Automatic fare paying device for vehicles and method

• US 7,191,933 B2
• Filed: 10/09/2003
• Issued: 03/20/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/11/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Asahi Seiko CO., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Asahi Seiko Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Miyaji, Masaru
• Primary Examiner(s): Walsh; Daniel
• Application Number:
  US10/682,770
• Publication Number:
  US 20040134746A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,258 Days
• Field of Search: 235/10, 235/378, 235/379, 235/384, 235/382, 902/8, 902/15, 705/13, 194/206, 340/928, 453/1, 453/58
• US Class Current: 235/10
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/02 taking into account a variable factor such as distance or time, e.g. for passenger transport, parking systems or car rental systems G07B15/06 takes precedence; taximeters G07B13/00; parking meters per se G07F17/24; car rental systems per se G07B15/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0014 for vending, access and use of specific services not covered anywhere else in G07F17/00 meter-controlled dispensing of liquid, gas or electricity G07F15/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 19/20 Automatic teller machines [ATMs]
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/08 Counting total of coins inserted

Abstract

A compact fare paying device has a housing for receiving a monetary member and at least one verifier unit in the housing for determining the authenticity of the monetary member. A storage device such as a safe can receive the monetary member or a return device can return it to the user. A control unit can compute the monetary value of the monetary member and compare the monetary value to a stored required fare value. If the monetary value is greater than the fare value, the monetary member can then be translated to the return device. If the monetary value is less than the stored fare value, the monetary member is stored for a predetermined time period to enable the user to deposit the required fare. If it is not deposited within the predetermined time period, the temporarily stored monetary value is translated to the return device.

Claims

1. A compact, automatic exact-fare payment accepting device enabling use of a vehicle by a user comprising:

a housing having a first opening for receiving coins, a second opening for receiving bills, and a third opening for receiving a card including a credit, debit, and smart card, the housing further having an antenna location indicated on the housing for interacting with a transponder;

means for automatically verifying the authenticity of one or more coins tendered in a single exact-fare payment transaction through the first opening and means for computing the total monetary value of the one or more coins tendered in the single exact-fare payment transaction;

means for automatically verifying the authenticity of one or more bills tendered in a single exact-fare payment transaction through the second opening and means for computing the total monetary value of the one or more bills tendered in the single exact-fare payment transaction;

a display on the housing to indicate when an exact-fare payment amount is reached through user tendered coins, bills, or a combination thereof;

means for returning to a user all tendered coins and bills from a single exact-fare payment transaction when a total computed value of all coins and bills tendered by the user in the single exact-fare payment transaction exceeds the exact-fare amount;

means for providing a predetermined time period, which is initiated by the entrance of a first one of the one or more tendered coins or bill; and

means for activating the return of all coins and bills tendered for a single exact-fare payment transaction when the predetermined time period expires before an exact-fare value is computed from either or both of the means for computing the monetary value of the tendered coin and the means for computing the monetary value of the tendered bill, wherein the compact, automatic exact-fare paying device does not require intervention by an operator of the vehicle to process exact-fare transactions, and the compact, automatic exact-fare payment device only accepts a tendered amount equal to the exact-fare in every transaction and enables use of the vehicle by the user.

2. A compact, exact-fare paying device, mounted in a vehicle, providing an automatic receipt and verification of a required exact-fare to enable use of the vehicle by a user, comprising;

a housing having an opening that receives at least one monetary member tendered as payment in a single exact-fare payment transaction;

at least one verifying unit in the housing that determines the authenticity of the at least one monetary member and provides a corresponding signal;

a storage device in the housing that stores the at least one monetary member;

means to translate the at least one monetary members from the opening to one of the storage device and the return device;

means to compute the monetary value of the at least one monetary member tendered and to compare the monetary value tendered to an exact-fare required to provide a corresponding signal;

a control unit that receives the signals from the verifying unit and the means for computing, and activates the means for translating wherein in every instance, only when an exact-fare required is verified, is the monetary member translated to the storage device, otherwise the monetary member is translated to the return device;

and means for providing a predetermined time period which is started by the receipt of a first one of the at least one monetary member wherein the means for computing will activate the means for translating to direct the at least one monetary member to the return device if the exact-fare required fare is not verified within the time period, wherein the compact, exact-fare paying device only accepts exact-fare in every transaction and enables use of the vehicle by the user.

3. A compact, exact-fare paying device, mounted in a vehicle to provide an automatic receipt and verification of a required exact-fare to enable use of the vehicle by a user comprising;

a housing having an opening for receiving monetary members, the housing having a slanted surface on top;

a coin slot for receiving coins, the coin slot located at the slanted surface;

an antenna for sensing information on a smart card, the antenna located at the slanted surface;

a bill receiving slot for receiving a bill, the bill-receiving slot located at a perpendicular surface of the housing;

a card receipt slot for receiving a card, the card receipt slot located under the bill-receiving slot on the perpendicular surface;

a return slot for returning coins, the return slot located under the coin slot;

a receipt slot positioned adjacent the receipt slot on the perpendicular surface;

means for automatically verifying the authenticity of one or more coins tendered on the coin slot in a single exact-fare payment transaction and means for computing the total monetary value of the one or more coins tendered in the single exact-fare payment transaction;

means for automatically verifying the authenticity of one or more bills tendered in a single exact-fare payment transaction and means for computing the total monetary value of the one or more bills tendered in the single exact-fare payment transaction;

means for returning tendered coins and tendered bills if the total computed value of the tendered coins, bills, or a combination thereof in a single exact-fare payment transaction, exceeds an exact-fare value;

means for storing the at least one coin, bill, or combination thereof when the computed monetary value is equal to a predetermined exact-fare for a signal exact-fare payment transaction;

means for providing a predetermined time period which is initiated by the entrance of a first one of the at least one coin and bill; and

means for activating one of the means for returning the tendered coins, bills, or combination thereof when the predetermined time period expires before the means for computing the total monetary value of the one or more coins tendered and one or more bills tendered, or a combination thereof computes an exact-fare value,

wherein the compact, exact-fare paying device does not require intervention by an operator of the vehicle to process exact-fare transactions, only accepts exact-fare in every transaction, and enables use of the vehicle by the user.