Abstract:
A card reading apparatus is used in an identification card system for identifying a card holder utilizing identification information recorded on an identification card. The reading apparatus is arranged to reproduce identification information recorded on the card. A display displays the reproduced identification information. After the card is discharged from the apparatus, the display is arranged to continue to display the reproduced identification information to enable the information to be checked against information printed on the card.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This invention relates to an identification card reading apparatus for use in an identification card system in which a person using the card is identified by information recorded on the card, and a method of using such an apparatus. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     Known card-type information recording media include magnetic cards, IC cards, and optical cards. 
     A magnetic card has a magnetic recording portion on or from which information may be magnetically recorded or reproduced. The recording capacity of a magnetic card is about several dozen bits. Magnetic cards are presently widely used because they are cheap and convenient. 
     However, magnetic cards have some problems such as low security as they are easy to forge. These problems recently have become a social problem. 
     Identification cards which have high security are now drawing public attention. In general, IC cards have an IC portion in which is embedded a CPU, ROM, RAM or EEPROM which is electrically erasable. It is thus possible to electrically record and/or reproduce the information. The memory capacity of an IC card is about 8K bytes. Although an IC card is more expensive than a magnetic card, it is expected to become popular because of its higher security. 
     Optical cards have an optical recording portion enabling the information to be optically recorded and/or reproduced. In spite of being a write-once-type medium from which the recorded information cannot be erased, it is thought to have a wide range of applications because it has a very large memory capacity, typically about several mega bytes, and is cheap. 
     Because an optical card is very portable and the memory capacity is large, it can be used as an identification card. When the optical card is used as an identification card, the optical card is printed with identification information, such as the name of the card owner, a picture of the face of the card owner, etc., on the surface of the card opposite to the surface on which is embedded the optical recording portion. Digital information corresponding to the identification information is recorded in the optical recording portion. It is thus possible to indicate on the display of a reading apparatus for reproducing information from the card, the identification information recorded on the optical card. 
     Where a picture is recorded as digital data, if the image size is 80 dots wide and 80 dots long with the image in a bit map form, a recording area of about 18K bytes must be used. Such an amount of information is impossible to record in current magnetic recording media. As a result, an optical card is most suitable for use as an identification card. 
     Recently, as a result of attention to the larger memory capacity of optical cards and to the higher security of IC cards, an optical-IC card in which is embedded both an optical recording portion and an IC portion has been developed. 
     In a conventional system, an identification card recorded with identification information including a representation of the face of the card holder is inserted in a reading apparatus, and a picture of the face of the card holder appears on a display screen. When the card is removed from the apparatus, the picture disappears from the screen and the screen gives instructions for the insertion of the next card. 
     Although identification is possible by comparing a picture of the face of the card holder printed on the card with the actual card holder, it is not possible to trust this because it is easy to forge the picture printed on the card. On the other hand, an optical card is very difficult to forge because if the information on the optical card is rewritten, a vestige of the original information remains on the optical card. 
     Therefore, identification is preferably carried out by comparing the face of the card holder, the picture of the face printed on the card, and the picture of the face shown on the display. By this method, it is possible to determine whether the picture printed on the card is forged. As a result, it is possible to make an identification card system having very high security. 
     However, in such a conventional system, when an official identifies the card holder, because the optical card is inserted inside the reading apparatus, the official cannot compare the picture of a face printed on the optical card with the face of the card holder. Also, if the official discharges the optical card from the apparatus, because the display is generally rewritten with a message, for example, instructing the next user to insert a card, the official cannot compare the face of the card holder, the picture printed on the card, and the picture shown on the display at the same time. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is an object of the invention to at least alleviate the above problem. In particular, an object is to supply an identification card reader for use in an identification card system in which in appropriate cases it is possible to check the face of the card holder against the picture printed on the card and the picture shown on a display based on information recorded on the card at the same time. 
