Ep0766852 b1 2

Note: Within nine months from the publication of the mention of the grant of the European patent, any person may givenotice to the European Patent Office of opposition to the European patent granted. Notice of opposition shall be filed ina written reasoned statement. It shall not be deemed to have been filed until the opposition fee has been paid. (Art.99(1) European Patent Convention).

Printed by Jouve, 75001 PARIS (FR)

Europäisches Patentamt

European Patent Office

Office européen des brevets

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(12) EUROPEAN PATENT SPECIFICATION

(45) Date of publication and mentionof the grant of the patent:18.08.2004 Bulletin 2004/34

(21) Application number: 95926598.4

(22) Date of filing: 07.06.1995

(51) Int Cl.7: G06F 17/60

(86) International application number:PCT/US1995/007917

(87) International publication number:WO 1995/035546 (28.12.1995 Gazette 1995/55)

(54) UNIVERSAL ELECTRONIC TRANSACTION CARD AND SYSTEM AND METHODS OFCONDUCTING ELECTRONIC TRANSACTIONS

UNIVERSELLE ELEKTRONISCHE TRANSAKTIONSKARTE UND VERFAHREN ZUMDURCHFÜHREN VON ELEKTRONISCHEN TRANSAKTIONEN

CARTE DE TRANSACTION ELECTRONIQUE UNIVERSELLE ET SYSTEME ET PROCEDESD’EXECUTION DE TRANSACTIONS ELECTRONIQUES

(84) Designated Contracting States:DE FR GB IT

(30) Priority: 20.06.1994 US 262307

(43) Date of publication of application:09.04.1997 Bulletin 1997/15

(73) Proprietor: PITRODA, Satyan GangaramDowners Grove, IL 60515 (US)

(72) Inventor: PITRODA, Satyan GangaramDowners Grove, IL 60515 (US)

(74) Representative: Jackson, Richard EricCarpmaels & Ransford,43 Bloomsbury SquareLondon WC1A 2RA (GB)

(56) References cited:GB-A- 2 255 934 US-A- 4 491 725US-A- 4 689 478 US-A- 4 739 295US-A- 4 849 614 US-A- 4 858 121US-A- 4 891 506 US-A- 4 928 001US-A- 5 150 420 US-A- 5 153 842US-A- 5 276 311 US-A- 5 301 105

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Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] This invention relates to a universal electronictransaction card ("UET card") for storing, transmittingand receiving personal, accounting and transactional in-formation, to a UET card and communications systems,and to an electronic transaction system which utilizesUET cards. This invention also relates to a health caresystem utilizing UET cards. This invention also relatesto methods of issuing an account authorization to a UETcard, a method of transferring transactional and accountinformation between a UET card and a personal com-puter or a mainframe computer, a method of using theUET card as a remote terminal for a mainframe compu-ter, and a method of conducting an electronic transac-tion. The UET card of the present invention is capableof functioning as a number of different credit cards orother transaction or identification cards, which providesthe user of the UET card with the capability of selectingone of many such cards for use in a particular transac-tion. The UET card of this invention has universal appli-cation for all personal and financial transactions, suchas normal credit card usage of the type commonly as-sociated with MASTERCARD, VISA, AMERICAN EX-PRESS or automatic banking transactions (known as"ATM" transactions); health service transactions, suchas physicians' services, hospital services, or homehealth care services; personal identification, includingsocial security number, signature, photograph, and oth-er personal information; employee information, such asemployee identification numbers; and license informa-tion, including drivers licenses, vehicle registrations,professional licenses, and the like.[0002] Presently, plastic cards are used for a varietyof transactions, such as credit card purchases, and au-tomatic banking transactions. Such credit cards includea magnetic strip that contains coded information for ac-count information and, in some cases, a security code.The coded information on the magnetic strips is read bya device in the possession of a merchant, which trans-mits the account information to a central computer,which determines whether the account number is validand whether the purchase is within the amount of creditavailable for that account. If the transaction is author-ized, the card user receives a paper receipt as his or herrecord of the transaction, and the retail merchant alsokeeps a copy of the receipt as a record of the transac-tion. Later, usually within 30 days, the card user receivesa written statement, which, in the case of a credit card,contains an invoice for payment. The user must thenwrite a check to the credit card company to pay theamount due on the account. The disadvantage of theforegoing system is that at least two written documentsare generated for the credit card user, at a substantialcost to the credit card institution.[0003] In the case of ATM banking machines, a bank-

ing card is inserted into the card reader of the machine,which reads the coded account information and securitycode. The card user then enters a security code. If thesecurity code is correct, the card user is then able toperform a banking transaction in which he or she mayeither deposit money, withdraw money, or check ac-count balances. The ATM card user receives a paperreceipt for the transaction. Later, the ATM card user alsoreceives a paper record of all of his or her transactionsfor the month from the banking institution.[0004] Every day, at least tens of millions of credit cardand ATM transactions take place. Each transactiongives rise to the creation of several pieces of paper re-lating to billing for the goods or services purchased bycredit card. Elimination of all or a substantial amount ofpaper associated with those transactions would reducethe costs of providing credit card services and would re-duce the amount of waste generated and energy usedas a result, and would improve the environment. Further,conversion of the manual billing system could eliminatesubstantial labor costs and also reduce the amount ofhuman error in credit card transactions.[0005] The same is true of the health care industry. Asubstantial amount of paper is generated by the healthcare industry, including insurance cards, medical iden-tification cards, medical bills, medical history reports,and the like. A substantial amount of personal healthcare information must be manually entered for each visitby a patient to a health care provider. Each visit usuallyresults in filling out one or more insurance forms thatare, in turn, sent to insurance companies for processing.Approximately 15% of the cost of health care is spenton insurance companies who process payments andclaims. The substantial reduction or elimination of paperwork associated with health care, and the conversion toa paperless billing system could greatly reduce the laborcosts associated with health care, and thereby reducehealth care expenses considerably.[0006] Most people carry a substantial number ofcards, including multiple credit cards, insurance cards,drivers' licenses, airline cards, check identificationcards, ATM cards, and employee identification cards.Carrying a substantial number of such cards is incon-venient. Financial accounting associated with thesecards related to paying bills, keeping track of accounts,budgeting, planning and the like, is manual, cumber-some, time consuming, and difficult to manage andmaintain. Further, such cards are replaced on a periodicbasis. Thus, a substantial amount of plastic must beused to make the cards, paper must be used to mail thecards to users, and a substantial amount of paper andplastic is eventually thrown away, resulting in waste,degradation of the environment, and a loss of money.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0007] It is an object of the present invention to pro-vide a universal electronic transaction card ("UET card")

