Abstract:
According to the invention, a method for processing credit for a contactless smart card is disclosed. In one step, the contactless smart card is uniquely recognized at a first location. The contactless smart card is capable of recording the credit or debit that affects a stored value associated with the contactless smart card. A notice that a credit or a debit is destined for the contactless smart card is received. It is determined and reported that the credit or debit was not properly recorded to affect the stored value on the contactless smart card. The reporting is away from the first location. An indication that the credit or debit should be loaded if the contactless smart card is encountered at the second location is received. The contactless smart card is uniquely recognized at the second location. The credit or debit is automatically loaded onto the contactless smart card at the second location to affect the stored value of the contactless smart card.

Description:
[0001]     This application claims the benefit of and is a non-provisional of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/664,918 filed on Mar. 23, 2005, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety for all purposes. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE  
       [0002]     This disclosure relates in general to stored value cards and, more specifically, but not by way of limitation, to contactless fare cards used in transit systems.  
         [0003]     Transit systems use magnetic cards, smart cards and tokens to gain entry to the system. Stored value cards have an amount of credit associated with them. Some of these cards store the amount of credit available on the card in a magnetic strip, RFID tag, or a semiconductor chip. The interface to a fare card with semiconductor storage, i.e., a smart card, can be through contact with metal pads on the card or RFID. Smart cards that communicate with wireless RFID are called contactless smart cards.  
         [0004]     Contactless smart cards require a user to place their card in close proximity to a RFID reader/writer. The reader identifies the contactless smart card. After additional credit is arranged, the writer adds the credit to the contactless smart card. This process may require the user to place their card proximate to the reader/writer twice. Where the second encounter doesn&#39;t occur or there is some other problem writing information to the contactless smart card, the credit may not be properly applied even though paid for. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0005]     The present disclosure is described in conjunction with the appended figures:  
         [0006]      FIG. 1  is a block diagram of an embodiment of a transit fare system;  
         [0007]      FIG. 2  is a block diagram of an embodiment of a transit station system;  
         [0008]      FIGS. 3A-3D  are flow diagrams of embodiments of a process for fixing an interrupted fare load; and  
         [0009]      FIG. 4  is a flow diagram of an embodiment of a process loading a fare card with a direct autoload. 
     
    
       [0010]     In the appended figures, similar components and/or features may have the same reference label. Further, various components of the same type may be distinguished by following the reference label by a dash and a second label that distinguishes among the similar components. If only the first reference label is used in the specification, the description is applicable to any one of the similar components having the same first reference label irrespective of the second reference label.  
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0011]     The ensuing description provides preferred exemplary embodiment(s) only, and is not intended to limit the scope, applicability or configuration of the invention. Rather, the ensuing description of the preferred exemplary embodiment(s) will provide those skilled in the art with an enabling description for implementing a preferred exemplary embodiment of the invention. It being understood that various changes may be made in the function and arrangement of elements without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.  
         [0012]     Specific details are given in the following description to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments. However, it will be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that the embodiments may be practiced without these specific details. For example, circuits may be shown in block diagrams in order not to obscure the embodiments in unnecessary detail. In other instances, well-known circuits, processes, algorithms, structures, and techniques may be shown without unnecessary detail in order to avoid obscuring the embodiments.  
         [0013]     Also, it is noted that the embodiments may be described as a process which is depicted as a flowchart, a flow diagram, a data flow diagram, a structure diagram, or a block diagram. Although a flowchart may describe the operations as a sequential process, many of the operations can be performed in parallel or concurrently. In addition, the order of the operations may be re-arranged. A process is terminated when its operations are completed, but could have additional steps not included in the figure. A process may correspond to a method, a function, a procedure, a subroutine, a subprogram, etc. When a process corresponds to a function, its termination corresponds to a return of the function to the calling function or the main function.  
         [0014]     Moreover, as disclosed herein, the term “storage medium” may represent one or more devices for storing data, including read only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic RAM, core memory, magnetic disk storage mediums, optical storage mediums, flash memory devices and/or other machine readable mediums for storing information. The term “computer-readable medium” includes, but is not limited to portable or fixed storage devices, optical storage devices, wireless channels and various other mediums capable of storing, containing or carrying instruction(s) and/or data.  
         [0015]     Furthermore, embodiments may be implemented by hardware, software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description languages, or any combination thereof. When implemented in software, firmware, middleware or microcode, the program code or code segments to perform the necessary tasks may be stored in a machine readable medium such as storage medium. A processor(s) may perform the necessary tasks. A code segment or computer-executable instructions may represent a procedure, a function, a subprogram, a program, a routine, a subroutine, a module, a software package, a class, or any combination of instructions, data structures, or program statements. A code segment may be coupled to another code segment or a hardware circuit by passing and/or receiving information, data, arguments, parameters, or memory contents. Information, arguments, parameters, data, etc. may be passed, forwarded, or transmitted via any suitable means including memory sharing, message passing, token passing, network transmission, etc.  
