JP2788439B2 - Two-dimensional barcode and card using the same - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a box-shaped two-dimensional bar code (hereinafter referred to as a box code), a prepaid card using the box code, and the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, optical reading devices (scanners, etc.).
As a technique for recognizing various kinds of information by using a bar code system, a bar code system is most widely used. The barcode system is not only applied to inventory management and process management in the manufacturing industry, but also to data management such as assembly and shipping.
It is also used in the S system (point of sale information management system).

[0003] These barcode systems utilize barcode symbols printed on information sheets, as is well known. The bar code symbol is irradiated with light, the reflected light is read by an optical sensor, and the read analog signal is converted into a digital signal by an A / D converter. The digital signal is sent to the microcomputer via the decoder to identify numbers, characters, and the like represented by the width of the barcode space. Thus, the barcode is read.

[0004] Further, since the use of barcode systems in new fields is being put into practical use one after another, it is necessary to increase the number of codes represented by barcode symbols as the number of target articles increases. Because the number of codes that can be represented by is limited, it could not be accommodated.

[0005] In order to solve this problem, various two-dimensional barcodes have been proposed. However,
Conventional two-dimensional barcodes have been developed to be compatible with conventional analog device reading and alphanumeric encoding, and are not necessarily suitable for current digital processing.

[0006] By the way, most of the conventional credit cards, cash cards issued by financial institutions, and various prepaid cards such as telephone cards are mostly magnetic recording cards.

These magnetic recording cards are counterfeit cards,
Due to concerns about security such as falsification, recently, as a substitute for magnetic recording cards, prepaid card systems and the like use cards that use two-dimensional graphic codes by printing technology instead of magnetic recording methods that are easy to falsify. It is becoming. FIG. 1A shows an example of such a card, and the amount is displayed using a two-dimensional figure.

The information printed in the initial code area 40a in the upper part of the card 40 shown in FIG. 1A is written using a two-dimensional figure called a so-called four-segment Karla code shown in FIG. 1B. I have. This graphic code is, for example,
Four segments obtained by dividing a quadrilateral into four are used as basic units, and black segments that are painted and marked and white segments that are not marked are made to correspond to “1” and “0” bits, respectively. It displays information. This graphic code has a larger amount of information than a bar code or the like, and can be directly processed by a computer. In addition, since printing is performed using a special graphic code, it is difficult to easily modify the data using a magnetic head or the like, as with magnetic recording data of a magnetic card.

[0009]

However, in the above-described conventional graphic code, each basic unit can represent only one-digit hexadecimal information, so that it is difficult to represent a large amount of information with a small number of basic units. .

An object of the present invention is to provide a novel two-dimensional barcode suitable for digital processing.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a prepaid card using a novel two-dimensional barcode.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a prepaid card to which a two-dimensional barcode is applied, which can simplify data processing and prevent forgery.

[0013]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A two-dimensional barcode according to the invention comprises at least one basic unit, which comprises at least one polygonal element. Each of the segments forming each side of the polygon element represents one unit of information.

[0014] Preferably, a plurality of polygonal elements having different sizes are provided concentrically to form a basic unit. Each polygon element is preferably a quadrilateral element, and the number of elements in the basic unit is preferably four. Also, each side of the element is cut in accordance with one unit of information to be displayed, that is, 1
It is preferable to have the above cutting points.

In this case, each side of the element has a predetermined digit of 2
It is cut off according to another code such as a radix or Morse code. When cutting each side according to a binary number, each side is 1
It is preferable to represent a binary number of digits, and to represent a 16-digit binary number in the entire basic unit. However, each side may represent a binary number of two or more digits.

When each side is cut in accordance with a binary number, each basic unit represents a corresponding binary code such as a numeral or a character, so that the corresponding binary code can be read without decoding the read data. There are benefits directly available.

When each side is cut in accordance with coded information such as Morse code, it is possible to create a two-dimensional barcode by compressing data.

Further, the present invention provides a payment card, more preferably a prepaid card, on which information is displayed using the above basic unit. In this case, the two-dimensional barcode is preferably printed on the card using transparent ink.

This makes it possible to provide a payment card in which writing and reading of information is easy and forgery is difficult.

