Structure and method for mobile registration of biometrically enabled smart cards - Patents.com

Abstract

A structure for aligning a biometrically enabled smart card with respect to a smartphone during biometric enrollment of the smart card, the structure comprising a smart card area for receiving the smart card and a guide for aligning the structure in a predetermined position with respect to the smartphone, the alignment structure being configured such that when the smart card is received within the smart card area and the structure is aligned in the predetermined position with respect to the smartphone, the smart card is positioned near a near field wireless communication antenna of the smartphone and the smart card receives power from the antenna.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a structure and corresponding enrollment system and several methods for aligning a biometrically enabled smart card with respect to a smartphone during biometric enrollment of the smart card. [Background technology]

[0002] Biometric enabled devices such as smart cards are becoming more and more widely used and include, for example, access cards, credit cards, debit cards, pre-paid cards, loyalty cards, ID cards, etc. Smart cards are electronic cards that have the ability to store data and interact with users and / or external devices via contactless technology such as near field communication (NFC). These smart cards can interact with a reader to communicate information to enable access or authorize a transaction.

[0003] Biometric authentication, such as fingerprint authentication, is becoming increasingly widespread. Smart cards with full on-board biometric authentication are called Biometric System-on-Card (BSoC) and can interact with the user via an integrated biometric capture device (e.g. a fingerprint sensor) to enable access to the secure features of the smart card, for example to authorize a financial transaction.

[0004] Biometric enabled smart cards need to complete an enrollment process (e.g., capture and enroll a user's fingerprint) before they can be used. During enrollment, it is desirable to use a biometric capture device integrated into the smart card. This avoids the need for potentially insecure transmission of biometric data over a network, and instead allows the biometric data to be securely retained on the smart card without the need for external storage or transmission. It also improves the accuracy of the biometric identity verification process, since the exact same capture device is used for enrollment as is used for subsequent authentication by matching the currently captured user's biometric data against previously stored biometric reference data. Such a process requires that the smart card is powered.

[0005] For smart cards that do not have an on-board power source, power may be provided to the card for use during the registration process via a passive registration device / sleeve having an internal battery configured to provide power to the smart card via an electrical connection, as disclosed in WO2020 / 002678(A1). Alternatively, power may be provided to the smart card via a wired connection to an external power source, such as power drawn via a connection to an ISO / IEC 7816 contact plate on the smart card, or a connection to a dedicated interface device that connects contactlessly, for example using an ISO / IEC 14443-3 interface. However, there are technical constraints from the external power source associated with the current drawn via this approach, as well as difficulties in handling large amounts of power on the smart card itself. Summary of the Invention [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] According to a first aspect, the present invention provides a structure for aligning a biometrically enabled smart card with respect to a smartphone during biometric enrolment of the smart card, the structure comprising a smart card area for receiving the smart card and a guide for aligning the structure in a predetermined position with respect to the smartphone, the alignment structure being configured such that when the smart card is received within the smart card area and the structure is aligned in the predetermined position with respect to the smartphone, the smart card is positioned in proximity to a near field communication antenna of the smartphone and the smart card receives power from the antenna.

[0007] It is advantageous to use a smartphone (e.g. belonging to the cardholder) to power the smart card via a Near Field Communication (NFC) antenna during registration, as this does not require any additional hardware. In this way, a wireless connection is utilized and power is harvested using the smart card's antenna via contactless coupling with the smartphone's NFC antenna. Many modern smartphones are equipped with an NFC antenna suitable for this purpose.

[0008] Mobile registration also gives users the flexibility to register at home or on the go. However, one challenge with using smartphones for mobile registration is that the NFC field from many smartphones is only sufficient to power the registration smart card in a specific location, making it difficult for users to identify the smart card and hold it steadily in a suitable position next to the phone.

[0009] These issues can result in low success rates for mobile registration and can make mobile registration frustrating and time-consuming for users.