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which is capable of storing, transmitting and receivingpersonal and transactional information and thereby re-placing plastic cards, which are presently used for thesame purpose. With this in mind, the present inventionis defined in claim 1 hereinafter. In one form of the in-vention, the universal electronic transaction card of thepresent invention is a pocket sized device, which in-cludes a microprocessor, random access memory, a dis-play, and input means, and is capable of storing person-al information such as the card owner's name, address,date of birth, signature, and likeness, as well as the us-er's social security number. The UET card is also capa-ble of storing the user's employee number (if applica-ble), insurance policy number or numbers for varioustype of insurance, club membership account numbers,credit card company account numbers for a variety ofcredit card companies, automatic banking numbers forone or more bank accounts, and any other financial orpersonal transactional information. The UET card is alsocapable of processing transactional information andcommunicating with central processing units or comput-ers operated by the providers of services, such as creditcard institutions, banks, health care providers, retailers,wholesalers or other providers of goods or services. TheUET card is also capable of communicating with person-al computers, including those used by retailers (point ofsale computers), and personal computers used in otherbusiness applications or at home.[0008] In one embodiment of the invention, a UETcard is provided for storing, transmitting, and receivinginformation for a plurality of service institutions. As usedherein, the term "service institution" includes any busi-ness, service, governmental agency, or other entity,which issues any type of card commonly carried by anindividual for the purposes of identification, credit trans-actions, bank transactions, licensing, registration orsimilar functions. The information stored, transmitted, orreceived by the UET card may include personal infor-mation of the user of the UET card. It may also includeaccount information for each service institution withwhich the user has an account. As used herein, the term"account information" includes any identifying designa-tion which identifies the UET card user with a serviceinstitution, including but not limited to the user's name,address, phone number, social security number, creditcard account numbers, bank account numbers, licensenumbers, identification numbers, insurance accountnumbers, medical identification numbers, and the like.The information stored, transmitted, or received by theUET card may also include transactional information foraccounts with service institutions in which the UET carduser has an account. As used herein, the term "trans-actional information" includes one or more individual fi-nancial transactions, such as credit card transactions,medical treatment payments, insurance payments, andthe like.[0009] The UET card comprises housing meansadapted to fit in a pocket or a purse which houses input-

ting means, memory means, communications means,display means, and processing means. Inputting meansare provided for inputting information, including person-al information for the user, account information for a plu-rality of service institutions in which the user has an ac-count, and transactional information for each service in-stitution for which account information exists. Memorymeans are provided for storing the information inputtedby the inputting means. Communications means areprovided for electronically communicating informationstored in the UET card. The UET card includes displaymeans for displaying information for a plurality of serviceinstitution accounts, including personal information, ac-count information, and transactional information. In apreferred embodiment the display means comprises atouch-sensitive LCD display. In a preferred embodi-ment, the UET card is also provided with processingmeans for processing information, although if requiredby cost considerations, the processing means could beprovided by a personal computer or a communicationsinterface unit (which is described below). Means are al-so provided for providing and storing electric power andfor selectively providing power to the components of theUET card. The UET card also includes security meansfor preventing unauthorized use of the universal elec-tronic transaction card and for preventing unauthorizedaccess to the information stored in the memory meansof the universal electronic transaction card.[0010] In a preferred embodiment, the UET card in-cludes a touch-sensitive display. which is large enoughto display a visibly perceptible replica of a credit cardand a visibly perceptible replica of the user's signature.Menus can be provided on the touch sensitive displayto enable the user to select one service institution froma group of service institutions in order to proceed with atransaction using the card. Further, the touch-sensitivedisplay may be provided with multiple levels of menus,including at least one level enabling the user to selectfrom groups of service institutions, and at least one otherlevel enabling the user to select a particular service in-stitution. In addition, a graphic image of a service insti-tution may be displayed when the service institution isselected by a user, along with the user's name and ac-count number. Alternatively, instead of a touch-sensitivedisplay, the UET card may be provided with a pointingdevice.[0011] The UET card can also be provided with a va-riety of other menus, which permit the user to reviewaccount information for a selected service institution, ora record of transactions with a service institution. In ad-dition, the user's signature can be inputted into the UETcard and thereafter displayed for security purposes. Theelectronic transaction card may further include meansfor automatically cancelling at least one account in theevent that a non-authorized user attempts to use thecard to conduct an unauthorized transaction with the us-er's account.[0012] The means for providing and storing electric

