System for processing IC card with display function

A card processing system having IC cards, and a device which executes information processing on the basis of information held in each IC card and information externally fed. A system for processing cards with a display function characterized in that each IC card is endowed with the display function, and that guidance information to be conveyed to a bearer of the IC card is generated and stored in the IC card at the time of the information processing, thereby to display the guidance information on the IC card.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention: 
The present invention relates to a card processing system which uses IC 
cards (integrated circuit cards). More particularly, it relates to a 
system for processing IC cards with a display function which is well 
suited to visually display guidance information effective for a card user 
on a display equipment such as of liquid crystal built in each IC card. 
2. Description of the Prior Art: 
An IC card can store a comparatively large number of information items 
therein, and has excellent features for keeping secrecy. Heretofore, 
various card processing systems utilizing these features of the IC cards 
and performing the identification of individuals, the management of the 
specified information of the individuals and the attendant information 
processes have been constructed. 
Such card processing systems and apparatuses are described in NIKKEI 
ELECTRONICS dated Dec. 2, 1985, pp. 275-292, and the same bulletin dated 
Dec. 16, 1985, pp. 249-262. 
Now, the card processing system in a prior art will be outlined as to a 
case of application to hospital management. 
In a hospital, the IC card processing system is utilized for the systems of 
outpatient receipt management, anamnesis management, inspection data 
management, account management, etc. More specifically, a patient bears an 
IC card for his/her exclusive use and submits the IC card to a reception 
window. In the reception window, the IC card is inserted into an IC card 
reader/writer installed there, whereby the contents of the IC card are 
read to identify the patient. In a case where the patient is a new patient 
for the first medical examination, his/her condition, the desired contents 
of medical examination and treatment, etc. are written into the IC card in 
a predetermined format. On the other hand, in case of medical 
re-examination, the condition of a disease, the expected contents of 
medical examination and treatment, etc. at the current time are written 
into the IC card in a predetermined format by reference to the previous 
contents of medical examination and treatment stored in the IC card. 
Subsequently, the patient bears the IC card and goes to the reception 
window of a designated department, to which he/she submits the IC card. In 
the departmental window, the IC card is subjected to a receipt process by 
the use of a card reader/writer installed in this window, whereupon 
information items on the examined and treated contents, the prescriptions 
of medicines, the necessity of any inspection, etc. are written into the 
IC card. If necessary, the patient goes to an inspection room, in which 
he/she is inspected and the results of the inspection are written into the 
IC card as in the foregoing. Likewise, the patient further goes to 
pertinent sections and is given necessary treatments in succession, and 
information items are written into the IC card or the contents of the IC 
card are updated in correspondence with the treatments. Lastly, the 
patient receives medicines prescribed on the basis of the information 
contained in the IC card, at a pharmacist's office. On that occasion, the 
fee is automatically paid from, for example, the deposit account of the 
patient through a bank system externally connected. 
With the prior-art example, however, notwithstanding that the patient must 
go to a large number of sections in succession within the hospital, no 
means is comprised for effectively informing the patient of the guides of 
the goals, the instructions of precautions, etc., and such matters are 
often conveyed orally. This has led to such problems that many mistakes 
arise and that a wasteful time is expended for seeking the desired 
section. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION: 
The present invention has been made in order to solve the aforementioned 
problems, and has for its object to provide a system for processing IC 
cards with a display function in which guidance information etc. to be 
reported to the user of each IC card are visually displayed on the IC 
card, thereby to effectively convey information to the user. 
According to the present invention, the object is accomplished in such a 
way that a display element of liquid crystal or the like, and a power 
supply element (for example, lithium cell) for driving the display element 
are incorporated in the IC card, thereby to establish the function of 
displaying information written in a predetermined format, while the 
control unit of an IC card reader/writer is adapted to generate the 
guidance information etc. to be reported to the user, on the basis of 
information already stored in the IC card and other information obtained 
anew, thereby to establish the function of writing the display information 
into the IC card in the predetermined format. 
The IC card in which the display element and the element for supplying 
power thereto are built has the function of displaying the information 
items internally stored, ordinarily some of the stored items, in the 
statuses which the user can directly see with the eye, such as letters, 
characters, numerals and patterns. The information displaying function can 
be demonstrated while continuing for a required period of time owing to 
the power supply element. 
