Card charging system

• US 6,510,998 B1
• Filed: 10/14/1999
• Issued: 01/28/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Transmo Limited
• Original Assignee: Transmo Limited
• Inventors: Stanford, Christopher John, De Jong, Eduard Karel
• Primary Examiner(s): Pitts, Harold I.
• Application Number:
  US09/417,807
• Time in Patent Office: 1,202 Days
• Field of Search: 235/384, 235/492, 235/380
• 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

In a card charging system, especially for public transport services, there is included:

(a) a card read/write unit for receiving one or more prepaid or credit cards;

(b) a transaction recording-payment facility; and

(c) a security module located between the card read/write unit and the transaction recording-payment facility,

the recording-payment facility operable to receive signals from the security module to enable a purchase to be made in return for an amount of credit debited from said one or more cards, wherein a contactless concessionary card reading subsystem is connected to the security module, in addition to the card read/write unit for prepaid or credit cards.

The system provides the benefit that it is capable of accommodating concessionary card reading subsystems and determining appropriate debiting associated therewith in addition to improved transaction recording and enhanced security.

Claims

1. A card charging system comprising:

(a) a card read/write unit for receiving one or more prepaid or credit cards;

(b) a transaction recording-payment facility; and

(c) a security module located between the card/write unit and the transaction recording-payment facility, said recording-payment facility operable to receive signals from said security module to enable a purchase to be made in return for an amount of credit debited from said one or more prepaid or credit cards, wherein a contactless concessionary card reading subsystem is connected to the security module, in addition to the card read/write unit for prepaid or credit cards.

2. A card charging system according to claim 1, wherein the card read/write unit and the contactless concessionary card reading subsystem are simultaneously operable.

3. A card charging system according to claim 1, for use in a public transport system wherein journeys can be paid for at full and concessionary rates.

4. A card charging system according to claim 3 including a host ticket machine at a point of travel purchase, the machine being capable of calculating fares payable in respect of journeys which are partly concessionary or concessionary at differing rates.

5. A card charging system according to claim 4, wherein the transaction facility stores the difference between the normal full fare and the concessionary fare payable.

6. A card charging system according to claim 5, wherein, for payment of the fare difference, the purchaser can use a concessionary contactless card and, optionally, the card read/write device.

7. A card charging system according to claim 5, wherein the transaction facility stores fully paid fares and part concessionary fares in separate storage devices.

8. A card charging system according to claim 5, wherein contactless concessionary cards are encoded to define rules applicable to concessions available with the card, and the transaction facility is programmable with a table of concessionary options indexed by the card when the card is read to enable claculation of any concessionary fare payable.