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power includes first power means for providing backuppower to the memory means and second power meansfor selectively providing power to the memory means,inputting means, display means, processing means andcommunications means. In addition, the UET card mayfurther be provided with means for detecting inputtingand processing activity and for turning off power to dis-play means and processing means upon detecting noinputting or processing activity for a predetermined timeinterval.[0013] The present invention also provides for a uni-versal electronic transactions card and communicationssystem ("UET card and communications system") forstoring, transmitting, and receiving the type of informa-tion discussed above for a plurality of service institu-tions. The system includes a plurality of UET cardsadapted to fit in a pocket or a purse and a plurality ofcommunications interface units ("CIU"). At a minimum,the UET cards must include memory storage devicesand means for electronically transmitting information toand from the UET memory. Preferably, the UET cardsin this UET card and communication system are alsoprovided with touch-sensitive display means, andprocessing means. Either the UET card or the CIU de-vice must have display means for displaying informationfor a plurality of service institution accounts, includingpersonal information, account information, and transac-tional information; processing means for processing in-formation, including personal information, account infor-mation, and transactional information; means for provid-ing and storing electric power and for selectively provid-ing power to the memory means, inputting means, dis-play means, processing means and communicationsmeans; and, security means for preventing unauthor-ized use of the universal electronic transaction card andfor preventing unauthorized access to the informationstored in the memory means of the universal electronictransaction card.[0014] Thus, in the UET card and communicationssystem, the CIU device may comprise a passive inter-face between the universal electronics transaction cardand a personal computer. In that event, the UET cardmay be equipped with memory, processing means,touch-sensitive display means, and means for interfac-ing with the CIU device. Information may be communi-cated from the UET card through the CIU device to thepersonal computer, where it may be processed by thecomputer to produce electronic reports in the nature ofmonthly statements now received from service institu-tions. In addition, modem communications with a centralsystem may be done by the personal computer. Alter-natively, in the UET card and communications system,the CIU device may comprise a passive interface withthe universal electronics transactions card and a mo-dem. Or, the CIU may have more features, including apassive interface with the universal electronics transac-tions card, a modem, means for processing information,means for storing information, input means for entering

information, and display means for displaying informa-tion.[0015] The invention also includes an electronictransaction system which includes a plurality of UETcards, CIU devices, point of transactions systems, andan institutional system. The point of transactions systemincludes means for inputting and storing transactionalinformation; means for electronically communicatingwith the UET card to receive account information;means for electronically communicating the account in-formation and transactional information to an institution-al system, and means for electronically communicatingtransactional information to the personal electronictransaction card. The communications between theUET card and the point of transactions system may bedone through the CIU device. The institutional systemincludes means for creating account numbers; meansfor assigning and authorizing account numbers; meansfor electronically communicating an authorized accountnumber to a universal electronic transaction card;means for receiving and storing personal information foreach authorized account number; means for communi-cating with a personal electronic transaction card to au-thorize account transactions, and means for receivingand storing information relating to account transactions.Communications systems are provided to enable com-munications between the universal electronic transac-tion card and point of transactions system and betweenthe point of transactions system and the institutionalsystem, including card interfacing means for interfacingbetween the transactional provider system and the uni-versal electronic transaction card to exchange electron-ic information; and communications means for commu-nicating with the institutional system.[0016] In one application of this invention, a healthcare management system is provided in which UETcards are used for inputting, storing, processing, andtransmitting personal information, including personalmedical history, account information, and transactionalinformation. At least one central health care informationprocessing system is provided, and it includes meansfor creating, assigning and storing patient and healthcare provider accounts; means for electronically com-municating account information to a universal electronictransaction card; means for receiving and storing per-sonal information for each authorized account number;means for communicating with a universal electronictransaction card to authorize account transactions,means for receiving and storing information relating toaccount transactions; and means for storing and com-municating medical histories. In this system, the UETcard is used by a patient when the patient visits thehealth care provider. Health care providers may includedoctors, hospitals, laboratories, pharmacies, out patientclinics, and the like. Health care providers use a healthcare provider processing system, which includes meansfor electronically communicating with the central healthcare information processing system; means for elec-

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tronically communicating with the UET card; and mem-ory means for storing patient information. Communica-tions systems are also provided for providing communi-cations between the universal electronic transactioncard, the central health care information processing sys-tem, and the health care provider processing system.[0017] When a patient visits a health care provider,the patient's UET card is interfaced with the health careprovider processing system, which in turn may commu-nicate with the central health care processing systemAll pertinent information concerning the patient's healthis then instantly available to the health care provider,including the patient's medical history, insurance cover-age, and the like. After the patient is treated, or is pro-vided with a medical service, billing is automaticallydone by the system, and all pertinent information con-cerning the billing is electronically transmitted to the pa-tient's UET card and also to the appropriate service in-stitution.[0018] This invention also includes a method of con-ducting an electronic credit transaction using a serviceinstitution account which includes the steps of (1) se-lecting from a UET card a service institution accountfrom a group of service institution accounts; (2) estab-lishing an electronic communication between the uni-versal electronic transaction card, a point of transactionsystem and a service institution system; (3) transmittingfrom the universal electronic transactions card to thepoint of transaction system the account information forthe selected service institution account; (4) transmittingfrom the point transaction system to the service institu-tion system transactional information for the credit trans-action and the service institution account; (5) in the serv-ice institution system, screening the service accountand transactional information to determine whether theaccount is valid and whether the credit transaction iswithin predetermined credit limits for that account; and(6) for valid accounts and credit transactions within pre-determined limits, transmitting an authorization for thecredit transaction to the point of transaction system,storing the transactional information for the credit trans-action in the service institution system with respect tothe service institution account, and transmitting thetransactional information for the credit transaction to theuniversal electronic transaction card and storing thetransactional information for the credit transaction in theuniversal electronic transaction card with respect to theservice institution account.[0019] This invention also includes a method of trans-ferring account information and accumulated transac-tional information for a plurality of credit transactions fora service institution account from a UET card to a per-sonal computer. The method comprises the steps of es-tablishing an electronic communication between a per-sonal computer and a UET card; selecting at least oneservice institution account; selecting from the at leastone service institution account credit transactions forsuch account which were transacted in a predetermined

