Securized, multifunction, acquisition and processing terminal usable in the banking sector, in connection with games and in the electronic management of documents

• US 6,011,850 A
• Filed: 11/17/1995
• Issued: 01/04/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 11/23/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Dominique Bertrand, Cyberview Technology, Inc. (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: Dominique Bertrand, Jean-Marie Gatto
• Inventors: Gatto, Jean-Marie, Bertrand, Dominique
• Primary Examiner(s): Hayes, Gail O.
• Assistant Examiner(s): SAYADIAN, HRAYR
• Application Number:
  US08/558,217
• Time in Patent Office: 1,509 Days
• Field of Search: 380/59, 380/52, 380/4, 380/49, 380/50, 361/796, 361/730, 361/736, 361/800, 361/818, 361/683, 361/684, 361/685, 361/724, 361/725, 174/35 R, 174/35 GC
• US Class Current: 380/59
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/182 with special features, e.g. for use in industrial environments; grounding or shielding against radio frequency interference [RFI] or electromagnetical interference [EMI]
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/00 Methods or arrangements for effecting co-operative working between equipments covered by two or more of main groups G06K1/00 - G06K15/00, e.g. automatic card files incorporating conveying and reading operations
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/0032 Apparatus for automatic testing and analysing marked record carriers, used for examinations of the multiple choice answer type teaching apparatus working with questions and answers G09B7/00

Abstract

The present invention relates to a securized, multifunction, acquisition and processing terminal more particularly usable in the banking sector, in connection with games and/or in the electronic management of documents, characterized in that it comprises:

a mother board (13), having an interfacing bus with one or more standardized connectors to which can be connected

standard input/output modules,

at least one specific input/output module permitting the performance of specific functions incorporating at least one dedicated circuit, said module as its main function the supplying of the mother board with preorganized informations, in real time, concerning the specific functions and able to leave to said mother board any developed software processing of said informations.

Claims

1. A securized, multifunction, acquisition and processing terminal comprising:

a mother board having circuits connected to a processor and having an interfacing bus with at least one connector;

at least one standard input/output module;

at least one specific input/output module for managing specific functions and incorporating at least one dedicated circuit, said at least one specific module supplying the mother board with preorganized information, in real time, concerning the specific functions and leaving to said mother board any advanced software processing of said information;

at least one daughter board connected to the mother board by said at least one connector;

at least one power supply connected to power the terminal;

a hard disk reader;

a floppy disk reader;

other system modules comprising a LCD, a magnetic track reader, a keypad, an optical reader, an image scanner, a PCMCIA reader, and a chip card reader;

a box containing the mother board, said at least one daughter board, said at least one power supply, the hard disk reader and the floppy disk reader, and supporting the other modules;

an electromagnetic shielding tray subdivided into several compartments by detachable partitions, each of said at least one daughter board being inserted into one of said compartments, said tray being formed from a main element, a front face with openings allowing access to input/output connectors of said at least one daughter board, an upper face cut so as to give space for said at least one connector of the mother board, a lower part of the tray being formed by a lower part of the box, which forms a detachable door.

2. The terminal according to claim 1, wherein all the modules are located on a single board.

3. The terminal according to claim 1, wherein the modules comprise separate daughter boards for each module, connected to the mother board.

4. The terminal according to claim 3, wherein the specific functions comprise one or more of the following modules:

the scanner, the chip card reader, an information securizing chip reader, the magnetic track reader, the optical reader, the LCD, the keypad, a printer, a Flash memory, SRAM, a light pen, and a tactile surface.

5. The terminal according to claim 1, wherein signals and connectors of the daughter boards are standardized.

6. The terminal according to claim 1, further comprising a lateral access door for the passage of connecting cables to the rear of the terminal for any connection.

7. The terminal according to claim 1, wherein the LCD has a tactile or non-tactile, sensitive surface.

8. The terminal according to claim 7, wherein said sensitive surface makes it possible to locate any random point of the display and performs any processing necessary for locating the point.

9. The terminal according to claim 1, wherein the magnetic track reader is elongated and has a slide for sliding a magnetic card to be read.

10. The terminal according to claim 9, wherein an optical reader is located in the slide.

11. The terminal according to claim 9, wherein the slide forms part of the keypad.

12. The terminal according to claim 1, wherein the keypad is formed by a metal fitting on which is deposited a printed circuit having keys.

