Abstract:
An identification badge apparatus, method, and system are disclosed. The apparatus has radio reception capabilities for receiving audio alerts from alert origination facilities, e.g., local and/or central badge monitoring console(s). One optional version of the apparatus includes a biometric authentication sensor. Apparatus output components include a receiver and a loudspeaker; optional input components include a microphone and a transceiver for sending responses back to alert originators. Typical applications include user authentication; presence detection; proximity sensing; alarms; paging; etc. Other applications include personnel and vehicle monitoring; asset tracking; and others where audio feedback supports application objectives. The invention is customizable for one-way or for two-way feedback applications. Application managers are typically security offices; medical personnel; battlefield commanders; and first responders (police, firemen, ambulance, etc.). Audio feature “management” and user authentication can be “user-side”, and/or “management-side”, to better interface users and their managers.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0002]     The field of the invention is advanced wireless identification badges (cards). More particularly, the field of the invention is identification badges with wireless one-way or two-way audio alert reception capabilities. Also, the present invention addresses such badges having wireless audio alert reception capabilities, plus biometric authentication capabilities.  
         [0003]     2. Related Art  
         [0004]     There appears to be no exactly related art. The Inventor is aware of security-oriented wireless appliances with various “audio” capabilities; but there appears to be no wireless identification badges with audio message/audio alert reception features analogous to those of the present invention. One typical non-analogous product with wireless audio alert reception features is the so-called Blackberry® communicator by “Research In Motion”. Blackberry® is a communicating PDA (personal data assistant) product capable of sending and receiving messages. Another similar product to Blackberry® is the Blueberry®—also a communicating PDA—that adds cellular telephone capabilities (also by Research In Motion).  
         [0005]     U.S. Pat. No. 5,623,552 to Lane discloses a self-authenticating identification card including a fingerprint sensor for authenticating the identity of a user. Lane teaches an ID card with a memory that stores data relating to a fingerprint of a card user. An on-card authenticator compares data about a sensed fingerprint with stored fingerprint data, then generates an authentication signal if the sensed fingerprint data matches stored fingerprint data. An audio generator can be included within the card. The onboard audio generator sends an audio signal to the onboard speaker, if a match is sensed. By comparison to the present invention, the audio alert capabilities of this particular product are “canned”—i.e., completely stored entirely aboard the card itself—unlike the remote audio alert capabilities of the present invention. A programmable magnetic stripe can also be used to store data related to the card user. A magnetic stripe programmer can enable the programmable magnetic stripe if sensed fingerprint data matches stored fingerprint data.  
         [0006]     Despite ostensible benefits provided by the Lane patent and the product it protects, this patent is not analogous art to the present invention because it teaches an audible signal originating inside of the card—which is programmed within the card—that can either (a) indicate that the card&#39;s user&#39;s fingerprint information (template) has been successfully stored in the memory of the card; or (b) indicate that an inputted prospective user&#39;s fingerprint matches the electronically stored fingerprint information applicable to that prospective user&#39;s fingerprint. The audio alert capabilities of this particular product appear to be “canned”—i.e., completely stored entirely aboard the card itself.  
         [0007]     By contrast, the badge of the present invention (once enabled) establishes a radio channel between the speaker (and optionally, a microphone) on the badge and a corresponding microphone (and optionally, a speaker) at a monitoring console (e.g., a local and/or central station) capable of transmitting to (and optionally receiving from) the badge in order to communicate audible messages including audio alerts.  
         [0008]     In further contrast to the Lane patent and its&#39; apparent product—messages (and/or audio alerts) transmitted to/from the badge of the present invention are not merely indicative of fingerprint storage or authentication status—i.e., “on-card” events—but rather, can be any message(s) the alert origination console deems necessary to convey to one or more badgeholders. Furthermore, in the present invention, messages and alerts transmitted to the badge can include remotely-originated, “live”, programmed, and/or pre-programmed messages of any kind. Messages transmitted to the badge can also include audible (verbal or data) communications from persons, other badges, and/or other machines. Messaging/alerting which is remotely originated and transmitted to the badge of the present invention, can also include messages/alerts provided by other badges/badgeholders on and/or off a “local” control console (i.e., the immediately proximate “local” network). In the case of messages forwarded into the local badge interface network from “non-local” consoles or networks, messages and/or alerts are forwarded to “local” badgeholder(s) via the immediately-proximate control console and (e.g.) its&#39; upstream connections, i.e., upstream console(s) and/or network(s).  
