CREDIT KEY

• US 3,582,890 A
• Filed: 12/01/1969
• Issued: 06/01/1971
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/1969
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Leslie C. Rivers
• Original Assignee: Leslie C. Rivers
• Inventors: Rivers, Leslie C.
• Application Number:
  US04/881,066
• Time in Patent Office: 547 Days
• US Class Current: 235/458
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 49/006 actuating opto-electronic devices
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/08 by coded identity card or credit card or other personal identification means without personal verification means G07F7/02
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 283/904 Credit card

Abstract

A key which can be used in place of or together with a conventional credit card, together with the apparatus which can read information on the key. The key has a shank portion which is multisided, having a plurality of holes drilled through the shank portion along its longitudinal axis, the holes being normal to the axis. The key is adapted to be inserted in the apparatus which through the utilization of photocells and a light source can determine the location of the hole on each edge of the shank portion.

Claims

1. A key capable of being read by a light source and photocells comprising:

a top portion for holding said key, an elongated shank portion extending from said top, said shank portion being multisided, said shank portion having at least one hole drilled therethrough normal to the axis of said shank.

2. The key of claim 1 comprising:

said shank portion having a plurality of holes therethrough at different levels along its axis.

3. The key of claim 1 wherein:

each hole passes from an edge of said shank through the center axis thereof.

4. The key of claim 3 wherein:

each hole terminates on a flat side opposite the edge from which it begins.

5. In combination:

a key having an elongated shank portion extending from a top portion thereof, said shank portion being multisided, said shank portion having at least one hole drilled therethrough normal to the axis of said shank, and means for determining the location of the holes in said shank portion.

6. The combination of claim 5 wherein said means for determining the location of said holes comprises:

a light source for disposition on one side of saId shank portion, and a plurality of light receiving means for disposition opposite said light source for receiving light passing through said holes.

7. The combination of claim 6 wherein:

said light receiving means is disposed adjacent the length of said shank portion.

8. The combination of claim 7 wherein:

the light receiving means can distinguish the location of a hole relative to the length of said shank.

9. The combination of claim 6 further comprising:

means for rotating the key relative to and between said light source and said light receiving means.

10. The combination of claim 9 further comprising:

means activating and deactivating said light source as said key is rotated such that said light source is on only when a desired hole to be determined is aligned therewith.