Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
~ ~. VERIFIED TRANSLATION 21~1 a 6 2
ARRANGEMENT OF SEVERAL LOCALLY SEPARATE SERVICE VENDING
MACHINES TO BE UTILIZED IN THE TRAFFIC ROUTE SYSTEM
OF AN AREA
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The invention relates to an arrangement of
service vending machines in accordance with the pre-
amble of claim 1.
In public transit systems, (public) conveyances
-- buses, streetcars, subways, etc. -- travel along the
routes for transporting, in particular, passengers within
a congested area as well as its marginal areas. A ticket,
i.e. a riding permit for the respective conveyance or
conveyances to be used, is obtainable from the driver
of such conveyance, from a conductor who rides along,
or from a service vending machine. The fare to be paid
for a transit route depends normally on the distance be-
tween starting point and destination. Por control ~
purposes, several data are printed on the ticket, either ~ -
in encoded form or in plain text, such as, for example,
issuing station, issue date and time, or time and date of
departure, and, respectivly, the end of the validity
period, as well as the route direction.
However, in spite of modern conveyances and
the use of conventional service vending machines for ob-
taining tickets, the individual traffic in the inner
cities is constantly on the increase, i.e. there is no
adequate acceptance of the public conveyances.
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The invention attempts to provide a remedy
here in that the arrangement of several locally separate
service vending machines in accordance with this inven-
tion is to increase the attractiveness of the transit
system.
The attractiveness of public conveyances is
enhanced by the vending machine arrangement according
to this invention in that the passenger now obtains
advantages unavailable when using a private automobile,
and avoids drawbacks that would otherwise have to be
tolerated. One of the advantages resides in the use of
a parking facility accessible to a public conveyance
whereby a parking fee to be paid is no longer duej or
is reduced, due to a subsequent use of public transit.
A price reduction can also furthermore be achieved by
combining the parking lot fees with the admission prices
for events, expositions, etc. Also mixed prices can be
formed between fares and parking fees.
Besides the feature of a combined charging of
parking fees, transit ticket prices, etc., which can be
conducted in automated form, it is also possible, inter
alia, to obtain discounts for multiple-route riding,
special offers for particular events of an athletic
kind, cultural type, etc. By virtue of the automated
price determination, one avoids, inter alia, unpleasant
waiting times as well as possibilities of errors in
charging the discount.
Examples of the arrangement of service vending
machines according to this invention will be described
in greater detail below with reference to the drawings
wherein:
Figure 1 is a schematic block diagram of an
arrangement of service vending machines,
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Figure 2 is a modification of the arrangement
of the service vending machines illustrated in Figure 1
with a further service vending machine operating as an
information-dispensing machine,
s Figure 3 is a schematic block diagram of a
data-processing section of the automatic information
machine of Figure 2, and
Figure 4 is a schematic block diagram of a
service vending machine operating in Figure 1 as a
ticket-issuing machine.
The schematic block diagram shown in Figure 1
of an arrangement of service vending machines 1-4 in a
traffic route system 5 of an area depicts a schematic
representation of a parking facility 7 -- parking lot,
parking garage, etc. -- with an entrance and exit control
machine 1 and 3 for issuance and checking of a card 9
with a data carrier 11 as an authorization for the use
of the parking facility 7. At the entrance to the parking
facility 7, an automobile 14a standing in front of an
entrance gate 13 is illustrated, along with an automo-
bile 14b standing before an exit gate 15 and, respect-
ively, 14c standing behind an exit gate 15. The parking
facility area 7 and the area of the traffic route
system S are illustrated so that they are separated from
each other by broken lines. Furthermore, another auto-
matic vending machine 4 to pay the parking fee and
possibly additional fees is located in the parking
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facility 7. Entrance and exit control machines 1 and 3,
as well as the automatic machine 4 pertain to the group
of the first service vending machines to grant and
regulate the authority to park in the parking facility 7.
~11 automatic vending machines 1, 3 and 4 operate
independently and do not need any interconnecting data
lines for fulfilling the function according to this in-
vention. They operate as autonomous automatic machines
deriving the data necessary for their functioning from
the data stored on the data carrier 11 of the card 9.
