Blocking contactless personal security device

• US 20060273176A1
• Filed: 06/05/2006
• Published: 12/07/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: ActivIdentity, Inc. (Assa Abloy AB)
• Original Assignee: ActivIdentity, Inc. (Assa Abloy AB)
• Inventors: Audebert, Yves Louis Gabriel, Wen, Wu
• Application Number:
  US11/446,132
• Publication Number:
  US 20060273176A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/451
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07336 Active means, e.g. jamming or scrambling of the electromagnetic field

Abstract

A blocking Personal Security Device (PSD) is disclosed which is intended to protect the privacy of one or more contactless PSDs present within a common RF field generated by a contactless PSDs RF reader. The blocking PSD is programmed to exploit an anti-collision protocol used by the RF reader. The blocking PSD prevents the RF reader from accessing a contactless PSD within the common RF field by ignoring wait time commands and repeatedly responding to the RF reader'"'"'s interrogations.

Claims

1. A method for blocking unauthorized access by a Radio Frequency (RF) reader (10) to a first contactless Personal Security Device (PSD) (100) located within a RF field generated by said RF reader, said RF reader and said first contactless PSD including an anti-collision protocol logic (25, 125) for enabling the RF reader to selectively access said first contactless PSD among a plurality of contactless PSDs (100, 200) located within said RF field, wherein a blocking contactless PSD (200) is also provided with the first contactless PSD within said RF field, said blocking contactless PSD non-selectively responding to each interrogation provided by said RF reader.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein each interrogation includes a wait time command to delay the response of all non-selected contactless PSDs within the RF field, and wherein said blocking PSD non-selectively responds to each interrogation by ignoring said wait time command.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said blocking PSD non-selectively responds to each interrogation of said RF reader as if it was selected, each time said RF reader is ready to communicate with the next contactless PSD in a queue of selected contactless PSDs.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said blocking PSD non-selectively responds to each interrogation of said RF reader by emitting one of the data selected from the set including a white noise, non sensical data, an internal identifier and an acknowledgement signal.

5. A blocking Personal Security Device (PSD) (200) comprising:

A transponder circuit (220) for receiving interrogation signals from a Radio Frequency (RF) reader (10) when located within a RF field generated by said RF reader and for sending responses thereto,

A microprocessor (230) interacting with a blocking logic (225) for generating a non-selective response to each interrogation signal from said RF reader even if said interrogation signal is compliant with an anti-collision protocol logic (25) for enabling the RF reader to selectively access a first contactless PSD (100) among a plurality of contactless PSDs (100, 200) also located within said RF field.

6. The blocking PSD of claim 5, including a switch or a state placement device for activation or de-activation of its blocking logic.

7. The blocking PSD of claim 6, further comprising a display for indicating the state of its blocking logic as activated or de-activated.

8. The blocking PSD of claim 7, wherein said display is a Light Emitting Diode (LED).

9. The blocking PSD of claim 5, implemented as an element of the set including a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag, a smart card, and a sticker containing said transponder circuit and said microprocessor interacting with said blocking logic.

10. The blocking PSD of claim 5, imbedded in one of the elements of the set including a wallet, plain paper and cloth.