Further, the present invention provides a prepaid card in which the number of product marks corresponding to the unit price of a specific product is written in a predetermined area at the time of issuance of a ticket. In this case, each of the merchandise marks includes a polygon element, and the amount is represented by the intermittent connection of each side of the polygon element. When the card is used, the card settlement is performed by painting out and erasing the number of the product marks corresponding to the usage amount from the product marks.

Still further, the present invention provides a prepaid card in which a product mark is written in a predetermined area by the number of banknotes and coins corresponding to the amount inserted at the time of ticket issuance. In this case, each of the merchandise marks includes a polygon element, and the amount is represented by the intermittent connection of each side of the polygon element. When the card is used, the card settlement is performed by painting out and erasing the number of the product marks corresponding to the usage amount from the product marks.

Therefore, in the prepaid card according to the present invention, the encoding and decoding of the product mark can be easily performed, and the arithmetic processing is greatly reduced.
Also, since considerable data compression is possible, the system can be made more efficient.

[0023]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS First, an embodiment of a two-dimensional box code according to the present invention will be described.

(First Embodiment of Box Code) FIG. 2
Denotes a basic unit used in the first embodiment of the box code according to the present invention. As shown in FIG. 2, each basic unit of the box code is composed of four elements having different square sizes. The outermost first elements are sides (segments) a, b, c, d
And the second element inside is a side (segment) a
1, b1, c1, and d1, the inner third element is sides (segments) a2, b2, c2, and d2, and the innermost fourth element is sides (segments) a3, b3, and c3.
d3. 1 on each side of each element
Assuming that binary information of bits is represented, one quadrilateral (element) can represent 4-bit binary information. Therefore, the basic unit consisting of four quadrilaterals
16-bit display is possible (in other words, 2 ¹⁶
= 256 × 256 = 65536 possible displays).

Here, taking the outermost first element shown in FIG. 3 as an example, each of the segments a, b, c, d
The hexadecimal display will be described. If the straight line of the segment promises “1” when there is no missing part A due to cutting, and “0” when there is a missing part due to cutting, the segment a = “1” and the segment b =
“1”, segment c = “1”, segment d = “0”
It is. Therefore, the element shown in FIG.
10 "is displayed.

FIG. 4 shows this binary conversion process.
This will be described in more detail with reference to the explanatory diagrams of the binary codes shown in (A) to (D). For example, decimal numbers 14, 13, and 250
Are binary numbers "1110", "1101",
The notation of 2 ⁿ in decimal notation is as follows: segment d = 2 ⁰ = 1, segment c = 2 ¹ = 2, segment b = 2 ² = 4, segment a = Specify 2 ³ = 8 and specify the number of binary digits n
4B, segment d = first digit, segment c = second digit, segment b = third digit, and segment a = fourth digit. Thus, by arranging "1" and "0" according to each digit, a binary code can be displayed.

For example, in FIG.
(Missing A) = first digit = “0”, segment c = second digit =
“1”, segment b = third digit = “1”, segment a
= 4th digit = “1”, and when arranged in descending order of the number of digits, represents the binary number “1110”. As shown in FIG.
Segment d = "0" = 1, segment c = "1" =
2, segment b = “1” = 4, segment a = “1”
= 8, the above binary number is a decimal number 14 (8
+ 4 + 2 + 0 = 14).

Similarly, in FIG. 4D, the segment c
(Missing) = “0”, so “1101” in binary notation
Represents 13 (8 + 4 + 0 + 1 = 13) in decimal. In this way, a binary number can be displayed by each basic unit of the box code. It is also easy to display the value in hexadecimal.

As shown in FIGS. 5A to 5C, the cutting of each element of the basic unit is performed as follows. FIG. 5A shows an example in which the left end of the segment is cut, and the length of the cut portion A is approximately 1/3 of the side length L. This is adopted in the above embodiment. FIG. 5B is an example in which the right end of the side length is cut, and the length of the cut portion A is also substantially 1/3 of the side length L. FIG. 5C is an example in which the center of the side length is cut,
The length of the cut portion A is also approximately 1/3 of the side length L. Although the example of the outermost first element is shown here, the same applies to the case of the second to fourth elements, and the cutting position and the ratio of the length to each side length 1/3 are not changed. Absent. In addition, the selection of the cutting position can be appropriately selected from the three cutting positions shown above so that it is easier to read.