period of time; and, transmitting from the universal elec-tronic transaction card the selected credit transactionsto storage means in a personal computer. The selectedcredit transactions may thereafter be displayed on thepersonal computer in the form of a monthly statementof the type normally provided on paper by the serviceinstitution.[0020] The invention also includes a method of usinga UET card as a remote terminal for a service institutionsystem. The method includes the steps of selecting apreviously authorized service institution account fromthe universal electronic transaction card; establishingan electronic communication between a personal com-puter and the service institution system for such serviceinstitution account; transmitting to the service institutionsystem from the universal electronic transaction cardidentifying information for the user and for the serviceinstitution account; comparing the identifying informa-tion with authorization information in the service institu-tion account to determine if the identifying informationis valid; and, for valid identifying information, communi-cating selected account and transaction information be-tween the universal electronic transaction card and theservice information system, responsive to commandscommunicated from the universal electronic transactioncard to the service information system. The selectedtransactional information may thereafter displayed onthe universal electronic transaction card in the form ofa monthly statement of the type normally provided onpaper by the service institution.[0021] There are several advantages to the presentinvention. With respect to credit card transactions, theUET card of the present invention may be used to storein memory each credit card or bank transaction for whichit is used. Those transactions may be displayed on thedisplay of the UET card. Alternatively, the contents ofmemory may be electronically transferred to a personalcomputer for use in any one of a number of commerciallyavailable personal accounting programs, such as theprogram commercially sold under the name "QUICK-EN". Alternatively, the information could be used withspreadsheet programs, such as LOTUS or EXCEL. Al-ternatively, the UET card may be provided with a diskcontaining a program that may be used on a personalcomputer to display and print the information. Or, forthose card users who might not own a personal compu-ter, a printer may be provided to interface with the cardand to print the record of the desired transaction ortransactions.[0022] Given the capability of retaining an electronicrecord of transactions, the user of the UET card wouldhave no need for a paper record of the transaction, andthe paper receipt at the point of sale could be eliminated.Further, since the information concerning each creditcard transaction would be recorded in the memory ofthe UET card at the time of the transaction, there wouldbe no need for the generation of a monthly statementfrom the credit card provider to the UET card owner. In

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fact, the UET card owner could eliminate all paper trans-actions and bills by using an electronic method of payingthe credit card provider by any one of the methods thatare currently available.[0023] There are also several advantages that maybe realized by the application of the present inventionto the health care industry. A patient's insurance infor-mation, and key medical history information may bemaintained in the memory of the UET card. Alternatively,or in addition, a patient's complete medical history maybe maintained in a universal database, accessible overa health care data network similar to the network pres-ently known as the INTERNET. Thus, every time a pa-tient using a UET card would visit a doctor, or a hospital,or an out patient clinic, or a pharmacy, the patient's med-ical history would be available so that the health careprovider or pharmacist would have instant access to in-formation that might prevent the prescribing of drugs orother treatment which would not be tolerated by the pa-tient, because of allergic reactions or other contraindi-cations.[0024] The foregoing advantages are some examplesof the advantages provided by the present invention,and are not intended to be exhaustive. Specific exam-ples of the implementation of the invention are shownin the drawings and are discussed herein. Those exam-ples are intended provide examples of the invention, notto limit it. The scope of the invention is expressed in theclaims.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025]

Figure 1 is a front view of one embodiment of a uni-versal electronic transaction card in accordancewith the present invention.Figure 2 is a block diagram illustrating one embod-iment of a universal electronic transaction card sys-tem in accordance with the present invention.Figure 3 is a block diagram of one embodiment ofthe UET card of the present invention.Figure 4 is a functional diagram of the softwareblocks used in one embodiment of the UET card.Figure 5 is a front view of one embodiment of a com-munication interface unit of the present invention.Figure 6 is a block diagram of one of the compo-nents of the communication interface unit of thepresent invention.Figure 7 is a block diagram of the software blocksused in one embodiment of the communication in-terface unit of the present invention.Figure 8 is a diagram illustrating three different ver-sions of a communication interface unit used in thepresent invention.Figure 9 illustrates one embodiment of the displayof the UET card of the present invention.Figure 10 illustrates a signature made by a user on

the display of the UET card of the present inventionFigure 11 illustrates a manner of inputting a securitycode on the UET card of the present invention.Figure 12 illustrates a menu for selecting fromgroups of service institution transactions.Figure 13 illustrates a menu for selecting from creditcard transactions after selection of credit from themenu shown in Figure 12.Figure 14 illustrates a menu for user commands fora credit card transaction for the UET card of thepresent invention.Figure 15 illustrates a status display on the UETcard of the present invention during a transaction.Figure 16 illustrates another status display on theUET card of the present invention during a transac-tion.Figure 17 illustrates a status display upon comple-tion of a transaction.Figure 18 illustrates commands that may be usedon the UET card of the present invention.Figure 19 illustrates an ATM bank "card" as it wouldbe used on the UET card of the present invention.Figure 20 illustrates a medical "card" as it would beused on the UET card of the present invention.Figure 21 illustrates an ID "card" as it would be usedon the UET card of the present invention.Figure 22 illustrates a phone "card" as it would beused on the UET card of the present invention.Figure 23 illustrates an airline "card" as it would beused on the UET card of the present invention.Figure 24 illustrates a car rental "card" as it wouldbe used on the UET card of the present invention.Figure 25 illustrates special interfaces with the com-munications interface unit that may be used to han-dle different protocols used by different service in-stitutions.Figure 26 illustrates the use of an alphanumerickeyboard on the touch sensitive display of the UETcard.Figure 27 illustrates additional features that may beadded to the UET card of the present invention.Figure 28 outlines a "to do" list on the UET card ofthe present invention.Figure 29 outlines the initialization process for aUET card of the present invention.Figure 30 illustrates a variety of interfaces for theUET card of the present invention.Figure 31 illustrates a block diagram of a health careservice provider system using the UET card of thepresent invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] The embodiment of the Universal ElectronicTransaction (UET) Card shown in Figure 1 consists ofa large full scale liquid crystal display with touch-mem-ory screen 10, a LED light emitting diode to indicate on/off status 11, an on/off switch 12, metal contacts 13 to