         [0016]     Referring first to  FIG. 1 , a block diagram of an embodiment of a transit fare system  100  is shown. This embodiment is in the context of the transit fare system  100 , which is a closed system where fare cards have a stored value associated with the card. In one embodiment, a contactless smart card is used for the fare card, but other embodiments could use serialized magnetic stripe cards, digital tokens, RFID tags, cell phone payment, smart cards with contacts, or any other portable device or card that can store value. The user can add an amount or credit to the far card to allow further use in the transit fare system  100 . The credits, debits and stored value can include a monetary credit, a usage credit and/or a usage period. For example, contactless smart card could hold $25, an 11 trip transit pass, and/or a month long transit pass. A number of station systems  112  are distributed across the transit fare system  100  and generally correspond to the transit stations where the fare card might be used.  
         [0017]     There is a central control system  102  that communicates with the various station systems  112  using a wide area network (WAN)  104  that may be public or private. The WAN  104  could be packet switched or circuit switched connections using telephone lines, coaxial cable, optical fiber, wireless communication, satellite links, and/or other mechanisms for communication. Communication between the station systems  112  and the central control system  102  may be in real time or periodic.  
         [0018]     The central control system  102  could have many more components, but only the components related to accounting for walkaways are shown. A walkaway occurs when the fare card has an unconfirmed or failed load of stored value. The stored value represented on the fare card is authenticated by the card such that it can be trusted without necessarily referencing a remote location to check the stored value to complete a transaction. Although this embodiment is a contactless smart card, other embodiments could have contacts or be of other configurations that allow trusting the information on the fare card without outside information. Some embodiments could store the stored value in a secure manner using a digital token or authenticated stored data that is magnetically encoded onto the fare card.  
         [0019]     In this embodiment, a central accounting system  108  and a central data store  116  are shown for the central control system. The central accounting system receives periodic reports upon how credits or debits are being processed throughout the system  100 . When a walk-away situation occurs, the station system  112  communicates the problem to the central accounting system  108 . Table I shows an example of a walkaway message resulting from a credit or debit not being properly recorded on a fare card. In this example, the user began a transaction to load a $25.00 credit and paid with $40.00. The credit was not loaded onto the fare card and the change was not received. At another ticket vending machine, the pending credit can be loaded and change can be loaded to the stored value purse.  
                             TABLE I                           Walkaway Message Example                Field   Example                       Machine Number   34sd82k           Transaction Date   Jul. 21, 2008           Transaction Time   21:32:05           Fare Card Serial Number   23490782           Transaction Type   Fare Load           Change Due   $15.00           Amount Not Loaded   $25.00                      
 
         [0020]     A walkaway may occur when the user pays for credit, but leaves the machine before letting the fare card update with the load information. In the example of Table I, a ticket vending machine (TVM), serial number 34sd82k, failed to load fare card serial number 23490782. The walkway occurred on Jul. 21, 2008 at 9:32 p.m. The transaction type was a fare load of $25 credit to an existing fare card. This type of walk away could have occurred because the user didn&#39;t place the fare card in a position to allow writing the credit to the properly recognized fare card. The TVM has a protocol of interaction with the fare card that allows reading back the information written to the fare card. In some cases, the read-back fails, but the card may have properly recorded the change in the stored value associated with the card. The stored value can be used for transportation or purchase of another transportation product. In some embodiments, the TVM may have the ability to offer the credit in cash as an alternative to adding it as stored value.  
         [0021]     In another embodiment shown in Table II, a debit to the fare card could not be verified as being recorded. A turnstile (i.e., machine number 99k8645a) may have read the fare card (serial number 23489202) and attempted to write to the card, but a malfunction caused the read-back of the fare card to fail. Accordingly, a $2 debit may not have been properly applied to the fare card.  
                             TABLE II                           Walkaway Message Example                Field   Example                       Machine Number   99k8645a           Transaction Date   Sep. 28, 2006           Transaction Time   00:02:05           Fare Card Serial Number   23489202           Transaction Type   Fare Debit           Change Due   0           Amount Not Loaded   −$2.00                      
 
         [0022]     The central accounting system  108  receives all these walkaway messages and updates a record for each fare card in the central data store  116 . Subsequent interaction with the fare card that has a walkaway message results in the transit fare system  100  loading the missing credit or debit onto the fare card. Loading of the fare cards due to a walkaway message, Internet automatic loading, promotional credit, or other credits accrued before the fare card can be written.  
         [0023]     Loads initiated where the fare card is not present are called directed autoloads. The central accounting system  108  searches the central data store  116  for any pending loads and distributes directed autoload lists to the station systems  112  such that the credit can be automatically loaded at the next encounter. Initially, the station systems  112  chosen may be those most frequented by the user, but after a two-day wait without loading the value, this embodiment distributes the directed autoload entry system wide.  
