JPH04299486A - Optical type information recording card for time management - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To manage the service offering time by a card by providing the surface of the main body of a planer recording medium with management code area where information is recorded optically and time/amount display area. CONSTITUTION:The surface of a card 20 is composed of each area segmented for recording optically. For instance, the thermosensitive material which develops color by the thermosense is applied to the base board of the paper in the card 20. Each area on the surface is composed of a management code area 21, a time/amount display area 22 and a provision area 23. The management code area 21 is composed of a management code 24 and a ticket number 25 and they are displayed with code which is not identified by humans' eyes. The time/amount display area 22 is the area that the starting time for the service, the finishing time and usage charge are displayed with characters/symbols 26, 27 so that users can read them directly with their eyes. In this area 22, for instance, the entering time to the parking lot by a car, the exiting time from the parking lot and the parking charge are displayed.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an optical information recording card for time management used in parking tickets, rental rooms, rental cars, hotel keys, rental videos, laundromats, game machines, and the like. More specifically, the present invention relates to an information recording card for recording marks printed with optically readable symbols and characters on a card-shaped printed matter, and particularly to an optical information recording card for time management.

0002

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In recent years, various rental industries that provide goods or services on an hourly basis have become popular. For example, they are used not only in people's daily lives, such as rental cars, parking lots, rental rooms that are rented out by the hour, and video rentals, but also in all kinds of places, including industrial settings. Various cards are often used to manage time in these industries. As a medium for recording information, this card is required to have various functions such as reproducibility of recording, reliability, resistance to falsification, and low cost.

On the other hand, as a medium for recording and storing information,
A thin rectangular card made of paper or plastic is used. As methods for recording on this card, magnetic recording, electronic recording using LSI, optical recording, etc. are known and used. Each card has its advantages and disadvantages; magnetic recording is inexpensive and convenient, so it is used in telephone cards, bank cash cards, etc. This magnetic recording method has problems such as a small storage capacity and data loss due to external magnetic influences. Although LSI cards have advantages such as being able to store large amounts of data, their use is currently limited to specific applications because they are expensive.

Cards that optically record data on the surface of the card have the following advantages: they are resistant to magnetism, static electricity, vibration, shock, etc., so the data does not deteriorate, and reading is contactless, so there is no contact failure.
Each card has a function that compensates for its shortcomings. JP-A-2-
No. 224689 (applicant: Sankyo Co., Ltd.) describes an optical recording medium. The optical reading section for marks on information recording media can only capture data using optical reading means, but the visual shape representation section can write marks, characters, etc. so that they can be read by humans. be.

[0005]

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] The conventional information recording medium described above is mainly a card for playing pachinko, and is not a proposal for a card that can be used for a wide variety of purposes. In particular, it does not include suggestions for cards suitable for time management such as parking cards, rental rooms, rental videos, etc. The present inventors further improved the conventional cards and invented an optical information recording card for time management, which achieves the following objects.

An object of the present invention is to provide a time management optical information recording card for managing the time for providing services such as parking cards and rental videos.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide an optical information recording card for time management in which the layout of characters and codes can be freely arranged.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a very simple and low-cost optical information recording card for time management.

[0009]

[Means for solving the above problems] In order to solve the above problems, the following measures are taken.

[0010] The first means is an information recording card having a rectangular and thin plate-shaped recording medium body and information optically recorded on the surface of the recording medium body, comprising: a. management code information for recording information necessary for managing service time in code; b. This optical information recording card for time management includes time information for recording at least the start time of the service using symbols, characters, and/or codes so that the service can be recognized visually.

[0011] It is more effective if the information card contains amount display information for recording the usage fee for the service in characters. Furthermore, it is even better to have free point information for recording the score with a code to discount or make the service free of charge. It is also convenient to write the terms and conditions information when using an information card or an optical information recording card for time management.

The second means is an information recording card having a rectangular and thin plate-shaped recording medium body and information optically recorded on the surface of the recording medium body, comprising: a. management code information for recording information necessary for managing service time in code; b. Valid point information for recording points with a code to discount or free the service fee;
c. It consists of debit point information for recording the points used in proportion to the service time using a code.

