The invention concerns a system of the type indiLated in the in roduction to Claim of Patent 1, for registering a d paying foi travel, the use of public facilities and similar ime-restricted or generally comprehensive services, particularly those offered by the authorities or companies which offer su_h services to the publ l .

Backgr ound

The e are numerous contexts where t is necessary to charge users for public services, su_h as those provided by municipal authorities, or by a company or institution which offers services to the public. Examples of such services are travel by public transport, visits to municipal facilities such as swimming pools and the garbage disposal.

An ideal situation would be to make payment for such services as simple and user-based as possible. This is especially relevant where this will reduce labour costs for those providing the services, and speed up the means of payment. Su_h could be invaluable in cases where delays ar sometimes caused

because of the system used for paying, for example when boarding passengers queue to pay fares for public tran¬ sport. At the same time, it is desirable to reduce loss, or illegal use by efficient and inexpensive means of checking that the correct amount has been paid.

Consequen ly a system is needed for registration and payment in cases where a charge is levied on a per capita bas-is or as a result of something done by a person, where it is necessary that there are visible means of indicating that a charge has been paid. In other words, something equivalent to a date-stamped ticket, or similar to a receipt for a specific periodic charg .

Objectives

The main objective of the invention s to design a system which can be flexibly applied to registration and payment in the above-men ioned cases.

Another objective is to design a system which can be used for determining and levying a user charge in a variety of contexts. This could include the use of different means of transport and along specific routes, such as buses, trams and trains in the same area.

It could also be useful if the system could cover- other forms of services, such as garbage disposal, the use of sports facilities etc.

Principle

The above-mentioned objectives can be met by designing a system in accordance with that stated in Claim of Patent 1.

Other aspects of the invention are indicated in the subsidiary claims of patent.

Exam le

The invention will be exemplified in more detail with reference to the illust tions, where, Fig. 1 schematically presents a system n accordance with the invention in a use context,

Fig. 2 is a schematic section diagram of a means of designing the card unit in Fig. 1, while

Fig. 3 schemati ally presents an activation or deactivation unit that can be used with the system in Fig. 1.

Fig. 1 schema i ally presents the basiL Loncept of how the system works. From the top right-hand comer and down there are four people who have "electronic tickets", hereafter termed "the card unit" 11A-D. This card unit 11 is illustrated in more detail n the mid-upper part of the figure. The card unit 11 is one of the main components in the new system and is initially only des¬ cribed externally. The geometry of the un t resembles a thin pocket calculator , where there is a flat upper surface with a display and furictιorιa.1 elements

Each card unit 11 is equipped with a battery- puwered electronic clock which is programmed to count down from an initial value to zero. This will be described in more detail below.

The card unit 11 has a display 12 which uses LCD cells, in the example these have three digits. The purpose of this display 12 is explained n more detail in connection with the detailed description of the construction of the card unit, illustrated in Fig. 2.

The card unit 11 is also equipped with an on/off key 13 which can connect the display for short interval as explained below.

There is also an indicator 14 on the upper surface,

this could for example be a diode with an indicator light.

At the edge of the card there is an on/off switch 15 which will also be referred to in more detail below. The card unit 11 is designed to be used as a means of payment or "ticket" in various contexts where it is possible and desirable to have self-service a d a simple means of checking. The system in accordance with the invention is a direct parallel to ticket dispensers where tickets can be purchased which are stamped with intervals of time.

Use of the card unit 11 in the proposed manner- requires a unit at each place of use which can activate or switch on the clock inside the card unit as described below. Furthermore there will usually be an equivalent unit at the same place of use or possibly in the exit which can deactivate or turn off the clock.

At 16A in Fig. 1 there is a combined on/off switch unit or activator and deactivator which is used in a car park 17A.

Similar activator and deactivator units 16B are shown at a public swimming pool 17B. A specific area of application for the invention is in connection with public transport. Here a bus 17C and a tram 17D are shown in the figure, where again activators and deactivators , 16C and 16D respectively, are located at a stop.