FIG. 6 shows a modification of the basic unit of the box code. The basic unit shown in FIG. 6 is similar to the basic unit shown in FIG.
It is configured by overlapping four elements having c and d. A different point from the one shown in FIG. 2 is that the printing width of each segment represents a binary number. That is, when the thickness is thick, it represents "1", and when it is thin, it represents "0".

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a state where the basic units shown in FIG. 2 are combined. It is a block in which four basic units shown in FIG. 2 are arranged vertically in series, and the arrangement direction may be vertical or horizontal, and the number of basic units is not limited to four. One character of the English alphabet is represented by one byte (8 bits), and Kana-Kanji information is 2
Since the character information is represented by bytes, character information can be handled smoothly according to the arrangement of the basic units.

(Second Embodiment of Box Code) Hereinafter, a second embodiment of the box code according to the present invention will be described. In the basic unit according to the second embodiment shown in FIG. 8, the outermost first element is composed of segments a, b, c, and d, similarly to the basic unit shown in FIG.
The second element is a segment a1, b1, c1, d1
And the third element is a segment a2, b2, c2, d
2, the fourth element is segment a3, b3, c3,
d3, and the binary display is performed by each segment. However, in this embodiment, the segment is cut not at one place but at two places such as A1 and A2. If the cutting part is two places, the first part shown in FIG.
As in the example of the element, the segment a allows a 2-bit binary number to be displayed. That is, the cutting point A1 is 1
The cutting position A2 represents the second digit. In the example of FIG. 9, “11” is represented by the cut portions A1 and A2.

As described above, if two bits can be displayed in one segment, eight bits can be displayed in one element.
³² = approximately 4.3 billion displays are possible. As compared with the basic unit shown in FIG. 2, twice the information can be represented by a box code including the same number of basic units. That is, the data compression ratio at the time of conversion to the box code is 1: 2,
In other words, compression can be made to half. Similarly, if three cutting portions A1, A2, and A3 are provided in the segment, 1
3 bits for segment, 48 for one basic unit
It becomes a bit, and 2 ⁴⁸ = about 281 trillion kinds of display are possible.

FIG. 10 shows an example in which four cuts are made in one segment. If four cuts A1, A2, A3 and A4 are introduced per segment as described above, 4 bits per segment and 1 basic unit as a whole It becomes 64 bits, and the display of about 1840 Kyo street becomes possible. In this case, the data compression ratio is 1: 4 on the basis of the conventional example in which 1 segment = 1 bit, and can be compressed to 1/4.

This will be described with an example of a person's name represented by four kanji. Since one kanji character is represented by 16 bits,
When the basic unit of FIG. 2 is used, four basic units are arranged. On the other hand, since the basic unit of the present embodiment can display 64-bit information, the personal name composed of the four kanji can be represented by one basic unit. As a result, data can be compressed to 1/4. Of course,
Other ID information such as an address, a date of birth, a permanent address, a telephone number, a work place, etc. of a person name can also be displayed by the box code according to the present embodiment.

Although the description has been given up to the example of four cuts per segment, the number of cuts can be increased to four or more as long as the detection accuracy permits.

(Third Embodiment of Box Code) Next, a third embodiment of the box code according to the present invention will be described. In the second embodiment, the number of bits represented by each basic unit is increased to increase the data compression ratio.
In the present embodiment, information is compressed by encoding characters, numerals, and the like in advance, and embedding the encoded code (in this case, a Morse code) in a segment of the basic unit.

The basic unit according to this embodiment shown in FIG. 11 also comprises four quadrilateral elements, as in the first and second embodiments, and each element has four segments. However, each segment is truncated according to the coded Morse code.

FIG. 12A shows Morse codes representing "A" and "B". As is clear from FIG.
Although the length of the Morse code differs depending on each code, FIG.
With the format as shown in (B), the total length L of the segment representing the Morse code is constant regardless of the type of the Morse code. More specifically, each segment includes a data head portion X, an inverted code portion, and a data end portion Y. In the inverted code portion, portions corresponding to the short and long points of the Morse code are notched. The notch is formed with a length of the short point = m and a long point = 3 × m, where m is the unit length.

