CREDIT AUTHORIZATION SYSTEM TERMINAL

• US 3,723,655 A
• Filed: 02/16/1971
• Issued: 03/27/1973
• Est. Priority Date: 02/16/1971
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Fredric E. Zucker, James Patrick Murphy, Joseph Kaswer Jr, Lawrence J. Smith
• Original Assignee: Fredric E. Zucker, James Patrick Murphy, Joseph Kaswer Jr, Lawrence J. Smith
• Inventors: Zucker, Fredric E., Murphy, James P., Smith, Lawrence J., Kaswer, Joseph Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Claffy, Kathleen H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): D'Amico, Thomas
• Application Number:
  US05/115,655
• Time in Patent Office: 770 Days
• Field of Search: 179/2CA,2DP,9CS 235/61.7B,61.12R 340/149A,152,149R
• US Class Current: 379/91.01
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/4037 Remote solvency checks
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/08 by coded identity card or credit card or other personal identification means without personal verification means G07F7/02

Abstract

To verify the standing of a credit card account, a terminal is provided at the point of sale. The terminal automatically establishes telephone communication with a remotely located central data processor where data concerning the credit card account is stored. The terminal includes: a replaceable storage medium which retains data for establishing the telephone connection with the data processor, as well as for identifying the terminal; a credit card reader which generates signals to identify the account for which credit is sought; and a keyboard used to transmit transaction-related data, such as dollar amounts. A cycle controller steps the terminal through successive operation modes, including receipt of return data from the data processor. The return data includes instructions which are decoded and displayed by the terminal to indicate the credit standing of the account. Various terminal circuits recognize erroneous conditions such as wrong orientation of the credit card, failure to enter keyboard data, or lack of communication line continuity to the data processor.

Claims

1. In a credit authorization terminal adapted for data communication with a remotely located data processor over a telephone line, which terminal includes a credit card reader to provide signals representing coding on a credit card and a keyboard to generate transaction data, and a frequency code transmitter;

the improvement comprising;

means for retrievably storing data in the credit authorization terminal, to initiate telephone communication between the terminal and the remotely located data processor to identify the terminal, said data storing means including a strip of film provided with optical coding representing the stored data and means for reading said coding on the film strip, and means for replaceably mounting said film in readable relation thereto;

a cycle controller providing cycle control signals to initiate terminal operations and to control data flow between the terminal and the remotely located data processor, said cycle controller including means for generating a hook signal to control terminal connection to the telephone line and further including a commutator provided with segments and means for sequentially engaging said commutator segments to produce said cycle control signals, said commutator-segment-engaging means being synchronously coupled to the film strip for detection of said film strip codings during a predetermined phase of terminal operation;

means enabled by a cycle control signal for selecting said stored data for initiating telephone connection between the terminal and the remotely located data processor;

means for decoding data received over the telephone line for generating an acknowledgment signal indicating the establishment of communication between the terminal and the remotely located data processor;

means initiated by the acknowledgment signal for sequentially enabling transmission of (a) said stored terminal identification data, (b) keyboard signals indicating entries on said keyboard, and (c) credit card signals representing said credit card coding; and

means enabled by a cycle control signal for displaying instruction data received from the remotely located data processor.

2. A credit card authorization system terminal for data communication over a telephone with a remotely located data processor;

comprising;

a replaceable data storage device to retain data retrievably for initiating said telephone data communication with the remotely located data processor and to identify said terminal, and means for retrieving said stored data, said device comprising an actuator including a rotatably mounted drum, said drum being formed of a removable film strip mounted about the axis of rotation of the drum to form a hollow cylinder, the film strip including optical codings representative of the retrievable data and means for detecting said film strip codings to retrieve said data;

a controller providing cycle control signals;

means actuated by a cycle control signal for utilizing retrieved data to establish telephone communication with the remotely located data processor;

a keyboard for entering transaction data;

means actuated by a cycle control signal for sensing keyboard entries and generating signals representative thereof;

a credit card reader to sense coded indicia on a credit card and generate signals representative thereof;

means coupled to said rotatably mounted drum for producing a relative scanning movement between the credit card reader and the credit card during a preselected portion of the angular movement of the rotating drum;

means selectively enabled by the cycle control signals for transmitting station identification signals, keyboard entry signals and credit card indicia signals over the telephone communication line to said remotely located data processor;

means enabled by a cycle control signal for identifying instruction signals received from the remotely located data processor; and

means to display credit authorization instructions.

