Patent Application
20060220837
1. Field of the Invention
The field of the invention is advanced wireless identification badges (cards). More particularly, the field of the invention is identification badges with wireless one-way or two-way audio alert reception capabilities. Also, the present invention addresses such badges having wireless audio alert reception capabilities, plus biometric authentication capabilities.
2. Related Art
There appears to be no exactly related art. The Inventor is aware of security-oriented wireless appliances with various “audio” capabilities; but there appears to be no wireless identification badges with audio message/audio alert reception features analogous to those of the present invention. One typical non-analogous product with wireless audio alert reception features is the so-called Blackberry® communicator by “Research In Motion”. Blackberry® is a communicating PDA (personal data assistant) product capable of sending and receiving messages. Another similar product to Blackberry® is the Blueberry®—also a communicating PDA—that adds cellular telephone capabilities (also by Research In Motion).
U.S. Pat. No. 5,623,552 to Lane discloses a self-authenticating identification card including a fingerprint sensor for authenticating the identity of a user. Lane teaches an ID card with a memory that stores data relating to a fingerprint of a card user. An on-card authenticator compares data about a sensed fingerprint with stored fingerprint data, then generates an authentication signal if the sensed fingerprint data matches stored fingerprint data. An audio generator can be included within the card. The onboard audio generator sends an audio signal to the onboard speaker, if a match is sensed. By comparison to the present invention, the audio alert capabilities of this particular product are “canned”—i.e., completely stored entirely aboard the card itself—unlike the remote audio alert capabilities of the present invention. A programmable magnetic stripe can also be used to store data related to the card user. A magnetic stripe programmer can enable the programmable magnetic stripe if sensed fingerprint data matches stored fingerprint data.
Despite ostensible benefits provided by the Lane patent and the product it protects, this patent is not analogous art to the present invention because it teaches an audible signal originating inside of the card—which is programmed within the card—that can either (a) indicate that the card's user's fingerprint information (template) has been successfully stored in the memory of the card; or (b) indicate that an inputted prospective user's fingerprint matches the electronically stored fingerprint information applicable to that prospective user's fingerprint. The audio alert capabilities of this particular product appear to be “canned”—i.e., completely stored entirely aboard the card itself.
By contrast, the badge of the present invention (once enabled) establishes a radio channel between the speaker (and optionally, a microphone) on the badge and a corresponding microphone (and optionally, a speaker) at a monitoring console (e.g., a local and/or central station) capable of transmitting to (and optionally receiving from) the badge in order to communicate audible messages including audio alerts.
In further contrast to the Lane patent and its' apparent product—messages (and/or audio alerts) transmitted to/from the badge of the present invention are not merely indicative of fingerprint storage or authentication status—i.e., “on-card” events—but rather, can be any message(s) the alert origination console deems necessary to convey to one or more badgeholders. Furthermore, in the present invention, messages and alerts transmitted to the badge can include remotely-originated, “live”, programmed, and/or pre-programmed messages of any kind. Messages transmitted to the badge can also include audible (verbal or data) communications from persons, other badges, and/or other machines. Messaging/alerting which is remotely originated and transmitted to the badge of the present invention, can also include messages/alerts provided by other badges/badgeholders on and/or off a “local” control console (i.e., the immediately proximate “local” network). In the case of messages forwarded into the local badge interface network from “non-local” consoles or networks, messages and/or alerts are forwarded to “local” badgeholder(s) via the immediately-proximate control console and (e.g.) its' upstream connections, i.e., upstream console(s) and/or network(s).
Notwithstanding, to achieve “two-way” communications, additional components are required on the badge of the present invention (i.e., an optional “on-badge” transceiver and an optional “on-badge” microphone). Two-way communicating versions of badges of the present invention can be operated in many different ways (i.e., badgeholder to a center console; badgeholder to badgeholder directly; badgeholder to badgeholder via the control console, etc.).
Emergency responders, medical caregivers and other organizational employees need to be paged and to communicate throughout the day. It is not always desirable for such people to carry and activate a cell phone nor is it convenient to answer one at all times. There is a need for an authorized badgeholder's unique badge to perform the additional tasks of providing corporate communication as well as optionally authenticating the identity of the badgeholder. This eliminates the need for annoying building-wide paging followed by a search by the paged badgeholder to find a local phone to respond. Based on the nominally-related yet non-analogous art discussed immediately preceding, identification cards and badges are well known in the art; however, such products would have many new or improved uses, if remote audio messaging and audio alerting capabilities were available therewith, as taught and disclosed herein. Based on references observed and cited, it appears that there are no “card-form-factor” wireless identification badges which also have the communications capabilities and the optional badgeholder identification capabilities of the present invention.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for badges which can communicate either “one-way” or “two-way” between a central station (e.g., a badge monitoring/alerting console) and one or more badgeholders. There also appears to be a need in the art for badges which can communicate from one badgeholder to another badgeholder, and which can communicate diverse types of messages from one badgeholder and/or badge monitoring and alert origination console(s)—e.g., local and/or central monitoring and control station(s)—to many other badgeholders.
