GB2064430A

GB2064430A - Identification Card

Info

Publication number: GB2064430A
Application number: GB8038919A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1979-12-04
Filing date: 1980-12-04
Publication date: 1981-06-17
Also published as: GB2064430B

Abstract

An identification card 11 comprises a main card part 12 and subsidiary card part 13 which may be separated by breaking a line of weakness formed in the whole card during manufacture. The card carries a signature area 18 on which the cardholder's signature is written or printed before division of the card into two parts, such that the signature is divided between the two parts. Conveniently the subsidiary card part 13 is carried on a key ring separately from the main card part 12. The two card parts are brought together for a financial transaction to verify the signature of the card holder. Where several cards are kept, a single subsidiary card piece 13 can be made common to a plurality of cards. In other arrangements, the signature area 18 may comprise a characterising portion bearing another distinctive feature, for example a magnetically encoded strip. In yet other arrangements an identification card is divided with distinctive features being repeated on two or more card parts for matching purposes. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Improvements in and Relating to Identification Cards The present invention relates to identification cards and to a method of identifying a cardholder, and is concerned in particular, but not exclusively, with credit cards and bank guarantee cards for verifying cheque signatures.

A conventional credit card consists of a rectangular plastics card bearing information naming the credit organisation, having embossed thereon the number of the cardholders credit account, and having a signature area adapted to bear the cardholders signature. In use the card is presented by the cardholder to the other party in a financial transaction, and the cardholder signs a record of thetransaction, for example a credit slip or receipt. The other party to the transaction then compares the signature on the credit slip with the signature on the card and thus identifies the cardholder as the person authorised to incur credit in the transaction. The card is then inserted into a manual press with the credit slip and the press is operated to press the slip against the card so that the cardholders account number which is embossed on the card is transferred to the credit slip.

A cheque guarantee card is used in much the same way to verify the signature on a cheque, except that the cardholders cheque guarantee number is usually written on the back of the cheque by the other party to the transaction, the number being copied from the cheque guarantee card.

The banking and credit organisations have found considerable difficulty with the use of these cards in relation to fraud of various kinds. In one common fraud, a genuine card is stolen, and the thief practises forging the signature shown on the card. When a reasonable likeness has been achieved, the thief effects a large number of transactions using the stolen card, as quickly as possible before the theft is reported. Since the only security precaution is the comparison of the signature on the card with the signature on the credit slip, forgery is fairly easy to achieve since those making the comparison are generally shop assistants and the like who are not particularly skilled in detecting forgery.Fraud with regard to a cheque guarantee card is somewhat more difficult since the cheque book and the card are intended to be kept upon the person of the card-holder in separate places, but frauds are still achieved either by stealing both the cheque book and the card, or by fabricating either false cheques or false cards.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an identification card, and method of identifying a card-holder, in which fraudent use of the card is rendered more difficult than with existing identification cards.

According to the present invention there is provided an identification card comprising, or being adapted to be separated into, at least two separable parts for providing identification of a person associated with the card when the parts of the card are brought together.

In one form of the invention, the card has a characterising area which bears or is adapted to bear adistinctive feature, and the said parts are such that wheri the parts are separated the characterising area is divided between the parts.

Such a card may be used in an arrangement such that the presentation of only part of the card is regarded as being insufficient to identify a cardholder, the card being regarded as being valid to identify a cardholder only when the parts of the card are brought together to reconstitute the characterising area.

In another arrangement which may be used alternatively or in addition to the above, the card may have a characterising area which is repeated on two or more parts of the card so that in use the same distinctive feature is provided on two or more parts of the card. In use of such an arrangement, the card may be regarded as being valid to identify a cardholder only when the parts of the card are brought together and show that same distinctive feature appears on the required number of card parts.

The said characterising area or areas and the said distinctive feature may take a number of forms. For example the characterising area may comprise an area of pattern divided between the card parts in such a way that the divided parts of the pattern match in a distinctive way when the card parts are brought together. Alternatively or in addition the said distinctive feature may comprise a series of numbers or letters associated with the cardholder which may be repeated on two or more parts of the card.

However in accordance with a preferred form of the invention, the said characterising area comprises a signature area bearing or adapted to bear a signature of the person to be identified, although it is to be appreciated that this form may be combined with other forms of the invention set out above. Where the characterising area consists of a signature area, the said distinctive feature may be constituted by the signature of the cardholder and in accordance with a preferred feature of the invention the card parts may be such that when the parts are separated the signature is divided between the parts.

