System for electronically sealing an item and verifying the authenticity of the item sealed

• US 8,752,764 B2
• Filed: 08/17/2011
• Issued: 06/17/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Jianmin Liu
• Original Assignee: Jianmin Liu
• Inventors: Liu, Jianmin
• Primary Examiner(s): Paik, Steven S
• Assistant Examiner(s): JOHNSON, SONJI N
• Application Number:
  US13/211,380
• Publication Number:
  US 20120043383A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,035 Days
• Field of Search: 235/441, 235/485, 235/492, 235/486
• US Class Current: 235/441
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/0008 General problems related to the reading of electronic memory record carriers, independent of its reading method, e.g. power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/0021 for reading/sensing record carriers having surface contacts

Abstract

A system includes an apparatus for identifying an item with inclusion of a contact smart card to store the authenticity information of the item, and a card reader to allow examination of the authenticity being conducted locally and/or remotely. The identifying apparatus further has a locking means and a disabling means. The locking means prevents normal use of the item in a locked position. The disabling means will disable the contact smart card when the locking means is unlocked. The identifying apparatus further has a releasing means to be engaged with the locking means and disabling means. The card reader includes a central operating unit, an interface to the contact smart card, an interface to an external device and an interface to users. The interface to the contact smart card includes an adaptor of contact smart card and a fastening means to secure the identifying apparatus.

Claims

1. An apparatus for electronically identifying an item, comprising:

a contact smart card having an insulating board, an integrated circuit and a reader interface, said integrated circuit and said interface being mounted on said insulating board,

a housing having a faceplate, a cavity for mounting said contact smart card and a opening on said faceplate for receiving a SIM card adaptor,

a locking means having a U-shaped spring being mounted on the inner surface of said housing and a catch mounted on a moveable part of the item, said spring having a moveable arm with a hook and a ramping protrusion, said catch having a plate with a opening, said hook being biased to engage with said opening of said catch so as to prevent moveable part from movement with respect to the item, and

a disabling means including a base plate and a blade perpendicular to said base plate with the cutting edge towards to said integrated circuit of said contact smart card, and

a releasing means having an operating portion including a handle and a cam, said operating portion rotatable with respect to said housing between a locked position and an unlocked position, turning said operating portion drives said disabling means to move transversely from a first position to a second position where said disabling means urges said hook of said locking means to disengage from said catch, said blade of releasing means fractures said contact smart card,

whereby said contact smart card stores the information of the item and said housing is mounted on the item.

2. An apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein contact smart card having a reader interface including a plurality of contacts for exchanging data with and receiving power, clock and control from a card reader.

3. An apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the housing includes a plurality of elongated apertures on said faceplate for engaging a fastening means of the card reader.

4. An apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the housing includes a slot for engaging a fastening means of the card reader.

5. An apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the housing further includes a keyway on said faceplate.

6. An apparatus for identifying an item, includes:

a contact smart card having an insulating board, an integrated circuit and a reader interface, said integrated circuit and said interface being mounted on said insulating board,

a housing having a faceplate, a cavity for mounting said contact smart card and a opening on said faceplate for receiving a SIM card adaptor, whereby said contact smart card stores information of said item and said housing is mounted on said item, and

a locking means having a latch bolt, a spring and a catch, said latch bolt and said spring mounted on and transversely moveable with respect to the item, said catch mounted on a moveable part of the item, said latch bolt biased by said spring to engage with said catch so as to prevent said moveable part from movement with respect to the item,

a disabling means including a base plate and a blade perpendicular to said base plate with the cutting edge towards to said integrated circuit of said contact smart card,

a releasing means having an operating portion including a handle and a cam, said operating portion rotatable with respect to said housing between a locked position and an unlocked position, turning said operating portion drives said disabling means to move transversely from a first position to a second position where said disabling means urges said latch bolt of said locking means to disengage from said catch, said blade of releasing means fractures said contact smart card.

7. An apparatus as recited in claim 6, wherein said disabling means including a base plate and a blade perpendicular to said base plate, said base plate having a keyway.

8. An apparatus as recited in claim 6, wherein said releasing means having a key including a holding head and a flat shaft, said key is received by said keyway of said disabling means and said housing and rotatable with respect to said housing between a locked position and an unlocked position, turning said key urges said disabling means to move transversely from a first position to a second position where said base plate of disabling means urges said spring of said locking means to disengage said hook of said locking means from said catch of said locking means and said blade of releasing means fractures said contact smart card.

