Dual smart card access control electronic data storage and retrieval system and methods

• US 5,979,773 A
• Filed: 05/12/1997
• Issued: 11/09/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: American Card Technology, Inc.
• Original Assignee: American Card Technology, Inc.
• Inventors: Dixon, Robert, Findley, Raymond Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Thien Minh
• Application Number:
  US08/854,534
• Time in Patent Office: 911 Days
• Field of Search: 235/380, 235/375, 235/382, 235/492, 235/487, 233/900, 380/3, 380/4, 380/23
• US Class Current: 235/492
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/2295 Parent-child type, e.g. where parent has control on child rights
• 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 20/363 with the personal data of a user
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/253 visually
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/27 with central registration
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/29 the pass containing active electronic elements, e.g. smartcards
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/02 by keys or other credit registering devices
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/0866 by active credit-cards adapted therefor G07F7/1008 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/1008 Active credit-cards provided with means to personalise their use, e.g. with PIN-introduction/comparison system

Abstract

The present invention pertains to an electronic data access and retrieval system comprising at least first and second smart cards, a first card being encoded with digital data fields representative of predetermined information and a second card including authorization codes for enabling access to and authorized retrieval of selected information from digital data fields of the first card, and includes computer means including display means for displaying the access data. A method is also disclosed of operating an electronic secured access verification display system for displaying an indication of permissible and non-permissible access to a facility of authorized personnel and for verifying the identity of such personnel by providing IDENTITY SMART CARDS, one for each authorized person, and an ACCESS SMART CARD to each authorized operator of the system.

Claims

1. An electronic data access and retrieval system comprising:

at least first and second smart cards, a first card being encoded with at least on digital data field representative of predetermined information and a second card means including authorization codes for enabling access to and authorized retrieval of selected information from said digital data fields of said first card, said second card means being selected from an integrated circuit containing card of PROM or enabled system; and

computer means including display means for displaying the accessed data and having at least first and second smart card read/write means operatively connected to said computer means for reading data fields from and writing data fields to said first and second smart cards;

whereby when said first smart card is placed into said first read/write means and said second smart card communicates with second read/write means, access to and authorized retrieval of at least some of the data fields contained in the said first card is enabled and displayed;

wherein said second card means additionally contains at least one digital data field which can be accessed by additional separate second card means.

2. A method of accessing and retrieving digital data information comprising the steps of:

a) encoding a first smart card with a multiplicity of digital data fields representative of predetermined information;

b) encoding a second smart card means or reader capable system with authorization codes for enabling access to and authorized retrieval of selected data field information from said digital data fields of said first card;

c) electronically reading said authorization codes from said second smart card means and retrieving said selected information from at least one of said digital data fields contained in said first smart card; and

d) displaying the said selected information;

wherein said second smart card means includes at least one digital data field which can be accessed by yet another second smart card means.