Card issuance apparatus with cancellation mode

Claim 1

Apparatus for issuing a card comprising: (a) input means for taking in data necessary for issuing said card, said data including at least an identification of the issuing apparatus; (b) memory means for storing said data; (c) recording means for recording said data in machine readable form, on a portion of said card when said card is issued; (d) reading means for reading said data from said card; (e) said input means including a cancellation key; (f) means responsive to operation of said cancellation key and to recognition of the identification of the issuing apparatus for cancelling said data stored in said memory and recording on said card a message that recorded data has been cancelled; (g) comparison means for comparing said data recorded on said card with said data stored in said memory means and inhibiting means for inhibiting cancellation in response to a noncomparison of predetermined constant data with data read from said card, said inhibiting means being responsive to data which identifies that a transaction involving the card has been completed.