Automatic ticket gate, IC card, automatic ticket gate system, processing method, and program

Abstract

To provide an automatic ticket gate, an IC card, an automatic ticket gate system, a processing method, and a program that charge users according to the service provided when entering and exiting station ticket gates.SOLUTION: An automatic ticket gate according to the embodiment includes: an IC card reader that communicates with an IC card for railways when it is presented; and a storage unit that stores first supplementary information of a first IC card acquired by the IC card reader. Based on the first supplementary information in the storage unit, the automatic ticket gate determines the billing for a predetermined service for a second IC card presented after the first IC card.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] An embodiment of the present invention relates to an automatic ticket gate, an IC card, an automatic ticket gate system, a processing method, and a program used for allowing users to enter and exit a station. [Background technology]

[0002] In the railway business, when a non-assisted person (such as a care recipient or a person with a disability) who needs an assistant (such as a caregiver or a companion) uses the railway, a service such as a discounted fare for the assistant is being implemented. For example, by storing additional information indicating "non-assisted" and "assistant" on the railway IC cards owned by the non-assisted person and the assistant, when both people pass through an automatic ticket gate, a service such as a discounted fare can be applied to each IC card. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-182108 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2023-165399 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2023-76254 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, for example, a railway user who has an IC card that stores additional information about an assistant may not always use the railway as someone's "assistant," and there is a possibility that the service may be applied in such cases as well.

[0005] The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide an automatic ticket gate, an IC card, an automatic ticket gate system, a processing method and a program that charges users according to the service when they enter or exit a station ticket gate. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The automatic ticket gate of the embodiment includes an IC card reader that communicates with a railway IC card when the IC card is held over the reader, and a memory unit that stores first additional information of a first IC card acquired by the IC card reader, and determines the charge for a predetermined service to a second IC card held over the reader after the first IC card based on the first additional information in the memory unit. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram of a ticket gate processing system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the railway IC card according to the first embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of a ticket gate processing control unit installed at a ticket gate according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a flowchart of the ticket gate processing control unit when a user exits outside the ticket gate in the first embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a flowchart of the ticket gate processing control unit when a user exits outside the ticket gate in the second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. (First embodiment) In this embodiment, an example of a ticket gate processing system is shown in which the processing of the ticket gate is switched based on information stored in an IC card (hereinafter referred to as a railway IC card) used for entering and exiting a station ticket gate. For example, an assisted person who is a railway user and an assistant accompanying the assisted person each have an assisted person IC card with additional information indicating that they are an "assisted person" in addition to the railway IC card, and an assistant IC card with additional information indicating that they are an "assistant" in addition to the railway IC card, and each person exits the station ticket gate by individually holding up their IC card.

[0009] When the assisted person and assistant hold their respective IC cards over an IC card reader / writer when entering or exiting a station ticket gate, the fare is collected from both the assisted person's IC card and the assistant's IC card. At that time, it is assumed that a discount service will be applied, such as waiving the fare for either the assistant or the assisted person. For example, a discount service will be applied to the fare for either the assisted person's IC card or the assistant's IC card.

[0010] FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram of a ticket gate processing system according to the first embodiment.

[0011] Users 1-1 and 1-2 (simply referred to as User 1 when no distinction is made) are railway users. User 1-1 is the person being assisted, such as a person with a disability, and User 1-2 is the assistant accompanying assisted User 1-1. Hereinafter, User 1-1 may be referred to as assisted User 1-1, and User 1-2 as assistant 1-2.

[0012] The IC cards 10-1 and 10-2 (simply referred to as IC cards 10 when no distinction is made) are general integrated circuit (IC) type IC cards equipped with a processor such as a CPU equipped with computer functions such as calculation functions and control functions, volatile and non-volatile memory for storing data, and a communication function for communicating with the outside. In particular, in this embodiment, the IC card 10 is assumed to be an IC card (referred to as a railway IC card) used by railway users as a railway commuter pass, a coupon ticket, electronic money, etc. The IC card 10 in this embodiment is assumed to be a contactless IC card, but may also be a contact type.