The entrance as well as exit control machines 1
and 3, however, can be connected to a central station for
a task not in accordance with this invention, such-as,
for example, a comparison of t~e number of vehicles that
enter and exit. Such a connection serves for determining
the degree of occupancy of the parking facility and for
indicating this value. Such connection has nothing to do
with the problem underlying the present invention and its
solution.
The likewise schematically illustrated traffic
route system 5 comprises several fare ticket vending
machines 2 as the second se~vice vending machines, only one
of which is illustrated. Each fare ticket vending machine 2
has an upper inlet slot 17 with a reading and storage
25 unit 12a for reading the data on the data carrier 11 and -~
optionally for applying or transcribing the data on the
data carrier 11, and a lower issue opening 19 for the
issuance of a fare ticket 21. With this fare ticket 21,
a (schematically illustrated) passenger 23 can utilize a
public transit conveyance 25 for a riding distance in
correspondence with the obtained fare ticket 21.
If a vehicle operator wishes to travel to a
specific location in the area made available by the
traffic route system 5, then he drives his automobile 14a
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to one of the parking facilities 7. The entrance gate 13
permits dxiving into the parking facility 7 as soon as the
driver has taken a card 9 from the entrance control machine 1;
by a st~rage unit, not shown, of the automatic entrance con-
trol machine 1, the data carrier 11 of this card 9 hashad stored therein data, such as day, time of entrance,
location of the parking facility 7, etc., shortly before
issuance of the card 9. These stored data are indicated
symbolically by a shading of the data carrier 11 on the
card 9 in Figure 1, extending from the bottom on the left
hand toward the top on the right hand. The driver parks
his car 14a in a vacant spot and leaves the parking facil-
ity 7 by foot as a potential passenger 23, indicated as a
stick person, for using a public transit conveyance 25
by going to a fare ticket vending machine 2 set up at the
nearest stop of the traffic route system 5. Here he
slides his card 9 into the top slot 17 of the fare ticket
vending machine 2; during insertion, the data on the data
carrier 11 are read by the reading and storage unit 12a
illustrated in Figure 4 and are transmitted to a processing
unit 12b. By means of an input board 16a as the input unit,
he selects his destination and pays by inserting coins or
other means of payment into an insert slot, not shown, of
a monetary counter 16b in the fare ticket vending machine 2
in accordance with the price indicated on a display 18a,
and then receives a valid fare ticket 21 from the lower
issue opening 19. At the same time, new data information
confirming the purchase of the fare ticket 21 is stored
on the data carrier 11 of the card 9 still sitting in the
reading and storage unlt 12a. The thus-altered information
on the data carrier 11 is indicated schematically by
cross hatching.
The passenger 23 subsequently boards, with his
valid fare ticket 21, a conveyance 25 traveling to his
destination.
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Obtaining additional fare tickets 21 for further
destinations takes place analogously. Per issued fare
ticket 21, the passenger 23 receives credit for a fixed
parking time in the parking facility 7 by changing the
data on the data carrier 11.
After his return to the parking facility 7, the
"has-been" passenger 23 goes to the automatic vending
machine 4, inserts his card 9, and now may have to pay
an additional amount in dependence on the elapsed parking
time, with the bonus time gained by using public trans-
portation 25 being counted in his favor~ Subsequently, he
has his card 9 returned to him with a newly programmed
data carrier ll, here indicated by horizontal shading, and
can leave the parking facility 7 within a predetermined
time period without additional payment, by driving his car,
now indicated by 14b, to the exit control machine 3,
inserting the card 9 in a slot therein, not shown, where-
upon the exit gate 15 will open.
The card 9 is intended to mean all portable
items of approximately palm size exhibiting an alterable
data carrier 11, such as a magnetic strip, a programmable
chip, etc.
The use of the vending machine 4 can be omitted
if, for example, the use of the parking facility 7 is
gratis, insofar as the automobile operator has obtained,
for example, only a single return ticket for a public
conveyance 25. If the automobile operator has parked
without using public conveyance 25, he will have to ob-
tain, by necessity, a return ticket in order to reclaim
his vehicle from the parking facility 7.
In place of an accumulated bonus for each route
traveled, it is also possible to grant only a single
bonus.
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Since public conveyances fre~uently involve
interconnected systems with varyinq fares for various
travel routes or areas to be traveled, an "automatic
information-dispensing machine" can advantageously be
utilized as the third service vending machine 31.
