Transaction-oriented electronic accommodation system

A transaction-oriented electronic accommodation system includes an IC card storing electronic monetary information and an identification number, an IC card read/write unit for reading and/or writing information in/from the IC card, a key control unit for controlling locking and unlocking of a door of the article receiving/housing unit, an identification number storing unit for storing identification number of the IC card, an amount-of-money information storing unit for storing amount-of-money information, a collating unit for collating the identification number stored in the identification number storing unit with the identification number read out from the IC card, and a line control unit for transferring the electronic monetary information via transmission line. For utilizing the article receiving/housing unit, the IC card is inserted, whereby the article receiving/housing unit is locked. For taking out article from the article receiving/housing unit, the IC card is inserted, whereby the article receiving/housing unit is unlocked with the accounting being settled. Cashless transaction can be realized.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates generally to a transaction-oriented 
electronic accommodation system such as an electronic home-by-home (or 
door-to-door) delivery service/reception system, an electronic laundry 
service/reception system, an IC-card-operated electronic locker system, an 
IC-card type electronic parking meter system and the like. Such systems 
are adapted for performing control and management of boxes or compartments 
or zones destined for accommodating articles in a broadest sense, as well 
as monetary transactions associated therewith, by making use of an 
electronic wallet system. 
As the transaction-oriented electronic accommodation system of the type 
mentioned above, there has been proposed in JP-A-3-92966 (Japanese 
Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 92966/1991) an electronic 
money system in which an IC card (integrated-circuit card) is used for 
realizing commercial transactions in a completely cashless manner (i.e., 
without involving monetary transactions in cash). 
Similar systems are also disclosed in the publications of JP-A-5-287946, 
JP-A-5-46633 and JP-A-432050. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
It is an object of the present invention to provide a transaction-oriented 
electronic accommodation system such as an electronic home-by-home 
delivery service/reception system, an electronic laundry service/reception 
system, an IC-card-operated electronic locker system, a parking meter 
system and the like, in which the principle underlying an electronic money 
system is made use of. Such allows monetary transactions associated 
therewith to be performed in a cashless manner using an IC card, while 
allowing the IC card to also be used as keys for locking and unlocking 
accommodation units or boxes to thereby render unnecessary all of the 
management of keys, handling of money and bill collecting. 
In view of the above and other objects which will become apparent as the 
description proceeds, there is provided according to an aspect of the 
present invention, a transaction-oriented electronic accommodation system 
which includes an IC card storing electronic monetary information and an 
identification number. Further, there are included: an IC card read/write 
unit for reading and/or writing information in/from the IC card, an IC 
card control unit for controlling loading and discharge of the IC card 
into/from the accommodation system, an article receiving/housing unit such 
as a box for accommodating therein an article, a key control unit for 
controlling locking and unlocking of a door of the article 
receiving/housing unit, an identification number storing unit for storing 
the identification number of the IC card, an amount-of-money information 
storing unit for storing amount-of-money information, a collating unit for 
collating the identification number stored in the identification number 
storing unit with the identification number read out from the IC card, and 
a line control unit for transferring the electronic monetary information 
with a centralized management unit via transmission line or channel. 
Upon accommodation of an article within the article receiving/housing unit 
such as a box, a compartment, a zone or the like, the identification 
number read out from the IC card is stored in the identification number 
storing unit, and the door of the article receiving/housing unit is locked 
under the control of the key control unit. Further, upon taking out of the 
article from the article receiving/housing unit, the door thereof is 
unlocked by the key under the control of the key control unit, only when 
coincidence is found by the collating unit between the identification 
number stored in the identification number storing incorporated in the 
system unit and the identification number read out from the IC card as 
inserted. Furthermore, upon taking out of the article from the article 
receiving/housing unit, the amount of money to be charged for utilization 
of the accommodation system is subtracted from deposit money recorded in 
the IC card by means of the IC card read/write unit. A corresponding 
amount-of-money information is then sent to the centralized management 
unit such as a management center via a transmission line such as a 
telephone circuit, only when monetary information is stored in the 
monetary information storing unit. 
By applying the principle underlying the electronic money system to the 
transaction-oriented electronic accommodation system such as a locker 
system, a home-by-home delivery system and others, the article 
receiving/housing unit can be locked upon starting the use thereof in 
dependence on the ID number of the IC card as inserted. Similarly, taking 
out the article from the article receiving/housing unit, unlocking of the 
article receiving/housing unit and the accounting settlement processing 
are performed simply by inserting the IC card in the transaction-oriented 
electronic accommodation system. Similar advantageous effects can be 
realized in the locker system as well. Thus, the user of the 
transaction-oriented electronic accommodation system can get rid of a a 
burden for managing the key for unlocking the article receiving/housing 
unit, while allowing the accounting to be settled at the same time even 
when payment upon reception of the article is required. Thus, transaction 
can be realized in the cashless manner (i.e., without involving monetary 
transactions in cash). 
In the transaction-oriented electronic accommodation system according to 
another aspect of the present invention, an IC card is used as a 
substitute means for payment in cash by writing the monetary information 
(amount-of-money information) in the IC card, while the ID information 
recorded in the IC card is made use of for locking and unlocking the 
article receiving/housing unit such as a box, compartment or the like. To 
this end, the transaction-oriented electronic accommodation system is 
comprised of a unit for reading out the ID information from the IC card as 
inserted, a unit for storing the ID information, a unit for controlling 
locking/unlocking of the article receiving/housing unit, a unit for 
storing the ID information, a unit for controlling the locking/unlocking 
key by collating the input ID information with the stored ID information, 
a unit for measuring a time, a unit for calculating an amount of money to 
be charged on the basis of the information concerning the time as 
measured, a unit for rewriting or updating the monetary information 
recorded in the IC card in dependence of the amount-of-money information 
as charged, and a unit for transferring the monetary information with a 
center for centralized management. 
With the arrangement of the transaction-oriented electronic accommodation 
system described above, the IC card carrying the monetary information and 
the ID information can be used in association with the article 
receiving/housing unit. Thus, the transaction-oriented electronic 
accommodation system can be utilized even when the user has no money in 
cash or no coins. Besides, utilization of the transaction-oriented 
electronic accommodation system can be realized satisfactorily for the 
user even in the case where the transaction-oriented electronic 
accommodation system or the article receiving/housing unit is used only 
for a short time, because the fee as charged is calculated on the basis of 
the time for which the system has been utilized. 
Thus, with the arrangement of the transaction oriented electronic 
accommodation system according to the present invention, the facilities or 
services which require instantaneous settlement of the accounting for the 
utilization as well as identification of the user can be realized without 
need for monetary transaction in cash, to great advantages. 
The above and other objects, features and attendant advantages of the 
present invention will more easily be understood by reading the following 
description of the preferred embodiments thereof taken, only by way of 
example, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
The present invention will be described in detail in conjunction with what 
is presently considered as preferred or typical embodiments and 
applications thereof by reference to the drawings. In the following 
description, like reference characters designate like or corresponding 
parts throughout the several views. 
Now, referring to FIGS. 1 to 10, description will be made of a 
transaction-oriented electronic accommodation system according to an 
exemplary embodiment of the invention. More specifically, the instant 
embodiment of the invention is directed to an electronic home-by-home (or 
door-to-door) delivery/reception system, which is one of typical 
applications which the transaction-oriented electronic accommodation 
system according to the invention is applicable. FIG. 1 shows in a block 
diagram, a general arrangement of the electronic home-by-home (or 
door-to-door) delivery service/reception system. In the figure, reference 
character 1a designates generally the transaction-oriented electronic 
accommodation system applied to an electronic delivery service/reception 
system, I denotes an article receiving/housing unit, 2 denotes a key, 3 
denotes a key control unit, 4 denotes an IC card control unit, 5 denotes 
an IC card read/write unit, 6 denotes a display unit, 7 denotes an 
arithmetic processing unit, 8 denotes a line control unit, 9 denotes an 
input key, 10 denotes an amount-of-money information storage unit, and 
numeral 11 denotes an ID number storage unit. 
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing, by way of example only, a structure of 
the ID number storage unit 11. As can be seen in the figure, the ID number 
storage unit 11 is comprised of an input/output control unit 12, a 
receiver (addressee) ID number storing area 13, an authorized dealer ID 
number storing area 14, and a family ID number information storing area 
15. The receiver ID number storing area 13 is destined for storing the ID 
number (identification number) of a receiver or destination for an article 
to be delivered. However, so long as the article receiving/housing unit 1 
remains empty, none is stored in the receiver ID number storing area 13. 
