EP0010399A1 — Self-service passenger ticketing system

Claim 1

Independent Claim 126 words

A system for issuing airline tickets without the intervention of any ticket agent, said system being comprised of a plurality of electro-mechanical ticket terminals, wherein each of said ticket terminals includes: credit card reader means-for reading data from a magnetic strip on a ticket purchaser's credit card as the card is slid by said purchaser through said reader means; modem means for transmitting signals identifying said credit card to a central computer for a credit check and for receiving signals from said central computer indicating good credit or bad credit; destination selection means for enabling a person to manually select a destination and vending means for printing and dispensing a ticket to said selected destination conditional on said signals received from said central.computer indicating good credit.

Claim 2

Independent Claim 126 words

A system for issuing airline tickets without the intervention of any ticket agent, said system being comprised of a plurality of electro-mechanical ticket terminals, wherein each of said ticket terminals includes: credit card reader means-for reading data from a magnetic strip on a ticket purchaser's credit card as the card is slid by said purchaser through said reader means; modem means for transmitting signals identifying said credit card to a central computer for a credit check and for receiving signals from said central computer indicating good credit or bad credit; destination selection means for enabling a person to manually select a destination and vending means for printing and dispensing a ticket to said selected destination conditional on said signals received from said central.computer indicating good credit.

Claim 3

Dependent Claim 37 words

A system according to Claim 1 wherein each of said ticket terminals further includes microprocessor means for sequentially controlling the operation of said card reader means, said modem means, said destination selection means, and said vending means.

Claim 4

Dependent Claim 57 words

A system according to Claim 2 wherein each of said ticket terminals further includes a data bus and an address bus from said micro processor to a plurality of selectively loadable output registers, with said output register connected to respective ones of card reader means: modem means, destination selection means, and vending means for controlling their operation.

Claim 5

Dependent Claim 26 words

A system according to Claim 3 wherein said destination selection means further indudes means for manually selecting a one way ticket or a round trip ticket.

Claim 6

Dependent Claim 42 words

A system according to Claim 3 wherein each of said ticket terminal means further includes visual display means for directing a person desiring a ticket through a sequence of steps to manually select a ticket by means and said. destination selection means.

Claim 7

Dependent Claim 26 words

A system according to Claim 3 and further including means for recording data representative of each of said ticket dispensing 'transactions on a magnetic tape cassette.

Claim 8

Independent Claim 123 words

A method of issuing airline tickets without the intervention of any ticket agent, said method including the steps of; providing an electro-mechanical ticket terminal at a location convenient to potential ticket purchasers; allowing a purchaser to manually slide his credit card through a hand operated credit card reader on said terminals; transmitting electronic signals, identifying said credit card, from said terminal to a central computer for a credit check on said card, and receiving electronic signals therefrom indicating good or bad credit; allowing said purchase to manually select a destination via destination selection buttons on said terminal; and electro-mechanically printing and dispensing a ticket at said terminal to said selected destination conditional on said signals received from said central computer indicating good credit.

Claim 9

Independent Claim 123 words

A method of issuing airline tickets without the intervention of any ticket agent, said method including the steps of; providing an electro-mechanical ticket terminal at a location convenient to potential ticket purchasers; allowing a purchaser to manually slide his credit card through a hand operated credit card reader on said terminals; transmitting electronic signals, identifying said credit card, from said terminal to a central computer for a credit check on said card, and receiving electronic signals therefrom indicating good or bad credit; allowing said purchase to manually select a destination via destination selection buttons on said terminal; and electro-mechanically printing and dispensing a ticket at said terminal to said selected destination conditional on said signals received from said central computer indicating good credit.

Claim 10

Dependent Claim 31 words

' A method according to Claim 7 and further including the step of allowing said purchaser to manually select a round trip or one way ticket via said destination selection buttons.

Claim 11

Dependent Claim 27 words

A method according to Claim 7 and further including the step of directing said purchaser with displayed instructions, to perform said manual steps in a predetermined sequence.

Claim 12

Dependent Claim 29 words

A method according to Claim 7 and further including the step of recording data representative of each ticket dispensing transaction on a magnetic tape cassette in said ticket terminal.

Self-service passenger ticketing system

Abstract

Inventors

Bibliographic Details

Claims Analysis

References Cited (Backward Citations)

USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows

Assigned Categories & Tags

Assign Category Tag