System of central signature verifications and electronic receipt transmissions

• US 6,873,715 B2
• Filed: 01/31/2002
• Issued: 03/29/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Shirphone Kuo, You-Ti Kuo
• Original Assignee: Shirphone Kuo, You-Ti Kuo
• Inventors: Kuo, Shirphone, Kuo, You-Ti
• Primary Examiner(s): Chang, Jon
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kim, Charles
• Application Number:
  US10/059,477
• Publication Number:
  US 20030142855A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,153 Days
• Field of Search: 382/115, 382/119, 382/139, 382/140, 382/190, 235/380, 235/454, 235/493, 340/5.1, 340/5.4
• US Class Current: 382/119
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/30 Writer recognition; Reading and verifying signatures
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/24 by means of a handwritten signature

Abstract

A credit-card reader having a built-in digital camera for capturing a template signature and an email address on a credit card. The email address is identified by an optical character recognition program and input to an email system. A test signature is entered on a touch-pad input device and both the test and the template signatures are normalized and displayed for verification. Action buttons are provided on the display screen for enforcing the signature verification actions. The system enables the transmission of an electronic receipt selectively controlled by the customer and eliminates the needs of physically handling a credit card for signature verification and manual input or pre-registration of an email address for an electronic receipt. The computer-assisted features enables a central system of signature verification for purchase transactions at self-service check-out counters.

Claims

1. A credit card electronic receipt system comprising:

a. a computer network system in communication with a credit card issuer'"'"'s communication network and an email system;

b. a host computer in communication with said computer network system, said host computer having a first display produces an electronic receipt of purchase transactions;

c. a credit card reader being connected to said host computer, said credit card reader having a magnetic strip reader and a digital camera, and said digital camera captures an email address on an image area on a credit card while said credit card being registered and held stationary, and said magnetic strip reader reads the account number embedded in a magnetic stripe on the credit card when the credit card is being swiped through the magnetic strip reader;

d. an optical character recognition program, said optical character recognition program identifies characters of the email address; and

e. a control program in communication with said host computer, said magnetic stripe reader, said digital camera, and said control program inputs said email address and the electronic receipt to the email system.

2. The credit card electronic receipt system of claim 1 includes an optical pattern recognition program which identifies pixel data of the email address and inputs said pixel data to said optical character recognition program.

3. The credit card electronic receipt system of claim 1 wherein the first display of the host computer is in communication with said control program for displaying characters of the email address.

4. The credit card electronic receipt system of claim 1 wherein the credit card reader includes a second display for displaying the characters of the email address.

5. The credit card electronic receipt system of claim 4 wherein the digital camera captures a template signature on the image area on the credit card and the template signature is transmitted to said first display.

6. A credit-card signature verification system comprising:

a. a computer network system in communication with a credit card issuer'"'"'s communication network;

b. a host computer system in communication with said computer network system, said host computer system having a first display produces a purchase transaction receipt;

c. a point-of-purchase terminal comprising;

i. a credit card reader having a magnetic strip reader and a digital camera, said digital camera captures an imaging area on a credit card having a template signature while the credit card being registered and held stationary, and said magnetic strip reader reads the account number embedded in a magnetic stripe on the credit card when the credit card is being swiped through the magnetic strip reader;

ii. a touch-pad input device having output means and said touch-pad input device receives a test signature input from a pen; and

iii. a control program in communication with said host computer system and said credit-card reader, said control program inputs template signature and test signature to the first display for simultaneous display of said template and test signatures.

7. The signature verification system of claim 6 wherein said first display displays an approval-button which is actuated for activating the credit card authorization process.

8. The signature verification system of claim 7 wherein said first display displays a rejection-button which is actuated for rejecting the purchase transaction of the credit card.

9. The signature verification system of claim 6 includes a signature verification program and a normalization program for providing normalized template and test signatures.

10. The signature verification system of claim 9 wherein the signature verification program and said normalization program utilize global angle and global amplitude for normalizing the sizes of the template and test signatures.

11. The signature verification system of claim 6 wherein said host computer system has a queue control program in communication with the control program of a point-of-purchase terminal which is connected to the host computer system.

12. The signature verification system of claim 11 wherein said host computer system includes a data buffer for storing pixel data of template and test signatures and a device driver for monitoring predetermined condition for transferring said pixel data for signature verification.