[0013] In addition to basic information about a railway user (such as name, telephone number, route information in the case of a commuter pass, and entrance and exit information), any additional information can be added to IC card 10. For example, IC card 10-1, owned by assisted person 1-1, is an example of an IC card for an assisted person, and stores data 111-1 such as identification information (referred to as an assisted person ID) that identifies user 1-1 as an assisted person. IC card 10-2 is an example of an assistant IC card owned by assistant 1-2, who is an assistant to assisted person 1-1, and stores data 111-2 such as identification information (referred to as an assistant ID) that identifies assistant 1-2 as an assistant. The assistant ID and the assisted ID are also additional information, and automatic ticket gate 2 can recognize whether the owner of IC card 10-1 held up is an assistant or an assisted person by checking the assistant ID and assisted person ID. The entrance / exit information includes, for example, the place (station) where the person entered and the time of entry, and is written to the IC card 10 when the IC card 10 is held up to a card reader of the automatic ticket gate 2 upon entering the station ticket gate. Hereinafter, when there is no need to distinguish between data 111-1 and data 111-2, they may be collectively referred to as data 111.

[0014] As shown in data 111-1, IC card 10-1 stores information (referred to as linking information) about assistant 1-2 who is linked as an assistant to assisted person 1-1, who is the owner of IC card 10-1. If the held-up IC card 10 is an IC card for an assisted person (corresponding to IC card 10-1) and an assistant ID is stored in that IC card, automatic ticket gate 2 allows the owner (corresponding to user 1-2) of the assistant IC card (corresponding to IC card 10-2) identified by the assistant ID to also use the train at a discounted fare.

[0015] Furthermore, IC card 10 may store, as additional information, a flag (referred to as an identification flag) in a non-volatile memory or the like, which indicates that the owner of IC card 10 is the assisted person or the assistant. For example, IC card 10-1 owned by assisted person 1-1 is an IC card for the assisted person, and an identification flag indicating that "the owner is the assisted person" may be stored as data, and IC card 10-2, an assistant IC card owned by assistant 1-2, who is the assistant to assisted person 1-1, may store an identification flag indicating that "the owner is the assistant" as data.

[0016] The IC card 10 may also store an identifier (referred to as a carrier identifier) ​​indicating that it is a railway IC card as data in its own non-volatile memory. The automatic ticket gate 2 can determine whether the held-up IC card 10 is a railway IC card by checking the carrier identifier. All or part of the information stored in the non-volatile memory of the IC card 10 described above is collectively referred to as IC card information.

[0017] Furthermore, the IC card 10 and the IC card reader / writer 21 can communicate with each other by outputting electromagnetic waves, etc. If the frequencies of the output electromagnetic waves assigned to each operator, such as the railway IC card 10 and credit card, are different, the automatic ticket gate 2 may determine whether the card is a railway IC card 10 based on the frequency of the received electromagnetic waves.

[0018] Automatic ticket gates 2R and 2L (referred to as automatic ticket gate 2 when no distinction is made) are ticket gates installed at the entrances and exits for station users, and hereinafter, automatic ticket gate 2R is assumed to be the entrance gate used when entering the ticket gate, and automatic ticket gate 2L is assumed to be the exit gate used when exiting to the outside of the ticket gate. When a user holds their own IC card 10 over IC card reader / writer 21, opening and closing doors 23 and 24 opens and closes, allowing the user to enter or exit the station ticket gate.

[0019] IC card reader / writers 21R and 21L (referred to as IC card reader / writer 21 when no particular distinction is made) are card readers / writers that detect IC card 10, read data from IC card 10, and write data to IC card 10. FIG. 1 shows the assumption that IC card reader / writer 21R is used when a user enters a ticket gate, and IC card reader / writer 21L is used when the user exits the ticket gate. The data communication method between IC card reader / writer 21 and IC card 10 is a common technique, and will not be described in detail. For example, IC card reader / writer 21 can detect electromagnetic waves output by IC card 10, demodulate data from the detected electromagnetic waves, and obtain information output by IC card 10.

