JPH11272929A - Card exchange method using prepaid card system, reading device and voucher - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [PROBLEMS] To provide a prepaid card system, a reading device, and a method in which a user does not need to move to purchase a prepaid card. A control unit (15) of a reading device (1) determines a cash amount input by a user via a cash processing unit (11) and sets it as a usable amount. Each time the control unit 15 receives a consumption notification from a vending machine (not shown), the control unit 15 updates the available amount by subtracting a predetermined amount from the available amount, and sends a notification from the input unit 13 that the confirmation button indicating the end of the transaction has been pressed. If received, a voucher recording the updated final usable amount is issued via the voucher issuing unit 14 and discharged. The user brings the voucher discharged from the reading device 1 to a counter or the like in the store and exchanges it for a prepaid card that stores amount information corresponding to the amount recorded on the voucher.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to a user-friendly prepaid card system, a reading device, and a card exchange method using a voucher which do not require a user to move to purchase a prepaid card.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A prepaid card system for performing settlement using a prepaid card having a monetary value has been realized. In such a system, for example, a ticketing machine for issuing a prepaid card, a reading device for processing the prepaid card, and a relay device which is a higher-level device for controlling the ticketing machine and the reading device in a store. , Are installed in each store. In such a system, a user purchases a prepaid card at a ticket issuing machine, sets the purchased prepaid card in a reading device in the store, and pays for the rental or provision of goods or services, for example.

[0003]

In the above-described prepaid card system, the user is required to set the location of the ticketing machine before using the prepaid card and when the used prepaid card is used up. I had to go and buy a prepaid card.
For example, in a system in which a prepaid card is used to pay for a rental of a game medium or the like in a store or the like where a gaming machine is installed, a user may be required to play a game when the prepaid card has been used up. Even so, the user had to move to purchase a prepaid card, which was troublesome.

[0004] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and is a user-friendly prepaid card system that does not require a user to move to purchase a prepaid card, a reader, and a card exchange using a voucher. The aim is to provide a method.

[0005]

In order to achieve the above object, a prepaid card system according to a first aspect of the present invention comprises a reading device for processing a prepaid card storing money information having a monetary value, In the prepaid card system for performing transaction settlement using the prepaid card, the reading device, based on the cash receiving means for receiving cash, the amount of cash received by the cash receiving means, and the amount of money consumed in the transaction A balance calculating means for calculating the accepted cash balance; and a voucher for recording and issuing the balance calculated by the balance calculating means in response to a transaction termination instruction on a voucher exchangeable with a prepaid card. Issuing means.

According to such a configuration, the user puts cash in advance at the time of the transaction, receives the voucher with the balance recorded after the transaction, and brings the voucher to, for example, a counter in the store. It can be exchanged for a prepaid card that stores the amount information corresponding to the balance recorded on the voucher. For example, in the case of a prepaid card system for performing payment for the lending of a game medium, the user may use cash at the start of the game or may use the exchanged prepaid card. Also, use cash first,
A prepaid card may be used when the cash is used up. In any case, the user does not need to move in the store to purchase a prepaid card before or during the game, and can play the game comfortably.

[0007] A reading device according to a second aspect of the present invention is a reading device used in a prepaid card system for performing transaction settlement using a prepaid card that stores monetary value information, The reading device includes card receiving means for receiving a prepaid card,
Cash accepting means for accepting cash, an amount indicated by the amount information stored in the prepaid card accepted from the card accepting means, or a holding means for holding the amount of cash accepted from the cash accepting means as a usable amount Updating means for updating the usable amount held by the holding means in accordance with the amount of money consumed in the transaction; and responding to an instruction to end the transaction, and accepting cash by the cash accepting means. The usable amount is
If the prepaid card is accepted by the card accepting means, the money amount information stored in the prepaid card is updated based on the final usable amount. Discharging means.

[0008] According to such a configuration, the user puts cash in advance at the time of the transaction, receives the voucher with the balance recorded after the transaction, and brings the voucher to, for example, a counter in the store. It can be exchanged for a prepaid card that stores the amount information corresponding to the balance recorded on the voucher.

A card exchange method using a voucher according to a third aspect of the present invention is a reading device having a function of processing a prepaid card, comprising: a receiving step of receiving cash from outside; A calculating step of calculating the received cash balance based on the received cash amount and the consumption amount in the transaction, and recording the balance calculated by the calculating step on a voucher that can be exchanged for a prepaid card. Recording step of discharging the data.

[0010] The card exchange method may further include an exchange step of exchanging the voucher discharged in the recording step with a prepaid card storing amount information corresponding to the balance recorded in the voucher.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A prepaid card system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 1, the prepaid card system includes a plurality of reading devices 1 installed in a store, a relay device 3 connected to each reading device 1 in the store by optical communication or the like, and And a center 5 connected to the

The reading apparatus 1 is connected to, for example, a vending machine (not shown) for providing a game medium or the like, and is a device for a user to pay for the game medium or the like provided by the vending machine. As shown in FIG. 2, the reading device 1 includes a cash slot into which cash such as bills is inserted, a confirmation button for terminating payment, a voucher outlet through which a voucher described later is discharged, a prepaid A card slot into which the card is inserted,
Is provided. FIG. 3 shows the internal configuration of the reading device 1. As illustrated, the reading device 1 includes a cash processing unit 11, a card processing unit 12, an input unit 13, a voucher issuing unit 14, a control unit 15, a storage unit 16, a communication unit 17, Is provided.

