Abstract:
This invention relates to metal-coated credit cards and to appliances for marking said credit cards in order to make deductions from the credit represented by the card. It is an object of the invention to provide such a card and marking appliance which can be used for an automatic accounting of services used for merchandise taken, such as copies taken from automatic copiers. For this purpose the metal-coated credit card which is adapted to be marked by a marking appliance in order to make deductions from the credit represented by the card has electrically conductive areas separated by electrically non-conducting areas. The credit card comprises a code-representing area, particularly at one edge of the card, and a credit-representing area which is spaced from the edges of the card and can be electrically marked in incremental areas in order to make deductions from the credit represented by the card.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to a credit card, to a process and an electrically operated appliance for manufacturing said credit card, and to an electrically operated appliance for marking said credit card in order to make deductions from a credit represented by said card. 
     Known value and/or credit cards comprise magnetic strips and can be inserted into writing and reading appliances in order to read the remaining credit, to make deductions and to write the credit which remains after the deduction. Such credit cards often contain visible markings, which indicate the remaining credit to the user. These systems have the disadvantage that all functions, such as detection of remaining credit, recognition of code, deduction and visible marking, can be performed only by different processes, which are technically difficult and expensive. 
     It is an object of the invention to provide an appliance for deducting value units on a credit card. By means of such an appliance the charges involved in the use of servies or the delivery of merchandise, such as copies from an automatic copier, should be automatically deducted. An automatic deduction should be permitted with a data carrier and a reading and writing appliance which involve only a minimum expenditure so that the system can be used also for transactions which involve only a relatively small value so that the use of expensive appliances or processes would not be justified. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A credit card on which deductions can be made comprises a surface that can be electrically marked and has electrically conducting areas separated by electrically non-conducting boundaries. The card has an electrically conductive coating including a preferably marginal code-representing area for receiving code markings, a credit-representing area for receiving accounting markings a terminal area surrounding said credit-representing area, and electrically non-conducting barriers separating said code-representing area from said terminal area. The credit-representing area is adapted to be electrically marked to effect successive visible deductions from a credit represented by the card. With this credit card, The requirements stated hereinbefore can be met with a minimum expenditure by the use of an electric marking process. The credit card constitutes an inexpensive data carrier and can be manufactured by a suitable marking appliance and can be marked to effect the deductions by another marking appliance. 
     An electrically operated appliance is provided for defining on the credit card a marginal code-representing area a credit-representing area. Another electrically operated marking appliance is provided, which comprises contact means for detecting the code in the code-representing area and means which in response to the detection of the code can be operated to mark the card in the credit-representing area so as to effect a deduction from the credit and to effect a clearance. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     Further details of the system embodying the invention will be described hereinafter with reference to the drawing, which shows preferred embodiments and in which 
     FIG. 1 shows a credit card embodying the invention, 
     FIG. 2 is a double-ended credit card, 
     FIG. 3 is a top plan view, partly cut away, showing an associated marking appliance for making deductions, 
     FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the appliance of FIG. 3, 
     FIG. 5 is a transverse sectional view showing the appliance of FIG. 3, 
     FIG. 6 including FIGS. 6a and 6b shows a detail of the electrode array, 
     FIG. 7 shows a credit card having a higher capacity, 
     FIG. 8 is a top plan view showing an appliance for manufacturing credit cards, 
     FIG. 9 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the appliance of FIG. 8 and 
     FIG. 10 is a diagrammatic sketch illustrating the sequence of operations performed in marking a credit card so as to effect a deduction from the credit. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     A credit card embodying the invention is diagrammatically shown in FIG. 1. The credit card has a surface provided with a coating of electrically conductive metal. That coating includes a terminal area 1, an elongated credit-representing area 5, which is electrically conductively connected at one end to the terminal area 1 by a conductive strip 58, and a code-representing area 4, which has portions 2 which are electrically conductively connected to the terminal area 1 by the conductive strip 58, and isolated portions 3, which are electrically disconnected from the terminal area 1 so that the code-representing area consists of a pattern of the electrically connected areas 2 and the isolated areas 3. Except at the end connected to the conductve strips 58, the code-representing area is surrounded by a U-shaped isolated area 3, which is electrically disconnected from the terminal area. Another isolated area 3 which is electrically disconnected from the terminal area 3 is provided on that side of the conductive strip 58 which is opposite to the credit-representing area 5. The isolated areas 3 are defined by longitudinally and transversely extending non-conducting portions, in which the metal coating has been removed from the card. That pattern can be read to identify the credit card. The area 5 represents an initial credit and can be marked, beginning at 6, by a marking appliance, which will be described more fully hereinafter, for making successive deductions from said credit. The remaining credit can be read by means of scale imprints 7 and 8. 
