Electronic cashless system

• US 20010027994A1
• Filed: 05/11/2001
• Published: 10/11/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/1989
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Shoji Hayashida
• Original Assignee: Shoji Hayashida
• Inventors: Hayashida, Shoji
• Granted Patent: US 6,378,775 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/380
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/04 Payment circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/26 Debit schemes, e.g. "pay now"
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 19/20 Automatic teller machines [ATMs]
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 19/202 Depositing operations within ATMs depositing in general G07D11/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 19/204 Loading of a stored value token using an ATM
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/0866 by active credit-cards adapted therefor G07F7/1008 takes precedence

Abstract

An electronic cashless system uses a cashless medium for memorizing amount information and for performing an operation of amount information. The electronic cashless system comprises an automatic transaction terminal device having a reading/writing unit for writing amount information to the cashless medium, and a center device having a unit for identifying the account balance of multiple accounts and for storing amount information and a non-settled fund file unit for storing amount information written by the cashless medium and a seller ledger file means for identifying the account balance of the multiple seller'"'"'s accounts and for storing amount information.

Claims

1. An electronic cashless system comprising:

a cashless medium means for memorizing amount information and for performing an operation of amount information;

an automatic transaction terminal device means having a reading/writing means for writing amount information to said cashless medium;

a center device having a deposit ledger file connected to said automatic transaction terminal device,

means for identifying the account balance of multiple accounts and for storing amount information;

a non-settled fund file means for storing amount information written by said cashless medium; and

a seller ledger file means for identifying the account balance of the multiple seller'"'"'s accounts and for storing amount information.

2. The electronic cashless system according to

claim 1

further comprising:

a medium balance log file means for memorizing the stored balance of said cashless medium to which amount information is written by said automatic transaction terminal device.

3. The electronic cashless system according to claim 1, wherein

amount information stored in the memory means of said cashless medium is returned to said center device via the automatic transaction terminal device, and

said amount information is memorized and stored within said center device, in a medium balance log file together with the amount information revised in deposit ledger log file, and added to the non-settled fund file for its revision.

4. The electronic cashless system according to

claim 1

further comprising:

a register part to which a transaction amount is inputted;

an exchange means for at least exchanging amount information with said cashless medium;

a tallying file means for tallying and storing amount information obtained from said cashless medium; and

a commercial transaction terminal device at least connected with said center device.

5. The electronic cashless system according to

claim 4

, wherein

said commercial transaction terminal device sends via the exchange means amount information necessary for a commercial transaction to said cashless medium,

said cashless medium makes an operation with an operation means based on the amount information received from said commercial transaction terminal device and the amount information stored in the cashless medium,

said commercial transaction terminal device revises said tallying file upon receiving information that a transaction can take place.

6. The electronic cashless system according to

claim 4

, wherein

at least the sum of amount information generated in a commercial transaction is classified by a deposit owner and is stored in the deposit ledger file.

7. The electronic cashless system according to

claim 1

, wherein

the commercial transaction terminal device sends amount information stored in the tallying file to the center device, and

said center device revises said non-settled fund file and seller ledger file, based on the amount information sent from said commercial transaction terminal device.

8. The electronic cashless system according to

claim 1

, wherein said cashless medium comprises:

a memory means for storing amount information; and

an operation means for taking over an externally supplied transaction amount from said amount information and storing the result in said memory means.

9. A cashless medium comprising:

a memory means for storing amount information; and

an operation means for taking over an externally supplied transaction amount from said amount information and storing the result in said memory means.

10. The cashless medium according to

claim 9

further comprising:

a display means;

a key input means operated by the owner; and

a control means for controlling said display means so that it displays amount information stored in said memory means when said key input means gives a display instruction.

11. The cashless medium according to

claim 9

, wherein said operation means outputs said result to an external device.

12. A commercial transaction terminal device comprising:

a tallying file means for memorizing a commercial transaction amount; and

an exchange means for notifying a cashless medium of said commercial transaction amount supplied from a cash register and for memorizing said commercial transaction amount in said tallying file when the value is obtained by subtracting said commercial transaction amount from the amount information of said cashless medium.

13. The commercial transaction terminal device according to

claim 12

, wherein

the tallying file memorizes, in pairs, the bank of the cashless medium with which the commercial transaction is made and the the commercial transaction amount.

14. The commercial transaction terminal device according to

claim 13

, wherein

the memorized information of said tallying file is sent to a center device that settles the commercial transaction.

15. The commercial transaction terminal device according to

claim 12

, wherein

said tallying file means is separately prepared for respective banks.

16. The commercial transaction terminal device according to

claim 12

, wherein

said tallying file means is connected to a bank center device on an off-line basis.

17. The commercial transaction terminal device according to

claim 12

, wherein

said cashless medium stores an amount which can be used by a user of the cashless medium.