AUTOMATED TRANSACTION SYSTEM USING MICROPROCESSOR CARDS

摘要

An automated transaction sytem employs a user card (10) maintaining an account balance and a transaction terminal (20) for dispensing an article of value and debiting the card's balance. The card (10) has a secure, resident microprocessor (60) which executes an interactive handshake recognition procedure with a secure, resident microprocessor (30, 41) in the value dispensing section of the terminal (20) prior to carrying out a requested transaction. In the preferred form, the handshake procedure operates by an exchange of encrypted words between the card microprocessor (10) and the dispenser microprocessor (36, 41) using corresponding encryption algorithms and a secret key number. The system is applied as a postage metering terminal (20) having a postmark printer (40) as the value dispensing section.