[0020] The ticket gate processing control units 22R, 22L (when no distinction is made, they will be referred to as ticket gate processing control unit 22) are equipped with a processor such as a CPU having computer functions such as calculation functions and control functions, volatile memory and non-volatile memory for storing data, and a communication function for exchanging data and signals with the IC card reader / writer 21. The ticket gate processing control unit 22 is equipped with a program such as software or firmware that describes processing procedures, and may execute the processing procedures using a CPU or other processor such as an FPGA, or may execute similar processing procedures using a combination of hardware or software.

[0021] The ticket gate processing control unit 22 processes data acquired from the IC card 10 and outputs data processed by the automatic ticket gate 2 to the IC card 10. The ticket gate processing control unit 22 also has a function of generating and outputting control signals for controlling the opening and closing of the gates 23 and 24. In FIG. 1, it is assumed that the ticket gate processing control unit 22R is used when a user enters the ticket gate and the ticket gate processing control unit 22L is used when the user exits the ticket gate. However, this is not particularly limited, and the ticket gate processing control units 22R and 22L may be installed outside the automatic ticket gate 2, or the ticket gate processing control units 22R and 22L may operate as a single ticket gate processing control unit. If the functions of the ticket gate processing control unit 22 are provided on an external server physically separated from the automatic ticket gate 2, the automatic ticket gate 2 is provided with an interface for data communication with the external server. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the ticket gate processing control unit 22R controls the automatic ticket gate 2R, and the ticket gate processing control unit 22L controls the automatic ticket gate 2L.

[0022] The opening and closing doors 23R, 23L (referred to as the opening and closing door 23 when no particular distinction is made) are doors that physically restrict and permit users to enter and exit the ticket gates, and are controlled by the ticket gate processing control unit 22.

[0023] Doors 24R and 24L (referred to as ticket gate processing control unit 24 when no distinction is made) are doors installed symmetrically to door 23 and have the same function as door 23. Doors 23 and 24 do not necessarily have to be installed together, and it is acceptable to install either one. Doors 23R and 24R are controlled by ticket gate processing control unit 22R, and doors 23L and 24L are controlled by ticket gate processing control unit 22L. When a user enters or exits, both doors 23R and 24R are opened.

[0024] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the railway IC card according to the first embodiment.

[0025] Card storage unit 11 is a non-volatile memory for storing data, and stores data such as information about the owner of IC card 10 (such as name, telephone number, and route information in the case of a commuter pass), additional information, and entrance / exit information. Information provided to IC card reader / writer 21 is referred to as IC card information, and data 111 (corresponding to data 111-1 and 111-2 in FIG. 1) including the IC card information is stored in card storage unit 11. If IC card 10 has an electronic money function, information on the amount of money held may also be stored in card storage unit 11. Entry / exit information is received from IC card reader / writer 21.

[0026] The card processing unit 12 writes data to the card storage unit 11 based on an external control signal or the like, and reads data from the card storage unit 11 and outputs it to the outside.

[0027] The card communication unit 13 has a communication function for exchanging data with the outside, etc. The card communication unit 13 has various interfaces that can communicate with the IC card reader / writer 21.

[0028] FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of a ticket gate processing control unit installed at a ticket gate according to the first embodiment.

[0029] Based on a signal from the IC card reader / writer 21, the card control unit 221 detects that the IC card 10 has been held up and exchanges data with the IC card 10.

[0030] The temporary storage unit 222 is a non-volatile memory or a volatile memory for storing data, and stores information about the IC card 10 received via the IC card reader / writer 21. In this embodiment, the temporary storage unit 222 stores additional information such as identification information and linking information (corresponding to data 111-1 and 111-2 in FIG. 1).

