Registers – Systems controlled by data bearing records – Transportation
Patent
1994-12-27
1996-05-07
Hajec, Donald T.
Registers
Systems controlled by data bearing records
Transportation
235382, G07B 1502
Patent
active
055148573
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
This invention relates to an access control system for a public transport system having a plurality of entrance/exit locations the control system comprising, at each entrance/exit location, at least one entrance gate which is provided with a ticket reading facility, at least one exit gate which is provided with a ticket reading facility, a local data processor, a data communication channel between the or each entrance gate and the local data processor, and a data communication channel between the or each exit gate and the local data processor, the control system further comprising both a data communication network interconnecting the local data processors and at least one ticket issuing facility for issuing single-fare tickets which carry respective identification codes.
A known such system is disclosed in GB-A-1372180. In this known system, in which a ticket issuing facility is provided at each entrance/exit location, single-fare tickets are encoded on purchase with details of exit stations within the system together with further details of validity. The encoding is on a single magnetic track running down the centre of the ticket. Automatic checking takes place at entry to and exit from the system in order to establish validity. Upon presentation of a ticket to the ticket reading facility of an entrance gate the local data processor at the corresponding location inter alia causes some information to be encoded on the ticket aimed at minimising fraudulent use. Each local data processor inter alia stores the serial numbers of the last ten tickets processed at each entrance and exit gate. It then compares the next serial number with these serial numbers and, if it coincides with any of them, the ticket is declared invalid, thereby preventing so-called "pass-back" fraud. If a ticket is found to be invalid for any reason it is rejected.
It is an object of the present invention to enable "read-only" tickets to be employed in a system as defined in the first paragraph.
According to the invention a public transport system as defined in the first paragraph is characterized in that the or each ticket issuing facility is connected to the data communication network.
In that each ticket issuing facility is arranged to communicate, upon issue thereby of a single-fare ticket, the identification code of that ticket and the locations(s) for which the ticket is valid for opening an entrance gate, to the local data processor which is situated at the or each such location, and each such local data processor is arranged to respond by recording that a ticket bearing this identification code is valid for opening an entrance gate at the corresponding location. a single-fare ticket to the ticket reading facility of that gate, the identification code of that ticket to the local data processor at the corresponding location and the local data processor is arranged to respond, if and only if it has a record that a ticket bearing this identification code is valid for opening an entrance gate at the corresponding location, by (i) permitting opening of the corresponding entrance gate and (ii) cancelling its record that a ticket bearing this identification code is valid for opening an entrance gate at the corresponding location, of an entrance gate at the corresponding location in response to the presentation of a single-fare ticket to the ticket reading facility of that gate, the identification code of that ticket to the local data processor at the or each location at which that ticket is valid to permit exit from the system and the or each local data processor to which this code is thus communicated is arranged to respond by recording that a ticket bearing this identification code is valid for opening an exit gate at the corresponding location, single-fare ticket to the ticket reading facility of that gate, the identification code of that ticket to the local data processor at the corresponding location and the processor is arranged to respond, if and only if it has a record that a ticket bearing this identification code is valid for op
REFERENCES:
patent: 3501622 (1970-03-01), Weir et al.
patent: 3748441 (1973-07-01), Halpern
patent: 3958103 (1976-05-01), Oka et al.
patent: 3984660 (1976-10-01), Oka et al.
Central Research Laboratories Limited
Filipek Jeffrey R.
Hajec Donald T.
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