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read/write to and from the memory and to charge thebattery through an external unit, such as a communica-tions interface unit, a slide type control to manage dis-play brightness 11, plastic cover and enclosure 15,speaker or beeper 16 to activate an audible alarm duringlow battery or a reminder signal and associated elec-tronics hardware and software to store and analyze per-sonal, account, credit, and transactional information.The size of the UET Card may be around 3 1/2" x 2 1/2",which is similar to the normal plastic credit card in usetoday. It is designed to be carried in the wallet and/orpackets.[0027] In the preferred embodiment discussed herein,the user may enter information into the memory of theUET card by touching selected parts of the touch-sen-sitive display.[0028] Fig. 2 shows an embodiment of the overallUET card system configuration. It includes a communi-cation interface unit ("CIU") 21, which interfaces with theUET card either through physical metallic contact -- pre-ferred for the touch memory devices -- or infra red orradio frequency based wireless transmit and receiveunits. The CIU includes means for receiving data fromthe UET card, such as metal contacts to connect to themetal contacts 13 of the UET card, or infrared or radiofrequency based wireless systems, depending on thesystem used by the UET card. In addition, the CIU isprovided with memory means for storing data, such asrandom access memory devices (RAM), means forprocessing data, such as a microprocessor, and meansfor directly communicating with the point of sales("POS") and home or office personal computer ("PC"),such as serial or parallel ports. The CIU is provided witha modem or other suitable means for telecommunicat-ing with remote computers and data base facilities forcredit verification, card issuing, bill payments, etc. Someof the features offered by the CIU can also be incorpo-rated directly into UET Card provided the size of the cardcan remain small enough to carry it in the pockets.[0029] The POS computer 23 interfaces directly withthe CIU to read/write information to and from the UETcard and communicate with the main central computerof the credit card or bank card company for customerdata base, credit verification, etc. The POS computeralso writes transaction information directly into the UETCard thereby eliminating need for paper receipts. ThePOS computer may vary in size, shape and applica-tions, and as a result, the CIU is provided with softwarewhich will adapt to a variety of POS computers in usetoday or which may be used in the future. Software forcommunicating between computers is readily availablein the marketplace today. Alternatively, special softwaremay be written to enable the CIU to communicate withthe POS computer.[0030] The home PC 24 interfaces with the UET cardto perform transactional analysis needed for tax review,summary, or budgeting purposes. Software for interfac-ing between the home PC and the UET Card for reading

information from the card is available, so long as con-ventional memory components are used, or can be spe-cially written. Software enabling the PC to dialing direct-ly to the main central computer used by a service insti-tution with whom the user of the UET card has an ac-count is readily available. For the purpose of electroniccommunications with the service institution, the PCmust be equipped with a modem.[0031] At the main central computer a special inter-face 25 is required with appropriate hardware to con-centrate multiple telephone lines, and software to keepthe existing methodology and formats used by the creditcard and banking industries. The interface also providescaller identification feature normally available from thelocal telephone companies to add security. Through thecaller identification feature, it is possible to identify thelocation of the originating call for every transaction, suchthat along with each transaction a telephone numbercan be tagged to trace misuse of the UET Card. Thisinterface 25 is very similar to the existing interfaces ex-cept for the unique software and the added caller iden-tification feature.[0032] The main central computer 26 is used by allthe credit card issuing companies or other service pro-viders for management and monitoring. The computerincludes customer data base 27, operator positions 28for customer services, and facilities to store and processtransactions, reports, analysis, account authorization,card issuance and cancellation, etc.[0033] The UET card may be configured with suffi-cient memory to store all transactions electronically, soas to eliminate or reduce the need for paper receipts.The transactions thus stored in the UET card may bedownloaded into another computer, such as the user'shome personal computer, or the main computer. Themain computer may also be provided with the capabilityof analyzing transactions, generating reports and issu-ing new cards electronically by transmitting an electron-ic image of the card after caller identification and verifi-cation. This electronic image may include the name,credit card number, date of issue, date of expiration,credit limits, and a graphic image of the card, along witha variety of coded security information unique to thecredit card issuing company and the card holder to elim-inate fraud and misuse.[0034] It should be emphasized that the UET card iscapable of interfacing with a variety of mainframe com-puters for special applications such as medical cards,drivers license identification cards, etc. The transactionsfor which the UET card is used take place electronicallyin real time, including issuing a card. The transactionsare recorded electronically and do not need paper re-ceipts either at the customer end or at the credit cardcompany end. It is also possible to provide on line anal-ysis service from the main central computer to the UETCard holder for credit verification, transaction analysis,billing, payments, etc.[0035] Fig. 3 is a block diagram of the major compo-

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nents of the UET card of the present invention. In thepreferred embodiment, the UET card includes a fullscale LCD & touch screen display 30, although the dis-play can be a smaller size, so long as it is large enoughfor the messages displayed on it to be readable by auser and so long as it is large enough to enable a userto operate the touch controls discussed herein. The UETcard also includes an associated display controller 31,a micro controller along with RAM/ROM/and Input/Out-put port management 33, a non-volatile RAM 34 and ortouch memories with direct contact to connect to theCIU, a light emitting diode 35 to indicate the status ofon/off switch 36, a speaker/beeper 37, pin contacts 38to connect to the memory and to charge the battery, in-frared or radio frequency option to communicate and, abuilt in rechargeable or ordinary batteries 30 to powerall electronics for the card.[0036] The UET Card is an active device with a dis-play which is large enough for the user to view informa-tion relating to the "credit card" to be used in a transac-tion, the details of the transaction, and the other infor-mation described herein. The memory must be of suffi-cient size to store a predetermined number of differentcards and transactions. The main purpose of the UETCard is to consolidate variety of plastic cards in one andto eliminate paper transactions by storing all transac-tions in the card memory, which can be down loaded tothe home PC.[0037] Figure 4 is a diagram of the major softwareblocks which may be used in the UET Card. The soft-ware blocks include a database which may include, forexample a 32 bit - non erasable unique number 401 as-signed to each UET Card for security; a primary creditcard issuing company or service institution number 402which includes information about service institution,such as the name, address, telephone number, etc.;personal data 403 such as name, address, telephonenumber, fax number, office address, phone number,height, weight, birth date, social security number, bloodtype, marriage status, and other appropriate informa-tion; credit card account information 404, such as Amer-ican Express, Visa, Diners Club, containing data similarto that stored in present plastic card magnetic stripsalong with the visible information on the cards, bankcards 405; ID cards 406, including photographs of theuser, fingerprints or other forms of identification; healthcards 407; or any other cards 408, such as, travel, carrental, specialty shop, or restaurant cards.[0038] It should be emphasized that the primary creditcard issuing company provides the first hardware/soft-ware and all the necessary interfaces to the customer.Thereafter secondary card issuing companies will issuenew cards by writing electronic prints by dialing in to thecard along with appropriate customer and card issuingcompany information.[0039] Corresponding to each card, a data area 409is provided for transient information related to the dateof issue, date of expire, credit limit, etc. This can be