         [0009]     Notwithstanding, to achieve “two-way” communications, additional components are required on the badge of the present invention (i.e., an optional “on-badge” transceiver and an optional “on-badge” microphone). Two-way communicating versions of badges of the present invention can be operated in many different ways (i.e., badgeholder to a center console; badgeholder to badgeholder directly; badgeholder to badgeholder via the control console, etc.).  
       NECESSITY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0010]     Emergency responders, medical caregivers and other organizational employees need to be paged and to communicate throughout the day. It is not always desirable for such people to carry and activate a cell phone nor is it convenient to answer one at all times. There is a need for an authorized badgeholder&#39;s unique badge to perform the additional tasks of providing corporate communication as well as optionally authenticating the identity of the badgeholder. This eliminates the need for annoying building-wide paging followed by a search by the paged badgeholder to find a local phone to respond. Based on the nominally-related yet non-analogous art discussed immediately preceding, identification cards and badges are well known in the art; however, such products would have many new or improved uses, if remote audio messaging and audio alerting capabilities were available therewith, as taught and disclosed herein. Based on references observed and cited, it appears that there are no “card-form-factor” wireless identification badges which also have the communications capabilities and the optional badgeholder identification capabilities of the present invention.  
         [0011]     Accordingly, there is a need in the art for badges which can communicate either “one-way” or “two-way” between a central station (e.g., a badge monitoring/alerting console) and one or more badgeholders. There also appears to be a need in the art for badges which can communicate from one badgeholder to another badgeholder, and which can communicate diverse types of messages from one badgeholder and/or badge monitoring and alert origination console(s)—e.g., local and/or central monitoring and control station(s)—to many other badgeholders.  
       OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION  
       [0012]     Accordingly, one primary object of the invention is to provide an identification badge (a.k.a., an identification card) with audio output and audio interface capabilities, with “one-way” reception capabilities for receiving audio alerts from audio originators (e.g., control stations, badge monitoring consoles, etc.). It is a related primary object, to provide an identification badge with “two-way” transmission and reception capabilities (i.e. having both audio input and audio output interface capabilities), adapted for receiving audio alerts from audio originators, and for transmitting audio responses to audio originators and/or other badges of the present invention). It is a related object, to provide an identification badge with audio messaging and audio alert capabilities. It is another related object, to provide an identification badge with both audio input and audio output interface capabilities, as well as other communication capabilities.  
         [0013]     It is another primary object of the invention, to provide an identification badge, with multiple different types of badgeholder identification and authentication capabilities; i.e., multiple “conventional” identification capabilities (such as multiple badgeholder-identifying indicia). It is yet another related primary object, to provide optional, “advanced” badgeholder identification capabilities (e.g., biometrics including fingerprint-based authentication; voice-based authentication; heartbeat-based authentication; etc.).  
         [0014]     It is yet another primary object, to provide an identification badge-based alerting, alarming, and messaging system for use with identification badges having audio output or audio input/output capabilities. It is a related object, to provide an audio input verification system (e.g., for verifying voice inputs, audio steganographic inputs, etc.) as part of an identification badge-based alerting, alarming, and messaging system. It is yet another related object, to provide a centralized and/or distributed communications system for interfacing identification badges.  
         [0015]     It is another primary object, to provide a method for enrolling an authorized badgeholder into an identification badge. It is a related primary object, to provide a method for establishing a communications system for transmitting and receiving alerts, alarms, and messages to and from identification badges and a badge monitoring/alerting console, and between and among identification badges.  
         [0016]     It is another object of the invention (in the case of the “two-way” communication version of the invention only), to provide a badge-based alert origination capability for initiating audio alerts and for transmitting badge-originated audio alerts to other badgeholders and/or monitoring console(s).  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0017]     The present invention was inspired by the apparent need for providing audio alert reception capabilities in identification badges, allowing reception of remotely-originated messages of many types. Typically, the identification badge apparatus of the present invention is adapted for reception of remotely-originated messages such as alert messages, alarm messages, voice messages, data messages, other messages, etc.  
         [0018]     Accordingly, the system of the present invention teaches transmission of remotely-originated messages from one or more (local or remote, centralized or distributed) control stations (typically badge monitoring/alerting/messaging consoles) to one or more identification badges of the present invention. Communicating remotely-originated messages from control stations to badges of the present invention is done via wireless radio, and/or wireless infrared, and/or spread spectrum transmissions, or other wireless techniques.  
         [0019]     To summarize the apparatus of the present invention, audio output components include a speaker for outputting remotely-originated messages received by an “on-badge” receiver. In higher-function versions of the identification badge apparatus, an optional microphone can receive external audio inputs (e.g., voice inputs or other audio) from a badgeholder or other source. The microphone&#39;s audio inputs are picked up by an “on-badge” transceiver, which transmits such audio inputs out from the badge to one or more transmission or broadcast destinations (e.g., to control console(s) and/or to one or more similarly-configured identification badges).  
