US3721128A

US3721128A - Credit and pass card identification device

Info

Publication number: US3721128A
Application number: US00101895A
Authority: US
Inventors: R Thurman
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1970-12-28
Filing date: 1970-12-28
Publication date: 1973-03-20
Anticipated expiration: 1990-03-20

Abstract

The method of making comparative identification between the holder of identification means and a selected person of this invention includes the steps of recording a multiplicity of indicia upon a carrying media wherein each of the indicia are coincident with respective terminal ends of fingers extended of a hand of a preselected human being; placing the media into a holding apparatus; placing the extended fingers of a hand extended of the preselected human being in the holding apparatus, aligning the extended fingers of the preselected human being with respective indicia on the carrying media. The apparatus of this invention includes identification carrying media such as a card having prerecorded indicia thereon, each of the indicia on the media being coincident with the terminal ends of respective fingers of a hand extended of a preselected human being, a housing having means operable to engage and to hold the identification carrying media and means in the housing operable to align the terminal ends of fingers extended of a hand of the preselected human being with respective indicia on the identification carrying media.

Description

United States Patent [191 Thurman 1M8l'6h 20, 1973 [54] CREDIT AND PASS CARD IDENTIFICATION DEVICE [76] Inventor: R. E. Thurman, 2216 Cascade Way,

Longview, Wash. 98632 22 Filedz Dec. 28, 1970 211 App]; No.: l01,895

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 4/1971 Miller ..340/ 149 A 2/1939 Davis ..33/2 R Primary Examiner-S. Clement Swisher Attorney.lohn W. Kraft [57 ABSTRACT The method of making comparative identification between the holder of identification means and a selected person of this invention includes the steps of recording a multiplicity of indicia upon a carrying media wherein each of the indicia are coincident with respective terminal ends of fingers extended of a hand of a preselected human being; placing the media into a holding apparatus; placing the extended fingers of a hand extended of the preselected human being in the holding apparatus, aligning the extended fingers of the preselected human being with respective indicia on the carrying media. The apparatus of this invention includes identification carrying media such as a card having prerecorded indicia thereon, each of the indicia on the media being coincident with the terminal ends of respective fingers of a hand extended of a preselected human being, a housing having means operable to engage and to hold the identification carrying media and means in the housing operable to align the terminal ends of fingers extended of a hand of the preselected human being with respective indicia on the identification carrying media.

4 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures mnzmwmzo I915 3.721.128

- SHEEIIUFZ R. E. THURMAN INVENTOR.

FIG. 3

R. E. THURMAN INVENTOR.

CREDIT AND PASS CARD IDENTIFICATION DEVICE FIELD OF INVENTION The present invention relates to the method and apparatus for positively correlating the identification of the holder of a credit or identification card with the identification of a given human being, and more particularly to the method and apparatus for prepunching holes or imprinting other indicia on an identification card coincident with the finger tips of a human hand and apparatus operable to receive the card, said apparatus including means to cause alignment with prepunched holes or other indicia on the card with the fingertips of a human hand.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART Generally holders of credit and identification cards are identified by making a visual comparison between a signature appearing on the card and a signature written by the holder at the time of making comparative determinations between the holder and the card. Identification cards such as drivers licenses, pass identifications, and the like frequently include a photograph of the true owner on the card. Characteristically, such photographs are poor representations of persons portrayed. More accurate means of identification commonly employed are finger prints. However, such comparisons usually require expertise and especial training in order to make positive identification. Similarly, since signatures of an individual may substantially vary each time it is written, only a handwriting expert may accurately make comparisons.

It has been found that the correspondence and relationship of fingers of a human hand are distinctive and unique as to each individual. That is to say the length and size of fingers of a hand may be used to positively identify an individual.

Accordingly it is an object of the present invention to provide the combination means by which the correspondence and relationship of the fingers of a preselected person may be prerecorded with indicia on a card and means operable to make physical comparisons of the indicia with extended fingers of the hand.

Another object of this invention is to prerecord indicia upon an identification card by placing a mu]- tiplicity of marks or holes in the card coincident with the tips of fingers extended; placing the card into a holder and to provide means in said holder operable to engage the marks or holes in response to movement of the means when the hand having the fingers fully extended is urged against said means.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an inexpensive means, simply constructed that is operable to make positive and accurate comparisons between the holder of a card and an identification card for identification purposes.

