Patent GB-1265579-A (GB)
IPC: G07B15/00
Filed: 1969-05-22
Abstract: 1,265,579. Ticket issuing and examining system. NIPPON KOKUYU TETSUDO. 22 May, 1969 [24 May, 1968], No. 26183/69. Heading G4T. A ticket issuing and examining system for a transportation network comprises a ticket preparing device and a ticket examining device at each station of the network, each of the preparing devices being adapted to print information concerning the starting and terminating stations of a journey and also intermediate junction stations, the information taking the form of station codes each comprised of a line code and an address code, the ticket examining devices being adapted to determine whether the codes on the ticket are compatible to a journey passing through or ending at the station at which the ticket is presented and thereby judge the validity of the ticket. Method of coding.-The network is divided up into a plurality of lines (e.g. A 2 , B 2 , C 2 , D 2 , E 2  in Fig. 5). Stations on a line are coded by a two-part station code (A, dx), the first part A being designated the line code and the second part dx being designated the address code. The address codes are assigned sequentially from a reference station on the line, e.g. by order, or by the distance in kilometres from the reference station, or by the time taken to travel from the reference station. Any junction station will have more than one line serving it and will therefore have more than one station code. The lines are given numerical ranks such that no two lines serving a common junction have the same rank, higher ranks being denoted by smaller numerical values. In Fig. 5, the rank of line A 2  is higher than those of lines B 2  and D 2  and line B 2  is of higher rank than C 2 . The station code of a junction station which uses the highest rank line serving the station is called the representative station code and denotes the rank of the station. A senior junction station with respect to a selected station is any other station sharing a common line with the selected station and having a higher rank. Information on ticket.-The ticket (see, e.g., left-hand side of Fig. 7) is coded with the representative station codes of the starting station, any junction station at which a change of line is to be made, and the terminating station of the journey. Adjudication method.-Consider the journey from station S 2  to station W 2  via T 2 , U 2 , V 2  (Fig. 5). The ticket bears the information shown on the left-hand side of Fig. 7. At any station at which the ticket is judged the station codes thereon are scanned for the presence of a senior junction station with respect to the adjudicating station, and all codes for said senior junction station which incorporate lines common with the adjudicating station are generated and substituted in turn. The codes on the ticket (including the substituted codes) are scanned for three stations on a commonline through the adjudicating station and if one is found the sequence of address codes is scanned for continuity. If such continuity is not present the ticket is invalid at the adjudicating station. Thus, at station Z 2  the senior junction station on the ticket of Fig. 7 is U 2  having representative code (A 2 , dU 2 ). In the examining machine the code (B 2 , dU<SP>1</SP> 2 ) (the station code of U 2  with respect to line B 2 ) is substituted (cf. right-hand side of Fig. 7) and the sequence of address codes dT 2 , dZ 2 , dU<SP>1</SP> 2  found to occur in the correct order for line B 2 . The ticket is therefore valid. The adjudicating method is further described for situations where the adjudicating station shares more than one line in common with both the senior junction station on another junction station. Where the starting and terminating stations are on the same line no intermediate station codes appear on the ticket and only a scan for the correct sequence of address codes is required. The method may be adapted for use where a single station code is replaced for an area code comprising a plurality of stations having a single fare structure in part of the network. The machines per se are not described as they may be readily realized without further description. The tickets may be ordinary or season tickets and may also bear information regarding terms, sex, adult or child, school, class and fare. The system is said to reduce the number of " bits " of information used and facilitates the inclusion of new lines without major changes of coding.