Patent ID: 9696716
Date: 2017-07-04
CPC Classifications: G05B,G06Q

Claim:
1. A method for serial personalization of smart cards in a production chain comprising a reading head, a scanning head, a programming head, and an input loader, the method comprising: scanning a smart card in the production chain using the scanning head and comparing a scanned image of the smart card with a reference image to detect a physically defective smart card already personalized by the programming head; retrieving by the reading head a serial number of the physically defective smart card, the serial number being a unique number assigned to a customer requiring personalization; loading together the physically defective smart card and a smart card not yet personalized in the production chain using the input loader; transmitting a first command to render the physically defective smart card unusable by erasing or damaging a memory of the physically defective smart card, wherein a physical defect of the physically defective smart card includes at least one of a non-compliance to a graphical layout, a form shape, and a contacts printing associated with the reference image; and transmitting a second command to the programming head to assign the serial number from the physically defective smart card to the not yet personalized smart card at the same time with the first command.