Patent Application
20140262852
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to an adhesive cover for protection and enhancement of information security usable with various types of cards, in particular credit cards, debit cards, identification cards, and any other card including personally identifying information or other sensitive information printed, embossed, or otherwise displayed thereon. Throughout this specification, the terms credit card and/or debit card are used as examples of cards to which the cover disclosed herein may be applied. However, the use of such example language is not intended to be limiting.
2. Description of Related Art
Anytime a credit card or debit card is used to perform a transaction, it must necessarily be brought into public view. However, such cards typically contain significant and valuable sensitive information which the user would not otherwise want to display publicly. For example, when a restaurant patron wishes to pay with a credit card or debit card, he or she typically must place the card on the table or on a small tray until the server comes to collect it. During this time, any passerby who also happens to be in the restaurant may be able to observe the card, including the sensitive information displayed thereon. Once the card is collected in order to process the payment, the card is removed from the view of its owner who is then unable to observe or detect any unauthorized attempts to access or use the sensitive information displayed on the card. In the foregoing example and in numerous other ordinary, commonplace, and frequent transactions, the sensitive information of a credit card user is exposed and potentially compromised through several avenues.
There exists some covers which provide a limited solution to the increasing problem of information theft. Such covers preclude direct visual observation of selected aspects of the credit card or debit card. For example, U.S. Publication 2012/0200077, by Pohlman, (hereafter, “Pohlman”) provides an adhesive cover primarily concerned with obstructing view of a credit card's security code (which is only one of several pieces of sensitive information on a credit or debit card). Inasmuch as a card's security code is typically not embossed, the cover of Pohlman is perfectly suited for this limited scope of protection. However, the cover taught by Pohlman is less effective at concealing the card number or account number on a credit card, debit card, or other such card, which is most often embossed. If applied to such numbers, conventional covers such as that taught by Pohlman can be circumvented by an information thief who simply places a piece of paper over the embossed numbers and creates a pencil rubbing of the embossed numbers. Thus, the thief can misappropriate the protected information even without needing to remove or tamper with the known covers.
Additionally, known covers are applied over limited portions of the card, concealing only selected portions of the sensitive information thereon. While this advances the goal of providing a low-profile cover so as not to interfere with ordinary use of the card, it also necessarily limits the function of the covers. Known covers are too small to provide aesthetic enhancement to the cards or to physically protect the cards. As such, the known covers provide limited protection for the card.
The present invention prevents information thieves and others from misappropriating the user's sensitive information from the user's debit card, credit card, or other similar card. Throughout this specification, the terms credit card and/or debit card are used as examples of cards to which the cover disclosed herein may be applied. However, the use of such example language is not intended to be limiting. The cover of the present invention provides a low-profile cover that does not interfere with normal use of the credit card. At the same time, the present invention provides enhanced security and additional features not found in the prior art covers. The present invention is a low-profile, sturdy cover made of a thin, rigid material which is attached to each face of the debit card. The cover material preferrably is also durable, waterproof, and readily adapted to carry an adhesive backing. In a preferred embodiment, the cover material is rigid vinyl. The cover disclosed herein is of a minimal thickness and does not cover the magnetic stripe on the card's back face, such that the ordinary use of the card, such as swiping the card at a gas station pump, is not inhibited. The material of the cover is sufficiently rigid that it will resist pressure when applied over embossed numbers on a credit card. This means that the number cannot be revealed by simply rubbing a pencil on a piece of paper held over the covered number.
The present invention may be decorated to enhance the aesthetic quality of the card. The present invention covers and obscures all sensitive information which is on either face of the card (including, for example, account number, card number, and/or security code). Accordingly, the cover of the present invention occupies a substantial portion of the card and noticeably affects the visual appearance thereof. Thus, adding decoration to the cover of the present invention enables it to serve aesthetic purposes as well as its security and protection purposes.
An additional advantage of the present invention is that it provides a structural reinforcement to the card. Debit cards and credit cards are frequently passed through a variety of reading devices which impart various bending forces on the cards. Over many months or years of repeated use, the stress on the cards from these and other events can lead to cracking, warping, or other structural failures in the cards, which are typically made of a lightweight and flexible plastic material. When the cover of the present invention is applied to the card, the structure of the card is reinforced and the likelihood of structural failure substantially reduced.
Cards from different providers will have sensitive information printed or displayed on varying parts of the card (e.g., some credit cards have the security code on the back face, whereas other have it on the front face). Accordingly, the cover disclosed herein encompasses a substantial portion of both faces of the card so that all possible locations for sensitive information are obscured and protected. Thereby, the cover is universal in that it is suitable to work with a wide range of credit cards, debit cards, and the like. Moreover, the cover prevents a would-be information thief from even knowing where sensitive information is located on the card, making it that much more difficult for the would-be thief to misappropriate such information.
As shown in
In a preferred embodiment, the disclosed cover obscures at least the security code 15. In the illustrated embodiment, security code 15 is located on the front face 11 of card 10. However, it is also contemplated within the scope of the invention that the security code 15 may be located on other areas of the card 10, as is common and known in the industry, including on the back face 12. When first and second cover component 1 and 2 are attached to the front and back faces 11 and 12, most or all common locations for the security code 15 will be obscured from view and otherwise protected from misappropriation.
Credit cards and debit cards are available in standard overall dimensions, the embossed account number or card number 14 is located a standard distance from the top and bottom edges of the front face 11 of the card 10, and the magnetic stripe 16 is located a standard distance from the top and bottom edges of the back face 12 of the card 10. The users name 13 is displayed below the account number or card number 14 on the front face of the card 10. In the description herein, terms such as “top,” “bottom,” and “below” are with reference to the orientation shown in
Cover component 1 is designed to be compatible with cards having the standard dimensions and information locations described. Accordingly, cover component 1 has a height and length that correspond to the standard height and length of the card 10 (as shown in
Second cover component 2 is designed to be compatible with cards having the standard dimensions and information locations described. Accordingly, second cover component 2 has a length that corresponds to the standard length of the card 10 (as shown in
Preferrably, first and second cover components 1 and 2 are composed of a vinyl material, with an adhesive backing applied to inner surfaces 7 and 8, respectively, thereof.
While preferred embodiments and example configurations have been shown and described, it is to be understood that various further modifications and additional configurations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. All such modifications and configurations are contemplated as being within the scope of the present invention. The specific embodiments and configurations disclosed are illustrative of the preferred and best modes for practicing the invention as defined by the appended claims, and should not be interpreted as limitations on the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. Accordingly, this invention includes all modifications and equivalents of the subject matter recited in the claims appended hereto as permitted by applicable law. Moreover, any combination of the above-described elements in all possible variations thereof is encompassed by the invention unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context.