[0013] It is more effective if the information card includes time display information for recording at least the start time of the service.

[0014]

[Operation] This is an optical information recording card having a rectangular and thin plate-shaped recording medium body and a partitioned area where information is optically recorded on the surface of the recording medium body. For example, in the case of a parking card, the management code area 21 is used to record information necessary for managing car parking in code.
and a time/amount display area 22 in which symbols and characters are recorded so that the entry time, exit time, and parking fee of the car can be visually recognized by humans. This information recording card issuance and payment processing are performed by a dedicated information reading/writing device.

[0015]

[Embodiment] Fig. 1 is an oblique axis projection view of a card information reading/writing device 1, which is an apparatus for reading information from an information recording card to a code and writing codes or characters/symbols according to the present invention. This is an example. FIG. 2 is an oblique axis projection view showing the back side of FIG. 1. FIG. The housing 2 has a box-like shape as a whole and is made of a steel plate. The side covers 3, 3 on both sides of the housing 2 are secured with screws 4.
, 4 to the frame constituting the housing 2. A card insertion slot 5 is provided on the front panel of the housing 2. The card insertion slot 5 is an insertion slot for inserting an information recording card. The information recording card is used for reading information recorded therein by a read/write head (referred to as a thermal head in this embodiment), which will be described later, and for writing necessary data. The memory card insertion slot 6 is an insertion slot into which an IC card 7 is inserted.

The memory card 7 is an IC card for recording, holding, inputting and outputting management data necessary for issuing information recording cards, usage history, etc. However, this memory card 7 is not necessarily necessary and may be replaced with an information recording card. The status display lamp 8 is a lamp for displaying the operating status of the card information reading/writing device 1. It is equipped with five lamps, namely a lamp when the power is turned on (power), a lamp when there is an error condition (error), and a lamp indicating the ready status (rea).
dy), a lamp (busy) indicating the operating status, and a lamp (on line) indicating the communication status with other devices.

The control key 9 is a key for switching modes of the card information reading/writing device 1. The card information reading/writing device 1 uses a key for safety.
It can only be operated by the holder of the key. As shown in FIG. 3, the control key 9 allows five positions to be selected by inserting and rotating the key to switch the operating mode of the internal control device. These five modes are the OFF position, which stops all functions and turns off the power, the payment mode position, which shows the payment processing mode for issued cards, the issuance mode position, which shows the card issuance mode, and the processing amount and number of cards. The total mode position, date, and date indicating the total print mode for total printing.
This is the setting mode position indicating the mode for setting the time and issue amount.

A keyboard 10 is provided on the upper surface of the housing 2.
is located. The arrangement of the keyboard 10 is shown in FIG. The "00" to "9" keys are number keys for inputting numerical values, and are used for inputting amounts, condition settings, and the like. "C"
This key is used to clear data, etc., and is used to correct input numbers one character at a time. The "settlement" key is a key for settlement, and is used when inputting an amount is completed and when setting conditions is finished.

The "cash" key is a key used when a prepaid card and cash payment are used together. The "cancel" key is a key used to cancel the process currently being performed. The "correction" key is a key used to correct input numbers. The "selection" key is a key used when selecting the amount at the time of issuance of a prepaid card. The "paper feed" key is a key used to feed the roll of recording paper set in the journal printer.

Furthermore, a liquid crystal display 11 is arranged on the top panel. This liquid crystal display 11 is
It is used to display instructions, data, etc. to the operator, and to indicate the current operation contents of the card information reading/writing device 1. In this embodiment, one having a two-line display function was used. Journal printer 12 (not shown) is a printer for printing on roll paper (not shown). Its structure is well known and will not be disclosed here. The printer cover 13 is a cover for protecting the printer 12. When installing roll paper, this printer cover 13 is removed.

Although not necessarily required, the external display 14 is used to inform a person other than the operator, such as a customer, of the remaining amount of the prepaid card, the amount used, the time, etc. In this embodiment, since a fluorescent display tube is used for the display section 15, the display is bright and can be displayed in color, making it easy to see. The external display 14 is provided with an external display connection connector 16 on the back side of the housing 2 (FIG. 2). Furthermore, a communication connector 17 is provided on the back side of the housing 2. The communication connector 17 is a connection connector for transmitting and receiving data between the card information reading/writing device 1 and other devices via a telephone line or the like.

