Securely processing and tracking consumable supplies and consumable material

• US 8,099,187 B2
• Filed: 08/18/2006
• Issued: 01/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Assa Abloy AB
• Original Assignee: HID Global Corporation (Assa Abloy AB)
• Inventors: Nehowig, Kelly R., Gale, David T., Ekers, John E., Zappe, Thomas A., Fischer, Lisa A., Platfoot, Keith A.
• Primary Examiner(s): KASENGE, CHARLES R
• Application Number:
  US11/465,494
• Publication Number:
  US 20070056027A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,978 Days
• Field of Search: 700/231, 700/244, 347/6, 347/7, 347/14, 347/19, 347/86, 726/5, 726 18- 20
• US Class Current: 700/244
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/00 Methods or arrangements for effecting co-operative working between equipments covered by two or more of main groups G06K1/00 - G06K15/00, e.g. automatic card files incorporating conveying and reading operations

Abstract

A credential production system and methods for securely processing a credential substrate and tracking quantities of consumable material using a credentials production system and secured consumable supplies. The system includes a consumable supply and a memory that contains a state identifier that defines a state of the supply. A supply manager is configured to access the memory and set the state identifier to one of a production disabled state and a production enabled state. The system also includes a credential production device that is configured to receive the state of the supply. The credential production device is authorized to process a credential substrate using the consumable supply when the state identifier is set to the production enabled state, and the credential production device is prevented form processing the credential substrate using the supply when the state identifier is set to the production disabled state.

Claims

1. A credential production system comprising:

a consumable supply including an amount of print consumable;

a memory containing a state identifier that defines a production state of the consumable supply;

a supply manager configured to access the memory and selectively set the state identifier to one of a production disabled state and a production enabled state independent of the amount of print consumable; and

a credential production device configured to receive the state identifier of the consumable supply from the memory when the consumable supply is inserted into the credential production device, wherein the credential production device is authorized to process a credential substrate using the consumable supply if the state identifier is set to the production enabled state, and the credential production device is prevented from processing the credential substrate using the consumable supply if the state identifier is set to the production disabled state.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the memory is attached to the consumable supply.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the memory is remotely located from the consumable supply.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the supply manager is configured to set the state identifier to the production enabled state for a predetermined period of time, after which the state identifier automatically reverts to the production disabled state if the credential production device is unable to detect the consumable supply.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the supply manager is configured to maintain the state identifier in the production enabled state if the consumable supply is used by the credential production device before the expiration of the predetermined period of time.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the supply manager is configured to produce a warning at the expiration of the predetermined period of time.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the credential production device includes a reader configured to recognize a presence of the consumable supply in the credential production device.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the supply manager is configured to produce a warning if the reader in the credential production device fails to recognize the presence of the consumable supply in the credential production device after the elapse of a predetermined period of time from when the state identifier was set to the production enabled state.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the supply manager is configured to log the failure of the reader in the credential production device to recognize the presence of the consumable supply in the credential production device after the elapse of a predetermined period of time from when the state identifier is set to the production enabled state.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the state identifier is configured to be set to a production enabled state from a production disabled state and the state identifier is configured to be set to a production disabled state from a production enabled state.

11. A method of securely processing a credential substrate using a consumable supply, the method comprising:

providing a state identifier that defines a production state of a consumable supply having an amount of print consumable, the state identifier contained in a memory;

authorizing the consumable supply for use in processing the credential substrate by accessing the memory and setting the state identifier to one of a production disabled state and a production enabled state, wherein the state identifier is set to a production enabled state from a production disabled state and the state identifier is set to a production disabled state from a production enabled state independent of the amount of print consumable in the consumable supply; and

processing the credential substrate using a credential production device when the state identifier is set to the production enabled state.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising preventing the credential substrate from being processed when the state identifier is set to the production disabled state.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

attempting to recognize a presence of the consumable supply in the credential production device; and

producing a warning if the presence of the consumable supply is not recognized after an elapse of a predetermined period of time from when the state identifier is set to the production enabled state.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

attempting to recognize a presence of the consumable supply in the credential production device; and

logging a failure to recognize the presence of the consumable supply after an elapse of a predetermined period of time from when the state identifier is set to the production enabled state.

15. A method of tracking quantities of consumable material in a plurality of consumable supplies, the method comprising:

providing a plurality of consumable supplies, each consumable supply including a memory indicating a full amount of consumable material;

using at least a portion of the plurality of consumable supplies in at least one credential production device for use in processing credential substrates;

programming the memories of each of at least the portion of consumable supplies used in the at least one credential production device, each programmed memory indicating a partial amount of consumable material;

logging in a supply manager a first numerical quantity of the plurality of consumable supplies that have the full amount of consumable material; and

logging in the supply manager a second numerical quantity of the plurality of consumable supplies that have the partial amount of consumable material.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising storing the consumable supplies that include memories that are indicated as having the partial amount of consumable material in a secured storage.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising reprogramming the memories of each consumable supply used in the at least one credential production device after the consumable material in each consumable supply used in the at least one credential production device is completely expended, each reprogrammed memory indicating an empty amount of consumable material.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising storing the consumable supplies that include memories indicated as having the empty amount of consumable material in a secured storage in preparation for secure destruction.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising determining whether a total quantity of available consumable material is less than a threshold quantity of consumable material, the total quantity of consumable material includes the first quantity of consumable supplies and the second quantity of consumable supplies.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising reordering consumable supplies if the total quantity of consumable material is less than the threshold quantity.