As described above, since each segment is cut according to the Morse code, the information density can be increased. For example, if four characters, such as English characters "ABCD", are to be displayed using the basic unit shown in FIG. 2, two bits are required because each character requires eight bits, but two basic units are required. 1 in the unit
Since one character can be displayed in a segment, it can be displayed in one element. That is, characters that can be displayed in Morse code,
As for numbers, data can be compressed to 1/8 by simple calculation. Therefore, by using the Morse code, 16 characters can be displayed in each basic unit.

(Fourth Embodiment of Box Code) Next, a fourth embodiment of the box code according to the present invention will be described. FIG. 13 shows a box code according to the present embodiment, which is used to display an ITF code for physical distribution. FIG. 14A shows an example of the ITF barcode, and FIG. 14B shows the contents of the barcode shown in FIG. FIG. 14C shows FIG.
FIG. 3A shows a detailed bar pattern of the barcode shown in FIG.
FIG. 14D shows a code table.

The combination of the numbers shown in the code table shown in FIG. 14 (D) indicates information such as the number of packed products and whether or not the product is a sample product.

In the box code of the present embodiment shown in FIG. 13, the number “0” =
A code display such as “00110” is included. That is, the bit interval n (n = L / 5) in the code display area of length L
The numerical information is compressed and displayed by performing black and white display (black = “1”, white = “0”).

The compression ratio is “0” in the case of this ITF code.
A number is represented by 5 bits such as 0110 ″ = 0,
One segment of the box code represents one character.
Therefore, as compared with the box code shown in FIG. 2, the compression ratio is 1: 5 and is compressed to 1/5. In this case, the compression ratio of the data is determined by the compression ratio of the code to be embedded, and the compression ratio becomes 1/10 if a code representing data of 10 bits in one bit is embedded.

As described above, in the case of the Karla code, the overlapping code cannot be formed because of the structure, and therefore, four codes per basic unit are required.
It is completely impossible to compress data beyond bits, but in the case of a box code, the compression ratio can be freely set by a method such as increasing the number of cut portions.

In the third and fourth embodiments, a Morse code, an ITF code and the like are taken as examples, but the box code of the present invention is not limited to these. Any code can be used as long as it can be embedded in each segment of the basic unit.
If a code with 10 different characters is displayed in each segment, 10 ¹⁶ patterns (1 Kyo street) for one basic unit
Can be displayed. Further, if a code having 128 different characters is displayed in each segment, one basic unit can display 128 ¹⁶ different characters.

The box code according to the present invention can be used not only for a prepaid card described below but also for other cards such as a credit card and a cash card. Further, it can be widely used in fields where barcodes are currently used, such as food sales management and distribution management.

Next, an embodiment of a prepaid card according to the present invention using the above-described box code will be described. (First Embodiment of Prepaid Card) FIG. 15 shows a first embodiment of a prepaid card of the present invention. FIG.
As shown in FIG. 1, a main information area 2 in which an amount or the like is written by a box code is provided on the surface of the prepaid card 1. Also, when necessary, a personal information area 3 in which personal information is also written by a box code,
A fingerprint area 4 for recording a user's fingerprint is provided. Further, a data rotation key 5 for security is written. The box code above,
Personal information and the like are written using transparent ink that is transparent to visible light and readable by irradiation with light of a special wavelength such as ultraviolet light. Writing with such a transparent ink is performed using, for example, a stealth (trademark) ink ribbon LM-T100W manufactured by Hitachi Maxell, Ltd. The ink of the ink ribbon contains a phosphor, and when a specific wavelength is applied to the prepaid card 1, light of another wavelength (for example, infrared light) is emitted from a box code or the like.
This light can be detected by a CCD or the like to read a box code or the like.

In this embodiment, the box code is configured using the basic units shown in FIG. 2, but other basic units may be used.

Next, the operation of issuing and reading the prepaid card will be described.

FIG. 16 is a schematic block diagram of a card issuing machine for issuing cards at a playground such as a pachinko parlor. FIG.
Is a card writing means, for example, when a bill is inserted into the ticketing machine, the main information area 2 of the prepaid card 1
Then, the prepaid card 1 is issued by writing amount information or the like using the writing head 51 or the like.

