Registers – Systems controlled by data bearing records – Transportation
Patent
1996-07-08
1998-09-01
Evans, F. L.
Registers
Systems controlled by data bearing records
Transportation
235492, G06K 19067, G07F 708
Patent
active
058013679
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a travel registration system having a travel ticket unit.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Developments within the travel industry have progressed more and more towards the use of a travel ticket or travel pass which includes information that can be read electronically, for instance cards equipped with microchips, so-called smart-cards. The problem with these is that the user is unable himself to read-off the status of the ticket easily. Moreover, the cards cannot be read if no serviceable card reader is available.
Smart-cards are relatively common in present times. They have many areas of use. One of these areas is their use as travel tickets, where a user has paid for the ticket and the sum involved has been stored in the memory of the processor. Each time the ticket is used, a sum corresponding to the price of the journey, or fare, is subtracted from the sum stored in the memory. The ticket can be used until the sun stored in the processor memory has been used up. Examples of this type of ticket are described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,122,643, U.S. Pat. No. 4,460,965, U.S. Pat. No. 4,303,904. U.S. Pat. No. 5,122,643 also describes a smart-card which includes a display window in which the remaining sum stored in the card is shown. On the other hand, the window does not show the use area of the ticket or pass, i.e. the journeys or routes that have been booked.
Thus, no earlier system is known in which the purpose of the travel pass can be read-off, which is a necessary prerequisite for the type of travel pass required when travelling by air, train, boat or bus over long distances, where a seat booking must be made in advance.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a travel registration system with travel pass unit which will enable the status of the journey or route concerned to be indicated in a positive and acceptable manner
Another object of the invention is to provide a travel registration system with travel pass unit which will enable the status of the journey or route concerned to be inserted into the travel registration system on an occasion other than the occasion of its insertion in the travel pass unit, this system being provided with an arrangement for automatically updating the travel pass unit, for instance on the occasion of the journey.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a travel registration system which includes a travel pass unit which is flexible and which can be read-off in different ways in different types of reading systems or at different places in accordance with local regulations.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide an intelligent travel pass unit which is cheap, durable and flexible.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a travel pass unit which is not dependent on the presence of special electronic pass reading equipment, although the pass unit can also be read by such equipment.
Another object of the invention is to provide a travel pass unit which will clearly identify the user as the owner of the unit without the card owner needing to key-in a code on the card keys.
These objects are fulfilled with a travel pass unit having the characteristic features of the present invention.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The inventive system includes a station for issuing travel pass units. A traveller wishing to obtain a travel pass is registered in the station together with a code number which is unique to the travel pass unit and which is written into a fixed memory. Data concerning the traveller is written into the writable memory unit of the travel pass and, on the issuing occasion, possibly also data concerning the journey or the route concerned. Data relating to the issued travel pass is stored in a data base together with information relating to the journey or route concerned. A plurality of terminals which include travel pass unit readers/writers are connected to the data base. After having inserted the travel pass unit into a respective terminal, the ter
REFERENCES:
patent: 5180901 (1993-01-01), Hiramatsu
Asplund Johan
Lundholm Nils-Olof
Asplund Johan
Evans F. L.
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