Claims
- 1. A biometric device comprising:
a housing having a slot to receive a data card having stored biometric data thereon; a data card reader within the housing; a fingerprint identification module within the housing to generate live biometric data; a display integral with the housing; electronic storage and processing circuitry; and software programmed into the electronic storage and processing circuitry to process the stored biometric data and the live biometric data and to communicate among the data card reader, the fingerprint identification module and the display.
- 2. The biometric device of claim 1 further including at least one button that, when pressed, provides additional functionalities to the display during operation of the biometric device.
- 3. The biometric device of claim 2 wherein there are two buttons, wherein when each button is pressed a different functionality is provided, and when both buttons are pressed a third functionality is provided.
- 4. The biometric device of claim 1 wherein the housing includes a recess and wherein the fingerprint identification module is located within the recess.
- 5. The biometric device of claim 4 wherein the recess is semi-parabolic.
- 6. The biometric device of claim 1 wherein the data card reader includes an optical reading system for reading optical data on an optical card.
- 7. The biometric device of claim 6 wherein the optical data is a two-dimensional bar code symbol.
- 8. The biometric device of claim 6 wherein the optical data is a photo image.
- 9. The biometric device of claim 1 wherein the electronic storage and processing circuitry is capable of reading and processing data from and writing data to a memory chip.
- 10. The biometric device of claim 9 wherein the memory chip is on a memory card.
- 11. The biometric device of claim 1 wherein the electronic storage and processing circuitry is capable of reading and processing data from and writing data to a smart card chip.
- 12. The biometric device of claim 11 wherein the smart card chip is on a smart card.
- 13. The biometric device of claim 1 wherein the stored and live biometric data is fingerprint data.
- 14. A biometric verification system comprising:
a data card having stored fingerprint data representative of at least one fingerprint; a data card reader for reading the data card; a fingerprint identification module for generating an image of a scanned fingerprint and generating data representative of the scanned fingerprint; a processor in operational association with the data card reader and the fingerprint identification module for determining whether the data representative of the scanned fingerprint matches the stored fingerprint data representative of the at least one fingerprint.
- 15. The biometric system of claim 14 wherein the data card is one of a smart card, a memory card, or an optical card having an optical bar code for storing the fingerprint data representative of the at least one fingerprint.
- 16. The biometric system of claim 14 wherein the stored fingerprint data is stored on a chip located on the data card.
- 17. The biometric system of claim 14 wherein determination of the match between the scanned fingerprint data and the stored fingerprint data card enables biometric identification or verification of the user.
- 18. The biometric system of claim 14 wherein the biometric device generates user information, the user information selected from the group consisting of user entry time, user exit time, user check-in time and user attendance.
- 19. The biometric system of claim 14 wherein the biometric device generates information to selectively grant a user access to a desired location or control of a desired device.
- 20. The biometric system of claim 14 wherein the biometric device generates information to identify or verify an identity of a user.
- 21. A biometric device comprising:
a housing including a biometric read surface; a biometric sensor within the biometric read surface for reading of live biometric samples to generate live biometric data; the housing further including a space to receive a biometric data storage device having stored biometric data to be compared with the live biometric data generated by the biometric sensor; and processing circuitry to process and compare the live biometric data and the stored biometric data from the biometric data storage device.
- 22. A biometric device comprising:
a housing; a biometric reader within the housing for reading stored fingerprint data; a fingerprint module within the housing having a fingerprint sensor for reading a fingerprint and generating fingerprint data; and electronic circuitry associated with the fingerprint module and connected to the fingerprint sensor to process and match the fingerprint data with the stored fingerprint data.
- 23. A biometric device for use with a smart card having stored fingerprint data thereon comprising:
a housing including a smart card slot for receiving the smart card; a smart card reader for reading the smart card; a fingerprint module within the housing having a fingerprint sensor for reading a fingerprint and generating fingerprint data; and electronic circuitry associated with the fingerprint module and connected to the fingerprint sensor to process the fingerprint data and comparing the fingerprint data with the stored fingerprint data.
