Electronic cashless system

• US 6,257,487 B1
• Filed: 08/02/1999
• Issued: 07/10/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/1989
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Hayashida, Shoji
• Primary Examiner(s): Pitts, Harold I.
• Application Number:
  US09/365,032
• Time in Patent Office: 708 Days
• Field of Search: 235/379, 235/380
• US Class Current: 235/380
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/04 Payment circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/26 Debit schemes, e.g. "pay now"
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 19/20 Automatic teller machines [ATMs]
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 19/202 Depositing operations within ATMs depositing in general G07D11/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 19/204 Loading of a stored value token using an ATM
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/0866 by active credit-cards adapted therefor G07F7/1008 takes precedence

Abstract

An electronic cashless system uses a cashless medium for memorizing amount information and for performing an operation of amount information. The electronic cashless system comprises an automatic transaction terminal device having a reading/writing unit for writing amount information to the cashless medium, and a center device having a unit for identifying the account balance of multiple accounts and for storing amount information and a non-settled fund file unit for storing amount information written by the cashless medium and a seller ledger file means for identifying the account balance of the multiple seller'"'"'s accounts and for storing amount information.

Claims

1. A cashless medium portable by a holder, comprising:

means for communicating with a terminal device a first amount information which is added to and is subtracted from the cashless medium;

a first memory storing a second amount information corresponding to cash information representing available cash of said holder of said cashless medium;

a key switch directly operable by the holder, for inputting a password; and

processor means for determining if the inputted password entitles use of the cashless medium, wherein said processor means calculates a total amount information of the first amount information and the second amount information stored in said first memory, and stores the total amount information as an updated second amount information to said first memory, without using an identity of said holder of said cashless medium.

3. A cashless medium according to claim 1, further comprising:

a contact pad which interfaces with the terminal device to communicate the first amount information.

2. A cashless medium portable by a holder, comprising:

means for communicating with a terminal device a first amount information which is added to and is subtracted from the cashless medium;

a first memory storing a second amount information corresponding to cash information representing available cash of said holder of said cashless medium;

a second memory storing a password information which identifies the holder;

a key switch directly operable by the holder, for inputting a password; and

processor means for determining if the stored password information matches the inputted password, wherein said processor means, if determined to match, calculates a total amount information of the first amount information and the second amount information stored in said first memory, and stores the total amount information as an updated second amount information to said first memory, without using an identity of said holder of said cashless medium.

4. A cashless medium card portable by a holder, comprising:

a device communicating with a terminal device a first amount information which is added to and is subtracted from the cashless medium;

a memory storing a second amount information corresponding to cash information representing available cash of said holder of said cashless medium;

a key switch operable by the holder to input a password; and

a processor, coupled to the key switch and the memory, which determines if the input password entitles use of the cashless medium and calculates a total amount information of the first amount information and the second amount information and stores in the memory the total amount information as an updated second amount information, without using an identity of said holder of said cashless medium.

5. A cashless medium card portable by a holder, comprising:

an external interface receiving from an adding terminal device a transferred charging amount of money to be added to the cashless medium card and from a subtracting terminal a first purchase amount to be subtracted from the cashless medium card;

a memory storing a second amount corresponding to a current cash balance, the current balance initially being the transferred charging amount;

a key interface operable by the holder to input a password; and

a processor coupled to the external interface, the key interface and the memory, which operates within a cashless system without requiring an identity of a holder, determining if the input password entitles use of the cashless medium and responsive to a determination entitling use of the cashless medium subtracting the first amount from the second amount to determine a remaining amount representing available cash of the holder of said cashless medium card and storing the remaining amount as a renewed second amount in said memory and said interface transferring the first amount from the cashless medium card to the subtracting terminal device.

6. A cashless medium card portable by a holder, comprising:

an external interface receiving from an adding terminal device a transferred charging amount of money to be added to the cashless medium card and from a subtracting terminal a first purchase amount to be subtracted from the cashless medium card;

a first memory storing a second amount corresponding to a current cash balance, the current balance initially being the transferred charging amount;

a second memory storing a password information identifying the holder;

a key interface operable by the holder to input a password; and

a processor coupled to the external interface, the key interface and the first and the second memories, which operates within a cashless system without requiring an identity of a holder, determining if the input password matches the stored password and responsive to a match subtracting the first amount from the second amount to determine a remaining amount representing available cash of the holder of said cashless medium card and storing the remaining amount as a renewed second amount in said memory and said interface transferring the first amount from the cashless medium card to the subtracting terminal device.

7. A cashless medium card portable by a holder, comprising:

electronic storage storing a current cash balance of said cashless medium card;

a key interface operable by the holder to input a password; and

a transaction unit in communication with the key interface unit and determining if the input password entitles use of the cashless medium and responsive to a determination entitling use of the cashless medium interfacing with external terminal devices to change the current cash balance without using an identity of a holder of said cashless medium card, the transaction unit of the cashless medium card, in a charging operation, transferring a first transferred amount of money from one of the external terminal devices to said storage and adding the first transferred amount to the current cash balance and, in a purchase operation, the transaction unit of the cashless medium card, transferring a second amount of money from said storage to another one of the external terminal devices and subtracting the second amount from the current cash balance.

8. A cashless medium card portable by a holder, comprising:

a memory storing a current cash balance;

a key interface operable by the holder to input a password;

a processor coupled to the key interface and determining if the input password entitles use of the cashless medium; and

an external interface coupled to the processor and the processor responsive to a determination entitling use of the cashless medium transferring, in a charging operation, from a first terminal device a first amount of money to said memory changing the current cash balance of said cashless medium card and transferring, in a purchase operation, a second amount of money from said memory to a second terminal device and changing the current cash balance of said cashless medium card, wherein

the processor coupled to the memory and operating with the second terminal device without requiring an identity of a holder of said cashless medium card, changes the current cash balance by the second amount to determine a remaining amount representing available cash of the holder of said cashless medium card and stores the remaining amount in said memory as an updated current cash balance.

9. A cashless device owned by a holder, comprising:

a device communicating with a transaction device a first amount information which is added to and is subtracted from the cashless device;

a memory storing a second amount information corresponding to cash information representing available cash of said holder of said cashless device;

a key switch operable by the holder to input a password; and

a processor, coupled to the key switch and the memory, which determines if the input password entitles use of the cashless device and calculates a total amount information of the first amount information and the second amount information and stores in the memory the total amount information as an updated second amount information, without using an identity of said holder of said cashless device.

10. A cashless device owned by a holder according to the claim 9, wherein said cashless device is a cashless medium card portable by the holder.

11. A cashless device owned by a holder according to the claim 10, wherein said transaction device is a transaction terminal into which said cashless medium card is inserted.