 Secure postage meter in an ATM application |
| We claim: 1. An apparatus for performing banking and postage metering functions comprising: a ... |
|
| Systems for accessing the internet and geo-defined data and associated methods |
| In one aspect, the invention provides Internet access apparatus that co-exists, and/or operates in ... |
|
| Method and apparatus for managing accounts payable |
| The foregoing summary is intended merely to provide a brief description of the general nature of ... |
|
| Flexible direct signaling system |
| Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a direct signaling method and architecture for ... |
|
| Sender-paid electronic messaging |
| The present invention is a messaging system, and method of operation thereof, which provides ... |
|
| Time stamp authority hierarchy protocol and associated validating system |
| The invention provides a time stamp authority hierarchy protocol and associated validating system. T... |
|
| Methods and systems for electronically accepting and exchanging an online gift |
| Methods, systems and articles of manufacture consistent with the present invention overcome the ... |
|
|
Card holder-type balance reader
| Details |
Inventors: Abe, Yuhei; Urushibara, Atsuhiko; Ohki, Masayuki; Hoshino, Takeshi; Hanyu, Hiroyuki;
Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd. (Tokyo, JP)
Primary Examiner: Pitts; Harold I.
Assistant Examiner:
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Antonelli, Terry, Stout & Kraus, LLP
A card holder provides a balance reader for an IC card utilized for a system for settling cash utilizing the IC card. The balance reader is provided with the card holder-type body having a card slot provided in the body. A liquid-crystal display and at least one push-button are arranged on the body for user interface. A cover member is attached to the body via a hinge so that it can be opened or closed. When an IC card is inserted into the body and the push-button is pressed, the liquid-crystal display is lit and the current balance of currency is displayed on the liquid-crystal display. When the cover member is opened and the IC card is extracted, the display of the balance is switched to a blinking display. When a settlement is performed using the IC card, a microcomputer in the body can operate to display the balance after the settlement as well as a paid or received amount, in addition to the previous balance before the settlement. |
|
DETAILED DESCRIPTION The function of an electronic purse is to perform and process a variety of transactions using a micro-computer with relatively high functions.
The function of previous card holder-type balance readers is limited to read and display a current balance recorded in a card with a low-priced card holder for wide use.
The object of the present invention is to provide card holder capable of reading and displaying a balance and related information using a small-sized microcomputer.
It is a further object to provide such a display while minimizing size and power requirements.
A balance reader according to the present invention is provided with the body for housing a card for recording the data of electronic currency, a screen for display provided on the body, a microcomputer for communicating with the card via a terminal and a power source as its basic constitution.
The above microcomputer is provided with means for storing a first balance recorded in a card before a settlement, means for storing a second balance after the settlement and means for operating based upon the first balance and the second balance and displaying the result on the screen.
The microcomputer can also be provided with means for storing a first balance recorded in a card before a settlement and means for displaying the balance for a predetermined time when a cover member is opened.
The present invention relates to a card holder-type balance reader used for a system for settling cash transactions utilizing an IC card as described above, and the object of the present invention is to provide a balance reader for efficiently reading and displaying the balance of a card before a settlement and an amount paid from the balance of the card before the settlement.
According to the present invention, functions for achieving such a display can also be minimized, and a compact and low-priced balance reader can be obtained.
|
| Related patents |
|
|
Method and system for providing controlled access to information stored on a portable recording medium
The above object is achieved and the disadvantages of the prior art are overcome in accordance with the subject invention by means of a system and method for recording ...
|
|
|
Application package and system for permitting a user to use distributed application package on the term of the use thereof
OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS For the sake of better understanding of the following description, it will be useful to define some terms to be used. Charged information ...
|
|
|
Automated unmanned rental system and method
OF THE INVENTION FIG. 1 shows a schematic/block diagram of an embodiment of an automated unmanned rental system of the present invention. Referring now to FIG. 1, A...
|
|
|
System and method of secure electronic commerce transactions including tracking and recording the distribution and usage of assets
The present invention relates to electronic commerce transactions. In particular, the invention relates to a system and method for electronic commerce transactions that ...
|
|
|
Method, apparatus and system for directing access to content on a computer network
OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the instant invention employ a network of computers and programs for controlling one or more of such computers for ...
|
|
|
Flexible computer resource manager
The subject invention improves upon existing resource management techniques by providing an intelligent, multithreaded component called the Flexible Resource Manager, or ...
|
|
|
Dynamic modification of multimedia content
FIG. 1 depicts an example of an Internet environment having features of the present invention. As depicted, one or more content servers (135) are connected to a network ...
|
|
|
Networked appliance for recording, storing and serving digital images
An improved image server is provided by virtue of the present invention. In one embodiment of an image server according to the present invention, images are captured on ...
|
|
|
Method and apparatus for providing access to a legacy application on a distributed data processing system
What is claimed is: 1. A method in a data processing system for providing access to an application, the method comprising: transforming data from the application having ...
|
|
|
System and method for processing a request for information in a network
From the foregoing, it may be appreciated by those skilled in the art that a need has arisen for a system and technique that can locate an appropriate server to fulfill ...
|
|
|
Finance 
