(54) SMART CARD WITH INTEGRATED FINGERPRINT READER
(75) Inventor: Paul J. Baratelli, Wall, NJ (US)
(73) Assignee: AT&T Corp., New York, NY (US)
( * ) Notice: Subject to any disclaimer, the term of this patent is extended or adjusted under 35 U.S.C. 154(b) by 0 days.
(21) Appl. No.: 09/439,648
(22) Filed: Nov. 12, 1999
(51) Int. C I. G06K 5/00
(52) U.S. CI 235/380; 235/382; 902/3;
902/5
(58) Field of Search 235/380, 382,
235/487, 492; 902/3, 4, 5
(56) References Cited
U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
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OTHER PUBLICATIONS
Jose Luis Zoreda et al., Smart Cards, Arttech House, Inc., 1994, pp. 165-173.
* cited by examiner
Primary Examiner—Karl D. Freeh
Assistant Examiner—Daniel St. Cyr
(74) Attorney, Agent, or Firm—Pennie & Edmonds LLP
(57) ABSTRACT
The improved smart card of the present invention preferably comprises a CPU, memory, and a fingerprint reader including a sensing surface. Preferably, the sensing surface is located along a surface of the smart card so that a user's thumb is naturally positioned over the sensing surface when the card is inserted into a write/read unit or other suitable card reader. When an individual inserts the smart card into a write/read unit, the smart card creates an electrical representation of the individual's fingerprint and compares the acquired representation to a stored fingerprint representation in the card's memory. If the acquired representation matches the stored representation, the card is enabled, and the user is given access to information and/or services that require cooperation of the smart card.
14 Claims, 20 Drawing Sheets