To write data using the box code described above, first, the rotation key 5 printed on the card paper with transparent ink is irradiated with special light and read by the key code reading sensor 50. If the rotation key 5 is, for example, “2”, the box code is rotated by 2 × 90 ° in a designated direction (left, right, etc.) for each basic unit for security. That is, if the basic unit shown in FIG. 2 is rotated rightward by 2 × 90 °, the segment a is moved to the position of the segment c and the segment b is moved to the position of the segment d. To prevent forgery and the like.

The box code representing the money amount information subjected to the encryption rotation processing is written using transparent ink by the writing head 51 which moves in a direction (horizontal direction) perpendicular to the moving direction of the card at a predetermined speed. Be included. Thus, printing of the main information in the main information area 2 is completed. The writing of the box code representing the money amount information is performed in the same manner as described in the second embodiment of the prepaid card described later.

Next, if there is auxiliary data such as personal data to be written, it is written into the personal information area 3. Then, the fingerprint of the user is collected by the CCD at the fingerprint collection unit 55,
The fingerprint image is registered in the memory and the collected fingerprint image is recorded in the fingerprint recording area 4 of the prepaid card 1 with transparent ink.

The card 1 on which the writing of the box code or the like has been completed is irradiated with a special wavelength light for reading, the written content is read again by the optical reading head 52 for confirmation, and the presence or absence of an error is confirmed. Send it to.

FIG. 17 is a schematic block diagram of a card reader of the system. When the prepaid card 1 is used, the card 1 is inserted into the card reader and the charge input section 60 is used.
Enter the desired amount. The prepaid card 1 is irradiated with the special wavelength light, and the rotation key 5 is read by the key code reading sensor 50. Further, main information, personal information, and a fingerprint image are read by the optical reading head 63. The CPU 61 inputs information from the key code reading sensor 50 and the optical reading head 63. Also, the fingerprint of the user collected by the fingerprint collection unit 55 is compared with the fingerprint image read from the prepaid card 1. The CPU 61 performs a decoding process of recognizing the basic unit of the box code representing the main information of the card 1 by rotating the basic unit to the left in the reverse direction based on the rotation key “2”. Is detected.

The optical reading head 63 is the card 1
While reading the box code or the like written in the horizontal direction while moving in the direction orthogonal to the moving direction of the above, reading is performed by the optical sensor (or collective reading is performed by the area sensor).

The information of the box code read by the read head 63 is decoded in a procedure reverse to that at the time of writing.
Thereafter, the CPU 61 confirms the balance information and other information (matching of fingerprints, etc.) of the card 1 and executes processing such as release of a game object such as a pachinko ball according to the input desired amount of money. Thereafter, data is written to the card 1 so that the main information of the card 1 indicates the new remaining amount. The writing of this data is performed by the writing head 62 using transparent ink. Thereafter, the card 1 is returned to the customer. The writing of the data so that the main information of the card 1 indicates the new remaining amount is performed in the same manner as in the second embodiment of the prepaid card described later.

As described above, in the present embodiment, a simple 2
In addition to adopting three-dimensional barcodes, transparent printing of data,
Data protection is achieved through encryption using a rotation key and collation of a user's fingerprint, greatly enhancing security.

(Second Embodiment of Prepaid Card) Next, a second embodiment of the prepaid card according to the present invention will be described. The prepaid card 1 shown in FIG. 18 has a main information writing area 2 for writing a “product mark” 4 composed of basic units set to correspond to an amount corresponding to a unit price of a specific product. There is an ID information writing area 3 for writing personal information and a fingerprint image. This area 3 is not normally used, and is used only for special applications requiring high security or the like.

FIG. 21 shows a ticket issuing machine for issuing the card shown in FIG. 18, and FIG. 22 shows a reader for reading this card. The mechanical structure of the ticket issuing machine shown in FIG. 21 is substantially the same as that of a conventional card issuing machine, but a rotation key “K” is determined from a basic unit of a box code corresponding to the head of data, and encryption processing is performed. The sensor 50 is omitted by providing the control unit 10 for performing the operation.

FIG. 22 The sensor 50 is also omitted from the card reader. In addition, the prepaid card 1 of this embodiment
Uses the basic unit of the box code shown in FIG. 2 as a product mark.