Accordingly, the IC card is inserted into the card reader/writer to execute 
predetermined information processing and simultaneously to write in 
predetermined forms the goal guides, precautions etc. which are to be 
displayed on the card. Thus, even after the IC card is taken out of the 
card reader/writer, the information can be conveyed for the required time 
in the state in which the user can directly see it with the eye.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
Now, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to 
the drawings as to an embodiment applied to the outpatient receipt system 
of a hospital by way of example. 
In FIGS. 1-3, symbols 10, 10-1, . . . and 10-N denote window units, numeral 
11 a host computer, numeral 20 an IC card reader/writer, numeral 21 a 
display, numeral 22 a keyboard, numeral 23 a control equipment, numeral 30 
a connector, symbols 31-1, . . . and 31-N signal lines, numeral 32 a power 
line, numeral 33 a send/receive equipment, numeral 34 a process equipment, 
numeral 35 a memory element, numeral 36 a liquid crystal display element, 
and numeral 37 a lithium electric cell. 
As shown in FIG. 1, the hospital outpatient receipt system to which the 
system for processing the IC cards with the display function according to 
the present invention is applied is so constructed that the large number 
of window units 10-1 thru 10-N are connected to the host computer 11 which 
receives data from the window units so as to send data thereto and to 
execute desired data processes. The window units 10-1 thru 10-N are 
installed in pertinent places within the hospital, such as an overall 
window, an internal department window, a surgical department window, a 
pharmacy window and a consulting room. All the window units are similarly 
constructed, and the construction is shown as a window unit 10 in FIG. 2. 
The window unit 10 is so constructed that the card reader/writer 20 which 
reads and writes information from and into the IC card with the display 
function, the display 21 which is used as a monitor when, for example, an 
operator inputs required data, and the keyboard 22 with which the operator 
inputs the required data, are connected to the control equipment 23. The 
control equipment 23 includes a memory circuit, and has the functions of 
an input/output control for the card reader/writer 20, a display control 
for the display 21, the control of data input from the keyboard 22, and a 
transmission control for the communication between the control equipment 
23 and the host computer 11. 
As shown in FIG. 3, the IC card with the display function is composed of 
the connector 30 which includes contact electrodes connected to the 
reader/writer 20, the send/receive equipment 33 which sends and receives 
information externally, the memory element 35 which stores the information 
sent from outside, the process equipment 34 which processes the stored 
information, the liquid crystal display element 36 which displays the 
stored information, and the lithium cell 37. The send/receive equipment 
33, the process equipment 34, the memory element 35 and the liquid crystal 
display element 36 which constitute the IC card are operated by being 
supplied with electric power from the window unit 10 while the IC card is 
inserted in the reader/writer 20 of the window unit 10. In contrast, in a 
case where a patient carries the IC card alone, only the memory element 35 
and the liquid crystal display element 36 necessary for the display 
operation are supplied with the electric power by the lithium cell 37. For 
this reason, electronic switches SW1 and SW2 incorporated in the power 
line 32 are constructed so as to be automatically controlled "on" or "off" 
depending upon whether or not the IC card is inserted in the reader/writer 
20. 
Such an IC card with the display function is issued to a new patient for 
the first medical examination. When it is issued, data items, for example, 
the name of the patient to be examined, the sex, the birth date, the age, 
the name of a department for the examination, chart (Karte) No., and the 
name of a bank with account No. from which fees such as a consultation fee 
are to be paid are stored in the memory element 35. 
Now, an example of a patient to be examined in the department of internal 
medicine will be mentioned and described. 
The new patient to be examined in the internal department goes to the 
overall reception office of the hospital. He/she fills up a consultation 
ticket and a questionnaire with necessary matters and submits them to the 
office, so as to have the IC card with the display function issued. 
Information items in a data format as shown in FIG. 9 are stored in the 
memory element 35 of the issued IC card with the display function. 
Referring to FIG. 9, the data format in the IC card is in the form of a 
clinical chart, which contains individual identification information items 
such as patient number 900, receipt date 901, name 902, birth date 903 and 
sex 904, information on medical examination and treatment such as 
department name 905, examination and treatment contents 906 and receipt 
number 907, and guidance information 910 for the patient. 
