Smart card systems comprising a card and a carrier

• US 10,223,555 B2
• Filed: 01/04/2018
• Issued: 03/05/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tactilis Pte. Limited
• Original Assignee: Tactilis Pte. Limited
• Inventors: Gardiner, Michael, Canzi, Adriano
• Primary Examiner(s): Labaze, Edwyn
• Application Number:
  US15/862,546
• Publication Number:
  US 20180232546A1
• Time in Patent Office: 425 Days
• Field of Search: 235380, 235451, 235492, 235488, 235487, 235375, 713175, 713185-186
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0718 the sensor being of the biometric kind, e.g. fingerprint sensors fingerprint sensors in general G06V40/13; biometric access-control systems in general, see G07C9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07703 the interface being visual
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07705 the visual interface being a single light or small number of lights capable of being switched on or off, e.g. a series of LEDs
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07749 the record carrier being capable of non-contact communication, e.g. constructional details of the antenna of a non-contact smart card
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10158 methods and means used by the interrogation device for reliably powering the wireless record carriers using an electromagnetic interrogation field
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3226 Use of secure elements separate from M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/325 using wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/352 Contactless payments by cards
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/353 Payments by cards read by M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3567 Software being in the reader
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/4012 Verifying personal identification numbers [PIN]
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/0873 Details of the card reader

Abstract

A system and method for facilitating wireless transactions using a smart card, the system comprising a smart card configured to be coupled to a smart card carrier, the smart card comprising: one or more processors; a biometric sensor configured to capture a biometric image of a user requesting a new transaction involving the smart card; a memory for storing biometric data of an authorized user of the smart card; and a carrier interface configured to be coupled to a card interface of a smart card carrier, the smart card carrier comprising a housing having an opening configured to accept the smart card and a wireless transceiver configured to engage in a wireless communication with a wireless transaction terminal when the smart card is coupled to the smart card carrier.

Claims

1. A smart card configured to be coupled to a smart card carrier, the smart card comprising:

one or more processors;

a biometric sensor configured to capture a biometric image of a user requesting a new transaction involving the smart card;

a memory for storing biometric data of an authorized user of the smart card; and

a carrier interface configured to be coupled to a card interface of a smart card carrier, the smart card carrier comprising a housing having an opening configured to accept the smart card and a wireless transceiver configured to engage in a wireless communication with a wireless transaction terminal when the smart card is coupled to the smart card carrier.

2. The smart card of claim 1, wherein the carrier interface is further configured to receive power from a power source on the smart card carrier.

3. The smart card of claim 1, wherein the biometric sensor is a fingerprint sensor.

4. The smart card of claim 1, wherein the wireless transaction terminal is a mobile device.

5. The smart card of claim 1, wherein the wireless transaction terminal is a contactless smart card reader.

6. The smart card of claim 1, wherein the wireless transceiver is configured to communicate with the wireless transaction terminal over one or more of Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, near field communication, and RFID.

7. The smart card of claim 1 further comprising a terminal interface, wherein the smart card is further configured to directly engage in a transaction with a contact-based transaction terminal via the terminal interface when the smart card is not coupled to the smart card carrier.

8. The smart card of claim 1, wherein the smart card further comprises a biometric controller configured to compare a biometric image template created from the biometric image of the user requesting the new transaction with the biometric data of the authorized user stored in the memory of the smart card.

9. The smart card of claim 8, wherein the biometric controller is configured to determine if the biometric image template is within a predetermined threshold value of the stored biometric data.

10. The smart card of claim 1, wherein the smart card carrier comprises a processor configured to compare a biometric image template created from the biometric image of the user requesting the new transaction with the biometric data of the authorized user stored in the memory of the smart card.

11. The smart card of claim 1, wherein the top face or bottom face of the smart card carrier includes an aperture configured to allow access to the biometric sensor of the smart card.

12. A method of facilitating wireless transactions with a smart card through a smart card carrier, the method comprising:

receiving from a smart card carrier a request for information related to a new transaction involving a user of the smart card, the smart card carrier comprising a housing having an opening configured to accept the smart card and a wireless transceiver configured to engage in a wireless communication with a wireless transaction terminal when the smart card is coupled to the smart card carrier;

generating a biometric signature of the user using a biometric sensor on the smart card; and

engaging in data communication related to the request with one or more processors in the smart card carrier through a carrier interface coupled to a corresponding card interface on the smart card carrier.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising the step of authenticating the user based on the biometric signature.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the step of authenticating the user comprises comparing the biometric signature of the user with biometric data of an authorized user stored in a memory of the smart card.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the comparison is performed by one or more processors of the smart card.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the comparison is performed by one or more processors of the smart card carrier.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the step of engaging in data communication comprises sending the requested information if the user is authenticated based on the comparison.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the step of engaging in data communication comprises sending a notification indicating whether the user is authenticated based on the comparison.

19. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of authenticating the user via a PIN or a password.

20. The method of claim 12, further comprising the step of receiving power from the smart card carrier via the carrier interface.