Apparatus and method for accessing events, areas and activities

TLDR: In this article, an access control system and method for an activities center wherein activities are available for customers is provided for a plurality of access cards, a comptroller processor, at least one credit station and a pluralityof access stations, each access card is encoded for a respective customer, and the comptroller processes data, creates customer account files correlated to each customer's account file identifier, stores the customer account file files, verifies account files to determine availability of credit and issues either approval or disapproval.

Abstract: An access control system and method is provided for an activities center wherein activities are available for customers. The control system employs a plurality of access cards, a comptroller processor, at least one credit station and a plurality of access stations. Each access card is encoded for a respective customer, and the comptroller processes data, creates customer account files correlated to each customer's account file identifier, stores the customer account files, verifies customer account files to determine availability of credit and issues either approval or disapproval. The credit station reads an account file identifiers on an access cards and signals the processor to open the customer account file. An access station is associated with each activity and reads an access card to signal the comptroller processor to open the customer account file. Debit circuitry within each access station generates a debt signal corresponding to a selected cost debt for the respective activity, and the comptroller processor then generates approval or disapproval depending on the customer account credit for that activity. The access station has receiving circuitry responsive to the approval or disapproval signals from the comptroller processor to grant or deny customer access to the selected activity. A plurality of types of credit are used, and the comptroller processor maintains corresponding subaccounts, and the customers may allocate payment at the credit station among the types of credit available.