Patent Issued for Chip card with on/off mechanisms (USPTO 11361207): United Services Automobile Association

2022 JUN 01 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- A patent by the inventors Black, Robert Lee (San Antonio, TX, US), Buentello, Andre Rene (San Antonio, TX, US), Chalmers, Timothy Blair (San Antonio, TX, US), Mehra, Samip Dilip (Peoria, AZ, US), Romero, Jr., Jose L. (San Antonio, TX, US), Santacroce, Matthew Ryan (San Antonio, TX, US), filed on September 24, 2020, was published online on June 14, 2022, according to news reporting originating from Alexandria, Virginia, by NewsRx correspondents.

Patent number 11361207 is assigned to United Services Automobile Association (San Antonio, Texas, United States).

The following quote was obtained by the news editors from the background information supplied by the inventors: “Chip cards such as credit cards and debit cards are designed to be read using, for example, RFID technology, by chip readers at terminals of retailers, banks and other institutions. When these RFID chip cards are used at a retailer or a bank, for example, the system combines data stored in their chips with information provided by the terminal to create a unique encrypted code that is then used to authorize the transaction. The card data stored in the chips might be stolen by unauthorized persons using illicit RFID devices that, for example, could emulate chip readers. This stolen card data could then be used to consummate fraudulent transactions such as the purchase of expensive consumer products, or to withdraw funds from bank accounts, for example. Identity cards that are used to gain entry into restricted-entry facilities often also contain chips that might also be vulnerable to data theft, that would allow duplicate identity cards to be fabricated.

“To some extent, chip cards may be vulnerable because they are normally active such that they might respond to attempts by unauthorized persons to access confidential card data stored in the chip cards even when the chip cards are not being used. For these reasons, there is a need to disable chip cards when they are not being used by the owners of the chip cards, to prevent illicit devices from obtaining sensitive information stored on the chip cards.”

In addition to the background information obtained for this patent, NewsRx journalists also obtained the inventors’ summary information for this patent: “In one aspect, embodiments include a chip card that may be disabled when it is not in use. The chip card has a chip electrically connected to an antenna for receiving electromagnetic waves from a chip reader. The chip is configured to be read by a chip reader. An electromechanical device is electrically connected to the chip. The chip has a first state and a second state. When the electromechanical device is in its first state, the chip is enabled to execute at least one of the following functions: authorize a credit card transaction, authorize a debit card transaction, and allow entry into a restricted-entry facility. When the electromechanical device is in its second state, the chip card is disabled such that it cannot authorize credit card transactions, cannot authorize debit card transactions, and cannot allow entry into any restricted-entry facility.

“In another aspect, embodiments include chip card configured to be read by a chip reader. The chip card has a substrate with an embedded chip. The chip is electrically connected to an antenna also embedded in the substrate for receiving electromagnetic waves. There is a switch interposed between the antenna and the chip. The antenna is electrically connected to a first circuit in the chip when the switch is in a first state, and is not connected to the first circuit when the switch is in a second state. When the switch is in the first state the chip is enabled and when the switch is in the second state the chip is disabled.

“In yet another aspect, embodiments include a chip card that has a substrate with a chip embedded in the substrate. The chip is configured to be read by a chip reader. There is a flat thin battery on the substrate which powers a sensor. A switch is electrically controlled by the sensor. When the switch is in a first position it is interposed between an antenna for receiving electromagnetic waves and a matching network in a first circuit on the chip. When the switch is in the first position the switch enables the chip card by providing an electrical path from the antenna to the matching network in the first circuit on the chip. The first circuit is configured to communicate with the chip reader to one of (1) submit a transaction for approval, (2) allow entrance to a restricted-entry facility and (3) deny entrance to a restricted-entry facility. When the switch is in a second position, the switch does not provide an electrical path to the first circuit. The sensor controls the position of the switch.”

The claims supplied by the inventors are:

“1. A chip card that may be disabled when the chip card is not in use comprising: a chip electrically connected to an antenna for receiving electromagnetic waves from a chip reader, wherein the chip is configured to be read by a chip reader; and an electromechanical device electrically connected to the chip; wherein the electromechanical device has a first state and a second state; and wherein when the electromechanical device is in its first state, the chip is enabled to execute at least one of the following functions: authorize a credit card transaction, authorize a debit card transaction, and allow entry into a restricted-entry facility; wherein when the electromechanical device is in its second state, the chip card is disabled such that it cannot authorize at least one of the following functions: credit card transactions, debit card transactions, and allow entry into any restricted-entry facility; and wherein when the electromechanical device is in its second state, the electromechanical device provides invalid data to any device that attempts to obtain confidential data stored in the chip.