A more thorough and comprehensive understanding may be had from the detailed description of the preferred embodiment when read in connection with the drawings forming a part of this specification.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. I is a perspective view of the apparatus of this invention operable to compare indicia prerecorded on a card with the correspondence and relationship of fingers of the hand of the holder thereof showing a prerecorded card exploded away from the closure portion and the closure portion of the apparatus in an open position.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the apparatus of the present invention with the intermediate wall of this invention removed to show the operating mechanism of the embodiment herein later set out.

FIG. 3 is a cross sectional elevational view of the apparatus of this invention taken substantially along the lines 3-3 of the FIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawings and more particularly to the FIG. 1 the credit and pass card identification device of the present invention is generally designated by the numeral 10. The card device 10 includes a box like housing 11 having an intermediate wall 12 including a multiplicity of slots such as shown at 13, 14, 15, and 16, and a card holding closure 17 hingedly connected to one of the side walls of the housing 1 1 such as by hinge 18 suitably fastened to the housing 11 and to the closure 17. It is to be understood that the closure 17 may be suitably fixed to the side walls of the housing 11 without affecting the operation of the card device of this invention. However, it has been found in practice that insertion into and removal from the closure 17 of a credit or pass card of this invention herein later described is greatly facilitated by having the closure hinged since the card is provided and is more easily grasped from both sides. An operating mechanism 19 more clearly shown to advantage in the FIG. 2 which is a plan view of the present invention having the intermediate wall 12 removed and in the cross sectional elevational view of the FIG. 3. Referring to the perspective view of the FIG. 1,

finger indexing rods

20, 21, 22, and 23 of the operating mechanism 19 are disposed between the intermediate wall 12 and the lowermost wall of the housing 11.

Finger indexing rods

20, 21, 22, and 23 are each provided with respective

upstanding pins

24, 25, 26, and 27 which extend through respective slots 13, I4, 15, and 16 of intermediate wall 12. The structural details of operating mechanism 19 shall herein later be more fully disclosed.

The closure 17 may be provided with card holding means such as

spring clamps

28 and 29 which are operable to receive and hold the identificationcard of this invention generally identified by the numeral 30 in the drawings. It has been found in practice that the correspondence and relationship of fingers of a human hand are distinctive and differ substantially from each other among human beings. Therefore, individual human beings may be identified, one from another, by the correspondence and relationship of the fingers of the hand. Hence, by punching holes which are coincident with finger tips of a human hand into a card 30 such as

holes

31, 32, 33, and 34 shown to advantage in FIG. 1 exploded away from the closure 17, an individual may be positively identified as an owner of that card. In order to correlate identification between the holder of a given card and an individual, the card of the present invention may be inserted between the

springs

28 and 29 and the body of the closure 17 and the closure 17 pivotally moved over the housing 11 and the intermediate wall 12. Thereafter, the extended fingers of a human hand may be placed at the terminal ends of the

finger indexing rods

20, 21, 22, and 23 which may then be moved forwardly to align the

upstanding pins

24, 25, 26, and 27 carried by the respective indexing rods and disposed in

respective slots

13, 14, 15, and 16 of the intermediate wall 17 with respective holes in the card 30. That is to say that since the correlation and relationship of fingers of each human hand differ, positive identification of the owner of a card may be positively ascertained if the upstanding pins are caused to be aligned with respective prepunched holes in the card 30 in the manner above described. It has been found to advantage to provide an opening 35 in the closure 17 through which alignment of the respective upstanding pins with holes in the card may be observed. However, it should be understood that complete closure of the closure member 17 on the housing 11 may be observed when respective pins and holes are aligned which therefore makes opening 35 a matter of convenience rather than an essential element of the structure here disclosed. Similarly, a notch 36 may be provided in the forwardmost portion of the closure 17 as a convenient means for inserting or extracting the card 30 from the closure 17.

Referring now more particularly to the FIG. 2 which shows to advantage the construction details of operating mechanism 19. The mechanism 19 comprises an open box-like framework 37 suitably fastened to the housing 11 and a multiplicity of

finger indexing rods

20, 21, 22, and 23 carried by the framework 37, the rods being distally disposed in the framework 37 and spaced apart in parallel relationship. Each of the rods are provided with an upstanding pin suitably fastened to each respective rod. It has been found to advantage to provide an inclined finger rest portion at one of the respective terminal ends on each of the rods substantially as shown at 38, 39, 40, and 41. The inclined rest portion tends to cause fingernails to be positioned away from the operating mechanism so as to avoid interference with the true operation of the mechanism. A stop portion is provided at the opposite terminal end of each of the respective rods generally identified by the

numerals

42, 43, 44 and 45. The respective stop portions may comprise a nut threadably mounted to each of the rods or each of the terminal ends of the rods or the respective terminal ends of the rods may be peened or bent over after assembly in the framework 37 to provide a suitable stopping means. Intermediate stopping means 46, 47, 48, and 49 are distally disposed on the

respective rods

20, 21, 22, and 23 and suitably fastened thereto. Springs 50, 51, 52, and 53 are disposed on the respective rods between the rearward most wall of the framework 37.

