| WO/2010/068439 | CURRENCY RECYCLER RECONCILEMENT ACTIVITY |
| JP2000182148 | MONEY RECEIVING DEVICE |
| JP2010178370 | SECURE MESSAGING SYSTEM FOR SELECTIVE CALL SIGNALING SYSTEM |
CHOW, Kenny, W.Y. (Room 2608, Block C Healthy Garden, North Point Hong Kong, Kong, CN)
| CLAIMS is claimed is: A system comprising: a keypad; and a display module configured to project a virtual image on the keypad, the virtual image comprising a set of two or more symbols, each symbol randomly assigned to at least one key of the keypad. The system of claim 1 further comprising a point-of-sale terminal configured to communicate with the display module and the keypad. The system of claim 2 where the point-of-sale terminal communicates with the display module and the keypad through at least one of a wireless medium and a wired medium. The system of claim 2 wherein the point-of-sale terminal is configured to receive key selections from the keypad and assign values to a user's key selections corresponding to a location of the symbols on the virtual image and generate the virtual image and transmit the virtual image to the display module. The system of claim 2 where the point-of-sale terminal is mounted to the display module. The system of claim 1 wherein the keypad is at least one of a mechanical keypad, a virtual keypad, or an electronic touchpad. 7. The system of claim 1 wherein the virtual image includes a set of symbols, the set of symbols arranged in random positions on the image such that a each successive use of the system arranges the symbols in a different order on the virtual keypad. 8. The system of claim 1 wherein the display module includes one of a monocular viewing module and a binocular viewing module. 9. The system of claim 1 wherein the display module includes a microdisplay. 10. The system of claim 1 wherein the display module includes a set of optics. 11. The system of claim 1 wherein the display module includes an optics module, a half mirror, and a microdisplay. 12. The system of claim 9 wherein the microdisplay is a Quarter Video Graphics Array. 13. The system of claim 9 further comprising a set of optics, wherein the microdisplay is configured to project the virtual image at the set of optics and the set of optics are configured to reflect the virtual image on the keypad. 14. The system of claim 9 wherein the display module further comprises a backlight. 15. The system of claim 14 wherein the backlight is mounted to the microdisplay. 16. A system comprising : a blank keypad; a camera configured to monitor the blank keypad; a virtual keying module configured to generate a virtual keypad image with randomly arranged keys; and a display module configured to project the virtual keypad image as an output video signal. The system of claim 16 wherein the blank keypad is covered by a solid colored surface. The system of claim 16 wherein the virtual keying module is further configured to receive a video signal from the camera, remove the blank keypad from the video signal, extract any remaining pointing devices from the video signal, and overlay the any remaining pointing devices onto the virtual keypad image. The system of claim 18 wherein the virtual keypad image is generated by software. The system of claim 16 further comprising a point-of-sale terminal configured to communicate with the blank keypad and the display module. The system of claim 20 wherein the point-of-sale terminal communicates with the display module and the keypad through at least one of a wireless medium and a wired medium. The system of claim 20 wherein the point-of-sale terminal is configured to receive key selections from the blank keypad and assign values to a user's key selections corresponding to a location of symbols on the virtual image to the display module. 23. The system of claim 20 wherein the point-of-sale terminal is mounted to at least one of the display module and the blank keypad. 24. The system of claim 16 wherein the blank keypad is at least one of a mechanical keypad, a virtual keypad, or an electronic keypad. The system of claim 16 wherein the virtual image includes a set of symbols, the set of symbols arranged in random positions on the image such that each successive use of the system arranges the symbols in a different order on the virtual keypad. 26. The system of claim 16 wherein the display module includes a monocular viewing module and a binocular viewing module. 27. The system of claim 16 wherein the display module includes a microdisplay. 28. The system of claim 16 wherein the display module includes a set of optics. 29. The system of claim 16 wherein the display module includes an optics module, a half mirror, and a microdisplay. 30. The system of claim 27 wherein the microdisplay is a Quarter Video Graphics Array. 31. The system of claim 27 further comprising a set of optics, wherein the microdisplay is configured to project the virtual image at the set of optics and the set of optics are configured to reflect the virtual image on the blank keypad. 32. The system of claim 27 wherein the display module further comprises a backlight. 33. The system of claim 27 wherein the backlight is mounted to the microdisplay. A system comprising: an electrical touchpad configured to output a position of a pointing device; a virtual keying module configured to generate a virtual keypad image displaying a cursor reflecting the position of the pointing device and a set of symbols, the set of symbols being placed in a random position on the virtual keypad image; a display module configured to project the virtual keypad image. The system of claim 34 further comprising a point-of-sale terminal configured to communicate with the electronic touchpad, virtual keying module, and display module. The system of claim 35 where the point-of-sale terminal communicates with the electronic touchpad, virtual keying module, and display module, through at least one of a wireless medium and a wired medium. The system of claim 35 wherein the point-of-sale terminal is configured to receive feedback from a user's input from the electronic touchpad and assign values to the feedback from a user's input to locations of the symbols on the virtual image and generate the virtual image and transmit the virtual image to the display module. The system of claim 35 where the point-of-sale terminal is mounted to the display module. The system of claim 34 wherein the virtual image includes a set of symbols, the set of symbols arranged in random positions on the image such that each successive use of the system arranges the symbols in a different order on the virtual keypad. 