Smart card pin system, card, and reader

• US 6,257,486 B1
• Filed: 11/23/1998
• Issued: 07/10/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 11/23/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Cardis Enterprise International NV
• Original Assignee: Cardis Research & Development Ltd.
• Inventors: Townend, Robin, Teicher, Mordechai
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, THIEN MINH
• Application Number:
  US09/198,234
• Time in Patent Office: 960 Days
• Field of Search: 235/379, 235/380, 235/487, 235/492, 235/493, 235/486, 235/375
• US Class Current: 235/380
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07345 by activating or deactivating at least a part of the circuit on the record carrier, e.g. ON/OFF switches
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07703 the interface being visual
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/08 using markings of different kinds or more than one marking of the same kind in the same record carrier, e.g. one marking being sensed by optical and the other by magnetic means
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/0021 for reading/sensing record carriers having surface contacts
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/006 the housing being a portable casing
• 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 20/3415 Cards acting autonomously as pay-media
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/0886 the card reader being portable for interacting with a POS or ECR in realizing a payment transaction
• 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: G07F 7/1025 Identification of user by a PIN code
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2231/05 Card, e.g. credit card

Abstract

A smart card, smart card reader, and system for secure entry of a secret personal identification number (PIN) directly into the smart card while the card is presented to the reader. Because the user'"'"'s PIN is entered directly into the smart card, authenticated directly by the smart card itself, and not propagated outside the smart card, the PIN cannot be covertly obtained through the use of a compromised reader or other device in the system. A PIN keypad on the smart card allows user entry of the PIN, and an authentication unit within the smart card verifies that the PIN is correct. The reader merely supplies electrical power for the smart card to take the PIN entry and perform the authentication, but does not handle the PIN itself in any way. The reader, however, is designed to allow access to the keypad on the smart card while the smart card is being presented. The smart card keypad may have identifying indicia, or alternatively may be not visible, so that photographs, logos, etc., placed on the smart card will not be obscured. In this case, the reader has an overlaying surface with the identifying indicia for the keypad. The reader may also have a separate keypad of its own for use with conventional smart cards that lack a keypad.

Claims

1. A system for authenticating a user, the system comprising:

(a) a smart card for presentation by the user, said smart card being associated with a secret personal identification number and including an authentication module having a smart card keypad for receiving an entry of a sequence of symbols from the user, said authentication module also having an authentication unit for determining whether said sequence of symbols corresponds to said secret personal identification number, said authentication module being normally disabled, and wherein said smart card keypad excludes identifying indicia; and

(b) a reader operative to accepting smart cards and exchanging data therewith, the reader being operative to enable said authentication module upon receiving said smart card, said reader including identifying indicia to enable said entry of a sequence of symbols by said user upon said smart card being received by said reader.

2. The system as in claim 1, wherein said smart card excludes an internal source of electrical power.

3. The system as in claim 1, wherein said smart card excludes a visual display.

4. The system as in claim 1, wherein said reader includes a user access area whereby the user can make said entry into said smart card keypad while said smart card is presented to said reader.

5. The system as in claim 2, wherein said smart card further includes an electrical power interface operative to receiving from said reader electrical energy for powering said authentication module while the user is making said entry into said smart card keypad.

6. The system as in claim 1, wherein said smart card keypad excludes identifying indicia.

7. The system as in claim 6, wherein said smart card further includes:

(i) light-emitting means operative to illuminating said smart card keypad while an entry is being made into said smart card keypad; and

(ii) conditionally visible identifying indicia which are visible when illuminated by said light-emitting means.

8. The system as in claim 1, wherein said user access area further comprises an overlaying surface above said smart card keypad when said smart card is presented to said reader, and which permits the user to make said entry into said smart card keypad through said overlaying surface, said overlaying surface having identifying indicia thereon.

9. The system as in claim 8, further comprising a plurality of readers, wherein, for each of said plurality of readers, said overlaying surface is mapped into said user access area by a transformation function which is preselected from a plurality of transformation functions and having a physical template preselected from a plurality of physical templates, wherein said reader is operative to communicating said transformation function to said smart card when said smart card is presented to said reader, and wherein said smart card is operative to receiving said entry of said secret personal identification number transformed in accordance with said transformation function.