[0031] The data analysis unit 223 analyzes the IC card information acquired from the IC card 10 and acquires various types of information such as additional information.

[0032] The service processing unit 224 generates information such as billing information for the IC card 10 based on the various data acquired by the data analysis unit 223, the service conditions stored in the ticket gate storage unit 226, the data in the temporary storage unit 222, and the like.

[0033] The ticket gate control unit 225 controls the opening and closing of the doors 23, 24. For example, the ticket gate control unit 225 generates control signals based on signals and data generated by the card detection unit 222 and the service processing unit 224, and outputs them to the doors 23, 24. The doors 23, 24 operate based on the control signals.

[0034] The ticket gate storage unit 226 is a nonvolatile memory for storing various data. The ticket gate storage unit 226 stores service target information (e.g., information about services linked to additional information of the IC card 10) indicating whether the IC card 10 is eligible for a service, and service information 2261 such as discount fare information. Service conditions, such as to whom, how, and under what circumstances the service is applied, may be determined by a railway operator or the like and stored as service information in the ticket gate storage unit 226. For example, for a service in which "when two linked IC cards eligible for the service, an assistant's IC card and an assisted IC card, are held up consecutively, the second IC card held up will not be charged," service conditions such as "the IC card is for the assisted person or the assistant," "the two IC cards are linked," and "the two IC cards are held up within a specified time" may be stored in the ticket gate storage unit 226.

[0035] Below is an example of the operation of this embodiment when two railway users 1-1 and 1-2, who are eligible for a fare discount, enter a ticket gate using their respective IC cards 10. In this embodiment, the two railway users 1-1 and 1-2 are in the relationship of assisted and assistant, with user 1-1 being the assisted user and user 1-2 being the assistant. When user 1-1 uses the railway, he must be accompanied by user 1-2. Furthermore, charges are made by deducting electronic money stored in the IC card 10.

[0036] The automatic ticket gate 2 of this embodiment operates in the same way as a conventional one at the time of entry, so a brief explanation will be given, and then the processing operations at the time of exit will be shown in detail using the drawings.

[0037] Users 1-1 and 1-2 enter the ticket gate by holding their IC cards 10 over an IC card reader / writer 21. Upon entry, the IC cards 10 receive the entry station and entry time from the IC card reader / writer 21 and store this information in the memory units 11 of the respective IC cards 10 as entry / exit information.

[0038] Figure 4 is a flowchart of the ticket gate processing control unit when a user exits the ticket gate in the first embodiment, and corresponds to the processing operation of the automatic ticket gate 2L. However, since the automatic ticket gate 2R may also be equipped with similar processing operations, it will be described as the processing operation of the automatic ticket gate 2.

[0039] When user 1-1 holds IC card 10 over IC card reader / writer 21 to exit the ticket gate, IC card reader / writer 21 detects the electromagnetic waves output by IC card 10-1 and outputs a detection signal including IC card information to card control unit 221. Upon receiving the detection signal, card control unit 221 detects that IC card 10-1 has been held over IC card reader / writer 21 (Yes in step S101).

[0040] When the card control unit 221 acquires the additional information from the IC card 10-1, the service processing unit 224 compares the service information in the ticket gate memory unit 226 with the acquired additional information to confirm whether the held IC card 10-1 is eligible for the discount service (step S102).

[0041] If the IC card 10-1 is eligible for the discount service (Yes in step S102), the linking information (assistant ID) and the entrance / exit information of the additional information of the IC card 10-1 are stored in the temporary storage unit 222 (step S103).

[0042] The card control unit 221 charges the IC card 10-1 the normal fare without any discount, and outputs to the ticket gate control unit 225 a command to generate a control signal for opening the gates 23 and 24, which are the gates of the entrance ticket gate (steps S104 and S105). The control signal causes the gates 23 and 24 to open, and the holder of the IC card 10-1 exits through the ticket gate.