40. The system of claim 34 wherein the display module includes one of a monocular viewing module and a binocular viewing module. 41. The system of claim 34 wherein the display module includes a microdisplay. 42. The system of claim 34 wherein the display module includes a set of optics. 43. The system of claim 34 wherein the display module includes an optics module, a half mirror, and a microdisplay. 44. The system of claim 41 wherein the microdisplay is a Quarter Video Graphics Array. 45. The system of claim 41 further comprising a set of optics, wherein the microdisplay is configured to project the virtual image on the keypad. 46. The system of claim 41 wherein the display module further comprises a backlight. 47. The system of claim 46 wherein the backlight is mounted to the microdisplay. 48. A system comprising: a display module configured to project an image of a virtual keypad at a user looking into said display module, the virtual keypad including keys in a randomized order with, while the user is looking into the display module with at least one eye; and a camera configured to receive images of the at least one eye of the user. 49. The system of claim 48 wherein the display module includes a set of optics; the camera is configured to receive images of the at least one eye of the user by utilizing the set of optics of the display module. 50. The system of claim 48 further comprising a point-of-sale terminal configured to receive images of the at least one eye of the user from the camera and then authenticate the user. |
RELATED APPLICATION(S)
The application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.
61/363,914, filed on July 13, 2010. The entire teachings of the above application are incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND
In retail markets around the world there are large number of Point-of-Sale (POS) terminals where people can make payments by using a bank debit card. To complete a transaction, the user needs to enter a Personal Identification Number (PIN) code. Such debit card transactions are increasingly popular in emerging countries such as China. The use of debit cards to purchase products at POS terminals with just a signature, and without a PIN, is uncommon in many countries.
It is well known in the art that a PIN is a secret numeric or symbolic password shared between a user and a transaction system that can be used to authenticate the user and conduct a transaction or perform another function.
Typically, the user is required to provide 1) a non-confidential user identifier or token, such as the debit card itself, which is then treated as the user ID, and 2) a confidential PIN to gain access to the system. Upon receiving the user ID and PIN, the transaction system looks up the PIN based upon the user ID and compares the looked-up PIN with the received PIN. The system grants the user access only when the PIN the user entered matches with the PIN stored in the system.
SUMMARY
Debit card fraud by stealing PIN codes is a very serious problem. Therefore, there is an opportunity to provide a PIN keypad with which card owners can enter their PIN codes in a manner that only the card owner can see. This can be achieved by using a display module, which includes a microdisplay, optics, and a housing, to present an image of a keypad with randomized buttons to a viewer. The display module can also include more than one microdisplay. The display module can be used in conjunction with a blank mechanical keypad, a virtual mechanical keypad, or an electronic touchpad to display a virtualized keypad.
In a preferred embodiment, the display module is used with a virtual keypad as follows. The display module displays a virtual image of a numeric keypad with randomized number positions to a card owner or other user. The virtual image overlays the card owner's fingers, or other pointing device, so the user can see how to select each button. Other people nearby the user cannot see the virtual image that the user sees in the display module. Therefore, people nearby also cannot determine what symbols on the keypad the user selects because the symbols on the keypad in the virtual image have a random layout. A user can thus select his or her PIN or enter other secure information without the risk of that information being stolen.
In one embodiment, the system comprises a keypad and a display module configured to project a virtual image on the keypad, the virtual image comprising a set of two or more symbols, each symbol assigned to at least one key of the keypad.
In another embodiment, the system comprises a blank keypad, a camera configured to monitor the blank keypad, a virtual keying module configured to generate a virtual keypad image, and a display module configured to project the virtual keypad image as an output video signal.
In another embodiment, the system comprises an electrical touchpad configured to output a position of a pointing device, a virtual keying module configured to generate a virtual keypad image displaying a cursor reflecting the position of the pointing device and a set of symbols, the set of symbols being placed in a random position on the virtual keypad image, and a display module configured to project the virtual keypad image.
