Identification verification system and method
OwnerJoseph J. Ciprianoinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method and apparatus is provided for verifying the validity of ID cards. A card reading device reads an ID card and transmits a request to a database server. A database is queried and a reply is sent back to the card reading device indicating whether the ID is valid. If desired, the reply can include additional information, such as a description of the ID holder. The ID verification system can be used to help verify whether an ID belongs to the ID holder. The system can also log and timestamp events for future access.
Claims29
A wireless device for verifying validity of personal identification (ID) cards comprising:
- a web-enabled cellular telephone;
- a magnetic stripe reader connected to the cellular telephone for reading ID numbers from personal ID cards;
- and
- software installed in the cellular phone to facilitate transmissions of ID numbers read from one or more personal ID cards to a remote database and reception and display of information relating to the validity of the one or more read personal ID cards.
An apparatus for verifying validity of personal ID cards comprising:
- an ID card input device for receiving an ID number from a personal ID card;
- a wireless transceiver for transmitting messages to a remote database and receiving replies from the remote database;
- and
- a display for displaying information relating to the replies, wherein the information includes information relating to the validity of the personal ID card.
A method of verifying validity of personal ID cards comprising the steps of:
- providing a card reading device;
- providing access to a remote database containing ID information;
- reading a personal ID card using the card reading device;
- sending a message to the remote database;
- querying the database for a match to the read personal ID card;
- and
- in response to the message, sending a reply message back to the card reading device, wherein the reply message contains information relating to the validity of the read personal ID card.
A method of verifying validity of a drivers license containing machine readable information, the method comprising:
- providing a hand-held wireless device having a card reading device, a transceiver, and a display;
- configuring the hand-held wireless device to have access to a remote database containing drivers license information;
- reading a drivers license using the card reading device;
- wirelessly transmitting a message to query the remote database for a match to the drivers license read by the card reading device;
- after transmitting the message, receiving a reply message containing information relating to the drivers license's validity;
- and
- displaying information to indicate to a user whether the drivers license is valid.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.