Security document, security systems and methods of controlling access to a region

1. A method of controlling access to a region, each person seeking access carrying a detectable unique identifier, the method comprising:

detecting, at a first location through which all persons seeking access to the region are allowed to pass, a unique identifier relating to a person in the first location;

using the detected unique identifier to retrieve information concerning the person from one or more external databases;

supplying the retrieved information to a second location remote from the first location in response to detecting the unique identifier at the first location; and

using, at the second location and when the person is at the second location, the retrieved information to make a decision as to whether to allow the person carrying the unique identifier access to the controlled region.

2. A method according to claim 1 , further comprising:

detecting the unique identifier carried by the person in the second location and using the detected unique identifier to identify the retrieved information concerning the person supplied to the second location.

3. A method according to claim 2 , further comprising:

adding the retrieved information to a transient database relating to those person(s) for whom unique identifiers have been detected, wherein the retrieved information is supplied to the second location by accessing the transient database.

4. A method according to claim 1 , wherein

the external database(s) include one or more of: a passport database containing details of passport holders, a lost and stolen database containing details of lost and stolen unique identifiers, a national stop list database containing details of certain persons and corresponding unique identifiers of interest and advance passenger information databases containing details of persons expected to seek access to the region.

5. A method according to claim 1 , wherein

one or more of the external database(s) contain biographical data relating to at least some of the persons.

6. A method according to claim 1 , wherein

one or more of the external database(s) contain biometric data relating to at least some of the persons.

7. A method according to claim 6 wherein

the biometric data comprises one or more of fingerprint data, iris data and face recognition data, wherein the face recognition data comprises a photograph of the person.

8. A method according to claim 6 , wherein

if one or more of the external database(s) contain biometric data corresponding to the detected unique identifier, the corresponding biometric data is included in the retrieved information supplied to the second location.

9. A method according to claim 1 , wherein

the step of using the detected unique identifier to retrieve information concerning the person from one or more external databases comprises:

querying at least some of the external database(s) to retrieve first information relating to the person;

making a decision, based on the first information, as to whether the person should be allowed to enter the controlled region; and

if so, querying at least some of the external database(s) to retrieve second information relating to the person;

wherein both the first and second information are supplied to the second location.

10. A method according to claim 9 , wherein

one or more of the external database(s) contain biometric data relating to at least some of the persons, and

the second information comprises biometric data.

11. A method according to claim 1 , further comprising:

once the information has been retrieved, selecting one or more of multiple second locations based on the retrieved information, and directing the carrier of the unique identifier to the selected second location(s).

12. A method according to claim 1 , wherein

the step of using the retrieved information to make a decision as to whether to allow the person carrying the unique identifier access to the controlled region, comprises determining whether the retrieved information indicates that the person corresponding to the unique identifier should be allowed access to the region, and if so performing a check as to whether the person carrying the unique identifier is the person corresponding to the unique identifier in the external database(s).

13. A method according to claim 12 , wherein

performing the check comprises comparing an identification document carried by the person carrying the unique identifier with that person, the identification document incorporating the unique identifier.

14. A method according to claim 12 , wherein

if one or more of the external database(s) contain biometric data corresponding to the detected unique identifier, the corresponding biometric data is included in the retrieved information supplied to the second location, and

if the retrieved information includes biometric data, performing the check comprises comparing the person carrying the unique identifier with at least some of the retrieved biometric data corresponding to the unique identifier in the external database(s).

15. A method of controlling access to a region, each person seeking access carrying a detectable unique identifier, the method comprising:

detecting, at a first location through which all persons seeking access to the region are allowed to pass, a unique identifier relating to a person in the first location;

using the detected unique identifier to retrieve information concerning the person from one or more external databases;

supplying the retrieved information to a second location remote from the first location in response to detecting the unique identifier at the first location; and

using, at the second location and when the person is at the second location, the retrieved information to make a decision as to whether to allow the person carrying the unique identifier access to the controlled region, wherein each unique identifier is provided by a security document comprising a first RFID tag readable only within a first distance range, and a second RFID tag readable within a second distance range, the first RFID tag containing data pertaining to the owner of the security document and an identification code, and the second RFID tag containing the same or a related identification code, and wherein the second distance range is longer than the first distance range.

