Universal intelligent card for secure access to system functions

A communication system comprising:

• a communication network;
• a secure application/function server, electrically coupled to the communication network, for providing secured access functions to an authorized user across the communication network;
• a secure access server, electrically coupled to the communication network, for determining whether a user across the communication network is an authorized user, the secure access server including:
• a network interface for coupling communication signaling between the communication network and the secure access server;
• a tone signal processor electrically coupled to the network interface for receiving and processing communication signaling from the communication network, the communication signaling comprising at least one tone signal in a tone sequence;
• a database memory for storing authorized user identification information including for each authorized user at least one of a personal identification number (PIN), a voice identification information, a fingerprint identification information, and a signature identification information;
• and
• a controller, electrically coupled to the tone signal processor and the database memory, for receiving communication signaling from the communication network, the communication signaling comprising at least one tone signal in a tone sequence representative of user identification information, and for comparing the user identification information to the stored authorized user identification information to determine whether the user identification information received from across the communication network corresponds to an authorized user for accessing secured access functions provided by the secure application/function server to an authorized user across the communication network;
• and
• a secure access card, being of size and form for convenient carrying and use by a user, including:
• at least one tone generator for generating tone audio output external from one side of the secure access card, the tone audio output comprising at least one tone signal that is variable in at least one of tone frequency, time duration of tone, time duration of space between tones, and by amplitude of tone, and wherein the at least one tone generator comprises a plurality of acoustic transducers that are mechanically tuned to oscillate about their mechanical resonant frequency to substantially maximize audio power output from each of the plurality of acoustic transducers being oriented outward of the one side of the secure access card for generating, from each of the plurality of acoustic transducers, the tone audio output external to the one side of the secure access card;
• input means for accepting input from a user;
• and
• a controller, electrically coupled to the at least one tone generator and the input means, for controlling the at least one tone generator to generate a tone sequence corresponding to the input from the user and providing user identification information, the tone sequence for delivery via the communication network to the secure access server to identify the user as an authorized user for accessing secured access functions provided by the secure application/function server to the authorized user across the communication network.

A method for a communication system comprising the steps of:

• capturing user input at a secure access device, the secure access device being of size and form for convenient carrying and use by a user;
• storing a representation of the user input at the secure access device;
• acoustically transmitting by at least one tone generator in the secure access device tone audio output external from one side of the secure access device, the tone audio output comprising a tone sequence, including a first tone and a second tone different from the first tone, destined for reception across a communication network, the tone sequence corresponding to the stored representation of the user input, wherein the at least one tone generator comprises a plurality of acoustic transducers that are mechanically tuned to oscillate about their mechanical resonant frequency to substantially maximize audio power output from each of the plurality of acoustic transducers being oriented outward of the one side of the secure access device for generating, from a first one of the plurality of acoustic transducers the first tone and from a second one of the plurality of acoustic transducers the second tone, the tone audio output external to the one side of the secure access device;
• receiving from across the communication network a representation of the transmitted tone sequence;
• comparing the received representation of the transmitted tone sequence to pre-stored authorized user identification information;
• and
• determining whether a match between the representation of the transmitted tone sequence and a pre-stored authorized user identification information identifies the user of the secure access device as an authorized user of the communication system.

A secure access device comprising:

• at least one tone generator for generating tone audio output external from one side of the secure access device, the tone audio output comprising a tone sequence including a first tone and a second tone different from the first tone, and wherein the at least one tone generator comprises a plurality of acoustic transducers being mechanically tuned to oscillate substantially at their mechanical resonant frequency to substantially maximize audio power output from each of the plurality of acoustic transducers being oriented outward of the one side of the secure access device for generating, from a first one of the plurality of acoustic transducers the first tone and from a second one of the plurality of acoustic transducers the second tone, the tone audio output external to the one side of the secure access device, and wherein the secure access device being in a credit card form factor for convenient carrying and use by a user;
• input means for accepting input from a user;
• and
• a controller, electrically coupled to the at least one tone generator and the input means, for controlling the at least one tone generator to generate a tone sequence corresponding to the input from the user, the tone sequence for delivery via a communication network interface.