charged periodically by the card issuing company. Alsocorresponding to each card, a transaction memory area410 is provided to store all transaction receipts in elec-tronic form to eliminate or reduce paper receipts. Thetransactions can be down loaded to a home/office PC.In addition, transactions are also stored in the main cen-tral computer of the card company.[0040] The UET Card software also includes an oper-ating system 412, memory management 413, databasemanagement 414, display formats and associated man-agement 415, analysis algorithms and procedures 416,and a CIU and PC interface 417. In addition, the UETcard software may also include a scheduler 411, andother utilities, as desired.[0041] The UET Card software also includes modulesfor I/O drivers 421, display drivers 422, utility & com-mand management 423, clock and calendar 418, initial-ization 419, and authorization/security and signaturemanagement 420.[0042] Initially, when the on/off switch is turned on, theI/O driver detects it and turns on the display and pre-pares the UET card for use. Thereafter the main displayprovides options to be selected by the card user througha touch screen. A variety of options are available andUET card can be programmed for special applicationsas desired. All the individual software blocks outlinedhere are standard and familiar to any one knowledgea-ble in the software field.[0043] Figure 5 shows the CIU hardware 51. The CIUis used for interconnecting UET Card to PC/POS andthe main central computer through normal telephonelines. As shown in Figure 5, the CIU includes a displayfor text 52 which may be a liquid crystal display a cath-ode ray tube, or some other form of display. It also in-cludes a key pad 53 for dialing and start/stop and specialfunctions, a physical connector 58 to communicate withthe UET Card 54, a telephone line interface 55, a PC/POS interface 56, and a power line connector 57.[0044] Figure 6 is the block diagram of the CIU. TheCIU comprises a microprocessor 61, a display 62, whichmay be a liquid crystal display or other suitable display,keys 63, a telephone interface 64, a PC/POS interface65, a UET card position 66, and a UET Card contact 67.[0045] The software for the CIU is shown in Figure 7.It includes I/O drivers 71, display drivers 72, utility/com-mand management software 73, and a POS database74 to include one or more POS ID numbers, credit cardcompany numbers, service numbers, and departmentidentifications or sales identifications, or the like. It alsoincludes UET card management software 75, and mayalso include other software 76.[0046] When a user of a UET card wishes to use theUET card for a transaction, the card is connected to theCIU unit. When the metal contacts of the UET card areconnected to the corresponding contacts or port of theCIU, the CIU software recognizes the UET card contactand prepares itself to read information from the UETcard It also dials the main computer center for verifica-

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tion and interfaces with POS computer. The CIU unitmay include software capable of displaying signaturesor other types of verification/identification such as pho-tographs, finger prints or voice prints.[0047] The other software 76 for the CIU unit may in-clude an interface for a point of sales computer or for ahome computer. It may also include special features,transaction handling, a timer/scheduler, and memorymanagement software.[0048] Figure 8 illustrates three different versions ofthe CIU. CIU A is a passive interface between the UETcard and a personal computer. CIU A includes metalcontacts for connecting with the UET card and a serialport or a parallel port or other means for communicatingwith a home/office PC. CIU A is a passive device, whichdoes not include any processing capability, memory, orsoftware which may otherwise be present in a CIU.Those functions are incorporated in the personal com-puter to avoid duplication and reduce cost. In this con-figuration, the PC is provided with communications soft-ware and a modem so that it is capable of dialing to themain computer center.[0049] If the UET card user does not have access toPC at home or office, but would like to use the main com-puter for analysis, he/she may use CIU B shown in 82.CIU B may include only a modem and metal contacts orother means for communicating with a UET card. In thatcase, the software for operating the modem in order tocommunicate with the main computer is present in theUET card.[0050] CIU C 83, which includes a microprocessor,memory, a keypad or keyboard, a modem, and an inter-face for the UET card, and an interface for a personalcomputer, is necessary only when all the facilities arerequired in one unit to dial remote main central computerand inter connect with PC and POS.[0051] Fig. 9 illustrates various display areas for theUET Card. At the top or at the bottom of the display,various commands may appear, such as: "type", "print","erase", "security", "shift", etc. The remaining part of thedisplay is available for transaction storage display andanalysis. A specific area is assigned for the original sig-nature for the permanent record to be used thereafterfor identification purposes. In the same area, the cus-tomer is requested to sign during a sales transaction, ifthe signature is used for identification, as opposed to aphotograph or fingerprints or a voice print. The originalsignature sample is used for verification during a salestransaction. It is also possible to display basic card in-formation such as the name, the card number, the dateof issue, the date of expiration, etc., in the form of a barcode pattern to be read by a bar code reader in a pre-determined area.[0052] As shown in Figure 10, during initialization, thecard holder is requested to sign in the designated area.This signature becomes a permanent record similar tothe one used in the present day plastic cards and is usedfor visual verification for identification and security. Once