[0043] When the card control unit 221 receives the detection signal, it detects that the IC card 10-2 has been held over the IC card reader / writer 21 (Yes in step S106).

[0044] When the card control unit 221 acquires the additional information from the IC card 10-2, it compares it with the additional information of the IC card 10-1 stored in the temporary storage unit 222 (step S107).

[0045] In step S107, if the linking information of IC card 10-1 and the identification number of IC card 10-2 match, card control unit 221 determines that the two cards are linked and compares the entry and exit information of the two cards (Yes in step S107, S108).

[0046] In step S108, if the entrance / exit information of the two IC cards 10 satisfies the conditions, the card control unit 221 erases (clears) the information stored in the temporary storage unit 222 (step S109), charges IC card 10-2 at the discounted rate (step S110), generates a control signal for opening doors 23, 24, and outputs it to doors 23, 24 (step S111). Doors 23, 24 open in response to the control signal, and the holder of IC card 10-2 exits through the ticket gate.

[0047] The conditions for the entrance / exit information in step S108 are, for example, "the entrance stations on the two cards match" or "the difference in the entrance times on the two cards is within a certain range," and are stored in advance in the ticket gate storage unit 226. In step S108, the card control unit 221 may obtain and refer to the information from the ticket gate storage unit 226.

[0048] Furthermore, in step S102, if the held IC card 10-1 is not eligible for the service, the card control unit 221 charges the held IC card 10-1 the normal fare without discount, and outputs to the ticket gate control unit 225 a command to generate a control signal for opening the gates 23 and 24, which are the gates of the entrance ticket gate (steps S122, S123). The control signal causes the gates 23 and 24 to open, and the holder of the IC card 10-1 exits through the ticket gate.

[0049] If the held IC card 10-2 is not eligible for the service in step S107, or if the entrance / exit information of the two IC cards 10 does not satisfy the conditions in step S108, the card control unit 221 erases (clears) the information stored in the temporary storage unit 222 (step S121), charges the IC card 10-2 at a discounted rate (step S122), and outputs a command to generate a control signal for opening the doors 23, 24 (step S123). The control signal opens the doors 23, 24, and the holder of the IC card 10-2 exits through the ticket gate.

[0050] By following the above procedure, when users 1-1 and 1-2, who are in a relationship of assisted and assistant, hold their respective IC cards 10 over the IC card reader / writer 21, a discounted fare is applied to either IC card 10, and services can be provided to users 1-1 and 1-2.

[0051] In this embodiment, an example is shown in which IC cards 10-1 and 10-2 are held up in this order, but the order in which they are held up is not limited. If IC card 10-2 and then IC card 10-1 are held up at the ticket gate in this order, for example, in step S103, the identification information and entrance / exit information of IC card 10-2 are stored in temporary storage unit 222, making it possible to provide the same service as described above. In this case, however, a discounted fare is applied to IC card 10-1.

[0052] In addition, in this embodiment, an example of a service in which a discount fare is applied to the IC card 10 is shown, but various services are possible depending on the combination of the type of IC card, additional information, etc., based on the service conditions stored in the ticket gate memory unit 226.

[0053] In this embodiment, when users 1-1 and 1-2 use the IC card 10 containing the additional information for which the service is applicable to travel alone on a train, the regular fare is charged to the IC card 10. By switching the processing as in this embodiment, when users use the IC card 10 alone, they can pass through the automatic ticket gate 2 using the IC card 10 in the same way as for regular travel, without worrying about whether the service is applicable.

[0054] In this embodiment, an example is shown in which the assistant ID of assistant 1-2 linked to data 111-1 on IC card 10-1 of assisted person 1-1 is stored, but the data may be reversed. That is, the assisted ID of assisted person 1-1 linked to data 111-2 on IC card 10-2 of assistant 1-2 may be stored. (Second embodiment) In this embodiment, an example of the processing of the automatic ticket gate 2 is shown in which, when users 1-1 and 1-2, who hold an assisted IC card and an assistant IC card eligible for the discount service, exit the ticket gate, a third party between users 1-1 and 1-2 holds their IC card over the automatic ticket gate 2. The processing at the time of entry is the same as in the first embodiment, so a description thereof will be omitted.