         [0024]     Other embodiments could have multiple stages where the directed autoload entry is disseminated more and more widely. The period between the wider levels of dissemination could be any amount of time. In another example, the most frequented TVMs and turnstiles include the directed autoload entry for the first day. On the second day, the whole stations associated with those frequented machines are updated with the directed autoload entry. If not loaded at the end of the second day, all stations ever used by the particular fare card and/or user are updated. If still not loaded, the whole system receives the directed autoload entry on the fourth day. In this embodiment, the central accounting system moderates the dissemination of directed autoload entries in the various directed autoload lists for the various machines in the system  100  that can affect the stored value of the fare cards.  
         [0025]     With reference to  FIG. 2 , a block diagram of an embodiment of a transit station system  112  is shown. Various transit stations may have some or all of the components shown in the block diagram. A local area network (LAN)  204  couples the various systems together and could include point-to-point connections, packet switched connections, wireless connections, and/or other networking techniques. A station computer  224  is coupled to the WAN  104  to allow communication with the central accounting system  108 .  
         [0026]     A station data store  216  stores various information used by the station system  112 . Walkaway messages and directed autoload lists are stored in the station data store  216 . A ticket booth computer  220 , entry gates  208 , and TVMs  212  all communicate with the central accounting system  108  through the station computer  224 . Directed autoload lists are maintained by each of the entry gates  208  and TVMs  212  such that loading can occur without referring to the LAN  204  for more information. Other embodiments store the directed autoload lists in the station data store  216  for reference during a transaction. Some embodiments even refer back to the central accounting system  108  for directed autoload information during a transaction.  
         [0027]     In this embodiment, the entry gates  208  and TVMs  212  can credit or debit the fare card. Where writing of a change in the stored value is not completed or cannot be verified, a walkaway message is generated. Further, fare cards read by the entry gates  208  and TVMs  212  attempt to write any missing credit or debit by referring the directed autoload list. Where a directed autoload entry is loaded onto the appropriate fare card, the station computer  224  is notified along with the central accounting system  108 . The directed autoload lists that include that entry are updated to remove the fulfilled entry.  
         [0028]     Should an entry gate  208  or TVM  212  encounter a fare card after it is updated by another machine, a further adjustment would not be made. The entry gate  208  or TVM  212  checks to see if the autoload has been performed by another machine before any autoload.  
         [0029]     Referring next to  FIG. 3A , a flow diagrams of an embodiment of a process  300 - 1  for fixing an interrupted fare load is shown. A transaction has been initiated at a entry gate, ticket booth or TVM. The depicted portion of the process  300 - 1  then begins in step  304  where there is an initial read of the fare card. Gathered from the card are a unique serial number identifying the card, a current stored value and any other information. Something causes the stored value to change on the card, for example, use of the fare card, purchase of additional credit, and/or a directed autoload. In step  308 , the additional fare credit or debit is issued against the fare card.  
         [0030]     For a variety of reasons, the additional fare credit or debit issued against a fare card may not be properly loaded to the card. In one example, an error in the writing process to a magnetic stripe is detected. Another problem that can happen is where the user walks away from the TVM before his or her contactless smart card is presented a second time to write the stored value to the embedded microchip. In yet another example, the stored value is written, but a confirming read of the stored value fails or cannot be completed. In step  312 , it is determined if the fare card is confirmed to have received the write of the additional credit or debit. Where the credit or debit is confirmed, the transaction is closed out in step  316 .  
         [0031]     If writing of the stored value cannot be confirmed in step  312 , a “walkaway” situation is said to have occurred and processing continues to step  320 . The local directed autoload list is updated with a new entry corresponding to the unloaded value in step  320 . Should the user return to that machine  208 ,  212  another load can be attempted after the directed autoload list is updated. In step  324 , the station computer  224  is notified with a walkaway message. That walkaway message is relayed to the central control system  102  at some point, which may be in real time or stored for forwarding later during a periodic communication.  
         [0032]     After receiving the walkaway message, the central accounting system  108  flags the card for a direct autoload in step  328  and updates the central data store  116  accordingly. In step  332 , the commonly visited stations of the fare card and/or user are determined by referring to historical information in the central data store  116 . A new directed autoload entry is added to the various directed autoload lists for the commonly visited stations and/or machines  208 ,  212  in step  336 . Those updated directed autoload lists are distributed by the central control system  102  to the various station systems  112 . The station systems  112  in turn distribute the autoload lists to the individual machines  208 ,  212  that can perform the directed autoload.  
