Card issue system

• US 5,592,400 A
• Filed: 08/22/1994
• Issued: 01/07/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Tamura Electric Works., Ltd. (SAXA Holdings Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Tamura Electric Works., Ltd. (SAXA Holdings Incorporated)
• Inventors: Yamazaki, Atsushi, Sasou, Hiroshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Trammell, James P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Assouad, Patrick J.
• Application Number:
  US08/294,134
• Time in Patent Office: 869 Days
• Field of Search: 364/514 R, 235/375, 235/380, 235/379, 235/487, 235/492
• US Class Current: 235/375
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/341 Active cards, i.e. cards including their own processing means, e.g. including an IC or chip
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/355 Personalisation of cards for use
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/1008 Active credit-cards provided with means to personalise their use, e.g. with PIN-introduction/comparison system

Abstract

A card issue system includes a data terminal, a card issue apparatus, a common memory, interface, and a data bus. The data terminal receives card issue information including a card issue command. The card issue apparatus performs a card issue process on the basis of the card issue information from the data terminal. The common memory is arranged in the card issue apparatus and stores card issue process result information. The interface performs data interface between the data terminal and the card issue apparatus, and the card issue information from the data terminal is transmitted to the card issue apparatus through the interface. The data bus connects the common memory and the data terminal, and the card issue process result information stored in the common memory is transmitted to the data memory through the data bus.

Claims

1. A card issue system comprising:

a data terminal for receiving card issue information including a card issue command;

a card issue apparatus for performing a card issue process on the basis of the card issue information from said data terminal;

a common memory, arranged in said card issue apparatus, for storing card issue process result information;

interface means for performing data interface between said data terminal and said card issue apparatus, the card issue information from said data terminal being transmitted to said card issue apparatus through said interface means; and

a data bus for connecting said common memory and said data terminal, the card issue process result information stored in said common memory being transmitted to said data memory through said data bus, wherein,

said card issue apparatus is comprises detection means for detecting that said common memory is used by said data terminal, storage control means for storing the card issue result information in said common memory on the basis of a detection output from said detection means, and use permission means for permitting said data terminal to use said common memory upon completion of a storing operation performed by said storage control means, and said data terminal comprises read means for reading out the card issue result information from said common memory in accordance with a use permission command from said use permission means, and informing means for informing said card issue apparatus that said common memory is in use during a reading operation performed by said read means and informing said card issue apparatus that said common memory is not in use upon completion of the reading operation performed by said read means.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein said data terminal is constituted by a personal computer comprising an operation unit for inputting card issue information, a display unit for displaying the transmitted card issue process result information, and a central processing unit for performing data communication control between said card issue apparatus and said central processing unit.

3. A system according to claim 1, wherein said interface means is constituted by an RS-232C interface.

4. A system according to claim 1, wherein said card issue apparatus comprises an internal memory for temporarily storing a non-defective card count and a defective card count on the basis of a card issue process, and said storage control means for transferring and storing the non-defective card count and defective card count from said internal memory as card issue process result information to and in said common memory.

5. A system according to claim 1, wherein said informing means sets a level signal corresponding to a first control signal line to inform said card issue apparatus that said common memory is in use and that said common memory is not in use, and said use permission means sets a corresponding level signal in a second control signal line to inform said data terminal that said data terminal can be permitted to use said common memory.

6. A system according to claim 1, wherein said card issue apparatus is constituted by an information recording unit for recording information on a card conveyed on a card convey path, an information reproducing unit for reproducing the information recorded by said information recording unit from said card, a sensor for detecting a position of said card conveyed on said card convey path, a central processing unit for checking, on the basis of the information reproduced by said information reproducing unit, whether said card is non-defective or defective and performing data communication control between said central processing unit and said data terminal, a convey control unit for controlling a card convey operation and sorting the conveyed card on the basis of a check result obtained by checking whether the card is non-defective or defective, and a non-defective card accommodating unit and a defective card accommodating unit for respectively accommodating conveyed non-defective and defective cards sorted by said convey control unit.