[0055] 5 is a flowchart of the ticket gate processing control unit when a user exits through the ticket gate in the second embodiment. Detailed explanations of processes similar to those in the flowchart of the first embodiment in FIG. 4 will be omitted.

[0056] When user 1-1 holds IC card 10 over IC card reader / writer 21 to exit the ticket gate, IC card reader / writer 21 detects the electromagnetic waves output by IC card 10-1 and outputs a detection signal including IC card information to card control unit 221. Card control unit 221 detects that IC card 10-1 has been held over IC card reader / writer 21 (Yes in step S201).

[0057] Card control unit 221 checks whether IC card 10-1 is eligible for the discount service (step S202). If IC card 10-1 is eligible for the discount service (Yes in step S202), card control unit 221 checks temporary storage unit 222 (step S2021).

[0058] In step S2021, if there is additional information for the target service in the temporary memory unit 222 (Yes in step S2021), that is, if another IC card 10 (say IC card 10-3) has already been held up before IC card 10-1 is held up, the card control unit 221 compares the additional information (linking information or identification information) of IC card 10-1 with the additional information (identification information or linking information) of IC card 10-3 in the temporary memory unit 222 (step S211).

[0059] In step S211, if the additional information (e.g., linking information) of IC card 10-1 matches the additional information (e.g., identification information) of IC card 10-3 in temporary storage unit 222 (Yes in step S211), the process proceeds to step S212. The processes from step S212 onwards (S212 to S217) are the same as the processes from step S108 onwards in Fig. 4, and therefore their explanations will be omitted.

[0060] In step S211, if the additional information (e.g., linking information) of IC card 10-1 does not match the additional information (e.g., identification information) of IC card 10-3 in temporary storage unit 222 (No in step S211), the additional information of IC card 10-1 is stored in temporary storage unit 222 (step S218), normal charging processing is executed on IC card 10-1, and the non-discounted fare is charged (step S216). Then, a control signal for opening doors 23, 24 is generated and output to doors 23, 24 (step S217). Doors 23, 24 open in response to the control signal, and the holder of IC card 10-1 exits through the ticket gate.

[0061] Furthermore, in step S2021, if there is no additional information stored in the temporary storage unit 222 (No in step S2021), the card control unit 221 stores the linking information (or identification information) of the additional information of the IC card 10-1 and the entrance / exit information in the temporary storage unit 222 (step S203). After step S203, the card control unit 221 executes normal charging processing on the IC card 10-1 to charge the non-discounted fare (step S204), generates a control signal for opening the doors 23, 24, and outputs it to the doors 23, 24 (step S205). When the doors 23, 24 open, the holder of the IC card 10-1 exits through the ticket gate.

[0062] Furthermore, in step S202, if it is confirmed that the IC card 10-1 held in step S201 is not eligible for the discount service (No in step S202), it is determined that the IC card 10-1 is a normal card, and the card control unit 221 executes normal charging processing on the IC card 10-1, charging the non-discounted fare (step S204), and generates a control signal for opening the doors 23, 24 and outputs it to the doors 23, 24 (step S205). When the doors 23, 24 open, the holder of the IC card 10-1 exits through the ticket gate.

[0063] By following the above procedure, when a third party between users 1-1 and 1-2, who are in a relationship of assisted and assistant, holds their IC card over IC card reader / writer 21, the discounted fare is applied as a service to IC card 10 without charging the third party the discounted fare. Note that while the above example shows an example in which assisted user 1-1, who possesses IC card 10-1, exits through a ticket gate, the same processing can be performed when assistant 1-2 exits through a ticket gate using IC card 10-2.

