Point-of-action billing transactor

• US 3,932,730 A
• Filed: 09/30/1974
• Issued: 01/13/1976
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/1973
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Electronic Memories & Magnetics Corp. (L3Harris Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Electronic Memories & Magnetics Corp. (L3Harris Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ambrosio, Biagio F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cook, Daryl W.
• Application Number:
  US05/510,560
• Time in Patent Office: 470 Days
• Field of Search: 235/61.6, 235/61.8, 235/61.9, 340/172.5, 340/149, 340/149 A, 340/150, 340/151
• US Class Current: 235/432
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 1/121 by printing code marks applying code marks to labels B65C9/46; marking or coding completed packages B65B61/26
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply

Abstract

A utility billing transactor is disclosed for entering a new meter reading, computing the amount of utility service delivered as the difference between a previous meter reading and the new meter reading, computing the amount to be paid, and printing a bill showing the new meter reading and the amount due. A card, which has the customer'"'"'s identification (ID) number, previous meter reading and billing rate code entered on it, is inserted into the transactor to initiate automatic sequencing of steps to: read the ID number, call for keyboard entry of a new meter reading, read the previous meter reading, compute the difference between the meter reading, compute the amount due as the product of a rate or schedule of rates determined from the billing rate code (either directly or through a table stored in a read-only memory) and printing the bill. The entire transaction, including data read from the card and data computed is recorded in nonvolatile memory and immediately checked for recording error.

Claims

1. In a portable billing transactor for entering and processing a utility service transaction, and printing a bill on a record medium for immediate delivery to a customer, said service being measured by a meter read by a person for manual entry, said medium having information necessary for computing the bill in predetermined areas, said information including the previous meter reading and a rate code, the combination comprising:

means for accepting said record medium and holding it in a static postion during a billing transaction;

calculating means for performing arithmetic calculations on data coupled thereto under electronic control, said calculating means including first and second arithmetic registers;

means for reading data from different predetermined areas of said record medium at different controlled times;

means for printing data on different predetermined areas of said record medium at different controlled times;

a buffer register for storing said new meter reading;

keyboard means for manually entering said new meter reading into said buffer register for display;

keyboard means for manually producing a print command;

means responsive to said print command for coupling said net meter reading as displayed from said buffer register into said calculating means;

a source of clock pulses;

a ready light and means for displaying said new meter reading entered into said buffer register;

sequence control means including a program counter responsive to said source of clock pulses for automatically controlling said calculating means, reading means and printing means through predetermined coordinated operations once said accepting means has received a record medium in said static position, said coordinated operations comprising;

energizing said ready light to call for manual keyboard entry of said new meter reading into said buffer register after said holding means has accepted said record medium and said record medium is being held in a static position;

energizing said display means to call for a manual keyboard production of said print command to cause said new meter reading to be printed on said record medium and to be coupled into said first one of said arithmetic registers;

reading said previous meter reading from a second predetermined area of said record medium into said second one of said arithmetic registers when printing of said new meter reading has been completed;

computing a difference between said new meter reading and said previous meter reading, and for storing the difference in said first one of said arithmetic registers;

printing said difference in a preselected area of said record medium;

reading said rate code into said calculating means;

computing the amount due from said difference and said rate code;

printing said amount due in a preselected area of said record medium.

2. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 including addressable means in said calculating means for storing a plurality of rate schedules, each rate schedule consisting of a plurality of rate factors accessed in sequence upon addressing said addressable means by a unique code, and wherein said rate code read from said record medium constitutes said unique code, and further including means for multiplying successive predetermined increments of said difference by successive ones of said rate factors in calculating said amount due.

3. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said information prerecorded in predetermined areas includes a customers identification number and said sequence control means includes coordinated control of the operation of reading said customer identification number from a predetermined area, and said apparatus including nonvolatile bulk storage means for recording transaction information including said customer'"'"'s identification number, previous meter reading new meter reading, difference between said new meter reading and said previous meter reading, and the amount due.

4. Apparatus as defined in claim 3 wherein said nonvolatile bulk storage means includes a buffer storage means for temporary storage of said transaction information as it is read from said record medium and as it is computed, and a magnetic tape into which the contents of said buffer storage means is transferred as the last of said coordinated operations under control of said sequence control means.

5. Apparatus as defined in claim 3 including addressable means in said calculating means for storing a plurality of rate schedules, each rate schedule consisting of a plurality of rate factors accessed in sequence upon addressing said addressable means by a unique code, and wherein said rate code read from said record medium constitutes said unique code, and further including means for multiplying successive predetermined increments of said difference by successive ones of said rate factors in calculating said amount due.