Card changing system

• US 6,364,208 B1
• Filed: 10/14/1999
• Issued: 04/02/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Transmo Limited, Trasmo Limited
• Original Assignee: Transmo Limited
• Inventors: Stanford, John, De Jong, Eduard Karel
• Primary Examiner(s): Pitts, Harold I.
• Application Number:
  US09/417,808
• Time in Patent Office: 901 Days
• Field of Search: 235/384, 235/380, 235/492
• US Class Current: 235/492
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/02 involving a neutral party, e.g. certification authority, notary or trusted third party [TTP]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/023 the neutral party being a clearing house
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/04 Payment circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/28 Pre-payment schemes, e.g. "pay before"
• 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 20/3437 the counter having non-monetary units, e.g. trips
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/407 Cancellation of a transaction
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40975 using encryption therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/02 by keys or other credit registering devices
• 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: G07F 7/1016 Devices or methods for securing the PIN and other transaction-data, e.g. by encryption arrangements for secret communication, see H04L9/00

Abstract

There is described a card charging system comprising:

(a) one or more smart card reading devices;

(b) a transaction recording-payment facility; and

(c) one or more security modules located between the one or more reading devices and the transaction recording-payment facility.

The transaction facility is operable to receive signals from the one or more security modules to enable a purchase to be made in return for an amount of credit debited from a card; the one or more security modules record individual use of the card in respect of time and amount debited. The system further includes a clearing center to which information is transmitted from the one or more security modules to order the clearing center to keep a record of the location of each security module, whereby the clearing center is enabled to keep up to date a log of individual card usage, the clearing center log including the time and location of each card transaction, as well as any remaining credit on the card, and wherein the clearing center incorporates means for identifying any inconsistencies in the log with respect to the card credit and the locations and times of transactions.

Claims

1. A card charging system comprising:

(a) one or more smart card reading devices;

(b) a transaction recording-payment facility; and

(c) one or more security modules located between the one or more reading devices and the transaction recording payment facility, the transaction facility operable to receive signals from the one or more security modules to enable a purchase to be made in return for an amount of credit debited from a smart card, wherein the one or more security modules record individual use of the smart card in respect of time and amount debited, the system further including a clearing centre to which information is transmitted from the one or more security modules to order the clearing centre to keep a record of the location of each security module, whereby the clearing centre is enabled to keep up to date a log of individual smart card usage, the clearing centre log including the time and location of each smart card transaction, as well as any remaining credit on the smart card, and wherein the clearing centre incorporates means for identifying any inconsistencies in the log with respect to the smart card credit and the locations and times of transactions.

2. A card charging system according to claim 1, wherein the clearing centre log includes the exact time and location of each smart card transaction, as well as any remaining credit on the card.

3. A card charging system according to claim 2, wherein the clearing centre incorporates means for identifying any inconsistencies in the log with respect to the smart card value and the locations and times of transactions.

4. A card charging system according to claim 2, wherein the clearing centre has means for flagging cards giving rise to inconsistencies in the log.

5. A card charging system according to claim 1, wherein the clearing centre stores the remaining credit on the smart card in association with a serial number allotted to the card.

6. A card charging system according to claim 1, wherein the one or more security modules are able to store data relating to a large plurality of smart cards and selectively simultaneously transmit some or all the data to the clearing centre.

7. A card charging system according to claim 1 wherein the card reader is a smart-card contactless card reader.