Abstract: A fingerprint authorisable smartcard may include a fingerprint sensor for obtaining fingerprint data from a user's finger or thumb, and a control system for controlling the smartcard. The control system may be arranged to provide access to one or more functions of the smartcard in response to identification of an authorised fingerprint and the control system further may include a fingerprint failure feature in which a non-fingerprint authorisation can act to at least partially replace the fingerprint authorisation such that the control system may be arranged to provide access to at least some of the one or more functions of the smartcard when a user is identified via the non-fingerprint authorisation. The non-fingerprint authorisation may require an interaction with the fingerprint authorisable smartcard by the user, the interaction including one or more action(s) detected via the fingerprint sensor.

Abstract: A smartcard includes contact pads for electrical connection to an external power source for provision of power to the smartcard in a contact mode of the smartcard, a contactless power harvesting system for provision of power to the smartcard in a contactless mode of the smartcard, and a main circuit on-board the smartcard for receiving and managing the power provided from the contact pads or from the contactless power harvesting system, where the main circuit includes components requiring power in order to provide the smartcard with required functionality, and where the main circuit is connected to the contact pads via a current limiting circuit for controlling the levels of current drawn via the contact pads, the current limiting circuit having an integrator.

Abstract: A method of power optimisation in an RFID device includes harvesting power from a radio-frequency excitation field using an antenna, powering a biometric authentication unit and an RFID communication module using the harvested power from the antenna; monitoring the voltage of the power supplied to the biometric authentication unit, and controlling a clock speed of a processing unit of the biometric authentication unit based on the monitored voltage by operating the processing unit at a higher clock speed when a high voltage level is detected and at a lower clock speed when a low voltage level is detected.

Abstract: A method of using a smartcard may include detecting possible fraudulent use of a biometric sensor embedded within the smartcard and restricting, but not preventing, subsequent use of the smartcard after the possible fraudulent use has stopped. The restriction may include one or more of not permitting the bearer to make an action that they would normally be permitted to make, requiring a higher authorization confidence score than would normally be required before permitting the bearer to perform one or more actions, and requiring the bearer to pass a secondary authorization step before permitting the bearer to perform one or more actions.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a smartcard may include providing a flexible smartcard circuit, forming conductive extension members on and extend away from the flexible circuit from a high melting point solder material, and laminating the flexible circuit to form a smartcard body. A cavity is then milled in the smartcard body to expose the ends of the extension members, and a contact pad is inserted into the cavity and electrically connected to extension members using a low melting temperature tin-bismuth solder using ultrasonically soldering, so as to avoid heat damage to the card body.

Abstract: A biometrically authorisable device 102 comprises: a biometric sensor 130 for obtaining biometric data from a user; a control system 114, 128 for controlling the device, wherein the control system 114, 128 is arranged to provide access to one or more protected functions of the device 102 in response to identification of an authorised user via the biometric sensor 130; and an internal power source for powering the biometric sensor 130 and the control system 114, 128; wherein the control system 114, 128 is able to place the device 102 into a zero-power standby mode when the device 102 is not in use; and wherein the device comprises a movement sensor 16 for reactivating the device 102, the movement sensor 16 generating an electrical voltage in response to movements of the device 102 and the device 102 being arranged to reactivate in response to an electrical voltage relating to one or more types of movements of the device 102.

Abstract: A method of authorizing enrollment of an RFID device including a biometric sensor may include separately sending the RFID device and an authorization code associated with the RFID device to the user. The RFID device is configured such that, when the user presents the RFID device to an RFID terminal and inputs the authorization code to the terminal, the RFID device will enter an enrollment mode during which the user is authorized to enroll their biometric data.

Abstract: A fingerprint authorizable device includes a fingerprint sensor for obtaining fingerprint data from a user's digit, and a control system for controlling the device, where the control system is arranged to provide access to one or more functions of the device in response to identification of an authorized fingerprint, the device further including a finger placement guidance marking adjacent the fingerprint area sensor, outside of the area of the sensor surface, where the finger placement guidance marking acts to guide the location of the user's digit in the same place on the sensor each time the device is used.

