System and architecture that supports a multi-function semiconductor device between networks and portable wireless communications products

• US 7,239,346 B1
• Filed: 10/18/1999
• Issued: 07/03/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Dennis G. Priddy
• Original Assignee: Dennis G. Priddy
• Inventors: Priddy, Dennis G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ye, Lin
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, LUONG TRUNG
• Application Number:
  US09/420,459
• Time in Patent Office: 2,815 Days
• Field of Search: 348/220.1, 348/207.1, 348/14.01, 705/23, 705/26, 705/27, 455/422.1, 455/556.1, 382/117
• US Class Current: 348/220.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/10 Human or animal bodies, e.g. vehicle occupants or pedestrians; Body parts, e.g. hands
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2007/145 Handheld terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41407 embedded in a portable device, e.g. video client on a mobile phone, PDA, laptop constructional details of equipment or arrangements specially adapted for portable computer application G06F1/1626; arrangements specially adapted for mobile receivers in broadcast systems H04H20/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4223 Cameras H04N23/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4415 using biometric characteristics of the user, e.g. by voice recognition or fingerprint scanning cryptography using biological data H04L9/3231; authentication in networks using biometric H04L63/0861
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/142 Constructional details of the terminal equipment, e.g. arrangements of the camera and the display

Abstract

A system and architecture that supports an integrated imaging module for use between networks and portable communications products. The integrated imaging module contains a lens, memory, an input/output device, and a multi-function semiconductor device, such as a Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS). Within the design of the multi-function semiconductor device are the functions of still and full-motion digital imaging, image processing, automatic identification, a secure personal database, biometric attribute identification for access control, personal finance information, wireless communication protocols, general purpose processing, and memory. The module may be incorporated into any portable wireless communication product and used to capture text and image data for incorporation into a wireless transmission to a remote device.

Claims

1. A multi-function integrated semiconductor device comprising:

a single integrated circuit containing;

an image sensor including a plurality of light sensitive pixels for capturing an image in still and full-motion digital imaging;

a real-time image processing circuit, responsive to the light sensitive pixels, having as an output a digital representation of the image captured;

an automatic identification circuit within the real-time image processing circuit, responsive to a captured image, to generate an automatic identification indicia of a biometric attribute from a digitized image of said biometric attribute;

a personal database secure to all but a specified user;

means for providing a wireless communication including an antenna, a transmitter, a receiver, a wireless communication protocol and an Internet browser; and

memory containing a first automatic identification indicia of a biometric attribute of the specified user and software for executing a predetermined application.

2. The device of claim 1 further comprising means for inputting the biometric attribute;

means for deriving a second automatic identification indicia from said inputted biometric attribute; and

means for comparing said second automatic identification indicia to the first automatic identification indicia and permitting the specified user access to the secure personal database in response to the second automatic identification indicia matching the first automatic identification indicia.

3. The device of claim 1 further comprising a lens disposed to project an image on said image sensor, a digital processing unit, and an input/output means for transmitting the digital representation of a captured image to a remote device, wherein the digital processing unit is integrated with a first memory and the image processing circuit interrogates the captured image in real-time in said memory.

4. The device of claim 3, further comprising:

an interface for a voice/data communications channel to a networked computer server, said communications channel comprising at least one of the group consisting of a cellular telephone network, a satellite telephone network, a wide-area network, a local-area network, and the Internet browser;

wherein the image processing circuit further comprises means for capturing single and sequential digital images, and wherein the digital processing unit comprises means for transmitting said images including data element identifiers via the interface strikeout through the slash over the communications channel to a remote location;

wherein the personal database comprises personal identification and credit card, debit card or bank account information; and

a digital processor operable to transmit queries, receive textual and graphic responses, execute secure purchase of goods or services, and remotely store records related to electronic commerce transactions, and to execute the secure purchase of non-electronic commerce goods and services;

wherein the multi-function integrated semiconductor device is incorporated within a wireless communications product.

5. The device of claim 4 wherein the digital processor further comprises means for generating and transmitting a digital security code based on an input biometric attribute and incorporating data element identifiers.

6. The device of claim 4 wherein the digital processor further comprises means for activating a large scale processing application on a remote server.

7. The device of claim 4 wherein the digital processor further comprises means for securely executing personal financial transactions.

8. The device of claim 4, further comprising:

means for real-time scanning, decoding, and transmitting via the interface, information encoded in an automatic identification indicia, said indicia being selected from among the group consisting of bar codes, matrix codes, Optical Character Recognition (OCR), a handwritten message, a typed message, a symbol, a signature, and Radio Frequency Identification Tags (RFID).

