Method for Checking Electronic Tickets Stored on User Terminals

Abstract

Disclosed is a method for checking electronic tickets which are assigned to user terminals and are preferably used within a system for automatically detecting the utilization of chargeable means of transport conveying persons and/or deducting the fare. According to said method, a verification data telegram is transmitted while user terminals that receive the verification data telegram optically and/or acoustically output signals which represent the validity of the electronic ticket.

Description

Method for checking electronic tickets stored on user terminals The present invention relates to a method for checking electronic tickets which are allocated to user terminals, in particular electronic tickets which are preferably used within a system for automatically detecting the use of chargeable means of transport conveying persons and/or deducting the fare.

In the following, the term “ticket” comprises as generic term riding permits of all kinds, such as for example short trip, single ride, day tickets, monthly season tickets and yearly season tickets or the like, entitlements of all kinds, such as for example reductions for children, groups, disabled persons or the like, extra charges of all kinds, such as for example a ride in the first class, taking along a pet or the like.

Hitherto, the use of chargeable means of transport, in particular of public passenger traffic, has been mainly realised by using tickets printed on paper. For the control of such tickets, the user shows them to a controller who can verify by simply regarding the ticket whether they are valid for the distance being traveled.

Since tickets printed on paper are relatively complicated to handle and can be relatively easily falsified, there have been different attempts in the state of the art for several years to replace the ticket on paper by a so called “electronic ticket”, i.e. by a ticket stored on a memory medium. These developments enable an automatic determination and deduction of the fare, wherein some examples will be disclosed in the following:

From PCT application NL01/00215 a method is for example known, in which the passenger uses a mobile apparatus (for example a mobile phone or a transponder) with a number allocated to him, in order to be automatically identified when he is in a means of transport of the public short-distance traffic. The vehicle automatically registers where the passenger gets into the vehicle and where he leaves the vehicle. Usually, these data are transmitted to a background system that determines the fare for the traveled distance on the base of these data. Such systems are often called “be-in/be-out” systems.

From DE 199 57 660 another method for deducting the fare for the use of public transport means is known, in which is a cheque card-like memory that is carried along by the user is charged with a credit. During the use of public transport means, the transport means emits counting pulses and for each received counting pulse a pre-determined amount is deducted from the credit that is memorized on the memory unit.

From Switzerland a pilot project called “easyride” is known, in which the customer carries along a transponder card which registers him in the vehicle when he uses a vehicle and which repeats this registration regularly.

In order to be able to control the electronic ticket that is allocated to a user terminal and that is used in the above described automatic methods of determination and accounting of any kind, special control apparatuses have been developed that are carried along by the controllers. These control apparatuses are adapted for reading out electronic tickets in a contacting or contactless manner from the corresponding user terminals, in order to verify their validity. Herein, it is a drawback that the control normally consumes more time due to the reading out operation than for paper tickets.

Thus, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method that enables a quick and simple control of the ticket validity of an electronic ticket that is allocated to a user terminal.

This aim is achieved according to the invention by a method according to claim 1. The dependent claims refer to individual embodiments of the present invention.

By means of the method according to the invention electronic tickets can be controlled. The user terminals can be principally any terminals that are adapted in such a manner that an electronic ticket can be allocated to these ones and that they can at least receive signals, such as for example correspondingly adapted transponder cards, mobile phones, handhelds or the like. The exact way of determination and deduction of the fare is of secondary importance with respect to the method according to the invention and shall therefore not be explained in detail in the following. However, it is to be noted that principally each method of determination and deduction of a fare can be used, such as for example one of the initially described methods.

For controlling the electronic tickets allocated to the user terminals, a verification data telegram/code is emitted according to the invention, wherein user terminals that receive the verification data telegram optically and/or acoustically emit signals which represent the validity of the electronic ticket, wherein these validity signals are preferably contained in the verification data telegram. These validity signals can then be easily checked by a controller. If the terminal has a display, the signal that represents the validity of the electronic ticket can be for example an optical validity signal, in particular a validity code, such as for example a number code, a symbol code, a colour code or the like that is known to the controller and the correctness of which he can verify by a simple visual verification without a separate control apparatus being required for this. This validity code is advantageously changed regularly, such that a manipulation of the control method according to the invention becomes difficult. Furthermore, the validity code can also contain time data with or without date. In this way it can be avoided that validity codes can be registered and again be emitted. For the comparison of the time data, a processing unit that is integrated in the user terminal can carry out a timing that is adjusted by the time data contained in the verification data telegram. Instead of or in addition to time data, also a running number can be contained that also enables to exclude already received validity codes having smaller numbers from the processing.

Of course, also other control mechanisms that are initialised by the emission of a special verification data telegram can be used without departing from the base aspect of this invention.

If the user terminal has for example no display, also an acoustic validity signal can be emitted by the user terminal, such as for example a special sound sequence that is known to the controller and that can also be regularly varied, in order to prevent a circumvention of the control system according to the invention, wherein the acoustic validity signal is preferably transmitted together with the verification data telegram to the user terminal. A separate control apparatus is neither required here.

Alternatively, the validity signal received with the verification data telegram can also be transmitted from the user terminal to a control apparatus that is carried along by the controller. In this variant however, the user terminal must be adapted for emitting signals or data.