[0010] The structure according to at least some embodiments of the present invention assists the user during the registration process to guide the positioning of the smart card during registration; - Enough and stable energy supply to the card during registration, - Stable communication and Allows for good ergonomics and the ability to provide biometric authentication functionality.

[0011] The structure can be manufactured, shipped, and disposed of at low cost. It significantly improves the user experience and success rate of mobile enrollment of biometric cards. The structure may avoid shipping sleeves or similar disposable devices with their associated additional costs and environmental footprint.

[0012] The structure may be configured such that a predetermined location ensures that optimal and stable power is provided from the smartphone antenna to the smart card. The predetermined location may not necessarily provide maximum overlap between the smart card (or the smart card's antenna) and the smartphone's antenna, but may be determined to provide the best energy transfer and communication stability between the smartphone and the smart card.

[0013] It will be understood that when discussing "optimum" power and "best" energy transfer, this should be interpreted as the optimum power / energy within the specific constraints of the smart card biometric enrollment. For example, positioning may be limited in that the smart card and structure must be flat against the phone surface in order for the user to perform the alignment.

[0014] The smart card area may be defined by a cutout in the structure, which may be configured to hold the smart card in place, e.g., mechanically. The smart card may be held at a portion of its perimeter by an edge of the structure at the cutout. The smart card may be held with a friction fit. Alternatively, or in addition, the smart card may be held in place by a tab or cover over the smart card area. In other embodiments, the smart card area may include an adhesive to hold the smart card in place.

[0015] Part or all of the smart card may be disposed within the smart card area. For example, the smart card area may be configured such that a smart card received within the smart card area extends beyond an edge of the structure and / or smartphone.

[0016] The smart card area may have a back surface upon which the smart card may be configured to rest.

[0017] The structure may include a folding structure. The folding structure may be held in the folded position by an adhesive. The adhesive may include adhesive dots, such as glue dots. When the structure includes a folding structure, the smart card may be held in place by the folding structure. For example, the structure may be configured such that a smart card is receivable in the smart card area before the structure is folded, and when the structure is folded, the smart card is held between two portions of the folding structure.

[0018] The smart card region may include ferromagnetic or magnetically permeable or reflective elements that may be configured to improve near field wireless communication in its vicinity, and in particular to improve near field wireless communication between a smart card disposed in the smart card region and a smartphone with which the structure is aligned.

[0019] The elements may include ferrite and / or mu-metal materials. Ferrite is a material that consists of a major proportion of iron(III) oxide (FeO) compounded with minor proportions of one or more additional metallic elements such as strontium, barium, manganese, nickel, and zinc. 2 O 3 Mu-metal is a ceramic material made by mixing and firing nickel, tantalum, and tantalum alloys (rust, iron, nickel alloy). It is ferromagnetic, that is, it can be magnetized or attracted to a magnet. Mu-metal material is a nickel-iron soft ferromagnetic alloy that has a very high magnetic permeability. Mu-metal typically has a relative permeability value of 80,000 to 100,000.

[0020] The element may be in the form of a coating, such as a foil layer, which may be present over some or all of the smart card area.

[0021] The guide may include an edge of the structure and / or one or more alignment marks configured to align the structure with an edge of the smartphone. For example, during registration, the user may align two adjacent edges of the structure with two edges of the smartphone. Alternatively, or in addition, the user may align the alignment marks with a particular edge or edges of the smartphone. The alignment marks may include visual indicators, such as arrows and / or text, for example, instructing the user to align a particular edge of the structure with the smartphone.

[0022] The structures may be formed from paper-based materials such as corrugated cardboard, card stock, paperboard, paper, etc. This makes them inexpensive to manufacture and easy to recycle.

[0023] A structure may include a first guide for (i.e., for use in the registration method for) a first smartphone model or smartphone model family and a second guide for a second smartphone model or smartphone model family. In this way, a single structure may be suitable for a range of smartphone models. A structure may include any number of guides for use with any number of smartphone models.

