GB2230229A

GB2230229A - Identity or credit card

Info

Publication number: GB2230229A
Application number: GB9008608A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Charles Michael Millman
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1989-04-15
Filing date: 1990-04-17
Publication date: 1990-10-17
Also published as: GB8908598D0; GB9008608D0

Abstract

An identity or credit card includes information by which the holder may be visually recognised and thereby assist in establishing that the person presenting it is the rightful holder. This may be by incorporating a photograph 2 (conveniently during the usual laminating process by which cards are made) and embossing 5 through this so that any attempt to alter it will break it up. The card can include a variety of information, in the embossing or otherwise. <IMAGE>

Description

IMPROVED MEMBERSHIP AND IDENTITY CREDIT CARD.

This invention relates to an improved form of card, useful as a combined membership and identity, credit or charge card, in which is included information by which the holder may be visually recognised and thereby assist in establishing that the person presenting it is the rightful holder.

Credit and charge cards are well known and in common usage, and likewise identity cards are also well known and have been widely used for many years. It is common practice for credit and charge cards to be offered as a means of establishing identity, in the manner of an identity card. Identity cards are generally presented with a photograph of the holder, which gives a basis for visual recognition.

Credit cards have little true value as proof of identity, even though it may bear a specimen signature, as the presenter could have found, stolen or forged the card held. Identity cards provide a visual likeness (generally a photograph) to confirm the identity of the holder by visual comparison of the recipient.

Membership cards generally offer less confirmation of identity than either credit or charge cards and identity cards and are used more as an indication that "the bearer" (whoever he or she may be) has the right of admission to or membership of some specific event or organisation, without necessarily having to prove the bearer's identity.

According to the present invention there is provided an improved form of charge or credit card, useful also as an identity card and/or membership card or the like, in which there is incorporated a means by which the rightful holder or owner of the card may be recognised or identified visually.

The term "recognised or identified visually" is used here in a broad sense to include not only those forms which are recognised or identified by the human eye directly, but also those which can be recognised or identified by other non-human means, for example electronic and/or optical means. These nonhuman means may be operative in a manner relies on light, magnetism or any other property or combination of properties, and may carry out the recognition or identification themselves (e.g.

without human intervention) or transform the data initially picked up into a form which may be made suitable for use to recognise or identify by human means.

The preferred form for the means by which the rightful holder or owner of the card may be recognised or identified visually is a photograph.

Alternatives to a photograph include representations produced by other means of any recognisable likeness of the individual or characteristic of that individual. For example it may be a line or matrix-dot representation, and may be produced by printing, xerography or other means or combination of means.

Similarly, although the representation is most conveniently or commonly of the face of the individual, it may be of any other feature or characteristic of the individual, for example a biometric feature, for example a reproduction or representation of a fingerprint, eye-print or the like. The representation may be direct, as in a photograph, or encoded so that it can be recognised or identified by decoding, by any convenient means.

Such means may be for example a bar-code, a water-mark, or digitally encoded data. Indeed, it may be any means by which the data can be captured in a format capable of being incorporated into the card and read out from it again.

For the sake of convenient description, the means by which the rightful holder or owner of the card may be recognised or identified visually can be described, for the purposes of this invention, as "an image" of the individual to be regarded as the rightful owner.

Security and risk of fraud are further protected by the process of embossing marks through the means by which the rightful holder or owner of the card may be recognised or identified visually (e.g. a photograph). This is best done so that the marks so embossed will "break up" the means by which the rightful holder or owner of the card may be recognised or identified visually if any attempt is made to alter or replace it, for example by exchanging one photograph for another.

The term "embossing" is used to include methods of marking which are not embossing in the very strict sense of the word, but which cause controlled distortion, deformation or change of the card locally. Conventional embossing is preferred.

It is preferred that the "embossing" should not affect the image so much as to spoil its efficiency for the purposes of recognition or identification. This may be done by controlling the area in which the embossing is carried out.

Advantageously, the marks so embossed convey may be made to convey information. This can be done very conveniently when the information so embossed comprises a series of characters to an ISO (International Standards Organisation) standard, for example ISO standard 7812 for identification cards, 1971.

The additional information carried by the card may relate a wide variety of matters, for example a personal account number, an expiry date, a number or other indication of the source of issue, or any combination of these features. The variety of information so included may include any which the owner or bearer may expect to require to use, whether for identification or other purposes, and may be in a variety of forms - for example it may be visually readable, or it may be readable by mechanical and/or electronic machine methods. For example, the information may be recorded as printing, colours, embossing, magnetic medium, or any combination of any or all these with each other or with others.