- 24. A biometric system comprising:
a data card having stored fingerprint data thereon; and a biometric device comprising:
a housing including a data card slot for receiving the data card; a data card reader within the housing for reading the data card; a fingerprint module having a fingerprint sensor for reading a fingerprint and generating live fingerprint data; and electronic circuitry associated with the fingerprint module and connected to the fingerprint sensor to process and compare the stored fingerprint data and the live fingerprint data.
- 25. The biometric system of claim 24 wherein the data card is one of a smart card, a memory card, or an optical card having an optical bar code for storing the fingerprint data.
- 26. The biometric system of claim 24 wherein the stored fingerprint data is stored on a chip located on the data card.
- 27. The biometric system of claim 24 wherein determination of the match between the live fingerprint data and the stored fingerprint data on the data card enables biometric identification or verification of the user.
- 28. The biometric system of claim 24 wherein the biometric device generates user information, the user information selected from the group consisting of user entry time, user exit time, user check-in time and user attendance.
- 29. The biometric system of claim 24 wherein the biometric device generates information to selectively grant the user access to a desired location or control of a desired device.
- 30. The biometric system of claim 24 wherein the biometric device generates information to identify or verify an identity of the user.
- 31. A biometric identification module comprising:
a housing; a biometric sensor exposed through the housing for obtaining user biometric data; a receiving portion integral with the housing that is receptive to a biometric data storage device having stored biometric data; electronic processing and storage circuitry disposed within the housing and connected to the biometric sensor to compare the user biometric data to the stored biometric data.
- 32. The biometric identification module of claim 31 further comprising an application program interface programmed into the processing and storage circuitry and wherein the application program interface is compatible with additional programming to obtain application specific output and functionalities for the biometric identification module.
- 33. The biometric identification module of claim 31 wherein the stored biometric data and the user biometric data are fingerprint data.
- 34. A biometric device for use with a data card having biometric data stored thereon comprising:
a housing having a slot to receive the data card therein and including a fingerprint sensor recess and a data card recess on the housing; a data card reader within the housing, the data card reader capable of receiving a data card therein, the data card recess generally shaped to promote insertion of the data card into the data card reader such that substantially the entire data card may be inserted into the data card reader; a fingerprint identification module including a fingerprint sensor disposed within and at least partially exposed through the housing such that the fingerprint sensor is accessible through the housing at substantially the bottom of the recess, the recess generally shaped to promote placement of a user finger on the fingerprint sensor to generate live fingerprint data; a display connected to the housing; electronic storage and processing circuitry; software programmed into the electronic storage and processing circuitry to compare the stored biometric data and the live biometric data communicate and to facilitate communication among the data card reader, the fingerprint identification module and the display.
- 35. The biometric device of claim 34 further comprising a pair of functionality buttons exposed through the housing to permit additional functionalities for the display when at least one of the pair of functionality buttons are pressed.
- 36. A fingerprint verification device for use with a user finger and a data card having stored fingerprint data comprising:
a housing having a data card slot therein; a fingerprint sensor in contact with the housing to receive the user finger and generate live fingerprint data; a data card reader disposed within the housing and in alignment with the data card slot to receive the data card and read the stored fingerprint data; processing circuitry in electrical contact with the fingerprint sensor and the data card reader to receive and compare the stored fingerprint data to the live fingerprint data; and an indicator in operational association with the processing circuitry to indicate when and if a match is made between the stored fingerprint data and the live fingerprint data.
- 37. A biometric network comprising:
a plurality of biometric devices, each biometric device comprising:
a housing; a data card reader within the housing including a portion adapted to receive and read a data card having electronic fingerprint information; and a fingerprint module including a fingerprint sensor for reading a user fingerprint placed onto the fingerprint sensor, wherein the biometric is capable of determining a match between the user fingerprint read from the fingerprint sensor and the electronic fingerprint information; and a server having a connection to each of the plurality of biometric devices to receive data from each of the plurality of biometric devices.