The roll paper holder 18 is a holder that allows the rolled paper to flow smoothly. The power cord 19 is a power cord and plug for the card information reading/writing device 1 .

Parking Card 1 FIG. 5(a) is a plan view showing an example of a parking card in which the time management optical information recording card of the present invention is used. The parking card 20 consists of areas divided for optical recording on the surface. FIG. 5(b) shows an actual usage example based on the partitions of FIG. 5(a). In this embodiment, the parking card 20 has a paper substrate coated with a heat-sensitive material that develops color when exposed to heat. This heat-sensitive material is, in principle, a well-known material used in recording paper for facsimiles and the like. The back side is printed in color as required, like a telephone card.

The surface area of the parking card 20 includes a management code area 21, a time/price display area 22, and a terms and conditions area 23. The management code area 21 includes a management code 24 and a ticket number code 25. Management code area 2
1 is displayed with a code that cannot be recognized by the human eye. Regarding the display method of this code, please refer to the above-mentioned JP-A-2-
It is described in detail in Japanese Patent No. 224689 and is well known, so it will not be described here. In the management code 24, a code indicating the issuer, etc. is displayed. For example, the first line of the management code 24 records the management number of the parking lot where this information recording card can be used. On the second line of the management code 21, for example, the date on which the parking card 20 was issued, the issuing serial number, etc. are displayed.

[0025] The time/price display area 22 is an area where the entry time when entering the parking lot and the exit time when leaving the parking lot are displayed with characters and symbols so that the user can directly read them with his or her own eyes. Yes, it displays car entry time, car exit time and parking fee. The entry time and exit time are stored in a memory in a card information reading/writing control device, which will be described later, in association with the ticket number code 25. In addition, this admission time,
Both exit times are not necessarily required, and only the entrance time may be displayed. In the terms and conditions area 23, contract matters and precautions for using the parking lot and parking card are printed in advance, or the card information reading/writing device 1
It is printed and displayed by.

FIG. 5(c) shows yet another usage example. This type is used by printing it every time the management code area 21 and the time/amount display area 22 are used alternately.

Parking Card 2 FIGS. 6(a) and 6(b) show another embodiment of the parking card. FIG. 6(a) shows the concept of division of each area,
FIG. 6(b) shows a specific example of its use. Only the time/free point amount display area 22a is different from the previous embodiment. The time/free point amount display area 22a is
Entry time, free points, exit time, and parking fee are entered. The display of entry time, exit time, and parking fee is the same as in the previous embodiment, but differs from the previous embodiment in that a free point display area is provided.

[0028] Free points are, for example, in the case of a parking lot attached to a store, when a customer makes a purchase worth a predetermined amount, the card information reading/writing device 1 gives a reward to the customer at the exit of the sales floor or parking lot. Record free points coded with. For example, 3,000 yen to 5,000 yen
When you make a purchase in yen, if one hour of parking is free, the corresponding number of points is recorded as a code. The parking fee is calculated by calculating the parking time from the time difference between the entry time and the exit time.

Service Card FIGS. 7(a) and 7(b) show still another embodiment of a card for managing the time of services such as rental rooms, rental cars, hotel keys, rental videos, etc. be. The above embodiment was for managing only service time, but this embodiment is for managing service time and points, which are the amount of service. FIG. 7(a) shows the division of the data area of the service card 30, and FIG. 7(b) shows an example of its use. The management code area 21 is almost the same area as in the previous embodiment. The valid point area 31 is for giving service points according to the purchase amount. For example, if 1 point is given for every 3,000 yen, 3 points should be entered for a purchase of 10,000 yen. That is, for example, as shown in the figure, three black rectangles are printed to give three points. In this embodiment, there is enough space to print up to 50 points. The time display area 32 simply records the entry time and exit time.