In another embodiment, the system comprises a display module configured to project an image of a virtual keypad at a user looking into said display module, the user looking into the display module with at least one eye and a camera configured to receive images of the at least one eye of the user. The display module can include a set of optics. The camera can be configured to receive images of an eye of the user by utilizing the set of optics of the display module. The point-of-sale terminal can be configured to receive images of the at least one eye of the user from the camera and then authenticate the user.
In another embodiment, the system includes a point-of-sale terminal that is configured to communicate with the display module and the keypad. The point-of- sale terminal may communicate with the display module either through a wired medium or a wireless medium. The point-of-sale terminal is configured to receive a user's key selections from the keypad and assign values to the user's key selections corresponding to a location of the symbols on the virtual image and generate the virtual image and transmit the virtual image to the display module. The point-of-sale terminal can be mounted to the display module.
In one embodiment, the keypad can be a mechanical keypad, a virtual keypad, or an electronic touchpad.
In one embodiment, the virtual image includes a set of symbols arranged in random positions on the image such that each successive use of the system arranges the symbols in a different order on the virtual keypad.
In one embodiment, the system the display module can include a monocular viewing module or a binocular viewing module. The display module can also include a microdisplay, a set of optics, an optics module, and a half mirror. The microdisplay can include a Cyber Display™ 320 Quarter Video Graphics Array, available from Kopin Corporation of Taunton, Massachusetts. The microdisplay can be configured to project the virtual image at the set of optics, and the set of optics can be configured to reflect the virtual image on the keypad. The display module can further include a backlight. The backlight can be mounted to the microdisplay.
The display module and keypad can be combined in many embodiments. One embodiment includes display module with a light path from the user to a mechanical keypad which shows a virtual image of randomized keypad. The light path from the user to mechanical keypad can be also implemented by optics. The virtual image is projected onto the mechanical keypad by a microdisplay combined with said optics.
Another embodiment includes a display module configured to display a software generated virtual image of a randomized keypad. An electronic touchpad, functioning as the keypad, inputs the location of a pointing device and a video keying module overlays a cursor onto the virtual image of the randomized keypad in a location corresponding to the location of the pointing device. In some
embodiments, the cursor may look like a finger.
Another embodiment includes a blank keypad with a solid colored surface, a camera a camera coupled with a point-of-sale terminal, and a display module also coupled with the point-of-sale terminal. The camera sends a video signal of the blank keypad with a solid colored surface to the point-of-sale terminal. The point- of-sale terminal is configured to remove the solid color, or "blue screen," and then extract a pointing device from the video signal. The point-of-sale terminal then generates a virtual image of a keypad with symbols arranged randomly, and overlays the video signal of the extracted pointing device onto the virtual image of the keypad with symbols arranged randomly.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The foregoing will be apparent from the following more particular description of example embodiments, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters refer to the same parts throughout the different views. The drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating embodiments.
FIG. 1 is a diagram that illustrates one embodiment of a personal secure terminal with a mechanical keypad used to provide a virtual keypad.
FIG. 2 is a diagram that illustrates another embodiment of a personal secure terminal with a virtual keypad.
FIG. 3 is a diagram that illustrates another embodiment of a personal secure terminal with a mechanical keypad. FIG. 4 is a diagram that illustrates one embodiment of a display module with biometric authentication.
FIG. 5 is a diagram that illustrates another embodiment of a display module with biometric authentication.
FIG. 6 is a diagram that illustrates a process of using a virtual keypad in a personal secure terminal.
FIG. 7 is a diagram of a process of generating a virtual image for a display module from a mechanical keypad.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
A description of example embodiments follows.
FIG. 1 is a diagram that illustrates one embodiment of a personal secure terminal 100 with a blank keypad 118 used to provide a virtual keypad. The blank keypad 118 can include a mechanical keypad, a virtual keypad, or an electronic touchpad. No numbers or symbols appear on the keys 116 of the blank keypad 118. The keys 116 of the blank keypad 118 can be arranged as a 4 row by 3 column format of a standard 12 button PIN keypad or telephone keypad. However, the keypad may have 9 keys in a 3 by 3 configuration, or more or fewer keys in any configuration.
A display module 110 includes an optics module 102, a half mirror 104, a microdisplay 106, and a backlight 108. The display module 110 can include a monocular or binocular viewing module. The display module 110 is positioned to project a virtual image 114 onto the keys 116 of the blank keypad 118. The display module 110 may also be mechanically mounted above the blank keypad 118. The optics module 102 and half mirror 104 can be replaced by a different set of optics.