The cash processing unit 11 determines the type (amount) of the cash inserted into the cash slot, and outputs the determination result to the control unit 15.
, And cash is taken in and stored. The card processing unit 12 performs data reading / writing on the prepaid card inserted into the card insertion slot in accordance with an instruction from the control unit 15. Input unit 13
Detects the press of the confirmation button and notifies the control unit 15.

The voucher issuing unit 14 issues a voucher in which a predetermined amount is recorded by printing or the like according to an instruction from the control unit 15, and discharges the voucher from the voucher outlet. The user can bring the discharged voucher to a counter or the like in the store, for example, and exchange it for a prepaid card that stores amount information corresponding to the amount recorded by printing or the like on the voucher. This exchange procedure will be described later.

The control unit 15 converts the amount of the inserted cash or the balance of the inserted prepaid card into a usable amount (usable amount). Every time a consumption notification indicating that the payment has been made is received, a predetermined amount is deducted and updated.
In response to the notification from the input unit 13 that the confirm button has been pressed, the control unit 15 records the updated final usable amount when the payment is made in cash. Instruct the voucher issuing unit 14 to issue a voucher, and if payment is made with a prepaid card,
It instructs the card processing unit 12 to update and discharge the amount information recorded on the prepaid card based on the final usable amount after the update.

Further, the control unit 15 generates usage information including the card ID of the used prepaid card, the consumption amount, the usage date, and the like when the payment is completed, for example, by pressing a confirmation button or the like, and stores it. 16 and transmitted to the relay device 3 via the communication unit 17 at a predetermined timing. Note that the control unit 15 determines that a prepaid card without a card ID has been used when cash is used for payment in generating the usage information, and that the card ID of the prepaid card in the usage information is used. For example, a predetermined code corresponding to a prepaid card to which no card ID is assigned is set.

When the updated usable information becomes 0 yen, for example, when the payment is made in cash, the control unit 15 displays that the usable amount has become 0 yen. When the payment is made with a prepaid card, the used prepaid card is discharged, and a message indicating that the usable amount has become 0 yen is displayed. To notify the user and terminate the process.

The storage unit 16 stores usage information, which is information relating to payment by prepaid card or cash.
The communication unit 17 controls communication between the reading device 1 and the relay device 3. The communication unit 17 controls communication between the reading device 1 and a vending machine (not shown).

The relay device 3 aggregates the usage information received from each reading device 1 in the store via optical communication or the like, and transmits the collected information to the center 5 as sales information in the store.

The center 5 is composed of a computer or the like for controlling the entire system, and stores and manages sales information received from the relay device 3 in each store.

This prepaid card system accepts cash inserted in advance by a user, and
By issuing a voucher that can be exchanged for a prepaid card equivalent to the balance, for example, the user brings the issued voucher to a counter or the like, and the prepaid card corresponding to the amount recorded by printing etc. on the voucher It is a system that can be exchanged with. Hereinafter, the operation of the reading apparatus 1 which is a characteristic part of the present system will be specifically described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

For example, in a shop where a gaming machine is installed adjacent to each reading device 1, a user puts 3,000 yen into the cash slot of the reading device 1 in order to play a game. In response, the control unit 15 of the reading device 1 determines the input amount of 3000 yen via the cash processing unit 11 and sets the amount as the usable amount (step S).
1) Wait for a notification of consumption from the vending machine or a notification that the confirmation button for ending the transaction has been pressed (step S)
2).

For example, the user instructs a vending machine (not shown) to pay out the game medium, and the vending machine responds to the instruction by, for example, 50 minutes.
A predetermined amount of game media such as 0 yen is paid out and provided to the user, and a consumption notification indicating that the predetermined amount of game media has been paid out is transmitted to the reading device 1. Reading device 1
Controller 15 responds to the consumption notification from the vending machine and updates the available amount by subtracting a predetermined amount from the available amount (step S3). In this case, the predetermined amount of money 500 yen is deducted from the usable amount of money 3000 yen, so that the updated usable amount is 2500 yen. Next, the control unit 15 determines whether or not the updated usable amount is 0 yen (Step S)
4). In this case, since the usable amount is not 0 yen, the flow shifts to step S2.

Next, it is assumed that the user instructs the vending machine to pay out the game media again. In response to this, the vending machine pays out game media for 500 yen in the same manner as described above, and transmits a consumption notification to the reading device 1. In response to the consumption notification from the vending machine, the control unit 15 of the reading device 1 updates the usable amount by subtracting a predetermined amount from the usable amount (steps S2 and S3). In this case, the predetermined amount of money 500 yen is subtracted from the usable amount of money 2500 yen, so that the updated usable amount is 2000 yen. Next, the control unit 15 determines that the usable amount after the update is zero.
It is determined whether or not it is a circle (step S4). In this case, since the usable amount is not 0 yen, the flow shifts to step S2.