3. A cycle controller for a credit authorization system terminal, said terminal having a keyboard for entering data related to the transaction and a credit card reader to decode indicia on a credit card and being adapted for data communication over a telephone line with a remotely located data processor;

said cycle controller comprising;

means for generating sequential cycle control signals which are representative of the operating cycle of the terminal;

means responsive to a control signal indicative of a telephone dial cycle for initiating telephone connection between the terminal and the remotely located data processor;

means for interrupting the generation of cycle control signals fOr a time period which terminates upon the receipt of an acknowledgment signal from the data processor within a preselected time duration following said telephone dial cycle;

means enabled by a control signal indicative of a station identification transmittal cycle for generating terminal-identifying signals for transmittal over the telephone line to said data processor;

means enabled by control signals indicative of a keyboard read-out cycle for sensing keyboard entries and generating keyboard signals indicative thereof for transmittal over the telephone line to the data processor;

means enabled by a control signal indicative of a credit card read cycle to actuate said credit card reader and generate credit card signals representative of said indicia for transmittal over the telephone line to said data processor;

means responsive to selected ones of said credit card signals for generating a credit card orientation signal indicative of the orientation of the credit card;

means for checking the keyboard for an entry and producing a signal indicative of the results of said check; and

means responsive to a credit card orientation signal indicative of credit card mis-orientation or to a keyboard entry check signal indicative of a predetermined minimum keyboard entry for inhibiting the generation of cycle control signals;

means enabled by a control signal representative of an instruction data receiving cycle for decoding instruction signals received over the telephone line from said data processor; and

means for displaying said decoded instruction signals.

4. The terminal of claim 2 wherein said means for producing scanning movement includes a sector gear having a gear-toothed segment selectively angularly located to effect said scanning movement.

5. A cycle controller for a credit authorization system terminal having a keyboard for entering data related to a transaction, a credit card reader for detecting codings on a credit card and a frequency tone selector for transmission of keyboard, credit card and terminal data over telephone lines to a remotely located data processor;

comprising;

means initiated by the insertion of a credit card into the terminal for establishing telephone connection between the terminal and the data processor;

means responsive to a selected condition of the keyboard for generating a signal indicative thereof;

means for sensing the erroneous orientation of an inserted credit card and producing a signal indicative thereof; and

means responsive to the signal indicative of the selected condition of the keyboard and the signal indicative of the erroneously oriented credit card for inhibiting said means for establishing telephone connection between the terminal and the remotely located data processor.

6. A terminal for a credit authorization system, comprising:

a housing;

a motor mounted within the housing;

a commutator mounted in the housing, said commutator being provided with electrically conductive commutation segments to define an operating cycle for the terminal;

means coupled to the motor for sequentially providing said commutator segments with voltages to generate cycle control signals;

a drum mounted within the housing and coupled to the motor for rotation thereby, said drum being provided with a film strip having areas of varying transparency representative of stored data which identify the terminal and which enable the terminal to establish telephone communication with external devices;

means for detecting said areas of varying transparency to produce signals representative of said film stored data;

said film being mounted in pre-selected registration relative to said commutator to enable said detecting means to generate signals during predetermined portions of the operating cycle of the terminal;

means for reading machine-detectable coding on a credit card and producing credit card indicia signals representative of the codings;

means mounted In the housing for receiving said credit card and locating said credit card in a predetermined detectable orientation relative to said credit card reading means;

means coupled to said motor for providing relative scanning motion between the credit card and the credit card reading means during a predetermined segment of the operating cycle of the terminal and generating said credit card indicia signals; and

display means for indicating terminal operating status and credit authorization data.

7. A terminal for a credit card authorization checking system, comprising:

a terminal housing, a slide mounted in the housing for movement from an initial start-up position to an actuated position, said slide having a recess shaped to receive a credit card having machine-detectable codings;

switch means mounted in operative relationship to the slide to provide a terminal-actuating signal upon movement of the slide to the actuated position;

an actuator section mounted in the terminal housing and operatively coupled to the slide for retraction thereof during terminal operation;

a data storage drum mounted for rotation about an axis within the terminal housing and operatively coupled to the motor for rotation thereby;

a commutator mounted coaxially with the drum axis and angularly registered therewith to provide cooperative synchronized operation therewith during terminal operation, said commutator segment providing terminal cycle control signals to initiate terminal events;

a sector gear mounted coaxially with the drum axis and located to engage the slide for retraction thereof, said sector gear being selectively angularly aligned with the drum and commutator to effect said slide retraction in correspondence with a selected commutator-generated cycle control signal.