Modifying a database using a fingerprint form

• US 5,748,765 A
• Filed: 05/26/1994
• Issued: 05/05/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: 123 ID Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Jasper Consulting, Inc. (Minnesota)
• Inventors: Takhar, Harinder S.
• Primary Examiner(s): POWELL, MARK R
• Assistant Examiner(s): POWELL, MARK R
• Application Number:
  US08/249,796
• Time in Patent Office: 1,440 Days
• Field of Search: 382/124, 382/125, 340/825.31, 340/825.32, 340/825.33, 340/825.34, 340/825.3, 235/375, 235/380, 235/382, 235/382.5, 356/71, 283/68
• US Class Current: 382/124
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/4014 Identity check for transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/403 Solvency checks
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/4037 Remote solvency checks
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/1347 Preprocessing; Feature extraction
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/257 electronically G07C9/26 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/27 with central registration
• 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: G07F 7/10 together with a coded signal , e.g. in the form of personal identification information, like personal identification number [PIN] or biometric data
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99936 Pattern matching access

Abstract

A method of modifying a database using a fingerprint form. User account information is entered into a computer database record and is marked as incomplete. A fingerprint form is then generated which pre-encodes the user account information on the form. The form is sent to the user, who places his or her fingerprints on the form before returning it. The user'"'"'s fingerprints are then electronically scanned and encoded from the form and associated with the user account information stored in the computer database record. If the user'"'"'s fingerprints are unreadable or illegible after electronically analyzing the form, a replacement form is automatically generated and sent to the user. If the user'"'"'s fingerprints are legible, the prints are compared to all previously stored fingerprints in the computer database to determine if there is a match. If there is a match, the user record is marked as frozen and all associated users are notified. Otherwise, the user record is marked as complete.

Claims

1. A method for adding a user record to a centralized computer database using a fingerprint form comprising the steps of:

(a) storing user account information in the user record in an electronic format in a computer database file;

(b) marking the user record as being incomplete;

(c) generating the fingerprint form by pre-encoding the user account information on the fingerprint form and providing the fingerprint form to a user, wherein the fingerprint form comprises an area for fingerprints;

(d) obtaining on the fingerprint form a fingerprint from the user;

(e) reading and electronically encoding a user fingerprint from the fingerprint form and storing the encoded user fingerprint in an electronic format in the computer database file, and associating the encoded user fingerprint with the encoded user account information in the user record in the computer database file;

(f) analyzing the user fingerprint, and when the user fingerprint is illegible, notifying the user that the user fingerprint is illegible, providing a replacement fingerprint form to the user, and terminating the method;

(g) when the user fingerprint is legible, searching and comparing the user fingerprint to all previously stored user fingerprints in the computer database file for a match;

(h) when there is a match between the user fingerprint and one of the previously stored user fingerprints in the computer database file, marking the user records associated with the user fingerprint and the previously stored user fingerprint as frozen, notifying the associated users, and terminating the method; and

(i) when there is no match between the user fingerprint and one of the previously stored user fingerprints in the computer database file, marking the user record stored in the computer database file as complete.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the computer database file comprises a G file representing good user entries and a F file representing fraudulent user entries.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of, when there is a match between the user fingerprint and one of the previously stored user fingerprints in the computer database file, storing the user fingerprint in a user record in an electronic format in a temporary note pad computer database file so that the user fingerprint stored in the temporary note pad can be used for geographically tracking fraudulent user activities.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein:

(a) the temporary note pad computer database file further comprises a rider file for temporarily storing old user account information; and

(b) the rider file comprises means for being accessed upon each user account transaction.