In a case where the patient is to be re-examined, the contents of the 
previous examination and treatment have already been registered in the IC 
card managed by the patient (brought back by him or her), and hence, 
he/she may directly hand the IC card to the operator of the overall window 
without the necessity of the IC card issuing process at the time of the 
first medical examination. 
When the operator of the overall window has received the IC card with the 
display function, he/she inserts it into the card inserting slit of the IC 
card reader/writer 20 of the window unit 10-1. When the IC card has been 
put in the insertion slit, the contents of the memory element 35 built in 
this IC card with the display function are read and transferred to the 
control equipment 23 through the card reader of the IC card reader/writer 
20. The control equipment 23 has control and memory circuits in which a 
program concerning the control contents of the input/output process 
control of the window unit 10-1 is set beforehand. It is also connected 
with the host computer 11, display 21 and keyboard 22, and it performs the 
input/output control of the window unit 10-1 to be described later. While 
the operator is monitoring results obtained with the input/output control, 
by means of the monitoring display 21, he/she supplies information items 
on sections to which the patient for the examination is to go, as well as 
the order of the sections, to the IC card with the display function and 
stores them in the memory element 35 in a format as shown in FIG. 8 by way 
of example. Further, the operator stores in the memory element 35 the 
information of guidance for the examination, for example, window No. of 
the section where the patient is to go next. When the IC card with the 
display function has been handed to the patient after the end of the 
processes in the window unit 10-1, the guidance information is displayed 
on the liquid crystal display element 36 so as to inform the patient of 
the next goal. The examination information items obtained by the foregoing 
input/output processes in the window unit 10-1 are previously sent via the 
host computer 11 to the window unit of, e. g., a consulting room in which 
a doctor in charge is. In addition, information necessary for the 
centralized management of information items from the respective window 
units is sent to the host computer 11. 
FIG. 4 is a flow chart of the control program for controlling the window 
unit of the overall window of the hospital. The control operation will be 
described in more detail with reference to this figure. 
When the IC card with the display function has been inserted into the card 
reader/writer 20 of the window unit 10-1 in the overall reception office, 
the control equipment 23 performs an IC card content reading process 402 
for receiving read information from the card reader/writer 20. While 
asking questions of the patient for the examination of the internal 
department on the basis of the read information received, the operator of 
the overall window inputs the examination contents etc. into the IC card 
in the predetermined format through the keyboard 22, depending upon 
whether or not the patient is for the first medical examination (flow 
404). Then, a process for the first examination (flow 406) or a process 
for the re-examination (flow 416) is performed. In a case where the 
medical examination of the internal department is required (flow 408), the 
control equipment 23 of the window unit 10-1 of the overall reception 
office executes an internal medical examination process (flow 410), in 
which internal medical examination information items obtained by the above 
processes are sent to the host computer 11 and are stored in the memory 
circuit of the control equipment 23 and recorded as predetermined contents 
under the control of a system control circuit. Further, the process (flow 
412) of writing the internal medical examination information items into 
the IC card with the display function is executed via the card 
reader/writer 20 of the window unit 10-1. On this occasion, among the 
sections to go as stored in the memory element 35 of the IC card, the 
place of the overall window is simultaneously subjected to the process of 
writing to the effect that the receipt at the overall reception office has 
ended. The card reader/writer 20 of the window unit 10-1 of the overall 
reception office, which has obtained the internal medical examination 
information from the control equipment 23, performs the process (flow 414) 
of storing the internal examination guidance information of the patient to 
be examined in the internal department, in the memory element 35 of the IC 
card with the display function on the basis of the internal medical 
examination information and then displaying the guidance information on 
the liquid crystal display element 36. 
In a case where an inspection is required (flow 418) or merely medication 
is required (flow 426) without the necessity of the internal medical 
examination, the control equipment 23 correspondingly performs an 
inspection process (flow 420) or a pharmacy process (flow 428), the 
process (flow 422 or 430) of writing process information and guidance 
information into the IC card, and the process (flow 424 or 432) of 
displaying the guidance information on the IC card as in the case of the 
internal medical examination. 
