Identity card, information carrier and housing designed for its application

Abstract

An identity card comprises an easy-to-use, more specifically card-shaped, information carrier provided with an electronically readable memory capable of digitally storing personal user data, including data concerning the user's physical features. The information carrier is installed in and can be removed from an input unit of a housing of comfortable dimensions. The housing has been provided with reading equipment which is capable of reading the personal data stored in the memory of the information carrier. Moreover, the housing has been provided with a screen for representing the data read.

Description

[0001]Notice: More than one reissue application has been filed for the reissue of U.S. Pat. No. 6,382,506. The first reissue application is application Ser. No. 10 / 841,424. This reissue application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 10 / 841,424 filed May 7, 2004, which is now RE43,333.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]The present invention concerns an identity card comprising an easy-to-use, more specifically a card-shaped, information carrier provided with an electronically readable memory which is capable of digitally storing personal user data including the user's physical characteristics.[0003]At present, an identity card is usually a document issued by the government, such as a passport or a driving licence, or a proof of identity which is applied within a specific business environment or for a particular professional group. In all these cases, the identity card comprises a representation in the form of a passport photograph of a user in combination with the printed person...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0009]In this type of identity card the actual personal information and identification data are located in the memory of the information carrier. The identification data include. at least among others, the physical characteristics of a user, such as e.g. his picture, fingerprint, voice, iris etc. which are digitally stored in the memory. Provided that the appropriate equipment is available, a fully electronic comparison can be made with a digitised registration of the user by means of, for instance, a camera, a sensor (system) or another type of registration means which has been connected to an electronic identification system. To this end, the information carrier is removed from its housing and entered into reading equipment provided for in this identification system. In this way a fully automatic identification may take place in which the subjective interpretation of a controlling officer is avoided and the probability of mistakes related to this is eliminated. However, if this equipment is not available, e.g. in case of apprehension of the user on the street or in a country in which the infrastructure required for automatic identification is not up to standard, the housing of the identity card at least provides for the primary reading and representation means in order to be able. to at least establish the alleged identity of its user. In this way the invention provides for an identity card which is compatible with both modern, progressive identification methods and a more conventional method of identification.

[0014]In order to make it even more fraud-proof a further embodiment of the identity card according to the invention is characterised in that the information carrier is provided with one or more authenticity features, These authenticity features may for instance include characters punched through the card or other signs in the information carrier, and, for instance, a hologram on the card. In this way the genuineness of the identity card can be guaranteed even more and abuse can be combated.

[0015]A comparison of physical characteristics which are registered on site and stored in the information carrier of the identity card can be carried out in a fully electronic and automatic manner. In view of this a special embodiment of the identity card according to the invention is characterised in that the information carrier includes a central processing unit which has been provided with means for electric data transfer with a terminal unit of an identification system, and in that the central processing unit, which is fed with an effective programming code from the memory, is capable of comparing the stored external characteristics of the user with the external characteristics of the user registered on site. This type of identity card itself contains the processing unit required for the comparison to be carried out, and arithmetical ability, so that the identification system does no have to provide for this. The identification system will then only comprise registration means in order to incorporate specific physical characteristics of a user of the identity card, which registration means are linked up to the above-mentioned terminal unit from which the recorded data can be read by the processing unit of the identity card and subsequently, can be compared with the stored data in the identity card itself. This does not only simplify the infrastructure required al the check point location, but is also beneficial to the processing speed if various checks which otherwise possibly were to be managed by one processing unit only, are now executed in a parallel manner.

[0016]In order to avoid error messages as a result of external changes of the user as well as to enhance the processing speed of the comparison referred to above, a preferred embodiment of the identity card according to the present invention is characterised in that the personal data comprise the user's physical characteristics in parameters. Storage in parameters does not in the first place involve a picture of the user, but rather characteristic features like e.g. the eye to eye distance, the angles enclosed between eyes and nose or mouth, etc. Obviously, these external parameters of the user are less. subject to changes than e.g. wearing spectacles, beard and hair growth or the presence of make up, enabling a more reliable comparison.

[0018]In order to protect the privacy and also in order to avoid forgery and falsification, the various data in the information carrier's memory are preferably stored in encrypted form. The data are thus protected against access by third parties and encryption by means of present-day encryption techniques may be also executed in such a complicated manner chat falsification or forgery of identity proof is almost impossible without specific knowledge of the applied key. Moreover, the data are preferably protected by means of at unique access code. Only the rightful user of the identity card knows this unique access code, e.g. in the form of a personal identification number (PIN), which makes it impossible for a subsequent holder to use the identity card and read the data with out knowledge of the access code.

Problems solved by technology

However, this type of identity card has the disadvantage of being susceptible to fraud After all, the picture on the photo is the only indication that the data on the card belong to its user.

In addition, this regular type of identity cards are to a varying degree susceptible to forgery, as well as to loss and theft.

Although this means of identification in itself is highly reliable and fraud-proof, nevertheless a disadvantage lies in the fact that the implementation. requires relatively advanced and specifically suited equipment which will not be generally available everywhere.

This makes this type of identity card only suitable for a closed circuit of users, e.g. a specific professional group or employees / co-workers within a particular business environment or (government) institution.

This type of identity card, however, is less suitable as a travelling document because, for instance, it leaves no room for making notes, such as is required for visa, and, moreover, because the required equipment will not be available world-wide.

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