Smart card printing

• US 20040190038A1
• Filed: 03/25/2003
• Published: 09/30/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toshiba Corporation, Toshiba Tec Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toshiba Corporation, Toshiba Tec Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Shahindoust, Amir
• Granted Patent: US 7,526,555 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/1.14
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0014 for vending, access and use of specific services not covered anywhere else in G07F17/00 meter-controlled dispensing of liquid, gas or electricity G07F15/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/26 for printing, stamping, franking, typing or teleprinting apparatus ticket printing or the like apparatus G07F17/42

Abstract

A system utilizing a Bluetooth enabled smart card to authenticate a user and provide the user with access to a service. The Bluetooth smart card system is comprised of a server and a client. The server is the component that resides on the device that provides the service to the user. The server initializes the system to receive service requests. Once there is a request, the server establishes a communication channel and reads the user identification from the client. The server determines if it matches user identification from a database. If so, the server then determines if the requested service is supported and then performs the services. The server then determines if there is a need to charge for the service. The server would then get billing information from the card and adds the charge to the credit card of the user.

Claims

1. A method for utilizing a Bluetooth enabled smart card to authenticate a user and provide the user with access to a service, comprising the steps of:

receiving a service request, wherein the service request is associated with the smart card;

storing the service request on a server, wherein the server resides on a device that performs the service request; and

authenticating the user by matching a user identification from the smart card with a stored user identification stored on a database communicatively coupled to the server.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising authenticating the smart card by the server.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the service request is received from a client.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the smart card is associated with the client.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

determining that the service request is supported by a device on which the server resides; and

performing the service request.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising the step of recording a number of the supported service requests performed.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of establishing a communications channel between the client and the server, and authenticating the client by the server.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the device comprises one of the group consisting of a printer, a copier, a multifunction printer, an ignition switch, a door lock and a multifunction peripheral.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the multifunction peripheral is at least one of the group consisting of an image input device and an image output device.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the image input device is at least one of the group consisting of a scanner, a copier, and a facsimile device.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the image output device is at least one of the group consisting of a copier, a facsimile, and a printer.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

determining a charge for the service request;

retrieving information on a billing account from the smart card;

accessing the billing account from the stored user identification in the database; and

charging the billing account for the requested service.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising the step of verifying the user identification is authorized for the service request via the database communicatively coupled to the server.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the stored user identification comprises one of the group consisting of a personal identification number, a billing account, a credit card number, and a customer identification number.

21. The method of claim 1, the authenticating step further comprising matching a personal identification number from the smart card with a personal identification number stored on a database communicatively coupled to the server.

15. A method for utilizing a Bluetooth enabled smart card to authenticate a user and provide the user with access to a printer, comprising the steps of:

receiving a private print job with a personal identification number;

storing the private print job at a controller; and

authenticating the user by matching user information and a user personal identification number from the smart card with the personal identification number from the private print job.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising the steps of:

determining a charge for the service request;

retrieving information on a billing account from the smart card;

accessing the billing account from a stored user information in a database communicatively coupled to the controller; and

charging the billing account for the requested service.

17. The method of claim 15, the authenticating step further comprising moving the private print job from a private print queue to an urgent print queue.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising the steps of:

transporting the smart card to the controller; and

establishing a communications channel between the controller and the smart card.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising the step of printing the urgent print job.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the user information comprises one of the group consisting of a personal identification number, a billing account, a credit card number, and a customer identification number.

22. A system for utilizing a Bluetooth enabled smart card to authenticate a user and provide the user with access to a service, comprising:

means adapted for receiving a service request, wherein the service request is associated with the smart card;

means adapted for storing the service request on a server, wherein the server resides on a device that performs the service request; and

means adapted for authenticating the user by matching a user identification from the smart card with a stored user identification stored on a database communicatively coupled to the server.

23. The system of claim 22, further comprising:

means adapted for determining that the requested service is supported by a device on which the server resides; and

means adapted for performing the requested service.

