JP3044194B2 - Card management system - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a card management system for managing cards such as prepaid cards by a computer.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Prepaid cards and credit cards are widely used because they are convenient for receiving goods and providing services without carrying cash.

[0003]

However, these are only substitutes for cash and have a high risk of unauthorized use, and the protection against them has been insufficient in the past.

In particular, since the validity and balance of the conventional prepaid card are determined only by the data recorded on the card, the denomination of the recorded data on the card may increase the denomination frame. In addition, there is a possibility that fraud such as expanding the used card balance to the denomination limit is performed.

[0005] In addition, since prepaid cards of the same denomination have the same card unique number, a large number of copies can be duplicated, and there is a risk that each of the duplicated cards is used up to the limit of the denomination frame. Was.

[0006] Furthermore, once the prepaid card is lost, it is difficult to reissue it, and the burden on the user is large.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to eliminate the possibility of unauthorized use as much as possible and to enable a smooth operation of a card system.

That is, according to the present invention, in a system for managing a prepaid card possessed by each user at a center, each prepaid card has a unique number recorded on the card and indicates a limit of the amount that can be purchased with the card. The denomination is described and the identification number of the card is specified
A specific number or denomination indicating the denomination of the card
Characters or symbols are displayed, and this digit position and gold
The combination with the type indication is assumed to be different for each denomination.
The denomination of the card is encrypted and displayed on the card unique number.
In addition, the host computer provided at the center records and manages data such as the record of use of the card and the date of issue of the card in accordance with the card unique number.

[0009]

[0010]

[0011]

[0012]

[0013]

FIG. 1 shows an outline of a prepaid card management system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The management center 1 is provided with a host computer 2 for centrally processing and managing data relating to the prepaid card 3 to be issued (denomination, issuance date, lot number, usage record, etc. of each card).

Each prepaid card 3 is provided with an ID number display column 4 in which an ID number unique to the prepaid card is recorded by means such as magnetic recording, and it is possible to purchase goods and provide services with the prepaid card. A denomination display column 5 is provided for displaying a denomination indicating a limit amount to be set.

Each shop 6 in which goods can be purchased and services can be provided by the prepaid card 3 has a terminal 7 connected to the host computer 2 by an optical fiber or the like.

The user inserts the prepaid card 3 possessed by the user into the terminal 7 and inserts an ID unique to the prepaid card.
When the number is read, the data is transmitted to the host computer 2 and data on whether the prepaid card 3 is valid is displayed on the terminal 5. After confirming that the prepaid card 3 is valid, the shop 6 authorizes the user as the owner to purchase goods and provide services at the shop, and when this is performed, data relating to the usage amount and the like is stored in the host computer. 2 is sent. It is practical and preferable that the terminal 7 be linked with a POS (not shown).

The host computer 2 which has received the data relating to the usage amount from the terminal 7 adds the current usage amount to the cumulative usage amount recorded for the prepaid card 3 at that time, and updates the cumulative usage amount. Record.

As described above, the prepaid card 3 has the denomination display column 5 indicating the credit limit of the card, and the prepaid card 3 further includes the I-value recorded on the prepaid card 3.
The denomination is also encrypted and displayed on the D number.

This encrypted display can be performed, for example, by displaying a number indicating a denomination at a specific digit position in the ID number. For example, for a prepaid card of 10,000 yen, the number “5” is displayed at the third digit, and for a prepaid card of 20,000 yen, the number “1” is displayed at the fifth digit,
For a prepaid card of 10,000 yen, the number "2" is displayed at the sixth digit, and for a prepaid card of 100,000 yen, "8" is displayed at the second digit
, And create an ID number for each prepaid card so that only one of these combinations is satisfied. Accordingly, in the management center 1 including the host computer 2, for example, “4291170
It is possible to immediately know that the prepaid card having the ID number of "3" is a denomination of 20,000 yen based on only the ID number.

As another example of the encrypted display, a number indicating a denomination may be put in a plurality of digit positions in the ID number. For example, it is assumed that a prepaid card of 100,000 yen includes a numeral “5” in the second digit and a numeral “9” in the fifth digit. Alternatively, the numbers "5" and "9" may be inserted first in two digit positions, which are three digits apart, such as the second and sixth digits.

That is, the host computer 2 is programmed so that some regularity is set in advance for each denomination, and an ID number with the regularity is given to each prepaid card 3. Of course, it is impossible to know that the denomination is displayed in an encrypted form in the ID number of each prepaid card 3 unless the program of the host computer 2 is accessed. I think that the seed is only displayed in the denomination display column 5.

The prepaid card 3 is effectively protected from unauthorized use, and can be reissued in the event of loss, by transferring the balance at that time to a new card.

That is, the owner keeps a record of the ID number and the denomination displayed on his / her prepaid card 3 and immediately reports them to the management center 1 in case of loss. The management center 1 immediately invalidates the prepaid card 3 having the reported ID number. Thereafter, when the prepaid card 3 is inserted into the terminal 7 provided in each shop 6, it is displayed that the card has been invalidated, so that unauthorized use by a third party who has found the prepaid card is prevented. You.

Unless a report of the loss is made, there is a possibility that the prepaid card 3 will be illegally used by the finder, but the prepaid card used in the system of the present invention can be reissued as described below. Therefore, the owner who is aware of the loss is expected to immediately report to the management center 1, and the smooth operation of the card system while minimizing unauthorized use is possible.

Further, even if a person who has found the prepaid card attempts to misuse the denomination by changing the denomination (for example, changing the display of the denomination column of the 10,000 denomination card to 100,000 yen), When the ID number is referred to the host computer 2, the original denomination is immediately clarified by the above-described encrypted display. Therefore, even if an unauthorized use is performed by the finder, the denomination is limited to the range of the balance of the card.