When the above processes have ended, the IC card with the display function 
is taken out of the window unit 10-1 of the overall reception office and 
is handed to the patient. Since the guidance information as shown in FIG. 
5(a) by way of example is displayed on the liquid crystal display element 
36 of the IC card, the patient to be examined in the internal department 
goes to the window of the internal department in accordance with this 
guidance. 
FIG. 6 is a flow chart of a control program for controlling the window unit 
installed in the internal department. 
When the patient to be examined in the internal department submits the IC 
card to the window of this department, the receptionist operator of the 
internal department inserts the IC card into the card reader/writer 20 of 
the window unit 10-2 of this department. Thus, the control equipment 23 
receives read information from the card reader/writer 20, and it checks 
the name information and also checks whether or not the section to which 
the patient is to go is proper and whether or not the receipt of the 
overall window has ended (flow 602), and it executes the process of 
receipt at the internal department (flow 604), thereby to complete the 
receipt operation of this department. During the medical examination of a 
doctor, information items on the condition of a disease, the prescription 
of medication, etc. decided by the doctor are written from the 
reader/writer 20 of the window unit available to the doctor, into the IC 
card of the patient under examination through the keyboard 21, and the 
control equipment 23 executes a medical examination process (flow 606) 
which includes sending these information items to the host computer 11. 
Further, in a case where an inspection (flow 610) is required or where 
medication (flow 616) is required, the control equipment 23 performs 
corresponding processes (flows 610, 612 and 614 or flows 618, 620 and 622) 
just as already elucidated in FIG. 4. Meanwhile, in a case where neither 
the inspection nor the medication is required, the patient examined in the 
internal department corresponds to the end of medical examination and 
treatment. At this point of time, therefore, the calculation of points for 
the medical examination and treatment contents, etc. is executed by the 
control equipment 23 of the window unit in accordance with the process 
(flow 624) of paying a fee for the medical examination and treatment. 
Further, the presence or absence of a bank account is checked by the host 
computer 11, whereupon in the present of the account, the fee is 
automatically paid, and in the absence thereof, the patient is instructed 
to go to an account window and pay there. Also, the process (flow 626) of 
writing the consultation fee into the IC card and the process (flow 628) 
of displaying it are executed. 
If, at the end of the foregoing process of the internal medical 
examination, the patient needs to be medicated, a guidance display as 
shown in FIG. 5(b) by way of example is presented on the liquid crystal 
display element 36 of the IC card with the display function handed to the 
patient. According to the guidance display, the patient moves to the 
pharmacy and hands the IC card to the receptionist operator of the 
pharmcy. 
FIG. 7 is a flow chart of a control program for controlling the window unit 
installed in the pharmacy reception office. 
The operator in the pharmcy reception office inserts the IC card into the 
card reader/writer 20 of the window unit 10-N of the pharmacy, to read out 
the medical examination information from the memory element 35 of the IC 
card and check the name information, the end information of the medical 
examination of the internal department, etc. (flow 702) and to execute a 
pharmacy receipt process (flow 704), thereby to complete the receipt 
operation of the pharmcy. Thereafter, a medicine is compounded by a 
pharmacist. If necessary, precautions in the case of taking the medicine, 
etc. are written into the memory element 35 of the patient's IC card with 
the display function through the keyboard 22 and are displayed on the 
liquid crystal display element 36 as a medication process (flow 706). When 
the medication process is over, the patient examined in the internal 
department ends the medical examination and treatment. At the subsequent 
stage, therefore, a fee paying process (flow 708), the process (flow 710) 
of writing a medical examination and treatment fee, etc. into the IC card, 
and the process (flow 712) of displaying them are carried out. 
Lastly, the patient examined in the internal department receives the 
medicine and the IC card with the display function. The fee of the current 
treatment, notes for taking the medicine, the date of the next medical 
examination, etc. are displayed on the IC card as shown in FIG. 5(c) by 
way of example. In this manner, the guidance information for the medical 
examination is displayed on the IC card with the display function to the 
patient who is examined, under the state under which it can be directly 
seen with the eye, whereby the information can be effectively conveyed to 
the patient for the medical examination. 