[0024] The structure may be configured to allow selection of which of the guides are exposed for use by removing a portion of the structure. For example, two (or any number) guides may be provided as part of a single structure, one guide surrounding another on a portion of the structure. Perforations may be present in the structure to remove a surrounding portion of the structure to expose the inner guide. Alternatively, a single structure may include multiple guides that can be used without modification to the structure.

[0025] The alignment structure may be configured to enable the smartphone to communicate with the smart card via the antenna when the smart card is received within the smart card area.

[0026] According to a second aspect, the present invention provides a system for biometric enrolment of a biometrically enabled smart card, the system comprising an arrangement according to the first aspect (including any of the optional features described herein), a biometrically enabled smart card and a smartphone, wherein the smart card does not include a power source.

[0027] The smart card may have a size conforming to an ID-1 card (compliant with ISO / IEC 7810). In particular, the smart card may have a size of 85.60 mm (+0.12 mm / -0.13 mm) by 53.98 mm (+0.05 mm / -0.06 mm), rounded corners with a radius of 2.88 to 3.48 mm, and a thickness of 0.76 (+0.08 mm / -0.08 mm). The smart card may more generally have a size of approximately 86 by 54 millimeters.

[0028] The smart card may receive power from the smartphone and / or include an NFC antenna for communicating with the smartphone.

[0029] The smart card may be equipped with an antenna and may be configured to communicate via a wireless / contactless communication protocol, such as ISO / IEC 14443-3. The smart card may be configured to communicate with a smartphone via such a protocol. The smart card may include a smart card chip.

[0030] The smart card may include an on-board biometric capture device, which may be a fingerprint sensor. Enrollment of the smart card may be performed using the biometric capture device of the smart card, and the smart card may be biometrically enabled using the biometric capture device.

[0031] In addition to powering the smart card via NFC, the smartphone can also send commands to the smart card for registration and / or receive data from the smart card and / or guide the user with feedback via its built-in display.

[0032] According to a third aspect, the present invention provides a method of enrolling a biometrically enabled smart card, the method comprising: placing the smart card within a smart card area of ​​a structure according to the first aspect (including any of the optional features described herein); aligning the structure with a smartphone using a guide; and supplying power from the smartphone to the smart card via the smartphone's near field communication antenna.

[0033] The smart card and structure may be placed on top or bottom of the smartphone, which may depend on the location of the smartphone's NFC antenna. For example, if the smartphone's NFC antenna is located close to the back of the phone, the smart card and structure may be placed under the smartphone to be closer to the NFC antenna and improve signal strength. This helps provide optimal and stable power to the smart card during enrollment. As mentioned above, when discussing "optimum" energy, it will be understood that this should be interpreted as optimal energy within the specific constraints of the enrollment method. For example, the location may be limited in that the smart card and structure must be flat against the phone surface and / or the biometric capture device of the smart card must be accessible and / or the smart card may be roughly aligned with the smartphone's orientation or edge for the user to perform the alignment.

[0034] The method may include instructing the user, via on-screen instructions on the smartphone, how to align the guide of the structure with respect to the smartphone. The method may include instructing the user, via on-screen instructions on the smartphone, to adjust the alignment of the structure with respect to the smartphone. This fine-tuning may help improve power delivery from the smartphone to the smart card.

[0035] The method may include determining a signal strength of near field wireless communication between a smartphone and a smart card, and instructing a user to adjust alignment based on the determined signal strength. The signal strength may be determined by measurements from the smartphone. The signal strength determination and adjustment may be performed in real time and / or may be iterative. The user may be instructed via instructions displayed on a screen of the smartphone.

[0036] The method may include a user presenting a biometric identifier, such as a fingerprint, to a biometric capture device of a smart card, acquiring biometric probe data using the biometric capture device of the smart card, generating biometric reference data from the biometric probe data, and storing the biometric reference data on the smart card. The biometric capture device may be a fingerprint sensor, the biometric probe data may be a fingerprint image, and the biometric reference data may be fingerprint reference data based on the fingerprint image.

[0037] The method may include presenting registration instructions to the user. The registration instructions may be presented on a screen of the smartphone and / or on the structure itself. For example, the instructions may be printed on a surface of the structure.