Accordingly, one primary object of the invention is to provide an identification badge (a.k.a., an identification card) with audio output and audio interface capabilities, with “one-way” reception capabilities for receiving audio alerts from audio originators (e.g., control stations, badge monitoring consoles, etc.). It is a related primary object, to provide an identification badge with “two-way” transmission and reception capabilities (i.e. having both audio input and audio output interface capabilities), adapted for receiving audio alerts from audio originators, and for transmitting audio responses to audio originators and/or other badges of the present invention). It is a related object, to provide an identification badge with audio messaging and audio alert capabilities. It is another related object, to provide an identification badge with both audio input and audio output interface capabilities, as well as other communication capabilities.
It is another primary object of the invention, to provide an identification badge, with multiple different types of badgeholder identification and authentication capabilities; i.e., multiple “conventional” identification capabilities (such as multiple badgeholder-identifying indicia). It is yet another related primary object, to provide optional, “advanced” badgeholder identification capabilities (e.g., biometrics including fingerprint-based authentication; voice-based authentication; heartbeat-based authentication; etc.).
It is yet another primary object, to provide an identification badge-based alerting, alarming, and messaging system for use with identification badges having audio output or audio input/output capabilities. It is a related object, to provide an audio input verification system (e.g., for verifying voice inputs, audio steganographic inputs, etc.) as part of an identification badge-based alerting, alarming, and messaging system. It is yet another related object, to provide a centralized and/or distributed communications system for interfacing identification badges.
It is another primary object, to provide a method for enrolling an authorized badgeholder into an identification badge. It is a related primary object, to provide a method for establishing a communications system for transmitting and receiving alerts, alarms, and messages to and from identification badges and a badge monitoring/alerting console, and between and among identification badges.
It is another object of the invention (in the case of the “two-way” communication version of the invention only), to provide a badge-based alert origination capability for initiating audio alerts and for transmitting badge-originated audio alerts to other badgeholders and/or monitoring console(s).
The present invention was inspired by the apparent need for providing audio alert reception capabilities in identification badges, allowing reception of remotely-originated messages of many types. Typically, the identification badge apparatus of the present invention is adapted for reception of remotely-originated messages such as alert messages, alarm messages, voice messages, data messages, other messages, etc.
Accordingly, the system of the present invention teaches transmission of remotely-originated messages from one or more (local or remote, centralized or distributed) control stations (typically badge monitoring/alerting/messaging consoles) to one or more identification badges of the present invention. Communicating remotely-originated messages from control stations to badges of the present invention is done via wireless radio, and/or wireless infrared, and/or spread spectrum transmissions, or other wireless techniques.
To summarize the apparatus of the present invention, audio output components include a speaker for outputting remotely-originated messages received by an “on-badge” receiver. In higher-function versions of the identification badge apparatus, an optional microphone can receive external audio inputs (e.g., voice inputs or other audio) from a badgeholder or other source. The microphone's audio inputs are picked up by an “on-badge” transceiver, which transmits such audio inputs out from the badge to one or more transmission or broadcast destinations (e.g., to control console(s) and/or to one or more similarly-configured identification badges).
Additionally, advanced versions of the badge with optional audio input features can also be used as an input source for audio input verification applications (e.g., biometric voice recognition; audio tone recognition; etc.). Necessarily, such advanced versions must directly or indirectly process the audio inputs to analyze and/or verify them as needed for any specific implemented application.
Furthermore, some versions of the invention can also optionally add, e.g., a unique serial number, and/or corporate employee identifier (or other uniquely-addressable identifier) to the memory of the processor of the identification badge, thereby adding unique addressability features, i.e., “badge-specific addressability”, permitting control console(s) to explicitly select and address one or more badges as destinations for remotely-originated messages. In the case of Bluetooth digital audio transmission, for example, each device can be communicated with according to the Bluetooth standard. Other transmission protocols, well known to the art, provide an addressable receiver capability based upon a digital number stored in the card. The benefit is that each badge can be individually addressed, and/or all badges can be simultaneously addressed in a broadcast. In conclusion, these features allow one or more badgeholders to establish bilateral dialogues with either the control console and/or with other badgeholders, via advanced versions of the identification badge apparatus of the present invention.
Turning now to
Separately, is also anticipated that more advanced versions of the invention can be implemented, where a separate LED display (not shown) can be provided to blink when any remotely-originated message is pending and may be extinguished by command from the center or the badgeholder touching a button or fingerprint authenticator 314.