Thus in accordance with a preferred aspect of the present invention, there is provided an identification card having a signature area bearing or adapted to bear a signature of the person to be identified, the card comprising, or being adapted to be separated into, at least two parts such that the signature area is divided between the parts.

Conveniently the signature area comprises an area of the card having a surface suitable for the card-holder to write his signature on by a ball point or other ink pen. However in some arrangements, as will be explained hereinafter, the signature on the card may be provided by printing, photocopying or some other non-written method.

It will be appreciated that the signature area, and parts of the card, are arranged in such a manner that in operation when the card is separated into said parts, a signature on the signature area is divided between the parts, preferably the signature being divided along its length. Conveniently the said parts may be adapted to be separated by provision of lines of weakness on the card defining the parts to be separated.

In preferred arrangements of the identification card, at least one card part bears identifying characters associated with the cardholder and adapted to co-operate with apparatus for producing a record of a financial transaction associated with the identifying characters. For example the identifying characters may comprise numbers and/or letters identifying a credit account of the cardholder. Conveniently the identifying characters are embossed so as to allow a record of the characters to be made by impressing a record sheet against the characters.

For example, the said apparatus may comprise a manual press such as is commonly in use in connection with existing credit cards for transferring embossed characters to a credit slip.

It will be appreciated that an important advantage of an identification card according to the present invention is that the said parts of the card may be kept separately to avoid loss of the two parts together. In accordance with preferred features of the present invention, the shapes of the parts of the card may be arranged in such a way as to facilitate the keeping of the cards separately by cardholders.

It is preferred that the card comprises, or is adapted to be separated into, two parts comprising a main part of larger area bearing information concerning the use to which the card is to be put and including part of the divisible characterising (eg the signature) area, and a subsidiary part of smaller area which includes the remainder of the divisible characterising area.

Preferably the main card part bears identifying characters associated with the cardholder and is of a size and shape such as to cooperate with apparatus for producing a record of a financial transaction associated with the identifying characters, most preferably the main card part being of a size and shape such as to be capable of cooperating with the said recording apparatus when separated from the subsidiary card part.

It is a further advantage of the present invention in its preferred forms, that the card can be made to be compatible with existing credit card apparatus. In this connection it is particularly preferred that the card is of rectangular shape and the signature area is in the form of a rectangular strip positioned approximately along the middle of the card parallel to the longer sides of the card, and the subsidiary card piece is in the form of a rectangular strip encompassing approximately half the area of the signature area and extending, when in register with the main card part, parallel to the longer sides of the main card part.

In connection with a particularly preferred feature of the present invention, one of the said card parts is adapted to be carried separately from the other card part or parts by being secured to a key ring, and it is especially preferred that the said card part adapted to be secured to a key ring comprises the said subsidiary card part.

As a further feature intended to prevent or inhibit fraud, it is preferred that the card bears across at least part of its surface a pattern which extends over the division between the parts of the card, the pattern being such that upon placing the divided parts of the card in register the divided parts of the pattern match in a distinctive manner for preventing or inhibiting the production of a false card part to attempt fraudulent reconstitution of the card.

In the use of conventional credit cards, it frequently happens that a cardholder will wish to carry with him several different cards from different credit companies. In order to avoid the need to carry separately a large number of different card parts in different sets, there may be provided in accordance with a feature of the present invention, a set of identification cards comprising a plurality of identification cards as set out in accordance with any of the preceding paragraphs, but when having had one of said parts of each card removed, and a common card part capable of positioning in register with any of the said cards from which a card part has been removed so as to re-constitute that card.For example in the preferred form of the present invention where a subsidiary card part is carried on a key ring, it may be arranged that the cardholder carries a number of different main card parts from different credit organisations, and that the single common subsidiary card part on the cardholders key ring may be matched with any of the cards to reconstitute a-verified signature. In such an arrangement, it will be appreciated that a single common signature will need to be provided by the cardholder which will be printed or otherwise reproduced on each of the set of identification cards.

It is to be appreciated that in accordance with many of the preferred features set out above the signature area referred to may equally well be replaced by another form of characterising area such as a pattern or series of numbers or letters, and the scope of the invention is to be regarded accordingly.

