PROXIMITY VALIDATION SYSTEM AND METHOD

• US 20060169771A1
• Filed: 01/31/2005
• Published: 08/03/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Quadient Technologies France
• Original Assignee: Neopost Technologies S.A. (Quadient SA)
• Inventors: Brookner, George
• Granted Patent: US 7,108,177 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/382
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/35 communicating wirelessly
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2139 Recurrent verification
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2209/64 using a proximity sensor
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/28 the pass enabling tracking or indicating presence

Abstract

A gate keeping system for a user accessible resource is provided. The system has a server, a transceiver and an RFID tag. The server is communicably connected to the resource for sending commands allowing and terminating user access to the resource. The receiver is communicably connected to the server and capable of sending an RF interrogation signal. The RFID tag is capable of sending an RF signal in response to the receiving the interrogation signal. The RFID tag has a program that embodies user unique credentials capable of providing user access to the resource. The user unique credentials represent a user associated with the tag.

Claims

1. A gate keeping system for user accessible stations, the system comprising:

multiple operational spaces, wherein each operational space has at least one transceiver associated therewith, and has at least one of the user accessible stations associated therewith;

a server communicably connected to each of the user accessible stations for sending commands allowing and terminating user access to each station; and

an RFID tag having a program that embodies user unique credentials, capable of providing user access to at least one of the stations, of a user associated with the RFID tag;

wherein each of the transceivers is communicably connected to the server and capable of sending an RF interrogation signal, and the RFID tag is capable of sending an RF signal in response to receiving the interrogation signal when located in the operational space associated with the transceiver; and

wherein the server has programming to relate the user unique credentials to at least one of the stations for which the user unique credential provides access in the operational space, and to allow user access to the at least one station for which the user unique credential provides access when the tag is located within the operational space.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the RF signal from the RFID tag includes data related to the user unique credentials.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein the data is relayed by the transceiver to the server, and wherein the server performs a comparison of the data to determine if the user unique credentials provide user access to the at least one station associated with the resource.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the RF signal from the RFID tag includes encrypted data.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the RF signal from the RFID tag has authenticated data.

6. The gate keeping system according to claim 1, wherein the user accessible stations are computer systems, and wherein the gate keeping system is adapted to automatically enable, and automatically disable, user access to at least one of the computer systems based on criteria that include entry of the RFID tag into the operational space associated with the computer system, continued presence of the tag in the operational space associated with the computer system, and the user unique identifier.

7. The system according to claim 6 wherein the RF signal from the RFID tag further comprises a unique RFID tag identifier.

8. The system according to claim 6 wherein the signal of the RFID tag that embodies identifying information comprises at least one encrypted username and password pair for accessing at least one of the user accessible stations.

9. The system according to claim 2, wherein the server is adapted to access a credential database containing at least one pair of access credentials, the pair of access credentials including a log-on identifier and a password associated with the log-on identifier, and wherein the system is further adapted to execute a comparison of the unique user credential against at least a portion of the database, and to allow or deny access to at least one of the user accessible stations based upon said comparison.

10. The gate keeping system according to claim 9 wherein the system is adapted to allow and terminate user access to the at least one of the user accessible stations invisibly with respect to the user.

11. The gate keeping system according to claim 9 wherein the system is adapted to allow user access to the at least one of the user accessible stations in response to the identifying information from the RFID tag and the proximity of the RFID tag to the at least one station.

12. The gate keeping system according to claim 11 wherein the system is further adapted to terminate user access to the at least one station upon failure of the system to receive confirmation, from the RFID tag, of the continued presence of the RFID tag within the operational space, in response to the transmission of an interrogation signal by the transceiver.

13. The gate keeping system according to claim 4, wherein the encrypted data is encrypted with a private key encryption key stored on the RFID tag, and wherein the encrypted data is adapted for decryption with a public key associated with the private key, the public and private keys forming a public/private key pair.

14. The gate keeping system according to claim 13, wherein the RF signal from the RFID tag has authenticated data comprising an encrypted hash value generated by applying a hash function to a message and encrypting the result of the hash function with a private encryption key stored on the RFID tag.

15. The gate keeping system according to claim 1, wherein the programming to relate the user unique credentials to one or more of the stations consists of programming to relate the unique user credentials to less than all of the stations.