On the other hand, the authorized dealer ID number storing area 14 is 
destined for storing the ID number of the authorized dealer, in order to 
ensure that only the authorized dealer or deliveryman can place or put an 
article or articles in the article receiving/housing unit 1. Further, the 
family ID number information storing area 15 is destined to store the ID 
numbers of IC cards carried by individuals resident in separate rooms, of 
one and the same building. FIG. 3 shows, by way of example, a structure of 
the family ID number information storing area 15. 
At first, the concept or principle of the invention underlying the 
transaction-oriented electronic accommodation system applied to the 
electronic delivery service/reception system 1a will be described in 
general. It is assumed that the electronic delivery service/reception 
system 1a of concern is usually installed at an entrance of a collective 
house building such as, for example, an apartment house, a so-called 
mansion or the like. A deliveryman puts an article or articles in the 
article receiving/housing unit 1 and locks it by using the key 2. On the 
other hand, the receiver or addressee can open the article 
receiving/housing unit 1 by using his or her own key 2, to thereby take 
out the article(s) from the article receiving/housing unit 1. Thus, the 
electronic delivery service/reception system 1a allows the deliveryman to 
deliver article or articles even when the addressee or receiver(s) is 
absent, and is very advantageous for the delivery of article(s) or goods 
to the houses which are prone to be unoccupied in the daytime, such as 
student's residences, dual-income families or the like. Additionally, by 
adopting the electronic home-by-home (or door-to-door) delivery 
service/reception system, the ID number of the IC card can be made use of 
as the key 2 for the electronic delivery service/reception system 1a. In 
addition, the accounting as involved can be easily settled by making use 
of so-called electronic money when it is required upon reception of the 
article as delivered. In the case of the system shown in FIG. 1, it is 
assumed that a plurality of electronic delivery service/reception systems 
1a are provided for each of the collective house building or apartment 
house and the like, and that the addressee can receive the delivered 
article by using freely any one of the electronic delivery 
service/reception systems 1a. It should, however, be appreciated that the 
electronic delivery service/reception system 1a may be installed in 
one-to-one correspondence with respect to a home or family. 
FIG. 4 is a flow chart for illustrating operation performed by a 
deliveryman for the door-to-door delivery service by using his or her 
electronic wallet in association with delivering an article. 
When the deliveryman unlocks the article receiving/housing unit 1 of the 
electronic delivery service/reception system 1a by using his or her own IC 
card, it is required for the deliveryman to register the information about 
the addressee or receiver of an article for delivery and 
information-concerning the amount of money when the accounting has to be 
settled upon transfer of the article. Accordingly, the deliveryman inserts 
his or her own IC card into the electronic wallet before delivery (step 
Sll), to thereby allow the room number of the addressee or destination for 
the delivery to be written in the IC card (step S12). Further, when the 
settlement of the amount of money charged for the delivery is required 
upon transfer of the article (step S13), the deliveryman is required to 
write the information about the amount of money in the IC card (step S14). 
In this conjunction, it is presumed that the information as to the room 
numbers of all the addressees and the information concerning the amounts 
of money to be charged are stored in the electronic wallet, and then with 
manipulation of the input key 9 by the deliveryman, the information as to 
the room number of the addressee who is to receive next an article as well 
as the information about the amount of money to be charged, is stored in a 
memory incorporated in the IC card. 
Upon completion of writing of the information mentioned above in the IC 
card carried by the deliveryman, the IC card is discharged from the 
electronic wallet (step S15), whereupon the processing comes to an end 
(step S16). 
At this juncture, it should be mentioned that the delivery slip (i.e., slip 
for the delivery) itself may be an IC card. In that case, the deliveryman 
can get rid of the burden for writing the information concerning the room 
number of the addressee as well as the amount of money to be charged upon 
every delivery. 
After the operation described above, the deliveryman places the article 
concerned in the article receiving/housing unit 1 of the electronic 
delivery service/reception system 1a shown in FIG. 1, and locks the system 
by using the key 2. Later on, the addressee can receive the article by 
opening the electronic delivery service/reception system 1a by using the 
key 2. FIG. 5 is a flow chart for illustrating the processing performed by 
an addressee upon receiving an article destined to him or her from the 
electronic delivery service/reception system 1a. 
At first, description will be directed to operation required for the 
deliveryman to place an article into the article receiving/housing unit 1 
of the electronic delivery service/reception system 1a. When the 
deliveryman inserts his or her IC card in a card receiving slot of the 
electronic delivery service/reception system 1a (step S21), the IC card is 
fed into the system 1a under the control of the IC card control unit 4. 
Subsequently, the ID number of the IC card as inserted is read out by the 
IC card read/write unit 5, whereupon the relevant ID information is 
supplied to the arithmetic processing unit 7 (step S22). The arithmetic 
processing unit 7 then checks whether or not the ID number of the 
addressee who is duly to receive the article is stored in the addressee ID 
number storing area 13 (step S23). Unless the ID number of the addressee 
is stored in the addressee ID number storing area 13, this means that the 
article receiving/housing unit 1 is empty. In that case, the processing 
branches to a routine illustrated at a right-hand side of FIG. 5 for 
allowing the deliveryman to place the article in the article 
receiving/housing unit 1. 
Subsequently, it is checked in a step S50 whether or not the ID number of 
the IC card carried by the deliveryman is registered in the authorized 
dealer ID number storing area 14. When it is confirmed in the step S50 
that the deliveryman is an authorized dealer, the processing proceeds to a 
succeeding step. On the other hand, when it is found that the deliveryman 
is not the authorized dealer, the IC card is rejected or discharged from 
the electronic delivery service/reception system 1a, making it impossible 
for the deliveryman to place the article in the article receiving/housing 
unit 1. Owing to the processing routine described above, it is only the 
authorized dealer or deliveryman that can place the article in the article 
receiving/housing unit 1. Thus, security of the article receiving/housing 
unit 1 and hence the electronic delivery service/reception system 1a can 
positively be ensured with high reliability. 
Now, it is assumed that the deliveryman is the authorized dealer, 
information about the room number of the addressee duly to receive the 
article (which information is stored in the memory of the IC card) is read 
out by the IC card read/write unit 5 in a step S51. Additionally, 
information about the amount of money is read out by the IC card 
read/write unit 5 when the fee for the delivery is to be charged 
simultaneously in the step S51. In case the room number of the addressee 
is registered in the family ID number information storing area 15 in a 
step S52, the article receiving/housing unit 1 is opened by unlocking the 
key 2 in a step S53. However, when the room number as read out is not 
registered, this means that no destination for the delivery exists in the 
building currently visited. Consequently, the IC card is returned to the 
deliveryman (step S62), whereupon the processing now under consideration 
comes to an end in a step S63. Such situation may occur when the 
deliveryman has entered or registered erroneously the information about 
the addressee or when the deliveryman is going to place the article 
erroneously in the electronic delivery service/reception system 1a 
installed in association with another or different building. 
When the article receiving/housing unit 1 is unlocked with the key 2, the 
room number of the addressee is displayed on the display unit 6 in a step 
54, indicating that the article has been placed into the article 
receiving/housing unit 1. Additionally, the ID numbers of the individual 
addressees are read out from the family ID number information storing area 
15 by making use of the information about the addressee's room number. 
Subsequently, the ID number as read out is registered in the addressee ID 
number storing area 13 in a step S55. Similarly, when the information 
about the amount of money is read out from the IC card in the step S56, 
the amount of money is displayed on the display unit 6 in a step S57 and 
stored at the same time in the amount-of-money information storage unit 10 
in a step S58. 
In this conjunction, such arrangement may equally be adopted that the 
information about the amount of money displayed on the display unit 6 
disappears once having been displayed, and that it can be displayed again 
upon insertion of the IC card by the addressee. In that case, however, 
only such accounting (or billing) information may constantly be displayed 
so that the addressee can understand that the delivery fee must be paid 
upon reception of the article before he or she inserts the IC card in the 
article receiving/housing unit 1. Parenthetically, it is equally 
conceivable to display constantly the room number as well as the 
information about the amount of money, and additionally, the information 
about the dispatcher and identity of the article being delivered can be 
displayed, as occasion requires. To this end, the deliveryman may input in 
his or her IC card the information about the dispatcher and the identity 
of the article for delivery, so that the information mentioned above can 
be read out to be displayed on the display unit 6 after insertion of the 
IC card in the electronic delivery service/reception system 1a. 