10. The system as in claim 9, wherein said transformation function is a translation specified by an offset vector.

11. The system as in claim 8, wherein said overlaying surface is deformable, permitting the user to make said entry into said smart card keypad through said overlaying surface by deforming said overlaying surface.

12. The system as in claim 8, wherein said overlaying surface is perforated by at least one hole, permitting the user to make said entry into said smart card keypad through said at least one hole.

13. A reader for accepting and exchanging data with a smart card associated with a secret personal identification number, the smart card including a smart card keypad for making an entry of the secret personal identification number, wherein the smart card keypad excludes identifying indicia, the reader comprising:

(a) a user access area whereby the secret personal identification number can be entered into the smart card keypad while the smart card is presented to the reader, and

(b) an overlaying surface above the smart card keypad when the smart card is presented to the reader, and which permits the user to make the entry of the secret personal identification number into the smart card keypad through said overlaying surface, said overlaying surface having identifying indicia thereon.

14. The reader as in claim 13, furthermore comprising a reader keypad for entering the secret personal identification number into a device lacking a smart card keypad.

15. The reader as in claim 13, wherein said overlaying surface is mapped into said user access area by a transformation function preselected from a plurality of transformation functions and having a physical template preselected from a plurality of physical templates, and wherein the reader is operative to sending said transformation function to the smart card upon presentation of the smart card.

16. The reader as in claim 15, wherein said transformation function is a translation specified by an offset vector selected from a plurality of vectors, and wherein the reader is operative to sending said offset vector to the smart card.

17. The reader as in claim 13 wherein said overlaying surface is deformable, permitting the user to make the entry of the secret personal identification number into the smart card keypad through said overlaying surface by deforming said overlaying surface.

18. The reader as in claim 13 wherein said overlaying surface is perforated by at least one hole, permitting the user to make the entry of the secret personal identification number into the smart card keypad through said at least one hole.

19. A smart card for presentation to, acceptance by, and exchanging data with a reader, the smart card being associated with a secret personal identification number, the smart card comprising an authentication module including a smart card keypad for receiving an entry of a sequence of symbols while the smart card is presented to the reader and an authentication unit for determining whether said sequence of symbols corresponds to said secret personal identification number, said authentication module being normally disabled and being enabled when the smart card is presented to the reader, and wherein said smart card keypad excludes identifying indicia.

20. The smart card as in claim 19, furthermore comprising an electrical power interface operative to receiving from the reader electrical energy for powering said authentication module while said entry is being made into said smart card keypad.

21. The smart card as in claim 19, furthermore operative to receiving a transformation function from said reader and inverse transforming said entry according to said transformation function.

22. The smart card as in claim 21, wherein said transformation function is a translation, and wherein the smart card is operative to receiving an offset vector from said reader.

23. The smart card as in claim 19, furthermore comprising:

(a) light-emitting means operative to illuminating said smart card keypad while an entry is being made into said smart card keypad; and

(b) conditionally visible identifying indicia which are visible when illuminated by said light-emitting means.

24. A method for authenticating the user of a smart card, the smart card being associated with a secret personal identification number and including a smart card authentication module having a smart card keypad wherein said smart card keypad excludes identifying indicia, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) normally disabling the smart card authentication module;

(b) providing at least one reader operative to accepting the smart card;

(c) having the user present the smart card to said at least one reader;

(d) enabling the smart card authentication module while the smart card is presented to said at least one reader;

(e) providing identifying indicia for use with said smart card keypad;

(f) challenging the user to enter the secret personal identification number into the smart card keypad while the smart card is presented to said at least one reader;

(g) receiving a sequence of symbols via the smart card keypad;

(h) determining the user to be an authorized user only if said sequence of symbols corresponds to the secret personal identification number; and

(i) rejecting attempts by the user to perform an authentication when the smart card is not presented to said at least one reader.

25. The method as in claim 24, wherein said at least one reader is furthermore operative to sending a transformation function to the smart card, the method furthermore comprising the step of transforming said sequence of symbols in accordance with said transformation function.

26. The method as in claim 25, wherein said transformation function is a translation specified by an offset vector.