[0038] Aligning the structure with respect to the smartphone may be performed by aligning an edge of the structure with an edge of the smartphone.

[0039] The method may include aligning the structure with respect to the smartphone, acquiring a first biometric identifier of the user (e.g., their right thumb), changing the orientation of one or more of the phone, the structure, and the smart card, realigning the structure with respect to the smartphone, and acquiring a second biometric identifier of the user (e.g., their left thumb). The first and second biometric identifiers may be presented to the user by the smartphone (e.g., "Place your right thumb on the sensor of the card"). The realignment of the structure with respect to the smartphone may be performed using a second guide of the structure. For example, the realignment may be performed by aligning a second, different guide of the structure with the same or a different edge(s) of the smartphone. Alternatively, the realignment may be performed by aligning a first guide of the structure with a different edge(s) of the smartphone. This orientation change and realignment may facilitate acquiring fingerprint images of different fingers (particularly fingers of different hands).

[0040] According to a fourth aspect, the present invention provides a method comprising identifying a smartphone to be used to provide power to a biometrically enabled smart card during enrolment; identifying a position for the smart card relative to the smartphone such that the smart card is positioned in proximity to a near field communication antenna of the smartphone so that the smart card can receive power from the antenna; and creating a design of a structure having a guide for aligning the structure with the smartphone and a smart card area for receiving the smart card, wherein the smart card area and guide are such that when the smart card is received by the smart card area and the structure is aligned with the smartphone according to the guide, the smart card is positioned in the identified position relative to the smartphone.

[0041] The structure may be a structure according to the first aspect, including any of the optional features described herein.

[0042] Identifying a location for the smart card may include identifying a location for substantially optimal near field communication between the smart card and the smartphone. As previously discussed, optimal near field communication should be interpreted as optimal energy within the particular constraints of the enrollment method. For example, the location may be limited in that the smart card and structure must be flat against the phone surface and / or the biometric capture device of the smart card must be accessible and / or the smart card may be roughly aligned with the orientation of the phone or an edge of the phone in order for the user to perform the alignment. Optimal near field communication may include a minimum threshold power to be provided from the smartphone to the smart card during enrollment.

[0043] The determined location of the smart card may be substantially the location for optimal near field wireless communication, or within 1 cm or 0.5 cm of such a location.

[0044] The predetermined position of the structure with respect to the smartphone in the first embodiment may similarly be defined as a position for substantially optimal short-range wireless communication.

[0045] The method may include manufacturing a structure having a guide and a smart card area according to the design.

[0046] According to a fifth aspect, the present invention provides a method comprising identifying a model of a user's smartphone and selecting a structure for aligning a biometrically enabled smart card with the identified smartphone model during biometric enrolment of the smart card, the structure being a structure according to the first aspect (including any of the optional features described herein), and sending the selected structure to the user.

[0047] The structure may be sent to a user via the mail. Thus, the structure may be configured to be delivered to an end user by a postal delivery service. In particular, the structure may fit within the shape and size of a typical letter. For example, the structure may have dimensions of less than 24 cm x 16 cm x 5 mm.

[0048] The design may include a sleeve compartment that can be left unpopulated if the cardholder indicates that they own a smartphone suitable for mobile registration and are willing to use it for this purpose, thus saving on the cost of sleeve hardware and avoiding disposal of the sleeve hardware and its battery.

[0049] The method may include sending the structure to the user along with a biometrically enabled smart card to be registered. For delivery purposes, the smart card may be attached within the smart card area.