13. A credit-card electronic receipt and signature verification system comprising:

a. a computer network system in communication with a credit card issuer'"'"'s communication network and an email system;

b. a host computer system in communication with said computer network system, said host computer system having a first display produces an electronic receipt of purchase transactions;

c. a point-of-purchase terminal comprising;

i. a credit card reader having a magnetic strip reader and a digital camera and said digital camera captures an imaging area of a credit card having a template signature and an email address while said credit card being registered and held stationary, and said magnetic strip reader reads the account number embedded in a magnetic stripe on said credit card when the credit card is being swiped through the magnetic strip reader;

ii. a touch-pad input device having output means receives a test signature input;

d. an optical pattern recognition program for identifying pixel data of the template signature and the email address;

e. an optical character recognition program, said optical character recognition program identifies characters of the email address; and

f. a control program in communication with the host computer system and said point-of-purchase terminal, said optical pattern recognition program and said optical character recognition program, said control program inputs template signature and test signature to the first display for simultaneous display of said template and test signatures, as well as inputs said email address and the electronic receipt to the email system.

14. The credit card electronic receipt and signature verification system of claim 13 including a signature verification program which is in communication with said control program, and said signature verification program normalizes said template signature and said test signature.

15. The credit card electronic receipt and signature verification system of claim 13 wherein said optical pattern recognition program identifies pixels of a demarcation band which separates a first label stripe and a second label stripe.

16. The credit card electronic receipt and signature verification system of claim 15 wherein the optical pattern recognition program uses characteristic gray-level ranges of optical density for identifying dark pixels of the template signature and the characters of the email address from the pixels of said first and second label stripes, said demarcation band, and a background of a surface of the credit card.

17. The credit card electronic receipt and signature verification system of claim 15 wherein the optical pattern recognition program uses border lines pixel data of the frames of said first and second label stripes for excluding pixels outside said first and second label stripes.

18. The credit card electronic receipt and signature verification system of claim 14 wherein said signature verification and optical character recognition programs use the same normalization algorithms for determining a global angle and global amplitudes for size normalization of a test character with respect to a template character.

19. The credit card electronic receipt and signature verification system of claim 13 includes a second display for displaying an identified email address by the optical character recognition program and a keyboard input means for correcting errors in the identified email address.

20. The signature verification system of claim 13 wherein the first display displays an actuation button, said actuation button is actuated for activating the credit card authorization process.

21. The signature verification system of claim 13 wherein said host computer system has a queue control program in communication with the control program of a point-of-purchase terminal which is connected to said host computer system.

22. The signature verification system of claim 21 wherein said host computer system includes a data buffer for storing pixel data of template and test signatures and a device driver for monitoring predetermined condition for transferring said pixel data for signature verification.

24. A credit card used in the electronic receipt and signature verification system of claim 13 comprising:

a. a first surface having an account number, expiration date, and name of card owner;

b. a second surface having a magnetic stripe embedded with said account number, a first label stripe having a template signature, and a second label stripe having a printed email address.

23. A credit card processing device in communication with a credit-card issuer'"'"'s communication network and an email system for authorizing a purchase transaction of a credit card which has a first surface having an account number and a second surface having a magnetic stripe, a template signature and a printed email address, comprising:

a. a card slot having a first surface and a second surface;

b. a magnetic strip reader being positioned on the side of the second surface of said card slot for reading the account number embedded in the magnetic stripe of said credit card when said credit card is being swiped through said card slot;

c. a digital camera positioned on the same side of the second surface of said card slot for capturing an image area including a template signature and an email address of said credit card while the credit card being registered and held stationary, said digital camera provides pixel data of said template signature and said email address;

d. a processor in communication with said communication network and the email system having a control program, said control program being in communication with said magnetic strip reader and said digital camera for transmitting pixel data of said template signature and the email address for signature verification and email address identification;

e. a first display and an approval button shown on the first display, said first display and the approval button are in communication with said control program for displaying a template signature and a test signature;

f. a touch pad for entering a test signature, said touch pad being in communication with said control program for transmitting the test signature to said first display;

g. a second display being positioned opposite to said first display and facing the touch pad, said second display being in communication with said control program for displaying an email address; and

h. a housing supporting said card slot, said magnetic strip reader, said digital camera, said control program, said processor, said first display, said touch pad, and said second display.