SYSTEM FOR ENCODING AND PRINTING SMARTCARDS REMOTELY

Abstract

A system and method for encoding and personalizing smart cards from a remote location. The method includes connecting to a website or remote server and allowing the user to use remote software to encode a smart card connected to a specified client computer or RFID enabled mobile device. The server manages specialized virtual device drivers to allow users only authorized devices that are connected to the server and block access to other unauthorized devices not belonging to the locally connected user's account. The server can also control how many cards are able to be encoded for each user.

Claims

1. A system to remotely encode and print the smart cards comprising; a. a web server b. a printer system; c. device drivers; d. an electronic device i.e. computer, laptop or smartphone; e. smart card encoding software; and f. smart card printing software. wherein, the smartcards can be encoded with the help of the smartcard encoding and printing software; the web server enables the user to encode the smartcard directly to the user's hardware; the electronic device i.e. the computer, laptop or smartphone etc., are in connection with the server in which the client software can be downloaded which acts as a device driver; and the printer system is used to print the smartcards.

2. A system to remotely encode and print the smart cards as claimed in claim 1, wherein the webserver can encode the smartcard directly to the user's hardware.

3. A system to remotely encode and print the smart cards as claimed in claim 1, wherein the device drivers are located in the cloud server, which also contains the software needed to encode and print the smartcards.

4. A system to remotely encode and print the smart cards as claimed in claim 1, wherein the electronic device i.e. the computer system or laptop can be connected to the cloud server with the help of a website.

5. A system to remotely encode and print the smart cards as claimed in claim 1, wherein the smart card reader has encoding abilities can be connected to the electronic device i.e. computer system or laptop, through which the smart cards can be encoded and personalized directly from the website.

6. A system to remotely encode and print the smart cards as claimed in claim 1, wherein the server comprises of various encoding templates, tools to customize smart card data, user authentication facility and the server also manages the encoding processes in the computer's hardware.

7. A system to remotely encode and print the smart cards as claimed in claim 1, wherein the website from where the smart card can be encoded, can be loaded onto a smartphone which is in connection with a smartcard printer or encoder, which enables the website to control the smartphone's hardware and also personalize and print the smartcard.

8. A system to remotely encode and print the smart cards as claimed in claim 1, wherein the smartcards can be encoded and printed from any remote location but in this case it would be printing and also encoding, which would be a novel use in conjunction with encoding at the same time

9. A system to remotely encode and print the smart cards as claimed in claim 1, wherein the system provides additional and optional features which allows the users to create their own server on the internet, or host locally without requiring the internet service, which allows them to install their own server on their local network and encode and print the smartcards.

10. The process involved in remotely encode and print the smart cards comprising; a. connecting the smartcard reader and printer to the electronic device i.e. computer system, laptop or a smartphone; b. loading the website on a specific platform and registering themselves in the website by the user, which creates a unique account of every user; c. downloading a client software in the electronic device i.e. computer system, laptop or smartphone which acts as a virtual device driver; d. encoding and personalizing the smart cards by using the website interface through the web server; and e. printing the smartcard with the help of the smart card printer from any location using internet or network access.

11. A system to remotely encode and print the smart cards as claimed in claim 1, wherein the smart cards of different types and sizes can be encoded and printed.

12. A system to remotely encode and print the smart cards as claimed in claim 1, wherein the graphics can be printed directly on the smartcard through software hosted on the webserver, which communicates directly with the user's hardware through the previously installed client software.

13. A system to remotely encode and print the smart cards as claimed in claim 1, wherein the system has the ability to encode a proximity card through a website interface, where the website can interact and directly encode a user's proximity smartcard.

14. A system to remotely encode and print the smart cards as claimed in claim 1, wherein the system can encode and/or print both the front and back of the smartcard using a smartcard printer remotely through a website interface.

15. A system to remotely encode and print the smart cards as claimed in claim 1, wherein the system can be used to encode both the contact and contactless smartcards directly from the user's electronic device i.e. computer, laptop or smartphone without the requirement of installing the encoding software in the local system.

16. A system to remotely encode and print the smart cards as claimed in claim 1, wherein the system can also be used to encode and print mag-stripe cards as currently directly across a web network.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] FIG. 1 describes the smartcard encoder and smartcard printer system.

[0026] FIG. 2 is the flowchart disclosing the working of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0027] The present invention relates to a smartcard encoder and printer system which operates without installing the manufacturer software, device drivers, smartcard encoding software and printing software required for the operation of the system.

[0028] The process involved in the working of the present invention includes connecting the smartcard reader and printer to the computer system, laptop or a smartphone. The user has to load a website on a specific platform. The user has to register themselves in the website which creates a unique account of every user. Then the user has to download a small client software one time in the computer system, laptop or smartphone which runs as a background process and functions as a virtual device driver in the system. The website directly controls the smartcard encoder and printers which are connected to the user's system. Using the website interface, the user can encode and personalize the smartcard with desired values. The smartcard can be encoded or printed from any location with internet or network access.