9. The device of claim 1 further comprising a supplemental memory, a digital processing unit, a lens disposed to project an image on said image sensor, and an input/output means for transmitting the digital representation of a captured image to a remote device, wherein the digital processing unit is integrated with the memory, the supplemental memory, and the real-time image processing circuit and stores the digital representation image in one of the memory and the supplemental memory.

10. The device of claim 1 wherein the automatic identification circuit is further responsive to said captured digitized image to identify a non-biometric automatic identification indicia coded within the digitized image.

11. The device of claim 10 wherein the non-biometric automatic identification indicia is selected from among the group consisting of a bar code, a matrix code, optical character recognition, a handwritten message, a typed message, a symbol, a signature, and a radio frequency identification tag.

12. A wireless communications system comprising:

a multi-function integrated semiconductor device comprising a single integrated circuit having;

an image sensor including a plurality of light sensitive pixels for capturing an image in still and full-motion digital imaging;

a real-time image processing circuit, responsive to the light sensitive pixels, having as an output a digital representation of the image captured separate from said image captured;

a digital processing unit;

an automatic identification circuit within the real-time processing circuit, responsive to a captured image, to generate an automatic identification indicia of a biometric attribute from a digitized image of said biometric attribute in real-time;

a personal database secured to all but a specified user;

means for inputting the biometric attribute;

means for providing a wireless communication including an antenna, a transmitter, a receiver, a wireless communication protocol and an Internet browser;

a memory containing a first biometric attribute and software for executing a predetermined application; and

a supplemental memory, a lens disposed to project an image on said image sensor, and an input/output means for transmitting the digital representation of a captured image to a remote device, wherein the digital processing unit is integrated with the second memory, the supplemental memory, and the real-time image processing circuit in a single integrated circuit module and said digital processing unit stores the captured image in one of the memory and the supplemental memory; and

a communication node capable of receiving digital images transmitted via said module, said communication node being remote from said module.

13. The device of claim 12 wherein the automatic identification circuit is further responsive to said captured digitized image to identify a non-biometric automatic identification indicia coded within the digitized image.

14. The device of claim 13 wherein the non-biometric automatic identification indicia is selected from among the group consisting of a bar code, a matrix code, optical character recognition, a handwritten message, a typed message, a symbol, a signature, and a radio frequency identification tag.

15. A portable wireless communications device comprising a multi-function integrated semiconductor device having integrated in a single integrated circuit a personal database secure to all but a specified user, a sensor responsive to a biometric attribute, a processor responsive to said biometric sensor and said secure personal database for verifying the biometric attribute of said specified user sensed by said biometric sensor, and granting said specified user access to said secure personal database on biometric verification, and means for transmitting to a remote location a copy of said sensed biometric attribute in response to a failure to verify said biometric attribute.

16. A portable wireless communications device comprising a multi-function integrated semiconductor device having integrated in a single integrated circuit a personal database secure to all but a specified user, a sensor responsive to a biometric attribute, and a processor responsive to said biometric sensor and said secure personal database for verifying the biometric attribute of said specified user sensed by said biometric sensor, and granting said specified user access to said secure personal database on biometric verification,

wherein the processor further comprises an automatic identification circuit responsive to a captured image to identify a non-biometric automatic identification indicia coded within the digitized image, said non-biometric automatic identification indicia being selected from among the group consisting of a bar code, a matrix code, optical character recognition, a handwritten message, a typed message, a symbol, a signature, and a radio frequency identification tag.

17. A portable wireless communications device comprising a multi-function integrated semiconductor device having integrated in a single integrated circuit a personal database secure to all but a specified user, said database containing a biometric automatic identification indicia associated with a specified user, a sensor responsive to a biometric attribute, and a processor responsive to said biometric sensor and said secure personal database for verifying the biometric attribute of said specified user sensed by said biometric sensor, and granting said specified user access to said secure personal database on biometric verification, and

means for transmitting to a remote location said biometric automatic identification indicia in response to a failure to verify said biometric attribute.

18. A multi-function integrated semiconductor device comprising:

a single integrated circuit containing;

an image sensor including a plurality of light sensitive pixels for capturing an image in still and full-motion digital imaging;

a real-time image processing circuit, responsive to the light sensitive pixels, having as an output a digital representation of the image captured;

an automatic identification circuit within the real-time image processing circuit, responsive to a captured image, and further responsive to said captured digitized image to identify a non-biometric automatic identification indicia coded within the digitized image;

means for providing a wireless communication including an antenna, a transmitter, a receiver, a wireless communication protocol; and

memory and supplemental memory for executing a predetermined application.

19. The device of claim 18 wherein the non-biometric automatic identification indicia is selected from among the group consisting of a bar code, a matrix code, optical character recognition, a handwritten message, a typed message, a symbol, a signature, and a radio frequency identification tag.