Another application is at a garbage disposal site 17E, where there is an activator- 16E designed to count down a fixed number of "time units" on the card unit.

The details of the function and use of the card unit 11 for these applications will be described in more detail after the following outline of the design of the card unit. Fig. 2 illustrates a card unit 11 which can be used for the system illustrated m Fig. 1 and which has

been described above, the card un t 11 consists of an electronically-powered clock 21 which i programmed for c iunt down. This clock can have <A storage capacity of a certain number of time units, for example 1000. with a specific duration. Each time unit can range from 0.5

- 10 mm. , with a typical time unit of 5 mm., for example. The unit is designed for single use coun down to zero. It is not possible to change or charge the battery. The card unit 11 will have the same function as a ticket in that it can be purchased in a ticket office, but will have a longer duration and cover 1-2 months of normal use, for example, in much the same way as a punched commuter icket.

The clock 21 is operated by a control circuit 22, which can control the countdown in various ways as described below.

The control circuit 22 receives control impulses from an activation circuit 27 and from an on/off switch unit 15 or a start/stop mechanism as indicated above. It has already been described in connection with Fig. 1 how unit 15 is ^' controlled by an activator and deactivator 16 which can be incorporated into an integrated unit or designed as two separate mechanisms. The component is shown symbolically with a number of entry ports, one for each type of control impulse. In practice this can be integrated into a single key mechanism, but s broken down here to make the description more comprehensive.

The key mechanism 15 is shown wi h three entry ports 23A-C, these can start the various rates of countdown. These are the equivalent of using the card unit 11 in different zones or areas of use, as described above. In practice this means that the control circuit 22 can count down with different means of weighting, for instance in the area 1 - 1Q. The weighting can have a selected preset value in this

area, including decimal values. An alternative to this is that the control circuit changes the ^* clock so that the rate of countdown is altered- This again can be done with different factors in an equivalent area. The technical requirements to realize this are known and need not be described here.

The card unit 11 is also designed with a control circuit that can activate the counter 21 with different weightings, depending on the zone the user is in, or the application the card is being used for. This is controlled by the single activator 16.

The control circuit 22 simultaneously activates the display 12 which indicates the zone the card unit is activated for. This should be done in such a way that the display flashes on and off at short intervals, 1-2 seconds, for example. This makes it possible for supervisory personnel to check that the card has been activated at the correct place and for the correct area of use. As the display flashes it will not be possible to falsify the digital dxsplay by taping/writing other- digits over. At the same time the indicator 14 will flash to show that the counter is functional.

The key unit 15 also has two so-called "fixed charge" entry ports 24A-B. These give signals to the control circuit so that there is a stepwise countdown of a certain number of time units, in the area 5 - 50, for example. This means that the card unit can be used to pay fixed charges of different amounts, as- indicated above. The key mechanism 15 can be designed in practice with an impulse generator which is controlled by an activator- 16 preferably a unit which can activate a fixed charge count. An. example of such an activator is schematically shown. in Fig. 3. This consists of an insertion zone 31 for the card unit 11, such as a slot, and an activation organ 32.

The activation organ 32 can either be a mechanical unit that controls a corresponding mechanical switch 23-24 on the card uni or an electronic element that transfers a control signal v/ithout mechanical means to the key unit 15. The latter alternative is naturally the most advantageous since it eliminates uncertainty or false signals and thereby the possibility of manipulation.

In practical terms the activator 16 could consist of a battery-powered electronic circuit with a signal generator 33 which is activated by contact with or the insertion of the card unit 11 into zone 31. Such a signal generator 33 can be designed so that it can either switch on a card which is activated or switch off a card unit 11 which has been previously activated.

An alternative is that the signal generator can sys ema i ally change the state of a card un t which is entered so that a switched-off card unit 11 can be activated and the countdown mode initiated, whet eas an activated card unit 11 which is counting down can be sv7itched off .

Fig. 1 illustrates the different applications for a system in accordance with the invention.