There is further provided in accordance with the present invention a method of identifying a person comprising providing for the person to be identified an identification card, dividing the card into at least two parts, keeping the parts separately to prevent or inhibit loss of the parts together, and bringing the parts together to reconstitute the card for identification of the person associated with the card.

Preferably in the method above the card has a characterising area which bears or is adapted to bear a distinctive feature, as has been set out hereinbefore.

Thus in accordance with a particularly preferred aspect of the method of the present invention, there is provided a method of identifying a person comprising providing on a signature area of an identification card a signature of the person to be identified, dividing the card into at least two parts such that the signature is divided between the parts, keeping the parts separately to prevent or inhibit loss of the parts together, bringing the parts together to reconstitute the signature for identification of the person able to reproduce the signature.

In a preferred form of this method, the method includes the steps of dividing the card into a main card part of larger area and subsidiary card part of smaller area, and carrying out a financial transaction by signing a record of the transaction, bringing the parts of the card together to reconstitute the signature on the card for verification of the signature on the record, placing the main card part without the subsidiary card part in cooperation with apparatus for transferring from the main card part to the record identifying characters carried on the main card part and associated with the cardholder, and operating the apparatus to effect the said transference of the identifying characters. It is to be appreciated that in this preferred method of the present invention, it is not required that the steps of the financial transaction shall be carried out in the order set out above.For example the transference of the identifying characters may be carried out before the verification of the signature on the record.

There has been set out above in broad terms the main features of the present invention, and the main advantage that the separated parts of the identification card can be kept separately upon the person of the card-holder and only brought together when identification is required, thus reducing the likelihood of loss or theft of the whole card. This advantage and other advantages deriving from preferred features of the invention will be described hereinafter with reference to particular forms of identification cards.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 shows the front face of an identification card embodying the present invention before division of the card into parts; Figure 2 shows the reverse face of the card shown in Figure 1; Figure 3 shows the front face of the card of Figures 1 and 2 when the card has been divided into parts and one part partially removed; Figure 4 is a perspective view of the card of the previous figures when divided into two parts; Figures 5, 6, 7 and 9 show in diagrammatic form modifications of the card shown in the previous figures, the modified cards having divisible parts of differing shapes;; Figure 8 shows in diagramatic form a pattern which may be provided on a card of the form shown in Figures 1 to 4 for preventing or inhibiting production of false card parts.

Referring firstly to figures 1 and 2, an identification card comprises a credit card 11 formed of a main card part 12 and a subsidiary card part 1 3 joined together at a line of weakness 14. The line of weakness is such that the subsidiary card part 1 3 can easily be broken away from the main card part 12 by manipulation manually. The line of weakness may comprise for example an indentation in the card 11 or a perforation. Conveniently the card 11 is formed of synthetic plastics material.

On the main card part 12 is recorded information concerning the use to which the card is to be put, for example the trade name of the card at 15, and date of expiry at 1 6. The main card part 12 also carries at 1 7 identifying characters in the form of embossed numbers which identify the credit account of the cardholder.

The card 11 also has a signature area 18 in the shape of a rectangular strip positioned approximately across the middle of the card 11 parallel to the longer sides of the card. The line of weakness 14 is arranged to define the subsidiary card part 13 such that the card part 13 encompasses approximately half the signature area 18.

In use, in the form shown, the card 11 is issued to the cardholder without the cardholder's signature, and the cardholder is asked to sign his signature across the signature area 1 8 so that the signature extends on to both the main card part 12 and the subsidiary card part 13. The subsidiary card part 13 is then broken away from the main card part 12 along the line of weakness 14 and the two parts separated. In a convenient arrangement, the subsidiary card part 13 includes a hole 19 by which the subsidiary card part 13 may be attached to the card-holders key ring as shown in Figure 4. The two parts of the card are then in normal use kept separately on the person of the cardholder, the main card part 12 conveniently being kept in the cardholders wallet, and the card part 13 conveniently kept on the key ring in the cardholders pocket.

When the cardholder wishes to conduct a financial transaction using the credit card, the signature on the card is reconstituted by the cardholder slotting the subsidiary card part 13 into the main card part 12 in the manner shown in Figure 3 so as to form the complete signature.

The completed card is handed to the other party to the financial transaction, and the cardholder signs a credit slip in the conventional manner when using a credit card. The signature on the credit slip is verified by comparison with the reconstituted signature on the card 11, and the subsidiary card part 13 can then be returned to the cardholder. It is to be noted that there is no need for the subsidiary card part 13 to be removed from the cardholders key ring during the operation.

