AU4729385A - Security device - Google Patents

Description

"Security Device"

This invention relates to devices for securing identity, especially of persons carrying out financial transactions.

There is currently much concern in financial circles concerning fraud arising from the misuse of cheque cards, charge cards, credit cards, and the like. Stolen cards might be used fraudulently by others by forging the specimen signature present on the card. Also existing cards can be reproduced by forgers and used by them illegally. Various security measures have been suggested, for example the intro¬ duction of holographic identification of the card itseϊf, but experience has proved that anything the banks, or other institutions, can produce can also be printed or reproduced by forgers.

It is an object of the invention to provide a device which will offer a much more secure check of the identity of a user of a cheque card or the like than hitherto. From one aspect the invention consists in an identity security device comprising a carrier and an adhesive ..^■; . ^• surface on the carrier for receiving and retaining a distinctive print of a finger or other distinguishing feature of a person. Preferably, coating means are mounted on the carrier or provided separately for applying a coloured material to the distinguishing feature of the user when pressed onto the coating means. The coating means conveniently comprises a layer of coloured powder or clay, which may be in the form of a paste. In this latter case, at least, a surface of the carrier may be formed to absorb the coloured material.

In a preferred embodiment the adhesive surface is formed on a support member releasably mounted on the carrier. Ideally the support member will be adhered to the carrier by an adhesive having a lower breaking strength than that of the adhesive of the* adhesive surface of the support member. The support member, or the carrier itself carrying the adhesive surface in the form of a layer, may be flexible and/or transparent. Ideally a transparent layer will be tinted and preferably the coloured material of the coating means is of a colour which will combine with the tinting colour of the transparent member to create an overall colour impression of a dark hue.

The device may further comprise a cover for the adhesive surface and/or the coating means, and the cover may be at least partially coated with silicone to provide a release between the adhesive surface and/or the coating means. The cover may be fixed to the carrier such that it can be lifted to expose the adhesive and/or the coating means.

A security number logo or other element may be printed or formed on the device. The invention also extends to a strip of devices as set out above secured together, in which case there may be perforations between the devices and the devices may be contained within a booklet.

From another aspect the invention comprises a fingerprint or other distinguishing feature of a person on an adhesive transparent tape or the like, and it also includes a document having such an imprinted tape or the like adhered to it with the non-adhesive layer facing outwards.

The invention may be performed in various ways and a preferred embodiment thereof will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:- Figure 1 is a top perspective view of an identity security device of the invention;

Figure 2 is an edge view of the device of Figure 1 ;

Figure 3 illustrates how devices as shown in Figures 1 and 2 can be combined in a strip; and

Figure 4 shows a fingerprint attached to a document using the device of Figures 1 and 2.

It is well-known, and accepted for all legal purposes, that an individual's fingerprints are unique to himself. This applies also to other distinguishing features, such as the skin on the back of a knuckle. To date it has not been practical to use a fingerprint identification in a general sense, because existing fingerprinting techniques are extremely messy and there has been no reasonable way in which prints could be preserved in association with a document without the risk of misuse.

Figure 1 shows a device generally indicated at 10 for obtaining fingerprints at a point of sale. The device comprises a carrier 11 on which a paste of coloured powder or clay 12 is deposited at one end. A strip of adhesive tape 13, having the adhesive surface 15 facing upwardly, is adhered by a further layer of adhesive 14 to the other end of the carrier 11. A cover 16 is secured to the carrier 11 intermediate the powder deposit 12 and the tape 13, so that it can be bent upwardly at its free ends to expose the powder 12 and the tape 13, respectively. The under face of the cover 16 at its ends will have a release coating to prevent adherence to the adhesive surface 15. A customer wishing to use a cheque card, credit card, charge card or the like, is required to place a finger on the powder layer 12 in such a way as to cover the tip of his finger with a deposit of coloured powder. He then places the marked fingertip onto the adhesive surface 15 of the tape 13 , which removes the powder from the fingertip to leave a good image of the customer's fingerprint on the adhesive surface 15. The device 10, when turned upside-down, .with the cover 16 bent back to reveal the adhesive tape 13 is then pressed onto a document associated with the transaction. The layer of adhesive 14 is chosen to have a breaking strength below that of the adhesive surface 15 of the tape 13, so that when the device 10 is lifted away from the document the tape 13 remains adhered on the document.