         [0020]     Additionally, advanced versions of the badge with optional audio input features can also be used as an input source for audio input verification applications (e.g., biometric voice recognition; audio tone recognition; etc.). Necessarily, such advanced versions must directly or indirectly process the audio inputs to analyze and/or verify them as needed for any specific implemented application.  
         [0021]     Furthermore, some versions of the invention can also optionally add, e.g., a unique serial number, and/or corporate employee identifier (or other uniquely-addressable identifier) to the memory of the processor of the identification badge, thereby adding unique addressability features, i.e., “badge-specific addressability”, permitting control console(s) to explicitly select and address one or more badges as destinations for remotely-originated messages. In the case of Bluetooth digital audio transmission, for example, each device can be communicated with according to the Bluetooth standard. Other transmission protocols, well known to the art, provide an addressable receiver capability based upon a digital number stored in the card. The benefit is that each badge can be individually addressed, and/or all badges can be simultaneously addressed in a broadcast. In conclusion, these features allow one or more badgeholders to establish bilateral dialogues with either the control console and/or with other badgeholders, via advanced versions of the identification badge apparatus of the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
     Brief Description of the Drawings and Reference Numerals  
       [0022]      FIG. 1  shows an alert being sent to multiple badgeholders from a central alert generation and origination station (a.k.a., an alerting and monitoring console).  
         [0023]      FIG. 2  overviews basic internal components of the identification badge  
         [0024]      FIG. 3  overviews a user fingerprint authentication event by an identification badge  
         [0025]      FIG. 4  shows a close-up of the identification badge, receiving an audio alert  
         [0026]      FIG. 5  shows the selection of a unique fireman for two-way communications.  
     
    
     REFERENCE NUMERALS  
       [0000]      FIG. 1  Numerals:  
         [0000]    
       
           100  shows a first badgeholder (operator/dispatcher), enrolled on identification badge  101   
           102  shows a second badgeholder (doctor), enrolled on identification badge  103   
           104  shows a third badgeholder (fireman), enrolled on identification badge  105   
           109  shows a fourth badgeholder (policeman), enrolled on identification badge  107   
           106  shows an alerting/monitoring control console for badge enrollment &amp; alerts transmission  
           108  shows verbal alerts &amp; audio alerts sent from console  106  to all badgeholders 
   FIG. 2  Numerals: 
 
           300  badge  
           302  badge substrate  
           310  speaker  
           312  microphone  
           314  fingerprint authentication sensor  
           316  microprocessor or digital signal processor (DSP) 
   FIG. 3  Numerals: 
 
           300  badge  
           314  fingerprint authentication sensor  
           315  an authorized user submitting an index finger for fingerprint authentication 
   FIG. 4  Numerals: 
 
           200  badge  
           204  pictographic pixel data indicia for badgeholder identification  
           208  pixel badgeholder identification pattern or barcode indicia  
           112  generated acoustic sound waves from speaker  310   
           314  fingerprint authentication sensor  
           110  shows radio signal transmitting a verbal alert from console  106  to badge  200     FIG. 5  Numerals: 
 
           101  badge for badgeholder  100  (e.g., operator or dispatcher)  
           105  badge for badgeholder  104  (fireman)  
           110  audio alert generated from “two way” badge by fireman  104   
           106  alert monitoring and controlling console (local or central station)  
       
     
         [0052]     Turning now to  FIG. 1 , four badgeholders with addressable badges are shown, as well as a multifunctional, combination enrollment/alert generation console  106 . The badgeholders shown are a dispatcher, badgeholder  100  at console  106  having assigned badge  101 ; a doctor on call, badgeholder  102  with assigned badge  103 ; a “first-responder” fireman, badgeholder  104  with assigned badge  105 ; and another “first-responder” policeman, badgeholder  109  with assigned badge  107 . The enrollment/alert generation console  106  can be provisioned either “combined” (shown) or separately (not shown). Console  106  for enrollment and for communicating and generating alerts can be implemented locally in a controlled facility—i.e., “local” to a population of badgeholders and badges being monitored and controlled. Alternatively, console  106  can be remotely provisioned, e.g., as part of a centralized, regional and/or distributed badge monitoring and control system. This figure depicts an abbreviated version of the overall system populated with four badgeholders; however, any practicably-sized number of badgeholders and badges can be included in customized versions of the system of the invention.  
