Patent GB-1505715-A (GB)
Title: Systems for the transfer of data
IPC: G06Q40/00
Filed: 1975-03-25
Abstract: 1505715 Selective signalling SOC INTERNATIONALE POUR L'INNOVATION 25 March 1975 [25 March 1974] 12488/75 Heading G4H A data transfer system comprises a plurality of portable electronic devices to be carried by respective people, each device including a memory interconnected via memory control circuits with coupling means by means of which the memory can be temporarily coupled at will with a recording device external to the portable device, there also being a plurality of independent geographically-distributed recording devices each comprising a means for reading the contents of the memory of a portable device when this is coupled to the recording device and recording them into the memory of another portable device coupled to receive the contents at the same time. In one embodiment, each portable device is in the form of a card (or ring or pendant or pen) and contains an I.D. memory, a credit memory and a debit memory. When the portable device is inserted into one of the recording devices, the I.D. number from the I.D. memory is coupled serially-by-bit to the recording device wherein a first adder-subtractor provides it in parallel form to a first comparator for comparison with a number entered on a first keyboard of the recording device to enable the recording device to continue operations (see below). The adder-subtractor uses each "1" bit of the I.D. from the card to gate clock-pulses to a counter for a period determined by the weight of the bit, thus providing the I.D. in parallel form in the counter for the comparison mentioned. The credit entries in the credit memory are coupled in turn to a second adder-subtractor like the first to be added into its counter, the operation stopping when the first empty position in the credit memory is reached (i.e. end of the list of credit entries) as detected by a NOR gate responding to a register receiving the entries as they are read out. The sum of credits is displayed (or may be printed out). A new credit from a credit register can be written into the empty position reached in the credit memory and is added into the second adder-subtractor with change of the display. The debit entries from the debit memory are now subtracted from the counter in the second adder-subtractor, similarly, and the counter value is compared in a second comparator with an amount required entered on a second keyboard and assuming the amount required is less than the counter value, a banknote dispenser is actuated for the amount required and this amount is entered as a new debit in the first empty position in the debit memory and subtracted from the counter value. The couplings between the portable device and the recording device are optical (photoelectric) or may involve plugs. Power is supplied to the portable device from the recording device using transformer coupling, or by light actuating a photo-voltaic pile. The recording device above records data from a portable device and writes data into this portable device, but devices may also be provided which merely write. Applications to selling operations (in which the customer and the shop-keeper each have a portable device and recording-writing devices are provided at the shop and at the customer's and shop-keeper's banks), banking operations and medical history records are described. A credit transfer device (able to accept two portable devices simultaneously) may have two keyboards (for I.D. verification of the two users) and an amount selector for credit transfer.