The car park 17A shows a simple activation unit 16A which can take care of the activation and deactivation of a card unit 11. Here, the card user can activate his/her card at the selected car park 17A. This will mean in one of the three zones which give the lowest countdown weighting, i.e. , the slowest rate of countdown. It will normally be sufficient to operate with three different parking zones.

Once activated, the card can be visibly placed inside the vehicle. Thus it will be possible to check that the correct zone is m use. Thus the usei will be prevented from activating the card for the wrong zone, and thereby using the card incorrectly.

In an alternative design of the card, the control circuit can be programmed so that it is permitted to deactivate the card when used in particular- zones, such as parking zones by using the switch 13. This means that it becomes unnecessary to take the card to the activation unit 16A when leaving the car park.

User location 17B represents another application, in this case a swimming pool where the user retains the card unit 11. Other similar areas of use are sports grounds, museums, cinemas, ice-skating halls a d the like. Here, it is either possible to charge a fixed entrance fee, v/ithout any time restriction, or decide on a time restriction where checking is unnecessary, such as at a football match. The activator 16B will be programmed to give a stepwise countdown in the counter 21 v/hich equates the entrance charge. There can be a two-tier charge, since the activator 16B has a switch which can be pressed when the card unit is being used to pay for children. Th.is reduced charge or "childrens fee" switch should cause a special type of symbol to appear on the display so that personnel at the gate can check that the card unit is activated for a particular- category of user.

An alternative will be to charge a time-based fee. In this case the card unit 11 will be activated for normal countdown in the ar a of use or zone which corresponds to where it is used. Once again it could be relevant with two different tariffs, where one, normally the lowest requires a switch to be pressed on the activator.

As in most cases users leave such areas through a common entrance/exit , the activator 16B can be designed to also function as a deactivator. This can either be achieved by the unit having a separate deactivator element or by one of the activation elements working as a deactivator when it comes into contact with a card

unit which has already been activated, see above.

Another alternative s where the are exits at different posi ions to entrances. Her , deactivato s could be located at the exits from enter ainment parks, for example .

An application which is particularly important will be m the context of public passenger transport. Fig. 1 shows a network of bus routes 17C with an activator 16C at a departure bus stop and a rail network 17D with an activator 16D at the departure station. This application is one with numerous alternatives .

In the system's simplist design the departing passenger can activate his/her card unit at the point of depar ure just befo e leaving, or by means of an activator in the entrance of each vehicle. The fare zone for the journey can be indicated on the display 12 a d the user can prove that the correct f has been

In this and some other cases the control circuit

22 can be programmed to change the countdown weighting while running. This will enable passengers to obtain discounts for journeys over a specific length of time, in other vords over particular routes. When the passenger reaches his/her destination the card unit can be deactivated in a similar manner to that already described above.

In a more complicated case, the card unit 11 can be used for communication systems involving different means and categories of transport. This could tie in the public transport system for an urban area, with independent rail or bus companies. Here, an activator 16C or 16D could be located at the entrance of the communication system, such as the bus station. On possibility is linking th s to some kind of barrier mechanism at the entrance, so that the activation of a

card also opens a gate or turnstile etc.

For such applications where it will be necessary to use the same card on several means of transport during a journey, it could be an advantage to have a counter mechanism (not illus¬ trated) on each of the activators 16C, 16D, these could register the number of passengers using each means of transport, such as a particular- bus company. When a card unit 11 is used on an integrated journey involving different companies, it will then be possible to distribute the earnings from the sale of the card units among the companies according the frequency of use .

In such a communication system it could be appropriate to use mechanical means of deactivating card units 11. This will mean that all exits from the communication network have to have equivalent deactivators to activators 16C and 16D.

In the lower part of Fig. 1 there is the final application for the card unit 11. Here the situation is where a fixed, possibly tiered charge is to be levied independent of the amount of time, as has also been indicated above. An example - of this is a garbage disposal site, where a charge is made for the rubbish which is to be disposed of-