Registers – Systems controlled by data bearing records – Credit or identification card systems
Reexamination Certificate
1997-05-09
2001-02-27
Lee, Michael G (Department: 2876)
Registers
Systems controlled by data bearing records
Credit or identification card systems
C235S379000, C235S383000, C235S385000, C235S451000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06193152
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates generally to signature and data-capture equipment, and more particularly to such equipment providing a modular system capability, and providing capability to transact payment at point of transaction, and to issue a reward to a user of the system.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Equipment that captures signature and other information drawn on a screen by a user is known in the art. For example, many businesses are beginning to adopt electronic equipment that captures a customer's signature to verify a credit card charge purchase. At a store or other point of transaction, the customer signs his or her name with a stylus on a screen surface. The screen surface responds to signals from the stylus or to force from the stylus. The signature data are collected and signal processed within the equipment for transmission, typically by telephone link, to a central office. One such signature collection product is the PenWare 2000, a commercially available product marketed by PenWare Corp. of Sunnyvale, Calif.
At the central office, pre-stored data representing a genuine signature for the user are compared against the new data to confirm or deny authenticity of the new signature. The central office then transmits signature authenticity confirmation or denial back to the equipment at the point of transaction. If desired, the same central office and information link can be used to signal the customer's present credit limit back to the point of transaction as well.
Many prior art systems use active capture technology, that often is relatively complex and expensive, and are not very robust. Such active capture technologies include use of an infra-red (“IR”) emitting active stylus and a signature capture pad that includes an array of IR detectors, or magnetic stylus and capacitive-based signature capture pad.
Such equipment should be backward-compatible with existing signature and data-capture equipment, and should be compatible with the software command sets embedded in such existing equipment.
Some signature capture systems include a sub-system for reading the magnetic track on a credit card, a debit card, or the like. Generally, to store more data on such cards, the industry is moving toward providing such cards with three strips of magnetic media on which data may be stored. Unfortunately many prior art systems do not accommodate more than a single strip magnetic card reader. Further, prior art techniques for providing user security when using such cards frequently are limited to the use of personal identification numbers (“PINs”), which numbers can become lost or compromised.
In the area of computer architecture, current design has evolved to accommodate standard buses, standard expansion slots and ports, and standardized add-on components. Unfortunately, prior art signature pad capture systems have tended to exhibit a closed architecture design that does not readily provide for standardized input and output signals and peripheral devices.
When used in a commercial environment such as a store, such systems do not appreciably help the merchant in terms of reducing paperwork and expediting cash flow. Although at the moment of payment the merchant temporarily has the user's complete attention, such systems do not readily enable the merchant to promote further and additional sales, for example by displaying on the system appropriate advertising and/or rewards, such as coupons for discounts on present or future purchases.
Thus there is a need for a signature capture product and system that preferably employs backward-compatible standardized architecture, that can interface with a variety of input/output and other peripheral devices. Preferably such device should read and write to a card bearing three magnetic stripes, and/or to a smartcard, and use a passive stylus. Further, such product should have the ability to provide security beyond that associated with PIN identification. In addition, the system should be useable to display merchant advertising and to issue rewards to the user, commensurate with the nature of the immediate purchase. Finally, such system should be useable to facilitate instant transaction payment to a merchant, while minimizing paperwork, and should be able to assist a user in maintaining computerized financial data relating to transactions made using the present invention.
The present invention provides such a product and system.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a modular signature and data capture device that employs a standardized ISA bus, standardized communication ports, standardized PCMCIA card input, and standardized x86 CPU architecture. The use of such proven and standardized interfaces and CPU promote flexibility in using past, present, and future software and accessories. The device is intended for use at a point of transaction, e.g., when a user pays for goods purchased at a merchant store.
A VGA backlit LCD is superimposingly combined with a pressure touch pad that is useable with a passive stylus. The LCD can display pen-drawn signatures, and graphics in real-time, and can display images and data stored in the device, or downloaded from a host system, including advertisements and animation. The LCD can also display menus, device instructions, virtual pressure-sensitive data softkeys, and control softkeys. The device includes a built-in a three-stripe magnetic card reader unit and may include a built-in smart card reader. The device can accept PCMCIA-compatible accessories including solid state memory units and smart cards. The device is connector-compatible with modular accessories including an external PIN keypad entry unit, and a fingerprint unit. An omnibus add-on accessory unit combines a fingerprint reader, a smart card reader, a check processor, and a printer.
The omnibus unit permits an essentially paperless transaction to be conducted, in which a user's check is processed in realtime by the omnibus unit and device and is immediately returned to the user as a receipt for payment of the present transaction. The transaction is completed instantly in that the device contacts the user's bank and, if funds are available, debits the account as payment for the instant transaction. In this manner, the present invention facilities immediate payment to the merchant, and minimizes paperwork all around.
Transaction security is provided by DES-encrypting PIN data and/or using Master/Session or so-called DUKPT (for derived unique key per transaction) key management, and by causing data stored within the unit to be erased if tampering of the unit occurs. In another embodiment, a numerical token representing a sampled portion of a user's fingerprint is stored for use as a PIN in a magnetic card or a smart card carried by the user. At the point of transaction, the user's card is examined by the present invention, and the PIN token is noted. The device is then used to capture the user's fingerprint and to calculate a token for this fingerprint. The PIN token and this calculated token are then compared by the device. If the device confirms a token match, the transaction completes. Otherwise the transaction is aborted and the store merchant is alerted by the device that the card may be stolen.
The device may be used interactively at the point of transaction, for example to display advertisements on the LCD screen that are relevant to the user's purchases, or to print out relevant discount coupons. The device enables the merchant to create a profile for each user, and may be used to communicate purchase information to the user's own computer, e.g., via an internet link, for user accounting purposes.
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Bunn Eric A.
Fernando Llavanya
Rafii Abbas
Valliani Aziz
Williams Nicholas
Flehr Hohbach Test Albritton & Herbert LLP
Lee Michael G
Receiptcity.Com, Inc.
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