JPH05314347A - Card billing device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Purpose] Billing is processed for each room and transmission to the front is
The customer is asked to bring the billing data written on the card by himself / herself when checking out. [Structure] A tuner 17 capable of selectively designating a large number of video information (channels), reading a recognition code and a data section,
A card reader / writer 1a that can rewrite the data part,
A plurality of stockers 3a, a switch for detecting the presence of articles in each stocker, and a refrigerator 3 capable of unlocking the lock of the door were connected by signal lines. The main control adapter 1 is installed, and the charge corresponding to the usage time of the pay channel and the charge for withdrawing and using the article in the stocker are rewritten in a part of the data section of the card, and the code of the article is rewritten in the remaining data section. I did it.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to control using a card such as a prepaid card and relates to automatic collection of usage charges for televisions and refrigerators in hotels and hospitals.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional device is a "product inventory management device of a hotel vendor" described in JP-A-59-205695. It was transmitted to the front machine of the hotel for centralized management of products. In another conventional device, "Billing device" described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 60-43790, the billing amount and time are encoded and output when billing the usage time of pay television. It was

[0003]

The above-mentioned prior art has the following weak points.

First of all, it is necessary to transmit the information of each room to the front machine, so that the wiring of the signal lines is indispensable. Next, it is essential to install an office computer as a front machine. When trying to add this function later in an already operating hotel, the construction cost of wiring was expensive, and the signal line was exposed on the wall in the later construction, which was inferior in appearance. ..

Usually, hotels are promoting labor saving of services by providing pay TV and refrigerator in each room, but there is a limit to investment in a small hotel with a small number of rooms.
Customers were not able to receive the above services in some places.

An object of the present invention is to perform billing processing for each room,
The transmission to the front is for the customer to bring the billing data written on the card by himself / herself when checking out.

[0007]

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve the above object, a prepaid card or a billing card (pay card) is handed to a customer at the time of check-in, and a charge for use of pay TV in each guest room, a drink in a refrigerator, etc. The usage fee is recorded on the card and is paid at check-out. For that purpose, the room N as a personal identification code is written on the card.
o. , It is necessary to record the date in advance. Pay TVs and refrigerators may be used at the same time, so they are managed by a centralized management adapter with a single card reader, and this adapter has a function to distinguish the identification code, etc., and only when a valid card is used. In the case of a prepaid card, the amount of money held by the card is subtracted, and in the case of a paycard, the amount of money is similarly added and recorded according to the usage state of. Of course, it must be possible to record the intended use and calculate the details at the time of settlement. At the front desk, there is a need for a discriminator that can read out the information recorded on the card and create a statement. Further, since the refrigerator needs to be replenished with drinks or the like, it is necessary to have a function of outputting the amount of replenishment in the whole building and the amount of replenishment in each room and displaying the same.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above purpose, the following equipment (hardware) and usage (software) must function.

(1) Card ticket issuing machine Installed at the front, as an identification code (ID information),
Room No. ， It is essential that the date be written by magnetic recording means at least each time. Furthermore, in advance or at the same time, in the case of a prepaid card, it is necessary to record the usage amount. This function can be easily controlled by a personal computer and there are many practical examples.

(2) Adapter The adapter of each room is equipped with a card reader / writer and the room No. is preset, and the adapters of other rooms are No. The card with is to have the function to eject. Furthermore, it has a timer function to count the dates, and it is necessary to check and reject the dates even if the same person stays in the same room on different days.

Only when the above-mentioned ID information is correct, the power supply of the television and the door lock of the refrigerator can be released to the usable state.

Also, when using a TV, the adapter has a tuner function, and the timer function operates only when a pay channel is watched, the usage time is calculated, and the usage charge is subtracted and added according to the type of card. It is important to display it on the panel. In addition, when using the refrigerator, a detection switch is placed on the stocker of various drinks, it is detected that it is pulled out, and it is subtracted and added according to the unit price of the item, and the usage fee is displayed on the panel as in the case of TV. It is what is displayed on the section. In addition, the card should record what the item was, so that a statement can be issued at the time of settlement.

(3) Card Reader Like the card issuing machine installed at the front, the computer controls the card, and when the customer brings the usage fee for each guest room for check-out, the card is read and processed. It is a thing. For example, pay TV is 2 hours, juice and beer are 1 each, and the card information is read by a card reader / writer and output from a printer or a TV monitor to output the total. For example, the remaining amount will be refunded, and if it is a pay card, the usage fee will be refunded by the former and billed by the latter. Since the operation of this reader and the operation of the card issuing machine can be selectively used by a personal computer using the same card reader / writer,
All you need is one card reader / writer terminal.