16. A method according to claim 15 wherein

the step of using the retrieved information to make a decision as to whether to allow the person carrying the unique identifier access to the controlled region, further comprises determining whether the security document is authentic by interrogating the first RFID tag and checking that the identification code contained therein corresponds to the unique identifier.

17. A method according to claim 14 , wherein

the check is performed by a biometric checking system comprising a RFID tag reader for reading data from a security document having at least one RFID tag, each RFID tag containing an identification code identifying the security document, at least one biometric input module for testing a biometric of a holder of the security document, a database having data records containing details of each security document owner and the corresponding identification code, and a processor adapted to, upon recognition of an identification code, retrieve the corresponding data record and compare the output from the biometric testing module with biometric data in the retrieved data record to ascertain whether the holder of the security card matches the data records for the security document owner.

18. A system for controlling access to a region, comprising

a detector adapted to detect a unique identifier carried by a person in a first location through which all persons seeking access to the region are allowed to pass, the unique identifier corresponding to a person;

a controller adapted to receive the detected unique identifier from the detector, retrieve information concerning the person to whom the detected unique identifier corresponds from one or more external databases, and supply the retrieved information to a second location remote from the first location in response to the detector detecting the unique identifier at the first location; and

at least one terminal, at the second location, adapted to enable a decision to be made based on the retrieved information as to whether to allow the person carrying the unique identifier access to the controlled region, when the person is at the second location.

19. A system according to claim 18 , wherein

the detector comprises a radio-frequency antenna adapted to read RFID tags to thereby detect unique identifiers stored therein.

20. A system according to claim 18 , further comprising

a transient database, wherein the controller is adapted to store the retrieved information in the transient database and the at least one terminal at the second location is adapted to access the transient database.

21. A system according to claim 18 , wherein

the at least one terminal comprises a computer and a monitor for displaying at least some of the retrieved information.

22. A system according to claim 18 , wherein

the at least one terminal comprises a biometric checking module.

23. A system according to claim 18 , wherein

the at least one terminal comprises a second detector adapted to detect a unique identifier carried by a person in the second location, the at least one terminal being adapted to identify the retrieved information corresponding to the unique identifier detected by the second detector.

24. A system for controlling access to a region, comprising

a detector adapted to detect a unique identifier within a security document carried by a person in a first location through which all persons seeking access to the region are allowed to pass, the unique identifier corresponding to the person;

a controller adapted to receive the detected unique identifier from the detector, retrieve information concerning the person to whom the detected unique identifier corresponds from one or more external databases, and supply the retrieved information to a second location remote from the first location in response to the detector detecting the unique identifier at the first location; and

at least one terminal, at the second location, adapted to enable a decision to be made based on the retrieved information as to whether to allow the person carrying the unique identifier access to the controlled region, when the person is at the second location, wherein

the at least one terminal comprises a biometric checking module, and

the at least one terminal comprises a biometric checking system, the biometric checking system comprising a RFID tag reader for reading data from the security document, the security document having at least one RFID tag, each RFID tag containing the unique identifier, at least one biometric input module for testing a biometric of the person, a database having data records containing details of each security document owner and the corresponding unique identifier, and a processor adapted to, upon recognition of the unique identifier, retrieve the corresponding data record and compare the output from the biometric testing module with biometric data in the retrieved data record to ascertain whether the person matches the data records for the security document owner.

25. A system according to claim 18 , comprising

a plurality of terminals at the second location, and further comprising direction means adapted to direct each person to a selected one or a selected subset of the plurality of terminals, based on the retrieved information corresponding to the unique identifier carried by the person.

26. A system according to claim 25 wherein

the direction means comprises a third detector adapted to detect a unique identifier carried by a person adjacent the direction means, the direction means being adapted to identify the retrieved information corresponding to the unique identifier detected by the third detector.

27. A system according to claim 25 wherein

the direction means further comprises an output module adapted to direct each person by indicating the selected one or the selected subset of the plurality of terminals.