System and apparatus for smart card personalization

Abstract

A smart card personalization system maintains a database containing card issuer data format templates, card applications, card operating system commands, and personalization equipment specifications and provides a centralized interface of inputs and outputs to a card issuing process which dynamically adjusts to changes in the issuing process to easily permit a card issuer to change data formats, card applications, card operating systems and / or personalization equipment in a card issuing process. The system interfaces to any card issuer management system, manages the transfer of cardholder data and card applications to the particular personalization equipment used, and maintains statistics for real-time and off-line inquiries to support critical management and reporting functions. Furthermore, the system works with a variety of security methodologies to prevent fraud.

Description

RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application is a divisional of U.S. application Ser. No. 09 / 416,252, filed on Oct. 12, 1999, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 09 / 139,163, filed Aug. 24, 1998 (now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 6,014,748), which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 08 / 755,459, filed Nov. 22, 1996 (now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 5,889,941), which claims benefit under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60 / 015,743, filed Apr. 15, 1996, which applications are incorporated herein by reference.FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0002] The present invention is related to data storage devices and in particular to producing portable programmed data carriers such as credit cards, debit cards, identification cards, and other transaction cards. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0003] Increasing numbers of organizations which issue transaction cards to their users, customers, or employees require cards tailored to meet the requirements of their particular ser...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

"The patent describes a system for personalizing smart cards that allows card issuers to change the applications, operating system, and personalization equipment without modifying the interface with the card issuer. The system uses a database of data format templates to dynamically accommodate changes in the issuing process. The system also includes a card management function that collects information about the card issuing process and reports it to the card issuer management system. The system addresses the weakness in the prior art by providing a centralized interface of inputs and outputs to the smart card personalization process."

Problems solved by technology

Existing transaction cards encode such data in a magnetic stripe on the back of the card but the amount of data that can be held by a magnetic stripe is limited.

The entire issuing system must be re-configured whenever any one of these variables (issuer application, smart card / card operating system, and / or personalization equipment) is changed, increasing the time and cost incurred by the issuer of the card in delivering personalized smart cards to its customers.

Additionally, many of the current issuing systems lack a viable means to provide dynamic feedback regarding the status of any particular batch of cards in the process to the card issuer.

These unique solutions are intended to optimize performance of the cards or equipment and thus do not permit a more inclusive, generalized personalization process that accepts any card operating system and / or work with any personalization equipment.

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