[0029] As every smartcard has to be encoded in a different way, different prewritten software has to be purchased for it. To overcome this problem, the present invention provides a system through which the smart cards of different types and sizes can be encoded and printed. In addition to this, the smartcard graphics can be printed directly on the smartcard through software hosted on the webserver that talks directly to the client's hardware through the previously installed client software that functions as a virtual device driver.

[0030] As illustrated in FIG. 1, the cloud server comprises of all the necessary device drivers and software needed to encode and print the smartcards. In one embodiment of the present invention, the computer system or laptop can be connected to the cloud server with the help of a website. The smartcard reader which has encoding abilities can be connected to the computer system or laptop which are controlled by the website. The user can encode and personalize the smartcards on the website and then have their cards encoded and printed. Also the smartcards can be added with graphics on both sides of the smartcard.

[0031] In another embodiment of the present invention as illustrated in FIG. 1, the computer system or laptop which is connected to the cloud server can be connected to the smartcard printers and the smartcards of different sizes and shapes can be printed.

[0032] In another embodiment of the present invention as illustrated in FIG. 1, the website can be loaded onto a smartphone which can be connected to the smartcard printer or encoder through a USB cable. The website would then be able to control the connected smartphone's hardware and the smartcard can be personalized and printed directly.

[0033] The present invention uses the technology of a virtual device driver which allows software hosted on one computer to talk to hardware installed across the internet elsewhere. The present invention also provides additional and optional features wherein the users or customers can create their own server on the internet, or hosted locally without the need for internet service which allows them to install their own server on their local network and use it without any limitation on encoding and printing the smartcards. The server contains various encoding templates, tools to customize card data and when the user wants to use the technology, the server performs user authentication and manages the encoding processes directly to the client computer's hardware.

[0034] FIG. 2 is the flowchart disclosing the working of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 2, the process of encoding and printing the smartcards is illustrated which involves the following steps. The process starts by connecting the smartcard reader and printer to the electronic device i.e. computer system, laptop or a smartphone 201, followed by loading the website on a specific platform 202. After loading the website on the specific platform in the user's electronic device, the user has to register themselves in the website to create their unique account 203. Once the user gains access to their account, through the account they can download any client software in the electronic device i.e. computer system, laptop or smartphone which acts as a virtual device driver 204. Using the client software, the user can personalize and encode the smartcards by using the website interface through the web server 205. The final step of the process would be printing the smartcards with the help of the smart card printer from any location using internet or network access 206.

[0035] The present invention uses RFID technology for encoding and printing of the smartcards. The unique aspect of the present invention is the use of webserver or remote server, which enables encoding the smartcard. The system requires the webserver to carry out all the processes. This feature allows the user to make use of the complex encoding/printing software that runs in the cloud, and can encode the code on the smartcard directly.

[0036] The present invention has various advantages in that there are currently no websites which offer the ability to encode a proximity card through a website interface. The website can interact and directly encode a user's proximity smartcard. The present invention allows a user to use a website or network interface to have their proximity smartcard encoded by a remote website service.

[0037] Another advantage of the present invention is that there is currently no website that offers the ability to work with smartcard printers to encode and or print to the front and back of the smartcard using a smartcard printer remotely through a website interface.

[0038] Another advantage of the present invention is that an online interface can be used to personalize their card and with the payment of the nominal fee per card and proceed with the printing of the smartcard. The proposed system is completely cost effective because the cloud server comprises of the information to encode, personalize and print smartcards. Otherwise the customers would have to purchase the smartcard encoding and the smartcard printing software which can cost thousands of dollars.

[0039] Yet another advantage of the present invention over previous attempts is that the hardware drivers are not required to be installed for the smartcard readers, printers or any other hardware on the customer's or client's equipment. Once the client installs the virtual device driver, the server software recognizes the physical USB devices directly which frees the customer from complications involved with installing software and device drivers per device which is time consuming and expensive.

[0040] Yet another advantage of the present invention over traditional methods is that the system used in the present invention allows the user to print the smartcards directly from the customer or user's printer through the web interface and also for printing of the smartcards, there is no need to install any additional printing software for the end user.

[0041] Another advantage of the present invention is that the customer need not have to spend a lot of money if they want to encode only a few number of smartcards. The customers may not have to purchase the software and equipment only for encoding a few cards.

[0042] Yet another advantage of the present invention is that the system can be used by the smartcard developers during the production of smartcard based applications. The developed smartcard applications can be used by the smartcard manufacturers and smartcard distributors who have not yet built the software to handle high tech smartcards which would typically take months to years to develop.

[0043] Yet another advantage of the present invention is that the system can be used to encode contact and contactless smartcards directly from the customer or user's computer, laptop or smartphone without needing the encoding software to be installed to the local system. The software is hosted remotely on a website and performs the needed actions directly.

[0044] Yet another advantage of the present invention is that the system can be used to encode and print proximity cards as currently there is no website service available for the same.

[0045] Yet another advantage of the present invention is that the system can be used to encode and print mag-stripe cards as currently there is no website service that offer to do those services directly to the customer's cards across a web network.

[0046] Yet another advantage of the present invention is that the system uses a website service that can interact directly with contact and contactless smartcards connected to a smartphone and can be used throughout the world.