Next the main card part 12 is inserted with the credit slip into a conventional manual press for pressing the card and slip together so as to transfer the account No. from the card to the credit slip. It is to be noted that during this part of the operation it is not necessary for the subsidiary card part 13 to be registered with the main card part 12.

From this description it will be seen that a transaction can only be effected by a person holding both parts of the card 11, so that if the two card parts are kept separately the chance of fraudulent use due to loss is considerably reduced relative to the chances with a conventional credit card.

Figures 5, 6 and 7 show alternative shapes of card parts 12 and 13 which may be made for decorative reasons, or in order to encompass with the part of the signature area on the subsidiary card part 13 a part of the account 17 (as shown by way of example in Figure 6.).

In Figure 8 there is shown a modification of the card shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3, in which there is provided on the card 11 a distinctive pattern 20 comprising a plurality of lines 21 which conveniently are of irregular shape and irregular spacing. These lines 21 are arranged to cross the line of weakness 14 4 which divides the two card parts 12 and 13. During the manufacture of the card it is arranged that the pattern of lines 21 is moved slightly at each card so that the positioning is individual to the card. The effect of this is that when the subsidiary card part 1 3 is broken away from the main card part 12, an exact match of the lines 21 can only be achieved by reinserting the card part 13 which was broken away from the original card.The purpose of this modification is to reduce the risk of fraud by a forger who has stolen only a main card part 12 making up, or adapting, another subsidiary card part 13 to fit into the stolen card part. It may not be necessary to move the pattern 21 at each new card manufactured, for example the pattern couid be moved for each batch of say 100 or 500 cards.

The important feature of this modification, is that not all card parts 13 can be fitted into and matched with all card parts 12. Some degree of individuality is accorded to each card 11 so that only the subsidiary card part of that particularly card can be matched up. Numerous other methods of imparting individuality to the two parts of a card will be readily apparent, for example variations in colour.

Yet another modification which may embody the invention is the provision of a number of different cards for different credit organisations to be carried by a single cardholder. It is convenient in such a case that a single common subsidiary card piece 13 may be carried on the cardholders key ring, and may be arranged to match up with each of the different main card parts 12 carried in the cardholders wallet. This can be done, for example, by the cardholder providing to the various credit organisations, or to a central coordinating body, a single specimen signature which is then duplicated by printing, photocopying or otherwise, onto the set of credit cards from the different credit organisations. The subsidiary card portions 13 of the different cards are then all broken off, and are all destroyed except for one which is kept on the cardholders key ring.Conveniently as further credit cards are issued beyond a first credit card, the credit organisation may break off and destroy the appropriate subsidiary card part 13 before posting the main card part 12 to the cardholder, since the cardholder will already hold a subsidiary card part 1 3 which will fit the new card.

In a further modification of a credit card embodying the invention, there may be provided a security precaution against the possibility that the cardholder forgets to separate the two parts of the card after he has signed the card (assuming a single card as described with reference to Figures 1 to 8). The modification is that an embossed mark may be indented on the subsidiary card piece 1 3 which would be transferred to the credit slip upon the first use of the card in its full undivided state. This indented mark could for example be made to read "no sale allowed" or similar wording, so that the sales assistant involved will draw the attention of the cardholder to the fact that he had not properly separated the pieces of his card.

The advantages of the present invention which arise, at least in connection with the preferred embodiments described may be summarised as follows. By virtue of the divided nature of the card, the loss of any one part alone reduces risk of fraud by forgery. Both the loss and finding of the two parts together is unlikely if they are kept separately on the person of the cardholder. The main card portion of a card is of a size and shape convenient to be carried with a cheque book and/or wallet. This is particularly advantageous where an identification card according to the invention is used as a cheque guarantee card.In present circumstances it is recommended that cheque guarantee cards are kept separately from cheque books, to avoid theft of the two items together With use of the present invention, the main card portion can be carried with the cheque book, and only the subsidiary card portion need be kept separately, for example on a key ring. The matching of the card parts gives security in two respects, namely the correct matching of the subsidiary card part to the main card part at the division of the signature, and the matching of the reconstituted signature to the signature placed by the cardholder on the record of the transaction.

