WO2006098695A1

WO2006098695A1 - An optical scanner for authenticating mobile tokens

Info

Publication number: WO2006098695A1
Application number: PCT/SG2005/000081
Authority: WO
Inventors: Kok Loon Ng
Original assignee: Ico-Op.Net Pte Ltd
Priority date: 2005-03-15
Filing date: 2005-03-15
Publication date: 2006-09-21

Abstract

An apparatus to scan the secured information of mobile tokens in mobile personal communication devices for the purpose of automating the authentication process in mobile applications is disclosed herein. The apparatus comprises the components of a camera system consisting of a digital camera (103), lighting means (104) and a switch (105) to scan and capture the digital images (108) of the secured information of mobile tokens displayed on the screen (106) of mobile personal communication devices (107); a controller system (109) consisting of the electronic hardwares that are needed to run the image process software (110) and character recogniser software (112), and to communicate the decoded secured information (113) to the computer system for authentication; and a mechanical casing (101) with a clear window (102) that houses the camera and controller systems.

Description

AN OPTICAL SCANNER FOR AUTHENTICATING MOBILE TOKENS

Background and Field of the Invention

The invention relates to an apparatus that scans the secured information of mobile tokens stored in mobile personal communication devices such as the mobile handphones and PDA's, for the purpose of automating the authentication process in mobile applications such as, more particularly but not exclusively mobile payment, mobile booking, mobile ticketing and mobile loyalty.

Mobile tokens are short messages that are sent to mobile personal communication devices and they contain information that entitles the owner of a mobile token to redeem or pick-up goods or services. To authenticate that the owner of the mobile token is the correct person and/or that the mobile token is valid, the mobile token contains secured information such as owner identity and/or PIN that are unique to each mobile token. The owner identity and/or PIN are strings of predefined number of characters and/or symbols. Example of an eight character owner identity and a six character PIN are "96369888" and "p688xN" respectively. During an authentication process, the owner identity and/or PIN of a mobile token are checked against that stored in the database. The mobile token pass the authentication test if the owner identity and/or PDSf are the same as that stored in the database.

Currently, during the process of mobile or electronic payment, a mobile token is sent as a short message such as, but not restricted to, SMS to the owner of the mobile personal communication device to confirm that his or her payment for the purchase of goods or services from a company has been accepted. The owner of the mobile token would then show the mobile token in his or her personal communication device to the cashier at the company. The cashier will manually authenticate the mobile token before the owner is allowed to redeem or pick up the goods or services. During the manual authentication process, the cashier reads the owner identity and/or PIN from the mobile token and then manually types them into the computer system of the company, hi mobile loyalty application, the mobile token is authenticated in the similar manner before the owner is allowed to redeem his or her rewards. The disadvantages of the current authentication method are that it is slow and prone to human errors.

Several conventional apparatus have been used to scan mobile tokens to automate the authentication process of mobile tokens. For example, bar code scanners have been used to read the bar coded owner identity and/or PIN of mobile tokens stored in mobile personal communication devices. The disadvantage of using bar code scanner is that bar codes cannot be sent in a standard graphical format as short messages to mobile handphones of different manufacturers. This is because different manufacturers of mobile handphones use different proprietary and incompatible graphical format for short messages. While the bar codes in a certain graphical format can be received as short messages by the mobile handphones of one manufacturer, they might not be properly received by mobile handphones of a different manufacturer. Further disadvantage of using bar code scanner is that readable text information describing the useful value of the mobile token cannot be included with the bar codes.

Other conventional apparatus that have been used to automate the authentication process of mobile tokens include using infrared and wireless communication devices to transmit the secured information of the mobile token in the personal communication devices to the computer system. These apparatus, however, suffer from the disadvantage that personal communication devices equipped with infrared or wireless communication means are very costly and therefore, their ownership is limited in numbers and not pervasive.

It is an objective of the invention to provide an apparatus for automating the authentication process of mobile tokens which alleviates at least one of the disadvantages of the prior art. Summary of the Invention

According to the invention, there is provided an apparatus to scan the secured information of mobile tokens stored in mobile personal communication devices for the purpose of automating the authentication process in mobile applications, the apparatus comprising the components of a camera system consisting of a digital camera, lighting means and a switch to scan and capture digital images of the secured information of mobile tokens displayed on the screen of mobile personal communication devices; a controller system consisting of the electronic hardwares that are needed to run the image processor software and character recogniser software, and to communicate the decoded secured information to the computer system for authentication; and a mechanical casing with a clear window, that houses the camera and controller systems.

An advantage of the preferred embodiment of the invention is that the authentication process of mobile tokens can be automated. Further advantages are that with the automation of the authentication process, the usage of mobile tokens becomes more user friendly, more efficient and human error is eliminated.

Preferably, according to the invention, the secured information of the mobile token consists of the owner identity and/or a PIN. The owner identity is unique to the owner of the mobile token and the PIN is unique to each mobile token. The owner identity and/or PESf are strings of predefined number of characters and/or symbols. Example of an eight character owner identity and a six character PIN are "96369888" and "p688xN" respectively.

