FR2812148A1 - Digital transmission unit with SIM card identification/access control having transmitter/receiver and user physical characteristics unit with coder and processor analysing characteristic output. - Google Patents

Abstract

The identification and access system has a transmitter receiver (10) and a user physical characteristics unit (6) with a coder (71). A processor (1) determines the application characteristics from the characteristics unit and coder.

Description

A terminal of a data transmission network has circuits

  to control its use, such as a card reader

  SIM chip. However, such a card can be stolen with the terminal.

  To reinforce the control of the use of the terminal, it is known to provide circuits for identifying its user by entering and recognizing a physical characteristic of the latter, for example

  the image of his fingerprints.

  In addition to a physical characteristic sensor, coding circuits are provided, which extract from the captured image the relative positions of characteristic points and provide a set of data corresponding to an identification comparator for access to the telephone network, having in

stores valid data.

  However, the Applicant has observed that such a terminal is often used to process various applications requiring the identification of the user of the terminal.

  The invention aims to simplify the production of such terminals.

  To this end, the invention relates first of all to a data transmission terminal comprising transmission-reception means, means for entering the physical characteristics of a user, associated with means for coding the characteristics entered in data. identification, and comprising means for processing a given application, characterized in that the coding means are connected to said

means of emission.

  The Applicant therefore had the idea of extending the use of the above identification circuits, which were reserved for the sole control of access to the terminal, to use in various applications provided in the terminal. The coded data can therefore be transmitted to a server for recognizing the characteristics entered and for validating the

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  applications. The terminal does not require any memory for

reference characteristics.

  Advantageously, the processing means manage the telephone operation of the terminal. We can thus authorize a plurality of people to use the terminal and

  centrally control this use.

  Advantageously also, the processing means manage data from a computer application, data exchanged across the network.

with remote equipment.

  The coded identification data can possibly be encrypted,

for a financial transaction.

  The invention also relates to a method of implementation, by a user, of an application of a data transmission terminal, method in which - the terminal is connected, by a data transmission network, to an equipment of application processing, process characterized by the fact that: - a physical characteristic of the user is entered and coded in the terminal, - the coded characteristic is transmitted to the equipment, - the equipment retransmits the characteristic coded to a user identification server, - the server supplies the equipment with corresponding identification data, and

  - the equipment validates the application from the identification data.

  The invention will be better understood using the following description of a

  preferred mode of implementation of the method of the invention, with reference to the single appended figure which schematically represents a terminal according to the invention for the implementation of the method in conjunction with a

  remote processing equipment for a terminal application.

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  The data transmission terminal shown, referenced 11, is here a mobile or combined terminal of the GSM cellular radio network 20. The terminal 11 includes a microcontroller 1 for processing or managing telephone functions and controlling access to the terminal, which manages all the circuits of the terminal, connected to a keyboard 8, to a screen 9 and to transmission-reception radio circuits 10 for connection with the GSM network 20. The conventional microphone and loudspeaker do not have been represented. The microcontroller 1 is connected, through a reader 3, to a chip card 2 of SIM format, carrying a terminal access control processor, containing and processing, on request from the microcontroller 1, subscription data of the user on the GSM network 20. The processor of the smart card 2 supplies the necessary data to the microcontroller 1 when the latter wants to access the GSM network 20 and when it requires for this purpose the establishment of a communication. The processor of the smart card 2 here includes a WIM encryption / decryption function to secure the data exchanged by the microcontroller 1 on the network

GSM 20.

  A sensor 6 for entering a physical characteristic of a user, here a fingerprint image sensor, is connected to a microprocessor 7

  recognition of the captured fingerprint image.

  The microcontroller 1 comprises a memory 14 of software for processing an application, in this case teleshopping. The microcontroller 1 thus processes, with the memory 14 in this example, a WAP (Wireless Application Protocol) function, secured by WIM functionalities.

  (WAP Identification Module) of the smart card 2.

  The microprocessor 7 comprises a software module or coding function 71 receiving the image, in electronic form of digital data, captured by the sensor 6 and coding it in the form of data representing the relative positions of characteristic points of the image, such as the intersection points of images of grooves and other skin reliefs. The

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  coding software module 71 is connected at the output to the radio circuits 10, in

  this example through a link 79 connecting it to the microcontroller 1.

  The GSM network 20 is connected to a computer network 30, here the Internet, to which server equipment 31 is connected, constituting a site of a

  application, in this case teleshopping, capable of interacting with the microcontroller 1.

  The equipment 31 is connected to a terminal identification server 32 such as the terminal 11. More precisely, it is the users of the terminals who are identified. In this example, it's the Internet

  to 30 which links the equipment 31 to the identification server 32.

  The method of the invention and the operation of the terminal 1 1 will

  now be explained in more detail.