         [0053]      FIG. 1  also shows badgeholder  100 —in this case an operator/dispatcher who is the system administrator—accessing an alerting and monitoring control console  106  for both badge enrollment and for generating and communicating alerts and messages to badgeholders. Badgeholder  100  is depicted here generating and communicating radio alert message  108  for broadcast to all badgeholders. To further alert badgeholders, an “attention tone” may be sent before and after the announced alert message. The attention (i.e., alarm) alert tones sounded by the badge of the present invention, can e.g., consist of “audio beeps” (in the case of  FIG. 1 ), which are remotely originated at console  106 . However, any custom version of the attention or alarm alert tones can be implemented in badges of the present invention, with details/configurations depending on needs/decisions/implementations of the controlled facility. The primary purpose of alert tones is to provide a “backup” alerting function in addition to basic verbal audio message alerts. This way, if any badgeholder misses all or part of the basic verbal audio message alert—but hears the alert tones—they can pick up a phone to the system administrator, security watch, etc., to obtain the alert message. Alternately, in advanced versions of the present invention with two-way communications capabilities, the badgeholder can contact another badgeholder and/or the system administrator to obtain the verbal audio message alert that they did not hear.  
         [0054]     Separately, is also anticipated that more advanced versions of the invention can be implemented, where a separate LED display (not shown) can be provided to blink when any remotely-originated message is pending and may be extinguished by command from the center or the badgeholder touching a button or fingerprint authenticator  314 .  
         [0055]      FIG. 2  shows a close-up view of badge  300 , one version of the badge of the present invention, implemented on a badge substrate  302 —such as a plastic substrate or other “platform” substrates commonly used in credit cards, smartcards, etc. In practice, generally, any substrate appropriate for implementing smartcards and credit cards can be used to implement the badge product of the present invention.  
         [0056]     Additionally, it is observed that badge  200  also has implemented on badge substrate  202 , pictographic pixel data  204  as well as steganographic pixel data or barcode data  208 , all of which are easily visible, visual data indicia for badgeholder identification. Also implemented on badge  200 , is speaker  310 , used for audibly sounding audio alert sounds, alarm alerts sounds, and optionally, verbal audio messages. Depending on configuration details, alternative badgeholder identifying data can be implemented, e.g., holographic data (such as a holographic seal or decal); and/or e.g., DNA data, for identifying a badgeholder by comparing a DNA sample on the badge with the actual badgeholder&#39;s DNA. Otherwise stated, holographic badgeholder identifying indicia and/or DNA badgeholder identifying indicia can be included on the badge of the present invention (not shown). Other identification modalities are contemplated, depending on the needs of the implementing facility; accordingly, this disclosure is not limited only by the express itemization of badgeholder identifying indicia set forth herein.  
         [0057]      FIG. 3  shows a finger placed upon the fingerprint sensor  314  of card  300 , biometrically identifying the cardholder and enabling badge communications. The active presence of this communications link positively authenticated the badgeholder to the center for access control or other identity purposes and also keeps the communications link private. In this way, badge theft cannot result in misuse of badge communications. Fingerprint cards are well known to the art as taught in U.S. Pat. No. 4,582,985. to Lofberg. Other forms of biometrics are also possible in the present invention, for example, a heartbeat sensor could be used as a biometric badgeholder identifying modality (not shown). There are a variety of ways that a heartbeat monitor could interface with a properly-customized version of the badge of the present invention, e.g., a separate heartbeat measuring device could be “jacked” into the badge of the present invention, and the badgeholder can submit themselves for monitoring which can be compared to the stored heartbeat pattern clip stored in memory on the badge. Of course, such a version of the badge would obviously require the addition of a jack aperture on the card and would require the separate heartbeat monitor to provide leads to “jack into” the jack aperture on the card (not shown).  
         [0058]      FIG. 4 , as stated above, depicts badge  200 , disposed upon badge substrate  302 . Badge  200  also implements fingerprint authentication sensor  314 . This configuration allows biometric fingerprint authentication of the badgeholder (and/or other authorized badge  200  users). NB: it is not mandatory to have fingerprint sensor  314  implemented, for the badge of the present invention to be utilitarian and unique in the art. Depending on the needs of the controlled facility—non-biometric identification techniques can be used on the badge (in addition to—or in lieu of—biometric identification techniques). Non-biometric authentication can be implemented using other visual identifying indicia, also shown).  FIG. 4  also shows microphone  312  implemented. Addition of the microphone option to badge  200 , allows two-way communications by the badgeholder via the badge  200 —resulting greater operational flexibility.  
