Vending system capable of renewing record of a prepaid card

• US 5,409,092 A
• Filed: 05/20/1991
• Issued: 04/25/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/1990
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nippon Conlux Co., Ltd. (Crane Company)
• Original Assignee: Nippon Conlux Co., Ltd. (Crane Company)
• Inventors: Tanaka, Masanori, Itako, Eiji
• Primary Examiner(s): Huppert, Michael S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): LOWE, SCOTT
• Application Number:
  US07/702,889
• Time in Patent Office: 1,436 Days
• Field of Search: 194/205, 194/206, 194/210, 194/215, 194/216, 194/217, 194/218, 235/381
• US Class Current: 194/210
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3437 the counter having non-monetary units, e.g. trips
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/363 with the personal data of a user
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/02 by keys or other credit registering devices
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/0866 by active credit-cards adapted therefor G07F7/1008 takes precedence

Abstract

In a vending machine for which both money and a prepaid card can be used, a writing-instruction switch is provided for controlling of amount information into the card. When the writing-instruction switch has been actuated, the amount of inserted money and the credited value of the card are added up and the sum is written into the card for renewing its credited value. In this manner, it becomes possible to additionally renew the amount recorded in the prepaid card. Further, an amount selector may be provided for selecting an amount to be added to a prepaid card. On condition that money of an amount not smaller than the amount selected by the amount selector has been inserted, the selected amount and the recorded amount of the card are added up for renewing the recorded amount of the card. Thus, it becomes possible to write a desired amount into an already issued prepaid card.

Claims

1. Vending system which comprises:

money identifying means for identifying an inserted money;

card receiving means for receiving a card in which amount information is recorded;

card amount reading means for reading the amount information recorded in the card that is received by said card receiving means;

money amount calculating means for counting an amount of the inserted money based on an output of said money identifying means and obtaining a balance of the inserted money by subtracting an amount corresponding to a selling price of a product;

card amount calculating means for inputting the amount read by said card amount reading means and obtaining a balance of a card amount by subtracting an amount corresponding to a selling price of a product;

write-instruction means including an operator for instructing for writing of amount information into the card when said operator has been operated;

product sale selecting means for selecting a sale of a product;

selling means for performing a selling action for a product when the product has been selected by said product sale selecting means;

subtraction controlling means for, when the selling action has been performed, controlling said money amount calculating means and said card amount calculating means in such a manner that an amount equivalent to a selling price of a sold product is subtracted in at least one of said calculating means;

return controlling means including a return selector for returning, when said return selector has been operated, an amount of money corresponding to a balance obtained by said money amount calculating means as a change, and then returning the card received by said card receiving means in an automatic fashion;

first write-controlling means for, when subtraction has been performed in said card amount calculating means under a control of said subtraction controlling means, automatically writing a balance thereof into the card received by said card receiving means; and

second write-controlling means for, in response to instruction of said write-instruction means, writing a sum of outputs of said money amount calculating means and said card amount calculating means into the card received by said card receiving means and then returning the card in an automatic fashion.

2. A vending system as defined in claim 1, which further includes card payment sale managing means for recording data related to contents that is written into the card by said second write-controlling means.

3. A vending system as defined in claim 2, wherein said card payment sale managing means cumulatively records outputs of said money amount calculating means as card payment sales data.

4. A prepaid card vending system including a money device for identifying inserted money and calculating an amount of the inserted money, sale selecting means for selecting a sale of a card in which amount information is recorded, selling means for performing a selling action for a card selected by said sale selecting means, and subtraction controlling means for, when the selling action has been performed, effecting control to subtract a selling price of a sold card from the amount of the inserted money calculated by said money device, said prepaid card vending system comprising:

card receiving means for receiving a card in which amount information is recorded;

card amount reading means for reading the amount information received by said card receiving means;

amount selecting means for selecting an amount to be added to said card;

write-instruction means for instructing for writing of amount information into the card;

card amount writing means for, in response to instruction of said write-instruction means, writing a sum of the amount selected by said amount selecting means and an amount by said card reading means into the card and then returning the card;

controlling means for performing control to subtract the amount selected by said amount selecting means from the amount calculated by said money device to return an amount of money corresponding to a balance as a change; and

card payment sale managing means for cumulatively recording data on the amount of the inserted money calculated by the money device among data written by said card amount writing means.

5. A vending system which comprises:

a money device for identifying inserted money and calculating an amount of the inserted money;

card receiving means for receiving a card in which amount information is recorded;

card amount reading means for reading the amount information recorded in the card that is received by said card receiving means;

amount selecting means for selecting an amount to be added to the card;

writing-instruction means for instructing for writing of amount information into the card;

card amount writing means for, in response to instruction of said writing-instruction means, writing a sum of the amount selected by said amount selecting means and an amount read by said card amount reading means into the card and then returning the card; and

controlling means for performing control to subtract the amount selected by said amount selecting means from the amount calculated by said money device to return an amount of money corresponding to a balance as a change.

6. A vending system as defined in claim 5, which further includes card payment sale managing means for cumulatively recording data on the amount selected by said amount selecting means among data written by said card amount writing means.