CARD READER
The invention provides for a card reader, and a self-service terminal employing the same. The reader comprises a card receiving means (14) for receiving a card having stored data to be read and card reading means (12) for reading the stored data. The reader is arranged to deliver a card received at the card receiving means (14) to the card reading means via a delivery path. The path (30) is arranged to maintain the card in a predetermined plane during transportation. A signal source (28) is arranged to produce an output signal (26) which is projected across the delivery path (30) in the plane which a card passes when in use. Detecting means (32) are also arranged to receive the output signal (26) and to detect the presence of an object in the path (30) in response to the object interfering with the signal.
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The present invention relates to a card reader for receiving a magnetic stripe or smart card carrying stored data for the subsequent reading of the said data and, relates particularly, but not exclusively, to a card reader such as that employed in an Automated Teller Machine (ATM).
BACKGROUNDSelf-service financial terminals such as ATMs are commonly arranged to receive a card having magnetically stored data which can be employed to verify the identity of an individual accessing the self-service terminal. However, the requirement for using such a card does not prevent attempted fraud or other erroneous, or inappropriate, operation of the self-service terminal.
On the contrary ATMs and other self-service terminals provide opportunities for criminals to defraud customers and financial institutions by intercepting magnetic card and/or PIN information.
In recent years, it has been sufficient to merely acquire magnetic information from a card, offered to an ATM, by reading the magnetic stripe as the card enters or leaves the magnetic reader—a process known as “card skimming”. However, in order to eliminate such fraud, financial institutions worldwide are introducing “chip and PIN” cards. These are smart cards which cannot currently be easily copied, so criminals will inevitably move towards card capture. One known means of card capture from an ATM is a, so called, “Lebanese Loop”, which is a device which incorporates a filament of material, in the form of a loop, to constrain and thereby capture a card within the ATM card reader and prevent its return to the authorized user. The loop may be made from any strong flexible material from video tape to dental floss.
To-date, various defenses against such attacks have been attempted. Some approaches to this problem, such as the Applicants' earlier U.S. Patent, U.S. Pat. No. 6,196,463, attempt to detect the presence of a Lebanese Loop by electro-mechanical means which are inherently unreliable.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,196,463 a beam is projected from a source on a moving buggy which is swept across the complete width of the transport path, thus allowing the beam to be projected at the transport path across its entire width. Detecting means are arranged to receive an output signal and to detect the presence of an object in the path in response to the object interfering with the signal. However, the mechanical complexity of this solution renders it costly and unsatisfactory to ATM manufacturers.
SUMMARYThe present invention seeks to provide for a card reader such as the type that might be employed in a self-service terminal and which exhibits advantages over known card readers in reducing the likelihood of fraudulent operation of the terminal.
According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a card reader comprising a card receiving means for receiving a card having stored data to be read and card reading means for reading the stored data, the reader being arranged to deliver a card received at the card receiving means to the card reading means via a delivery path, the delivery path being arranged to maintain the card in a predetermined plane during transportation, a signal source for providing an output signal which is projected across the delivery path in the plane which a card passes when in use, and detecting means arranged to receive the said output signal and to detect the presence of an object in the path in response to the object interfering with the signal.
In one embodiment the signal source and the detector are located on opposite sides of the delivery path.
In an alternative embodiment both the signal source and the detector are located on the same side of the delivery path and a reflecting means is employed in order to reflect the signal from the signal source for receipt by the detector.
In yet another embodiment, optical fibres are arranged to bring the beam from a remotely located emitter to one side of the path for projection across the path.
Furthermore optical fibres can be arranged at a side of the transport path to receive the beam having crossed the transport path and to transmit the received beam to a remotely located receiver.
A particularly compact arrangement can be achieved in this manner.
The invention is advantageous in that any fraud that might involve the insertion of objects other than the card to be read into the card reader of the self-service terminal can be readily identified irrespective of the shape, configuration and/or dimensions of the object. Thus, a variety of attempted frauds involving the insertion of a “foreign” object, such as a Lebanese Loop, into the card reader can be prevented.