Furthermore, the display unit 6 for displaying the information about the 
door-to-door delivery service may be installed on a family-by family basis 
so that the residents in the individual rooms can know of storage of the 
articles destined to them, respectively, while they are in their own 
rooms. 
When the deliveryman places the article in the article receiving/housing 
unit 1 in step S59, he or she can push the input key 9 for messaging the 
end of the delivery processing to the arithmetic processing unit 7 (step 
S60). As a result of this, the article receiving/housing unit 1 is locked 
by the key 2 under the control of the key control unit 3 in a step S61. 
Besides, the IC card is fed out from the electronic delivery 
service/reception system 1a under the control of the IC card control unit 
4 in a step S62, whereupon operation required for the deliveryman to place 
the article of concern within the article receiving/housing unit 1 is 
terminated in a step S63. 
Now, description will turn to operation involved in reception of the 
article by the addressee from the article receiving/housing unit 1. When 
the addressee or receiver inserts his or her own IC card into the card 
insertion slot in a step S21, the IC card is fed into the electronic 
delivery service/reception system 1a under the control of the IC card 
control unit 4. In succession, the ID number of the IC card is read out by 
the IC card read/write unit 5 to be subsequently supplied to the 
arithmetic processing unit 7 in a step S22. Then, the arithmetic 
processing unit 7 confirms or checks whether or not the ID number of the 
due addressee is stored in the addressee ID number storing area 13 in a 
step S23. In this conjunction, it should be noted that when an article 
destined to the addressee is housed within the article receiving/housing 
unit 1, this means that the ID number of the addressee is registered. 
Thus, it can be decided in a step S24 whether or not the ID number read 
out from the IC card coincides with the registered ID number of the 
addressee. When no coincidence is detected between the registered ID 
number of the addressee and the ID number read out from the IC card, the 
IC card is rejected or discharged from the electronic delivery 
service/reception system 1a, and thus the article can not be taken out 
from the article receiving/housing unit 1. In this way, reception of the 
article by an unauthorized person or stealing of the article can 
positively be prevented. When the information concerning the amount of 
money is found as being registered in the amount-of-money information 
storage unit 10 in a step S25, this means that the delivery fee has to be 
collected or charged upon reception of the article. Consequently, 
information about the deposit balance is read out from the IC card in a 
step S26 for confirming whether or not the amount of money to be charged 
can be afforded (step S27). If the delivery fee can not be afforded by the 
remaining amount of money, this fact is displayed on the display unit 6 in 
a step S40. Thereafter, the IC card is rejected and discharged in a step 
S41. Thus, in order to receive the article placed in the article 
receiving/housing unit 1, the addressee has to input at least a 
complementary amount of money in the IC card and perform the similar 
operation as mentioned above. By contrast, when the balance stored in the 
IC card shows that it is enough to pay the fee charged for the delivery, 
the amount of money paid for the delivery of the article of concern is 
registered in the IC card, whereupon the monetary transaction comes to an 
end (step S28). 
When the key 2 of the article receiving/housing unit 1 is opened by the key 
control unit 3 in a step S29, the addressee or receiver can take out the 
delivered article from the article receiving/housing unit 1 in a step S30. 
Thereafter, the receiver pushes the input key 9 for thereby messaging the 
end of the reception processing to the arithmetic processing unit 7 in a 
step S31. As a result of this, the article receiving/housing unit I is 
locked by the key 2 under the control of the key control unit 3 in a step 
S32. Subsequently, the information registered in the addressee ID number 
storing area 13 and the amount-of-money information storage unit 10 are 
erased in a step S33. Additionally, information displayed on the display 
unit 6 is also erased in a step S34. Furthermore, the IC card is 
discharged from the article receiving/housing unit 1 under the control of 
the IC card control unit 4 in a step S41, whereupon operation or procedure 
which allows the addressee or receiver to take out the article delivered 
to him or her from the article receiving/housing unit 1 comes to an end 
(step S42). 
As is apparent from the foregoing, by applying the electronic money system 
or transaction-oriented electronic accommodation system based on the use 
of the IC card to the electronic delivery service/reception system 1a, it 
is possible to perform the processing for opening/closing of the article 
receiving/housing unit 1 with the key 2 and at the same time the 
processing for the monetary transaction when payment upon reception of the 
article delivered is required. Parenthetically, the information of amount 
of money inputted to the IC card is transmitted to a center office of the 
delivery dealer or a bank, to be thereby processed correspondingly. 
In the foregoing description of the transaction-oriented electronic 
accommodation system applied to electronic home-by-home delivery 
service/reception system illustrated in FIG. 1, it has been assumed that 
the arithmetic processing unit 7 is incorporated in the electronic 
delivery service/reception system 1a. However, the arithmetic processing 
unit 7 may collectively be provided in association with the electronic 
delivery service/reception systems 1a to 1c or other and a centralized 
management/control unit 19, as will be described later on by reference to 
FIG. 6. In that case, by transferring the open/close signal of the article 
receiving/housing unit 1 by the key 2 through the medium of the line 
control unit 8, a centralized management/control of the electronic 
delivery service/reception systems 1a to 1c can be realized. In that case, 
the electronic delivery service/reception system 1a can be implemented at 
low cost. In this conjunction, it should be mentioned that there are 
displayed on the display unit 6 of the centralized management/control unit 
19 the information concerning presence/absence of the addressees, the room 
numbers of the addressees, the amount of money and other information in 
the electronic delivery service/reception systems 1a to 1c, respectively. 
At this juncture, it will be helpful for better understanding of the 
invention to make complementary description of the ID number storage unit 
11. It is presumed that the ID number storage unit 11 is destined to store 
therein the family ID number information and the authorized dealer ID 
numbers. Registration of the family ID number information can be realized 
by inserting the IC cards of the members of a family after having changed 
over the operation mode of the electronic delivery service/reception 
system 1a to the registration mode. Such change over is done, for example, 
by means of the input key 9 to thereby allow the family ID number 
information to be registered in the family ID number information storing 
area 15. By virtue of such arrangement, any one of a family can receive a 
delivered article destined for a member of that family. Further, 
registration of the authorized dealer ID(s) can be performed in a similar 
manner. 
Furthermore, although it has been described in conjunction with the instant 
embodiment that the room number of the addressee or receiver is inputted 
to the IC card of the dealer, it should be appreciated that the ID number 
itself of the addressee may be inputted to the IC card. Besides, instead 
of registering the ID number information of all the members constituting a 
family, it is equally conceivable to register the ID number(s) of the IC 
card(s) issued to a specific person or persons of the family so that 
delivered articles can be received only by that specific person or 
persons. Additionally, for coping with such a case that the balance is 
short of the amount of money as required, there may also be conceived a 
method of payment partially in cash or use of a credit card. 
Next, by referring to a flow chart shown in FIG. 7, another exemplary 
embodiment or application of the electronic delivery service/reception 
system 1a will be described. In this case, the processing for allowing the 
deliveryman to place an article(s) to be delivered in the article 
receiving/housing unit 1 is similar to the processing illustrated in the 
flow chart of FIG. 5. In the case of the procedure shown in FIG. 5, the 
accounting processing (i.e., charged fee payment processing) is forcibly 
carried out at the time point the addressee receives an article as 
delivered. As a consequence, in the case where an article which is not 
wanted by an addressee has been delivered, then a corresponding amount of 
money will be subtracted from the balance recorded in the IC card, which 
is of course undesirable for the addressee. To cope with such unwanted 
situation, the procedure illustrated in the flow chart of FIG. 7 is so 
programmed that when the ID number of the IC card of the addressee 
coincides with the content registered in the addressee ID number storing 
area 13 (step S104), and when the amount-of-money information is written 
in the amount-of-money information storage unit 10 (step S105) (i.e., when 
the charged fee payment processing or accounting processing, to say in 
another way, is to be performed), the addressee can first confirm the 
amount-of-money information and the content of the delivered article as 
displayed on the display unit 6 before he or she operates the input key 9 
for indicating readiness for receiving the delivered article (step S106). 
