Electronic transaction system including a fingerprint identification encoding

• US 6,523,745 B1
• Filed: 02/02/1999
• Issued: 02/25/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/05/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: BMF Corp.
• Original Assignee: ENIX Corporation (Square Enix Holdings Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Tamori, Teruhiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Michael G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): FUREMAN, JARED
• Application Number:
  US09/230,967
• Time in Patent Office: 1,484 Days
• Field of Search: 235/382, 235/375, 235/380, 235/381, 235/379, 235/446, 235/492, 902/3, 902/4, 902/5, 902/26, 902/40, 382/115, 382/124, 382/125, 705/16, 705/18, 705/44, 705/64, 705/67, 713/186, 380/30, 380/44, 380/285, 708/206, 340/5.53, 340/5.83
• US Class Current: 235/382
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/04 Payment circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/06 Private payment circuits, e.g. involving electronic currency used among participants of a common payment scheme
• 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 20/381 Currency conversion
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/382 insuring higher security of transaction
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/38215 Use of certificates or encrypted proofs of transaction rights
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40 Authorisation, e.g. identification of payer or payee, verification of customer or shop credentials; Review and approval of payers, e.g. check credit lines or negative lists
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40145 Biometric identity checks
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/257 electronically G07C9/26 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

An apparatus and process of authorizing an electronic transaction system includes a computer located at the site of a transaction, a conversion module for enabling connection between the computer located at the site of the transaction and the conversion module to authorize the transaction, and a connection between the conversion module and the computer at the site of the transaction. The system uses fingerprint input data panel for obtaining fingerprint input data from a finger impressed on the fingerprint input data panel and converts the fingerprint input data to characteristic fingerprint points including minutiae. These characteristic fingerprint points including minutiae are used in conjunction with at least one code at the conversion module to encode messages sent across the system.

Claims

1. An electronic money transaction systems terminal for communication with like terminals utilizing an encoded message encoded with a first identification code of characteristic fingerprint points including minutiae comprising:

a computer located at a site of the transaction;

a money conversion module located at the site of the transaction for converting monetary values to and from electric values to permit authorization of the transaction;

a connection between the money conversion module and the computer at the site of the transaction; and

,

a fingerprint identifying apparatus including a fingerprint input data panel connected to said money conversion module at the site of the transaction;

the money conversion module having;

an input through the connection to the computer located at the site of the transaction for permitting the reception of the encoded messages encoded with the first identification code of characteristic fingerprint points including minutiae;

a microprocessor unit connected to be operable at a read only memory (ROM) system, and through the ROM operating system adapted to convert received fingerprint data to an identification code of characteristic fingerprint points including minutiae and to encode and decode messages with a code including the first identification code from the fingerprint input data panel and the characteristic fingerprint points including the minutiae; and

an output through the connection to the computer located at the site of the transaction for permitting the transmission of encoded messages with the first identification code of characteristic fingerprint points including minutiae;

the fingerprint identifying apparatus including a fingerprint input data panel having a read and write memory to a database of fingerprint data of at least one human fingerprint for generating the first identification code of characteristic fingerprint points including minutiae; and

,

the fingerprint input data panel for obtaining fingerprint input data from a finger impressed on the fingerprint input data panel and inputting the fingerprint data to the read and write memory for receiving fingerprint input and data.

2. The electronic transaction system according to claim 1 and wherein the computer fingerprint input data panel for obtaining fingerprint input data includes an identification code.

3. The electronic transaction system according to claim 1 and wherein the transaction relates to the transfer of money.

4. A process of authorizing an electronic money transaction from encoded messages including a message and a first identification code including characteristic fingerprint data including minutiae, the process comprising the step of:

providing a computer located at a site of the transaction;

providing a money conversion module at the site of the transaction for converting monetary values to and from electric values to permit the transaction;

providing a connection between the conversion module and the computer at the site of the transaction;

providing at the money conversion module microprocessor unit connected to be operable at a read only memory (ROM) operating system to convert through the microprocessor unit fingerprint data to obtain characteristic fingerprint points including minutiae and generate the first identification code for deciding the message from the money conversion module for enabling the computer located at the site of the transaction and the money conversion module to permit the electronic money transaction;

providing a fingerprint identifying apparatus including a fingerprint input data panel and a read and write memory to a database of fingerprint, data of at least one human fingerprint to convert fingerprint data to characteristic fingerprint points including minutiae to generate the first identification code;

receiving and processing at the money conversion module encoded messages including received fingerprint data to fingerprint points and decode messages with the first identification code including the characteristic fingerprint points including minutiae; and

,

sending the decoded message and fingerprint data from the money conversion module to the computer at the site of the transaction to permit the transaction.