         [0033]     Where one of the machines  208 ,  212  with the directed autoload entry for the fare card finds the fare card in step  340 , the pending credit or debit is loaded and confirmed before closing the transaction in step  316 . If the fare card is not found or cannot be successfully written, processing will eventually go to step  344 , where the whole system  100  is updated with the directed autoload entry. In this embodiment, the commonly used stations try to find the fare card for two days, before a system-wide search would automatically begin. When the fare card is found in the system-wide search, the directed autoload transaction is closed out with a message to the central control system  102 .  
         [0034]     This embodiment will continue searching until the fare card expires or the directed autoload directive expires, but other embodiments will close out the directed autoload process after a period of time even if the fare card is not expired. The missing credit or debit can be loaded after the directed autoload process stops, but that process is not automatic in one embodiment.  
         [0035]     With reference to  FIG. 3B , a flow diagrams of another embodiment of a process  300 - 2  for fixing an interrupted fare load is shown. This embodiment doesn&#39;t include steps  332  and  336  that are found in the embodiment of  FIG. 3A . Processing goes from step  328  to step  340  such that a system-wide check for the fare card begins without first checking commonly used machines  208 ,  212  for a period of time. Other embodiments could have many different levels of dissemination of the directed autoload entry that are staged to occur after selectable time periods expire. By staging distribution of the directed autoload entry, these embodiments can decrease the size of directed autoload lists maintained by each machine  208 ,  212 .  
         [0036]     Referring next to  FIG. 3C , a flow diagrams of yet another embodiment of a process  300 - 3  for fixing an interrupted fare load is shown. This embodiment differs from the embodiment of  FIG. 3B  in that step  320  is avoided. Processing goes from step  312  to step  324  to avoid updating the local directed autoload list for the machine  208 ,  212  that first detected the walkaway situation. The central control system  102  would disseminate an updated directed autoload list to the machine  208 ,  212  at a later stage in this embodiment.  
         [0037]     Referring next to  FIG. 3D , a flow diagrams of still another embodiment of a process  300 - 4  for fixing an interrupted fare load is shown. This embodiment differs from the embodiment of  FIG. 3B  in that step  322  is inserted between steps  320  and  324 . After the issuing TVM  212  updates the local directed autoload list in step  320 , all TVMs  212  associated with a particular vendor, station or some other subset have their directed autoload list updated in step  322 . There could be a delay between step  320  and  322  to give time for the user to go back to the original machine where the walkaway occurred.  
         [0038]     With reference to  FIG. 4 , a flow diagram of an embodiment of a process  400  loading a fare card with a direct autoload is shown. The depicted portion of the process begins in step  404  where the machine  208 ,  212  recognizes the fare card. In an embodiment that uses a contactless smart card, the user waives the fare card near a reader/writer such that the serial number can be read. In step  408 , the directed autoload list is checked to determine if the fare card is flagged. For this embodiment, the machine  208 ,  212  has a directed autoload list stored locally, but other embodiments could refer to a remote directed autoload list stored elsewhere in the station system  112  or at the central control system  102 .  
         [0039]     Step  412  determines if the fare card serial number is flagged. Where the fare card is not referenced on the directed autoload list, processing continues from step  412  to step  416  where the process initiated with the machine  208 ,  212  progresses normally without any directed autoload. Where the fare card is flagged in step  412 , processing continues to step  418  where the fare card is checked to see if another machine  208 ,  212  has already performed the directed autoload. A field in the fare card could be written when a directed autoload is performed to indicate that the directed autoload entry has already been executed. Other embodiments could surmise the directed autoload entry has been executed by analysis of the value stored in the card or by reviewing any transaction history that might be stored on the card.  
         [0040]     Where the directed autoload had occurred with another machine  208 ,  212 , processing continues to step  416  where the process initiated on the machine  208 ,  212  completes without any directed autoload. If it is determined in step  418  that there was no prior directed autoload executed in step  418 , processing continues to step  420  where the directed autoload occurs. This load of credit or debit may be done as part of the other process initiated with the machine  208 ,  212  or could be separate. Screen prompts may request that the user waive the fare card near the reader/writer to allow writing the credit or debit. Processing continues to step  416  where the process is completed for both the autoload and the other process. For example, the user may use their fare card with a turnstile for entry into the transit system, which would be accomplished along with writing a credit left at a TVM  212  previously used.  
         [0041]     A number of variations and modifications of the disclosed embodiments can also be used. For example, many of the above embodiments are explained in the context of a fare collection system, but the invention could be applied to any open or closed stored value system where the portable card or device stores an authenticated credit or debit value. Examples of other applications could include, prepaid phone cards, stored value credit cards, smart cards, cellular phones with an integral payment option, RFID tag with memory used for payment, etc.  
         [0042]     While the principles of the disclosure have been described above in connection with specific apparatuses and methods, it is to be clearly understood that this description is made only by way of example and not as limitation on the scope of the invention.