Next, the operation will be described. First, the rotation key “K” used in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG.
FIGS. 19A and 19B correspond to FIGS. 2 and 3, respectively. The basic unit in FIG. 19A is the first unit used as a rotation key in a series of basic units representing information. , Ie, the basic unit that displays the first data item. However, this is determined by the setting of the system, and a basic unit for displaying data other than the initial data may be used as a rotation key. FIG. 19B shows a first element of the basic unit shown in FIG. FIG. 19C shows the relationship between the combination of binary values represented by each of the first and second segments a and b of the first element and the rotation amount. The combination of the four binary values shown in FIG. 19C represents the following amounts of rotation, respectively.

“A =“ 0 ”, b =“ 1 ”” No rotation “a =“ 1 ”, b =“ 0 ”” Twice 90 degrees left rotation “a =“ 0 ”, b =“ 0 ” "Rotate 90 degrees to the right three times" a = "1", b = "1" "Rotate three times to the left 90 degrees

Is obtained. In this way, for the combination of binary values represented by each segment, as shown above, two rotations from right to three
If the number of rotations up to the rotation is determined in association with each other, the amount of rotation of the basic unit can be determined at random such as “two times left”, “three times right”. For example, when the rotation key “K” indicates two rotations to the right, when writing data to the card 1, among the basic units constituting the plaintext, those other than the first one are rotated clockwise. By performing the rotation twice, the graphic code is encrypted.

In the present embodiment, the basic unit shown in FIG. 2 is not used to represent numerical data or the like, but a basic unit including only the first element is used as a product mark representing a specific amount or the like. Thereby, numerical data and the like can be compressed and displayed. 20 (A) to 20 (D) show the details. FIG. 20 (A) shows three types of product marks 4, each type of product mark 4 representing a purchase unit of a specific product, and composed of basic units having the same shape.

Originally, the prepaid card was a pachinko ball,
There are very many cases where a specific price is targeted, such as a golf driving range or a ski lift. Taking a pachinko parlor as an example, few people buy one or two pachinko balls.
Purchase in units of 30 units, 50 units, etc. In view of this point, the product mark representing 10 balls is represented by the basic unit of “0111” as shown in FIG. 20B, and the product mark representing 30 balls is represented by “1100” as shown in FIG. The product mark representing the basic unit and representing 50 balls is shown in FIG.
It is represented by a basic unit of “1110” as in (D). Assuming that the price of a pachinko ball is 5 yen per piece, the above product marks are 500 yen, 1500 yen, and 25 yen, respectively.
It represents 00 yen.

Therefore, when issuing a 10,000 yen prepaid card, as shown in FIG. 20A, five 500 yen product marks corresponding to ten balls are provided in the first row, and the same 5
4 product marks of 00 yen, total 500 yen x 9 = 450
0 yen worth, and two 1500 yen product marks equivalent to 30 balls in the third row, a total of 1500 yen x 2 = 3000 yen,
One 2500 yen product mark for 50 balls = 2500
It is written and issued in the form of yen, etc. Of course, 500
Another combination such as eight circle marks and four 1500 yen marks may be used, and the combination is free. The same applies to a driving range or the like. For example, if the lending price of 10 golf balls is 500 yen, the product mark 4 is printed based on these.

Next, the issue and use of a card will be described. If the bill is inserted into the card issuing machine shown in FIG. 21 and the inserted amount is 10,000 yen, the control unit 10
A combination of the commodity marks 4 as shown in FIG. 19A is created in the form of a bitmap, and the combination of the binary values of the first and second segments a and b of the first element as shown in FIG. Then, a rotation key “K” (for example, two 90 ° rotations to the left) of the card is determined, and encryption is performed to rotate each basic unit accordingly. For example, if the rotation key “K” is rotated twice to the left, the basic unit is rotated 2 × 90 ° counterclockwise and the segment a
Moves to the position of segment c, segment b moves to the position of segment d, segment c moves to the position of segment a, and segment d moves to the position of segment b. Thus, while the segments a, b, c, and d of the original plaintext basic unit represented the binary value “0111”, the segments c, d, a, and b represented by the segments c, d, a, and b of the cryptographic basic unit were rotated by 180 ° to the right. The security value can be ensured by being encrypted to the base value “1101”.

