Payment installation for a transport network

• US 5,637,848 A
• Filed: 01/04/1996
• Issued: 06/10/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Jean-Claude Decaux
• Original Assignee: Jean-Claude Decaux
• Inventors: Carreel, Eric, Lewiner, Jacques
• Primary Examiner(s): Hajec, Donald T.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Frech, Karl D.
• Application Number:
  US08/582,804
• Time in Patent Office: 523 Days
• Field of Search: 235/384, 235/380, 364/424.01, 364/424.02, 364/443
• US Class Current: 235/384
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0723 the record carrier comprising an arrangement for non-contact communication, e.g. wireless communication circuits on transponder cards, non-contact smart cards or RFIDs
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/346 Cards serving only as information carrier of service
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/063 using wireless information transmission between the vehicle and a fixed station identification of vehicles G08G
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/0866 by active credit-cards adapted therefor G07F7/1008 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/1008 Active credit-cards provided with means to personalise their use, e.g. with PIN-introduction/comparison system
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/123 indicating the position of vehicles, e.g. scheduled vehicles; Managing passenger vehicles circulating according to a fixed timetable, e.g. buses, trains, tramstransmission of navigation instructions to vehicles G08G1/0968

Abstract

The installation is designed to inform users of a bus network about waiting times for buses at stops in the network. An installation comprises a central station suitable for transmitting radio signals about the real instantaneous positions of the buses, and portable receiver appliances (1) suitable for displaying bus waiting times on screens (4). Each appliance can also serve as a ticket for travel purposes, being provided, for this purpose, with means (10) containing "validity" data (e.g. corresponding to a sum of money or to an expiry date) that can be checked remotely by "ticket-stamper" means (9) and that is also remotely "renewable" from the central station.

Claims

1. An installation for enabling users of a bus network to pay sums corresponding to trips taken by users travelling on buses over the bus network, the installation comprising portable appliances for receiving electromagnetic signals and for displaying waiting times for a bus to be caught relative to at least one stop along the bus network, said portable appliance being made available to users in return for payment, and each of the said portable appliances further including means for recording validity data corresponding to the payment made, and means responsive to remotely transmitted signals for enabling accessing of said validity data, said installation further comprising at least one access control unit located close to a passage providing entry to the bus network, said access control unit including validation means responsive to presentation by user of a said portable appliance of said validity data for authorizing a given trip over the bus network, and for remotely checking whether said validity data is valid based on accessing of said validity data, each said portable appliance further comprising coded identification means for said portable appliance and coded means for renewing validity data remotely into said portable appliance in response to receiving suitable electromagnetic signals, and said installation further comprising, at a central station which is common to the entire bus network, means for transmitting said suitable electromagnetic signals to the portable appliances to be renewed, said suitable signals being generated in such a manner as to enable said suitable signals to be automatically selectable by said portable appliances and to provide remote renewing of the validity data in said portable appliances, said central station further comprising means for generating and transmitting to the portable appliances electromagnetic signals that convey data relating to said waiting times for a bus to be caught, and said portable appliances further including user-actuable interrogation means for identifying each stop at which a bus is desired to be caught, means for receiving said signals that convey data relating to said waiting times and for selecting therefrom signals relating at least to the next bus expected at an identified bus stop, means for generating information relating to the waiting times of said next bus at said identified bus stop, and means, including a display screen, for displaying said information.

2. An installation according to claim 1, wherein each portable appliance includes key means for enabling use of the portable appliance in connection with validation thereof by said validation means to be subject to the user keying in a secret code.

3. An installation according to claim 1 wherein said validity data comprises a quantifiable amount and said means responsive to remotely transmitted signals provides for successive reduction of said quantifiable amount until said amount is zero, and wherein said validation means accesses the quantifiable amount associated with the portable appliance being checked..

4. An installation according to claim 1 wherein said validity data comprises a predetermined time period and wherein said validation means remotely accesses the time period associated with a portable appliance being checked and determines whether that time period has expired.