     According to the present invention, there is provided an identification card reader for use in an identification card system in which a card holder is identified utilizing identification information recorded on a card, comprising: 
     means for reproducing the recorded identification information; 
     a display means for producing a visual indication of the reproduced identification information; and 
     a discharging mechanism for discharging the identification card from the card reader. Furthermore, 
     after the card is discharged from the card reader, the display is arranged to continue to display at least part of the indication of the reproduced identification information. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: 
     FIG. 1 illustrates the structure of an identification system including an identification card reader in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 illustrates an example of an optical card used in the system of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 illustrates the layout of the information recorded on the optical card used in the system of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 4 illustrates the contents printed on the back surface of the optical card used in the system of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 5 is a flow chart for explaining the operation of the embodiment in FIG. 1; and 
     FIG. 6 illustrates the contents of the display in the system of FIG.  1 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     An embodiment of the present invention will now be explained with reference to the drawings. 
     FIG. 1 shows the structure of an identification card system. The system comprises of a reproducing or reading apparatus for reading and displaying information stored on an identification card  1 . The apparatus includes a keyboard  51  for operating the apparatus and a display  52  having, for example, a liquid crystal display screen for indicating how to operate the apparatus and also for displaying information reproduced from the card  1 . The display  52  further includes a RAM for storing the information to be displayed for reasons which will be explained later in a further description of the reading apparatus. 
     FIG. 2 is a plan view of one example of an identification card which may be used in the system. 
     The identification card  1  is an optical card in which is embedded a write-once-type optical recording portion  2  which cannot be erased or rewritten. The optical recording portion  2  has on it a plurality of parallel tracking tracks  3  and information tracks  4  for retaining recorded information and positioned between the tracking tracks  3 . Physical track numbers  5 A,  5 B are provided at both ends of each information track  4  for distinguishing each information track  4 . In general, data  6  is recorded on the information track  4  in sectors. The data on the optical card will normally be managed in blocks within files. 
     FIG. 3 illustrates the layout of the information recorded on the optical recording portion  2  of the optical card  1 . File  1  is a file in which is recorded personal information such as the name of the card owner, address, etc. File  2  is a file in which is recorded image information corresponding to a picture of the face of the card owner. 
     Referring now to FIG. 4 which illustrates the back surface of the card, the surface opposite to the optical recording portion  2 , the same information as in File  1 , File  2 , that is, the picture  7  of the card owner and the name  8  of the card owner, is printed on the back surface. Although FIG. 3 shows File  1 , File  2  as the information stored on the optical card  1 , it is possible to record other information dependent on the use of the system. 
     The reading apparatus will now be explained in detail. 
     Referring now again to FIG. 1, a processor circuit MPU  53  including a ROM and RAM is arranged to control each part of the apparatus. In particular, the MPU  53  controls an optical head conveyor motor  54  and a card conveyor motor  55 , and is arranged to detect information input from keyboard  51  and to control the display  52  so that image information and the character information is shown on the screen of the display  52 . 
     The card conveyor motor  55  drives the conveyor mechanism (not shown), which conveys the optical card  1  after insertion into the apparatus onto a tray  56  provided at a predetermined position in the apparatus to enable the information on the card to be read by an optical head  57 . Subsequently the conveyor motor  55  causes reciprocal movement of the tray  56  in the direction indicated as R in the drawing, so as to discharge the optical card  1  outside the apparatus. 
     The reproduction of information from the card  1  by means of the optical head  57  will now be described in detail. 
     The optical head  57  includes an optical system  58 , an optical detector  59 , AF actuator  60  and AT actuator  61 . The optical system  58  includes a semiconductor laser for producing a light beam which is condensed by a lens arrangement to produce a small light spot on the optical recording portion  2  on the optical card  1 . An AT/AF control circuit  62 , under the control of MPU  53 , controls the AT actuator  61  and the AF actuator  60  on the basis of the output signal from the optical detector  59  and performs AT and AF control. The light spot on the card  1  produced by the optical system  58  thus moves to the information track  4  and is focused on the optical recording portion  2  as will now be described. 