         [0059]     Badge  200  also implements pictographic pixel data (i.e., a picture) and barcode data  208  as additional visual badgeholder identifying indicia such as the official enrollment picture and name of “Jane Smith”. The present invention anticipates using biometric voice recognition as yet another badgeholder-identifying technique; i.e., in two-way versions of the invention, such as badge  200 , during enrollment each badgeholder records voice patterns which uniquely identify him or her. The speaker&#39;s voice (with it&#39;s characteristic voice patterns) can be transmitted in the two-way communicating version of the present invention, as part of the badgeholders identification portfolio, e.g., the badgeholder can hit a “transmit sound” button (not shown) on the card when needed to accomplish “audio verification”. Alternatively, a version of badge  300  can be implemented, which automatically transmits the speaker&#39;s recognizable voice via microphone  312  to control console  106  which performs voice recognition at the central facility. The security and identification policies implemented at the central facility may call for multiple biometrics to be employed, such as fingerprint recognition and voice recognition in order to gain additional assurance of the badgeholder&#39;s identity.  FIG. 4  also shows sound waves  112  associated with an audio alert, emanating from the speaker  310 .  
         [0060]     Additionally, other forms of non-biometric badgeholder identifying indicia can be included on the badge of the present invention, including magnetic stripe indicia (not shown), barcode indicia (not shown), numeric indicia (not shown), alphanumeric indicia (not shown), and/or alphabetic indicia (shown)  
         [0061]      FIG. 5  shows the dispatcher and system administrator badgeholder  100  on duty using the unique badge identifier number to select the badge of fireman  104  for private communications. The administrator is monitoring activity at console  106  and is receiving one or more messages  110  originated from badge  105 . In the scenario depicted, badge  105  is assigned to (and worn by) fireman badgeholder  104 . The fireman is sending in a situation report—in this case, a verbal message—to console  106 , concerning a fire emergency event, via his badge  105 .  
         [0062]     Variations on the basic concepts of the present invention may become apparent by those skilled in the art, after reading this Application. However, it is important to note, that only a few configurations of the present invention are explicitly shown herein, yet the present invention is not limited only to explicit configurations discussed herein. Additionally, it is important to note, while only “one badge” or “a badgeholder” are often referred to herein, any number of badges and badgeholders can be enrolled in any specific audio alert system or in concatenated systems, and all badges and badgeholders can be enrolled in any particular controlled facility. Furthermore, the terms “alerting and monitoring console”, “local and/or central monitoring console”, “control station”, and the like, are used essentially interchangeably. Also, the Inventor anticipates that, in badgeholder-authenticating versions of the present invention, one or more other types of biometric sensors may be usable in the present invention, e.g., a biometric fingerprint sensor, a biometric voiceprint sensor, a biometric heartbeat sensor, or any other biometric sensor which can be implemented in a card-sized form factor. Also, one or more additional authentication and verification ameliorations can be used with the present invention, including simple PIN numbers for user identification, etc. Also, other identification indicia modalities known in the art can be used, e.g., holographic seals and decals, etc. Consequently, this Application is not limited to only that which is explicitly described herein. Finally, it must be noted that the terms “audio alerts”, “alerts”, “alerting”, and the like, are used essentially interchangeably and such alerts can be data alerts, voice alerts, tone sound alerts, or any other type of communicable sound.  
         [0063]     It is also important to note, that depending on details of configuration and customization, individual badges of the present invention can be customized to be individually and uniquely addressable by an alert originator (i.e., an alert origination facility, central console, and/or alerting and monitoring console.) In this way, as few badges as one badge can be communicated with by the alert originator; but on the other hand, as many as all badges (or one or more subgroups of all badges) can be communicated with in “broadcast” mode or “partial broadcast” mode by the alert originator/alert origination facility/local or central control console, etc.  
         [0064]     It is further important to note, that in the badge of the present invention, some badgeholder identifying data which is not disposed upon the obverse or reverse sides of the badge, can be stored in the memory of the processor aboard the badge. Typically, badgeholder identifying data that is stored in the memory of the processor is stored biometric data which can be compared with the badgeholder&#39;s inputted data, e.g., in badges with fingerprint authentication capabilities, a badgeholder will initially enroll their fingerprint data into the card when issued a card and the data will be stored in processor memory; subsequently, when enabling/accessing the badge, the badgeholder will submit their fingerprint biometric to their card for fingerprint authentication. Finally, there are many different ways where a badgeholder can be identified and verified at their card. Another way this is done is with PIN numbers, unique numbers that the badgeholder must input into the badge via a keypad (not shown) to access the badge.