signed the signature is stored in a memory location fromwhich it can not be erased. It is called automatically forvisual display to verify signature during normal salestransaction.[0053] As shown in Figure 11, a variety of securitymechanisms can be built into the UET Card to avoid ac-cess to confidential information as well to avoid fraud.During initialization the user is requested to select aunique authorization code which may be up to 10 digits.The user-programmed authorization code is intended tobe maintained by the user in confidence, much like PINnumbers used in connection with ATM cards. Wheneverdesired, access to information stored in the card or theability to use the card can be blocked, unless the properauthorization code is entered. Once the UET Card is in-itialized with a signature and an authorization code it isready for normal use.[0054] When several credit card or service institutionshave activated a UET card, a display such as the displayin Fig. 12 will appear on the card. This allows user toselect any of the card type options for use. For example,the user can select by touching box next to the 'credit'on the screen, all the credit cards available. This isshown in Fig. 13. By touching the area for the AmericanExpress card on the touch-sensitive display, for exam-ple, the user can see a graphic image of the AmericanExpress Card with appropriate user commands asshown in Fig. 14. Through these user commands thecard holder can have access to the information relatedto account summary (AS), account payable (AP), week-ly (W), monthly (M), yearly (Y) details. The card holdercan also ask for help (H), security (S), last use (LU) cred-it limit (CL), balance (BL), and load PC (LP). Various oth-er utilities and command can be designed to suit cus-tomer and credit card company requirements.[0055] Figure 15 displays the status on the UET cardduring a sales transaction, when the UET card is con-nected through the CIU to a point of sales terminal. Theprogress of the dialing process to the main computer, inthe form of send/receive etc., is displayed accordingly.Once the point of sales terminal is connected to the maincomputer, the salesperson can input transactionamount for a credit check and authorization. After properverification at the main central computer, the authoriza-tion will appear on the display of the UET card and/orthe point of sales computer. The point of sales computerwill download and display the transaction details, asshown in Figure 16, and transmit the transaction infor-mation into the memory of the UET card , on which thetransaction information may be displayed for visual ver-ification by the customer. If necessary, such as in a res-taurant, the customer can add a gratuity at this stage byusing the 0 to 9 keys on the touch-screen display andappropriate commands. Thereafter, the POS salesper-son may request the customer to sign the bill on the dis-play in designated area. Once the card holder signs, thecustomer's original signature, which was stored in mem-ory when the UET card was activated, will appear on the

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display of the UET card and/or the display of the pointof sales computer for visual verification. This would es-sentially complete normal transaction, as shown in Fig-ure 17.[0056] A sample of typical commands for the UETcard is shown in Figure 18. Because of the software flex-ibility, a variety of commands can be developed tochanging customer needs. Each set of commands areassociated with the display on hand. The commands arerequired to guide UET Card user to process transactionsand help analyze transaction details, history, and pat-terns.[0057] Figure 19 shows a typical bank card throughwhich with appropriate interface the card holder can useATM and perform bank transactions directly with thebank computer with built in security. These transactionsmay include features such as, withdraw, deposit, writecheck (WRC), write periodic checks, pay home loans,utility bills, etc., or request monthly statement, accountsummary, etc. All of the information required for a check-ing account or ATM transaction is included in the ac-count information for the bank which has issued thebank card authorization to the UET card holder.[0058] Figure 20 shows a medical card where all themedical history is stored in electronic memories alongwith insurance information and photo identification, ifdesired. The photo can also be used on the UET cardwhen it functions as an ID card, as shown in Figure 21.Similarly, Figure 22 shows a UET card functioning as aphone card. Figure 23 shows a UET card functioning asa an airline travel card, and Figure 24 shows a UET cardfunctioning as a car rental card. For special cards, suchas those shown in Figures 22, 23, and 24, special inter-faces are required to handle protocols with pay phone,airline reservation systems, and car rental managementsystems. A diagram showing the relationships of thoseinterfaces is shown in Figure 25. These special interfac-es are CIU with special software programs to interactwith the existing systems, protocols and procedures.[0059] As shown in Figure 26, the UET Card has abil-ity to provide a complete alpha numeric keyboard on thetouch screen, which is similar to the keyboard of a per-sonal computer, and which can be used for utilitieswhich require typing for special notes, such as thosefeatures provided in present day electronic diaries.[0060] Figure 27 shows an example of some miscel-laneous features which may be included in the UETcard. Fig. 28 outlines a "to do" feature, as it might appearon the display of the UET card, and which may be writtenthrough the keyboard described in relation to Figure 26.An audible alarm/buzzer may be used in these applica-tions as a reminder.[0061] Figure 29 outlines an initialization process fora UET card. When the card is first purchased by a user,it will either have a default security code or no securitycodes, and it may be set by any user. To initialize theUET card, the user activates the power on/off switch 12,as shown in Figure 1. The image shown in Figure 10 will

then appear on the display of the UET card. The userwrites his or her signature on the display in the spaceindicated, and that signature is stored in semi-perma-nent memory. It is also possible to a provide special per-sonal identification number instead of a signature toidentify a valid customer. Next, the image shown in Fig-ure 11 will appear, requesting the user to input a securitycode. The user inputs a security code of up to 10 digits,for example (although the number of digits in the secu-rity code may vary, and is not limited to 10 digits). To doso, the user touches the numbers on the bottom of thedisplay in the desired sequence. The user may use the"clear" or "clear all" keys to erase numbers erroneouslyentered. When the user is satisfied with the securitycode, the user uses the "enter" key to input the securitycode into semi-permanent memory. Thereafter, the UETcard, or protected accounts and/or information in thecard, cannot be used until the security code is entered.As an additional means of security, the UET card issuermay require that each user who purchases or receivesa UET card register with a central security agency(which may be the UET card provider) to receive a per-sonal identification number, which is different from thesecurity code entered by the user in the UET card duringinitialization.[0062] In order to activate the UET card for a particularcredit card service or other service institution, the UETcard user must complete the normal qualification stepsrequired by the service institution. After the service in-stitution approves the user, it notifies the user, and theuser then connects the UET card to a CIU, which dialsthe number of a central computer which is enabled bythe service institution to transmit the authorization dataenabling the UET card to function as a "credit card" orother type of "card" for that institution. The service insti-tution may then identify the user, either through a PINcode given to the user by the service institution (suchas through the mail), or by other suitable means, suchas caller identification of the user's phone number. Oncethe service institution has identified the user, it transmitsto the UET card through the CIU the required informa-tion, such as the category of service institution, the dateof issuance, the date of expiration, the credit limit, thecard number, the name of the institution and/or an imageof the institution, which may either be a name or, option-ally, a graphic image of the service institution's logo. Theservice institution receives from the UET card, throughthe CIU, information concerning the user and the user'sUET card, such as the unique serial number of the UETcard, the UET user's electronic signature (stored in theUET card), and other relevant personal information ofthe user.[0063] When a user desires to use a UET card for atransaction, the following sequence takes place. First,the user turns on the power for the UET card. Optionally,a security sequence may then take place. In that event,the user must then enter a security code within a prede-termined amount of time, such as 10 seconds. If the user

