Methods and apparatus for wireless RFID cardholder signature and data entry

• US 20040124248A1
• Filed: 08/23/2003
• Published: 07/01/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Original Assignee: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Inventors: Selker, Edwin Joseph
• Granted Patent: US 7,100,835 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/492
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06 characterised by the kind of the digital marking, e.g. shape, nature, code
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0716 at least one of the integrated circuit chips comprising a sensor or an interface to a sensor
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07345 by activating or deactivating at least a part of the circuit on the record carrier, e.g. ON/OFF switches
• 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: H01H 2231/05 Card, e.g. credit card
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2239/076 Key stroke generating power

Abstract

A radio operated data card whose outer jacket forms a sealed protected housing for internal electrical components, including an RFID integrated circuit which incorporates data storage and a radio frequency transceiver, and one or more on-card antenna structures. Manually operated electrical switching elements, or antenna structures which are responsive to the positioning of conductive members, such as the human hand, at particular locations on or near the surface of the card, are connected to the on-card electronic circuitry. The switching elements or antenna elements are selectively operated by the cardholder who manipulates the card in predetermined ways to generate data signals that may be used to activate the card, store data in the card, or transmit data to the reader. The switching elements and/or an adjacent conductive element may alter the resonant frequency, Q or gain of the antenna circuit, and these changes in the characteristics of the antenna circuit may be detected either on the card or at the reader to enable the cardholder to activate the card or enter data. Switching elements and/or antenna structures may be organized as a keypad or the like, and control signals created in response to the position or timing of touch events which characterize the cardholder'"'"'s manipulation of the card.

Claims

1. A radio operated data card including, on said card,

an antenna,

a data memory,

a transceiver for transferring data between said memory and a remote host system via said antenna,

a user-activated electrical switching circuit for generating a plurality of control signals in response to the selective manipulation of said card by a human cardholder, and

means for controlling the transfer of data via said transceiver in response to said control signals.

2. A radio operated data card as set forth in claim 1 wherein said control signals indicate the timing of the selective manipulation of said card.

3. A radio operated data card as set forth in claim 1 wherein said control signals indicate the position on said card at which said selective manipulation occurs.

4. A radio operated data card as set forth in claim 3 wherein said control signals indicate the location at which said human cardholder touches said card.

5. A radio operated data card as set forth in claim 4 wherein said control signals further indicate the timing when said human cardholder touches said card.

6. A radio operated data card as set forth in claim 1 wherein said electrical switching circuit comprises a plurality of switching elements positioned at different locations on said card and wherein said control signals indicate which of said switching elements is activated by said selective manipulation by said human cardholder.

7. A radio operated data card as set forth in claim 6 wherein said control signals further indicate the timing when said switching elements are activated.

8. A radio operated data card as set forth in claim 1 wherein said means for controlling the transfer of data comprises means for enabling said transceiver only when said plurality of control signals satisfies one or more predetermined conditions.

9. An RFID card adapted to be carried by and activated by a human cardholder comprising, in combination,

a transceiver on said card for exchanging data between said RFID card and a remotely located card reader electromagnetically coupled to said card,

at least one sensor on said card operable by said cardholder to generate a plurality of control signals indicating a corresponding sequence of touch events when said card is being manipulated by said cardholder, and

means responsive to said control signals for controlling the data exchanged between said RFID card and said card reader.

10. An RFID card adapted to be carried by and activated by a human cardholder as set forth in claim 9 wherein said control signals indicate the timing of said touch events.

11. An RFID card adapted to be carried by and activated by a human cardholder as set forth in claim 9 wherein said control signals indicate the location on said card where said touch events occur.

12. An RFID card adapted to be carried by and activated by a human cardholder as set forth in claim 11 wherein said sensor comprises a plurality of switching elements located at different positions on the surface of said card.

13. An RFID card adapted to be carried by and activated by a human cardholder as set forth in claim 12 wherein said transceiver is electromagnetically coupled to said card reader by an antenna and wherein each of said plurality of switching elements are connected to said antenna to vary the gain or resonant frequency of said antenna.

14. An RFID card adapted to be carried by and activated by a human cardholder as set forth in claim 12 wherein said switching elements are activated at different times by said cardholder to generate said plurality of control signals.

15. An RFID card adapted to be carried by and activated by a human cardholder as set forth in claim 11 wherein said switching elements are activated by the selective postioning of the cardholder'"'"'s hand with respect to said card.

16. An RFID card adapted to be carried by and activated by a human cardholder as set forth in claim 9 wherein said transceiver is enabled only when said plurality of control signals satisfies a predetermined criteria.

17. A data card carried by a cardholder including a plurality of sensors positioned on the surface of said card forming a data entry keypad operable by said cardholder.

18. A data card carried by a cardholder as set forth in claim 17 wherein said sensors are connected to an integrated circuit on said card to control the operation of said integrated circuit.

19. A data card carried by a cardholder as set forth in claim 18 wherein said data card further includes an antenna for electromagnetically communicating data between said card and a remote reader.

20. A data card carried by a cardholder as set forth in claim 18 wherein said data card further includes a communications circuit for exchanging information between said data card and a remote reader, and wherein said at least some of said information is entered by said cardholder using said data entry keypad.

21. An RFID card adapted to be carried by and activated by a human cardholder comprising

an on-card antenna having a preferential response to the presence of a conductive object positioned proximate to a predetermined region of said card and

sensing means coupled to said antenna for detecting the presence of said object.

22. An RFID card adapted to be carried by and activated by a human cardholder as set forth in claim 21 wherein said sensing means detects a change in the Q of said antenna in the presence of said object.

23. An RFID card adapted to be carried by and activated by a human cardholder as set forth in claim 21 wherein said sensing means detects a change in the amplitude gain of said antenna in the presence of said object.

24. An RFID card adapted to be carried by and activated by a human cardholder as set forth in claim 21 wherein said conductive object is a human hand.

25. An RFID card adapted to be carried by and activated by a human cardholder as set forth in claim 21 wherein said conductive object is a conductive member mounted on said card for movement with respect to said on-card antenna to alter the characteristics of said antenna.

26. An RFID card adapted to be carried by and activated by a human cardholder comprising

one or more antenna segments on said card and

a sensor coupled to said two or more antenna segments for detecting the position of a conductive object relative to the position of said one or more antenna segments.

27. An RFID card adapted to be carried by and activated by a human cardholder as set forth in claim 26 wherein said sensor detects a change in the Q of said antenna in the presence of said object.

28. An RFID card adapted to be carried by and activated by a human cardholder as set forth in claim 26 wherein said sensor detects a change in the standing wave ratio exhibited by said two or more antenna segments in the presence of said object.

29. An RFID card adapted to be carried by and activated by a human cardholder as set forth in claim 26 wherein said sensor detects a change in the amplitude gain of said one or more antenna segments in the presence of said object.

30. An RFID card adapted to be carried by and activated by a human cardholder as set forth in claim 26 wherein said sensor detects a change in the resonant frequency of said one or more antenna segments in the presence of said object.

31. An RFID card adapted to be carried by and activated by a human cardholder as set forth in claim 26 wherein said conductive object is a conductive member mounted on said card for movement with respect to said one or more antenna segments to alter the characteristics of one or more of said antenna segments.