Card, System and Method for Securing User Identification Data

Many types of transaction cards (account cards, identification cards and the like) have been used by individuals to gain access to account files in a bank or similar institution, to gain access to secure areas, or to initiate some similar transaction enabling them to access otherwise restricted information stored in the institution. Not infrequently, the person using the card is not the person to whom the card was issued (i.e., not an authorized user of the card), but a person who has found, stolen, or manufactured (perhaps dupliated) the card with the intent to use it to defraud a bank or similar institution out of thousands, or perhaps even millions of dollars.

Heretofore, relevant information such as account number or code, employee number, social security number and the like, have been readily recorded or otherwise included on the card (i.e., embossed, magnetically or optically encoded on the card). A card of this type, and a system which utilizes such a card, are shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,862,716, entitled "Automatic Cash Dispenser and System and Method Therefor," issued Jan. 28, 1975 to Robert Black and Christopher Hall.

Because of the dire consequences (i.e., loss of thousands, even millions of dollars by banking and other institutions) that could be occasioned if the security of such a card-utilizing system is breached by an unauthorized card user, a more secure card and system which would make the probability of said breach more remote would not only be useful, but very desirable. What is needed, therefore, is a card (and a system for utilizing the card) which actively contributes to the security process, i.e., a card that aids the system in securing data entered into the system, rather than merely passively reproducing prerecorded data when read.

Thus, in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention, a card is provided having a plurality of optical fibers embedded in a substrate, one end of the fibers being disposed in a first pattern along one edge of the card to form a first port, and the other end of the fibers being disposed in a second pattern along another edge of the card to form a second port.

Also provided, is a method of producing said card, and a system which utilizes said card to improve user identification and transaction security. The system comprises an optical reader with light-emitting diode (LED) signal sources, and detectors, a keyboard unit, and a processor or logic unit (including circuits for driving the LED signal sources). Input data applied to the card, via the logic unit and the signal sources, are transformed by the card from a form consistent with the first pattern to a form consistent with the second pattern. The card, thus, actively serves to improve the security of the system and, hence, user identification and transaction security.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a card of the present invention, and of a card reader for reading said card.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the card of FIG. 1 in greater detail.

FIGS. 3A-3G are schematic diagrams of cards representing alternative embodiments of the card of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a combined schematic and block diagram of the card of FIG. 1 and of a system of the present invention, including the card reader of FIG. 1, for processing said card.

FIG. 5A is a schematic diagram of the card and card reader of FIG. 1 showing a selected data transformation operation.

FIG. 5B is a combined schematic and block diagram of the card and card reader of FIG. 5A, and of a selected algorithm for performing selected, irreversible data transformation operations.

Referring now to FIG. 1, there is shown a card 11 of the present invention. The card may be produced by moulding an opaque plastic material (such as opaque fiberglass reinforced nylon plastic, or Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene plastic, having an index of refraction which minimizes light diffusion therethrough) to form a non-light-conductive substrate portion 13, and interlaying or embedding into the substrate portion, while molten, a selected number of optical fibers 15 (e.g., coated plastic or glass fibers, five or less inches in length, having a selected index of refraction and light attenuation capabilities) such that only the ends of the fibers are visible at a surface of the substrate portion, i.e., only the ends of the fibers are visible at the front or rear surface or at selected edges of the card. Alternatively, the optical fibers may be laid out in a selected pattern in a mold cavity, after which the opaque plastic material is injected into the mold cavity forming a substrate surrounding and covering the fibers, and exposing only the ends thereof at a surface of the substrate. Each fiber is shown having two ends 17, 19, one group of ends 17 being disposed collectively along one edge of the card 11, forming an input port 21, the other group of ends 19 being disposed collectively along another edge of the card 11, forming an output port 23. The fibers 15 are oriented randomly in substrate 13 ends 19 at the output port 23 being positioned to form a pattern different from that formed by ends 17 located at the input port 21. As shown in FIG. 1, each input and output end 17, 19 is uniformly spaced along the edges of the card 11 so as to properly mate with corresponding light souces 25 and detectors (e.g., photo diodes) 27 of an optical card reader 29 when the card 11 is properly inserted into the reader 29. When properly inserted, light impulses from an LED of light source 25 is guided to a matching input end 17 (and is shielded from other input ends), and light from an output end 19 is guided to a matching detector 27 (and is shielded from other detectors).