Then, the succeeding processing can be performed. Thus, the addressee can 
reject reception of any article which he or she does not want. 
In the foregoing, description has been directed to the electronic 
home-by-home delivery service/reception system to which the 
transaction-oriented electronic accommodation system according to the 
invention is applied. Now, referring to FIG. 8, description will turn to 
an electronic laundry service/reception system to which the 
transaction-oriented electronic accommodation system according to the 
present invention is applied. In FIG. 8, reference numeral 1 denotes 
generally an article receiving/housing unit 1, 1a denotes the transaction 
oriented electronic accommodation system applied to the electronic laundry 
service/reception system and 21 denotes a laundry article information 
storage unit for storing information concerning identification numbers of 
article(s) to be washed and/or having been washed as well as quantity 
thereof. In the case of the instant embodiment of the invention, it is 
assumed that an addressee (i.e., person who wants to have articles washed) 
places articles to be washed in the article receiving/housing unit 1 while 
a laundryman takes them out for washing the same and after the washing the 
laundryman puts the article or clothes into the article receiving/housing 
unit 1 from which the addressee takes them out. This procedure will be 
described below by referring to flow charts of FIGS. 9 and 10. 
At first, description will be directed to a procedure for an addressee or 
orderer, to say in another word, to put article(s) or clothes to be washed 
(hereinafter referred to as the laundry for short) into the article 
receiving/housing unit 1. When the orderer inserts his or her own IC card 
in the card insertion slot in a step S201, the IC card is fed into the 
electronic laundry service/reception system 1a under the control of the IC 
card control unit 4. In succession, the ID number of the IC card is read 
out by the IC card read/write unit 5 to be subsequently supplied to the 
arithmetic processing unit 7 in a step S202. Then, the arithmetic 
processing unit 7 confirms or checks whether or not the ID number of the 
due addressee or orderer is stored in the addressee ID number storing area 
13 in a step S203. In this conjunction, when no article to be washed 
(i.e., the laundry) is placed within the article receiving/housing unit 1, 
this means that the ID number of the orderer (addressee) is not 
registered. Consequently, the processing proceeds to a step S204. At this 
time point, processing for confirming whether or not the ID number read 
out from the IC card is registered in the authorized laundry dealer ID 
number storing area 14. Because the ID number of the addressee is not 
registered in the authorized dealer ID number storing area 14, the 
processing following the step 220 is executed. 
When the article receiving/housing unit 1 is opened by unlocking it with 
the key 2 (step S220), there is displayed on the display unit 6 the room 
number of the orderer (client) together with a message informing the 
laundry request in a step S221. Subsequently, the ID number of the orderer 
or client is registered in the addressee ID number storing area 13 in a 
step S222. After the clothes to be washed have been placed within the 
article receiving/housing unit 1 (step S223), the client (addressee) can 
input the information concerning the content of the laundry and the 
quantity thereof by manipulating the input key 9 (step S224). Then, the 
information as inputted or registered is displayed on the display unit 6 
(step S225) and at the same time written in the laundry article 
information storage unit 21 (step S226). When the orderer issues by 
pushing the input key 9 the information indicating the end of the 
processing to the arithmetic processing unit 7 (step S227), the article 
receiving/housing unit 1 is locked by the key 2 under the control of the 
key control unit 3 in a step S228. Furthermore, information concerning the 
content of the laundry as well as the quantity thereof registered by the 
client or orderer is written into the IC card. In succession, the IC card 
is discharged under the control of the IC card control unit 4 in a step 
S229, whereupon operation for putting the laundry article or clothes in 
the article receiving/housing unit 1 is terminated (step S230). 
Parenthetically, the laundry designation and the quantity as registered by 
the orderer (addressee) may be printed out. 
Next, description will be directed to operation involved when the dealer 
(e.g. a laundryman or washerman) takes out the article(s) to be washed 
(i.e., the laundry) from the article receiving/housing unit 1. To this 
end, the dealer or laundryman inserts his or her own IC card in the card 
insertion slot in a step S201. Then, the IC card is fed into the 
electronic laundry service/reception system 1a under the control of the IC 
card control unit 4. In succession, the ID number of the IC card is read 
out by the IC card read/write unit 5 to be subsequently supplied to the 
arithmetic processing unit 7 in a step S202. Then, the arithmetic 
processing unit 7 checks for confirmation whether or not the ID number of 
the orderer or customer (i.e., person who orders washing and to whom 
articles washed are to be delivered is stored in the addressee ID number 
storing area 13 in a step S203. When an article or articles to be washed 
(i.e., the laundry) is housed within the article receiving/housing unit 1, 
the ID number of the orderer is registered. Accordingly, the processing 
proceeds to a step S204. Next, in a step S241, presence or absence of the 
information concerning the amount of money is checked. Of course, such 
information is not stored in the amount-of-money information storage unit 
10 before washing. Consequently, the processing proceeds to a routine 
which follows a step S270 shown in FIG. 10. 
Referring to FIG. 10, it is checked for confirmation whether or not the ID 
number of the laundryman is registered in the authorized dealer ID number 
storing area 14. In a step S271, the article receiving/housing unit 1 is 
unlocked with the key 2. In this conjunction, it will be appreciated that 
because only the authorized dealer can unlock the article 
receiving/housing unit 1 with the key 2, any unauthorized operation such 
as steal can positively be prevented. When it is confirmed that the 
laundryman belongs to the authorized dealer, then information of the room 
number of the orderer (addressee or receiver) as well as information 
concerning the articles to be washed and the quantity thereof is written 
in a memory incorporated in the laundryman's IC card in a step S272. In 
that case, the information about the room number is derived from the 
order's ID number on the basis of the information stored in the family ID 
number information storing area 15. 
When the laundryman takes out the article to be washed from the article 
receiving/housing unit 1 in a step S273, then he or she pushes the input 
key 9 to inform the arithmetic processing unit 7 of the end of the laundry 
take-out processing (step S274). In response, the key 2 of the article 
receiving/housing unit 1 is locked by the key control unit 3 (step S275). 
Further, information stored in the addressee ID number storing area 13 and 
the laundry article information storage unit 21 is erased (step S276) with 
the displayed information on the display unit 6 disappears (step S277). 
Finally, the IC card is discharged from the electronic laundry 
service/reception system 1a under the control of the IC card control unit 
4 (step S278), whereupon operation for taking out the articles to be 
washed is completed. 
Next, description will be directed to operations involved when the 
laundryman (e.g. the washerman or washerwoman) puts the article(s) washed 
into the article receiving/housing unit 1. Referring to FIG. 9, when the 
laundryman inserts his or her own IC card in the card insertion slot in a 
step S201, the IC card is fed into the electronic delivery 
service/reception system 1a under the control of the IC card control unit 
4. In succession, the dealer's ID number of the IC card is read out by the 
IC card read/write unit 5 to be subsequently supplied to the arithmetic 
processing unit 7 in a step S202. Then, the arithmetic processing unit 7 
checks for confirmation whether or not the ID number of the due addressee 
(i.e., the due receiver for the articles washed) is stored in the 
addressee ID number storing area 13 in a step S203. In this conjunction, 
it will be appreciated that unless laundry is stored within the article 
receiving/housing unit 1, this means that the ID number of the addressee 
can not be registered. Subsequently, the processing proceeds to a step 
S204. At this time point, it is checked whether or not the ID number read 
out from the IC card is registered in the authorized dealer ID number 
storing area 14 (step S204). When the ID number read from the IC card is 
found to be registered in the authorized dealer ID number storing area 14, 
the processing proceeds to a step following a step 205 inclusive. 
When the laundryman or deliveryman is confirmed as belonging to the 
authorized dealer, information of the room number of the addressee duly to 
receive the article washed (which information is stored in the memory of 
the deliveryman's IC card) and information about the amount of money are 
read out by the IC card read/write unit 5 in a step S205. In case the room 
number of the addressee or due receiver of the laundry is found as being 
registered in the family ID number information storing area 15 in a step 
S206, the article receiving/housing unit 1 is opened with the key 2 in a 
step S207. However, when the room number is not registered, this means 
that no destination for the delivery exists in the building currently 
visited. Consequently, the IC card is returned to the deliveryman (step 
S215), whereupon the processing now under consideration comes to an end in 
a step S216. 
