Security monitor apparatus and method using smart card

• US 20040129776A1
• Filed: 09/26/2003
• Published: 07/08/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (Samsung Group)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (Samsung Group)
• Inventors: Choi, Young-Hun
• Granted Patent: US 7,392,941 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/380
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/84 output devices, e.g. displays or monitors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2153 Using hardware token as a secondary aspect

Abstract

A security monitor apparatus and method using a smart card are provided. The apparatus, which is connected to a system and displays a signal generated by the system, includes an interface that is used to communicate with the smart card containing personal identification information, a detector that detects a signal through the interface to determine insertion of the smart card into the monitor, and a controller that reads the personal identification information via the interface from the smart card and controls turning the display of the monitor on or off, when the insertion of the smart card is detected. The insertion of a smart card containing personal identification information into a monitor apparatus enables immediate screen protection and power savings.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a smart card containing personal identification information; and

a display unit reading the personal identification information from the smart card and determining whether the display of the display unit will be turned on or off based on the read result.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the display unit comprises a smart card controller and a display microcomputer.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein the smart card controller provides clock signals to the smart card via a connection terminal and resets signals to, and signals from, the smart card via a reset terminal.

4. A monitor, comprising:

an interface communicating with a smart card containing personal identification information;

a detector detecting a signal through the interface;

determining insertion of the smart card into the monitor; and

a controller reading the personal identification information via the interface from the smart card, and controlling turning a display of the monitor on or off, when the insertion of the smart card is detected.

5. The system according to claim 4, wherein the monitor comprises a smart card controller and a display microcomputer.

6. The system according to claim 5, wherein the smart card controller provides clock signals to the smart card via a connection terminal and resets signals to, and signals from, the smart card via a reset terminal.

7. The monitor of claim 4, wherein the controller registers personal identification information stored in the smart card or deletes the registered personal identification information.

8. The monitor of claim 7, further comprising a storage unit storing the personal identification information from the smart card during the registering.

9. The monitor of claim 8, wherein during the deleting, the personal identification information is deleted from the storage unit.

10. The monitor of claim 4, wherein the controller turns the display of the monitor off when the detector does not recognize the presence of the smart card, after a predetermined time.

11. A method of turning a display of a monitor on or off connected to a system, comprising:

checking the insertion of a smart card into the monitor;

turning a display of the monitor off when the smart card is not inserted into the monitor, after a predetermined time;

reading personal identification information from the smart card when the smart card is inserted into the monitor;

turning the display of the monitor on if the personal identification information correlates to an authenticated user; and

turning the display of the monitor off if the personal identification information does not correlate to the authenticated user.

12. The method according to claim 11, further comprising supplying power to the smart card prior to reading information therefrom, when the presence of the smart card is detected.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein whether the personal identification information correlates to the authenticated user is determined by checking whether information stored in a storage unit of the monitor is the same as the personal identification information stored in the smart card.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising a registering, the registering comprising:

reading of the personal identification information from the smart card and, and storing information in the storage unit for the authentication of the personal identification information.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

deleting stored personal identification information from the storage unit.

16. A method of a display of a monitor on or off that is connected to a system, comprising:

registering information stored in a smart card to a storage unit of the monitor;

checking the insertion of the smart card into the monitor through a smart card interface on the monitor; and

turning the display of the monitor on when the insertion of the smart card is detected and information stored in the smart card is the same as information stored in the storage unit.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising deleting the information from the storage unit of the monitor.

18. A monitor connected to a system, comprising:

an interface allowing a signal to be input to, and output from, a smart card containing personal identification information;

a detector detecting a signal output through the interface, and determining if the smart card is inserted into, or removed, from the monitor; and

a controller implementing an on-screen display (OSD) region on a screen of the monitor, displaying into the OSD region registration and deletion buttons of the personal identification information and an authentication result from checking the personal identification information, and turning the display of the monitor on or off based on the authentication result, when the detector determines the insertion of the smart card.

19. The monitor of claim 18, further comprising a storage unit storing the personal identification information read from the smart card during a registering by the controller.

20. The monitor of claim 19, wherein the personal identification information is deleted from the storage unit during a deleting by the controller.

21. The monitor of claim 18, wherein the controller turns off the display of the monitor when the detector transmits to the controller a signal indicating that the smart card is removed from the monitor.

22. A method of managing information, comprising:

detecting insertion of a smart card in a circuit;

supplying power to the detected smart card through the circuit;

reading information from the smart card;

comparing the read information with information stored in a storage unit; and

deleting the information in the storage unit if the information is substantially the same as the read information.

23. A method of managing information, comprising:

detecting an insertion of a smart card in a circuit;

supplying power to the detected smart card through the circuit;

reading information from the smart card and storing the information; and

registering the stored information, wherein the registering is automatically performed by a circuit or manually performed by a user.

24. A security apparatus, comprising:

an interface circuit interfacing with a smart card, the interface circuit including a plurality of connection terminals;

a detector circuit detecting the smart card;

a power supplier circuit supplying power to the smart card;

a smart card controller providing signals to the smart card, and reading information from the smart card, through the plurality of connection terminals; and

a monitor microcomputer receiving an insertion signal from the detector circuit; and

a storage device storing the read information.

25. The security apparatus according to claim 24, wherein the signals include an input signal, an output signal a clock signal and a reset signal.

26. A computer-readable medium encoded with processing instructions implementing a method of turning a display of a monitor on or off, the method comprising:

checking the insertion of a smart card into the monitor;

turning a display of the monitor off when the smart card is not inserted into the monitor, after a predetermined time;

reading personal identification information from the smart card when the smart card is inserted into the monitor;

turning the display of the monitor on if the personal identification information correlates to an authenticated user; and

turning the display of the monitor off if the personal identification information does not correlate to the authenticated user.

27. The computer-readable medium according to claim 26, wherein whether the personal identification information relates to the authenticated user is determined by checking whether information stored in a storage unit of the monitor is substantially the same as the personal identification information stored in the smart card.

28. The computer-readable medium according to claim 26, the method further comprising a registering, the registering comprising:

reading of personal identification information from the smart card and, and storing information in the storage unit for the authentication of personal identification information.

29. The computer-readable medium according to claim 26, further comprising deleting stored personal identification information from the storage unit.

30. A computer-readable medium encoded with processing instructions implementing a method of turning a display of a monitor on or off that is connected to a system, the method comprising:

registering information stored in a smart card to a storage unit of the monitor;

checking the insertion of the smart card into the monitor through a smart card interface on the monitor; and

turning the display of the monitor on when the insertion of the smart card is detected and information stored in the smart card is substantially the same as information stored in the storage unit.

31. The computer-readable medium according to claim 31, the method further comprising deleting the information from the storage unit of the monitor.