Personal identification, access control and monitoring system

• US 5,512,887 A
• Filed: 01/22/1993
• Issued: 04/30/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/1991
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Charles Wiper III
• Original Assignee: First Tracks
• Inventors: McAllister, Clarke W.
• Primary Examiner(s): ZIMMERMAN, BRIAN A
• Application Number:
  US08/007,649
• Time in Patent Office: 1,194 Days
• Field of Search: 340/825.34, 340/825.31, 340/825.54, 235/492
• US Class Current: 340/5.65
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/0086 the connector comprising a circuit for steering the operations of the card connector
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/065 for conductive marks

Abstract

An environmentally tolerant personal identification, access control and monitoring system including a dual contact limb-worn identification (ID) code-producing unit and a multiple-physical contact arrayed ID code reader are described. Momentary physical contact between the unit'"'"'s dual contacts, in any position and orientation, and the reader'"'"'s arrayed multiple contacts is detected by sequentially energizing contact pairs of the array until a characteristic low-impedance is sensed and then the indicated contact pair is reverse-energized to read the ID code from the ID unit. Preferably, the contact array geometry is of closely spaced, nickel-plated, planar, hexagonally shaped conductors that are group-encoded and -energized to minimize the input/output port requirements of a microprocessor and associated drive/sense electronics that accomplish the scanning of the array and the reading of the ID unit. False-positive indications of physical contact by an ID unit are avoided by the preferred sensing method, which can distinguish therefrom a condition in which adjacent contacts in the array incidentally are bridged, e.g. by a buildup of ice on the ID reader'"'"'s contact array. ID codes may be used to collect person-tracking information, as well as to limit access to a person wearing a properly encoded ID unit.

Claims

1. A portable identification code-producing unit for use with a code reader having an array of energizable planar contact pairs, the unit comprising:

a housing

a solid state device mounted to the housing and having a pair of operative terminals, and producing a signal bearing an identification code;

a pair of electrical point contacts projecting outwardly from the housing and operatively connected with said pair of terminals, said electrical point contacts of said pair each terminating in a distal end that is spheroidal in shape, each distal end having a small-pattern contact surface area and being spaced from one another a predetermined distance, so that a two-lead circuit can be completed, with each contact being associated with a separate lead of the circuit; and

means connected with said housing for extending at least partially around a limb of a user so that the contacts are exposed for direct electrical-physical contact with a code reader.

2. The portable identification code-producing unit according to claim 1, wherein the contacts extend outwardly from the housing at about a right angle.

3. A user-wearable identification unit comprising:

an identification device producing a signal bearing an identification code for communication;

a pair of outwardly-facing, outwardly-extending electrical point contacts operatively connected to said identification device, said contacts each having a distal end that is spheroidally shaped to define a small-pattern contact surface area, and being spaced from one another a predetermined distance so that a two-lead circuit can be completed by placing said contacts in electrical-physical contact with a code reader; and

means for securing said device and said contacts to a user so that the contacts are exposed for direct electrical-physical contact with a code reader.

4. The user-wearable identification unit according to claim 3, wherein the contacts extend outwardly from the housing at about a right angle.

5. A user-wearable identification unit comprising:

an identification device producing a signal bearing an identification code for communication;

a pair of outwardly-facing, outwardly-extending, electrical point wiper contacts operatively connected to said identification device, said contacts each having a distal end that is spheroidally shaped, said contacts being spaced from one another a predetermined distance so that a two-lead circuit can be completed by placing said contacts in electrical-physical contact with a code reader; and

means for securing said device and said contacts to a user so that the contacts are exposed for direct electrical-physical, passing-motion contact with a code reader.

6. The user-wearable identification unit according to claim 5, wherein each of the contacts extends outwardly from the housing at about a right angle.

7. A user-wearable identification unit comprising:

an identification device producing a signal bearing an identification code for communication;

a pair of outwardly-facing, outwardly-extending, protuberant electrical point wiper contacts operatively connected to said identification device, said contacts being spaced from one another a predetermined distance so that a two-lead circuit can be completed by placing said contacts in electrical-physical contact with a code reader; and

means for securing said device and said contacts to a user so that the contacts are exposed for direct electrical-physical, passing-motion contact with a code reader.

8. The user-wearable identification unit according to claim 7, wherein each of the contacts extends outwardly from the housing at about a right angle.

9. The user-wearable identification unit according to claim 7, wherein each of the contacts has a distal end that is shaped to define a small-pattern contact surface area.

10. A portable identification code-producing unit for use with a code reader having an array of energizable planar contact pairs, the unit comprising:

a housing;

a solid state device mounted to the housing and having a pair of operative terminals, and producing a signal bearing an identification code;

a pair of protuberant electrical point contacts projecting outwardly from the housing and operatively connected with said pair of terminals, said electrical point contacts of said pair each terminating in a distal end having a small-pattern contact surface area and being spaced from one another a predetermined distance, so that a two-lead circuit can be completed, with each contact being associated with a separate lead of the circuit; and

means connected with said housing for extending at least partially around a limb of a user so that the contacts are exposed for direct electrical-physical contact with a code reader.

11. The portable identification code-producing unit according to claim 10, wherein the contacts extend outwardly from the housing at about a right angle.

12. The portable identification code-producing unit according to claim 10, wherein the distal ends of the contacts are spheroidal in shape.

13. The portable identification code-producing unit according to claim 11, wherein the distal ends of the contacts are spheroidal in shape.

14. A user-wearable identification unit comprising:

an identification device producing a signal bearing an identification code for communication;

a pair of outwardly-facing, outwardly-extending, protuberant electrical point contacts operatively connected to said identification device, said contacts each having a distal end that is shaped to define a small-pattern contact surface area, and being spaced from one another a predetermined distance so that a two-lead circuit can be completed by placing said contacts in electrical-physical contact with a code reader; and

means for securing said device and said contacts to a user so that the contacts are exposed for direct electrical-physical contact with a code reader.

15. The user-wearable identification unit according to claim 14, wherein the distal ends of the contacts are spheroidal in shape.

16. The user-wearable identification unit according to claim 14, wherein the contacts extend outwardly from the housing at about a right angle.

17. The user-wearable identification unit according to claim 16, wherein the distal ends of the contacts are spheroidal in shape.

18. A user-wearable identification unit comprising:

an identification device producing a signal bearing an identification code for communication;

a pair of outwardly-facing, outwardly-extending, protuberant electrical point wiper contacts operatively connected to said identification device, said contacts each having a distal end that is spheroidally shaped to define a small-pattern contact surface area, each extending outwardly from the housing at approximately a right angle, and being spaced from one another a predetermined distance so that a two-lead circuit can be completed by placing said contacts in electrical-physical contact with a code reader; and

means for securing said device and said contacts to a user so that the contacts are exposed for direct electrical-physical, passing-motion contact with a code reader.