The invention also relates to the mechanical casing with a clear window for the camera, to house the above apparatus so that the invention can be used in different set-ups such as, but not restricted to, a built-in table-top device, or a portable desk-top device or a portable hand-held device. Brief Description of the Drawings

An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows a schematic representation of the apparatus to scan the secured information of mobile tokens stored in mobile personal communication devices for the purpose of automating the authentication process in mobile applications according to the preferred embodiment of the invention; Figure 2 shows two typical digital images of the secured information of mobile tokens from two different mobile handphones;

Figure 3 shows two typical processed digital images of the secured information of the mobile tokens in Figure 2;

Figure 4 shows the set-up of the scanner as a built-in table-top device with the clear window of the mechanical casing flushed with the table top;

Figure 5 shows the set-up of the scanner as a portable desk-top device; and

Figure 6 shows the set-up of the scanner as a portable hand-held device;

Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiment

The following definitions will be used throughout this specification:

authentication — means the process of checking that the ownership and/or the validity of a mobile token is correct by comparing the secured information of the mobile token with that stored in the database.

auto-focus — means that the focus of a camera can be adjusted automatically so that the digital image is sharply focused. bar code — means a code or graphical means of representing text characters by a series of graphical bars that conforms to predefined bar code standards in terms of code format, bar thickness and spacing between bars.

bar code scanner — means an electronic device that can scan and decode bar codes.

cashier — means an employee of a company who handles the sales transactions and the sales-related transactions like loyalty redemptions, gifts collections, goods collection and so on, for the company.

computer system — means the electronic system of a company comprising of point-of- sales machines, card-reader terminals, computer terminals and computers.

computer terminal — means an electronic device of a computer system that is used as an input and output terminal between the computer and the user.

card-reader terminal — means an electronic device that is used to read the stored information in a magnetic strip card or semi-conductor chip card.

check sum — means a predefined number of characters and/or symbols that are embedded and concatenated to a scanned string of characters and/symbols. The check sum are used to check that the scanned string has been scanned correctly. The check sum are derived by a predefined mathematical method that makes use of each of the characters and/or symbols of the scanned string, as variables.

commercially available — means that the softwares or products can be readily purchased or licensed from vendors in the open market.

database — means the stored information of the company that is used for business. electronic payment — means a payment system that is operated using electronic means such as the internet, as a channel of communication between the end-user and the payment system.

ender — means a predefined string of characters and/or symbols that is used to indicate the end of a message .

fixed focus — means that the focus of a camera is fixed and cannot be adjusted automatically. It may however, be adjustable manually.

header — means a predefined string of characters and/or symbols that is used to indicate the start of a message .

mobile token — means a short message that contains information that entitles the owner of the short message to redeem or pick-up goods or services. Examples of short message are, more particularly but not exclusively, SMS.

mobile personal communication device — means a small wireless telecommunication device that can be conveniently carried by the owner. They include electronic devices like the handphones, PDA's and hand-held computers.

mobile handphone — means a small wireless telephone device that can be hand carried by the owner.

mobile application — means an application that is operated using mobile personal communication devices as a channel of communication between the end-user and the application. mobile payment — means a payment system that is operated using mobile personal communication devices as a channel of communication between the end-user and the payment system.

mobile booking — means a booking system that is operated using mobile personal communication devices as a channel of communication between the end-user and the booking system.

mobile ticketing — means a ticketing system that is operated using mobile personal communication devices as a channel of communication between the end-user and the ticketing system.

mobile loyalty — means a loyalty program that is operated using the mobile personal communication devices as a channel of communication between the end-user and the loyalty program.

OCR — means "Optical Character Recognition" which is a method of recognizing and decoding characters and/or symbols from digital images of characters and/or symbols.

owner identity — means the secured and unique identity of the owner of a mobile token comprising a predefined number of characters and/or symbols that are used to authenticate the identity of the owner.

PDA — means a small and portable computer of pocket size that is commonly used as a personal digital assistant to help the owner to manage his personal information and notes.

PIN — means a secured and unique code comprising a predefined number of characters and/or symbols that are used to authenticate the validity of a mobile token. Point-of-sales machine — means a electronic machine or computer that is used to facilitate sales transactions. Its functions include, more particularly but not exclusively, recording sales transactions, receiving monies from sales, issuing receipts of sales, totaling of sales and so on. It is usually located at the cashier counter and operated by a cashier.

