OFF LINE CASH CARD SYSTEM AND METHOD

A "bank" cash card system for handling fund transfer transactions between a payor and a payee having a magnetic "hysteresis" security arrangement. A cash card has a magnetic stripe on which the available cash balance, the identification and security information are scramble recorded. A transaction register machine reads data from the card, carries out the transaction and records the new account balance on the card. The modified information is "restored" on the card is in the form of a rescrambled code. The transaction register machine also includes a magnetic tape of the cassette type or disk for storing each transaction thereon for further processing of the information at a remote data processing center. The transaction register machine further includes a main keyboard on the side of the payee for displaying the cash balance, entering the total amount of the sale and recording the new cash balance on the card. The main keyboard is responsive to the card holder's or customer's keyboard which has a slot for insertion of the card for verification by entering the correct identification number known only to the card holder. A random surface pattern on a given portion of the card is preferably scanned to produce a digital number uniquely identifying the card.