- 38. The biometric network of claim 37 wherein the server is connected to the Internet.
- 39. A biometric system comprising:
a data card having biometric data thereon; and a biometric device comprising:
a housing having a slot to receive the data card therein and including a fingerprint sensor recess and a data card recess on the housing; a data card reader within the housing, the data card reader capable of receiving a data card therein, the data card recess generally shaped to promote insertion of the data card into the data card reader such that substantially the entire data card may be inserted into the data card reader; a fingerprint identification module including a fingerprint sensor disposed within and at least partially exposed through the housing such that the fingerprint sensor is accessible through the housing at substantially the bottom of the fingerprint sensor recess, the fingerprint sensor recess generally shaped to promote placement of a user finger on the fingerprint sensor to generate live fingerprint data; a display connected to the housing; electronic storage and processing circuitry; software programmed into the electronic storage and processing circuitry to compare the stored biometric data and the live biometric data communicate and to facilitate communication among the data card reader, the fingerprint identification module and the display.
- 40. A method of biometric authentication comprising the steps of:
providing a biometric device having a housing with a slot, a fingerprint sensor, a data card reader and electronic circuitry to process fingerprint data, and a display: receiving a data card having stored fingerprint data into the slot; reading the stored fingerprint data on the data card with the data card reader; receiving a finger onto the fingerprint sensor; imaging the finger to generate live fingerprint data; comparing the stored fingerprint data to the live fingerprint data; and determining whether there is a match between the stored fingerprint data and the live fingerprint data.
- 41. The method of claim 40 further including the step of displaying an instruction on the display to insert the data card.
- 42. The method of claim 40 further including the step of displaying an instruction on the display for a user to place the finger on the fingerprint sensor.
- 43. The method of claim 40 further including the step of displaying a message on the display that a user ID has been verified.
- 44. The method of claim 40 further including the step of displaying a message on the display that a user ID has not been verified.
- 45. A method of biometric authentication comprising the steps of:
providing a biometric device having a housing with a slot, a fingerprint sensor, a data card reader and electronic circuitry to process fingerprint data, and a display; requesting, via the display, the insertion of a data card into the data card reader; receiving the data card having stored biometric data into the slot; reading the biometric data stored on the data card; requesting, via the display, the placement of a finger on the fingerprint sensor; receiving the finger onto the fingerprint sensor; imaging the finger to generate live fingerprint data; comparing the live fingerprint data to the stored biometric data with the electronic circuitry; determining whether there is a match between the live fingerprint data and the stored biometric data; displaying whether the match was made as a result of the determining step.
- 46. The method of claim 45 wherein the step of requesting that the user place a finger on the fingerprint sensor occurs after and only if the step of reading the biometric data stored on the data card occurs successfully.
- 47. The method of claim 45 further including the step of resetting the biometric device.
- 48. The method of claim 45 further including the step of resetting the biometric reader to reread the data card when a functionality button on the housing is pressed.
- 49. The method of claim 45 further including the step of displaying information when a functionality button on the housing is pressed.
- 50. The method of claim 45 further including the step of resetting the biometric reader when both a first functionality button and a second functionality button on the housing are pressed.
- 51. The method of claim 45 further comprising the step of selectively allowing the user access to a desired location or control of a desired device access as a result of the determining step.
- 52. The method of claim 45 further comprising the step of selectively generating user information, the user information selected from the group consisting of user entry time, user exit time, user check-in time and user attendance as a result of the determining step.
- 53. The method of claim 45 further comprising the step of selectively generating information to identify or verify an identity of the user as a result of the determining step.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/197,121 filed Apr. 14, 2000.
Provisional Applications (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
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60197121 |
Apr 2000 |
US |