DEVICE FOR REDUCING OR PREVENTING EXCHANGE OF INFORMATION

• US 20080212303A1
• Filed: 03/02/2007
• Published: 09/04/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/02/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Round Rock Research LLC
• Original Assignee: Round Rock Research LLC
• Inventors: Farnworth, Warren, Dando, Ross
• Application Number:
  US11/681,340
• Publication Number:
  US 20080212303A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 361/816
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07327 Passive means, e.g. Faraday cages Faraday-type protection of electric circuits in general H05K9/00
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 9/0043 being flexible containers, e.g. pouch, pocket, bag

Abstract

A device that is adapted to receive a card including information, such as confidential information, in machine-readable form is disclosed. The device includes a body, wherein at least a portion of the body is made of a material that is adapted to attenuate or disrupt an interrogating signal sent toward the card or a return signal sent from the card to thereby at least reduce the likelihood that the confidential information is read from the card.

Claims

1. A device that is adapted to receive a card comprising information in machine-readable form, the device comprising:

a body, wherein at least a portion of the body is comprised of a material that is adapted to attenuate an interrogating signal sent toward the card or a return signal sent from the card.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the entirety of the body is comprised of the material.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the material is adapted to attenuate at least one of the interrogating signal and the return signal by approximately 1-1000 dB.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the information is confidential information.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the material comprises a metal.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the material is a transparent material.

7. The device of claim 6, wherein the material is electrically conductive.

8. The device of claim 6, wherein the material is flexible.

9. The device of claim 6, wherein the transparent material is at least one of indium-tin-oxide (ITO) and copper-tin-oxide (CTO).

10. The device of claim 1, wherein the body comprises a first surface and a second surface, and wherein the first surface comprises the material.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein the first surface is a front surface of the device.

12. The device of claim 1, wherein the body comprises a first surface and a second surface, and wherein the second surface comprises the material.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein the second surface is a back surface of the device.

14. The device of claim 1, wherein the body comprises a first surface and a second surface, and wherein the first surface comprises the material and the material is transparent.

15. A device that is adapted to receive a card comprising information in machine-readable form, the device comprising:

a body, wherein at least a portion of the body is comprised of a transparent conductive material.

16. The device of claim 15, wherein the entirety of the body is comprised of the transparent conductive material.

17. The device of claim 15, wherein the transparent conductive material is adapted to attenuate at least one of an interrogating signal to be directed toward the card and a return signal to be sent from the card by approximately 1-1000 dB.

18. The device of claim 15, wherein the transparent conductive material is flexible.

19. The device of claim 18, wherein the transparent conductive material is at least one of indium-tin-oxide (ITO) and copper-tin-oxide (CTO).

20. The device of claim 15, wherein the information is confidential information.

21. The device of claim 15, wherein the body comprises a first surface and a second surface, and wherein the first surface comprises the transparent conductive material.

22. The device of claim 21, wherein the first surface is a front surface of the device.

23. The device of claim 15, wherein the body comprises a first surface and a second surface, and wherein the second surface comprises the transparent conductive material.

24. The device of claim 23, wherein the second surface is a back surface of the device.

25. The device of claim 15, wherein the body comprises a first surface and a second surface, and wherein the first surface comprises the transparent conductive material and the transparent conductive material is absent from the second surface.

26. A method, comprising:

providing a card comprising information in machine-readable form; and

positioning the card at least partially within an opening in a body of a device, wherein at least a portion of the body is comprised of a material that is adapted to attenuate an interrogating signal sent toward the card or a return signal sent from the card.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the entirety of the body is comprised of the material.

28. The method of claim 26, wherein the material is adapted to attenuate at least one of the interrogating signal and the return signal by approximately 1-1000 dB.

29. The device of claim 26, wherein the information is confidential information.

30. The method of claim 26, wherein the material comprises a metal.

31. The method of claim 26, wherein the material is a transparent material.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the material is electrically conductive.

33. The method of claim 31, wherein the material is flexible.

34. The method of claim 31, wherein the transparent material is at least one of indium-tin-oxide (ITO) and copper-tin-oxide (CTO).

35. The method of claim 26, wherein the body comprises a first surface and a second surface, and wherein the first surface comprises the material.

36. The method of claim 26, wherein the body comprises a first surface and a second surface, and wherein the first surface comprises the material and the material is transparent.