In the description of the embodiment, in a case where the decision of the 
flow 426 is NO in the flow chart of the control program in FIG. 4, 
re-processing for another department of the hospital is performed. In a 
case where the result of the name information check (flow 602 or 702) is 
NO in the flow chart of the control program in FIG. 6 or FIG. 7, the 
situation is, e. g., an occasion in which the patient to be examined or 
treated has submitted the IC card erroneously to the window, and the 
process (flow 630 or 714) of outputting an alarm message to the operator 
of the window is carried out. 
The information items on the sections to which the patient to be examined 
and treated is to go, as well as the order thereof, and in the format 
shown in FIG. 8, these items being stored in the memory element 35 of the 
IC card with the display function at the time of the overall receipt, are 
also stored in the host computer 11 in correspondence with the particular 
patient. Each time the host computer 11 is fed from the window unit with 
the end status information of the section to which the patient goes, it 
checks this information so as to manage, e. g., if the patient is properly 
moving to the respective sections. That is, when the sections to which the 
patient is to go are input to the IC card in the window unit of the 
overall reception office, the information items are stored in the host 
computer 11 beforehand, while the host computer 11 compares the stored 
information with the end status information of the section to which the 
patient goes, this information being sent from the window unit of each 
department. This associated operation makes it possible to check the 
degrees of crowdedness of the respective sections and to give the window 
units the instructions of altering the orders of the goals, according to 
the degrees of crowdedness, etc. When the patient has submitted the IC 
card to the corresponding window, the instructed window unit writes the 
alteration of the order of the subsequent goals into the memory element 35 
of the IC card. 
In the above, the embodiment of the present invention has been explained as 
to the case where the present invention is applied to the outpatient 
receipt system of the hospital. As another embodiment, there is an 
application to a receipt system in a public institution, for example, a 
city government. 
A visitor tells an operator the contents of use at an overall reception 
office. The operator inputs the contents of use, etc. through a keyboard, 
to perform the processes of sending visitor information etc. to a host 
computer and displaying use guidance information on an IC card, whereupon 
he/she hands the IC card to the visitor. While seeing the use guidance 
information displayed on the IC card, the visitor moves to the windows of 
sections to-be-used in succession, and receptionist operators at the 
windows of the sections for use processes the IC card of the visitor. 
Thus, the purpose of use of the visitor can be efficiently achieved. 
Also, the present invention is applicable to a receipt system for issuing 
and renewing drivers' licenses. 
In the foregoing embodiment of the present invention, a primary cell such 
as the lithium cell has been used as the driving power source of the 
liquid crystal display element or the like in the IC card with the display 
function. However, the display period of time may be short in some cases, 
depending upon the contents of service and the frequence of use of a 
system. In such cases, an accumulator or a capacitor can be used. To the 
contrary, in a case where a display for a still longer time is needed, a 
solar cell can be conjointly used. In addition, the liquid crystal display 
element of the IC card with the display function can be replaced with a 
display element which is based on another known principle. 
As regards some service contents to which the present invention is applied, 
a user does not want to leave a display content behind. In this case, it 
is also possible to adopt a construction in which the IC card with the 
display function is additionally provided with a switch for erasing the 
display partly or wholly. 
The embodiment of the present invention has been so constructed that the 
host computer is installed to perform the exchange of information among 
the window units and the centralized management of the information items 
of the respective window units. However, the present invention is also 
applicable to a system in which the functions of the control equipments of 
the respective window units are simplified to execute the information 
processes of the window units in centralized fashion by the host computer, 
or a system in which, conversely to the above, the control equipments of 
the respective window units execute all the processes to dispense with the 
host computer. Either system can be adopted according to service contents 
and service aspects. 
Further, the embodiment of the present invention has been so constructed 
that the control equipment of each window unit reads and checks 
information in the IC card with the display function and that it writes 
necessary information into the IC card. However, it is also allowed that 
the process equipment within the IC card be endowed with such functions 
and that each window unit afford only code information for identifying a 
reception office, to the IC card. 
As described above, according to the present invention, guidance 
information items such as the order of receipts and the windows of goals 
are visually displayed on an IC card with a display function for the owner 
or user of the IC card, whereby the guidance information items can be 
conveyed accurately and effectively.