The microdisplay 106 projects a representative of the virtual image 120 at the half mirror 104. The microdisplay 106 can be one or a plurality of Quarter Video Graphics Array (QVGA) devices such as the Cyber Display® 320 available from Kopin Corporation of Taunton, Massachusetts. The microdisplay 106 can also be higher or lower resolution than a QVGA. The backlight 108 is mounted with the microdisplay 106 and as such, can increase the virtual image's brightness. The half mirror 104 reflects the representative of the virtual image 120 away from the optics module 102, and towards the keys 116 of the blank keypad 118, where it is seen by the user as the virtual image 114. The microdisplay 106, backlight 108, and half mirror 104 are mounted to project the virtual image 114 with an orientation and size to match the keys 116 of the blank keypad 118. This implementation can give the user the sensation of seeing physical symbols on the blank keypad. The
microdisplay 106 is also coupled with the point-of-sale terminal 122, which transmits an electronic version of the virtual image to the microdisplay 106. The virtual image 114 then appears on the surface of the keys 116 of the blank keypad 118. The virtual image 114 is an image of a keypad with symbols, the symbols including numeric symbols, alpha-numeric symbols, or any other set of symbols. The symbols on the virtual image 114, however, are placed in a random order. This important aspect increases security for a user in one application. Every time a new user uses the personal secure terminal, the virtual image 114 will have a different arrangement of symbols on the image of the keypad.
The image optics module 102 is a see through device that the user can look through with an eye 150 or other optical reader (not shown). The image optics module 102 can include a lens. By looking through the image optics module 102, the user will see the virtual image 114 on the keys 116 of the blank keypad 118 through the half mirror 104. The user can use the virtual image 114 and the keys 116 of the blank keypad 118 to enter in a PIN, in one application. The user can position a pointing device 112 over the blank keypad 118 to push any one of the keys 116. The user will see both the pointing device 112 and the virtual image 114 projected onto the keys 116. The pointing device 112 can be a finger of the user.
The user selects symbols on the keypad 118 by pressing the keys 116. The keypad 118 transmits an identity of the selected key to the point-of-sale terminal 122. The point-of-sale terminal 122 is configured with a processor or other hardware to correlate the identity of the selected key with the value of the selected key displayed in the virtual image 114.
FIG. 2 is a diagram that illustrates another embodiment of a personal secure terminal with a virtual keypad 200. A display module 110 includes an optics module 102, a microdisplay 106 and a backlight 108. The microdisplay 106 can be at least one QVGA display. The microdisplay 106 is mounted to the backlight 108 such that the microdisplay projects directly at the optics module 102 and also such that it corresponds with a keypad orientation. In this configuration, the user sees only what is projected by the microdisplay 108. The point-of-sale terminal 122 generates the virtual image using a process 600 shown in FIG. 6, initiated by the user inputting the user's finger on the virtual keypad or an electronic touchpad 602. In this embodiment, then the user will see a virtual image 202 of a virtual version of the user's pointing device 212 overlaying virtual keys 204. This implementation gives the user the sensation of seeing and controlling a cursor over a keypad.
FIG. 6 is a diagram that illustrates a process 600 of implementing a virtual keypad in a personal secure terminal. A user applies a pointing device 112 to an electronic touchpad 602. No physical numbers or symbols are displayed on the electronic touchpad 602. The electronic touchpad 602 outputs a position of the pointing device 604 to a virtual keying module 606 configured to generate a virtual image with a virtual cursor in a corresponding position on a virtual keypad. The virtual cursor can look like a finger, in some embodiments. The display module 110 projects the virtual image, which the user sees as virtual image 202. The display module instantly reflects the position of the pointing device 604. The display module 110 does not have to be mounted with the electronic touchpad 602.
Referring to FIG. 2 in addition to FIG. 6, the display module 110 can be mounted such that the user can look in the display module 110 and also access the electronic touchpad 602 with a pointing device 212. The display module 110 and electronic touchpad 602 can be part of the same assembly.
The user can select symbols by double tapping the electronic touchpad 602 with the pointing device 112. The selection module 610 correlates the position of the pointing device 112 when it was double tapped to a symbol on the virtual keypad and transmits that symbol to the POS terminal 122 for authentication. The selection module 610 communicates with the point-of-sale terminal 122 through a wired or wireless connection. The point-of-sale terminal 122 verifies the set of symbols entered matches the PIN on record for an account of the user through any of the various methods of authentication that are known in the art, in one embodiment.
