Facsimile and static presentation processing – Static presentation processing – Plural marking means
Reexamination Certificate
1993-01-21
2002-01-01
Garcia, Gabriel I. (Department: 2624)
Facsimile and static presentation processing
Static presentation processing
Plural marking means
C358S001300
Reexamination Certificate
active
06335799
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention pertains to an apparatus and process for the economical issuance of secure personalized plastic cards. More particularly, this invention pertains to the immediate issuance of personalized wallet-size plastic cards printed at remote sites in conjunction with a large central computer record keeping system.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In today's high tech society, it has become commonplace and necessary for organizations to issue individual identification cards to participants or members. These cards, usually made of plastic, are widely issued by financial institutions, government organizations, and organizations having membership requirements. A typical person in the United States has approximately 6-12 plastic cards in his possession at any given time. Many government organizations with tight budgets are investing millions of dollars to issue personalized cards to their constituents.
The cards themselves are usually made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) but are sometimes made from polyester. Many of the cards are fancifully designed and colored with pictures and logos. Most of these cards are personalized for the customer in some manner at great cost.
Any method for personalizing cards is generally more expensive than methods providing less personal information on the card. Methods for personalizing cards at a central location incur the additional cost of delivering the card to the client or customer. Many times this delivery to each individual client or customer is by first class mail. However, known methods for personalizing cards locally are generally the most expensive methods for personalizing.
For example, government organizations involved in welfare distribution to welfare recipients usually personalize cards at a high cost. The government organizations first issue temporary cards to welfare recipients during the first office visit. Later the recipients receive permanent personal cards by First Class mail. These cards are printed at a central location.
A system which personalizes cards at an organization's central location in high volume is available from either the Datacard or Oakwood company. These systems require a significant capital investment—exceeding $100,000. Central processing systems add cost to the issuing organization such as, labor costs, capital outlay for the high-end equipment, card costs of approximately 40¢ per card, postage, envelopes, and card carriers for envelopes. If an issuing authority centrally personalizing cards issues four to five thousand cards per day, the issuing authority's costs, are approximately 75¢ per card. If the issuing authority is centrally personalizing cards and issuing only fifty to one hundred cards per day, the cost per card rises to approximately $1.00 per card or more. Perhaps more importantly, the added cost of issuing two cards for each client is enormous. The consumer is initially issued a temporary card and must wait for the arrival of the second card, the permanent personalized card.
There are essentially four levels of personal information placed on personalized cards available on the market. The four levels of personalization will be described from those providing the least personal information on the card to those providing the most personal information on the card. The first level of personalization is achieved through the use of the standard vault card or instant issue card. There is no personal information on level one cards. The only personalization achieved with level one is that the card number (or account number) is related in a computer program to a particular person and the person's Personal Identification Number (PIN). Vault cards are industry standard cards that are kept locked by the issuing authority in a vault. The cards are generally pre-embossed either with raised lettering or flat graphics, and pre-encoded on a magnetic strip. The pre-embossing and pre-encoding is generally completed to the International Standards Organization (ISO) specifications. The vault cards or instant issue cards may be issued with or without magnetic strip coded with the card number.
The next level of personalization, second level, is achieved by issuing a vault card (or instant issue card) and personalizing the card with handwritten material. Level two personalized vault cards are generally not issued with magnetic strips. In fact, some of these cards are blank cards without any embossing. The cards are locally personalized by employees of the card issuing authority. The personalizing is done by handwriting on small areas of the card which have a paper or other writing surface. Level two provides low cost, low security cards.
The next level of personalization, or third level, is achieved by embossing personal information on the card either through raised lettering or flat lettering. This embossing may be done at a central location with a high volume embossing machine or at a local location with a smaller low volume embossing machine.
The first level of personalization, fourth level, provides the greatest amount of personal information on the card by combining the magnetic encoding of personal information on the card in addition to the embossing of personal information on the card.
The cost to personalize cards is high. For example, the cost of a manual embosser (or hand press) which provides raised lettering and no encoding is approximately $2,000. An automated embosser with keyboard entry performing only raised lettering costs approximately $5,000 to $7,000. An automated embosser and magnetic encoder combination costs approximately $10,000 to $12,000. An embosser and encoder combination that is fully integrated with a personal computer costs approximately $15,000 to $17,000 (excluding software development). The cost of a flat graphic embosser which includes the ability to digitize pictures is approximately $35,000 per unit. Once such embosser is manufactured by Datacard Corporation and is called the Ultragrafix™ U-800. The other personalizing devices described are available from several vendors including Datacard, Magtek and Oakwood corporations.
Consumers prefer to have their names on all plastic cards that they hold. Having their name on the card avoids confusion within a household if members of the household accidently exchange cards. In addition, if a card with an owner's name on it is lost, the owner can be more easily located and the card returned.
The magnetic strip on the back of most plastic cards can hold only a limited amount of information. The magnetic tracks meeting the ISO standard consist of three tracks that can hold approximately 40 characters per track. Most magnetic card readers available on the market read one or two tracks, generally the first and second track or the second and third track. This limited amount of character space on the magnetic strip restricts a card issuing authority's ability to place individual client information on the plastic card.
Placing personal information on cards will help satisfy clients. Many cards on the market today have a small signature panel where the client may sign his name to help eliminate fraudulent use of his card. Since many issued cards lack identifying information that is personalized to the client, swapping of cards and security on cards is difficult. Fraudulent use of cards is a costly societal problem. The addition of personal information on cards will help reduce fraudulent use of cards.
What is needed is an economical system for personalizing cards.
What is needed is a system that produces cards while the client is being interviewed by the card issuing authority.
What is needed is a system that can personalize cards at local sites.
What is needed is a system that quickly personalizes cards while the consumer waits.
What is needed is a new method of placing information on cards.
What is needed is a system that can place a great deal of personal information on a card prior to issuance.
What is needed is a system that limits the fraudulent use of cards.
What is needed is a system that wil
Dorsey & Whitney LLP
eFunds Corporation
Garcia Gabriel I.
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