[0014]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the external view of FIG. 1 is a main control adapter of the present invention. 1a
Is a card reader (which has a function of a card reader / writer, but is abbreviated as a card reader), 1b is an LED display, and 1c is a power switch of a television. 1d is a channel selector, 1e is a pay confirmation key, and 1f is a card ejection key. Reference numeral 2 is a television that receives an image from the main control adapter 1 and displays an image. 3 is a refrigerator. 3a is a stocker for products such as canned beer refrigerated in the refrigerator, and has a plurality of stockers 3a for various drinks. 3b is a door lock. Three
c is a stocker monitoring adapter.

FIG. 2 shows a main part of a circuit diagram of the stocker adapter 3c. Reference numeral 4 is an instruction control unit composed of a microcomputer. Reference numeral 5 is a power supply terminal to which a DC charge of plus 5 V is connected. Reference numeral 6 denotes a detection switch installed in each of the stockers 32, which is a stock car 3a.
Are installed and wired in a one-to-one relationship with each other, and when the can beam or the like is pulled out, the contacts are opened and a signal is transmitted to the instruction control unit 4. A door switch 7 is arranged in the door lock 3b. Reference numeral 8 is a photocoupler for a door lock signal, and the drive terminal 9 is connected to the main control adapter 1 by a lead wire. Reference numeral 11 is a photocoupler for transferring the stocker signal, and the transfer terminal 13 is connected to the main control adapter 1 by a lead wire. Reference numeral 12 is a door lock solenoid.

FIG. 3 is a circuit block diagram of the main control adapter 1. Reference numeral 14 is a main instruction control unit composed of a microcomputer that controls the function of the adapter. Reference numeral 15 is a terminal of a bus for transferring a visual audio signal, which is a transmission device at the front of the hotel and is wired to each room. 16 is a receiver. Reference numeral 17 denotes a tuner, which transmits an image to the television 2 according to an input instruction from the channel selector 1d. In the case of a pay channel, the input of the pay confirmation key 1e is awaited. If there is an input, the pay process is started. If there is no input, the free channel is automatically switched. The card reader 1a is capable of transmitting information on the guard of the main instruction control unit 14 and rewriting the contents of the card in response to an instruction. The LED display 1b is for displaying and transmitting the billing status and the remaining money status to the customer by numbers, and is also for lighting and displaying the channel display and pay display of the television in the same display. The card ejection key 1f is used to return the card to the original state when the user leaves the TV 2 or the refrigerator 3 and leaves the room.

FIG. 4 is a main flow chart showing the procedure of the operation method of the present apparatus stored in the read-only memory (commonly called ROM) in the main instruction control unit 14. This apparatus is activated when the card is inserted into the card reader 1a. That is, when the card detection switch (not shown) in the card reader 1a is turned on, the main power is turned on and the card pull-in roller (not shown) rotates, and the card reader 1
The card is drawn into a. When the main power is turned on, initialization is performed according to the instruction of the ROM.
The contents of the initialization include clearing the RAM (random access memory) to prepare for writing the information on the card, and checking the defects of the device and the circuit. Next, check the memory contents of the inserted card to determine whether it is a legitimate card. Room No. on the card , ID code such as date is stored and correctness is checked. If it is not legitimate, it will be discharged and the code will be returned and the device cannot be used.

If the card is a legitimate card, the use permission process is carried out. (1) In order to unlock the door of the refrigerator, a signal is sent from the main instruction control unit 14 to the stocker monitoring adapter 3c, and the photo coupler 9 for the door lock signal is sent. When a lock release signal is transmitted to, the door lock solenoid 12 is energized, the door lock 3b is released, and the door of the refrigerator 3 can be freely opened and closed.

(2) When the main power source of the television 2 is turned on and the power switch 1c is pressed, an image is displayed on the television 2.

(3) The usage status of the refrigerator, the charge for watching pay television and the total charge stored in the card are stored in the RAM of the main instruction control unit 14.

Next, the power switch 1c of the television 2 is pushed to check whether it is in the ON state or not. If NO, it is checked whether the timer of the pay television is operating. If it is not in operation, proceed to check the refrigerator 3. If it is operating, it is determined that the OFF input of the TV 2 has been switched to the free channel. Therefore, the timer is stopped, the charge is stored in the memory, and the charge is output to the LED display 16.

Next, the information of the stocker 32 of the refrigerator 3 is output as a signal of the transfer terminal 13 by the instruction control unit 4,
It is checked by the main instruction control unit 14 to determine from which stocker 32 the article is pulled out by a serial signal. If nothing is being used, proceed to balance check. When the canned juice or the like is drawn out, the name of the article is registered in the memory, the charges are totaled, and the charges are output to the LED display 1b.