In using the card 11 to initiate a transaction (e.g., to communicate a withdrawal or credit transaction to a computer system of a bank), the card-holder (user) first inserts the card 11 into optical card reader 29 of the system in a manner such that the input ends 17 become positioned directly under corresponding LED light sources 25, and the output ends 19 become positioned directly under corresponding detectors 27.

Data in the form of binary bits from a processor or logic unit 31 are applied via input lines 33 to LED light sources 25, a data bit of "1" causing a respective LED to be turned "on," and a data bit of "0" causing the LED to be turned "off." When card 11 is properly inserted into reader 29 and the LED light sources 25 are energized to "on" and "off" states corresponding to applied data bits as shown in FIG. 2, card 11, by virtue of the orientation of its optical fibers (i.e., by virtue of the way in which the fiber's end points are connected: A-C, B-B, C-G, D-D, E-E, F-A, G-H, H-F, as shown in FIG. 1), transforms or changes the pattern of the applied data bits to a different output pattern.

In general, for a card having N optical fibers embedded therein, where each fiber has an input end and an output end for receiving and outputing light impulses corresponding to N bits of data, as many as N factorial (N!) unique combinations (patterns) are possible. Even if only sixteen optical fibers were embedded in the card, however, as many as 16! (approximately twenty trillion) unique combinations would be possible, sufficient to provide each user with a unique card, i.e., a card with unique configuration of fibers.

Instead of optical fibers described above, it is understood that other types of conduits such as copper, aluminum, or other electrically conductive metal strands may be used. Where metal strands (wires) are used, they may be insulated prior to being embedded in the substrate. Also, the ends of the metal strands may be fabricated to form contact pads for capacitive coupling to or intimate contact with an electrical signal source (i.e., binary pulse signal source) at one edge of the card and an output signal sensor (detector) at another edge of the card.

Various alternative card configurations are shown in FIGS. 3A-G. FIG. 3A, for example, shows a card 11 having its fibers oriented such that the input and output ends of the fibers 15 form a two-dimensional input array and a two-dimensional output array, respectively, for greater flexibility in arrangement of matching signal sources and detectors (sensors). FIG. 3B shows another card configuration where the ends of the fibers 15 converge so as to register or mate with selected semiconductor LSI (large scale intergrated circuit) chips, for example, monolythic or hybrid intergrated arrays of light souces 35 and monolythic or hybrid intergated arrays of detectors 37. FIG. 3C also shows an alternative configuration of fiber endings mating with selected arrays of light sources and detectors. FIG. 3D shows a card configuration which employs a pair of lenses 39, 41 or other optical system, for convergingly or divergingly coupling light from light source array chip 35 to the input ends 17 of the fibers 15 of the card 11, and convergingly or divergingly coupling light from the output ends 19 of the fibers 15 to detector array chip 37.

Heretofore, card configurations have been described where the number of input or output ends of the fibers in the card matches the number of input sources or detectors. As shown in FIG. 3E, however, the number of input sources or detectors may be less than the number of input or output ends of the fibers. This provides additional randomness to the card's configuration and, hence, provides additional security in the use of the card, by having output signals produced by the card not only depend on the random pattern or orientation of the fibers in the card, but also depend on the geometrics of the input source array and the detector array.

Certain cards, such as that shown in FIG. 2, possess a repeatability (reversibility) feature, permitting input data applied to the input port of the card to be reproduced or repeated, by applying the output data back into the output port of the card. For example, if the output data bits shown in FIG. 2 were applied back into the output port of the card, the data bits produced at the input port of the card would match the data bits originally applied at that input port. FIG. 3F shows a card configuration which, optionally, eliminates this repeatability feature. As shown in FIG. 3F, a fiber may have no input ends and one or more output ends, or may have one or more input ends connected to no, one, or more than one output ends. Thus, if the output bit pattern "10010" is applied back into the output port of card 11 (FIG. 3F), the bit pattern that would be reproduced at the input end would be "00111," not "01101." (Such non-repeatability is always achievable whenever a "1" bit or "on" state is applied to each input end that is unconnected to an output end.)

In applications where data not directly related to security (e.g., institution address, account number, expiration date, etc.) are encoded on the card, for example, encoded on magnetic stripe as shown in FIG. 3G, the security feature of the card described above may be enhanced by such data, as described following.