5. The process of authorizing an electronic transaction system according to claim 4 comprising the steps of:

transferring money when the transaction is authorized.

6. An electronic money transaction system for communicating between a plurality of terminals, the electronic money transaction system including a plurality of terminals communicating with encoded messages, each terminal including:

an input/output device (8a, 8b) for inputting the amount of money to be transmitted or outputting a message of the receipt of money;

a fingerprint identifying apparatus (4a, 4b) for identifying a user of the system including a fingerprint input data panel for obtaining fingerprint input data from a finger impressed on the fingerprint input data panel to convert received fingerprint data to an identification code of characteristic fingerprint points including minutiae; and

a money conversion module (2a, 2b) connected to said input/output device, for converting monetary values to ad from electric values utilizing the identification code of characteristic fingerprint points including minutiae, the money conversion module operatively connected to said fingerprint identifying apparatus for encoding and decoding enablement upon matching the identification code of characteristic fingerprint points including minutiae from the fingerprint identifying apparatus.

7. The electronic money transaction system of claim 6 and including:

a power source for and coupled to the electronic money transaction system by a transfer wire.

8. The electronic money transaction system of claim 6 and including:

an operating system operatively connected to the money conversion module for including currency rates for various countries, to enable electric values to serve as a common currency.

9. The electronic currency system in accordance with claim 8 and wherein:

the operating system does not change a total amount at the money conversion module even if a transfer transaction at the money conversion module is interrupted at any time during conversion of monetary values to electric values.

10. The electronic currency system in accordance with claim 8 and wherein:

the operating system is operatively connected to the money conversion module for application to a specific application chosen from the group consisting of a credit card operating system, an electronic bill operating system, and a pachinko card operating system.

11. The electronic currency system in accordance with claim 6 and wherein:

the fingerprint identifying apparatus (4a, 4b) for identifying a user of the system includes an integrated circuit (IC) card having built in fingerprint identification apparatus.

12. The electronic currency system in accordance with claim 11 and wherein:

the IC card includes a storage portion for storing various types of data so that it is possible to input or output said types of data in said IC card.

13. The electronic currency system in accordance with claim 11 wherein:

fingerprinted data is stored on said IC card to match against fingerprinted data inputted to said fingerprint sensor upon the use of said IC card,

whereby said IC card is made usable.when said inputted fingerprinted data matches said stored fingerprinted data in said IC card.

14. The electronic currency system in accordance with claim 6 and wherein:

the fingerprinted data of a person is added to data passed through the input/output device.

15. The electronic currency system in accordance with claim 14 and wherein:

the fingerprinted data contains confirmation data which confirms that said fingerprint data of the person that is added is read from the fingerprint reading apparatus.

16. The electronic currency system in accordance with claim 6 and wherein:

the fingerprint identifying apparatus senses indentations of a fingerprint by means of pressure changes and reads said fingerprint.

17. The electronic currency system in accordance with claim 16 and wherein:

the fingerprint identifying apparatus senses indentations of a fingerprint by means of light reflection.

18. The electronic currency system in accordance with claim 6 and wherein:

the fingerprint sensor generates a protection code.

19. The electronic currency system in accordance with claim 18 and wherein:

the protection code includes coding keys created from the read fingerprints.

20. The electronic currency system in accordance with claim 19 and wherein:

the coding keys include identification data of the fingerprint identifying apparatus.

21. The electronic currency system in accordance with claim 6 and wherein:

means for storing fingerprints which do not match the identification code of characteristic fingerprint points including minutiae operatively connected to the fingerprint identifying apparatus.