One example of such a signal source comprises a laser.
Preferably, the card reader further comprises an encoding system arranged to provide the beam or beams with a unique signature
According to a further aspect of the present invention there is provided self-service terminal comprising processor means, card receiving means, card reading means, data input means, display means, output means and connection means for connecting to a central authorization unit, the terminal being arranged to deliver a card received at the card receiving means to the card reading means via a delivery path, the delivery path being arranged to maintain the card in a predetermined plane during transportation, a signal source for providing an output signal which is projected across the delivery path in the plane which a card passes when in use, and detecting means arranged to receive the said output signal and serving to detect the presence of an object in the path in response to the object interfering with the signal.
It should be appreciated that the present invention is particularly advantageous in detecting an object such as a thin or fine member in the form of a thread.
The invention is described further hereinafter, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
In
The mouth region 14 includes a throat portion 16 which presents a slot 18 of dimensions somewhat similar to the transverse cross section of the card and through which the card is delivered into the card reader 10 for subsequent delivery to the data reader region 12.
In order to prevent unwanted foreign bodies being introduced into the card reader via the slot 18, the throat portion 16 commonly employs a shutter arrangement 20 movable between first and second positions. In the first position the throat 16 defines an open passage for allowing delivery of a card introduced into the slot 18 into the card reader 10. In a second position, the shutter arrangement closes off the front of the slot 18 from the card reader 10.
Thus, the shutter arrangement 20 can serve to provide at least some limited form of fraud prevention.
However, the scope of fraud prevention is disadvantageously limited and
A card 22 having previously been introduced into the card reader 10 is illustrated at the location of the data reader region 12 and, as illustrated, a thread 24 secured to the card 22 by an adhesive or tape etc. extends back along the delivery path and out of the slot 18 for manipulation by a user attempting to execute a fraudulent activity. Although the shutter 20 is in its second, i.e. closed, position, the closed shutter is unable to prevent movement of the card within the reader which can be achieved by manipulation of the thread 24. The thread not only prevents retention of the card but also provides a means whereby the card can be moved relative to reading heads so as to generate a false reading.
The light beam 26 illustrated in
In addition other frequencies of light may be utilized, some of which, being visible, may act as a deterrent to the would-be criminal.
Invariably, card readers employ shutters 20 (
Whilst one beam affords the system considerable protection against attack, a more sophisticated embodiment utilizes two beams, one either side of the shutter. These beams are arranged either to work independently, or they may be the same beam “folded back upon itself” by optical means, or may be derived from a single beam by use of bifurcated optical fibre(s) (not shown).
In a further embodiment the integrity of these beams is enhanced by employing an encoding system (a “unique signature”) to each beam in order to prevent criminals from introducing “alien” beams to overcome the security system, or to prevent cross-talk between the two beams of a dual-beam system.
The system works by detecting the small amount of beam attenuation resultant from the introduction of a filament (the Lebanese Loop) into the beam system. It should be noted, however, that normal action of the card reader shutter & the passage of cards themselves is detected by the system described above. Status information pertaining to the activity/state of the reader into an intelligent is therefore fed either to the reader controller 56 or to the ATM control processor 50 (
The control system for the automated teller machine 44 is illustrated as a block diagram in
As will be appreciated from the aforementioned
The invention is not restricted to the details of the aforementioned embodiment. For example, the card reader can be employed in any appropriate self-service terminal employing some form of data carrier to be inserted into the terminal.
Claims
1-11. (canceled)
12. A card reader comprising:
- an input portion defining a slot for receiving a card from a user;
- a data reader portion for reading data stored on the card;
- a delivery path which extends between the input portion and the data reader portion and which lies in a first plane;
- a signal source for providing an output signal which is directed across the delivery path and which lies in a second plane substantially parallel to the first plane; and
- a detector for receiving the output signal from the signal source to detect the presence of an object in the delivery path when the object interferes with the output signal.
13. A card reader according to claim 12, wherein the signal source and the detector are located on the same side of the delivery path, and a reflector is employed to reflect the signal from the signal source for receipt by the detector.
