Identification system

• US 7,219,837 B2
• Filed: 09/11/2003
• Issued: 05/22/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Assa Abloy AB
• Original Assignee: Integrity Engineering Incorporated
• Inventors: Rietveld, Robert Victor
• Primary Examiner(s): PAIK, STEVEN SANGYUL
• Application Number:
  US10/660,368
• Publication Number:
  US 20040108377A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,349 Days
• Field of Search: 235/382, 235/382.5, 235/380, 235/435, 235/451, 235/492, 235/487, 382/115, 382/124, 713/186
• US Class Current: 235/382
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/00825 remotely by lines or wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/00865 remotely by wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/257 electronically G07C9/26 takes precedence

Abstract

Disclosed is a system for uniquely identifying an entity includes a wireless identification device with a controller mechanism for wirelessly communicating and acquiring, processing and transmitting data. A reader device having a controller mechanism acquires, processes and transmits data and a sensing mechanism is in communication with the reader device for acquiring, processing and transmitting data from the wireless identification device. A wireless control device is included for communicating with the reader device and can communicate with and configure the reader device, the wireless identification device or subsequent wireless identification devices. A method of uniquely identifying an entity is also disclosed.

Claims

1. A method of uniquely identifying an entity, comprising the steps of:

(a) providing at least one portable wireless identification device;

(b) providing a reader device;

(c) providing at least one portable wireless control device;

(d) providing a scanner device;

(e) acquiring data signals representative of at least one unique characteristic of the entity by the scanning device;

(f) communicating the data to the reader device;

(g) controlling, by the wireless control device, the storage of the data representative of the unique characteristic of the entity on the wireless identification device, via the reader device, and the erasure of the data representative of the unique characteristic of the entity from the reader device and/or the wireless control device; and

(i) configuring the reader device by the wireless control device;

(ii) configuring the wireless identification device by the wireless control device via the reader device; and

/or

(iii) configuring a subsequent wireless identification device by the wireless control device via the reader device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

wirelessly communicating specified data signals by the wireless control device to the reader device; and

performing an action sequence by the reader device based upon the data signals.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the entity is a person and the unique characteristic is a biometric property of the person.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the biometric property is one of a fingerprint, a retinal print and a dermal sample.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the wireless identification device and the wireless control device is in the form of a portable card.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the reader device is in the form of an enclosed housing having at least a portion for allowing the acquisition and transmission of data signals therethrough.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the reader device further includes at least one of an audio indication device and a visual indication device in communication with and controlled by the reader device.