In addition to the above-described cards, a system is provided, as shown in FIG. 4, with which the cards may be used to secure user-identification data entered into the system by a card holder or user. The system of FIG. 4 comprises a keyboard 43, a card reader 29 for reading a card 11, and a processor or logic unit 31 for storing and processing data entered via the card reader and keyboard, and producing therefrom a secure user identification code.

In response to card 11 being inserted into reader 29, logic unit 31 produces a card number (CN) identifying the card by applying a fixed, preselected input bit pattern (e.g., an eight-bit pattern of "10101010" to the LEDs 25 at the input port of reader 29, causing the LEDs to turn "on" and "off," corresponding to the input bit pattern. The "on" LEDs apply light impulses to corresponding (matching) optical fiber ends at the input port of the card, causing the fibers of the card to transform the "on-off" pattern of the applied light impulses and produce therefrom, at the output port of the card, an output pattern of light impulses different from the applied input pattern. The detectors 27 sense the output pattern of light impulses and produce a corresponding output bit pattern representing a unique card number (CN) identifying the card 11.

The card number (CN) is regarded as being sufficiently unique for purposes of securely identifying an institution's card users as described hereinbefore, because for a card having N fibers, each with one input and one output end, the probability would be small that another card would produce the same CN; this probability (P), it is believed, may be expressed as follows:

where N! represents the number of unique cards produceable (each card having a unique configuration of N fibers), and 2.sup.n represents the number of unique output bit patterns (CN) produceable by a fiber-embedded card having N output ends.

Thus, for a 16-bit card (i.e., a card having 16 fibers each with one input end and one output end), it is believed that the probability would be about 1/10.sup.8 that another card would produce the same CN in response to a preselected, fixed input bit pattern.

Optionally, to minimize the likelihood of a sophisticated thief discovering the structure (fiber orientation) of the card from the CN and from the fixed (preselected) input bit pattern, the CN may be modified (condensed to fewer bits, selected bits blanked or zeroed-out, etc.) so as to provide only incomplete information about the structure or pattern of the card.

In addition to producing a unique card number (CN), the system of FIG. 4 provides for entry of a user's secret code (a code or personal identification number known only to the user or person making the transaction) into the system. After inserting his card 11 into reader 29, the user enters his secret code into the system via keyboard 43. In response to the inserted card, logic unit 31, in conjunction with card 11 and card reader 29, produces a unique card number (CN) as described above, and stores the CN in buffer memory in the logic unit 31. Thereafter, upon entry of the user's secret code (Personal Identification Code, PIN), logic unit 31 applies both the CN and the PIN (sequentially, interdigitally, or in parallel) to card reader 29 and card 11, as shown in FIG. 5A. Card 11 transforms the applied data (PIN + CN) to an encrypted from (PIN + CN)' in a manner consistent with the orientation of its fibers. This transformed or encrypted data (PIN + CN)' is then transferred to a computer system of the institution (e.g., bank) where it is compared with pre-stored data for verifying the correctness of the transformed CN' and PIN' and, hence, the correctness of the entered PIN (user's secret code) and of the card (fiber pattern) used. Optionally, the transformed data (PIN + CN)'may be formatted by logic unit 31 prior to transfer to the computer system. Because the PIN' and CN' are transformed, knowledge of them (i.e., of the PIN' and the CN') could not be used to derive the PIN where the process is nonreversible, i.e., where a non-reversible card, such as that shown in FIG. 3F, is used, or where an irreversible algorithm is employed in the system, as shown in FIG. 5B.

In FIG. 5B, an irreversible algorithm unit 45 (such as encoding scheme described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,938,091, entitled "Personal Verification System" issued Feb. 10, 1976 to Martin M. Atalla and Alexander F. Liu or, for example, the National Bureau of Standards encryption-decryption integrated circuit chip commercially available from Motorola company) is included in the system for receiving the transformed (PIN + CN)' data and producing therefrom a user ID (identification) number. Irreversible algorithm unit 45, which may represent the institution's own ID or its computer system's ID, increases the security of the system by making the process of producing an ID number from a transformed (PIN + CN)', irreversible (i.e., making it impossible to reproduce the transformed (PIN +CN)' from the ID number, using unit 45). For added security, the transformed (PIN + CN) ' may be combined with the generated card number CN or with user account number or some other identification data, prior to its application to irreversible algorithm unit 45.

Thus, from the foregoing description of the optical-fiber card and system for utilizing said card, a unique method and means are presented for securing user identification data.