Relief object sensor adaptor

• US 6,804,382 B1
• Filed: 06/16/2003
• Issued: 10/12/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Security First Corp
• Original Assignee: Security First Corp
• Inventors: Cole, Andrew, Dickinson, Alexander G., Berger, Brian
• Primary Examiner(s): Mariam, Daniel
• Assistant Examiner(s): Patel, Shefali
• Application Number:
  US10/463,085
• Time in Patent Office: 484 Days
• Field of Search: 382/124, 356/71, 283/68, 283/69, 340/5.31, 340/5.62, 340/5.83, 235/375, 235/380-382
• US Class Current: 382/124
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/32 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints
• 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 19/077 Constructional details, e.g. mounting of circuits in the carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/1318 using electro-optical elements or layers, e.g. electroluminescent sensing

Abstract

An interface card includes a housing sized for reception by a host system, for example, a laptop computer. A sensor is movably connected to the housing and has a first position in which the sensor receives a relief object and generates an electronic representation of the relief object, and a second position in which the sensor is inactive. An interface module is coupled to the sensor and configured to provide for communications between the interface card and the host system.

Claims

1. A device, comprising:

a housing compatible with a host system;

a sensor movably interconnected with said housing, said sensor having a first position in which said sensor receives an input and generates an electronic representation of the input, and a second position in which said sensor is inactive;

a movable part and a fixed part interconnected via a communications bus, said movable part comprising said sensor;

a guide mechanism at said movable part and said fixed part, said guide mechanism providing that said movable part slides within said housing between said first position and said second position when activated by a user; and

a latch mechanism having a first part located at said movable part and a second part located at said fixed part, said latch mechanism retaining said sensor within said housing while in said second position, and said latch mechanism releasing upon user-activation said sensor to move in said first position;

wherein said first part of said latch mechanism is located at opposite sides of said movable part and includes at each side a recess to retain a projection of said second part of said latch mechanism such that said projection of said second part of said latch mechanism holds said movable part in said second position within said housing until user-activation releases said projection of said second part of said latch mechanism and enables said sensor to move into said first position.

2. The device of claim 1, further comprising a biasing element coupled to said fixed part and said movable parts, said biasing element providing that said movable part moves into said first position once released.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein said biasing element includes two springs at opposite sides of the device such that said latch mechanism retaining said sensor within said housing with said two springs in a compressed position while in said second position, and said latch mechanism releasing said two springs upon user-activation causing said sensor to move in said first position.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein said first part of said latch mechanism is located at opposite sides of said movable part and includes at each side a recess to retain a projection of said second part of said latch mechanism such that said projection of said second part of said latch mechanism holds said movable part in said second position within said housing.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the latch mechanism is configured to allow removing the movable part to service the sensor.

6. A relief object sensor adaptor, comprising:

a housing compatible with a host system, said housing having a front end and an internal space; and

a sensor module having a sensor and being movably interconnected with said housing such that said sensor module slides within said internal space of said housing between an active position and an inactive position, wherein said sensor module in said active position extends from said front end of said housing, exposing said sensor wherein said sensor is active and capable of receiving an input of an object and generating an electrical representation of said input, and wherein said sensor module in said inactive position is retracted and contained within said internal space of said housing with said sensor being retracted and contained within said housing and being inactive and incapable of receiving said input of the object.

7. The relief object sensor adaptor according to claim 6, further comprising an interface module coupled to said sensor module and configured to provide for communications between the relief object sensor adaptor and said host system.

8. The relief object sensor adaptor according to claim 6, wherein said sensor is selected from the group consisting of a relief object image generator, an optical sensor, and a fingerprint sensor.

9. The relief object sensor adaptor according to claim 6, wherein said input is a fingerprint.

10. The relief object sensor adaptor according to claim 6, wherein said housing has a shape and a size that corresponds to a shape and a size of a PCMCIA card.

11. The relief object sensor adaptor according to claim 6, wherein said sensor module is detachable from said housing.

12. The relief object sensor adaptor according to claim 6, wherein said sensor module is pivotal with respect to said housing.

13. The relief object sensor adaptor according to claim 6, further comprising a communications bus for connecting said sensor module with said host system.

14. The relief object sensor adaptor according to claim 13, wherein said communications bus is a flexible cable.

15. The relief object sensor adaptor according to claim 13, further comprising one or more first contact pads on one side of said communications bus and one or more second contact pads on said sensor module, such that when said sensor module is in said active position, said one or more first contact pads connect with said one or more second contact pads resulting in said sensor module being connected to said communications bus, and when said sensor module is in said inactive position, said one or more first contact pads are disconnected from said one or more second contact pads resulting in said sensor module being disconnected from said communications bus.

16. The relief object sensor adaptor according to claim 6, further comprising a control module coupled to said sensor of said sensor module, said control module configured to drive and control said sensor and to process said electrical representation of said input received from said sensor.

17. The relief object sensor adaptor according to claim 16, wherein said control module is contained in said housing.

18. The relief object sensor adaptor according to claim 16, wherein said control module is contained in said sensor module.

19. The relief object sensor adaptor according to claim 16, further comprising a memory device configured to store user-specific data corresponding to said electrical representation of said input.

20. The relief object sensor adaptor according to claim 19, further comprising a processor coupled to said memory device and said sensor.

21. The relief object sensor adaptor according to claim 20, wherein said memory device and said processor are contained in said housing.

22. The relief object sensor adaptor according to claim 20, wherein said memory device and said processor are contained in said sensor module.

