Patent Issued for Chip card with on/off mechanisms (USPTO 11783152): United Services Automobile Association

2023 NOV 01 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- From Alexandria, Virginia, NewsRx journalists report that 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 April 13, 2022, was published online on October 10, 2023.

The patent’s assignee for patent number 11783152 is United Services Automobile Association (San Antonio, Texas, United States).

News editors obtained the following quote 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.”

As a supplement to the background information on this patent, NewsRx correspondents 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, the electromechanical device having multiple different positions, each position corresponding to an indicator disposed on the chip card; wherein the electromechanical device has a first state and a second state, wherein the electromechanical device is in the first state only when the electromechanical device is in a preselected one of the multiple different positions and wherein the electromechanical device is in the second state when the electromechanical device is in any other of the multiple different positions except the preselected one; wherein when the electromechanical device is in the 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; and wherein when the electromechanical device is in the 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.

“2. The chip card according to claim 1, wherein the electromechanical device is a rotating dial.

“3. The chip card according to claim 2, wherein indicators corresponding to each position of the rotating dial are disposed around a circumference of the rotating dial.

“4. The chip card according to claim 3, wherein the rotating dial includes detents disposed along its periphery that correspond to bumps around the circumference of the rotating dial.

“5. The chip card according to claim 1, wherein the electromechanical device is a linear sliding switch.

“6. The chip card according to claim 5, wherein indicators corresponding to each position of the linear sliding switch are disposed along a slot housing of the linear sliding switch.

“7. The chip card according to claim 6, wherein the linear sliding switch includes bumps along its length that correspond to detents along a periphery of the slot housing.

“8. The chip card according to claim 1, wherein the electromechanical device is interposed electrically between the antenna and the chip.

“9. The chip card according to claim 1, wherein when the electromechanical device is in the second state, the electromechanical device provides invalid data to any device that attempts to obtain confidential data stored in the chip.

“10. 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 sensor; a switch interposed between the antenna and the chip that is electrically controlled by the sensor, 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; wherein 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.

“11. The chip card according to claim 10, wherein the sensor is a proximity sensor.

“12. The chip card according to claim 11, wherein the proximity sensor is a capacitance sensor that closes the switch to the first state when an owner of the chip card places a finger over the capacitance sensor.

“13. The chip card according to claim 10, wherein the sensor is a pressure sensor.

“14. The chip card according to claim 13, wherein the pressure sensor closes the switch to the first state when an owner of the chip card presses down on the pressure sensor.

“15. The chip card according to claim 10, wherein the sensor is one of a temperature sensor or a force-sensitive resistance sensor.

“16. The chip card according to claim 15, wherein the sensor closes the switch to the first state when an owner of the chip card presses down on the sensor for a predetermined time.

“17. 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 flat thin battery disposed on the substrate; a sensor powered by the flat thin battery; an indicator disposed on the substrate; a switch interposed between the antenna and the chip that is electrically controlled by the sensor, 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; wherein when the switch is in the second state the chip is disabled; wherein when the switch is in the second state the antenna is electrically connected to a second circuit; and wherein the indicator is configured to indicate to an owner of the chip card whether the chip is enabled or disabled.

“18. The chip card according to claim 17, wherein the indicator is a light emitting diode.

“19. The chip card according to claim 18, wherein the biometric sensor is one of a fingerprint sensor, a voice recognition detector, or a facial recognition detector.

“20. The chip card according to claim 17, wherein the sensor is one of a pressure sensor, a proximity sensor, a temperature sensor, a force sensitive resistance sensor, or a biometric sensor.”

For additional information on this patent, see: Black, Robert Lee. Chip card with on/off mechanisms. U.S. Patent Number 11783152, filed April 13, 2022, and published online on October 10, 2023. Patent URL (for desktop use only): https://ppubs.uspto.gov/pubwebapp/external.html?q=(11783152)&db=USPAT&type=ids

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