The information recorded may be readable directly or may be in coded or encrypted form for added security.

Conventional credit and charge cards membership cards and identity cards do not provide for this degree of security and flexibility of usage yet comply to currently accepted standards international relating to credit and charge cards.

Cards made according to the present invention have the advantages that they can be used and provide the benefit of use as a credit or charge card, a membership card and an identity card in one card with the benefit of visual identity of the holder and inherent increase in security.

The cards of the invention may be made by incorporating the means by which the rightful holder or owner of the card may be recognised or identified visually (for example a photograph) as part of the conventional procedure for making a conventional card (credit card, charge card or membership card) of a laminated construction, so that it forms an integral part of a sandwich of materials that are bonded together to form the the card.

As manufacture and layout are to ISO standard the card can be used universally on manual card readers and compatibly coded electronic reader. For example, these can decode the information on a magnetic strip, which may be conveniently placed on the reverse of the card. The invention can thus be used for a variety of purposes, for example as dispensers or operation of access gates, or other machinery equipment or devices.

The card will enable the issuer to bestow the various attributes of existing membership, cash, identity, credit, and charge cards to the recipient/holder/member in one card (with the additional security to the users of a photograph) rendered tamper-proof by embossing. It would also increase the reliance of security to those who had the card offered to them in confirmation of the identity of the person who tendered the card as an identity, charge, membership or credit card.

A card that has the benefit of uses as a credit or charge card, a membership card and an identity card in one card with the benefit of visual identity of the holder and inherent increase in security by embossing information As manufacture and layout are to ISO standard the card can be used universally on manual card readers and compatibly coded electronic readers or dispensers or access gates will decode the information on the magnetic strip on the reverse.

The invention is illustrated but not limited by the accompanying drawings, in which a specific embodiment of the invention is described, and in which: Figure 1 represents the face of a card according to the invention, and the layout of features thereon, and Figure 2 shows the reverse of a card according to the invention, and the layout of features thereon.

In the figures, the card body (1) bears on one side an area (2) in which an image (especially a photograph) of the person to whom the card belongs is incorporated into the card, another area (3) in which the name, logo or any other desired indicia (for example of the organisation ir source issuing the card) is incorporated, and a third area (4) in which other information may be incorporated. The card also carries a band of embossed indicia (5). The other side carries a magnetic stripe (6), adapted to carry information, an area (7) adapted to bear the holder's signature (i.e. a specimen signature for purposes of comparison) or other personal inscription, and an area (8) which can bear other information -- most conveniently such information or instructions for use, as for example the conditions and terms of use of the card -- as may be desired by the issuer of the card.

Information in the various areas may be incorporated by conventional means, and that in the embossed band (5) is most conveniently in characters conforming in position, size and shape to an international standard which allows to card to be coordinated with other card-using systems. If the card is not made to such international standards this reduces the possibilities for it to be compatible with other systems and it becomes specialised - which may in some instances offer an advantage but in general is not considered desirable if its widespread use is desired.

In the drawings, the embossed band is shown as having 19 characters, but this number is not obligatory, and any convenient number may be used.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. An improved form of charge or credit card, useful also as an identity card and/or membership card or the like, in which there is incorporated a means by which the rightful holder or owner of the card may be recognised or identified visually.

2. A card as claimed in Claim 1 wherein the means by which the rightful holder or owner of the card may be recognised or identified visually is an image of the said owner or holder.

3. A card as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2 wherein the means by which the rightful holder or owner of the card may be recognised or identified visually is a photograph.

4. A card as claimed in any of Claims 1 to 3, wherein the means by which the rightful holder or owner of the card may be recognised or identified visually carries marks embossed through it.

5. A card as claimed in Claim 4, wherein the marks so embossed will "break up" at any attempt to alter or replace the image by which the rightful holder or owner of the card may be recognised or identified visually, for example the photograph.

6. A card as claimed in Claim 4 or Claim 5, wherein the marks so embossed convey information.

7. A card as claimed in any of Claims 4 to 6, wherein the information so embossed comprises a series of characters to an international standard.

8. A card as claimed in any of Claims 1 to 7, wherein additional information incorporated relates to a personal account number, an expiry date, a number or other indication of the source of issue, or any combination of these features.

9. A card as claimed in any of Claims 1 to 8, wherein the image by which the rightful holder or owner of the card may be recognised or identified visually (for example a photograph) forms an integral part of a sandwich of materials that are bonded together to form a conventional card (credit card, charge card or membership card) of a laminated construction.

10. A card substantially as described with reference to the accompanying drawings.