When the article receiving/housing unit 1 is unlocked with the key 2, the 
room number of the due addressee or receiver is displayed on the display 
unit 6, indicating that the article(s) washed is placed in the article 
receiving/housing unit 1 (step S208). Additionally, the ID numbers of the 
individuals belonging to the addressee family are read out from the family 
ID number information storing area 15 by making use of the information of 
the room number, to be subsequently registered in the addressee ID number 
storing area 13 in a step S209. Similarly, information about the amount of 
money is displayed on the display unit 6 in a step S210 and stored at the 
same time in the amount-of-money information storage unit 10 in a step 
S211. 
In this conjunction, such arrangement may also be adopted that the 
information about the amount of money displayed on the display unit 6 
disappears after having been displayed once and that the same information 
can be displayed again upon insertion of the IC card by the addressee. In 
that case, information about the content and the amount of the articles 
washed may simultaneously be displayed on the display unit 6. To this end, 
the deliveryman may input in his or her IC card the information about the 
content and quantities of the articles washed so that the information 
mentioned above can be read out to be displayed on the display unit 6 
after insertion of the IC card in the electronic laundry service/reception 
system 1a. 
When the dealer puts the article(s) washed into the article 
receiving/housing unit 1 in step S212, he or she can push the input key 9 
for messaging the end of the processing to the arithmetic processing unit 
7 (step S213). As a result of this, the key 2 of the article 
receiving/housing unit 1 is locked by the key control unit 3 in a step 
S214. Besides, the IC card is fed out from the electronic delivery 
service/reception system la under the control of the IC card control unit 
4 in a step S215, whereupon operation required for the laundryman or 
deliveryman to place the article(s) of concern in the article 
receiving/housing unit 1 is terminated in a step S216. 
Finally, description will turn to operation involved in reception of the 
washed article(s) by the addressee or receiver from the article 
receiving/housing unit 1. Referring to FIG. 9, when the addressee or 
receiver inserts his or her own IC card in the card insertion slot in a 
step S201, the IC card is fed into the electronic laundry 
service/reception system 1a under the control of the IC card control unit 
4. Subsequently, the ID number of the IC card is read out by the IC card 
read/write unit 5 to be subsequently supplied to the arithmetic processing 
unit 7 in a step S202. Then, the arithmetic processing unit 7 confirms or 
checks whether or not the ID number of the due receiver or addressee is 
stored in the addressee ID number storing area 13 in a step S203. In this 
conjunction, it should be recalled that when an article washed is housed 
within the article receiving/housing unit 1, this means that the ID number 
of the addressee is registered. Accordingly, the processing proceeds to a 
step S240. In a step S241, presence or absence of the amount-of-money 
information is checked. Since the amount of money is stored in the 
amount-of-money information storage unit 10 after the article(s) washed 
has been placed, the processing proceeds to a routine which follows a step 
242 inclusive. 
It is decided in the step S242 whether or not the ID number read out from 
the IC card is registered in the addressee ID number storing area 13. This 
is for the purpose of preventing other person than the due receiver or 
authorized dealers from taking out the article(s) from the article 
receiving/housing unit 1. When it is ascertained that the ID number of the 
IC card is that of the due receiver, then the information about the 
balance is read out from the IC card in a step S243 for confirming whether 
or not the amount of money to be charged can be afforded (step S244). If 
the fee can not be accommodated by the remaining amount of money, this 
fact is displayed on the display unit 6 in a step S260. Thereafter, the IC 
card is rejected and discharged in a step S252. Thus, in order to receive 
the article placed in the article receiving/housing unit 1, the addressee 
or receiver has to input a complementary amount of money as information or 
data in the IC card and thereafter perform the similar operation as 
mentioned above. By contrast, when the balance stored in the IC card shows 
that it is enough to pay the fee for the charge, the amount of money of 
concern is subtracted from the balance or deposit stored in the IC card, 
whereupon monetary transaction comes to an end (step S245). 
When the key 2 of the article receiving/housing unit 1 is unlocked by the 
key control unit 3 in a step S246, the addressee or receiver can take out 
the washed article from the article receiving/housing unit 1 in a step 
S247. Thereafter, the receiver pushes the input key 9 for thereby 
messaging the end of the processing to the arithmetic processing unit 7 
(step S248). As a result of this, the key 2 of the article 
receiving/housing unit 1 is locked under the control of the key control 
unit 3 in a step S249. The amount-of-money information for the article(s) 
washed is written in the receiver's IC card as information of a receipt. 
Subsequently, the information registered in the addressee ID number 
storing area 13 and the amount-of-money information storage unit 10 is 
erased in a step S250. Additionally, information displayed on the display 
unit 6 is also erased in a step S251. Furthermore, the IC card is 
discharged from the article receiving/housing unit I under the control of 
the IC card control unit 4 in a step S252. Thus, operation or procedure 
which allows the addressee or receiver to take out the article washed from 
the article receiving/housing unit 1 comes to an end (step S53). At this 
juncture, it should be mentioned that the amount-of-money information as 
well as that of quantity of the article(s) washed, etc. may be printed out 
as a receipt. 
As is apparent from the foregoing, by applying the electronic money system 
or transaction-oriented electronic store system based on the use of the IC 
card to the electronic delivery service/reception system 1a for a laundry 
operation, it is possible to perform processing for an opening/closing of 
the article receiving/housing unit 1 by the key 2 and at the same time 
processing for the monetary transaction. Accordingly, the laundryman can 
deliver the article washed to the receiver even when latter is absent. 
Incidentally, information of the receiver's or addressee's room number as 
well as information concerning the quantity of laundry can be read out by 
the dealer by using an electronic wallet. Besides, such electronic wallet 
may be used for writing or loading the addressee's room number information 
and the amount-of-money information in the IC card. 
In the foregoing description of the electronic laundry service/reception 
system illustrated in FIG. 8, it has been assumed that the arithmetic 
processing unit 7 is incorporated in a plurality of electronic delivery 
service/reception system. However, the article receiving/housing unit 1 
and the centralized management/control unit 19 may be provided separately 
so that a plurality of article receiving/housing units 1 can be controlled 
by the latter, as described hereinbefore in conjunction with the 
electronic home-by-home (or door-to-door) delivery service reception 
system. Registration of the family ID number information and the 
authorized or designated dealer ID number may be performed in advance, as 
in the case of the electronic home-by-home delivery service/reception 
system. 
Although it has been described in conjunction with the instant embodiment 
that the room number of the addressee or receiver is inputted to the IC 
card of the dealer, it should be appreciated that the ID number itself of 
the receiver may be inputted to the IC card. Besides, instead of 
registering the ID number information of a family, it is equally 
conceivable to register the ID number(s) of the IC card(s) issued to a 
person who asks the laundryman to wash so that the delivered articles can 
be received only by that client. Additionally, for coping with such a case 
that the balance is short of the amount of money as charged, there may 
also be conceived a method of payment partially in cash or use of a credit 
card together with the method mentioned above. 
In the IC card of the customer or client for the washing, the contents of 
the laundry, the quantity thereof and amount-of-money information are 
inputted so that the IC card serves also as a receipt. In this 
conjunction, it may be preferred to input the date information in the IC 
card so that the contents of the records held by the IC card can easily 
and conveniently be utilized for management. Besides, measures for 
enabling the contents of the records to be printed out should preferably 
be adopted. 
In the foregoing, the electronic home-by-home (or door-to-door) delivery 
service/reception system and the electronic laundry service/reception 
system have been described as exemplary applications of the transaction 
oriented electronic accommodation system according to the present 
invention. At this juncture, other examples of the deliveryman's or 
laundryman's IC card will be described. It is troublesome for the 
deliveryman to manipulate the key 2 of the article receiving/housing unit 
1 and transfer the information concerning the contents of article(s), 
quantity thereof and the amount-of-money information by inserting the IC 
card every time the article is delivered. In this conjunction, it should 
be mentioned that such troublesome procedure can be spared by using a 
contactless IC card or a portable terminal. In that case, in the 
contactless IC card carried by the deliveryman in place of the receipts, 
there may be stored the room number of the addressee, the content of the 
article to be delivered, information about the quantity thereof, the 
amount-of-money information etc., wherein the information mentioned above 
is transmitted to the transaction-oriented electronic accommodation system 
1a in a contactless manner to be thereby processed. Similarly, the 
portable terminal carried by the deliveryman should be so implemented as 
to be capable of storing the room numbers of all the addressees, the 
contents of articles to be delivered, quantities thereof, amounts of 
money, etc., so that when the deliveryman selects a home to which the 
article of concern should next be delivered, the information relevant to 
that home or family can be transmitted to transaction-oriented electronic 
accommodation system 1a in a contactless manner to be thereby processed. 
