receiving a transportation fee payment request for a card tagged on a card terminal from the card terminal;

processing the transportation fee payment request from the card terminal based on the operating information when first status information is received from the central server, the first status information indicating that the central server is overloaded, and transmitting a result of the payment processed by the distributed server to the card terminal; and

transmitting the transportation fee payment request to the central terminal and requesting the central server to process the transportation fee payment request when second status information is received from the central server, the second status information indicating that the overload of the central server is not overloaded.