24. The system of claim 23, further comprising means adapted for recording a number of the supported service requests performed.

25. The system of claim 22, further comprising means adapted for verifying the user is authorized to request the service.

26. The system of claim 22, further comprising:

means adapted for determining a charge for the service request;

means adapted for retrieving information on a billing account from the smart card;

means adapted for accessing the billing account from the stored user identification in the database; and

means adapted for charging the billing account for the requested service.

27. The system of claim 22, wherein the server resides on a device, the device capable of performing the requested service.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the device comprises one of the group consisting of a printer, a copier, a multifunction printer, an ignition switch, a door lock and a multifunction peripheral.

29. The system of claim 22, wherein the stored user identification comprises one of the group consisting of a personal identification number, a billing account, a credit card number, and a customer identification number.

30. The system of claim 22, further comprising means for establishing a communications channel between the smart card and the server.

31. A system for utilizing a Bluetooth enabled smart card to authenticate a user and provide the user with access to a printer, comprising:

means adapted for receiving a private print job with a personal identification number;

means adapted for storing the private print job at a controller; and

means adapted for authenticating the user by matching user information and a user personal identification number from the smart card with the personal identification number from the private print job.

32. The system of claim 31, further comprising:

means adapted for determining a charge for the service request;

means adapted for retrieving information on a billing account from the smart card;

means adapted for accessing the billing account from a stored user information in a database communicatively coupled to the controller; and

means adapted for charging the billing account for the requested service.

33. The system of claim 31, further comprising means adapted for moving the private print job from a private print queue to an urgent print queue.

34. The system of claim 31, further comprising:

means adapted for transporting the smart card to the controller; and

means adapted for establishing a communications channel between the controller and the smart card.

35. The system of claim 31, further comprising means adapted for printing the urgent print job.

36. The system of claim 31, wherein the user information comprises one of the group consisting of a personal identification number, a billing account, a credit card number, and a customer identification number.

37. A method for using a Bluetooth enabled smart card to authenticate a user and provide the user with access to a printer, comprising the steps of:

initiating a private print job by the user;

entering a personal identification number for the private print job;

transmitting the private print job to a controller, wherein the controller identifies the print job as a private print job and stores the print job in a private print queue;

transporting the smart card to the controller;

receiving an authentication signal from the smart card by a wireless transceiver communicatively coupled to the controller, wherein a communication channel is established between the smart card and the controller;

reading a personal identification number from the smart card by the controller;

authenticating the user by matching the personal identification number from the smart card with the personal identification number on the private print job;

moving the private print job to an urgent print queue upon authentication; and

printing the private print job.

38. The method of claim 37, the steps further comprising:

determining a charge for the print job;

retrieving information on a billing account from the smart card;

accessing the billing account from a database that is communicatively coupled to the controller; and

charging the billing account for the print job.

39. A computer-readable medium of instruction for utilizing a Bluetooth enabled smart card to authenticate a user and provide the user with access to a printer, comprising:

means suitably adapted for initiating a private print job by the user;

means suitably adapted for entering a personal identification number for the private print job;

means suitably adapted for transmitting the private print job to a controller, wherein the controller identifies the print job as a private print job and stores the print job in a private print queue;

means suitably adapted for receiving an authentication signal from the smart card by a wireless transceiver communicatively coupled to the controller, wherein a communication channel is established between the smart card and the controller;

means suitably adapted for reading a personal identification number from the smart card by the controller;

means suitably adapted for authenticating the user by matching the personal identification number from the smart card with the personal identification number on the private print job;

means suitably adapted for moving the private print job to an urgent print queue upon authentication; and

means suitably adapted for printing the private print job.

40. The computer-readable medium of claim 39, further comprising:

means suitably adapted for determining a charge for the print job;

means suitably adapted for retrieving information on a billing account from the smart card;

means suitably adapted for accessing the billing account from a database that is communicatively coupled to the controller; and

means suitably adapted for charging the billing account for the print job.