[0050] The method may include receiving a request to send a biometrically enabled smart card to a user, the request may include an indication of a model of smartphone owned by the user. The request may be sent from the user or from their bank or other card provider. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0051] Certain preferred embodiments of the invention will now be described in more detail, by way of example only, and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a plan view of a structure for aligning a biometrically enabled smart card with respect to a smartphone during biometric enrollment of the smart card. [Figure 1a] FIG. 13 is a plan view of another structure for aligning a biometrically enabled smart card with respect to a smartphone during biometric enrollment of the smart card. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a second plan view of the structure shown in FIG. 1 with the structure folded. [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a system for biometric enrollment of a biometric enabled smart card. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a plan view of the system of FIG. 3 during the registration process. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of another system for biometric enrollment of a biometric enabled smart card. [Figure 6] 6 shows two plan views of the system of FIG. 5 during two different stages of the registration process. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a plan view of a carrier comprising a number of structures for aligning a biometrically enabled smart card with respect to a smartphone during biometric enrollment of the smart card. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0052] 1 shows a carrier 20 made from a card and equipped with a structure 21 for aligning a biometrically enabled smart card 10 with respect to a smartphone during biometric enrollment of the smart card 10. The structure 21 is separable from the carrier 20 at an edge of the structure 21 by a perforation in the card.

[0053] Structure 21 comprises a smart card area 22 for receiving smart card 10, smart card area 22 comprising a foil coating 23. Foil coating 23 is made from a ferrite or mu-metal material and is configured to improve near field communication (NFC) efficiency in its vicinity. In structure 21 shown in FIG. 1, smart card area 22 is large enough to hold the entire smart card 10, as it extends to the right side of the smartphone (when the structure is aligned with the smartphone).

[0054] Structure 21 also includes attachment points 24 for holding structure 21 in a folded configuration (as described in more detail below with reference to FIG. 2).

[0055] The smart card 10 has the form factor of an ID-1 card (see ISO / IEC 7810) and therefore has nominal dimensions of 85.60 x 53.98 x 0.76 mm (plus or minus tolerances) and rounded corners with a radius of 2.88 to 3.48 mm.

[0056] The smart card 10 comprises a contact plate 11 (see ISO / IEC 7816-1, -2) and an NFC antenna 13 arranged to communicate via a contactless protocol, such as ISO / IEC 1443-3.

[0057] Smart card 10 also includes a biometric capture device in the form of a fingerprint sensor 12 that is configured to be used to capture fingerprint data during enrolment of a user on smart card 10 and during subsequent biometric authentication of the user by smart card 10.

[0058] In use, structure 21 is folded along the center dashed line to form the structure as shown in Figure 2. The cutout shown on the left side of structure 21 in Figure 1 results in a smart card area 22 that is partially surrounded (on three sides) by the edge of the card when structure 21 is folded. This edge helps hold smart card 10 in place within smart card area 22 during the registration process.

[0059] FIG. 1a shows an alternative card carrier 20 comprising a structure 21 for aligning a biometrically enabled smart card 10 with respect to a smartphone during biometric enrolment of the smart card 10. This structure 21 is similar to the structure 21 shown in FIG. 1, with like reference numbers indicating identical features. However, the structure 21 shown in FIG. 2 has a smart card area 22a that is configured to hold only a portion of the smart card 10, as the smart card area 22a does not extend to the right side of the structure 21. It will be appreciated that such a configuration may still hold a smart card 10 securely, given that when the structure 21 is folded, it is still partially surrounded on three edges by the edges of the smart card 10.

[0060] Figure 2 shows structure 31 (identical to that shown in Figure 1) after it has been folded for use in the registration process. Here it can be seen that the front of the structure is provided with some guide indicia 32 in the form of arrows and text that show the user how to align structure 31 with the smartphone during registration. In the configuration shown, structure 31 is aligned along its bottom and right guide edges with the bottom and right guide edges of the smartphone, as indicated by the arrows.

[0061] The guides of structure 31 (i.e., guide indicia 32 and guide edges) may take other forms, for example, guide indicia 32 may be omitted and the guides are thus simply guide edges of structure 31. Alternatively, or in addition, one or more guide windows may be formed in structure 31 and instructions may be given to the user informing the user to align the guide edges and / or guide windows of structure 31 with particular edges or other features of the smartphone.