The tape 13 is provided with a high strength adhesive surface 15, so that it cannot be removed from the document without tearing or mutilating the document and the transparency of the body of the tape 13 allows the fingerprint 17 to be viewed, as shown clearly in Figure 4. To improve acceptability of the device the paste or powder 12 employed could be of a pinkish skin colour so that any deposit left on a finger will not be directly obvious. A pale blue or green tint applied to the tape 13 would result in the imprint created by the powder being viewed as a blackish colour through the tape when applied to a document. Other colour combinations for the powder and pale tinting for the tape may be employed to achieve a similar effect of a high tone contrast when the colours are combined. For exa'mple yellow and blue would give a dark green impression. The document will pass through tothe bank or credit organisation and if fraud is discovered that organisation will have clear evidence that the owner of the card did not carry out the transaction recorded on the document in addition to evidence of the culprit's identity, provided that the fingerprint can be matched with police records. It is envisaged that the mere act of having to supply evidence which will stand up in court at the point of sale will act as an extremely effective deterrent against fraudulent use of credit cards and the like.

Machines are presently being developed which can convert individual fingerprints into a unique machine code. Apparatus could be provided at the point of sale for developing such a code for any particular fingerprint and this could be matched with records kept by the card issuing authority, before any transaction is completed. Alternatively, the credit card could be provided with a permanent fingerprint of the rightful user and this could be compared by the machine (or visually at a point of sale) with the fingerprint of the actual user.

As can be seen in Figure 3 the devices can be connected in perforated strips, made up into booklets which can be supplied to the point-of-sale users.

The booklets can carry advertising and security logos or the like printed thereon.

Claims (21)

1. An identity security device comprising a carrier and an adhesive surface on the carrier for receiving and retaining a distinctive print of a finger or other distinguishing feature of a person.

2. A device as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising coating means separate from or mounted on the carrier for-enabling coloured material to be applied to the distinguishing feature of the user when pressed onto the coating means.

3. A device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the coating means comprises a layer of coloured powder or clay.

4. A device as claimed in claim 3, wherein the bulk of the powder or clay is formed as a paste.

5. A device as claimed in any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein a surface of the carrier is formed to absorb the coloured material.

6. A device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the adhesive surface is formed on a support member releasably mounted on the carrier.

7. A device as claimed in claim 6, wherein the support member is adhered to the carrier by an adhesive having a lower breaking strength than that of the adhesive surface of the support member.

8. A device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the support member, or the carrier itself carrying the adhesive surface in the form of a layer, is flexible.

9. A device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the support member, or the carrier itself carrying the adhesive surface in the form of a layer, is transparent.

10. A device according to claim 9, wherein the transparent member is tinted.

11. A device according to claim 10 as dependent upon claim 2, wherein the coloured material of the coating means is of a- colour which will combine with the tinting colour of the transparent member to create an overall colour impression of a dark hue.

12. A device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 11 , f rther comprising a cover for the adhesive surface and/or the coating means.

13. A device as claimed in claim 12, wherein the cover is at least partially coated with silicone to provide a release between the adhesive surface and/or the coating means.

14. A device as claimed in- claims 1 , 2 or claim 13, wherein the cover is secured to the carrier and can be lifted to reveal the adhesive surface and/or the coating means.

15. A device according to any one of claims 1 to 14 having a security number or logo printed thereon.

16. An identity security device substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

17. A strip of devices of the form as defined in any oneof claims 1 to 16 secured together.

18. A strip according to claim 17, wherein there are perforations between the devices.

19. A strip according to claim 18 or claim 19, wherein the devices are contained within a booklet.

20. A distinctive print of a finger or other distinguishing feature of a person on an adhesive transparent tape or the like.

21. A document having an imprinted tape or the like according to claim 20 adhered to it with the non-adhesive layer facing outwards.