Finally there may be some visual advantage in the provision of attractive card parts for attaching to users key rings, whereby financial institutions can personalise and advertise their particular services.

A particular advantage in the easy adoption by the credit industry of embodiments of the present invention lies in the fact that the cards can be manufactured in such a manner as to be entirely compatible with regard to size, material, composition and information contained thereon, with existing credit cards. Few or no modifications will be required to existing credit card presses and minor adaptations only will be required for card manufacturers to change existing production processes. No changes will be required in the existing layout of credit slips or sales vouchers.

Although embodiments of the present invention have been described with reference to credit cards and cheque cards, it will be appreciated that identification cards according to the invention may be used in many other circumstances in which it is required to identify a card-holder. For example identification of persons using military or other security establishments can be effected by use of embodiments of the present invention.

Reference will now be made to Figure 9 of the accompanying drawings which shows a modification of the identification card shown in Figure 4. The modification consists in that the signature area 18 of the card 11 is divided along the longer dimension of the signature area 1 8 instead of being divided transversely across the signature area 18 as shown in Figure 4. In Figure 9, the longitudinal division of the signature area means that in use the signature of the cardholder is divided along its length, which makes fraudulent reproduction of a subsidiary card part 13 more difficult.

Returning now to consideration of identification cards embodying the invention which have characterising portions of the cards other than signature reas (in embodiments not shown) it is to be appreciated that the signature area may be replaced by another form of characterising area such as a pattern or series of numbers or letters, and may equally well be replaced by a personalized unique coding system such as a bar code, magnetic strip, or electronic characters which can be scanned by a computer or electronic reading machine. In use of such an arrangement, the card may be regarded as being valid to identify a cardholder only when the parts of the card are brought together for scanning or reading by a computer or electronic reading machine.

One example of use of an identification card bearing a magnetic coded strip as the characterising portion, is in an arrangement where a credit transaction is to be effected by a cardholder presenting his card, and also presenting a code number identifying him with the card. An example of this is a bank cash card which can be used to draw cash from a machine in a bank, provided that a number is keyed in at the same time. The cash card, like a Barclaycard or Access card, has printed on its reverse side a black or brown magnetic tripe. This stripe is similar to a piece of cassette tape and is imprinted into the plastic card. It carries an encoded message which is machine readable, and gives details of the cardholder and his account. It also establishes that the card is genuine.It is impossible to read the encoded strip without the proper machine, and a second code or pin number, known only to the cardholder must be punched into the machine to establish his bona fides. These machines, similar to cash dispensers used by banks, are being developed for credit card transactions at points of sale in shops, cafes, filling stations, and so on.

The major problem is the pin number, known only to the cardholder. This number must be repeated to the machine operator, often in a crowded shop. lot is frequently lost or forgotten and even wrongly punched into the machine, resulting in the card being retained.

The application of the present invention to such cards would eliminate the necessity for the pin number. Using the encoded magnetic stripe as the detachable key piece, i.e. the subsidiary card part to be detached from the main card part and kept separately on a key ring, forgery would be eliminated or reduced, particularly if a copy of a small part of the encoded message on the stripe was printed on the body of the card, to match or pair the two sections.

Where the electronic reading machine required the entire card to be placed into it, it would be necessary to remove the key piece from the key ring and marry the two card parts together firmly enough to slot them into the machine, but not so firmly as to tempt the cardholder always to keep them together. Various means of marrying the card parts together can be effected, for example by cutting tongue and groove couplings along the edges of the cards, or by cutting sections of the long edges of the marrying card parts at various opposing angles at different positions so as to clip the sections together.

Thus in one example all that is required is that the main card piece carries all or part of the magnetically encoded message, and the detachable subsidiary card piece which is kept on the key ring carries the whole of the magnetically coded identifying message.

Returning now to consideration of the method of producing a signature on an identification card when the card includes a signature area to be divided between the separable card parts, it is to be appreciated that the method of printing or photocopying or other means of reproducing the cardholder's specimen signature, as referred to hereinbefore, may also be used when the cardholder has only a single credit card, in place of the multiplicity of cards referred to above.

Additionally the specimen signature can be reproduced so as to be electronically readable and compared with a facsimile which may be stored in a computer bank.

Claims

1. An identification card comprising, or being adapted to be separated into, at least two separable parts for providing identification of a person associated with the card when the parts of the card are brought together.

