System and method for preventing unauthorized operation of identification and financial document production equipment
View Patent ↗Improvements in security relating to the use of personalized document production equipment. The invention has particular use with respect to printers that are used to produce plastic cards, such as financial cards and identification cards. The invention prevents the unauthorized production of personalized documents through the use of stolen or fraudulently obtained production equipment or software. The equipment is locked until a user enters authorization data that matches authorization data stored in memory of the equipment. The equipment is able to power-up in the locked state, at which point the user is prompted to enter the authorization data. As a result, if the equipment is stolen, the thief is unable to operate the equipment without the necessary authorization data.
1. A method of preventing unauthorized operation of personalized document production equipment, comprising:
at a first location and prior to operation of the personalized document production equipment by an equipment user, storing authorization data that is necessary to enable equipment operation in memory of the equipment, the authorization data is required upon initial and subsequent power-ups of the equipment to enable operation of the equipment;
delivering the equipment from the first location to the equipment user at a second location;
delivering information concerning the authorization data to an authorized agent of the equipment user at the second location;
entering the authorization data into the equipment and comparing the entered authorization data with the stored authorization data, and
unlocking the personalized document production equipment solely until the equipment is power cycled or relocked by command, so as to enable operation of the personalized document production equipment when the entered authorization data matches the stored authorization data.
2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first location is the place of manufacture of the equipment.
3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the equipment comprises a printer.
4. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising delivering the authorization data information by mail.
5. The method according to claim 4 , comprising delivering the authorization data information by certified letter.
6. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising prompting entry of the authorization data each time the equipment is powered-up.
7. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising preventing equipment operation upon a predetermined number of mismatches between the entered authorization data and the stored authorization data.
8. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising changing the stored authorization data.
9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the stored authorization data is a password that is produced through a random generation process.
10. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the stored authorization data is biometric data from an authorized user of the equipment.
11. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising, after initial operation of the document production equipment, determining whether the document production equipment has physically moved out of a designated area, and if it is determined that the document production equipment has moved out of the designated area, disabling the document production equipment.