     As ist apparent from FIG. 2 the scales 7 and 8 provided with printed numerals 9 permit the user of the credit card to read from the area 5 how much of the initial credit has been deducted. For this purpose a portion of the metal coating on the area 5 is burnt off in each deducting step. The total area which has been burnt off is designated 10. 
     When the numerals 9 and other inscriptions are printed on the credit card, bars 11, 12 and 13 are also printed on the card. These bars cover the transversely extending non-conducting portions which define the isolated portions 3. 
     In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the credit card has only a credit capacity of, e.g., 20 value units. FIG. 2 shows a double credit card having a double credit capacity. If this card is provided with a metal coating also on the rear, it will have four times the credit capacity of the card of FIG. 1. 
     An appliance for making the card in the credit-representing area 5 in order to effect deductions is shown in FIGS. 3 to 5. The appliances comprises a frame 16, which defines a card-receiving slot 17 and a card track 18. When the credit card 19 has been inserted into the slot 17 and track 18 as far as possible, its code-representing area 4 is contacted by a row of contact springs 20, which deliver a code-representing signal via plug connectors 21 on the side 22 of the printed circuit board 23 to an identifying circuit. The design of the side 22 is not shown. When the proper code has been detected, the credit card 19 has been approved and a control circuit 25 not shown in detail is activated to effect a deduction. For this purpose, the control circuit 25 starts the motor 26 to rotate the driving belt pulley 27 in the clockwise (advancing) sense in FIG. 4. That rotation of the pulley 27 is transmitted by the belt 28 and the driven belt pulley 29 to a backshaft 30, from which the rotation is transmitted by meshing gears 31 and 32 to a feed screw 33, which has a male screw threads 35 and extends through the marking electrode holder 34. The latter comprises a thread-engaging arm 35, which is in mesh with the male screw threads 35 and during a rotation of the feed screw 33 shifts the electrode holder 34 along the feed screw 34. 
     The thread-engaging arm 35 is resiliently biased against the feed screw 33 and is thus fractionally coupled to the screw threads 35 so that a rotation of the feed screw 33 in the advancing sense causes a marking electrode 38 carried by a lever 37 of the electrode holder 34 to bear against the credit card 19 with a force which is due to the frictional coupling. A worm 39 secured to the backshaft 30 is in mesh with the worm wheel 40, which is integral with the hub 41, which carries a rotatable contact carrier 42 so that the positive operative connection to the backshaft 30 ensures a synchronization of the movements. The contact carrier 42 carries an inner wiper contact 43, which slides on a circular contact strip 44, which provided on the pointed circuit board and is connected to the control circuit 25 by a conductor strip 45 and a plug connector 46. A segment-shaped second contact strip 47 is provided adjacent to an outer wiper contact 48 carried by the contact carrier 42 and is connected to the lead 50. The contacts 93 and 98 are electrically connected to each other. The angular spacing 49 corresponds exactly to the spacing of the graduations of the scales 7 and 8. When the credit card 19 has been properly inserted into the slot 17 and track 18, the terminal area 1 of the card is electrically conductively connected to the circular contact strip 44 so that the circuit for the marking current is completed. 
     When the control circuit 25 is activated for the deduction of one or more value units, the marking electrode 38 is moved over the credit-representing area 5 to the end point 5a of the previously marked area. That end point 5a indicates the remaining credit. One or more incremental areas of the area 5 are then burnt off and the resulting marking current causes the control system 25 to detect that deduction and to generate a clearance signal for initiating or permitting the delivery of the corresponding merchandize or the performance of the corresponding service. When only one value unit is to be deducted, the marking current will be interrupted when the outer contact 48 of the contact carrier leaves the corresponding segment 51 of the contact strip so that the marking will then be terminated. As a result of that interruption of the marking current, the control circuit 25 reverses the motor 26 so that the marking electrode 38 is returned to its initial position. The auxiliary contact segment 52 is connected by a lead 53 and plug connector 54 to the control circuit 25 and de-energizes the motor 26 when the electrode 38 has reached its initial position. The appliance is then ready for the next deduction. During such reverse rotation of the feed screw 33, the latter owing to its frictional coupling to the arm 36 causes the marking electrode 38 carried by the lever 37 to lift from the credit card until the noise 54 of the marking electrode 38 bears on the stop bar 55, as is indicated in FIG. 6. 