2. An identification card according to Claim 1 in which the card has a characterising area which bears or is adapted to bear a distinctive feature, and which is repeated on the two or more separable parts of the card.

3. An identification card according to Claim 1 or 2 in which the card has a characterising area which bears or is adapted to bear a distinctive feature, and the said parts are such that when the parts are separated the characterising area is divided between the parts.

4. An identification card according to Claim 3 in which the card has a characterising area constituted by a signature area bearing or adapted to bear a signature of the person to be identified, the card comprising, or being adapted to be separated into, at least two parts such that the signature area is divided between the parts.

5. An identification card according to Claim 4 in which the signature area comprises an area of the card having a surface suitable for the cardholder to write his signature on by pen or other permanent writing means.

6. An identification card according to Claim 4 in which the signature area comprises an area at which the signature of the cardholder is provided by printing, photocopying or other non-written method.

7. An identification card according to Claim 4, 5 or 6 in which the card parts and signature area are such that when the card parts are separated the signature area is divided along a longer dimension of the signature area such that in operation the signature of the card holder is divided along the length of the signature.

8. An identification card according to any of Claims 3 to 7 in which the card comprises or is adapted to be separated into, two parts comprising a main part of larger area bearing information concerning the use to which the card is to be put and including part of the divisible characterising area, and a subsidiary part of smaller area which includes the remainder of the divisible characterising area.

9. An identification card according to Claim 8 in which the main card part bears identifying characters associated with the card holder and is of a size and shape such as to co-operate with apparatus for producing a record of financial transaction associated with the identifying characters.

10. An identification card according to Claim 8 or 9 in which the card is of rectangular shape and the divisible characterising area is in the form of a rectangular strip positioned approximately along the middle of the card parallel to the longer sides of the card, and the subsidiary card piece is in the form of a rectangular strip encompassing approximately half the area of the divisible characterising area and extending, when in register with the main card part, parallel to the longer sides of the main card part.

11. An identification card according to any preceding Claim in which one of the said card parts is adapted to be carried separately from the other card part or parts by being secured to a key ring.

12. An identification card according to Claim 11 when including the limitations of Claim 8, 9 or 10 in which the said card part adapted to be secured to a key ring comprises the said subsidiary card part.

13. An identification card according to any preceding claim in which the card bears across at least part of its surface a pattern which extends over the division between the parts of the card, the pattern being such that upon placing the divided parts of the card in register the divided parts of the pattern match in a distinctive manner for preventing or inhibiting the production of a false card part to attempt fraudulent reconstitution of the card.

14. An identification card according to any preceding claim in which the card has a characterising area which includes or consists of a magnetically coded area defining a distinctive feature associated with the cardholder.

1 5. A set of identification cards comprising a plurality of identification cards as set out in accordance with any of the preceding claims, but when having had one of said parts of each card removed, and a common card part capable of positioning in register with any of the said cards from which a card part has been removed so as to reconstitute that card.

16. A method of identifying a person comprising providing for the person to be identified an identification card, dividing the card into at least two parts, keeping the parts separately to prevent or inhibit loss of the parts together, and bringing the parts together to reconstitute the card for identification of the person associated with the card.

17. A method of identifying a person comprising providing on a signature area of an identification card a signature of the person to be identified, dividing the card into at least two parts such that the signature is divided between the parts, keeping the parts separately to prevent or inhibit loss of the parts together, and bringing the parts together to reconstitute the signature for identification of the person able to reproduce the signature.

18. A method according to Claim 17 in which the method includes the steps, not necessarily in the order given, of dividing the card into a main card part of larger area and subsidiary card part of smaller area, and carrying out a financial transaction by signing a record of the transaction, bringing the parts of the card together to reconstitute the signature on the card for verification of the signature on the record, placing the main card part without the subsidiary card part in co-operation with apparatus for transferring from the main card part to the record identifying characters carried on the main card part and associated with the cardholder, and operating the apparatus to effect the said transference of the identifying characters.

19. An identification card substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4 of the accompanying drawings, or with reference to these Figures when modified in accordance with Figure 5 or Figure 6 or Figure 7 or Figure 8 or Figure 9 of the accompanying drawings.

20. A method of identifying a person substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4 of the accompanying drawings or with reference to these Figures when modified in accordance with Figure 5 or Figure 6 or Figure 7 or Figure 8 or Figure 9 of the accompanying drawings.