In this embodiment, entry times and exits can be recorded up to 10 times. However, this time display area 32 does not necessarily need to be provided since it is for recording entry and exit times. In this case, the time is stored in the memory described later in the card information writing/reading device 1, and
Used to calculate charges. The withdrawal point area 33 is
This is for subtracting and displaying the number of points printed in the valid point area 31. That is, it indicates the number of points used. Users of service ticket 30:
It has the advantage of being able to visually calculate the number of valid points and compare it with the number of used points.

In this embodiment, a withdrawal point area 33 is provided to display the number of points in subtraction. However, without providing this area, effective point area 3
It is also possible to fill out the valid points each time a point within 1 is used to indicate that it has been used. Further, in order to prevent valid points from being forged, they may be displayed in a code.

Card information reading/writing control device 50 FIG.
1 is a functional block diagram showing an outline of a control device 50 when the above-described card information reading/writing device 1 is applied to a parking lot. The microcomputer 51 is for controlling the entire card information reading/writing control device 50 . The microcomputer 51 is a well-known commercially available one, and is composed of one board or one chip. The CPU (Central Processing Unit) 51 repeatedly inputs, processes, and outputs information while reading a program written in a storage unit to perform predetermined calculations.

The clock 53 functions to control the operation timing of the CPU 52 as a whole. The ROM 55 is for storing an operating program for the CPU 52 in the microcomputer 51, and the RAM 54 is for temporarily storing data during calculation. An input/output device (I/O) 56 is connected to the CPU 52 via an address decoder (not shown). The input/output device 56 adjusts the signal level and timing for inputting and outputting program data. The input/output device 56 includes various memories, switches, sensors, display devices, etc. via an address bus or data bus 57.
A keyboard, etc. is connected.

The keyboard 10 is used to input and output data and programs as described above. The display 11 displays programs and instructions to the operator. The card insertion detection sensor 58 detects insertion from the card insertion slot 5 (see FIG. 1). The card insertion detection sensor 58 is a transmission type photoelectric switch, and when the leading edge of the card passes through this sensor 58, light is blocked, and the card edge detection circuit 59 detects this.

The vertical mark row read sensor 60 is a reflective photoelectric switch, and reads marks in the longitudinal direction of the information recording card, that is, in the vertical direction at the beginning of a row. The vertical mark row read sensor 60 is fixedly provided to the main body of the apparatus. This read mark is detected by the vertical mark detection circuit 61. The horizontal mark row read sensor 62 is similarly a reflective photoelectric switch that detects marks arranged in the horizontal direction alongside the vertical marks on the card. The horizontal mark detection circuit 63 is a circuit for outputting when the horizontal mark row read sensor 62 detects a mark.

The origin switch 64 is connected to the thermal head 69
This is a limit switch to detect the horizontal mechanical origin of the (read/write head), and is checked at startup. The movement position of the thermal head 69 is controlled based on this mechanical origin position. The management code data memory area 65 is a memory for storing machine management code, issue serial number, issue date, etc. each time a card is issued. The charge data memory area 66 includes the above-mentioned parking card 20 (FIG. 5).
In this case, parking fees vary depending on time and purchase amount, so this is a memory area for storing data such as a fee list.

[0037] The program memory 67 stores the above-mentioned settlement,
This is a memory area where each program for issuing, aggregating, and setting is stored and held. The details of each program are omitted because they are not the gist of the present invention. The thermal head 69 has a plurality of heating elements inside and heats the surface of the information recording card to form a mark. This thermal head 69 is controlled by a thermal head drive control circuit 68 to perform necessary printing.

The horizontal mark row read sensor 62 is provided on a thermal head 69 and is moved together with the thermal head 69. The stepping motor 71 is a motor for driving the card in the vertical direction. This feeding is carried out by a stepping motor 71 using a feeding roller 72.
is rotated, and the information recording card is fed in the longitudinal direction of the card by this feeding roller 72. The position of the stepping motor 71 is controlled via the stepping motor drive control circuit 70 based on instructions from the microcomputer 51.
Can be stopped or moved at any desired position.

