IC card with fingerprint sensor

• US 6,213,403 B1
• Filed: 09/10/1999
• Issued: 04/10/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: ITT Manufacturing Enterprises, Inc. (ITT, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: ITT Manufacturing Enterprises, Inc. (ITT, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bates, Charles Linsday III
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Michael G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): LE, UYEN CHAU N
• Application Number:
  US09/393,383
• Time in Patent Office: 578 Days
• Field of Search: 235/492, 235/486, 235/487, 361/736, 361/737
• US Class Current: 235/492
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0718 the sensor being of the biometric kind, e.g. fingerprint sensors fingerprint sensors in general G06V40/13; biometric access-control systems in general, see G07C9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07743 External electrical contacts

Abstract

An IC card (10) is provided with a fingerprint sensor (32) that is usually protected from dirt and physical damage but that can be readily deployed while the card lies within a slot (12) of an electronic device (14). The fingerprint sensor is mounted on a tray (30) that can be slid rearwardly (R) out of the rear end of the IC card to a deployed position wherein the fingerprint sensor is exposed, the tray then being slidable forwardly (F) to a stowed position wherein the fingerprint sensor lies within the card housing. A mother board (52) lies within the IC card and one or more connectors (90, 92) are mounted on the mother board. A daughter board (60) fixed to the tray, has pads (72) that engage contacts (96) of the connector on the mother board, when the tray is in its deployed position. The IC card can receive a chip card (140) to authorize access when the fingerprint correspondence is high. A lower sheet metal cover part (48) is cut to form a flap (132) that is bent up to leave an entrance through which the chip card can be inserted.

Claims

1. An IC card for forward insertion into an IC card slot of an electronic device, where the IC card can read a person'"'"'s fingerprint and provide password authorization to the electronic device, including a mother board having top and bottom surfaces and front and rear ends, a front connector coupled to said mother board front end, and a card housing which includes top and bottom cover parts that lie respectively above and below said mother board and that are mechanically connected to said mother board, said card housing having front and rear ends, comprising:

a tray which is moveably mounted in said card housing to move forward and rearward between a stowed position and a deployed position;

a fingerprint sensor mounted on said tray with said fingerprint sensor lying rearward of said card housing rear end in said deployed position of said tray and lying within said card housing in said stowed position of said tray;

a circuit arrangement that electronically couples said fingerprint sensor to said front connector at least when said tray is in said deployed position.

2. The IC card described in claim 1 wherein:

said tray includes a daughter board, with said fingerprint sensor mounted on said daughter board, and with one of said boards having a plurality of contact pads and the other board having at least one pad connector, said pad connector having a plurality of contacts positioned to engage said pads in said deployed position of said tray.

3. The IC card described in claim 1 wherein:

said tray includes a daughter board with top and bottom surfaces, with said fingerprint sensor mounted on said daughter board, and with said daughter board having a plurality of contact pads on its lower surface;

at least one pad connector mounted on said mother board and having a plurality of connector contacts with pad-engaging contact ends positioned to engage said contact pads in said deployed position of said tray.

4. The IC card described in claim 3 wherein:

said daughter board has a plurality of conductive traces and at least one circuit component mounted on said daughter board and coupled through said traces to said fingerprint sensor and to said contact pads.

5. The IC card described in claim 3 wherein:

said electronic device includes an electrical power source and said circuit arrangement includes at least one component that is energized by said power source;

said power source has a control part that is connected to first and second of said connector contacts of said at least one pad connector;

said contact pads on said daughter board include first and second pads that are connected together and that are positioned to engage said first and second connector contacts only in said deployed position of said tray and to disengage said first connector contacts in said stowed position of said tray, whereby said pads on said daughter board of said tray and connector contacts act as an electrical switch.

6. The IC card described in claim 1 wherein:

said tray includes a rear portion with laterally opposite sides, and a pair of guide arms extending forwardly from each of said opposites sides, with each guide arm lying closely between said top cover part and said mother board to be vertically confined between them.

