SECURE PERSONNEL ACCESS CONTROL SYSTEM

• US 3,609,690 A
• Filed: 10/17/1969
• Issued: 09/28/1971
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/1969
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Refac International Limited
• Original Assignee: Alvin Goldman, Gerald A. Pruden, Irwin J. Nissman
• Inventors: Nissman, Irwin J., Pruden, Gerald A., Goldman, Alvin
• Primary Examiner(s): Yusko, Donald J.
• Application Number:
  US04/867,192
• Time in Patent Office: 711 Days
• Field of Search: 340/149 235/61.7,61.11
• US Class Current: 340/5.85
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/215 the system having a variable access-code, e.g. varied as a function of time
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/23 by means of a password

Abstract

A system for identifying the bearer of an identification card wherein cryptographically encoded information on the card is compared to a randomly scrambled representation of a number privately known to the card bearer. Comparison is made by insertion of the identification card into a card-reading means, and by insertion of the privately known number into a numberreceiving means, whereby the two numbers may be sent to a comparator on a digit basis. Should the comparison be exact, the card holder will be positively identified.

Claims

1. A personnel identification system for identifying the bearer of an identification card comprising code word receiving means into which a code word may be manually inserted by the card bearer, a binary code converter connected to said code word receiving means for converting said code word into a corresponding binary signal, coding means connected to said binary code converter for scrambling each binary bit of said binary signal in a predetermined random manner, first means connected to said coding means for storing the scrambled binary representation of the input code word, card-reading means for receiving an identification card carried by the card bearer, second storage means coupled to said card-reading means, said card including cryptographically encoded data, said card reader including means for sequentially scanning the identification card and for sending a series of binary bits representing the cardencoded data to said second storage means in a sequential order, a comparator coupled to said first and second storage means, and clock pulse means for transferring the scrambled data from said first storage means to said comparator and for transferring the card-encoded data from said second storage means to said comparator on a bit-by-bit basis so that a bit-by-bit comparison of the card-encoded data and the scrambled data may be performed at said comparator.

2. The system defined in claim 1, wherein said clock pulse means triggers said comparator, and further comprising delay means coupled between said clock pulse means and said comparator for fractionally delaying the triggering of said comparator so that data transfer to and from said comparator is complete prior to the initiation of comparator operation.

3. The system defined in claim 2, further comprising an output logic circuit, wherein bit-by-bit comparison information indicating bit correspondence or lack of correspondence is received from said comparator and stored in said output logic circuit until the entire comparator operation is complete, and '"'"''"'"''"'"''"'"'go'"'"''"'"''"'"''"'"' indicator means and '"'"''"'"''"'"''"'"'no go'"'"''"'"''"'"''"'"' indicator means each connected to said output logic circuit for indicating a complete word correspondence or lack of bit correspondence upon the completion of comparator operation.

4. The system of claim 8, in which said clock pulse means comprises means for deriving clock pulses from the data encoded on said card.