14. A card reader according to claim 12, wherein the signal source and the detector comprise appropriately matched electro-optic devices.
15. A self-service terminal comprising:
- an input device for allowing a user to enter data;
- an output device for allowing the user to view data;
- a processor for receiving input data from the input device and for controlling the output device to output data;
- connection means for enabling the processor to be connected to a central authorization unit; and
- a card reader including (i) an input portion defining a slot for receiving a card from a user, (ii) a data reader portion for reading data stored on the card, (iii) a delivery path which extends between the input portion and the data reader portion and which lies in a first plane, (iv) a signal source for providing an output signal which is directed across the delivery path and which lies in a second plane substantially parallel to the first plane, and (v) a detector for receiving the output signal from the signal source to detect the presence of an object in the delivery path when the object interferes with the output signal.
16. A card reader comprising a card receiving means for receiving a card having stored data to be read and card reading means for reading the stored data, the reader being arranged to deliver the card received at the card receiving means to the card reading means via a delivery path, the delivery path being arranged to maintain the card in a predetermined plane during transportation, a signal source for providing an output signal which is projected across the delivery path in the plane which the card passes when in use, and a detector arranged to receive the output signal and to detect the presence of an object in the delivery path in response to the object interfering with the signal, wherein the signal source and the detector are located on opposite sides of the delivery path.
17. A card reader comprising a card receiving means for receiving a card having stored data to be read and card reading means for reading the stored data, the reader being arranged to deliver the card received at the card receiving means to the card reading means via a delivery path, the delivery path being arranged to maintain the card in a predetermined plane during transportation, a signal source for providing an output signal which is projected across the delivery path in the plane which the card passes when in use, and a detector arranged to receive the output signal and to detect the presence of an object in the delivery path in response to the object interfering with the signal, wherein optical fibres are arranged to bring a beam from a remotely located emitter to one side of the delivery path for projection across the delivery path.
18. A card reader comprising a card receiving means for receiving a card having stored data to be read and card reading means for reading the stored data, the reader being arranged to deliver the card received at the card receiving means to the card reading means via a delivery path, the delivery path being arranged to maintain the card in a predetermined plane during transportation, a signal source for providing an output signal which is projected across the delivery path in the plane which the card passes when in use, and a detector arranged to receive the output signal and to detect the presence of an object in the delivery path in response to the object interfering with the signal, wherein optical fibres are arranged at a side of the delivery path to receive the beam having crossed the delivery path and to transmit the received beam to a remotely located detector.
19. A card reader comprising a card receiving means for receiving a card having stored data to be read and card reading means for reading the stored data, the reader being arranged to deliver the card received at the card receiving means to the card reading means via a delivery path, the delivery path being arranged to maintain the card in a predetermined plane during transportation, a signal source for providing an output signal which is projected across the delivery path in the plane which the card passes when in use, and a detector arranged to receive the output signal and to detect the presence of an object in the delivery path in response to the object interfering with the signal, wherein there is at least a first and second beam arranged to detect the presence of the object at two distinct points along the delivery path.
20. A card reader according to claim 19, wherein the first beam is located within the interior of the reader and the second beam is located outside of the interior of the reader.
21. A card reader according to claim 20, wherein both the first and second beams are located adjacent a shutter.
22. A card reader comprising a card receiving means for receiving a card having stored data to be read and card reading means for reading the stored data, the reader being arranged to deliver a card received at the card receiving means to the card reading means via a delivery path, the delivery path being arranged to maintain the card in a predetermined plane during transportation, a signal source for providing an output signal which is projected across the delivery path in the plane which a card passes when in use, a detector arranged to receive the said output signal and to detect the presence of an object in the path in response to the object interfering with the signal, and an encoding system arranged to provide the beam or beams with a unique signature.
Type: Application
Filed: Sep 15, 2006
Publication Date: Mar 20, 2008
Applicant:
Inventors: Barrie Clark (Dundee), Stuart W. Masterton (Newtyle)
Application Number: 11/521,713
International Classification: G06K 7/00 (20060101); G06K 13/00 (20060101);