The data-processing section 26 of the informa-
tion vending machine 31, illustrated in a block diagram
in Figure 3, has a first data storage unit 27a containing
in its memory questions regarding specific selection
criteria of the traffic route system 5 as well as the
appropriate answers thereto. Furthermore, a second
memory 27b is provided containing the stops and driving
distances with rates. In order to operate the informa-
tion vending machine 31, the passenger, denoted by ref-
erence numeral 37, places his card 35, designed analogous-
ly to the card 9, into the slot, not shown, of a reading
and storage unit 29a. By means ofan input unit 32 con-
nected with a selection unit 30a, the passenger 37 can
then call up on a display (screen) 28 the travel route,
stops, rates, etc. and then receives the answers cor-
responding to his questions. In accordance with the
answers, the selection unit 30a compiles the selection
criteria as travel route information I of his desired
travel route or routes and/or optimizes them with an
optimizing unit 30b; by means of the storage and reading
unit 29a, these criteria are stored on the data carrier 33
of his card 35 and, if desired, issued in plain text by
means of a printer 29b on a sheet of paper or printed as
brief information on the card 35.
This tràvel route information I, concerning a
route to be utilized with public conveyances 25, etc., is
stored additionally to the parking information P of the
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entrance control machine 1 as the driving route informa-
tion I on the data carrier 33 of the card 35. With this
card 35, the passenger 37 goes to a fare ticket vending
machine 39 which latter processes the selection criteria I
placed on the data carrier 33 in addition to the parking
information P. The travel route information I is evalu-
ated, and the passenger 37 receives an appropriate ticket
41. Analogously to the above remarks, data F are applied
to the data carrier 33 of the card 35 which can later on
be read by an automatic machine, not shown but designed
analogously to the machine 4, or by an exit control
machine 43, as an authorization to leave, for opening an
exit gate 45.
Instead of using the information-dispensing
machine 31 together with the devices of a parking facili-
ty 7, it is also possible to utilize this information-
dispensing machine only together with fare ticket vending
machines, especially in order to facilitate issuance of
a fare ticket to, in particular, passengers not familiar
with the locality. The information vending machine can
also be integrated into parking ticket vending machines
or into fare ticket vending machines. However, it is
advantageous to set up this machine separately from other
automatic machines since the selection of routes by
a person not familiar with the locality will usually
take a longer period of time. Local passengers waiting
for a longer period of time in front of this fare
ticket vending machine equipped with a dual function
are usually liable to become restive while the machine
is used by a stranger to the area.
The information vending machine can be used
not only for route determination between a starting point
and a destination, but can also be employed on account
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of its optimizing unit 30b for optimizing time and price
of the route to be traveled. Furthermore, an optimized
fare ticket can also be had with regard to time require-
ment and price by putting in any intermediate stops to
be made.
Instead of issuing a fare ticket 21 or 41 with
the fare ticket vending machines 2 or 39, it is also
possible to apply information to the data carrier 11 or
33, respectively, revealing the authori~ation for usage
of a public conveyance in case of a possible control in
one of the public conveyances 25. In place of applying
these data to the data carrier 11 or 33, a clearly
legible print-out can also be printed on the card 9 or
35 by the fare ticket vending machine 2 or 39. Over-
loading of the card 9 or 35 with imprinted data need notbe feared since the card is normally intended merely for
use within one day.
Instead of always issuing a card 9 or 35 at the
entrance control machine 1, it is also possible to insert
a card-like subscription in a slot of a reading device,
not shown, of the entrance control machine 1, particularly
in case of week-long, month-long, and year-long users.
The subscription recipient then buys, together with his
rides, also the right for usage of the parking facility 7.
The entrance control machine 1 can be omitted
insofar as the parking facility is so large that there is
no overcrowding problem, or the parking facility serves
only special parking purposes. In this case, the driver/
passenger receives, as an incentive, only a bonus when he
buys the fare ticket.
There are no legal problems with respect to data
protection since storage of data always takes place only
on the data carrier of the card which always remains
with the driver/passenger.
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The travel route information to be obtained with
the information vending machine is understood to mean,
inter alia, information regarding the conveyance, transfer
poss:ibilities, tourist data, such as sightseeing locations,
S shopping facilities, public buildings, offices, opening
times, etc.
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