23. The relief object sensor adaptor according to claim 20, wherein said sensor generates a sensed electrical representation of said input and said memory devices contains a stored, electrical representation of a second input.

24. The relief object sensor adaptor according to claim 23, wherein said processor is configured to compare said sensed electrical representation and said stored electrical representation and to generate a signal indicative if said sensed electrical representation matches said stored electrical representation.

25. The relief object sensor adaptor according to claim 24, wherein said sensed electrical representation of said input corresponds to a fingerprint of a present user and said stored electrical representation of said second input corresponds to an authorized user.

26. The relief object sensor adaptor according to claim 16, wherein said sensor generates a sensed electrical representation of said input and wherein said control module processes and forwards said sensed electrical representation to said host system to compare said sensed electrical representation with a stored electrical representation.

27. The relief object sensor adaptor according to claim 26, wherein said sensed electrical representation corresponds to a fingerprint of a present user and said stored electrical representation corresponds to an authorized user.

28. The relief object sensor adaptor according to claim 6, further comprising a guide mechanism for guiding said sensor module into and out of said internal space of said housing when moving said sensor module between said active position and said inactive position.

29. The relief object sensor adaptor according to claim 6, further comprising a latch mechanism having a first part located on said sensor module and a second part located on said housing, said latch mechanism retaining said sensor module within said internal space of said housing while in said inactive position and releasing said sensor module upon user-activation of said sensor module to move said sensor module into said active position.

30. The relief object sensor adaptor according to claim 6, further comprising a biasing element coupled to said sensor module and said housing, said biasing element providing that said sensor module moves into said active position once released.

31. The relief object sensor adaptor according to claim 6, wherein said housing and said sensor module are generally rectangular in shape.

32. A method of obtaining data relating to an object, comprising the steps of:

(a) moving a sensor module to an active position, said sensor module having a sensor and being movably interconnected with a housing, said housing adapted to being compatible with a host system and having a front end and an internal space, such that said sensor module slides within said internal space of said housing between said active position and an inactive position, wherein said sensor module in said active position extends from said front end of said housing, exposing said sensor wherein said sensor is active and capable of receiving the object and generating an electrical representation of an input of the object, and wherein said sensor module in said inactive position is retracted and contained within said internal space of said housing with said sensor being retracted and contained within said housing and being inactive and incapable of receiving said input of the object;

(b) activating said sensor of said sensor module;

(c) generating said electrical representation of said input of the object; and

(d) processing said electrical representation.

33. The method according to claim 32, further comprising the step of:

(e) retracting said sensor module into said internal space of said housing, resulting in said sensor being retracted and contained within said housings and being inactive and incapable of receiving said input of the object.

34. The method according to claim 32, wherein said input is a fingerprint of a finger and said sensor is a fingerprint reader.

35. The method according to claim 32, further comprising the step of:

(e) coupling an interface module to said sensor module, said interface module being configured to provide for communications between said sensor module and said host system.

36. The method according to claim 32, further comprising the step of:

(e) detaching said sensor module from said housing.

37. The method according to claim 32, further comprising the steps of:

(e) generating a sensed electrical representation of said input of the object by said sensor of said sensor module; and

(f) storing a stored electrical representation of said input of the object in a memory device, said memory device configured to store user-specific data corresponding to said electrical representation of said input of the object.

38. The method according to claim 37, further comprising the steps of:

(g) configuring a processor to compare said sensed electrical representation and said stored electrical representation, said process coupled to said memory device and said sensor; and

(h) generating a signal indicative of whether said sensed electrical representation matches said stored electrical representation.

39. The method according to claim 37, wherein said sensed electrical representation corresponds to a fingerprint of a present user and said stored electrical representation corresponds to an authorized user.

40. The method according to claim 32, wherein said step (d) processes said electrical representation by a control module, said control module coupled to said sensor of said sensor module and configured to drive and control said sensor and to process said electrical representation of said input of the object received from said sensor;

and further comprising the step of;

(e) forwarding said electrical representation from said control module to said host system to compare said electrical representation with a stored electrical representation.

41. The method according to claim 40, wherein said electrical representation corresponds to a fingerprint of a present user and said stored electrical representation corresponds to an authorized user.

42. The method according to claim 32, further comprising the step of:

(e) guiding said sensor module into and out of said internal space of said housing with a guide mechanism when moving said sensor module between said active position and said inactive position.

43. The method according to claim 32, further comprising the step of:

(e) retaining said sensor module and said sensor within said internal space of said housing while in said inactive position with a latch mechanism having a first part located on said sensor module and a second part located on said housing; and

(f) releasing said sensor module upon user-activation of said sensor module to move said sensor module and said sensor into said active position.

44. The method according to claim 32, wherein said sensor is selected from the group consisting of a relief object image generator, an optical sensor, and a fingerprint sensor.

45. The method according to claim 32, further comprising the step of:

(e) pivoting said sensor module in relation to said housing when said sensor module is in said first position.

46. The method according to claim 32, wherein said sensor module further comprising a communication bus for connecting said sensor module with said host system, and further comprising the steps of:

(e) positioning one or more first contact pads on one side of said communications bus; and

(f) positioning one or more second contact pads on said sensor module;

wherein when said sensor module is in said active position, said one or more first contact pads connect with said one or more second contact pads resulting in said sensor module being connected to said communications bus, and when said sensor module is in said inactive position, said one or more first contact pads are disconnected from said one or more second contact pads resulting in said sensor module being disconnected from said communications bus.