Multiple tickets in smart cards

摘要

The invention provides an efficient way to store multiple tickets on smart cards. According to the present invention, a ticket (20) comprises a validation count field (26) for registering by way of a validation count the number of times the ticket may be used. Preferably, the validation count is lowered each time the ticket is validated, the validation being effected by writing validation data in the validation field (22) of the ticket. In this way a single ticket can thus be used as a multiple ticket, thus saving memory space. The validation count is also effective in limiting the number of tickets validated, thus limiting the extent of possible fraud. <IMAGE>