Method and apparatus for transferring or receiving data via the Internet securely

• US 7,066,382 B2
• Filed: 04/17/2001
• Issued: 06/27/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Robert Kaplan
• Original Assignee: Robert Kaplan
• Inventors: Kaplan, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Thien M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hess, Daniel A.
• Application Number:
  US10/275,179
• Publication Number:
  US 20040215963A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,897 Days
• Field of Search: 235/375, 235/380, 710/5, 705/1
• US Class Current: 235/375
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/34 involving the use of external additional devices, e.g. dongles or smart cards
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/346 Cards serving only as information carrier of service
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/08 by coded identity card or credit card or other personal identification means without personal verification means G07F7/02
• 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 7/12 Card verification
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/122 Online card verification
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0853 using an additional device, e.g. smartcard, SIM or a different communication terminal cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving additional secure or trusted devices H04L9/3234

Abstract

A system using magnetic stripe encoded swipe cards containing Internet address data and further data and whose address data strings are obfuscated. An account card data de-obfuscation sequence in accordance with embodiments of the present invention. The account card data is read from the magnetic stripe and decoded (601) to enable the swipe card reader to parse the data string. The first operation would identify the card as being account card data from the information contained in the data code identifier (602), then the next section would be the unique card specific instruction code (603) then the level of security required to send the data encoded on the swipe card over the Internet (604) followed by the account number (605) then the account holders name (606) followed by any additional data on the card holder (607) the next section would instruct the reader to hold back data until the server a connection to the server were established and the enter a PIN or other validation method when requested by the server (608) this section could be for any additional data relevant to the card (609) then an end sentinel to tell the card nor further data (610) then the data correction parity check to make sure all the data was read correctly from the swipe card by the swipe card reader (611). The card data would then be encrypted by the swipe card reader prior to transmitting it at the security level indicated on the card, the data may also be hidden by use of steganography techniques in a multimedia file.

Claims

1. A system for transmitting data over a communications network comprising:

a data carrier having a data storage area thereon storing encoded data representing Internet address data, as well as non-rewriteable instruction data indicating what level or type of security should be employed in accessing the Internet using said data carrier,

a data carrier reader configured to read Internet address data and instruction data on data storage area of said data carrier, said data carrier reader being connected to or built into a computer system having a display, a web browser and an Internet connection, said computer system being configured to parse Internet address data stored on said data carrier through said data carrier reader, as well as said instruction data indicating level or type or security,

an Internet server hosting one or more Internet sites corresponding to Internet address data stored on said data carrier,

and wherein said computer system is configured to select an appropriate level or type of security for Internet communications based on said instruction data, form an Internet connection to a website corresponding to said address data by connecting to said server using the selected level or type of security for Internet communications, and then present to a user the corresponding website using said web browser and said display.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein said Internet address data is stored in a data storage area of said data carrier in an encrypted form.

3. A system according to claim 2, wherein said computer system is configured to decrypt said Internet address data on said data carrier prior to using said Internet address data.

4. A system according to claim 1 having one or more additional data carriers having a data storage area thereon storing encoded data representing different Internet address data, and instruction data indicating what level or type of security should be employed in accessing the Internet.

5. A system according to claim 1 wherein said data carrier reader is one of a plurality of similarly configured readers.

6. A system according to claim 1 wherein said network comprises one or more wireless linkages.

7. A system according to claim 1 wherein the data additionally includes instructions for the reader or computer system to create a random series of numbers and use them to encrypt account information for transfer via the Internet, and wherein the server is configured to receive said series of random numbers and use them and the public key in conjunction with the private key to parse the account information to validate authenticity and then save the numbers onto the data carrier to validate that the data carrier is genuine and not a cloned copy when it is used the next time, and record a new set of random numbers onto the data carrier over the previous set in a future use.

8. A system for transmitting data over a communications network comprising:

a data carrier having a data storage area thereon storing encoded data representing Internet address data, as well as non-rewriteable instruction commands indicating whether to pause after linking to a server location for the user to enter a PIN or biometric data,

a data carrier reader configured to read Internet address data and instruction data on data storage area of said data carrier, said data carrier reader being connected to or built into a computer system having a display, a web browser and an Internet connection, said computer system being configured to parse Internet address data stored on said data carrier through said data carrier reader, as well as said instruction data,

an Internet server hosting one or more Internet sites corresponding to Internet address data stored on said data carrier,

and wherein said computer system is configured to form an Internet connection to a website corresponding to said address data by connecting to said server and then pause as said instruction data indicates while waiting for user to enter a PIN or biometric data and, once this PIN or biometric data has been received, send this along to the website as well, and present to a user the corresponding website data using said web browser and said display.

9. A system according to claim 8, wherein said Internet address data is stored in a data storage area of said data carrier in an encrypted form.

10. A system according to claim 8 having one or more additional data carriers having a data storage area thereon storing encoded data representing different Internet address data, and instruction data indicating whether to pause after linking to a server location for the user to enter a PIN or biometric data.

11. A system according to claim 8 wherein said data carrier reader is one of a plurality of similarly configured readers.

12. A system according to claim 8 wherein said network comprises one or more wireless linkages.

13. A system according to claim 8 wherein the data additionally includes instructions for the reader or computer system to create a random series of numbers and use them to encrypt account information for transfer via the Internet, and wherein the server is configured to receive said series of random numbers and use them and the public key in conjunction with the private key to parse the account information to validate authenticity and then save the numbers onto the data carrier to validate that the data carrier is genuine and not a cloned copy when it is used the next time, and record a new set of random numbers onto the data carrier over the previous set in a future use.

14. A system for transmitting data over a communications network comprising:

a data carrier having a data storage area thereon storing encoded data representing Internet address data for a web phone service provider, as well as non-rewriteable instruction data indicating an account to be debited according to usage of said web phone service provider,

a data carrier reader configured to read Internet address data and instruction data on data storage area of said data carrier, said data carrier reader being connected to or built into a computer system having a display, a web browser and an Internet connection, said computer system being configured to parse Internet address data stored on said data carrier through said data carrier reader, as well as said instruction data,

an Internet server hosting one or more Internet sites corresponding to Internet address data stored on said data carrier,

and wherein said computer system is configured to form an Internet connection to a website corresponding to said address data by connecting to said server and then send billing account information separately to the server according to the instructions stored on said data carrier, and enables the user to use the services of said web phone service provider.

15. A system according to claim 14 wherein said instructions on said data carrier further instruct the computer to update account data directly onto said data carrier when a recording facility is present in said data carrier.

16. A system according to claim 14, wherein said Internet address data is stored in a data storage area of said data carrier in an encrypted form.

17. A system according to claim 14 having one or more additional data carriers having a data storage area thereon storing encoded data representing Internet addresses for on or more web phone service providers, and non-rewriteable instruction data indicating an account to be debited according to usage of the one or more web phone service providers.

18. A system according to claim 14 wherein said data carrier reader is one of a plurality of similarly configured readers.

19. A system according to claim 14 wherein said network comprises one or more wireless linkages.

20. A system according to claim 14 wherein the data additionally includes instructions for the reader or computer system to create a random series of numbers and use them to encrypt account information for transfer via the Internet, and wherein the server is configured to receive said series of random numbers and use them and the public key in conjunction with the private key to parse the account information to validate authenticity and then save the numbers onto the data carrier to validate that the data carrier is genuine and not a cloned copy when it is used the next time, and record a new set of random numbers onto the data carrier over the previous set in a future use.