Prepaid card

• US 5,712,473 A
• Filed: 06/11/1996
• Issued: 01/27/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kichinosuke Nagashio
• Original Assignee: Kichinosuke Nagashio
• Inventors: Nagashio, Kichinosuke
• Primary Examiner(s): PITTS, HAROLD I
• Application Number:
  US08/664,285
• Time in Patent Office: 595 Days
• Field of Search: 235/487, 235/494
• US Class Current: 235/494
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06 characterised by the kind of the digital marking, e.g. shape, nature, code
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3433 the counter having monetary units
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/02 by keys or other credit registering devices

Abstract

A prepaid card is disclosed, which uses drawing codes not requiring so high accuracy and permits direct computer processing of read-out data without agency of any A/D converter, thus permitting system security improvement.

In the prepaid card 1, main information 2, personal information 3, fingerprint image 4 and security data rotation key 5 are printed on the surface as a transparent print pattern with box drawing codes provided in the form of four tetrahedrons of different sizes arranged one inside another, the four sides of each tetrahedron being constituted by respective segments representing respective bit expressions, the individual bit expressions of the segments being for a predetermined digit place arrangement from the least significant digit place to provide a binary number system expression representing a corresponding decimal or n-step number system expression, a predetermined numeral, character, symbol, etc. being represented by the bit expression of a segment or a summation of some of the bit expressions.

Claims

1. A prepaid card having a transparent print pattern with box drawing codes provided as basic codes in the form of four tetrahedrons of different sizes arranged one inside another, the four sides of each tetrahedron being constituted by respective segments representing respective bit expressions, the individual bit expressions of the segments being for a predetermined digit place arrangement from the least significant digit place to provide a binary number system expression representing a corresponding decimal or hexadecimal number system expression, a predetermined numeral, character, symbol, being represented by the bit expression of each segment of a summation of some of the bit expressions.

2. The prepaid card according to claim 1, wherein the box drawing codes as the basic codes provide bit expressions in dependence on whether each segment is continuous or has a cut-off.

3. The prepaid card according to claim 1, wherein the box drawing codes as the basic codes provide bit expressions in dependence on the line width of each segment.

4. A prepaid card having a transparent print pattern with a block code constituted by a plurality of box drawing codes as basic codes arranged in a side-by-side arrangement and each in the form of four tetrahedrons of different sizes arranged one inside another, the four sides of each tetrahedron being constituted by respective segments representing respective bit expressions, the individual bit expressions of the segments being for a predetermined digit place arrangement from the least significant digit place to provide a binary number system expression representing a corresponding decimal of hexadecimal number system expression, a predetermined numeral, character, symbol, being represented by the bit expression of a segment or a summation of some of bit expressions.