Driver's license detector

• US 9,430,684 B2
• Filed: 07/30/2013
• Issued: 08/30/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/23/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Duane Yamasaki, George Sunsumu Yonekura, Michael Cao
• Original Assignee: Duane Yamasaki, George Sunsumu Yonekura, Michael Cao
• Inventors: Yonekura, George Sunsumu, Yamasaki, Duane, Cao, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): SYED, NABIL H
• Application Number:
  US13/954,616
• Publication Number:
  US 20130314207A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,127 Days
• Field of Search: 340/5.6, 340/5.86, 340/425.5, 340/5.81, 340/5.82, 340/5.83, 340/5.84, 340/5.85, 340/550, 340/5.53, 340/10.1, 340/10.3, 340/10.4, 340/10.41, 340/572.1, 235/380, 235/382, 235/487
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/35 communicating wirelessly
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10366 the interrogation device being adapted for miscellaneous applications
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3278 RFID or NFC payments by means of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/34 using cards, e.g. integrated circuit [IC] cards or magnetic cards
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/352 Contactless payments by cards
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/265 Personal security, identity or safety
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/45 Transponders
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/72 for local intradevice communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/77 for interrogation
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/00 Radio transmission systems, i.e. using radiation field H04B10/00, H04B15/00 take precedence

Abstract

A license detector system enables a person such as a police officer to monitor vehicles on the road to ensure drivers have valid licenses. Within each valid license is an RFID tag which contains specific information and each RFID tag is able to send that information to a detector when requested. To use the system, the police officer aims the detector at a vehicle, initiates the signal to be received by the RFID tag within the license and waits to receive a signal back from the RFID tag. If a signal is received, then a valid license has been detected within the vehicle. However, if no signal or an invalid signal is received by the detector, then no one, specifically the driver of the car, has a valid license. Upon discovering such information, the police officer should be justified in stopping the vehicle and taking the necessary police action.

Claims

1. A system for detecting a license comprising:

a. a tag device inserted within the license, wherein the tag device is sized to fit in the license; and

b. a detector comprising a verifying component and an indicator, the detector for transmitting a first signal to the tag device to request and receive information contained within the tag device via a second signal sent from the tag device to the detector, wherein if the second signal is not received during a duration, the detector transmits a third signal to a remote location, wherein the third signal comprises data including an image indicating that the second signal was not received and the detector enables the duration to be varied, wherein the verifying component authenticates the information contained within the tag device sent within the second signal and the indicator indicates;

when the license has been detected via the second signal, but was not able to be authenticated by the verifying component with a first indication; and

when the license has not been detected with a second indication that is different than the first indication, wherein the indicator comprises a first light emitting diode to indicate detection of a valid tag device, a second light emitting diode to indicate detection of no valid tag device, and a third light emitting diode to indicate detection of the second signal but no verification of the second signal.

2. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the tag device is a Radio Frequency IDentification tag.

3. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the second signal contains information within the tag device.

4. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the tag device is selected from the group consisting of passive, semi-passive and active tags.

5. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the license is selected from the group consisting of a driver'"'"'s license, a fishing license, a hunting license, a pilot'"'"'s license and a government issued identification.

6. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the indicator comprises one or more visual confirmations.

7. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the detector further comprises a processor for processing the information, a first transmitter for transmitting the first signal and a sensor for sensing the second signal.

8. The system as claimed in claim 7 wherein the detector further comprises a second transmitter.

9. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the detector is hand-held.

10. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the detector is portable.

11. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the detector is affixed to an immobile object.

12. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the detector is affixed to a police car.

13. The system as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a remote system for receiving a request signal containing information within the tag device for determining a status of the tag device and transmitting a status signal containing the status of the tag device to the detector.

14. A system for detecting a driver'"'"'s license within a moving vehicle comprising:

a. a passive Radio Frequency IDentification tag device coupled to the driver'"'"'s license; and

b. a detector for transmitting a first signal to the tag device to request and receive information contained within the tag device, wherein the tag device receives the first signal from the detector and sends a second signal of the information contained within the tag device to the detector, wherein if the second signal is not received during a duration, the detector transmits a third signal to a remote location, wherein the third signal comprises data including an image indicating that the second signal was not received and the detector enables the duration to be varied, further wherein the detector further comprises;

i. a processor for processing the information;

ii. a first transmitter for transmitting the first signal;

iii. a sensor for sensing the second signal;

iv. a verifying component for authenticating the second signal by determining if the second signal has authentication data; and

v. an indicator for indicating;

when the license has been detected via the second signal, but was not able to be authenticated by the verifying component with a first indication;

when the license has not been detected with a second indication that is different than the first indication; and

when the license has been detected via the second signal, and was authenticated by the verifying component with a third indication different than the first indication and the second indication,

wherein the indicator comprises a first light emitting diode to indicate detection of a valid tag device, a second light emitting diode to indicate detection of no valid tag device, and a third light emitting diode to indicate detection of the second signal but no verification of the second signal.

15. The system as claimed in claim 14 wherein the indicator comprises one or more visual confirmations.

16. The system as claimed in claim 14 further comprising a remote system for receiving a request signal containing information within the tag device for determining the status of the tag device and transmitting a status signal containing the status of the tag device to the detector.

17. A method of detecting the presence of a license within a vehicle comprising:

a. transmitting a first signal from a detector to the vehicle, wherein the first signal is configured to induce a second signal from a tag device within the license;

b. if the second signal is received at the detector from the tag device, sending an additional signal to a remote device to determine a status of the license including authentication and receiving the status of the license at the detector;

c. indicating at the detector when the license is detected via the second signal, but was not able to be authenticated via a first indication;

d. indicating at the detector when the license has not been detected with a second indication that is different than the first indication;

e. if the second signal is not received during a duration, transmitting a third signal to a remote location, wherein the third signal comprises data indicating that the second signal was not received from the vehicle, wherein the data includes an image; and

f. varying the duration with the detector such that the duration has a desired length,

wherein indicating detection of the license lights a first light emitting diode, indicating no detection of the license lights a second light emitting diode, and indicating detection of the second signal but no verification of the second signal lights a third light emitting diode.

18. The method as claimed in claim 17 wherein the tag device is a Radio Frequency IDentification tag.

19. The method as claimed in claim 17 wherein the tag device is selected from the group consisting of passive, semi-passive and active tags.

20. The method as claimed in claim 17 wherein the license is selected from the group consisting of a driver'"'"'s license, a fishing license, a hunting license, a pilot'"'"'s license and a government issued identification.

21. The method as claimed in claim 17 further comprising verifying validity of the second signal with a verifying component.

22. The method as claimed in claim 17 wherein the indicator comprises one or more visual confirmations.

23. The method as claimed in claim 17 wherein the detector is hand-held.

24. The method as claimed in claim 17 wherein the detector is portable.

25. The method as claimed in claim 17 wherein the detector is affixed to an immobile object.

26. The method as claimed in claim 17 wherein the detector is affixed to a police car.

27. The method as claimed in claim 17 further comprising transmitting a third signal containing information within the tag device to a remote device and receiving a fourth signal at the detector from the remote device containing a status of the tag device.