User terminals that are not switched on at the moment of the emission of the verification data telegram, do not receive this one, such that the signals that represent the validity of the electronic ticket cannot be emitted by such user terminals. If thus a user terminal does not emit a signal that represents the validity of the electronic ticket, it can at first be assumed that the corresponding user uses the means of transport without a valid ticket.

The emitted verification data telegrams are preferably only transmitted to such user terminals that have previously already received and/or transmitted account relevant signals. Thus, it shall be assured that only such user terminals receive the verification data telegrams for which the determination and/or deduction of the fare has already started. If for example a user switches his user terminal only on when he realises that a controller has just got in, his user terminal will not emit a signal representing the validity of the electronic ticket, even if the user terminal was switched on before the emission of the verification data telegram, since the user terminal has not received and/or transmitted any account relevant signals so far. A deliberate deception of the control method according to the invention is thus made difficult.

Alternatively, the verification data telegrams are emitted to all user terminals, wherein only such user terminals emit a signal that represents the validity of the electronic ticket which have already previously received and/or transmitted account relevant signals. Herein, the user terminal itself decides whether it will emit a validity signal or not.

The verification data telegrams are preferably emitted, if pre-determined events happen and/or in pre-determined time intervals. Verification data telegrams can be for example emitted at each stop or shortly before or shortly after each stop, such that the user terminal always indicates the validity of the electronic ticket stored on the user terminal for the corresponding route section, which validity can then be verified both by the user himself and by a controller. Alternatively, verification data telegrams can also be emitted only if a control shall really be carried out by a controller.

If a controller doubts the authenticity of a validity signal emitted by a user terminal, this one can preferably be verified in detail by means of a corresponding control apparatus that is carried along by the controller by for example reading out and verifying the account relevant data that are stored on the user terminal.

Each of the mentioned single characteristics can be protected by itself and independently from the others.

In the following, the method according to the invention for checking electronic tickets which are stored on user terminals will be explained by means of two exemplary embodiments.

In a first embodiment of the method according to the invention, the fare is determined and deducted by means of a method that is similar to the method described in the PCT application NL01/00215. Herein, a user terminal regularly emits a user terminal identification by means of which a computer unit arranged in the means of transport that receives this user terminal identification registers where the passenger gets into the means of transport and where he leaves it again. The data are then transmitted to a background system that will determine the fare for the distance to be traveled based upon these data and will then deduct this one for example from a credit allocated to the user terminal identification.

If the electronic tickets of the users using a means of transport shall be controlled by a controller, a corresponding device will transmit a verification data telegram to such user terminals the user terminal identification of which is stored in the computer unit. Together with the verification data telegram, a validity code in form of a number code is transmitted that is automatically output via a display of the respective user terminals. This validity code known to the controller can now be easily detected and verified by the controller by reading the display.

In a second embodiment of the method according to the invention, a be-in/be-out system for determining and deducting the fare is used, in which user terminals that are switched on and are within the transmission range of a transmitter placed in a means of transport receive account relevant data emitted in pre-determined time intervals by the transmitter, on the base of which data credits that are stored on the corresponding user terminals which serve as electronic tickets are successively reduced in dependence on the traveled distances.

If the tickets shall now be controlled, a corresponding device that is placed inside the means of transport or carried along by the controller emits a verification data telegram that is received by the switched on user terminals that are present inside the means of transport. The validity code annexed to the verification data telegram is automatically displayed on the displays of the user terminals and can be easily verified by the controller, as in the previous exemplary embodiment.

But the validity code will only be displayed on the display of a user terminal, if the user terminal has already previously received account relevant data from the transmitter arranged inside the means of transport. In this way it shall be excluded that a user only switches his user terminal on, when he suspects a controller having just got into the vehicle, but still in time such that his user terminal receives the verification data telegram and a validity code appears on the display.

By means of the above described embodiments it should be clear that the control method according to the invention can be carried out independent from the fact whether the ticket allocated to the user terminal is stored on the user terminal or in a background system.

Furthermore, it is to be understood that the above described embodiments only serve as examples and are not at all limiting. Modifications and variations are rather possible without departing from the scope of protection of the present invention that is defined by the annexed claims.

Claims

1. A method for checking electronic tickets which are allocated to user terminals which are preferably used within a system for automatically detecting the use of chargeable means of transport for conveying persons and/or for deducting the fare, wherein

a verification data telegram is emitted, wherein

use terminals that receive the verification data telegram optically and/or acoustically emit signals which represent the validity of the electronic ticket.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the validity signal that is output by the user terminal is transmitted to the user terminal together with the verification data telegram.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein verification data telegrams are emitted when pre-determined events happen and/or in pre-determined time intervals.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein a verification data telegram is only transmitted to such user terminals that have already received and/or transmitted account relevant signals before the receipt of the verification data telegrams.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein only such user terminals emit a signal that represents the validity of the electronic ticket which have already received and/or transmitted account relevant signals before the receipt of the verification data telegrams.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the signals that represent the validity of the electronic ticket comprise a validity code.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the validity code is varied.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the signal is output via a display on the user terminal.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the signals that represent the validity of the electronic ticket can be verified by means of a control device.

10. The method according to claim 2, wherein verification data telegrams are emitted when pre-determined events happen and/or in pre-determined time intervals.