[0064] According to at least one of the embodiments described above, it is possible to provide an automatic ticket gate, an IC card, an automatic ticket gate system, a processing method, and a program that charge a user when entering or exiting a station ticket gate.

[0065] In the above embodiment, an example is shown in which the processing shown in the flowchart is provided in the automatic ticket gate 2, but it is also possible to treat the automatic ticket gate 2 as a thin client and have an external server or the like perform the processing shown in the flowchart.

[0066] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. Modifications to the components can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. Various inventions can be realized by appropriately combining the components disclosed in the above-described embodiments. For example, some components may be omitted from all of the components described in the embodiments. Furthermore, components from different embodiments may be appropriately combined. The processes shown in flowcharts, sequence charts, etc. may be implemented by hardware such as a CPU, IC chip, or digital signal processor (DSP), or software (e.g., a program) running on a computer, including a microcomputer, or a combination of hardware and software. The present invention also includes cases where the order of steps in a flowchart or sequence chart is changed without departing from the spirit of the invention. The device of the present invention is also applicable when the claims are expressed as control logic, a program containing instructions for a computer to execute, or a computer-readable recording medium containing the instructions. The names and terms used are not intended to limit the scope of the invention; other expressions with substantially the same content and intent are also included in the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0067] 1...user, 2...automatic ticket gate, 10...IC card, 11...card memory unit, 12...card processing unit, 13...card communication unit, 21...IC card reader / writer, 22...ticket gate processing control unit, 23...opening / closing door, 24...opening / closing door, 111...card data, 221...card control unit, 222...temporary memory unit, 223...data analysis unit, 224...service processing unit, 225...ticket gate control unit, 226...ticket gate memory unit.

Claims

1. an IC card reader that communicates with a railway IC card when the IC card is held over the reader; a storage unit that stores first accompanying information of the first IC card acquired by the IC card reader; an automatic ticket gate that determines a charge for a predetermined service to be applied to a second IC card held behind the first IC card based on the first accompanying information in the storage unit;

2. An automatic ticket gate as described in claim 1, wherein when the second IC card is held over the IC card reader following the first IC card, the first additional information in the memory unit is referenced to determine how much to charge for the service to the second IC card.

3. 2. The automatic ticket gate according to claim 1, wherein the presence of the first additional information in the memory unit is confirmed when the second IC card is held over the IC card reader.

4. 4. The automatic ticket gate according to claim 3, wherein if the second IC card does not have any additional information, it is determined not to apply a charge for the service to the second IC card.

5. An automatic ticket gate as described in claim 3 or claim 4, wherein when the first additional information is present in the memory unit, the first additional information is compared with the second additional information obtained from the second IC card, and the charge for the service to the second IC card is determined based on the result of the comparison.

6. An automatic ticket gate as described in claim 3, wherein if the first additional information is not present in the memory unit, the second IC card is treated as the first IC card, and the second additional information of the second IC card is stored in the memory unit as the first additional information.

7. This is a railway IC card to which service charges are applied based on additional information of other IC cards stored in a memory unit provided in an automatic ticket gate.

8. An IC card reader that communicates with railway IC cards, a storage unit that stores additional information of the first IC card acquired by the IC card reader; an automatic ticket gate for exiting a station that determines charges for a predetermined service based on the additional information in the storage unit; and a railway IC card used when entering or exiting a station to which service charges are applied based on the additional information of another IC card stored in the memory unit.

9. Communicate with the railway IC card via the IC card reader, storing the first incidental information acquired from the first IC card; A processing method for automatic ticket gates, which determines a charge for a predetermined service to a second IC card held behind the first IC card based on the first accompanying information.

10. A program for causing a computer to execute a procedure for processing data acquired from a railway IC card via an IC card reader, a step of storing first auxiliary information of a first IC card obtained from the IC card reader; and a procedure for determining a charge for a predetermined service to a second IC card held behind the first IC card based on the first accompanying information.

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