     Another contact segment 56 is connected by a lead 57 and a plug connector 58 to the control circuit 25 and limits the advance movement of the marking electrode 38 so that the motor is reversed when the entire credit has been exhausted. During the last marking in the area 5, i.e., when the incremental area corresponding to the the last value unit has been burnt off, the conductive strip 58 connecting the terminal area 1 to the credit-representing area 5 and the code-representing area 4 is severed so that the code of the credit card can no longer be read. This contact segment 59 is wider to ensure that the conductive strip 58 will be reliably severed. 
     Additional terminals 60 to 63 provided with soldering tags 64 to 67 serve to connect the marking electrode 38 and the motor 26 to the control circuit 25. The connection between the soldering tag and the reciprocating marking electrode 38 consists of a highly flexible stranded wire 68, which is secured to the electrode holder 34 by the wire holder 69. In a manner known per se, the control circuit 25 not shown in detail evaluates the signals, ensures that the various operations will be performed in the proper sequence in accordance with a program, and controls the energization of the power and of the marking electrode. 
     The credit-representing area need not have the shape of a straight strip as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. A credit-representing area having a different configuration is shown by way of example in FIG. 7 and comprises a plurality of oblique length portions 70, which are electrically connected and represent a total of 100 value units. This credit card can be used with a marking appliance having a plurality of comblike marking electrodes, which cause incremenetal areas corresponding to value units to be burnt off when the credit card shown in FIG. 7 is pulled out of the appliance. 
     Such marking appliance comprises, e.g., 20 marking electrodes, which are aligned transversely to the direction of movement of the card, whereas the strip-shaped credit-representing area 70 extends at an oblique angle to said direction and the control circuit 25 ensures that during the pulley of the card out of the appliance the area 70 will be burnt off only in that incremental area which is contacted first by the marking electrodes. 
     In another embodiment of the credit card, not shown, the strip-shaped credit-representing area has the configuration of an arc of a circle or of a spiral and the associated marking appliance comprises means for moving the marking electrode along an arcuate or spiral path so that incremental areas of the credit-representing area are burnt off in succession. 
     FIGS. 8 and 9 show by way of an example an appliance for manufacturing credit cards. A web of metal-coated cardboard 71 is fed into the appliance along a track 72 and is advanced in step by pinch rollers 73. Comblike marking electrodes 74 are associated with the track 72 and are supplied with marking current from a control circuit, not shown, so that the metal coating is burnt off at all longitudinal lines 75. When the web 71 marked at all longitudinal lines 75 has reached the position shown in FIG. 8, the web 71 is arrested and the comblike electrode 77 is operated to burn off the metal coating on the web along the transverse lines 78. 
     For this purpose the holder 79 carrying the comblike electrode 77 is mounted on pins 80, which are secured in the frames 81, 82 and along which the holder 79 is movable across the web 71. The marking electrodes 77 are supplied with marking current from a control system which is known per se and is not shown here in detail and which ensures that the marking along the transverse lines will be effected exactly at the desired positions and the desired code pattern will be obtained. 
     In additional operations, not shown, the credit cards are printed to cover the transversely extending non-conducting areas and to provide instructions, names or advertising slogans and are then severed from the web. 
     FIG. 10 illustrates the sequence of steps of a marking operation corresponding to the deduction of the 17th value unit so that the credit-representing area 5 has been marked to indicate that a credit of 16 value units remains, as is also shown in FIG. 2. This is indicated by the marking to the graduation 5a. When the credit card 19 is then inserted for another deduction into the marking appliance and has been identified to have the proper code, the motor 26 is started to rotate in the advancing sense. As soon as the marking electrode 38 contacts the credit area adjacent to the graduation 5a, a marking current of about 150 mA flows and causes the control system 25 to generate clearance signal 84. As has been described with reference to FIG. 3, the wiper contact 48 then leaves the contact segment 51 so that the marking voltage line 85 is disconnected to indicate to the control-circuit 25 that the marking has been completed. The control circuit 25 then energizes the motor 26 for a rotation in a reversing sense via the reversing line 86, and the latter is disconnected by the contact segment 52 when the marking electrode has reached its initial position. The inscriptions at the time base line 88 indicate that the time required for a marking operation will depend on the remaining credit and the longest time of about 2 seconds will be required for the marking operation corresponding to the last valve unit.