SECURED KEYPAD DEVICES

• US 20090184850A1
• Filed: 01/19/2009
• Published: 07/23/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/22/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verifone, Inc. (Verifone Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verifone, Inc. (Verifone Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Avital, Amihay, Mirkazemi-Moud, Mehran, Aviv, Arnon, Faoro, Dave, Schulz, Christian Eric, Meron, Sergey
• Granted Patent: US 9,013,336 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 341/22
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1658 related to the mounting of internal components, e.g. disc drive or any other functional module
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1684 Constructional details or arrangements related to integrated I/O peripherals not covered by groups G06F1/1635 - G06F1/1675
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/83 input devices, e.g. keyboards, mice or controllers thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/86 Secure or tamper-resistant housings
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0219 Special purpose keyboards
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/023 Arrangements for converting discrete items of information into a coded form, e.g. arrangements for interpreting keyboard generated codes as alphanumeric codes, operand codes or instruction codes
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/23 Construction or mounting of dials or of equivalent devices; Means for facilitating the use thereof by improving visibility H04M1/22

Abstract

A data entry device including a housing including a top housing portion including key apertures, a plurality of data entry keys mounted in the housing to have data entry key depression travel paths in the housing, the plurality of data entry keys being associated with a substrate, which is disposed below the top housing portion and anti-tampering electrical conductors arranged between the top housing portion and the substrate thereby to prevent unauthorized access to the substrate.

Claims

1. A data entry device comprising:

a housing including a top housing portion including key apertures;

a plurality of data entry keys mounted in said housing to have data entry key depression travel paths in said housing, said plurality of data entry keys being associated with a substrate, which is disposed below said top housing portion; and

anti-tampering electrical conductors arranged between said top housing portion and said substrate thereby to prevent unauthorized access to said substrate.

2. A data entry device according to claim 1 and wherein said substrate is a flexible substrate.

3. A data entry device according to claim 1 and wherein said anti-tampering electrical conductors are disposed peripherally of said substrate.

4. A data entry device according to claim 1 and also comprising a plurality of key switch contacts mounted on said substrate and arranged to be displaced into or out of electrical contact with a corresponding plurality of electrical switches by depression of corresponding ones of said plurality of data entry keys to at least a predetermined extent along corresponding ones of said data entry key depression travel paths.

5. A data entry device according to claim 1 and also comprising a plurality of key switch contacts mounted on said data entry keys and arranged to be displaced into or out of electrical contact with a corresponding plurality of electrical switches by depression of corresponding ones of said plurality of data entry keys to at least a predetermined extent along corresponding ones of said data entry key depression travel paths.

6. A data entry device according to claim 1 and wherein said plurality of data entry keys are integrally formed with said substrate.

7. A data entry device according to claim 1 and wherein said anti-tampering electrical conductors are electrically connected to anti-tampering detection circuitry.

8. A data entry device according to claim 1 and wherein said anti-tampering electrical conductors are disposed above and below said substrate.

9. A data entry device according to claim 8 and wherein said anti-tampering electrical conductors above said flexible substrate and said anti-tampering electrical conductors below said flexible substrate are electrically connected to anti-tampering detection circuitry.

10. A data entry device according to claim 8 and wherein said anti-tampering electrical conductors above said substrate are electrically connected to said anti-tampering electrical conductors below said substrate.

11. A data entry device comprising:

a housing element, including a plurality of data entry keys disposed therein, said data entry keys having data entry key depression travel paths in said housing element;

a plurality of key switch contacts mounted on a flexible substrate separate from said plurality of data entry keys and arranged to be displaced into or out of electrical contact with a corresponding plurality of electrical switches by depression of corresponding ones of said plurality of data entry keys to at least a predetermined extent along corresponding ones of said data entry key depression travel paths; and

anti-tampering electrical conductors arranged with respect to said plurality of key switch contacts thereby to prevent unauthorized electrical contact therewith.

12. A data entry device according to claim 11 and wherein said anti-tampering electrical conductors are disposed above and below said flexible substrate.

13. A data entry device according to claim 12 and wherein said anti-tampering electrical conductors above said flexible substrate and said anti-tampering electrical conductors below said flexible substrate are electrically connected to anti-tampering detection circuitry.

14. A data entry device according to claim 12 and wherein said anti-tampering electrical conductors above said substrate are electrically connected to said anti-tampering electrical conductors below said substrate.

15. A data entry device according to claim 11 and wherein said plurality of data entry keys are integrally formed with said housing element.

16. A data entry device comprising:

a housing element, including a plurality of data entry keys disposed therein;

a plurality of housing-open indicating switch contacts; and

anti-tampering electrical conductors disposed effectively surrounding said plurality of housing-open indicating switch contacts thereby to prevent unauthorized electrical contact therewith.

17. A data entry device according to claim 16 and wherein said anti-tampering electrical conductors are electrically connected to anti-tampering detection circuitry.

18. A data entry device according to claim 16 and wherein said plurality of data entry keys are integrally formed with said housing element.