Thus, the deliveryman can perform unlocking of the article 
receiving/housing unit 1 as well as transfer of the information without 
need for inserting physically the IC card. 
Finally, description will be made of another exemplary embodiments or 
modification of the family ID number information storing area 15 in the 
transaction oriented electronic accommodation system 1a. In the case of 
the embodiment described previously, the family ID number information 
storing area 15 is secured in a dedicated memory incorporated in the 
electronic delivery service/reception system 1a. As a consequence of this, 
there arises necessity for the residents in an apartment house to register 
the family ID number information in the above-mentioned dedicated memory 
in order to utilize the transaction-oriented electronic accommodation 
system 1a. In this conjunction, it becomes necessary to make available a 
memory for storing the family ID number information for each of the 
families when the key for each room of the apartment house is performed by 
the ID number of the IC card. For this reason, collation of the family ID 
number information is realized by making use of the family ID number 
information stored in the memory prepared for each of the families. In 
this case, necessity for registering again the family ID number 
information in the electronic delivery service/reception system 1a. 
Next, another application of the transaction oriented electronic 
accommodation system according to the present invention will be described. 
FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing an arrangement of an IC-card-operated 
electronic locker system to which the concept underlying the 
transaction-oriented electronic accommodation system according to the 
present invention is applied. In FIG. 11, reference numeral 1 denotes an 
article receiving/housing unit for receiving and housing an article or 
articles such as luggage by a user, numeral 2 denotes a door key of the 
article receiving/housing unit 1, 3 denotes a key control unit for 
controlling lock/unlock of the door key 2, numeral 30 denotes a door 
open/close state signal output unit for outputting door open/close 
information by detecting the states of the door of the article 
receiving/housing unit 1, numeral 31 denotes an IC-card read/write unit 
for rewriting amount-of-money information stored in an IC card as inserted 
and for reading/writing a variety of information, numeral 32 denotes an 
IC-card insertion state signal output unit for outputting state 
information indicating whether or not and IC card is inserted into the 
IC-card read/write unit 31, reference numeral 33 denotes an ID information 
storage unit for storing ID information from the information contained in 
the IC card and read out by the IC-card read/write unit 31, outputting a 
control signal for closing the door key 2 while erasing the ID information 
as stored in response to an output signal indicative of 
settlement-of-account information which will be described later on, 
numeral 34 denotes an ID information collating unit for comparing the ID 
information read out from the inserted IC card with the ID information 
registered to thereby output a signal upon coincidence between the ID 
information of the IC card and the registered ID information, numeral 35 
denotes a change-over switch unit for supplying the ID information as read 
out either to the ID information storage unit 33 or the ID information 
collating unit 34 in dependence on the door open/close information, 
numeral 36 denotes a control switch unit for controlling output of a 
signal inputted thereto on the basis of the information signal supplied 
from the IC-card insertion state signal output unit 32, numeral 37 denotes 
a first time counter for measuring a time (or temporal period) lapsed from 
when the door key 2 was closed to a point when the door key 2 is opened, 
numeral 38 denotes a charge calculating unit for arithmetically 
determining or calculating a charge (i.e., amount of money) on the basis 
of the time lapse measured by the first time counter 37, numeral 39 
denotes an accounting processing unit for controlling the IC-card 
read/write unit 31 to rewrite the amount-of-money information stored in 
the IC card in accordance with the charge calculated by the charge 
calculating unit 38 while transferring the information concerning the 
change of the amount-of-money information with a management center, 
numeral 40 denotes a display unit for displaying a time for which the 
IC-card-operated electronic locker system has been utilized and the fee to 
be charged for the utilization and/or the balance held in the IC card 
after the use of the IC-card-operated electronic locker system, and a 
reference numeral 41 denotes an accounting settlement confirming unit for 
outputting a signal indicating settlement of the accounting processing by 
checking the result of the processing executed by the accounting 
processing unit 39. 
Now, description will turn to operation of the IC-card-operated electronic 
locker system. At first, let's assume that an article such as luggage is 
to be housed in an unoccupied compartment (corresponding to the article 
receiving/housing unit) of the IC-card-operated electronic locker system 
to which the transaction-oriented electronic accommodation system of the 
invention is applied. In that case, when a user who wants to use a 
compartment of the IC-card-operated electronic locker system, he or she 
opens the door key 2 of the article receiving/housing unit or compartment 
1 and places article(s) such as luggage in the compartment and inserts an 
IC card in the IC-card read/write unit 31. Then, the IC card read/write 
unit 31 reads the ID information, whereupon a signal indicating the ID 
information as read out is sent to the change-over switch unit 35. At this 
time, the door key 2 of the article receiving/housing unit 1 is unlocked 
(i.e., the door of the compartment is opened). Thus, the door open/close 
state signal output unit 30 outputs the information indicating the 
compartment door is opened (hereinafter referred to as the opened-door 
information). In response to reception of the opened-door information 
outputted from the door open/close state signal output unit 30, the 
change-over switch unit 35 accepts the opened-door information supplied 
from the door open/close state signal output unit 30 to thereby send the 
ID information from the IC-card read/write unit 31 to the ID information 
storage unit 33. Thus, the ID information storage unit 33 stores therein 
the ID information and at the same time supplies a control signal for 
causing the key control unit 3 to lock the door key 2 to the control 
switch unit 36. The control signal mentioned above will hereinafter be 
referred to as the close control signal. In this conjunction, it should be 
noted that the control switch unit 36 does not output the close control 
signal to the key control unit 3 in response to the information outputted 
from the IC card insertion state signal output unit 32 and indicating the 
state in which the IC card is inserted in the IC-card read/write unit 31. 
By contrast, the control switch unit 36 can output the close control 
signal to the key control unit 3 in response to the state information 
outputted from the ID-card insertion state signal output unit 32 in the 
state where information of the IC card inserted is read out by the IC-card 
read/write unit 31. 
When the user takes out the IC card from the IC-card read/write unit 31, 
the key control unit 3 accepts the close control signal to thereby lock 
the door key 2 of the relevant compartment of the article 
receiving/housing unit 1. At this time point, the door of the article 
receiving/housing unit 1 is closed. Accordingly, the door open/close state 
signal output unit 30 outputs information indicating that the door of the 
relevant compartment of the IC-card-operated electronic locker system is 
closed. This information will hereinafter be referred to as the 
closed-door information. The first time counter 37 responds to the 
closed-door information issued by the door open/close state signal output 
unit 30 to start measurement of the time lapse, starting from the time 
point at which the closed-door information is received. Next, description 
will be directed to the operation or procedure required for taking out an 
article (luggage) from a compartment of the IC-card-operated electronic 
locker system. By inserting an IC card into the IC-card read/write unit 
31, the IC-card read/write unit 31 reads out the ID information from the 
IC card inserted, whereon the ID information read out is sent to the 
change-over switch unit 35. At that time point, because the door of the 
relevant compartment of the IC card-operated electronic locker system is 
closed, the door open/close state signal output unit 30 outputs the 
closed-door information signal. The change-over switch unit 35 responds to 
reception of the closed-door information for therebY outputting the ID 
information supplied from the IC-card read/write unit 31 to the ID 
information collating unit 34. Additionally, the ID information stored nm 
the ID information storage unit 3S is outputted to the ID information 
collating unit 34. 