FIG. 3 is a diagram that illustrates another embodiment of a personal secure terminal with a mechanical keypad 300. A camera 304 is mounted to mounting arm 302 and mounting base 310. The camera 304 can include a CMOS camera. The camera 304 has a field of view 314 illuminated by at least one light source 306. The field of view 314 can entirely encompass the blank keypad 118. The camera 304 generates an output video signal. The blank keypad 118 is covered with a solid colored surface 308. The solid colored surface 308 is of a solid color that is distinguishable from a pointing device 112. The solid colored surface 308 can be blue or green in some embodiments. The solid colored surface 308 displays no symbols. The blank keypad 118 also has no numbers or symbols physically formed on it. The camera 304 transmits the output video signal to the point-of-sale terminal 122. The blank keypad 118 transmits the keys that the user selects to the point-of-sale terminal 122. The point-of-sale terminal 122 then implements the process 700 of FIG. 7 to generate a virtual image to transmit to the display module 110 to display.
FIG. 7 is a diagram of a process 700 of generating a virtual image for a display module from a mechanical keypad. The camera 304 generates a video signal 706 from the images of a blank keypad 118, also illustrated in the embodiment of FIG. 3, with a solid colored surface 308. The video signal 706 is sent to a video keying module 708, which includes a solid color removal module 710, a pointing device extraction module 712, and a virtual keypad image generation module 714. The solid color removal module 710 removes the solid color, or "blue screen," of the solid colored surface 308 from the video signal 706. The pointing device extraction module 712 then extracts the image of the pointing device from the video signal. The virtual keypad image generation module 714 then generates an image of a virtual keypad with keys placed in a random order and overlays the video signal of the pointing device 712 in the corresponding position and orientation. This video signal is then transmitted to the point-of-sale terminal 122, which relays the signal to the display module 110. Referring to FIG. 3 and FIG. 7, the size and orientation of the video signal corresponds with the blank keypad 118. This implementation gives the user the sensation of seeing and controlling the user's own finger over a physical keypad.
FIG. 4 is a diagram that illustrates one embodiment of a display module with biometric authentication 400. This embodiment of the display module with biometric identification 400 can be applied to a personal secure terminal with a virtual keypad 200 in one embodiment. A display module 110 includes a
microdisplay 110, optics module 102, a backlight 108 and a half mirror 104. The microdisplay 106 can be at least one QVGA display. The microdisplay 106 is mounted to the backlight 108 such that it projects an image at the half mirror 104. The microdisplay 106 projects a virtual image transmitted from the point-of-sale module 122. The half mirror 104 then reflects the projected image from the microdisplay 106 at the optics module 102, which is then viewed by the user's eye 150.
A camera 402 is positioned on the side of the half mirror 104 opposite the user's eye 150. The camera 402 can include a CMOS camera. The camera 402 is positioned to receive images of a retina 450 from the user's eye 150. The user does not see the camera 402 because the light reflected off of the camera 402 does not travel through half mirror 104, but instead sees the virtual image of the keypad 202 projected by the microdisplay 106. The video signal from the camera 402 is transmitted to the point-of-sale terminal 112. The video signal from the camera 402 can thus be used for biometric identification. The point-of-sale terminal then performs biometric analysis processes that are well known in the art to compare the biometric identification in the video to known biometric records of the user.
FIG. 5 is a diagram that illustrates another embodiment of a display module with biometric authentication 500. Like the embodiment described in FIG. 4, a camera 402 scans a retina of the user's eye 150. A display module 110 includes a microdisplay 110, optics module 102, a backlight 108 and a half mirror 104. The microdisplay 106 can be a QVGA display. The microdisplay 106 is mounted to the backlight 108 such that it projects an image at the optics module 102. The microdisplay 106 projects a virtual image transmitted from the point-of-sale module 122. The projection of the image continues through the optics module 102, through the half mirror 104 to the user's eye 150.
Here, the camera 402 is mounted outside of the viewer's field of view 502 to receive images of the retina 450 of the user's eye 150 from the reflection of the half mirror 104. The user's eye 150 does not see the camera 450 because the light from the camera 450 passes through the half mirror 104 and does not reflect towards the user's eye 150. The video signal from the camera 402 can be used for biometric identification. The video signal from the camera 402 is transmitted to the point-of- sale terminal 112. The point-of-sale terminal then performs biometric analysis processes that are well known in the art to compare the biometric identification in the video to known biometric information on record for the user.
In reference to the above embodiments, a microdisplay 106 was described. It should be appreciated that the microdisplay 106 could be replaced by any other display of a different size, type, or resolution by a person of ordinary skill in the art.
While this invention has been particularly shown and described with references to example embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention encompassed by the appended claims.
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