7. An IC card constructed in accordance with PCMCIA standards for forward insertion into a slot of an electronic device that is designed to receive PCMCIA standard IC cards, where the IC card has a housing with front and rear ends and has a front card connector for mating with a device connector in said slot, wherein:

said housing rear end has a slot therein; and

including

a fingerprint sensor device with a finger receiver;

a tray, with said fingerprint sensor device mounted on said tray, said tray being slideably mounted in said IC card between a deployed position wherein said fingerprint receiver lies rearward of said housing rear end and a stowed position wherein said fingerprint receiver lies within said housing.

8. The IC card described in claim 7 wherein:

said tray includes a daughter board that has a plurality of contact pads, with said fingerprint sensor device mounted on said daughter board and electrically coupled to said contact pads;

said IC card includes a mother board having a front end coupled to said front connector; and

including

at least one pad connector mounted on said mother board, with said pad connector having a plurality of pad-engaging contacts positioned to engage said contact pads on said daughter board in said deployed position of said tray.

10. The IC card described in claim 7 wherein:

said IC card includes a mother board;

said housing includes a cover with a sheet metal upper cover part that lies over said mother board;

said tray has opposite tray sides that each has an upper tray surface lying against said sheet metal upper cover part and a lower tray surface lying against said mother board, to thereby vertically confine said tray.

11. The IC card described in claim 7 wherein:

said housing includes a cover having sheet metal top and bottom parts with a space between said cover parts, with said bottom cover part having a slit that forms a flap with opposite flap sides and a free flap end, with said flap end being bent into said space between cover parts to form an entrance between said flap end and an adjacent location on said bottom cover part that is not bent, to enable a chip card with contacts pads to be inserted through said entrance into said space;

a pad connector lying in said housing and having pad-engaging contacts positioned to engage said pads of said chip card when said chip card is inserted into said space.

9. The IC card described in 8 wherein:

said at least one pad connector has a connector frame with a projecting part that projects above said mother board;

said tray has a pair of laterally opposite tray sides and has a leg at each tray side, with said legs lying closely astride said connector frame to allow said connector frame to limit lateral movement of said tray.

12. A method for authenticating the user of an electronic device where the electronic device has a slot for receiving an IC card, where said electronic device has a device connector at a front end of said slot, comprising;

fully inserting an IC card into said slot until a front connector of said IC card mates with said device connector;

with said IC card fully inserted in said slot, pulling a tray rearwardly out of a rear end of a housing of said IC card, from a stowed position of said tray to a deployed position of said tray, where said tray carries a fingerprint sensor which is hidden in said stowed position and which is exposed at a location rearward of said slot in said deployed position;

as said tray reaches said deployed position, electrically coupling contacts of said front connector to said fingerprint sensor.

13. The method described in claim 12 wherein:

said tray includes a daughter board having a plurality of contact pads, and including a mother board fixed in said housing and a pad connector fixed to said mother board, with said pad connector having connector contacts coupled to contacts of said front connector;

said step of pulling a tray rearwardly includes moving said daughter board contact pads into engagement with said connector contacts.

14. An IC card constructed in accordance with PCMCIA standards for forward insertion into a slot of an electronic device that is designed to receive PCMCIA standard IC cards, where the IC card has a housing with front and rear ends and has a front card connector for mating with a device connector in said slot, wherein:

said housing includes a cover having sheet metal top and bottom cover parts with a space between said cover parts, with said bottom cover part having a slit that forms a flap with opposite flap sides and a free flap end, with said free flap end being depressed into said space between cover parts to form an entrance between said flap end and an adjacent location on said bottom cover part that is not depressed, to enable a chip card with contacts pads to be inserted through said entrance into said space;

a pad connector lying in said housing and having pad-engaging contacts positioned to engage said pads of said chip card;

said housing has a rear end with a slot therein;

a fingerprint sensor;

a tray with said fingerprint sensor mounted on said tray, said tray being slideably mounted in said IC card between a deployed position wherein said fingerprint sensor lies rearward of said housing and a stowed position wherein said fingerprint sensor lies substantially completely within said housing;

said fingerprint sensor being electrically coupled to said front card connector.