Credit card and a secured data activation system

• US 20050194452A1
• Filed: 12/02/2004
• Published: 09/08/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CardLab ApS
• Original Assignee: CardLab ApS
• Inventors: Nordentoft, Torsten, Lastein, Susanne H., Skern, Bjorn, Andersen, Per Birger
• Granted Patent: US 7,681,232 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/492
• 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 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;

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

a readout area;

fingerprint authentication means comprising a data processor, which is able 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 means, said fingerprint authentication means, and said readout area;

characterized in that said readout area comprises at least one driver circuit in communication with at least one transducer coil, which comprises one or more windings around at least one strip of electromagnetically inducible core material, each strip being individually inducible by said processor to emit a magnetic field containing secured data signals corresponding to said secured data.

2. A credit card according to claim 1, in which said fingerprint authentication means control activation of said secured data based on authentication of the fingerprint signals by comparing these with said card owner fingerprint data, if the comparison is a match, then said secured data is activated, else said secured data is not activated.

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

4. A credit card according to claim 3, where 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. A credit card according to claim 1, further comprising a swipe detection sensor, which is able to cause said processor to activate said secured data by emission of said secured data signals at least one time by said at least one transducer coil, when said credit card is in the vicinity of a credit card reader.

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

7. A credit card according to claim 6, where 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.

8. A credit card according to claim 1, in which said one or more windings are placed substantially at one end of said at least one strip of inducible core material.

9. A credit card according to claim 1, further comprising activation indicator means for indication of the activation of said readout area.

10. A credit card according to claim 1, in which said electrical power supply comprises at least one battery.

11. A credit card according to claim 1, in which said electrical power supply comprises at least on rechargeable battery.

12. A credit card according to claim 1, in which said electrical power supply further comprises recharging means for said rechargeable battery.

13. A credit card according to claim 12, in which the recharging means for said at least on rechargeable battery comprises a solar cell arrangement.

14. A credit card according to claim 1, in which said card body further comprises power supply status indicator means.

15. A credit card according to claim 1, in which said data carrier means include a first data storage for holding card owner fingerprint data, and a second data storage for holding secured data.

16. A credit card according to claim 15, in which said second data storage is a magnetic strip.

17. A credit card according to claim 15, in which said second data storage is a smart card chip.

18. A credit card according to claim 1, in which said fingerprint authentication means and said data carrier means are combined in a single integrated circuit, such as a microcontroller with a memory.

19. A credit card according to claim 18, in which 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.

20. A credit card according to claim 1, in which said fingerprint reading means comprise a plurality of fingerprint reading systems.

21. A credit card according to claims 20, where 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.

22. A credit card according to claim 1, where said fingerprint reading means are able to pre-store card owner fingerprint on said data carrier means in a one-time operation.

23. A 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 processor is adapted for deactivation of the readout area during a predetermined deactivation period, when said deactivation fingerprint is pressed against said fingerprint reading means.

24. A secured data activation system for a data carrier, such as a credit card according to claim 1, comprising data carrier means holding at least secured data;

an input device for acquiring an input;

a readout area;

secured data activation means comprising a data processor, which based on said input is able to submit said secured data to said readout area; and

an electrical power supply delivering electrical power to at least said input data unit, said secured data activation means, and said readout area;

said readout area comprising at least one driver circuit in communication with at least one transducer coil, which comprises one or more windings around at least one strip of electromagnetically inducible core material, each strip being individually inducible by said processor to emit a magnetic field containing secured data signals corresponding to said secured data.

25. A secured data activation system according to claim 24, where activation of said secured data is maintained over a predetermined time period.

26. A secured data activation system according to claim 24, where 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.

27. A secured data activation system according to claim 24, further comprising a swipe detection sensor, which is able to cause said processor to activate said readout area by emission of said secured data signals one or several consecutive times by said at least one transducer coil, when said credit card is in the vicinity of a credit card reader.

28. A secured data activation system according to claim 24, where said input device is a credit card user verification device.

29. A secured data activation system according to claim 24, said at least one strip of inducible core material is provided with one or more distributed air gaps.

30. A secured data activation system according to claim 29, said where 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.

31. A secured data activation system according to claim 24, in which said one or more windings are placed substantially at one end section of said at least one strip of inducible core material.

32. A secured data activation system according to claim 24, further comprising activation indicator means for indication of the activation of said readout area.