Additionally, it is observed that badge 200 also has implemented on badge substrate 202, pictographic pixel data 204 as well as steganographic pixel data or barcode data 208, all of which are easily visible, visual data indicia for badgeholder identification. Also implemented on badge 200, is speaker 310, used for audibly sounding audio alert sounds, alarm alerts sounds, and optionally, verbal audio messages. Depending on configuration details, alternative badgeholder identifying data can be implemented, e.g., holographic data (such as a holographic seal or decal); and/or e.g., DNA data, for identifying a badgeholder by comparing a DNA sample on the badge with the actual badgeholder's DNA. Otherwise stated, holographic badgeholder identifying indicia and/or DNA badgeholder identifying indicia can be included on the badge of the present invention (not shown). Other identification modalities are contemplated, depending on the needs of the implementing facility; accordingly, this disclosure is not limited only by the express itemization of badgeholder identifying indicia set forth herein.
Badge 200 also implements pictographic pixel data (i.e., a picture) and barcode data 208 as additional visual badgeholder identifying indicia such as the official enrollment picture and name of “Jane Smith”. The present invention anticipates using biometric voice recognition as yet another badgeholder-identifying technique; i.e., in two-way versions of the invention, such as badge 200, during enrollment each badgeholder records voice patterns which uniquely identify him or her. The speaker's voice (with it's characteristic voice patterns) can be transmitted in the two-way communicating version of the present invention, as part of the badgeholders identification portfolio, e.g., the badgeholder can hit a “transmit sound” button (not shown) on the card when needed to accomplish “audio verification”. Alternatively, a version of badge 300 can be implemented, which automatically transmits the speaker's recognizable voice via microphone 312 to control console 106 which performs voice recognition at the central facility. The security and identification policies implemented at the central facility may call for multiple biometrics to be employed, such as fingerprint recognition and voice recognition in order to gain additional assurance of the badgeholder's identity.
Additionally, other forms of non-biometric badgeholder identifying indicia can be included on the badge of the present invention, including magnetic stripe indicia (not shown), barcode indicia (not shown), numeric indicia (not shown), alphanumeric indicia (not shown), and/or alphabetic indicia (shown)
Variations on the basic concepts of the present invention may become apparent by those skilled in the art, after reading this Application. However, it is important to note, that only a few configurations of the present invention are explicitly shown herein, yet the present invention is not limited only to explicit configurations discussed herein. Additionally, it is important to note, while only “one badge” or “a badgeholder” are often referred to herein, any number of badges and badgeholders can be enrolled in any specific audio alert system or in concatenated systems, and all badges and badgeholders can be enrolled in any particular controlled facility. Furthermore, the terms “alerting and monitoring console”, “local and/or central monitoring console”, “control station”, and the like, are used essentially interchangeably. Also, the Inventor anticipates that, in badgeholder-authenticating versions of the present invention, one or more other types of biometric sensors may be usable in the present invention, e.g., a biometric fingerprint sensor, a biometric voiceprint sensor, a biometric heartbeat sensor, or any other biometric sensor which can be implemented in a card-sized form factor. Also, one or more additional authentication and verification ameliorations can be used with the present invention, including simple PIN numbers for user identification, etc. Also, other identification indicia modalities known in the art can be used, e.g., holographic seals and decals, etc. Consequently, this Application is not limited to only that which is explicitly described herein. Finally, it must be noted that the terms “audio alerts”, “alerts”, “alerting”, and the like, are used essentially interchangeably and such alerts can be data alerts, voice alerts, tone sound alerts, or any other type of communicable sound.
It is also important to note, that depending on details of configuration and customization, individual badges of the present invention can be customized to be individually and uniquely addressable by an alert originator (i.e., an alert origination facility, central console, and/or alerting and monitoring console.) In this way, as few badges as one badge can be communicated with by the alert originator; but on the other hand, as many as all badges (or one or more subgroups of all badges) can be communicated with in “broadcast” mode or “partial broadcast” mode by the alert originator/alert origination facility/local or central control console, etc.
It is further important to note, that in the badge of the present invention, some badgeholder identifying data which is not disposed upon the obverse or reverse sides of the badge, can be stored in the memory of the processor aboard the badge. Typically, badgeholder identifying data that is stored in the memory of the processor is stored biometric data which can be compared with the badgeholder's inputted data, e.g., in badges with fingerprint authentication capabilities, a badgeholder will initially enroll their fingerprint data into the card when issued a card and the data will be stored in processor memory; subsequently, when enabling/accessing the badge, the badgeholder will submit their fingerprint biometric to their card for fingerprint authentication. Finally, there are many different ways where a badgeholder can be identified and verified at their card. Another way this is done is with PIN numbers, unique numbers that the badgeholder must input into the badge via a keypad (not shown) to access the badge.
