Credit card and a secured data activation system

• US 7,681,232 B2
• Filed: 12/02/2004
• Issued: 03/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CardLab ApS
• Original Assignee: CardLab ApS
• Inventors: Nordentoft, Torsten, Skern, Bjorn, Andersen, Per Birger, Lastein, Susanne H
• Primary Examiner(s): Truong; Thanhnga B
• Application Number:
  US11/001,641
• Publication Number:
  US 20050194452A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,930 Days
• Field of Search: 713185-186, 726/9, 726/20, 705/41, 307/10.5, 360/2, 340/568.7, 340/5.6, 235/382, 235/379, 235/380, 235/492, 382/124
• US Class Current: 726/9
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/341 Active cards, i.e. cards including their own processing means, e.g. including an IC or chip
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3415 Cards acting autonomously as pay-media
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40145 Biometric identity checks
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/257 electronically G07C9/26 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/26 using a biometric sensor integrated in the pass
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/1008 Active credit-cards provided with means to personalise their use, e.g. with PIN-introduction/comparison system

Abstract

The present invention relates to a credit card comprising a card body, which comprises fingerprint reading means providing fingerprint signals representative of at least one fingerprint from a card user, when at least one finger of said user is pressed against said fingerprint reading means. Said card body further comprises data carrier means holding at least card owner fingerprint data and secured data, and fingerprint authentication means for activating said secured data. The card body further comprises an electrical power supply delivering electrical current to at least said fingerprint reading means. Accordingly, there is no need for an external electrical power supply, and thus the existing standard card reading systems, such as ID-card readers, money transfer machines such as ATM'"'"'s and the like may be used in conjunction with said credit card. Thus, investments into new standard reader systems are not necessary in order to improve the security of the secured data carried by the credit card. A complete and self-contained automated authentication process is conducted prior to communication concerning said secured data being established between said credit card and any of the existing ATM'"'"'s on the market today, irrespective of type (automated or manually operated), manufacturer, version, or geographical position of said ATM and of credit card use.

Claims

1. A credit card having a card body, which comprises:

a fingerprint reading element providing fingerprint signals representative of at least one fingerprint from a card user, when at least one finger of said user is pressed against said fingerprint reading element;

a data carrier holding at least card owner fingerprint data and secured data;

a readout area;

a data processor configured to authenticate said fingerprint signals with said card owner fingerprint data; and

an electrical power supply delivering electrical power to at least said fingerprint reading element, said data processor, and said readout area;

at least one driver circuit in communication with at least one transducer coil in said readout area including at least one core winding around at least one strip of electromagnetically inducible core material, each strip being individually inducible by said data processor to emit a magnetic field containing secured data signals corresponding to said secured data; and

at least one swipe detection sensor configured to detect when said credit card is in the vicinity of a credit card reader and to cause said data processor to activate said secured data by emission of said secured data signals at least once by said at least one transducer coil only when said swipe detector sensor has registered that the credit card is in the vicinity of a credit card reader, the swipe detection sensor including at least one sensor winding provided around one of said strips of electromagnetically inducible core material.

2. The credit card according to claim 1, wherein said data processor controls activation of said secured data based on authentication of the fingerprint signals by comparing these with said card owner fingerprint data such that, if the comparison is a match, then said secured data is activated, else said secured data is not activated.

3. The credit card according to claim 1, wherein activation of said secured data is maintained over a predetermined time period.

4. A The credit card according to claim 3, wherein said activation of secured data is performed by emission of secured data signals one or several consecutive times by said at least one transducer coil.

5. The credit card according to claim 1, wherein said at least one strip of inducible core material is provided with one or more distributed air gaps.

6. A The credit card according to claim 5, wherein said one or more air gaps are provided with distributions of material having different electromagnetical inducibility as compared to the material of said at least one strip.

7. The credit card according to claim 1, wherein said at least one core winding is placed substantially at one end of said at least one strip of inducible core material.

8. The credit card according to claim 1, further comprising an activation indicator for indication of the activation of said readout area.

9. The credit card according to claim 1, wherein said electrical power supply comprises at least one battery.

10. The credit card according to claim 1, wherein said electrical power supply comprises at least one rechargeable battery.

11. The credit card according to claim 1, wherein said electrical power supply further comprises a recharging element for said rechargeable battery.

12. The credit card according to claim 11, wherein the recharging element for said at least one rechargeable battery includes a solar cell arrangement.

13. The credit card according to claim 1, wherein said card body further comprises a power supply status indicator.

14. The credit card according to claim 1, wherein said data carrier includes a first data storage for holding card owner fingerprint data, and a second data storage for holding secured data.

15. The credit card according to claim 14, wherein said second data storage is a magnetic strip.

16. The credit card according to claim 14, wherein said second data storage is a smart card chip.

17. The credit card according to claim 1, wherein said data processor and said data carrier are combined in a single integrated circuit.

18. The credit card according to claim 17, wherein said single integrated circuit is able to be put in a first state, in which said secured data and said card owner fingerprint data is temporarily available for an activation of said secured data.

19. The credit card according to claim 1, wherein said fingerprint reading element includes a plurality of fingerprint reading systems.

20. The credit card according to claims 19, wherein there is provided one fingerprint reading system for each credit card service available on said credit card in the form of different secured data sets.

21. The credit card according to claim 1, wherein said fingerprint reading element is able to pre-store card owner fingerprint on said data carrier in a one-time operation.

22. The credit card according to claim 1, wherein said card owner fingerprint data comprises at least one fingerprint or fingerprint combination corresponding to a deactivation fingerprint, and wherein said data processor is adapted for deactivation of the readout area during a predetermined deactivation period, when said deactivation fingerprint is pressed against said fingerprint reading element.