Electronic cashless system

• US 6,378,775 B2
• Filed: 05/11/2001
• Issued: 04/30/2002
• 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:
  US09/852,842
• Publication Number:
  US 20010027994A1
• Time in Patent Office: 354 Days
• Field of Search: 235/380, 235/492, 235/487
• US Class Current: 235/492
• 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:

a device communicating with a terminal device a first amount information without an accounting information;

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

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

a processor, coupled to the key interface and the memory, determining if the input password entitles use of the cashless medium and calculating a total amount information of the first amount information and the second amount information stored in said memory, and storing the total amount information as an updated second amount information to said memory.

2. A cashless medium card portable by a holder, comprising an interactive electronic storage storing an indentityless current cash balance, a key interface operable by the holder to input a password and a transferring device coupled to the key interface and the interactive electronic storage, the transferring device determining if the input password entitles use of the cashless medium and responsive to a determination entitling use of the cashless medium transferring a first amount of money from a first terminal to said storage and transferring a second amount from said storage to a second terminal device.

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

a device communicating with a transaction device a first amount information without an accounting information;

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

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

a processor, coupled to the key interface and the memory, determining if the input password entitles use of the cashless device and calculating a total amount information of the first amount information and the second amount information stored in said memory, and storing the total amount information as an updated second amount information to said memory.

4. A cashless device owned by a holder according to the claim 3, wherein said cashless device is a cashless medium card portable by the holder.

5. A cashless device owned by a holder according to the claim 4, wherein said transaction device is a transaction terminal into which said cashless medium card is inserted.

6. A method, comprising:

replacing cash with a cashless device, the cashless device having characteristics of cash to accommodate monetary transactions with sellers without accounting information by having a processor, coupled to a key interface and a memory, to communicate with a transaction device a first amount information without accounting information, to store a second amount information corresponding to information representing available cash of a holder of the cashless device, to be operable by the holder to input a password, to determine if the input password entitles use of the cashless device, to calculate a total amount information of the first amount information and the second amount information stored in said memory, and to store the total amount information as an updated second amount information to said memory.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said cashless device is a cashless medium card portable by the holder.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein said transaction device is a transaction terminal into which said cashless medium card is inserted.