[0062] Figure 3 shows the structure 31 of Figure 2 and smart card 10 as part of a system for biometric enrolment of smart card 10. The system comprises a smartphone 40 having a near field communication antenna 41 located towards the rear of the smartphone 40.

[0063] 4, in use during the registration process, smart card 10 is placed within smart card area 22 of structure 31 as previously described. Structure 31 is then placed behind and in contact with the back surface of smartphone 51, following guides 32 and aligning with the bottom and right edges of smartphone 51.

[0064] The smartphone 51 detects the presence of the smart card 10 and the registration process is guided by an application 53 on the smartphone 51. In this aligned position, the smartphone 51 provides power to the smart card 10 via the NFC antenna 52 for registration.

[0065] The smartphone 51 is configured to detect whether the position of the smart card 10 relative to the NFC antenna 52 is suboptimal, for example whether not enough power is being supplied to the smart card 10 for registration. If so, the application 53 guides the user in adjusting the position of the structure 31 and the smart card 10 accordingly. Such guidance is based on signal strength measurements of the power supplied by the smartphone 51 to the smart card 10 and is dynamic in real time.

[0066] Once smart card 10 is in a position where it can receive sufficient and stable power for enrollment, application 53 guides the user through the enrollment process, which includes the user presenting a finger to fingerprint sensor 12 of smart card 10, capturing one or more fingerprint images using fingerprint sensor 12 of smart card 10, generating biometric reference data based on the captured fingerprint images within a sensor, MCU, or secure element of smart card 10, and storing the biometric reference data on smart card 10.

[0067] Another system for enrolment is shown in Figure 5. This system comprises a smart card 60 with an NFC antenna 71 and a smartphone 70, the same as those of Figures 2-4, but utilises a different structure 61 for aligning the smart card 60 with respect to the smartphone 70 during biometric enrolment of the smart card 60.

[0068] In this system, structure 61 includes guides on both the top and bottom of structure 61, each including a guide indicia and a guide edge. The guide on the top of structure 61 is for registering a fingerprint when structure 61 is in a first orientation relative to smartphone 70, and the guide on the bottom of structure 61 is for aligning structure 61 with smartphone 70 when structure 61 is in a second orientation.

[0069] The guide indicia are arrows and text indicating the edge that will align with smartphone 70. The structure is symmetrical in that the guides at the top and bottom of the structure are equidistant from the center of structure 61 (and card 60). Because of this symmetry, the structure can be aligned with the edge of a smartphone along either the top or bottom guide edge of structure 61 depending on the orientation of structure 61.

[0070] This structure 61 can therefore be used in a registration process that involves aligning with an edge of a smartphone 70 before a first scanning sequence for registration, changing the orientation of the structure 61 (and therefore of the smart card 60) relative to the smartphone 70, and then realigning with the same edge of the smartphone before a second scanning sequence for registration, as will be explained in more detail with reference to Figure 6.

[0071] 6 shows (on the left side of the figure) how smartphone 83 and smart card 82 are positioned to enroll a first finger with smart card 10 extending to the left side of the smartphone, for example to enroll a left thumb on the left hand side. In this setup, the guide at the bottom of structure 61 (shown in FIG. 5) is aligned with the bottom edge of smartphone 83. In this setup, a user can hold smartphone 83 with aligned structure 61 and smart card 82 in their right hand while scanning the fingers or thumb of their left hand.

[0072] The right side of Fig. 6 shows how the smartphone 83 and smart card 82 can be repositioned and realigned, with the smart card 80 then extending to the right side of the smartphone 81 to enroll a second finger, e.g., the thumb of the right hand. In this setup, the structure 61 and therewith the smart card 80 are rotated 180° about an axis perpendicular to the plane of the structure 61, and the guide at the top of the structure of Fig. 5 is aligned with the bottom of the smartphone 81. In this setup, the user can hold the smartphone 81 with the realigned structure 61 and smart card 80 in the left hand while scanning the fingers or thumb of the right hand.

[0073] The structures described herein can be provided in different variations for different mobile phones having different dimensions, antenna locations, and optimal locations of the smart card relative to the smartphone.