     The detector  59  detects the reflected light beam from the optical recording portion  2  of the optical card  1 . The AF actuator  60  performs AF control by adjusting the focus position of the light spot on the optical recording portion  2  in the Z direction indicated in the drawing (that is, the direction perpendicular to the plane of the card), by moving part of the optical system  58 , typically the focusing lens (not shown). The AT actuator  61  performs AT control by adjusting the position of the light spot on the optical recording portion  2  in the Y direction (that is, the direction orthogonal to the information track in the plane of the card  1 ), by moving a part of the optical system  58 . The head conveyor motor  54  is arranged to convey the optical head  57  in the Y direction to move the light spot to a target track on the optical card  1 . 
     In the reading process, the light beam from the optical system  58  irradiates the optical recording portion of the card, and the reflected (or transmitted) beam from the optical recording portion  2  on the card  1  is detected by the detector  59 , the output signal from the detector  59  being demodulated by the demodulation circuit  63  acting under the control of the MPU  53 . The demodulated information is transmitted to the MPU  53 . 
     When MPU  53  instructs the display  52  to display information, MPU  53  arranges for data representative of the displayed information to be stored in the RAM embedded in the MPU  53  to be transmitted to the display  52 . The data transmitted to the display  52  is also stored in a RAM provided in the display  52  and is displayed on a screen of the display  52 . Accordingly, unless the information in the RAM provided in the display  52  is rewritten, the display of the information on the liquid crystal display screen persists. The display screen may also display an indication of the data stored beforehand in the ROM inside the MPU  53 , and an indication of data read out from the optical card  1 . 
     Next, the specific operation of this embodiment will be explained with reference to the flow chart of FIG.  5 . 
     In FIG. 5, when the apparatus is in a standby mode, MPU  53  transmits data stored in ROM inside MPU  53  to the RAM provided in the display  52 , the display  52  displaying the message: 
     &lt;Please insert the card&gt; 
     for instructing the user to insert a card into the apparatus (step  401 ). In this condition, the system remains on standby until the optical card  1  is inserted into the apparatus (step  402 ). 
     When the optical card  1  is inserted, MPU  53  causes the data stored in the RAM provided in the display  52  to be erased and the message asking the user to insert the optical card  1  to be cleared from the screen of the display (step  403 ). 
     Next, MPU  53  controls each portion of the reading apparatus so that the light beam accesses File  1 , File  2  on the recording portion of the card  1 , and the information recorded in File  1  and File  2  is reproduced by the light beam (step  404 ). Also, MPU  53  arranges for the reproduced information to be transmitted to the RAM provided in the display  52 , the display screen displaying the information of the File  1  and the File  2 . 
     FIG. 6 illustrates the information displayed on the screen of the display  52 . The personal information, that is the name and address recorded in File  1  on the card, is indicated by  71 . The image information, that is the picture of the face recorded in the File  2 , is indicated by  72 . 
     In order to discharge the card  1  from the apparatus, the user operates the keyboard  51  to make the system issue a discharge command for the optical card  1 . When MPU  53  receives the discharge command, MPU  53  controls the card conveyor motor  55  to discharge the optical card  1  from the reproducing apparatus (step  405 ). After the optical card  1  has been discharged, the system returns to step  402 , with the system on standby until the next insertion of an optical card. 
     In this embodiment, the information in File  1  and File  2  is kept in the RAM provided in the display  52  after discharge of the optical card  1 . The name and image of the face picture persists on the liquid crystal colour display  52  as indicated in FIG.  5 . Accordingly, after the optical card  1  has been discharged from the apparatus, it is possible to identify the user by checking the personal information in the form of the name and the address, the picture of the face indicated on the display screen  52 , and the personal information in the form of the name and the address, and the picture printed on the back surface of the optical card  1 , together with the face of the card holder at the same time. Examples of use of the system are as an entry system, a credit card system, etc. 
     The reading apparatus may be replaced by a recording/reading apparatus which additionally performs recording of information on the card. The card will then be of the type including an optical recording portion suitable for recording further information. 
     It will be appreciated that the recording card  1  may alternatively or additionally be provided with an IC portion in order to increase the security of the card. Furthermore, the card may alternatively or additionally include a magnetic recording portion.