Registers – Systems controlled by data bearing records – Credit or identification card systems
Reexamination Certificate
1995-09-29
2001-09-04
Frech, Karl D. (Department: 2876)
Registers
Systems controlled by data bearing records
Credit or identification card systems
C235S379000, C235S441000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06283367
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to IC card (smart card) readers, and more particularly, to a portable, hand-held IC card reader that provides an audio output.
DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART
IC cards are cards, typically the size of a credit card, that contain integrated circuitry including an erasable and programmable ROM (EPROM) permitting the storage of data that can be read out and changed. The most common use of IC cards has been as debit cards. As debit cards, IC cards have had several applications.
IC cards have been used by subway riders who purchase a card with a desired value programmed into the card, with the stored value decreasing by an amount equal to the fare each time the card is used to gain access to the subway system. Other cards are used in vending machines, allowing users to carry one card to use for all their vending purchases instead of needing change or single dollars. The programmed amount on the card is reduced each time a purchase is made. Prepaid telephone IC cards are also popular.
IC cards have also been used to make purchases from merchants. Thus, when a person desires to make a purchase from a merchant, the merchant processes the purchaser's debit card to deduct an amount from a balance stored on the card and add the same to his own bank balance. The card always stores the current credit balance, which can be increased, for example, while inserted in a device that is electronically coupled to the user's bank account and decreased, for example, while inserted in a device that is electronically coupled to a merchant's bank account.
Furthermore, IC cards that do not store cash information can also be used. For example, IC cards have been used as identification cards and drivers'licenses that can store personal or medical data, etc.
One disadvantage of IC cards is that the user has no easy way to determine the data that is stored on the card unless he or she remembers it. If the user forgets, then he or she must normally go to a machine that accepts such cards to find out what is stored on the card (e.g., the amount of money that is left on the card).
In order for the card holder to recall a balance amount that is on the card or to verify that the proper amount was deducted from his or her card in any particular transaction, stationary and portable IC card readers have been developed, which read data from the cards and provide a visual output on a visual display such as a CRT or LCD or LED display. Such readers are known, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,015,830 to Masuzawa et al, U.S. Pat. No. 5,272,319 to Rey, and U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,247,164 and 4,406,064 to Takahashi. Those devices require a user to view and read the information. Such IC card readers can be difficult for anyone to read in low light situations if the visual display is an LCD, and impossible for sight impaired persons to read with any type of visual display.
Sight impaired persons have a problem with cash transactions, since such persons do not have a foolproof way of determining the denominations of paper currency. The problem also exists for using the conventional IC card as a debit card for transactions, since again, in the example of a purchase from a merchant using the debit card, the sight impaired person has no way of verifying the actual amount of any deduction processed by the merchant.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the invention is to provide a means by which an IC card holder, particularly a sight impaired person, can verify the contents of, and changes in, data stored on the IC card. It is another object of the invention to provide an IC card reader which can output data in a form other than visual and that can be easily understood by a visually impaired person.
These objectives are met according to the invention by an IC card reader that can output data in an audio form. The IC card reader according to the invention includes a small case in which are provided means for receiving an IC card having data stored thereon, means for reading the stored data and means for encoding the read data into a series of voice commands. In a preferred embodiment, such means are provided by a microcontroller. Also provided in the case is a voice synthesizer circuit which is responsive to the encoded data for producing a synthetic speech signal. An audio amplifier within the case is connected to the voice synthesizer circuit for amplifying the synthetic speech signal. A miniature speaker internal to the case is responsive to the synthetic speech signal for outputting an audio signal corresponding to the stored data through small holes in a front face of the case.
A membrane switch within the case is closed by a push button on the front face of the case to electrically connect the microcontroller to the card. Thus, in use of the IC card reader, by holding the button down to close the switch, the microcontroller is caused to interrogate the card so that the data stored on the card is read into the microcontroller. The microcomputer produces a synthetic speech signal that is amplified by the amplifier and output by the speaker as synthetic speech which can be heard by the user while holding the card reader with the speaker against the ear.
Thus, if the card serves as a debit card, then upon its use in a transaction, for example, to make a purchase or increase the balance on the card, the user may insert the card in the card reader to determine the balance stored in the card by voice output. By inserting the card in the card reader both before and after the transaction, the user can easily determine the actual amount of any credit to or debit from the card balance.
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Chau Paul Waihung
Matthew Kerry Ray
Frech Karl D.
Fureman Jared
Info Telecom
Rabin & Champagne PC
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