“2. The chip card of claim 1, wherein the electromechanical device is a rotating dial having multiple positions, wherein the electromechanical device is in its first state only when the rotating dial is in a preselected one of the multiple positions.

“3. The chip card of claim 1, wherein the electromechanical device is a linear sliding switch having multiple positions, wherein the electromechanical device is in its first state only when the linear sliding switch is in a preselected one of the multiple positions.

“4. The chip card of claim 1, wherein the chip is protected from being accessed by illicit devices when the electromechanical device is in its second state.

“5. The chip card of claim 1, wherein the electromechanical device is interposed electrically between the antenna and the chip.

“6. The chip card of claim 1, wherein the chip card includes a battery.

“7. The chip card of claim 1, wherein the chip is configured to provide instructions to a chip reader to transmit alerts to at least one of an owner of the chip card and an issuer of the chip card.

“8. A chip card configured to be read by a chip reader, the chip card comprising: a substrate; a chip embedded in the substrate, wherein the chip is electrically connected to an antenna embedded in the substrate for receiving electromagnetic waves; a switch interposed between the antenna and the chip; wherein the antenna is electrically connected to a first circuit in the chip when the switch is in a first state, and is not connected to the first circuit when the switch is in a second state; wherein when the switch is in the first state the chip is enabled and when the switch is in the second state the chip is disabled; and wherein when the switch is in the second state the antenna is electrically connected to a second circuit.

“9. The chip card of claim 8, wherein the chip is configured to provide instructions to a chip reader to transmit an alert to an owner of the chip card.

“10. The chip card of claim 9, wherein when the antenna is connected to the second circuit the chip transmits invalid data to the chip reader via the antenna.

“11. The chip card of claim 8, wherein the switch is a multi-position pushbutton switch.

“12. The chip card of claim 8, wherein the chip is configured to provide an alert to one of an owner of the chip card and a card issuer of the chip card if an attempt was made to use the chip in the second state.

“13. The chip card of claim 8, further comprising a biometric sensor controlling the switch.

“14. The chip card of claim 13, wherein the biometric sensor is a fingerprint sensor.

“15. A chip card comprising: a substrate; a chip embedded in the substrate configured to be read by a chip reader; a flat thin battery disposed on the substrate; a sensor powered by the flat thin battery; and a switch electrically controlled by the sensor, wherein when the switch is in a first position the switch is interposed electrically between an antenna for receiving electromagnetic waves and a matching network in a first circuit on the chip; wherein when the switch is in the first position the switch enables the chip card by providing an electrical path from the antenna to the matching network in the first circuit on the chip, the first circuit being configured to communicate with the chip reader to one of (1) submit a transaction for approval, (2) allow entrance to a restricted-entry facility and (3) deny entrance to a restricted-entry facility; wherein when the switch is in a second position, the switch does not provide an electrical path to the first circuit; wherein the sensor controls which one of the first position and the second position the switch is in; and wherein when the chip is in the second position, the switch directs electrical signals received by the antenna to a second circuit which is configured to respond to the electric signals by providing invalid data to the chip reader.

“16. The chip card of claim 15, wherein when the switch is in the second position the switch is open such that it cannot transmit electrical signals received by the antenna.

“17. The chip card of claim 15, wherein the chip card includes a battery.

“18. The chip card of claim 15, wherein the sensor is a biometric sensor.

“19. The chip card of claim 18, wherein the biometric sensor is a fingerprint sensor.

“20. The chip card of claim 18, wherein the biometric sensor is one of a voice recognition detector and a facial recognition detector.”

URL and more information on this patent, see: Black, Robert Lee. Chip card with on/off mechanisms. U.S. Patent Number 11361207, filed September 24, 2020, and published online on June 14, 2022. Patent URL: http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PALL&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsrchnum.htm&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=11361207.PN.&OS=PN/11361207RS=PN/11361207

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