  To carry out a teleshopping, the user of the terminal 11 calls the equipment 31 via the GSM network 20, by means of the keyboard 8. The microcontroller 1 transmits on the GSM network 20 a request to establish a communication and the GSM network 20 responds with a message requesting proof of subscription. The microcontroller 1 controls the activation of the microprocessor of the smart card 2 and the microcontroller 1 can retransmit, to the GSM network 20, the desired data supplied by

  the microprocessor of the smart card 2, after the desired formatting.

  The connection or telephone communication between the terminal 11 and the equipment 31 being thus established, the teleshopping application can then

be performed.

  The microcontroller 1 allows the user to exchange, by means of the keyboard 8 and the screen 9, data with the equipment 31 to select and then buy an object in the catalog. This selection having been made, the user of the terminal 11 must identify himself to the equipment 31 so that the latter has the bank account number to be debited and the name and address of the user for shipping. of the object purchased. In this example, the microprocessor 7 contains a resident WIM software module which can cooperate with the microcontroller

  1 to secure the transport of any data through the GSM 20 network.

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  This identification is carried out by means of the server 32, as

explained below.

  The sensor 6 captures the physical characteristic of the user for this purpose, here therefore the image of the fingerprint, the software module 71 codes it and it transmits the corresponding coded data to the equipment 31 through the microcontroller 1 and the radio circuits 10 (arrow F1). The equipment 31 transmits the coded characteristic to the server 32 (arrow F2) by the Internet 30. The server 32 includes a library of coded image data relating to the fingerprints of all the clients of the equipment 31 and forming a table of correspondence or transcoding providing identity data (name, address, bank card number and others) of the user or customer identified by recognition of his coded fingerprint. The server 32 provides in return to the equipment 31 (arrow F3) the above identity or identification data and the equipment 31 then validates the application from the identification data, that is to say - say that the application ends with the conclusion of the purchase. The fingerprint image data also constitute, with respect to identification data which would be entered on the keyboard 8, authentication data of the identity of the user since they represent a result of image analysis and coding of a personal characteristic,

hardly falsifiable.

  As a variant or in addition, it can be considered that a telephone call is in itself a particular application, processed by the microcontroller 1. It is then possible, for controlling access to the terminal and therefore to the GSM network 20, to use a remote GSM server, such as server 32. This GSM server is consulted by the GSM network 20 when the microcontroller 1 requires the establishment of a communication. In this case, this request must be associated with the sending of image data entered by the sensor 6 and the GSM network 20 consults, by means of the image data, the GSM server to identify the user and / or verify that he is a subscriber, before establishing communication. The card

  chip 2 can thus be replaced functionally by the GSM server.

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  In another example, it may be a purely computer application, for example for consulting a controlled access database, connected to the Internet 30, the microcontroller 1 processing and managing the

  data exchanged through the GSM 20 network.

  In yet another example, the terminal of the invention can be fixed and connected to the switched telephone network or the like, via a local smear link connecting it to a PC or any other processing device.

  data itself connected to the above network. Transmission radio circuits-

  reception 10 are then replaced by homologous wired link circuits. We can also foresee that the local link is a link without

  wire, established by short-range or infrared radio circuits.

  In general, the application processed by the terminal can be independent of the direction of the telephone call and can therefore also concern

an incoming call.

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Claims (8)

  1.- Data transmission terminal comprising means for reception and reception (10), means (6) for entering the physical characteristics of a user, associated with means (71) for coding the characteristics entered in identification data , and comprising means (1) for processing a specific application, characterized in that the coding means (71) are connected to said transmission means (10). 2.- Terminal according to claim 1, wherein the means for   processing (1) manage the telephone operation of the terminal.   3.- Terminal according to one of claims 1 and 2, wherein the means   processing (1) manage data from a computer application (14)   exchanged across the network (20) with remote equipment.   4.- Terminal according to one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the means   transmitting devices (10) are arranged to transmit the data to the network (20)   through a wired connection from a network connection PC (20).   5.- Terminal according to one of claims 1 to 3, consisting of a handset of radiotelephony.   6.- Terminal according to one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the means   capture (6) are arranged to capture fingerprints.   7.- Terminal according to one of claims 1 to 6, in which it is provided   means (7) for securing the transport of data across the network (20).   8.- Method of implementation, by a user, of an application of a terminal (11) for transmitting data, method in which - the terminal (via a data transmission network (20) is connected 11) to equipment (31) for processing the application, a method characterized in that: 8 2812148   - a physical characteristic of the user is entered and coded in the terminal (11), - the coded characteristic is transmitted (F1) to the equipment (31), - the equipment (31) retransmits (F2) the characteristic coded to a server (32) for identifying the user, - the server supplies in return (F3) to the equipment (31) corresponding identification data, and - the equipment (31) validates l application from identification data.