13. The terminal according to claim 12, wherein the keypad printed circuit manages the keypad, at least one of readers, and the LCD.

14. The terminal according to claim 1, wherein the keypad is protected by a tight membrane.

15. The terminal according to claim 1, wherein the scanner is elongated and has overall dimensions fitting within the box.

16. The terminal according to claim 1, wherein the scanner is comprised of a cylinder having a diameter less than 60 mm.

17. The terminal according to claim 1, wherein the scanner is a front and/or back scanner.

18. The terminal according to claim 1, wherein the scanner is a black and white and/or color scanner.

19. The terminal according to claim 1, wherein the scanner comprises at least one sensor that is a contact image sensor or no contact image sensor.

20. The terminal according to claim 1, wherein the scanner comprises at least one charge coupled device.

21. The terminal according to claim 1, comprising a tray for receiving documents after reading by the scanner.

22. The terminal according to claim 1, wherein the scanner is generally cylindrical, approximately 30 cm long, with a diameter of approximately 60 mm, the cylinder round, being multifaceted, or multifaceted with rounded angles, a motor of the scanner being located in an extension thereof.

23. The terminal according to claim 1, wherein the LCD, the magnetic track reader, the optical reader, the keypad, the scanner, the chip card reader, and at least one information securizing chip reader, are detachably fixed to said box.

24. The terminal according to claim 1, wherein a stop-go button is fixed to said box.

25. The terminal according to claim 1, wherein the magnetic track reader, the optical reader, the chip card reader, and an information securizing chip reader form part of a same subassembly as the keypad.

26. The terminal according to claim 25, wherein the keypad has at least one connection to the scanner, at least one connection to the display and at least one connection to the box.

27. The terminal according to claim 26, wherein the connections are optical by fiber optics, or in air by means of light emitting diodes and photosensitive sensors.

28. The terminal according to claim 1, wherein the electromagnetic shielding material is a metallic material, whereof at least one component is magnetizable.

29. The terminal according to claim 1, wherein information transfers are securized.

30. The terminal according to claim 29, wherein securizing is brought about by means of the dedicated circuit, so as to permit the internal and confidential execution of any encrypting/decrypting, confidentiality, or compressing-decompressing.

31. The terminal according to claim 29, wherein encrypting/decrypting, confidentiality and compressing/decompressing security functions are performed by a chip card type chip integrated into the dedicated circuit.

32. The terminal according to claim 31, wherein the specific functions include a smart card type chip separate from the dedicated circuit.

33. The terminal according to claim 29, wherein compression-decompression is separate from confidentiality.

34. A terminal according to claim 1, wherein the dedicated circuit is used for encrypting/decrypting information flowing through the terminal.

35. Terminal according to claim 1, in which:

the magnetic track reader, the optical reader, the keypad and the scanner are located on an upper surface of the box;

the chip card reader and the PCMCIA reader are located on the upper surface or on a front face of the box;

the LCD is fixed on the upper surface or on a rear surface of the box by flexible means such that in a closed position the LCD is located on said surface of the box so that the LCD is protected, whereas in the open position said LCD has a variable oblique position giving easy access to the user.

36. Terminal according to claim 1, further comprising a cover, placed above the box, having a detachable part permitting the mobility of the scanner and a lateral access door giving access to connectors of the daughter board.

37. Terminal according to claim 1, wherein the main element of the electromagnetic shielding tray has a base having a first end and a second end, and a pair of sides arranged generally perpendicular to the base, a first end of one of the sides connected to the first end of the base and a first end of the other side connected to the second end of the base, the detachable partitions each having a first end and a second end, the first end of the partitions connected to the base between the first end of the base and the second end of the base, the partition, arranged generally perpendicular to the base.

38. Terminal according to claim 37, wherein the front face has a first end and a second end, the first end of the front face connected to a second end of one of the sides and the second end of the front face connected to a second end of the other side so that the front face is generally parallel to the base.

39. Terminal according to claim 37, wherein the second ends of the partitions each define a tab and the front face defines a plurality of slots, the tabs being received in the slots.

40. Terminal according to claim 1, wherein each opening in the front face receives an angle section.

41. Terminal according to claim 1, wherein the specific functions managed by the specific input/output module are banking functions.

42. Terminal according to claim 41, wherein the banking functions are data acquisition of banking documents and performance of security functions.