Smart card printing

• US 7,526,555 B2
• Filed: 03/25/2003
• Issued: 04/28/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toshiba Corporation, Toshiba Tec Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toshiba Corporation, Toshiba Tec Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Shahindoust, Amir
• Primary Examiner(s): Lin; Kenny S
• Application Number:
  US10/396,857
• Publication Number:
  US 20040190038A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,226 Days
• Field of Search: 709/227, 709/217, 726/3, 726/4, 726/21
• US Class Current: 709/227
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0014 for vending, access and use of specific services not covered anywhere else in G07F17/00 meter-controlled dispensing of liquid, gas or electricity G07F15/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/26 for printing, stamping, franking, typing or teleprinting apparatus ticket printing or the like apparatus G07F17/42

Abstract

A system utilizing a Bluetooth enabled smart card to authenticate a user and provide the user with access to a service. The Bluetooth smart card system is comprised of a server and a client. The server is the component that resides on the device that provides the service to the user. The server initializes the system to receive service requests. Once there is a request, the server establishes a communication channel and reads the user identification from the client. The server determines if it matches user identification from a database. If so, the server then determines if the requested service is supported and then performs the services. The server then determines if there is a need to charge for the service. The server would then get billing information from the card and adds the charge to the credit card of the user.

Claims

1. A method for utilizing a Bluetooth enabled smart card to authenticate a user and provide the user with access to a service, comprising the steps of:

receiving a plurality of document processing operation service requests, each service request corresponding to at least one document, wherein each service request is associated with a corresponding smart card and identification data fixedly stored thereon;

storing each service request on a server, wherein the server resides on a device that performs each service request;

encrypting at least one electronic document in accordance with key data generated from corresponding identification data via the server;

receiving, into the server, at least one encrypted electronic document corresponding to each service request;

storing each received electronic document in a data storage associated with the server;

wirelessly identifying an existence of an identified smart card while proximate to a document processing device adapted to perform the service request;

wirelessly obtaining user identification data from the identified smart card;

isolating at least one electronic document in the server corresponding to the identified smart card;

elevating a processing priority of the at least one isolated electronic document relative to other received electronic documents stored on the server;

regenerating the key data from user identification data obtained from the identified smart card at the document processing device;

decrypting the at least one electronic document in accordance with generated key data;

authenticating the user by matching user identification from the smart card with a stored user identification stored on a database communicatively coupled to the server;

enabling operation of the document processing device to perform the service request on the at least one document in accordance with the step of authenticating without user intervention; and

generating cost data associated with the user identification data in accordance with a completion of a performance of the service request.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising authenticating the smart card by the server.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the service request is received from a client.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the smart card is associated with the client.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of recording a number of the supported service requests performed.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the device comprises one of the group consisting of a printer, a copier, a multifunction printer, an ignition switch, a door lock and a multifunction peripheral.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the multifunction peripheral is at least one of the group consisting of an image input device and an image output device.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the image input device is at least one of the group consisting of a scanner, a copier, and a facsimile device.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the image output device is at least one of the group consisting of a copier, a facsimile, and a printer.

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

retrieving information on a billing account from the smart card;

accessing the billing account from the stored user identification in the database; and

charging the billing account for the requested service.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the stored user identification comprises one of the group consisting of a personal identification number, a billing account, a credit card number, and a customer identification number.

12. The method of claim 1, the authenticating step further comprising matching a personal identification number from the smart card with a personal identification number stored on a database communicatively coupled to the server.

13. A system for utilizing a Bluetooth enabled smart card to authenticate a user and provide the user with access to a service, comprising:

means adapted for receiving a plurality of document processing service requests, each service request corresponding to at least one document, wherein each service request is associated with a corresponding smart card and identification data fixedly stored thereon;

means adapted for storing each service request on a server, wherein the server resides on a device that performs the service request;

means adapted for encrypting at least one electronic document in accordance with key data generated from corresponding identification data via the server;

means adapted for receiving, into the server, at least one encrypted electronic document corresponding to each service request;

means adapted for storing each received, encrypted electronic document in a data storage associated with the server;

means adapted for wireless identifying an existence of an identified smart card while proximate to a document processing device adapted to perform the service request;

means adapted for wirelessly obtaining user identification data from the identified smart card;

means adapted for isolating at least one electronic document in the server corresponding to the identified smart card;

means adapted for elevating a processing priority of the at least one isolated electronic document relative to other received electronic documents stored on the server;

means adapted for regenerating key data from user identification data obtained from the identified smart card at the document processing device;

means adapted for decrypting the at least one electronic document in accordance with generated key data;

means adapted for authenticating the user by matching user identification from the smart card with a stored user identification stored on a database communicatively coupled to the server;

means adapted for enabling operation of the document processing device to perform the service request on the at least one document in accordance with the authentication without user intervention; and

means adapted for generating cost data associated with the user identification in accordance with a completion of the service request.

14. The system of claim 13, further comprising means adapted for recording a number of the supported service requests performed.

15. The system of claim 13, further comprising:

means adapted for retrieving information on a billing account from the smart card;

means adapted for accessing the billing account from the stored user identification in the database; and

means adapted for charging the billing account for the requested service.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the device comprises one of the group consisting of a printer, a copier, a multifunction printer, an ignition switch, a door lock and a multifunction peripheral.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the stored user identification comprises one of the group consisting of a personal identification number, a billing account, a credit card number, and a customer identification number.

18. The system of claim 13, further comprising means for establishing a communications channel between the smart card and the server.