SMS - means a short message that is sent to mobile personal communication devices such as mobile handphones, pagers, PDAs and any electronic devices that can receive short messages.

secured information — means the information, such as but not restricted to, the owner identity and/or PIN, in the mobile token that are used to authenticate the ownership and/or the validity of the mobile token.

still digital camera — means a camera that is capable of taking single frame or still digital images

video digital camera — means a camera that is capable of taking multiple frames or video digital images

Figure 1 shows a schematic representation of the apparatus to scan the secured information of mobile tokens stored in mobile personal communication devices for the purpose of automating the authentication process in mobile applications according to the preferred embodiment of the invention. The apparatus is housed in a mechanical casing 101 with a clear window 102 for the camera 103 and lighting 104. The power supply 114 provides the power to the apparatus. The digital camera 103 scans the screen 106 of the mobile personal communication device 107. The digital camera is a commercially available digital camera which may have fixed focus lens or auto-focus lens. The digital camera may also be a still or video digital camera. The switch 105 initiates the capturing of digital images 108. For example, the operator can activate a physical switch 105 such as but not restricted to, button, keyboard, mouse and so on, when the screen 106 of the mobile personal communication device 107 is correctly placed in position facing the clear window 102 of the mechanical casing 101 of the scanner. Alternatively, the switch 105 can be a sensor that automatically detects the correct positioning of the screen 106 of the mobile personal communication device 107 with respect to the camera 103, and automatically initiates the capturing of digital images. Single or multiple images 108 are taken by the digital camera 103 and stored in the memory of the controller 109. The lighting 104 is provided by, but not restricted to, commercially available photography flash light or light emitting diodes.

Figure 2 shows two typical examples of captured digital images of the secured information of mobile tokens from two different mobile handphones. Preferably, according to the invention, the secured information consists of the owner identity 201 and/or a PIN 202. Li the examples illustrated by Figure 2, the owner identity 201 is predefined as a 8 character string prefixed by the header "DD=" and the PIN 202 is predefined as a 9 character string prefixed by the header "PW=".

The image processor software 110 running in the microprocessor of the controller 109 processes and extracts the features of the digital images using commercially available digital image processing software. The processed digital images 111 are stored in the memory of the controller 109. Figure 3 shows the processed digital images 111 of the examples illustrated in Figure 2. In the examples illustrated by Figures 3, the owner identity 301 is "98301303" and the PIN 302 is "945502723" respectively.

The character recogniser software 112 running in the microprocessor of the controller 109 recognises and decodes the characters and/or symbols from the processed digital image 111 from the image processor 110 using commercially available optical character recognising software that is commonly referred to as "OCR" software. The character recogniser 112 recognises and decodes the owner identity 301and/or PIN 302 based on the predefined description of the owner identity and/or PIN. In the examples of Figures 2 and 3, the owner identity is predefined as a 8 character string prefixed by the header "ID=" and the PESf is predefined as a 9 character string prefixed by the header "PW-". Other predefined headers and/or enders and character/symbol string length embedded with check-sum may be used.

The recognized and decoded secured information 113 is stored in the memory of the controller 109 and communicated to the computer system for authentication processing. The computer system can be, but not restricted to, a point-of sales machine, card-reader terminal, computer terminal and so on. The computer system uses the secured information to authenticate the correct ownership of the mobile token and/or the validity of the mobile token by checking the scanned secured information against that stored in the database of the computer system.

The embodiment of the invention may be set up in different ways as illustrated by Figures 4, 5 and 6. hi Figure 4, the embodiment of the invention is set up as a built-in table-top device. The embodiment of the invention 401 is built into the table-top 403 so that the clear window of the casing is flushed with the table-top 403. The mobile personal communication device 404 is scanned by placing its screen on or near the clear window of the casing and the decoded secured information 402 of the mobile token is automatically communicated to the computer system for authentication. . In Figure 5, the embodiment of the invention is set up as a portable device 501 that can be placed on a desk-top 503. The mobile personal communication device 504 is scanned by placing its screen on or near to the clear window of the potable device 501 and the decoded secured information 502 of the mobile token is automatically communicated to the computer system for authentication. In Figure 6, the embodiment of the invention is set up as a hand-held portable device 601 with a grip handle 603. The mobile personal communication device 604 is scanned by placing its screen on or near to the clear window of the portable hand-held device 601 and the decoded secured information 602 of the mobile token is automatically communicated to the computer system for authentication.

Having now fully described the invention, it will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that many changes and modifications can be made thereto without departing from the scope of the invention as claimed.

Claims

1. An apparatus to scan mobile tokens to automate the authentication process, the apparatus comprising of a camera system for capturing the digital images of the secured information of the mobile tokens from the screen of personal communication devices; a controller system for processing the digital images and recognizing the secured information of the mobile tokens; and a mechanical casing with a clear window to house the camera and controller systems.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the camera system consists of a digital camera, lighting means and a switch to scan and capture digital images of the secured information of mobile tokens displayed on the screen of mobile personal communication devices.

3. An apparatus according to claims 1 and 2, wherein the controller system consists of the electronic hardwares that are needed to run the image processor software and character recogniser software, and to communicate the decoded secured information of the mobile tokens to the computer system for authentication.

4. An apparatus according to claims 1 to 3, wherein the automation of the authentication of mobile tokens consists of the steps of capturing the digital images of the secured information of the mobile tokens; processing and extracting the features from the captured digital images; recognizing and decoding the characters and/or symbols of the processed digital images; and communicating the decoded secured information of the mobile tokens to the computer system for authentication.

5. Ail apparatus according to claims 1 to 4, wherein the apparatus is set up as a built-in table-top device.

6. An apparatus according to claims 1 to 4, wherein the apparatus is set up as a portable desk-top device.

7. An apparatus according to claims 1 to 4, wherein the apparatus is set up as a portable hand-held device.