System and apparatus for smart card personalization

• US 5,889,941 A
• Filed: 11/22/1996
• Issued: 03/30/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Card Technology Corporation, Not Applicable
• Original Assignee: UbiQ, Inc.
• Inventors: Haeuser, William W., Tushie, David R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Decady, Albert
• Application Number:
  US08/755,459
• Time in Patent Office: 858 Days
• Field of Search: 395/186, 395/187.07, 395/188.01, 380/25, 380/23, 257/679, 257/922, 455/558, 902/25, 902/26, 235/380, 340/825.33
• US Class Current: 726/26
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/105 involving programming of a portable memory device, e.g. IC cards, "electronic purses"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/341 Active cards, i.e. cards including their own processing means, e.g. including an IC or chip
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/355 Personalisation of cards for use
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/367 involving electronic purses or money safes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3821 Electronic credentials
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/1008 Active credit-cards provided with means to personalise their use, e.g. with PIN-introduction/comparison system
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/083 involving central third party, e.g. key distribution center [KDC] or trusted third party [TTP]

Abstract

A smart card personalization system maintains a database containing card issuer data format templates, card applications, card operating system commands, and personalization equipment specifications and provides a centralized interface of inputs and outputs to a card issuing process which dynamically adjusts to changes in the issuing process to easily permit a card issuer to change data formats, card applications, card operating systems and/or personalization equipment in a card issuing process. The system interfaces to any card issuer management system, manages the transfer of card holder data and card applications to the particular personalization equipment used, and maintains statistics for real-time and off-line inquiries to support critical management and reporting functions. Furthermore, the system works with a variety of security methodologies to prevent fraud.

Claims

1. A method for issuing portable programmed data carriers comprising:

acquiring a personalization equipment identifier and personalization data for a card holder from a card issuer management system;

acquiring equipment characteristic data for a personalization equipment type from a record in a database identified by the personalization equipment identifier; and

transferring the personalization data to personalization equipment as specified by the equipment characteristic data for the type of personalization equipment to issue the data carrier.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising translating the personalization data into an internal format such that the translated personalization data is transferred to the personalization equipment.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the personalization data is translated from a format defined by the card issuer management system into the internal format in accordance with format template data.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising acquiring the format template data from a record in the database identified by a data format identifier supplied by the card issuer management system.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising acquiring the format template data from the card issuer management system.

6. The method of claim 3, further comprising acquiring the format template data from an application data record in the database identified by an application program identifier supplied by the card issuer management system.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

collecting information regarding the issuing of the data carriers; and

reporting statistics derived from the collected information to the card issuer management system.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

acquiring an application program identifier from the card issuer management system;

acquiring application data from a record in the database identified by the application program identifier; and

transferring the application data to the personalization equipment as specified by the equipment characteristic data.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

acquiring security data from a security source; and

transferring the security data to the personalization equipment as specified by the equipment characteristic data.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

acquiring a card operating system identifier from the card issuer management system;

acquiring programming control commands from a record in the database identified by the operating system identifier; and

transferring the programming control commands to the personalization equipment as specified by the equipment characteristic data.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

acquiring an application program identifier from the card issuer management system;

acquiring the application data from a record in the database identified by the application program identifier; and

transferring the application data to the personalization equipment as specified by the equipment characteristic data.

12. A system for issuing portable programmed data carriers comprising:

a card issuer management system interface for acquiring a personalization equipment identifier and personalization data for a card holder from a card issuer management system;

a personalization equipment interface for acquiring equipment characteristic data for a personalization equipment type from a record in a database identified by the personalization equipment identifier; and

the personalization equipment interface for further transferring the personalization data to personalization equipment as specified by the equipment characteristic data for the type of personalization equipment to issue the data carrier.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the system further acquires format template data from a record in a database identified by a data format identifier supplied by the card issuer management system and translates the personalization data into an internal format from a format defined by the format template data such that the personalization equipment interface transfers the translated personalization data to the personalization equipment.

14. The system of claim 12, further comprising a tracking/report engine for collecting data from the system regarding the issuing of the data carriers and for reporting the collected data to the card issuer management system.

15. The system of claim 12, further comprising:

a card application interface for acquiring application data from a record in the database identified by an application program identifier acquired by the card issuer management system interface; and

the personalization equipment interface for further transferring the application data to the personalization equipment as specified by the equipment characteristic data.

16. The system of claim 12, further comprising a security manager for acquiring security data from a security source and transferring the security data to the personalization equipment interface.

17. The system of claim 12, further comprising:

a card operating system interface for acquiring programming control commands from a record in a database identified by a card operating system identifier acquired by the card issuer management system interface; and

the personalization equipment interface for further transferring the programming control commands to the personalization equipment as specified by the equipment characteristic data.

18. The system of claim 17, further comprising:

a card application interface for acquiring application data from a record in the database identified by an application program identifier acquired by the card issuer management system interface; and

the personalization equipment interface for further transferring the application data to the personalization equipment as specified by the equipment characteristic data.

19. A data structure stored on a storage device for producing portable programmed data carriers comprising a plurality of personalization equipment elements, wherein each personalization equipment element is addressed by a unique personalization equipment identifier and specifies operating parameters for a type of personalization equipment such that the personalization data is properly formatted for transmission to the personalization equipment used to issue the data carrier.

20. The data structure of claim 19, further comprising a plurality of data format elements, wherein each data format element is addressed by a unique data format identifier and specifies a template used by a card issuer to format personalization data.

21. The data structure of claim 19, further comprising a plurality of card operating system elements, wherein each card operating system element is addressed by a unique card operating system identifier and specifies programming control commands for transmission to the personalization equipment.

22. The data structure of claim 19, further comprising a plurality of application program elements, wherein each application program element is addressed by a unique application program identifier and specifies application data used by a particular type of application program for transmission to the personalization equipment.

23. The data structure of claim 22, further comprising a plurality of card operating system elements, wherein each card operating system element is addressed by a unique card operating system identifier and specifies programming control commands for transmission to the personalization equipment.

24. A system for issuing portable programmed data carriers comprising:

personalization equipment receiving a data stream and in response thereto personalizing portable programmed data carriers;

personalization data obtained from a card issuer management system; and

a smart card personalization system having a database containing one or more data elements selected from the group consisting of

data format template elements,

card application data elements,

card operating system elements,

and personalization equipment elements,

wherein the smart card personalization system outputs the data stream as a result of processing the personalization data as directed by at least one of the selected data elements.

25. A method for issuing portable programmed data carriers comprising:

acquiring personalization data for a card holder and equipment characteristic data; and

transferring the personalization data to personalization equipment as specified by the equipment characteristic data to issue the data carrier.

26. A system for issuing portable programmed data carriers comprising a system interface for acquiring personalization data for a card holder and equipment characteristic data, and for further transferring the personalization data to personalization equipment as specified by the equipment characteristic data to issue the data carrier.