After the completion of the encryption by the rotation of the product mark 4, the write head 51 writes the product mark 4 on the card 1.
Write a group. The box graphic code card 1 for which writing has been completed is sent to the customer after driving the read head 52 to confirm the written content.

In order to use the card 1 issued in this way, insert the card 1 into the card reader shown in FIG.
1 is the first basic unit 2 via the read head 63
The combination of binary values represented by the two segments is read out, and the rotation /
A key detection process for determining the key “K” is performed. Subsequently, the product code 4 of the card is read by the reading head 63,
All the product marks are decoded using the key code detected again (in the above case, since "K" is rotated left twice, decoding is rotated right twice conversely).

From the decoded product mark 4, the payment amount used this time is deleted and the card settlement is executed. In other words, if the current usage amount is 2,000 yen using the card 1 on which the product mark 4 for 10,000 yen has been written, from the group of product marks 4 written as shown in FIG. For example, one mark of 1500 yen and a mark of 500 yen are painted. Thereby, the card settlement is completed and the card 1 is returned to the customer.

(Third Embodiment of Prepaid Card) Next, a third embodiment of the prepaid card according to the present invention will be described. The second embodiment uses a product mark group suitable for purchasing a single item, which is often the case with prepaid cards, whereas the third embodiment uses a product mark suitable for purchasing multi-product general products. doing. That is, the merchandise mark is made to correspond to the amount of a bill (for example, 1,000 yen) or money (100 yen, etc.).

If a prepaid card for general goods of 10,000 yen is to be made, for example, as shown in FIG.
A commodity mark representing a 000 yen bill is represented by a basic unit of “0001”, and eight basic units (8 × 1000)
Yen = 8000 yen) is written in the first and second steps. Next, FIG.
A product mark representing a 100-yen coin as shown in FIG.
11 "basic unit, 15 basic units (15 units × 100 yen = 1500 yen) are written in the third and fourth stages, and a product mark representing a 10-yen coin as shown in FIG. The basic unit of 1000 "is written, and 45 basic units (45 units × 10 yen = 450 yen) are written in the fifth to seventh steps. Further, as shown in FIG. The mark is represented by the basic unit of “1111”,
The 50 basic units (50 units × 1 yen = 50 yen) are written in the eighth to tenth rows. In this way, the prepaid card 1 with a face value of 10,000 yen is issued.

In the case of card settlement, if the card 1 is inserted into the card reader of FIG. 22 and the amount is inserted in conjunction with the cash register, if the inserted amount is 2120 yen, 10
Two 00 yen marks, one 100 yen mark and 10
Complete the card payment by painting and erasing three yen marks,
If the balance remains, return the card 1 to the customer.

As described above, according to the present invention, a commodity mark for compressing and displaying a numerical value or the like is formed by using a basic unit including only one quadrilateral element to correspond to a specific commodity or the like.
As a result, the efficiency of the card system is improved. Since the balance calculation process and the encoding / decoding of graphic codes are easy during the process, there is ample room for the computer to spend its remaining time on card security-related processes, thereby improving the reliability of the card system and improving security. It is possible to plan.

[0077]

According to the two-dimensional barcode according to the present invention,
Many information can be represented by a small number of basic units, and since the information given by the barcode is binarized information, digital processing is easy.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1A is a plan view of a conventional card using a two-dimensional code, and FIG. 1B is a view showing a basic unit used in the card.

FIG. 2 is a diagram of a basic unit showing a first embodiment of a box code according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing one element of the basic unit shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of the element shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a view showing a modification of the element shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a view showing a modification of the basic unit shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a state where the basic units shown in FIG. 2 are combined.

FIG. 8 is a diagram of a basic unit showing a second embodiment of the box code according to the present invention.

9 is a diagram showing a first element of the basic unit shown in FIG.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a modification of the basic unit shown in FIG.

FIG. 11 is a diagram of a basic unit showing a third embodiment of a box code according to the present invention.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram of the Morse code shown in FIG. 11;

FIG. 13 is a diagram of a basic unit showing a fourth embodiment of the box code according to the present invention.

FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram of a bar code for displaying an ITF code for distribution.

FIG. 15 is a plan view showing a first embodiment of a prepaid card according to the present invention.

