Registers – Coded record sensors – Testing
Reexamination Certificate
1999-10-07
2002-05-28
Lee, Michael G. (Department: 2876)
Registers
Coded record sensors
Testing
C235S380000, C235S435000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06394346
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an apparatus for testing and encoding contactless smart cards, and more specifically to a machine for automatically testing and encoding a continuous stream of smart cards for mechanical and electrical functionality, durability, visual aspects, initialization and personalization.
Smart cards are being used in an increasingly wide variety of applications. One such application is the use of smart cards to provide credit/debit payment capability for mass transit users. Smart cards have found applications in many other areas including pay phones, health care, banking, identity and access, pay television, gaming, metering and vending. Retail businesses utilize smart cards to encourage return business, such as the use of smart cards to obtain a discount on merchandise or to gain points that are redeemable for cash or merchandise.
Smart cards generally include one or more integrated circuit (“IC”) located within the body of the card to receive and store information. The ICs can be read-only or have read/write capability. Reusable smart cards with read/write capability allow users to add time or value to payment-type smart cards, thus avoiding the inconvenience of having to carry currency, or, in the case of mass transit, exact change, for each usage. The smart card will also contain interface means, which will depend on whether the smart card is a contact-type or contactless smart card. Contactless cards will contain an antenna structure for communication with an RF source, and typically include circuitry adapted for deriving operating power from the RF signal.
Regardless of the application of the smart card, the intention is that the user will carry the card with them wherever he or she goes. Further, the smart cards that are used for payment may be expected to contain value for uses for a long period of time. Smart cards containing data, particularly medical information, are expected to be capable of proper function for years. Since these cards are typically carried in a pocket or wallet, they can be subjected to many different stresses, such as bending and flexing, which could potentially render the card non-functional. Thus, lifetime and durability are important considerations in designing and manufacturing a smart card.
During the manufacturing. process for smart cards, batch inspection and testing are performed to ensure that an acceptable percentage of the smart cards are operational. A typical testing method includes sampling smart cards of a production batch to verify read/write capability of the integrated circuits. Manual inspection is performed on the sample batch to verify print quality and other surface features of the smart cards. The testing procedure may also be partially automated. The smart cards are individually sent through a testing apparatus which writes to and reads from each smart card. The card then passes through an inspection station where a visual spot check is performed on the smart card. The process is repeated for each card of a production batch of smart cards.
Such testing procedures are time and labor intensive. Sampling and manual or visual test procedures are limited in effectiveness and present disadvantages of bottlenecks in the production line, particularly around peak production periods. Specifically, the current testing methods are limited in throughput and cannot provide a testing process at production speeds. A further disadvantage of these testing methods is resulting inconsistencies in shipped quality inherent in subjective human inspection. The current testing methods also do not provide a physical integrity test to ensure that the smart cards can withstand the bending and flexing that occurs with everyday use. Thus, for maximum card quality at a lower per-unit cost, and to ensure a reasonable lifetime for the cards, the manufacturer is in need of an automated testing procedure that provides a competitive advantage of accurate and thorough testing of smart cards at production speeds within one integrated testing apparatus.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an advantage of the present invention to provide improved production methods for detecting and accelerating smart card defects including print, lamination, positional correctness of integrated circuit chips, antenna, signature panels and magnetic stripes, as well as the functionality of the integrated circuits.
Another advantage of the present invention to provide automated comprehensive smart card testing of every smart card at full production speeds including physical integrity tests of flexing and bending, and operational tests of read/write verification of each smart card.
Still another advantage of the present invention is to provide automated surface inspection of every smart card of a production run utilizing a fully automated optical testing at high resolution and production speeds.
Yet another advantage is of the present invention is to improve productivity and lower per-unit costs as well as to provide a competitive advantage of faster turnaround times in the production of smart cards by providing a serial testing line that performs a variety of tests simultaneously on a series of smart cards.
It is a further advantage of the present invention to program or encode smart cards with various applications including stored value, personalization data such as serial number, date, time, and picture, and period pass data for periods including daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly. All applications are registered, i.e. database stored, locally or at a central computer system for security and retrieval.
In the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the contactless smart card (“CSC”) high production encoding machine (“HPEM”) of the exemplary embodiment is an automated smart card tester and encoder. In the exemplary embodiment, the contactless smart cards are bulk loaded into an automatic feeding magazine and fed into the encoding “backbone” of the HPEM. The backbone of the HPEM is a testing path or line consisting of a series of testing positions for conducting read/write, optical, and structural tests of a continuous line of smart cards. Each card is immediately preceded by a first card and is immediately followed by a third card. Thus, multiple cards are tested simultaneously along the testing path.
In the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a card is fed into a first testing position from a feeding magazine. The first test position writes a first test data pattern to the smart card. The card is flexed in one direction as it moves around a roller by means of a transport belt. The smart card proceeds into a second test position wherein the test data is read from the card to verify the physical integrity and the functionality of the IC circuits in the smart card. The HPEM then flexes the card a second time in another direction and feeds the card into a third test position. A second test data string is written to the card and/or the card is encoded with a desired application. In the exemplary embodiment, the card is then optically inspected for top surface and bottom surface defects in a fourth and fifth test position, respectively. Shadow illumination is provided during the optical inspection testing process to verify internal features of the contactless smart card including the loop antenna and IC circuits. The card then moves into position for a final read test to verify that the second test data string or application information is correctly stored and is retrieved from memory.
In the exemplary embodiment, the HPEM includes encoding capability for storing a variety of applications on each smart card in accordance with the intended use of each smart card and utilizing an appropriate communication protocol. Encoding is performed at either the final read or write test position, or alternatively, the HPEM includes an additional encoding position in the test path.
Upon completion of the read/write, flexion, and optical testing, each card passes through a printing position. The cards that pass the read/write, flexing
Blodgett Neal
Bonneau, Jr. Walter C.
Hilton Graham H.
Lombardi Katarzyna
Miller Gregory E.
Brown Martin Haller & McClain LLP
Cubic Corporation
Fureman Jared J.
Lee Michael G.
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