The ID information collating unit 34 compares the ID information supplied 
from the change-over switch unit 35 with the ID information read out from 
the ID information storage unit 33 to check whether both ID information 
coincide with each other. When coincidence is detected, the ID information 
collating unit 34 outputs a time control signal. If otherwise, the time 
control signal is not outputted. The first time counter 37 responds to 
reception of the time control signal to stop the measurement of time, 
whereupon the occupation time during which the article receiving/housing 
unit 1 has been used (i.e., a time lapsed from closing of the door of the 
article receiving/housing unit 1 to the opening thereof) is calculated to 
be subsequently outputted. On the other hand, a first charge calculating 
unit 38 calculates the amount of money to be charged for the use of the 
IC-card-operated electronic locker system (hereinafter, the amount of 
money will also be referred to as the charged fee) on the basis of the 
time information supplied from the first time counter 37, whereupon the 
charged fee as calculated is then outputted to the accounting processing 
unit 39. In turn, the accounting processing unit 39 controls the IC-card 
read/write unit 31 such that the charged fee is subtracted from the 
deposit stored in the IC card. Further, the accounting processing unit 39 
operates to message the charged fee to the management center and at the 
same time issue the settlement-of-account information. At this time, 
information concerning the temporal duration of occupation, the charged 
fee and the amount of deposit money after subtraction of the charged money 
is displayed. 
When the accounting settlement confirming unit 41 receives the 
settlement-of-account information from the accounting processing unit 39, 
the key control unit 3 unlocks the door key 2 of the article 
receiving/housing unit or compartment 1 and outputs to the control switch 
unit 36 a control signal for erasing the ID information stored in the ID 
information storage unit 33. This control signal will hereinafter be 
referred to as the unlock control signal. At this juncture, it is to be 
noted that although the control switch unit 36 does not output the 
door-open control signal to the key control unit 3 in response to the 
state information signal issued by the ID-card insertion state signal 
output unit 32 in the state where the IC card is inserted in the IC-card 
read/write unit 31, the control switch unit 36 can output the door-open 
control signal to the key control unit 3 and the ID information storage 
unit 33 when the state information signal outputted from the ID-card 
insertion state signal output unit 32 indicate that the IC card has been 
removed from the IC-card read/write unit 31. Then, the key control unit 3 
responds to the door-open control signal to thereby unlock the door key 2 
of the article receiving/housing unit 1 or compartment while erasing the 
ID information stored in the ID information storage unit 33. 
When the deposit money booked in the IC card can not afford the payment of 
the charged fee, the accounting processing unit 39 inhibits the ID 
information storage unit 33 from performing such control for rewriting the 
information contained in the IC card. This situation is confirmed by the 
accounting settlement confirming unit 41, whereby unsettled account 
information is issued. In response to the unsettled account information, 
the first time counter 37 restarts the measurement of time with the door 
key 2 of the compartment 1 being left as locked. As will now be understood 
from the foregoing, in the IC-card-operated electronic locker system 
according to the instant embodiment of the invention, the locker can be 
utilized even when the user is not carrying coins. Further, by setting 
shorter the time interval for updating the charged fee, the 
IC-card-operated electronic locker system can be made convenient to the 
user. By way of example, when the user who once closed the door key 2 of 
the compartment or article receiving/housing unit 1 and now wants to open 
the door key 2, this can be accomplished by paying a smaller amount of 
money. 
FIG. 12 shows another embodiment of the invention according to which the 
transaction-oriented electronic accommodation system is applied to another 
IC card-operated electronic locker system. In FIG. 12, those components or 
units serving for the functions same as or equivalent to those shown in 
FIG. 11 are designated by like reference characters. In FIG. 12, a numeral 
42 denotes a control button switch for controlling the supply of the 
information from the key control unit 3 to the ID information storage unit 
33 by on/off operation. 
Now, referring to FIG. 12, description will be made of difference in the 
operation of the IC-card-operated electronic locker system from that shown 
in FIG. 11. When a user wants to place luggage in an unoccupied 
compartment or article receiving/housing unit 1 of the IC-card-operated 
electronic locker system, he or she inserts the IC card as in the case of 
the system shown in FIG. 11. Then, the ID information storage unit 33 
stores the ID information read out from the IC card and at the same time 
outputs a door-close control signal to the control button switch 42. In 
that case, when the control button switch 42 is turned off, the door-close 
control signal can not be supplied to the key control unit 3. Accordingly, 
the key control unit 3 does not lock the door key 2 of the compartment or 
article receiving/housing unit 1 but allows the door to be left in the 
opened state, while the door open/close state signal output unit 30 
continues to output the opened-door information. 
Thus, the destination or sink of the signal outputted from the change-over 
switch unit 35 remains to be the ID information storage unit 33, which 
means that when another IC card is inserted for allowing the ID 
information of another IC card to be registered, the information can be 
stored in the ID information storage unit 33 as well. When the control 
button switch 42 is turned on after storage of the required ID information 
of the IC card, then the door-close control signal can be inputted to the 
key control unit 3 from the ID information storage unit 33. Processing 
following the operation mentioned above is similar to that described 
hereinbefore by reference to FIG. 11. It should however be mentioned that 
in the case of the IC-card-operated electronic locker system according to 
the instant embodiment of the invention, the door key 2 of the compartment 
or article receiving/housing unit 1 can be opened with the IC card which 
stores only the ID information. To say such in another way, a single 
compartment or article receiving/housing unit 1 can be used by a plurality 
of users. 
FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing another exemplary embodiment of the 
IC-card-operated electronic locker system to which the 
transaction-oriented electronic accommodation system according to the 
invention is applied. In FIG. 13, those components serving functions which 
are the same as or equivalent to those illustrated in FIG. 11, are 
designated by like reference characters. The IC-card-operated electronic 
locker system shown in FIG. 13 further includes an ID information read-out 
unit 43 for reading out ID information of an IC card, a position 
information output unit 44 for outputting information indicating the 
location of the article receiving/housing unit 1, a position detecting 
unit 45 for detecting the position of the article receiving/housing unit 1 
which corresponds to the ID information read out by the ID information 
read-out unit 43 on the basis of the ID information stored in the ID 
information storage unit 33, the position information outputted from the 
position information output unit 44 and the ID information read out by the 
ID information read-out unit 43, and a position display unit 46 for 
displaying the position of the article receiving/housing unit 1 as 
detected, wherein the ID information read-out unit 43, the position 
detecting unit 45 and the position display unit 46 are installed at a 
location in which the IC-card operated electronic locker system is 
installed, e.g. at an entrance of a locker room. 
Now, description will turn to operation of the IC-card-operated electronic 
locker system by reference to FIG. 13, while putting emphasis on 
differences from the system shown in FIG. 11. When the user comes to a 
place where the IC-card-operated electronic locker system is installed 
such as an entrance of a locker room for taking out luggage or the like, 
he or she inserts his or her IC card in the ID information read-out unit 
43 installed at the entrance. The ID information read-out unit 43 reads 
out the ID information from the IC card, which information is sent to the 
position detecting unit 45. In response, the position detecting unit 45 
collates the ID information stored in the ID information storage unit 33 
with the position information about the article receiving/housing units 1 
or locker compartments supplied from the position information output unit 
44 to thereby search the ID information which coincides with the ID 
information sent from the ID information read-out unit 43. In this manner, 
the position of the article receiving/housing unit 1 or compartment 
utilized by the user of concern can be detected. In this system, 
operations and processing such as unlock/lock of the door key 2, settling 
of account and so forth are similar to those of the IC-card-operated 
electronic locker system described previously by reference to FIG. 11. 
With the arrangement of the IC-card-operated electronic locker system 
described above, the user can know rather instantaneously the position of 
the article receiving/housing unit 1 or compartment in which he or she has 
stored article(s) such as luggage(s). 
FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing another embodiment of the 
IC-card-operated electronic locker system to which the 
transaction-oriented electronic accommodation system according to the 
invention is applied. In FIG. 14, parts serving for the functions same as 
or equivalent to those systems shown in FIGS. 11, 12 and 13 are designated 
by like reference numerals. 
The IC-card-operated electronic locker system according to the instant 
embodiment of the invention corresponds to the IC-card-operated electronic 
locker system shown in FIG. 12. Such system is so arranged as to store a 
plurality of ID information in the ID information storage unit 33, wherein 
the system is added with the function for displaying the position of the 
article receiving/housing unit 1 or compartment of concern, as described 
hereinbefore by reference to FIG. 13. 
FIG. 15 is a block diagram showing yet another embodiment of the 
IC-card-operated electronic locker system to which the 
transaction-oriented electronic accommodation system according to the 
invention is applied. In FIG. 15, parts serving functions which are the 
same as or equivalent to those systems shown in FIG. 11, are designated by 
like reference numerals. The IC-card operated electronic locker system now 
under consideration further includes a preset time input unit 47 for 
previously setting a time period providing a basis for charging the fee, 
and a second time counter 48 for determining by measurement a difference 
between the aforementioned preset time and a time lapsed from the closing 
of the door key 2 to the opening thereof, which is indicated by the door 
open/close information. 
