Secure pin entry device
AssigneeVeriFone, Inc.
InventorsJohn Henry Barrowman, Douglas L. Manchester
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A secure PIN entry device including a PIN entry assembly operative to receive a PIN from a user, a PIN entry prompter operative when actuated to prompt a user to enter a PIN via the PIN entry assembly, a PIN entry prompt security check enabled controller operative to prevent operation of the PIN entry prompter unless a predetermined security check has been successfully completed and security check functionality operative to check at least part of the PIN entry device for the presence of an unauthorized PIN eavesdropping element thereat and to provide an output to the PIN entry prompt security check enabled controller indicating whether the predetermined security check has been successfully completed.
Claims15
A secure PIN entry device comprising:
- a PIN entry assembly operative to receive a PIN from a user, said PIN entry assembly including a first plurality of key pads and a second plurality of bug sensing floods, electrically insulated from and adjacent to said first plurality of key pads;
- and
- security check circuitry operative to check at least part of said PIN entry device for the presence of an unauthorized PIN eavesdropping element thereat and to provide an output indicating whether a predetermined security check has been successfully completed, said security check functionality comprising bug detection circuitry for checking said at least part of said PIN entry device for the presence of an unauthorized PIN eavesdropping element thereat, said bug detection circuitry including:
- an electric field generator for simultaneously generating an electromagnetic field at least some of said first plurality of key pads and said second plurality of bug sensing floods;
- and
- mutual capacitance sensing circuitry operative to sense mutual capacitance between some of said first plurality of key pads and said second plurality of bug sensing floods and others of said first plurality of key pads and said second plurality of bug sensing floods resulting from said electromagnetic field thereat, said mutual capacitance sensing circuitry being operative in a key entry detection mode using autotuning functionality and in a security scan mode not using autotuning functionality.
A secure data entry device comprising:
- a data entry assembly operative to receive data from a user, said data entry assembly including multiple elements including a first plurality of key pads and a second plurality of bug sensing floods, electrically insulated from and adjacent to said first plurality of key pads;
- a data entry security check enabled controller operative to prevent receipt of said data by said data entry assembly unless a predetermined security check has been successfully completed;
- and
- mutual capacitance security check circuitry operative to check at least part of said data entry device for the presence of an unauthorized data eavesdropping element thereat by sensing mutual capacitance of at least one of said bug sensing floods with at least another element of said data entry assembly and to provide an output to said data entry security check enabled controller indicating whether said predetermined security check has been successfully completed, said mutual capacitance security check circuitry forming part of mutual capacitance sensing functionality which is operative in a key entry detection mode using autotuning functionality and in a security scan mode not using autotuning functionality.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.