초록 ▼

Improved integrity of a payment system for paying for services or goods, for example, telephone facilities, through use of electronic payment cards. In any session to increase a card balance, a "flag" is placed ("1") on the payment card which indicates that the session must not be interrupted. After

Improved integrity of a payment system for paying for services or goods, for example, telephone facilities, through use of electronic payment cards. In any session to increase a card balance, a "flag" is placed ("1") on the payment card which indicates that the session must not be interrupted. After completion, the flag is removed again ("0"). A session to pay for the product or the service or to increase the balance can only be established if the flag is absent ("0") indicating that the last session to increase the balance was correctly completed. If, on the other hand, the flag is still "1" at the start of a session, a correction routine is first performed in which the previous session to increase the balance is then correctly concluded to prevent the flag being removed by fraud, the flag can only be removed by a central system (PSTN/ABS) through issurance of an authorized instruction.

대표청구항 ▼

[I claim:] [1.]means, operative in conjunction with a .Iadd.balance .Iaddend.process which increases a balance stored in the .Iadd.payment .Iaddend.card, .[.for.]. .Iadd.to carry out the following tasks: .Iaddend.changing a symbol stored in the .Iadd.payment .Iaddend.card from a first symbol .Iadd.v

[I claim:] [1.]means, operative in conjunction with a .Iadd.balance .Iaddend.process which increases a balance stored in the .Iadd.payment .Iaddend.card, .[.for.]. .Iadd.to carry out the following tasks: .Iaddend.changing a symbol stored in the .Iadd.payment .Iaddend.card from a first symbol .Iadd.value .Iaddend.to a second symbol.[., wherein.]. .Iadd.value at the beginning of said balance process;changing said symbol stored in said payment card from said second symbol value into said first symbol value at the end of said balance process; .Iaddend.said .[.changing.]. means .Iadd.also being arranged to carry out the following tasks during a further process with the payment card.Iaddend.:.[.detects.]. .Iadd.detecting.Iaddend., at a beginning of said .Iadd.further .Iaddend.process, if said first or said second symbol .Iadd.value .Iaddend.is stored in the .Iadd.payment .Iaddend.card;if said .[.second.]. symbol .[.is stored, changes said second symbol to said first symbol and performs said process to increase the stored balance; and.]. .Iadd.has said first symbol value, continuing with said further process; .Iaddend.if said .[.first.]. symbol .[.is stored, indicates.]. .Iadd.has a second value, indicating .Iaddend.that a previous execution of said .Iadd.balance .Iaddend.process was interrupted prior to completion and .[.completes or repeats.]. .Iadd.starting a terminating process to change said second symbol value into said first symbol value;wherein the system also comprises an administration system and the system is arranged to:store information regard the balance process during the execution of the balance process in said administration system;complete or repeat .Iaddend.the previous execution of the .Iadd.balance .Iaddend.process .Iadd.during said terminating process in said further process on the basis of said information still present in the administration system; andcontinue said further process after said terminating process.Iaddend..