Referring to FIG. 15, description will be made of any difference in the 
operation of the IC-card-operated electronic locker system from that of 
the IC-card-operated electronic locker system shown in FIG. 11. In the 
first place, a time equivalent to an amount of money to be charged 
(hereinafter referred to as the in-advance fee) is set previously. The 
preset time input unit 47 outputs the preset time to the second time 
counter 48 and the first charge calculating unit 38. When an article such 
as luggage is to be placed in the article receiving/housing unit 1 or 
compartment of the IC-card-operated electronic locker system, an IC card 
must be inserted in the IC-card read/write unit 31, as described 
hereinbefore by reference to FIG. 11. Then, the accounting processing unit 
39 controls the IC-card read/write unit 31, such that the in-advance fee 
calculated by the first charge calculating unit 38 on the basis of the 
preset time information available from the preset time input unit 47 is 
subtracted from the deposit recorded in the IC card. At the same time, the 
in-advance fee information is sent to the management center. 
Next, description will be directed to the procedure for taking out the 
luggage or the like from a article receiving/housing unit 1 or compartment 
of the IC-card-operated electronic locker system. As described 
hereinbefore by reference to FIG. 11, the second time counter 48 stops the 
measurement of time in response to the time control signal outputted from 
the ID information storage unit 33, whereupon a time difference between 
the preset time and the time period during which the article 
receiving/housing unit 1 or compartment has been occupied is determined. 
When the time period is longer than the preset time, the operations or 
processings to be executed in succession is similar to those described 
previously by reference to FIG. 11. However, when the occupation time is 
shorter than the preset time, such arrangement may be adopted that the 
accounting processing unit 39 outputs the settlement-of-account 
information or alternatively the IC-card read/write unit 31 rewrites the 
deposit information so that the deposit is increased by an amount of money 
equivalent to the difference between the preset time and the occupation 
time. In the latter case, the amount equivalent to the difference is 
messaged to the management center. 
FIG. 16 shows a yet further embodiment of the invention according to which 
the transaction-oriented electronic accommodation system is applied to the 
IC card-operated electronic locker system. In FIG. 16, those components or 
units serving for the functions same as or equivalent to those shown in 
FIGS. 11 and 15 are designated by like reference characters. 
The IC-card-operated electronic locker system according to the instant 
embodiment of the invention corresponds to the IC-card-operated electronic 
locker system described above by reference to FIG. 15, and is equipped 
with the function for charging a fee equivalent to a preset time. Such 
system is additionally provided with a function for storing a plurality of 
ID information in the ID information storage unit 33 with the aid of the 
control button switch 42 described hereinbefore by reference to FIG. 12. 
FIG. 17 shows a still further embodiment of the invention according to 
which the transaction-oriented electronic accommodation system is applied 
to an IC-card operated electronic locker system. In FIG. 17, those 
components or units serving functions which are the same as or equivalent 
to those shown in FIGS. 11, 13 and 15, are designated by like reference 
characters. 
The IC-card-operated electronic locker system according to the instant 
embodiment of the invention corresponds to the system described above by 
reference to FIG. 15, and is equipped with the function for charging a fee 
equivalent to a preset time. Such system is additionally imparted with a 
function for displaying the position information about the article 
receiving/housing unit or compartment described hereinbefore by reference 
to FIG. 13. 
Further, FIG. 18 shows another embodiment of the invention according to 
which the transaction-oriented electronic accommodation system is applied 
to the IC card-operated electronic locker system. In FIG. 18, those 
components or units serving functions which are the same as or equivalent 
to those shown in FIGS. 11, 12, 13 and 15 are designated by like reference 
characters. 
The IC-card-operated electronic locker system according to the instant 
embodiment of the invention corresponds to the locker system described 
above by reference to FIG. 15, and is equipped with the function for 
charging a fee equivalent to a preset time. Such system is additionally 
provided with the function for storing a plurality of ID information in 
the ID information storage unit 33 with the aid of the control button 
switch 42 described hereinbefore by reference to FIG. 12, and the function 
for displaying the position information about the article 
receiving/housing unit or compartment described hereinbefore by reference 
to FIG. 13. 
In the foregoing, the electronic home-by-home (or door-to-door) delivery 
service/reception systems, the electronic laundry service/reception 
systems and the IC card-operated electronic locker system to which the 
transaction-oriented electronic accommodation system according to the 
invention can be applied, have been described. 
Moreover, the invention can find application to an electronic parking meter 
system equipped with a car blocking mechanism. More particularly, FIG. 19 
is a block diagram of an electronic parking meter system to which the 
transaction-oriented electronic accommodation system according to the 
invention is applied. In FIG. 19, parts or components serving functions 
which are the same as or equivalent to those shown in FIG. 11, are denoted 
by like reference numerals and repeated description thereof are omitted. 
In this case, it is contemplated that a motor vehicle or car is to be 
covered by the concept of the term "article". The electronic parking meter 
system further includes a second charge calculating unit 49 for 
calculating an amount of money to be charged for the parking (hereinafter 
referred to as the parking charge) on the basis of the information about 
the time measured by the first time counter 37 and a discount information 
read out from the IC card by the IC card read/write unit 31. 
Parenthetically, the key 2 is used in association with a car blocking or 
barrier mechanism. 
Now, referring to FIG. 19, description will be made of functions newly 
added to the transaction-oriented electronic accommodation system for 
implementing the electronic parking meter system of concern. In parking 
zones (corresponding or equivalent to "article receiving/housing unit 1") 
such as those of department houses, large-scale stores and the like, the 
parking charge is frequently discounted in dependence on amounts of money 
spent in buying in the department house, etc. Thus, by writing information 
about the rate of discount in the IC card, the information is read out 
upon insertion of the IC card in the IC-card read/write unit 31 for 
unlocking the key 2, whereupon the information is outputted to the second 
charge calculating unit 49 which then calculates the charge on the basis 
of the discount rate information and the time measured by the first time 
counter 37. Other operations and processings performed by the electronic 
parking meter system are similar to those described hereinbefore in 
conjunction with the IC-card operated electronic locker system by 
reference to FIG. 11. 
FIGS. 20 to 26 show other exemplary embodiments of the invention. It is S 
believed that arrangements and operations of these illustrative systems 
can be understood from the drawings by taking into account the 
descriptions made by reference by FIGS. 11 to 18, without need for any 
further description. 
Many features and advantages of the present invention are apparent from the 
detailed description, and thus it is intended by that the appended claims 
cover all such features and advantages of the system which fall within the 
true spirit and scope of the invention. Further, since numerous 
modifications and combinations will readily occur to those skilled in the 
art, it is not intended to limit the invention to the exact construction 
and operation illustrated and described herein. 
By way of example, by using the IC card as keys for rooms of hotels, it is 
possible not only to identify users, but also to perform 
settlement-of-account information processing without a need for paying the 
charge in cash. Further, the transaction-oriented electronic accommodation 
system according to the invention can find applications at entrances of 
theaters, cinematograph theaters, concert halls, ticket barriers for 
transportation systems such as railways, automobiles, authorization for 
utilization of a set top box of a CATV or the like and accounting for the 
same, admission to recreation parks and use of facilities, such as ski 
chair lifts and so forth. In addition, the present invention can find 
application for home use. In that case, the accounting processing function 
may be spared. Additionally, the IC card can be used in place of a key for 
locking/unlocking a door while affording recording of the times for 
getting home, time for drop-in and others. 
Furthermore, the electronic accommodation system has a refund function such 
as credit function so that after some amount of money was paid for the 
article through the IC card in case of over-payment, the control center 
will take in account a refund procedure and will proceed with a refund 
process for the IC card when the next services would be available. The 
refund may be carried out in the case where an accounting error occurs, 
and the like. Therefore, a receiver or user can also demand a refund 
through the transmission line to the control center. The term IC card used 
throughout the embodiments of the present disclosure means an IC card 
including a memory and/or a processor (or CPU). 
Accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, 
and should be considered as falling within the spirit and scope of the 
invention.