Unauthorized use due to such denomination change is not possible on the part of the owner of the prepaid card.
That is, even if the owner of the 10,000 yen prepaid card requests the management center 1 to reissue the card due to loss or theft, the management center 1 determines whether the reported ID number corresponds to the denomination. Whether the host computer 2
You can access and check immediately.

In the above embodiment, the host computer 2 records the accumulated amount of use of each prepaid card 3, but it may record the available balance (remaining number). That is, when a product is purchased or a service is provided by using a card in a shop, a new balance obtained by subtracting the usage amount from the balance up to that point is updated and recorded in the master data of the host computer 2. Since the balance is not recorded on the card 3, it is impossible to falsify the balance on the card 3.

[0028] In addition to the above-described specific example, many forms can be envisaged for the encrypted display on the card ID number. For example, in the case of a prepaid card, the encrypted display can be made more effective by changing the digit position at which the denomination is displayed by other card-related data such as the card issue date (day of the week). It is also possible to use a plurality of data as data for designating the denomination display digit position and create a card ID number while changing the priority order according to a specific rule.

FIG. 2 shows a configuration example of the master data 8 of the host computer 2 in the present invention. In other words, the master data 8 has the same ID number as the ID number recorded on the card 3 described above, and includes card issue date, lot number, denomination as data related to the card.
It is configured by combining a balance and a number indicating the use history (which may be a symbol or a code; the same applies hereinafter). Of course, these related data may be continued before or after the ID number, or may be divided into arbitrary two groups and distributed before and after the ID number.

Among these related data, the issue date, the lot number and the number indicating the denomination are unique to each card and do not fluctuate, but the numbers indicating the balance and the use history are the same even if the cards are the same. Variable data 9 that fluctuates with use.

Here, the use history means data indicating the shop in which the card was used, the date of use, the amount of money, etc., for the latest use and several times before. For example, a unique number is previously assigned to each of the shops where the card can be used, and a number indicating the shop is displayed for recent (predetermined) times of use. Alternatively, a number indicating the amount of money used several times recently is displayed as a use history. The usage history created in this way is updated each time the card is used. For example, recently 4
"2", "8", "3",
When the number is “1” and the number “2831” is displayed as the usage history, the number of the usage history is updated to “8315” when the use is made at the shop “5” this time.

As described above, the recording of the variable data 9 updated each time the card is used together with the card ID number in the master data 8 of the host computer is an effective protection against imitation or counterfeiting of the card.

That is, in the event that the master data 8 of the host computer is accessed by a hacker and a card is forged or forged, a card having the same master data is temporarily owned by the original owner. However, if one of these cards having the same master data is used, the balance and the variable data indicating the use history fluctuate due to the use of the card. Even though the ID numbers are the same, different master data is updated and created as a whole.

If a genuine card is used before the imitation card is used, the variable data 9 at that time is used.
Is updated to create different master data 8, so that even if an attempt is made to use an imitation card, the ID number of the card and the updated variable data do not correspond on the master data, The imitation card cannot be used.

Although it is difficult to prevent the imitation card from being used before the genuine card is used, a certain degree of protection against unauthorized use is possible in this case as well. That is, if an attempt is made to use the genuine card after the imitation card has been used, an error is displayed in the use of the genuine card by the original owner because the master data has been updated by the use of the imitation card. However, it is recognized that the original owner generally has at least some degree of accuracy ascertained or memorized his / her own card use record, and can reproduce almost completely the recent use record. Therefore, even if an error is displayed, if the management center 1 is informed of the recently used shops and the amount of use thereof, the master data 8 related to the card can be compared with the variable data 9 indicating the use history, in particular. It can be confirmed that the card is genuine.

After confirming that the card is a genuine card, the owner is permitted to use the card, and the variable data 9 in the master data 8 is rewritten to a value corresponding to the use of the genuine card. As a result, when an imitation card is subsequently used, an error is displayed because the variable data 9 does not correspond. Since the imitation card owner cannot reproduce the usage history by the original owner, the error cannot be withdrawn.

The master data 8 described with reference to FIG. 2 is applicable not only to a prepaid card but also to a credit card, a cash card, and the like, and can be effectively protected from imitation and forgery.

[0038]

According to the present invention, it is possible to minimize the possibility of unauthorized use of a card and to operate the card system smoothly.

More specifically, in the present invention, data recorded on a prepaid card is checked against master data on a host computer to check its validity, balance, and the like. It is impossible to enlarge the denomination frame like a conventional prepaid card.

In addition, since variable data such as a usage history that is updated each time the prepaid card is used is recorded in the master data, even if the record on the card is tampered, the card remains unused. There is no going back.

Further, a unique number is recorded on each card, and since there is only one identical card number, even if many cards having the same number are duplicated, one card is used once. After that, all other cards are invalidated, and the amount of illegally used money can be prevented from becoming enormous. In addition, since the presence or absence of an unauthorized user is confirmed when an authorized user having a genuine card having the same number uses the card, it is possible to prevent subsequent unauthorized use.

[Brief description of the drawings]

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

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration example of master data including a card ID number.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Management Center 2 Host Computer 3 Prepaid Card 4 Card ID Number 5 Denomination Display 6 Shop 7 Terminal 8 Master Data 9 Variable Data

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] In a system for managing a prepaid card possessed by each user at a center, each prepaid card has a unique number recorded on the card and a denomination indicating the maximum amount that can be purchased with the card. And the specific digit position of the card unique number is
A specific number or letter or symbol indicating the denomination of the code
Displayed, and the combination of this digit position and denomination display
And the card unique number
The denomination of the card is displayed in an encrypted form, and the host computer provided at the center records and manages data such as the actual use and issuance date of the card corresponding to the card unique number. Management system.