Abstract: A method of harvesting power in a passive RFID device including a passive biometric authentication engine, including the steps of receiving a command from a powered RFID reader and supplying power extracted from an excitation field of the RFID reader to the biometric authentication engine whilst the RFID reader waits for a response to the command. Responsive to determining that a period that the RFID device has been waiting for a response exceeds a predetermined threshold, and that a process being performed by the biometric authentication engine has not been completed, a request for a wait time extension is sent to the RFID reader to cause it to continue supplying the excitation field.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing biometric RFID devices includes producing a plurality of identical biometric identification devices that are each adapted to receive at least two different types of RFID module, and installing a respective RFID module into each of the devices corresponding to a selected RFID protocol.

Abstract: A passive RFID device may include a fingerprint authentication engine having a processing unit and a fingerprint scanner. The fingerprint authentication engine is capable of performing both an enrolment process and a matching process on a fingerprint of a finger presented to the fingerprint scanner.

Abstract: A method of authorising enrolment of an RFID device including a biometric sensor may include separately sending the RFID device and an authorisation code associated with the RFID device to the user. The RFID device is configured such that, when the user presents the RFID device to an RFID terminal and inputs the authorisation code to the terminal, the RFID device will enter an enrolment mode during which the user is authorised to enrol their biometric data.

Abstract: A circuit for a passive RFID card, including an antenna for receiving an RF signal, an RFID chip for controlling an output of the RFID card, and a biometrics processing device separate from the RFID chip and having a fingerprint sensor, where the antenna has first and second pairs of terminals, where when the RF signal is received by the antenna, the first pair of terminals, receives the full voltage generated across the antenna and the second pair of terminals, receives a lower voltage than a voltage generated across the first pair of terminals, such that in a first mode of operation, the biometric sensor scans fingerprint data and compares it to pre-stored fingerprint data, and in a second mode of operation, the RFID chip communicates with an RFID scanner, and a switch is controlled such that the biometrics processing device is powered by the voltage generated across the first pair of terminals, when the circuit is operating in the first mode of operation, and such that the biometrics processing device is p

Abstract: A method of matching a reference fingerprint image and an input fingerprint image, represented by a first set of minutiae and a second set of minutiae, including: determining a first local neighborhood for each minutia including at least one minutia neighboring the minutia, comparing the first local neighborhoods in the first set with the first local neighborhoods in the second set to determine matched minutiae, filtering the matched minutiae based on a difference between their positions, determining a second local neighborhood for each unmatched minutia including at least one matched minutia neighboring the unmatched minutia, comparing the second local neighborhoods in the first set with the second local neighborhoods in the second set to determine further matched minutiae, filtering the matched minutiae and the further matched minutiae based on a difference between their positions, and determining whether the first and second fingerprint images are the same.

Abstract: A method of enrolling a fingerprint using a narrow-width fingerprint scanner is described. The method may include the steps of receiving first, second, and third fingerprint image strips, respectively representing overlapping portion of the fingerprint, extracting minutiae from each of the fingerprint image strips, matching the extracted minutiae to determine relative positions of the fingerprint image strips, combining the extracted minutiae based on their relative positions to produce a combined set of minutiae representing a larger portion of the fingerprint, and determining that the fingerprint has been successfully enrolled if a width of the larger portion is greater than a predetermined minimum width, or, if not, requesting further fingerprint image strips until the width of the larger portion of the fingerprint is greater than the predetermined minimum width.

Abstract: The present application relates to overcoming some of the physical problems associated with putting a biometric sensor into the body of an electronic card, such as a smart card. A disclosed method of manufacturing an electronic card including a biometric sensor may include providing a preformed card body including a circuit having contacts for connection to a biometric sensor, the contacts being embedded within the preformed card body, removing material from the preformed card body to form a cavity in the preformed card body to expose the contacts, coating walls of the cavity with an adhesive epoxy, and connecting a biometric sensor to the contacts using an conductive epoxy. Also disclosed is an electronic card including a biometric sensor manufactured by this method.