9. An apparatus for electronically identifying an item, comprising:

a contact smart card having an insulating board, an integrated circuit and a reader interface, said integrated circuit and said interface being mounted on said insulating board,

a clamp having a first lever arm, a second lever arm and a fulcrum, said first lever arm and said second lever arm pivoting about said fulcrum between a locked position and an unlocked position, said first lever arm having a jaw portion and a handle portion including a faceplate and a skirt extending towards said second lever arm so as to define a cavity for receiving said contact smart card, said second lever having a jaw portion and a handle

portion, said jaw portion of said first lever arm and said jaw portion of said second lever arm defining an opening for receiving the item to which the apparatus to be secured,

a locking means having a recess on said jaw portion of said first lever aim, a through-hole on said jaw portion of said second lever arm in alignment with said aperture on said first lever arm, and a latch bolt received by said through-hole and said aperture of said first lever arm in said lock position, and

a disabling means having a prong extending from said second lever arm towards said integrated circuit of said contact smart card,

whereby contact smart card stores the information of said item, said latch bolt of said locking means locking said item in said locked position, said first lever arm moving with respect to said second lever arm to said unlocked position so that said latch bolt of said locking means releases said item, said disabling means fractures said contact smart card.

10. An apparatus as recited in claim 9, wherein the contact smart card having a reader interface including a plurality of contacts for exchanging data with and receiving power, clock and control from a card reader.

11. An apparatus as recited in claim 9, wherein the clamp further includes an opening disposed on said first lever arm to receive a SIM card adapter of the card reader, said first lever arm further including a plurality of apertures adapted for engaging the card reader.

12. An apparatus as recited in claim 9, wherein the clamp further includes a slot disposed on said handle portion of said first lever arm for engaging the card reader.

13. An apparatus as recited in claim 9, wherein the jaw portion of said second lever arm of said clamp having an extension arm, the handle portion of said second lever having a groove for receiving said extension arm so that said jaw portion is extendable with respect to said handle portion in unlocked position.

14. An apparatus as recited in claim 9, wherein said locking means further comprises a cotter and a slot, said slot disposed on the side surface of said second lever arm and intersected with said through-hole, said cotter received by said slot and engaging said latch bolt so as to retard axial movement of said latch bolt.

15. An apparatus as recited in claim 9, further includes a safety mechanism having a safety plug, a slot disposed on said side wall of said first arm, said safety plug being inserted into said slot and engaged with said second arm so as to prevent inadvertent movement between said first lever arm and said second lever arm.

16. A card reader, comprising:

A housing having a base plate and a cover, said base plate engages said cover to form a chamber,

an interface to the contact smart card having a SIM card adaptor to provide physical connections to said contact smart card, a fastening means for securing an apparatus for electronically identifying an item and a switch interlocking with said fastening means,

an interface to users having an optical device and an acoustic device for indicating the operation status of said reader,

a central operating unit having a plurality of electronic devices mounted on a PCB plate for converting the communication protocol defined by said contact smart card to a communication protocol defined by a handheld phone set, and providing power, clock and controls to said contact smart card, and

an interface to a portable electronic device having a plurality of electromagnetic components to provide physical connections there between,

whereby said card reader provides a means for a remote device to examine the information stored in contact smart card, and delivers the result of the examination to users.

17. A card reader as recited in claim 16, wherein said fastening means of said interface to said contact smart card including a handle being twisted between a locked position and a unlocked position, and a plurality of bolts for securing said reader on the corresponding tamper-evident apparatus and a transmission means for coupling the movement of said handle to said bolts, said fastening means further including an interlocking switch for turning on the power of said card reader in said locked position and turning off said power in an unlocked position.

18. A card reader as recited in claim 16, wherein said SIM card adaptor having a plurality of spring contacts and a base plate, each of said spring contacts having a ramping protrusion for engaging said contact smart card, said plate further having a plurality of elongated grooves for separating said spring contacts from each other, said fastening means having a spring plate with one end being fixed on said base plate, said spring plate extending along with said spring contacts for engaging the slot disposed on said apparatus, said fastening means further having ridges extending from said base plate towards said spring plate for engaging the apertures disposed on said face plate of said apparatus, said fastening means further having a foot for defining completed engagement between said card reader and said apparatus, said switch having a fixed contact and a moveable contact biased by a spring to be spaced apart from said fixed contact, said moveable contact having a ramping protrusion may be urged to engage with said fix contact by the apparatus that the card reader is secured.

19. A card reader as recited in claim 16, wherein said interface to the portable electronic device including an audio IO port.

20. A card reader as recited in claim 16, wherein said interface to the portable electronic device including a Bluetooth module.