Next, it is assumed that the user presses the enter button of the reading device 1 to end the game. Reading device 1
Responds to the notification that the enter button has been pressed from the input unit 13 and determines whether cash or a prepaid card is used for payment (step S).
5) If cash is being used, the voucher issuing unit 14 is instructed to issue a voucher that records the final usable amount, that is, the balance of the inserted amount (step S6). . In this case, the control unit 15 sets “200
The voucher issuing unit 14 is instructed to issue a voucher in which "0 yen" is recorded as the balance. The voucher issuing unit 14 determines the predetermined amount (in this case, “20”) according to the instruction from the control unit 15.
"00 yen") is issued, and the voucher is discharged from the voucher outlet.

The control unit 15 generates use information including the card ID of the prepaid card, the consumption amount, the use date, and the like, and stores the use information in the storage unit 16 (step S7). In this case, since cash is used, the control unit 15 regards the use of a prepaid card having no card ID as
For example, a predetermined code for a prepaid card having no card ID is set as the card ID in the usage information.

In this way, 3000 yen of cash is inserted, and when 1000 yen has been used, the confirmation button for ending the transaction is pressed, and a voucher in which 2000 yen is recorded as the balance is read from the reading device 1. Discharged,
Supplied to the user. For example, the user can bring the supplied voucher to a counter or the like in the store and exchange it for a prepaid card corresponding to the amount indicated by the voucher (2,000 yen in this case). At the start of the next game, the user may use cash as described above, or may use a prepaid card exchanged at the counter.
Alternatively, cash may be used first, and a prepaid card may be used during the game. In any case, the user does not need to move in the store to purchase a prepaid card before and during the game, for example, and can play the game comfortably.

In step S4, if the usable amount after the update becomes 0 yen, that is, if the total amount entered is used up, the control unit 15 generates and stores use information (step S4). S7), the process ends.

When a prepaid card is used for payment, the processing in steps S1 to S4 is almost the same as the case where cash is used. In this case, the control unit 15 determines that the prepaid card has been used in step S5, updates the amount information and the like recorded on the prepaid card based on the final usable information, and discharges the information from the card outlet. (Step S8). Further, the control unit 15 generates use information including the card ID of the prepaid card, the consumption amount, the use date, and the like, and stores the use information in the storage unit 16 (Step S7).

When the issuer of the prepaid card to be exchanged for a voucher at a counter or the like is, for example, a third-party card issuing company, the cash taken into the reading device 1 is the card issuing company. When the prepaid card is issued by the store itself, cash taken into the reading device 1 is collected by the store.

The voucher may be exchanged for the prepaid card by a clerk or the like at the counter, or a dedicated device may be provided.

Further, this prepaid card system,
The prepaid card is not limited to a system used for paying for a game medium or the like, and can be applied to various uses.

[0033]

As described above, according to the present invention,
The user puts cash in advance at the time of the transaction, receives the voucher with the balance recorded after the transaction, and exchanges the voucher with a prepaid card storing the amount information corresponding to the balance recorded on the voucher. be able to.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing a configuration of a prepaid card system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an external view of a reading device used in the prepaid card system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram schematically showing a configuration of a reading device used in the prepaid card system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of a reading device used in the prepaid card system of FIG. 1;

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 reading device 3 relay device 5 center 11 cash processing unit 12 card processing unit 13 input unit 14 voucher issuing unit 15 control unit 16 storage unit 17 communication unit

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A prepaid card system for processing a prepaid card storing money amount information having a monetary value, wherein said prepaid card system performs settlement of a transaction using said prepaid card. Receiving means, a cash amount received by the cash receiving means, and a balance calculating means for calculating the received cash balance based on the consumption amount in the transaction; and A voucher issuing means for recording and issuing the balance calculated by the calculating means on a voucher that can be exchanged for a prepaid card. 2. A reading device used in a prepaid card system for performing transaction settlement using a prepaid card storing money amount information having a monetary value, said reading device comprising: card receiving means for receiving a prepaid card; A cash accepting unit for accepting cash; and a holding unit for holding, as an available amount, the amount indicated by the amount information stored in the prepaid card received from the card receiving unit, or the amount of cash received from the cash receiving unit. Updating means for updating the usable amount held by the holding means in accordance with the amount of money consumed in the transaction; and responding to a transaction end instruction and receiving cash by the cash receiving means. The usable amount is recorded on a voucher that can be exchanged for a prepaid card and issued, Means for updating the amount information stored in the prepaid card based on the final usable amount and discharging the same when the prepaid card is received by the card receiving means. . 3. A reading device having a function of processing a prepaid card, wherein the receiving step is based on a receiving step of receiving cash from outside, a cash amount received in the receiving step, and a consumption amount in a transaction. A calculating step for calculating the cash balance calculated, and a recording step for recording and discharging the balance calculated in the calculating step on a voucher that can be exchanged for a prepaid card. Card replacement method. 4. The card exchange method further comprises an exchange step of exchanging the voucher discharged in the recording step with a prepaid card storing amount information corresponding to the balance recorded on the voucher. A card exchange method using the voucher according to claim 3.