The DC motor 74 is used to feed the thermal head 69 in the lateral direction of the information recording card using a feed screw shaft (not shown). On the other hand, a shaft encoder 75 is directly connected to the output shaft of the DC motor 74. The output signal of the shaft encoder 75 is sent to a direction determination circuit 76.
The rotation speed is input to the DC motor drive control circuit 73 via the DC motor drive control circuit 73, and the rotation speed is fed back. The microcomputer 51 instructs the DC motor drive control circuit 73 about the direction of rotation and the distance of movement. The DC motor drive control circuit 73 receives position commands and forward/reverse commands from the microcomputer 51 and drives the DC motor 74 .

As mentioned above, the control key 9 is
This is for selecting each mode of FF, setting, settlement, issuance, and aggregation. When each operating mode is selected and the start button on the keyboard 10 is pressed, the program memory 67
Each program is selected. microcomputer 5
1 reads out the program selected by the control key 9 and performs the necessary operations. A communication interface 78 is used for transmitting data and programs in each memory 65, 66, 67 and output signals of each sensor 58, 60, 62, etc. to other equipment via a public or private line, if necessary. This is an interface for

Operation of the control device Next, taking the parking card 20 (FIG. 5) as an example,
An overview of the parking card 20 issuance processing operation and payment processing operation will be shown, and the operation of the card information reading/writing control device 50 and how to use the parking card 20 will be explained. FIG. 9 is a flowchart of the control device during the issuing process operation. When the car you want to park enters the parking lot, turn the control key 9 to switch to issue mode, and turn the power switch ON (S
1) Then, check whether the thermal head 69 is at the reference position. To check the reference position, first check the thermal head 6.
Since it is necessary to confirm in which position 9 is located, this confirmation is performed using the origin switch 64 (S2). The thermal head 69 is moved to the initial position by rotating the DC motor 74 (S3). Next, the issuing program in the program memory 67 is called, and this issuing program becomes executable. Thereafter, the manager of this parking lot manually inserts a new blank parking card 20 into the card insertion slot 5 in order to issue a new parking card.

The card insertion detection sensor 58 detects the insertion of the parking card 20 (S4). When this is detected, the microcomputer 51 issues a forward rotation command to the stepping motor 71 via the stepping motor drive control circuit 70. This normal rotation command causes the feed roller 72 to rotate and draw the parking card 20 into the device (S5). When the stepping motor 71 is rotated by a preset value, it stops (S6 to S7).

The DC motor 74 is driven to drive the thermal head 69 to print necessary management data (S9).
). After the stepping motor 71 is driven again, it is stopped and writing of the next line is started (S10). This operation is repeated until the required number of lines are written. When the writing in the management code area 21 is completed, the time/amount display area 22
The parking card 2 is rotated by the stepping motor 120.
0 (S11), and while driving the DC motor 74 again at this position (S12), read the time from the clock built in the control device and print the entry time (S1).
3). This printing together with data such as entry time are stored in the management code data memory. When all printing is completed, the stepping motor 71 is switched to the card insertion detection sensor 5.
8 is detected, that is, until the parking card 20 is ejected and the ejection position of the card insertion slot 5 is detected, the parking card 20 is ejected (S14 to S16).

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an overview of the payment process when a car leaves the parking lot. When the car leaves the parking lot, when the control key 9 is turned to the payment position, the control device 50 enters the payment mode. After turning on the power switch, the position of the thermal head 69 is confirmed and moved to the starting position (S1 to S3). The parking card 20 used when entering is received from the customer, and the parking card 20 is inserted into the card insertion slot 5. When the card insertion sensor 58 detects the insertion of the parking card 20 (S4), the stepping motor 71 starts normal rotation, and the feed roller 72
Turn to pull the parking card 20 into the device. When the vertical mark read sensor 60 detects the leftmost vertical mark written on the parking card 20 at the time of entry (S6), the stepping motor 71 is immediately stopped (S7). next,
The DC motor 74 is driven to turn the feed screw, the thermal head 69 is moved laterally, and the horizontal mark read sensor 62 reads the code in the management code area 21 written on the parking card 20 (S10).

Immediately after the reading of the code in the management code area 2 is completed, the parking time is calculated by comparing the time stored in the management code data memory 65 at the time of entry of the car with the current time (S11). Based on the calculated parking time, a parking fee is calculated from a fee table stored in advance in the fee data memory 66 (S12). Although the parking card 20 shown in FIG. 5 does not become free depending on the amount of shopping, for example, the parking card 20 shown in FIG. good.

