Credit card risk evaluation systems

Claim 2

A credit card evaluation system comprising reading means for reading a first code registered on said credit card and providing an electronic signal in response thereto, means for transmitting said signal from said reading means to means for decoding and translating said first code into a second code, electronic data storage means coupled to said decoding and translating means for retrieving information stored as represented in said second code, means for producing a signal corresponding to said stored information, means coupled to said signal producing means for storing and playing a selected one of a plurality of audio messages in response to said signal, and means for retransmitting said selected one audio message to an output device associated with said card reading means.

Claim 3

A card evaluation system comprising reading means for reading a code registered on said card, said reading means including an encoder for providing a different audio tone for each of several sensors to an acousto-electric transducer adapted to Provide an input to a voice grade transmission line, a decoder for responding to a combination of audio tones produced by said encoder, said encoder including means for translating said audio tones into a security code corresponding to said audio tone combination, a switching circuit, means for transmitting said security code to a computer and for retrieving information stored in said computer in response to said security code, said computer further including means for transmitting a response, in response to the retrieved information, through said switching circuit to a voice unit adapted to play a plurality of previously recorded messages in accordance with a predetermined code from said computer, and means for re-transmitting the output of said voice unit to said input to said voice grade transmission line onto an electro-acoustic transducer.

Claim 4

A card evaluation system comprising reading means for reading a code registered on said card, said reading means including an encoder for providing a different audio tone for each of several sensors to an acousto-electric transducer adapted to Provide an input to a voice grade transmission line, a decoder for responding to a combination of audio tones produced by said encoder, said encoder including means for translating said audio tones into a security code corresponding to said audio tone combination, a switching circuit, means for transmitting said security code to a computer and for retrieving information stored in said computer in response to said security code, said computer further including means for transmitting a response, in response to the retrieved information, through said switching circuit to a voice unit adapted to play a plurality of previously recorded messages in accordance with a predetermined code from said computer, and means for re-transmitting the output of said voice unit to said input to said voice grade transmission line onto an electro-acoustic transducer.

Claim 5

A card evaluation system comprising reading means at a first location for reading a first code registered on said card and providing an electronic signal in response thereto, means including a voice-grade transmission link for transmitting said signal from said reading means to remotely located means for decoding and translating said first code into a second code, said last-named means being connected to electronic data storage means for retrieving information stored under said second code, means for transmitting via said link a signal identifying said information, and indicating means at said first location and responsive to said signal for indicating the retrieved information.

Claim 6

A card evaluation system comprising reading means at a first location for reading a first code registered on said card and providing an electronic signal in response thereto, means including a voice-grade transmission link for transmitting said signal from said reading means to remotely located means for decoding and translating said first code into a second code, said last-named means being connected to electronic data storage means for retrieving information stored under said second code, means for transmitting via said link a signal identifying said information, and indicating means at said first location and responsive to said signal for indicating the retrieved information.

Claim 7

A system according to claim 3, in which said reading means includes an encoder providing a different pair of audio tones for each of several possible card readings.

Claim 8

A system according to claim 4, in which said decoder includes tone-discriminating means and two-tone gate means operative to enable translation into said second code only for a response of said gate means to the received presence of a two-tone signal.

Claim 9

A system according to claim 5, in which said decoder includes three-tone gate means operative to suppress operation of the system upon detection of three rather than two simultaneous tones.