The cross sectional elevational view of the FIG. 3 shows to advantage the manner by which the extended fingers of a human hand may cause each of the respective rods to be moved rearwardly to align the respective upstanding pins carried by the rods with holes in a prepunched card as earlier described.

Having thus described in detail a preferred apparatus which embodies the concepts and principles of the invention and which accomplishes the various objects, purposes and aims thereof, it is to be appreciated and will be apparent to those skilled in the art, that many physical changes could be made in the apparatus without altering the inventive concepts and principles embodied therein. For example, indicia other than prepunched holes may be prerecorded upon a card or identifying means and mechanically equivalent mechanical, electro-mechanical or electronic means may be used and employed to compare and identify the hand of a person with a preselected card. Hence, it is intended that the scope of the invention be limited only to the extent indicated in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In an apparatus for making comparative identification between a holder of an identification means and a selected person, the combination of an identification carrying media means, said means including a multiplicity of indicia prerecorded thereon, each of said indicia being spacially disposed on said media means coincident with respective terminal ends of extended fingers of a hand of a preselected human being, a housing means including means operable to engage and to hold said media means in said housing, and means in said housing operable to align the terminal ends of fingers extended of a hand of a preselected human being with respective indicia on said identification carrying media means, said housing comprising a box-like frame, including a bottom wall, a top wall, and three side walls, means in said top wall operable to engage and hold said identification carrying media means, an entranceway in said housing operable to receive extended fingers of a hand of a preselected human being, a wall intermediate said bottom wall and said top wall, said intermediate wall including a multiplicity of parallel slots distally disposed in said wall being spaced apart, said aligning means comprising a framework suitably fastened to the bottom wall of said housing beneath said intermediate wall, a multiplicity of operating rods carried by' said framework engageable with respective fingers extended of a hand of a preselected human being, said rods being operable to be moved rectilinearly in said framework in response to movement of said hand being urged against said rods, each of said rods including an upstanding pin distally disposed on said rods, said pins extending through said slots in said intermediate wall and being engageable with indicia on said identification carrying media means, a stop means suitably fastened at one of the terminal ends of each of said rods, a stopping means distally disposed on each of said rods, a spring disposed on each of said rods between said stopping means and one of the sides of said framework, said spring being operable to urge said stopping means forwardly.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 including an upwardly inclined finger rest means suitably fastened to each of said rods at the terminal ends opposite said stop means.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 including hinge means pivotally connecting said top wall to a side wall of said housing.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 including an opening in said top wall of said housing adjacent said holding means for said identification carrying media means;

said opening being operable to visually observe alignment of said extended fingers with said respective indicia on said media means.

Claims

1. In an apparatus for making comparative identification between a holder of an identification means and a selected person, the combination of an identificatioN carrying media means, said means including a multiplicity of indicia prerecorded thereon, each of said indicia being spacially disposed on said media means coincident with respective terminal ends of extended fingers of a hand of a preselected human being, a housing means including means operable to engage and to hold said media means in said housing, and means in said housing operable to align the terminal ends of fingers extended of a hand of a preselected human being with respective indicia on said identification carrying media means, said housing comprising a box-like frame, including a bottom wall, a top wall, and three side walls, means in said top wall operable to engage and hold said identification carrying media means, an entranceway in said housing operable to receive extended fingers of a hand of a preselected human being, a wall intermediate said bottom wall and said top wall, said intermediate wall including a multiplicity of parallel slots distally disposed in said wall being spaced apart, said aligning means comprising a framework suitably fastened to the bottom wall of said housing beneath said intermediate wall, a multiplicity of operating rods carried by said framework engageable with respective fingers extended of a hand of a preselected human being, said rods being operable to be moved rectilinearly in said framework in response to movement of said hand being urged against said rods, each of said rods including an upstanding pin distally disposed on said rods, said pins extending through said slots in said intermediate wall and being engageable with indicia on said identification carrying media means, a stop means suitably fastened at one of the terminal ends of each of said rods, a stopping means distally disposed on each of said rods, a spring disposed on each of said rods between said stopping means and one of the sides of said framework, said spring being operable to urge said stopping means forwardly.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 including an opening in said top wall of said housing adjacent said holding means for said identification carrying media means; said opening being operable to visually observe alignment of said extended fingers with said respective indicia on said media means.