When the calculation of the parking fee is completed, a forward rotation command is issued to the stepping motor 71 to rotate it (S13).
, move the parking card 20 to the position of the time/amount display area 22
move. Move to this position and count the number of lines in the memorized position, that is, the printing position at the time of entry, and stop the stepping motor 71 when it reaches that position (S
15). Next, the DC motor 74 is rotated to move the thermal head 69 to print the exit time and parking fee (S16). When printing is completed, the thermal head 69 is moved to a predetermined standby position, and the stepping motor 71
is driven to eject the parking card 20, and the payment process ends (S17-S18).

[0047] Regarding the processing of other cards, explanations will be omitted since there is no fundamental difference in the processing method of the cards except for the service content of the above-mentioned card.

[0048]

[Effects of the Invention] As detailed above, the time management optical information recording card of the present invention can be used in cards that require time management, such as parking cards and various service tickets, by simply changing the division of each area. Can be used for various purposes. Further, since it is sufficient to simply print the information so that it can be read optically, the substrate can be recorded at low cost using paper or the like. Furthermore, the arrangement of each area on the card surface can be easily changed by simply changing the software of the control device. Furthermore, since the machine-readable code display and the human-readable character and symbol display can be written side by side or together on the same surface, there is less chance of a user making a handling mistake.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is an oblique axis projection view showing the appearance of a card information reading/writing device as seen from the front.

FIG. 2 is an oblique axial projection view from the back of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a front view of a control key.

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the arrangement of keys on the keyboard.

FIG. 5(a) is a diagram showing the arrangement of each recording area of a parking card. FIG. 5(b) is a diagram showing an example of actual use of FIG. 5(a). FIG. 5(c) is a diagram showing still another usage example of FIG. 5(a).

FIG. 6(a) shows another embodiment of the parking card, and is a diagram showing the arrangement of each recording area. FIG. 6(b) is a diagram showing an example of actual use of FIG. 6(a).

FIG. 7(a) shows still another embodiment of the service card, and is a diagram showing the arrangement of each recording area. FIG. 7(b) is a diagram showing a usage example of FIG. 7(a).

FIG. 8 is a functional block diagram showing an overview of a card information reading/writing control device.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an overview of the operation of the card information reading/writing control device in the parking card issuing mode.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an overview of the operation of the card information reading/writing control device in the parking card payment mode.

[Explanation of symbols]

1...Card information reading/writing control device, 5...Card insertion slot,
6...Memory card insertion slot, 8...Status display lamp, 9...Control key, 11...LCD display, 12...Journal printer, 14...External display, 20...Parking card, 21...Management code area, 22...Time/amount Display area, 51...Microcomputer, 58...Card insertion detection sensor, 60...Vertical mark row read sensor, 6
2...Horizontal mark row read sensor, 67...Program memory, 69...Thermal head, 71...Stepping motor,
74...DC motor

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. An information recording card comprising a rectangular and thin plate-shaped recording medium body and information optically recorded on the surface of the recording medium body, comprising: a. management code information for recording information necessary for managing service time in code; b. An optical information recording card for time management, comprising time information for recording at least the start time of the service in symbols, characters, and/or codes so that it can be visually recognized by humans. 2. The optical information recording card for time management according to claim 1, further comprising amount display information for recording usage fees for the service in characters. 3. An optical information record for time management according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that it has free point information for recording points in a code for discounting or making the service free of charge. card. 4. An optical information recorder for time management according to claim 1 selected from claims 1, 2, and 3, characterized in that it has information on terms and conditions when using the optical information recorder for time management. card. 5. An information recording card comprising a rectangular and thin plate-shaped recording medium body and information optically recorded on the surface of the recording medium body, comprising: a. management code information for recording information necessary for managing service time in code; b. Valid point information for recording points with a code to discount or free the service fee;
c. An optical information recording card for time management, characterized in that it comprises withdrawal point information for recording the points used in proportion to the service time using a code. 6. The optical information recording card for time management according to claim 5, further comprising time display information for recording at least the start time of the service.