[0074] As shown in Figure 7, to accommodate multiple models of mobile phones at once, a single card structure 90 provides multiple pre-cut guides, each for a different phone model or family, and each marked accordingly with a phone model indicator 91 for the phone group or family. The structure 90 is provided with perforations (along the dashed lines shown in Figure 7) between the various guides to allow selection of the particular guide to be exposed for use. This selection is accomplished by tearing along the perforations to remove the portion of the structure 90 associated with the surrounding guide or guides not being used.

[0075] To design and manufacture the structures described herein, the following method may be utilized.

[0076] First, the structural designer identifies the particular smartphone that will be used to provide power to the biometric enabled smart card during enrollment.

[0077] Next, the structural designer identifies a location for the smart card relative to the smartphone such that the smart card is located in close proximity to the smartphone's near field communication antenna so that the smart card can receive power from the antenna.

[0078] The position may be determined in any suitable manner.

[0079] In some embodiments, the location may be determined analytically based on knowledge of the location and configuration of the smartphone's NFC antenna, for example, the location may be determined simply by determining the location where the smart card is closest to the NFC antenna.

[0080] Alternatively, or in addition, the location may be determined by experimentation. This experimentation may include testing different possible locations to determine which location provides sufficient and / or maximum power to the smart card. In a simple implementation, this may involve simply placing the smart card in different locations relative to the smart card to determine where sufficient power is received. In a more complex implementation, the smart card (or a test tool configured to emulate the smart card) may provide feedback to either the smartphone or another test device indicating the degree of power received from the smartphone to determine which location provides sufficient and / or maximum power from the smartphone.

[0081] Once the location of the smart card is determined, the structure designer creates a blueprint of the structure. The structure has guides for aligning the structure with respect to the smartphone, such as the guide indicia and / or guide edges described above, and a smart card area for receiving the smart card. The smart card area and guides are designed such that when the smart card is received by the smart card area and the structure is aligned with the smartphone according to the guides, the smart card is located in a specified position relative to the smartphone.

[0082] The design may be a folding design as discussed above with reference to FIGS.

[0083] A structural designer may determine suitable locations for different smartphone models, and may therefore create a structural design with different guides for the different models, such as that shown in FIG.

[0084] Once the design is complete, one or more structures may be manufactured according to the design. Any suitable manufacturing method may be used. For example, manufacturing may include a printing process to apply guide indicia to a piece of card, and a punching process to cut the guide from the piece of card and also form the perforations.

[0085] A smart card issuing authority may be provided with several different configurations suitable for use with several different models of smartphones.

[0086] When a smart card issuing institution receives a request to issue a smart card to a user, either from a bank, from a user, or due to an internal workflow, the smart card issuing institution first identifies the model of smartphone the user owns, which may be determined based on the content of the request, may be retrieved from a database, or may be requested either from the user or from the request issuer.

[0087] The smart card issuing institution then selects a suitable configuration from among a number of different configurations that corresponds to the identified smartphone model. The selected configuration is then sent to the user together with the smart card, for example by mail. This process may be handled by a dedicated personalization office, a fulfillment center, or other entity different from the issuing institution.

[0088] In some embodiments, the smart card may be attached to the structure prior to delivery to the user, for example, the smart card may be affixed by adhesive to a smart card area of ​​the structure.

Claims

1. 1. A structure for aligning a biometrically enabled smart card with respect to a smartphone during biometric enrollment of the smart card, the structure comprising: a smart card area for receiving said smart card; a guide for aligning the structure in a predetermined position relative to the smartphone; The alignment structure is configured such that when the smart card is received within the smart card area and the structure is aligned in the predetermined position with respect to the smartphone, the smart card is positioned in proximity to a near field communication antenna of the smartphone and the smart card receives power from the antenna.

2. 10. The structure of claim 1, wherein the smart card area is defined by a cutout in the structure, the cutout configured to hold the smart card.