Next, a balance check is performed. This is done only in the case of the prepaid type, and the use of the articles that cannot be used due to the remaining money is prohibited. For example, if the amount of goods in the refrigerator 3 is 500 yen or less, when the remaining amount reaches 500 yen, the refrigerator 3 is instructed to output a door lock signal from the main instruction control unit 14 to the drive terminal 9,
The instruction control unit 4 receives this and locks the door. Although the television can still be seen, if the remaining amount becomes zero, zero is displayed on the LED display 1b and the process proceeds to (A).
This determination is not necessary because there is no upper limit in the charging system.

The next step is to check the card ejection key 1f. If there is no input, power switch 1 of TV 2
It returns to the check of c. When the card discharge key 1f is input, or when the process proceeds to (A), the process proceeds to the discharge subroutine.

FIG. 5 shows a flow chart of the discharge subroutine.
First, check the door switch 7 of the refrigerator 3. When the door is "open", it is possible to give an alarm indication "E" on the LED display 1b and add a circuit to give a warning by the sound of the TV 2 and display the message on the TV screen. It can also be combined and output. This prompts you to close the door. This warning continues until the door is "closed". When it is "closed", operate the door lock as described above. Next, the main power supply of the TV 2 is turned off. Further, the usage charge of the pay TV, the name of the article withdrawn from the refrigerator 3, the charge and the total charge stored in the RAM are written in the card. After that, the card is ejected, and the processing of the subroutine ends. Figure 4
The process returns to step END and enters the standby state for the next card insertion.

FIG. 6 shows another embodiment. 19 is a modem. Reference numeral 20 is a telephone line, 21 is a main control modem, and 22 is a personal computer.

According to this configuration, it is possible to calculate the telephone charge for zero transmission according to the station number transmitted by the main instruction control unit 14, and charge the card as a call charge or withdraw it from the card. Also, at the time of check-out, a signal is transmitted from the personal computer 22 to the modem 19 in each room via the main control modem 21 to hear the information of the stocker 32 of the refrigerator 3 and the information of the use time of the pay TV, and to check the information. It is possible to double check.

FIG. 7 shows another embodiment. 24 is an antenna. 25 is a VCR. In this example, a new software service system can be constructed by renting out video software free of charge and timing the time when the video is watched in the same way as in the pay TV.

[0029]

According to the present invention, there is an advantage that the use of pay TV and refrigerator can be totalized for each room (each system). Since there is no need to transmit a signal to the front desk of the hotel, the investment amount is small and the installation is easy even for small hotels. The effect of being able to serve customers without the need for a large-scale computer and a dedicated signal line is great. It is also very attractive to be installed in an existing hotel without any construction work.

In addition, according to another embodiment of the present invention, there is no other way that the telephone can be used to calculate the charge even if the telephone is absolutely necessary for the hotel, and the usage status of each room can be checked from the front desk through the telephone line. This is a convenient point. In yet another embodiment, a system for sending a pay video signal to each room is not required, so that even small-scale hotels can install equipment to improve customer service.

Information on the card is totaled at the front desk, and it is possible to smoothly replenish the goods in each room.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external view of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a main part diagram of a circuit diagram of a stocker adapter.

FIG. 3 is a circuit block diagram of a main adapter.

FIG. 4 is a main flowchart.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a subroutine.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of another embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of another embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Main control adapter, 2 ... TV, 3 ... Refrigerator,
12 ... Card reader.

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A tuner capable of selectively designating a large number of video information (channels), a recognition code and a data section,
A card reader / writer that can rewrite the data section, a plurality of stockers, a switch that detects the presence of each item in the stocker, and a refrigerator that can unlock the doors were connected by signal lines. Provide a main control adapter, and rewrite the charge corresponding to the usage time of the pay channel and the charge used for withdrawing the item in the stocker in a part of the data part of the card, and the code of the item in the remaining data part. Card billing device characterized by. 2. A prepaid card characterized by using a prepaid card for which the upper limit of the usage fee is determined as a card, subtracting the usage fee and rewriting the data, and writing the code of the article as the data. Card device. 3. The card data rewriting according to claim 1, wherein when the card discharge switch is input during operation, the refrigerator door is closed and the card data is not rewritten unless the door is locked. Card billing device. 4. The card data rewriting according to claim 2, wherein when the card discharge switch is input during operation, the refrigerator data is not rewritten unless the refrigerator door is closed and the door is locked. Prepaid card billing device.