16 is a schematic block diagram of the ticket issuing machine of the prepaid card shown in FIG.

17 is a schematic block diagram of a reader of the prepaid card shown in FIG.

FIG. 18 is a plan view showing a second embodiment of the prepaid card according to the present invention.

FIG. 19 is an explanatory diagram of a rotation key.

FIG. 20 is a detailed view of the product mark shown in FIG. 18;

21 is a schematic block diagram of the ticket issuing machine of the card shown in FIG.

FIG. 22 is a schematic block diagram of a reader of the card shown in FIG. 18;

FIG. 23 is a detailed view of a product mark showing a modification of the prepaid card according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 a, b, c, d segment A cutting part 1 prepaid card 2 main information area 3 personal information area 4 fingerprint area 5 data rotation key 50 key code reading sensor 51 writing head 52 optical reading head 55 fingerprint sampling unit 60 Charge input unit 61 CPU 62 Write head 63 Optical read head

──────────────────────────────────────────────────の Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification symbol FI G06K 19/00 G06K 19/00 R 19/10 U G07F 7/08 G07F 7/08 A (31) Priority claim number 8-185323 (32) Priority date Hei 8 (1996) June 27 (33) Priority claiming country Japan (JP) (58) Field surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁶ , DB name) G06K 19/06 G06K 19 / 10 B42D 15/10 551 G06K 7/10 G06K 7/12 G06K 17/00 G06K 19/00 G07F 7/08

Claims (19)

(57) [Claims] 1. A two-dimensional barcode, wherein the basic unit includes at least one polygon element, and each of the segments forming each side of the polygon element represents a certain amount of information. 2. The two-dimensional barcode according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of polygon elements having different sizes are provided concentrically. 3. The two-dimensional barcode according to claim 1, wherein the polygon element is a quadrilateral element. 4. The two-dimensional barcode according to claim 2, wherein the polygon element is a quadrilateral element, and each side of the element is cut according to a certain amount of information to be displayed. . 5. The element according to claim 4, wherein the basic unit includes four of the elements having different sizes.
Dimensional barcode. 6. The two-dimensional barcode according to claim 4, wherein each segment of the element is cut at a plurality of positions, thereby representing the fixed amount of information. 7. The two-dimensional barcode according to claim 5, wherein each segment represents a one-digit binary number, and the entire basic unit represents a sixteen-digit binary number. 8. The two-dimensional barcode according to claim 6, wherein each segment represents a binary number having two or more digits. 9. The two-dimensional barcode according to claim 6, wherein each segment is cut in accordance with a code having a length and a length. 10. The two-dimensional barcode according to claim 9, wherein each segment is cut in accordance with a Morse code representing a certain amount of information. 11. An I where each segment represents a fixed amount of information.
The two-dimensional barcode according to claim 9, wherein the two-dimensional barcode is cut according to a TF code. 12. The method according to claim 1, wherein the basic unit is printed using transparent ink.
Dimensional barcode. 13. Displaying information using a two-dimensional barcode comprising at least one basic unit, wherein each basic unit includes at least one polygonal element, and constitutes each side of the polygonal element. A card having information, wherein each of the segments displays information using a two-dimensional barcode representing a certain amount of information. 14. The card having information according to claim 13, wherein the two-dimensional barcode is printed on the card using transparent ink. 15. The card according to claim 13, wherein said card is a prepaid card. 16. At the time of issuing a ticket, product marks corresponding to the unit price of a specific product are written in a predetermined area by an amount corresponding to the inserted amount, and when reading the card, a number of product marks corresponding to the usage amount are painted from the product marks. A prepaid card in which card settlement is performed by crushing and erasing, wherein each of the commodity marks includes a polygon element, and the amount of money is represented by the intermittent of each side of the polygon element. card. 17. The prepaid card according to claim 16, wherein the polygon element is a quadrilateral. 18. A money mark is written in a predetermined area by the number of bills and coins corresponding to the money inserted at the time of issuance of a ticket, and when reading the card, the money mark corresponding to the used money is painted out of the money mark. A prepaid card in which card payment is performed by erasing, wherein each of said amount marks includes a polygon element, and the amount is represented by intermittent connection of each side of said polygon element. . 19. The prepaid card according to claim 18, wherein said polygon element is a quadrilateral.