3. The structure of claim 1 or 2, wherein the structure comprises a folding template structure.

4. 3. The structure of claim 1 or 2, wherein the smart card area comprises a ferromagnetic, magnetically permeable, or magnetically reflective element.

5. The structure of claim 4 , wherein the elements comprise ferrite and / or mu-metal materials.

6. 3. The structure of claim 1, wherein the guide comprises an edge of the structure and / or one or more alignment marks, the edge of the structure and / or one or more alignment marks configured to align the structure with an edge of the smartphone.

7. 3. The structure of claim 1 or 2, wherein the structure is formed from a paper-based material.

8. 3. The structure of claim 1 or 2, comprising a first guide for a telephone of a first telephone model or family of telephones and a second guide for a second telephone model or family of telephones.

9. 9. The structure of claim 8, wherein the structure is configured to allow selection of which of the first guide and the second guide is exposed for use by removing a portion of the structure.

10. 1. A system for biometric enrollment of a biometric enabled smart card, the system comprising: A structure according to claim 1 or 2; a biometrically enabled smart card; A system comprising: a smartphone; and the smart card does not have a power source.

11. 11. The system of claim 10, wherein the smart card has a size of approximately 86 x 54 millimeters, the smart card including an antenna and configured to communicate via a contactless communication protocol.

12. 11. The system of claim 10, wherein the smart card comprises a fingerprint sensor, wherein enrollment of the smart card can be performed using the fingerprint sensor, and wherein the smart card is biometrically authenticated using the fingerprint sensor.

13. 1. A method of enrolling a biometric smart card, the method comprising: placing a smart card within the smart card area of the structure of claim 1 or 2; aligning the structure with respect to the smartphone using the guide; and and providing power from the smartphone to the smart card via a near field communication antenna of the smartphone.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the smart card and structure are both located above the smartphone or both located below the smartphone.

15. The method of claim 13 , comprising prompting a user to adjust the alignment of the structure with respect to the smartphone via on-screen instructions on the smartphone.

16. 16. The method of claim 15, comprising determining a signal strength of near field communication between the smartphone and the smart card, and prompting the user to adjust the alignment based on the determined signal strength.

17. a user presenting a finger to a fingerprint sensor on said smart card; acquiring a fingerprint image using the fingerprint sensor of the smart card; generating biometric reference data from the captured fingerprint image; and storing the reference data on the smart card.

18. The method of claim 13 , wherein the aligning of the structure with respect to the smartphone is performed by aligning an edge of the structure with an edge of the smartphone.

19. aligning the structure with respect to the smartphone; enrolling a first finger of a user on the smart card; changing the orientation of the phone, the structure, or the smart card; realigning the structure with respect to the smartphone; and enrolling a second finger of the user on the smart card.

20. 1. A method comprising: Identifying a smartphone used to power the biometrically enabled smart card during enrollment; identifying a location for the smart card relative to the smartphone such that the smart card is positioned proximate to a near field communication antenna of the smartphone such that the smart card can receive power from the antenna; creating a design of the structure having guides for aligning the structure with the smartphone and a smart card area for receiving the smart card; The smart card area and guide are configured such that when the smart card is received by the smart card area and the structure is aligned with respect to the smartphone according to the guide, the smart card is positioned at the specified position relative to the smartphone.

21. 21. The method of claim 20, wherein the identifying a location for the smart card includes identifying a location for substantially optimal near field wireless communication between the smart card and the smartphone.

22. The method comprises:

22. The method of claim 20 or 21, comprising manufacturing a structure having a guide and a smart card area according to the blueprint.

23. 1. A method comprising: Identifying the model of the user's smartphone; selecting a structure for aligning a biometrically enabled smart card with the identified smartphone model during biometric enrollment of the smart card, the structure being a structure according to claim 1 or 2; sending the selected structure to the user.

24. 24. The method of claim 23, including sending the structure to the user along with a biometrically enabled smart card to be enrolled.

25. 24. The method of claim 23, further comprising receiving a request to send a biometrically enabled smart card to a user, the request including an indication of the model of smartphone owned by the user.

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