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does not enter the correct security code within the pre-determined amount of time, the card may prompt him orher to try again. The UET card may be programmed topermit the user a predetermined number of attempts,such as three attempts. If the user cannot enter the cor-rect security code within the predetermined amount oftime and within the predetermined number of attempts,the card may deactivate itself, so that it can no longerbe used without re-authorization from the companywhich issued the UET card.[0064] When the user enters the proper security codewithin the predetermined amount of time, the displayshown in Figure 12 will appear. The user may then selectthe type of transaction from a menu which includeschoices such as credit card transactions, bank cardtransactions, retail credit transactions, medical or insur-ance transactions, personal identification, travel or tel-ephone, or other miscellaneous transactions.[0065] If the user selects a credit transaction, then animage such as that shown in Figure 13 will appear. Theuser can then select one of a number of credit cards,such as the American Express card, and an image suchas that shown on Figure 14 will appear. Optionally, a se-curity procedure may take place for the American Ex-press card, which the user can activate by touching theSEC icon on the touch screen. If the security option hasbeen preselected for the American Express card, thenthe American Express card may be used only if the prop-er security code is entered. Once the user has activatedthe American Express service on the UET card, the userthen provides the UET card displaying the American Ex-press image to a sales person. The sales person con-nects the UET card to the CIU, such as the CIU shownin Figure 5, which is connected to a point of sales ter-minal. To initiate that transaction, the sales person en-ters the appropriate command on the keyboard or key-pad on the CIU. The CIU receives the appropriate infor-mation from the UET card regarding the user's AmericanExpress account, such as the user's name, address, theUET serial number, the American Express accountnumber, account expiration date, and PIN number. TheCIU dials the telephone number of the American Ex-press credit service, and when the telephone call is con-nected, it sends the information received from the UETcard to the American Express credit service, plus infor-mation from the point of sales store, such as the retaileridentification number, the amount of the transaction, etc.During the transaction, the display on the UET card maydisplay the images shown in Figure 15.[0066] The American Express service then providesa credit check and, if appropriate, sends an authoriza-tion number to the CIU. At this juncture, the AmericanExpress service could, optionally, update the credit cardinformation in the UET card for additional, dynamic, se-curity. After the CIU receives the authorization number,the user is then required to authorize the transaction,which is displayed on the UET card, by either signingthe UET card, or on paper, or on some other device, and

the user has the option of entering an amount for a tipor gratuity, as shown in Figure 16. After the user signsfor the transaction, the signature that the user enteredupon initialization of the card appears, so that the user'ssignature may be checked. The user's signature mayappear on the display of the UET card, or on the CIU,or on the display of the point of sales computer, or onany combination thereof. If the sales person is satisfiedwith the signature comparison, the sales person com-pletes the transaction, and the CIU transmits completeddetails of the sales transaction to the point of sales com-puter, the UET card, and the American Express service.Those details include the date of the transaction, theamount, the name of the retail store or service (for theUET card and the American Express service records),the name of the customer (for the American Express andpoint of sales computers), etc.[0067] Figure 30 outlines a variety of interfaces whichmay be used in connection with the UET Card. This in-cludes interfaces for credit card companies, banks, de-partment stores, travel service companies, gasolinecompanies, health service providers, and miscellane-ous service providers, such as restaurants, etc.[0068] Figure 31 is a diagram of a health service pro-vider system which uses the UET card of the presentinvention, which includes patients who have UET cards.The patient's UET card includes, in memory, all or someof the patient's medical history, including allergies, po-tentially critical conditions, drug allergies, and the like.It also includes information concerning the patient's em-ployer and health care insurer or insurers, which mayinclude insurance companies or Medicare or Medicaidor other insurance organizations. The medical informa-tion also may include identifying information of the phy-sicians, hospitals, laboratories, and pharmacies whichhave provided health care services for the patient.[0069] When a patient visits a health care provider fortreatment, laboratory work, or to purchase drugs, theUET card may be used in a manner similar to that of acredit card transaction. The UET card is connected to aCIU, which is connected to a personal computer (or oth-er type of computer) used by the health care provider.In an emergency room setting, for example, the UETcard may be used to instantly provide all of the informa-tion that is usually obtained through interviewing a pa-tient or those who have brought the patient to the emer-gency room, thus providing instantaneous and accurateinformation in order to expedite the admittance andtreatment of the patient.[0070] At present significant health cost is attributedto paperwork. Through the use of the UET card as ahealth card, a substantial amount of such paperworkcan be eliminated and transactions with doctors, hospi-tals and insurance companies can be conducted simul-taneously in real time to resolve disputes and can berecorded electronically. It is this type of application ofthe UET Card which makes the concept of super infor-mation highways practical and profitable Unless these

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expensive paper transactions are eliminated, it will bedifficult to improve productivity and efficiency and re-duce management costs in all transactions, be it withbanks, hospitals or shops.

Claims

1. A universal electronic transaction card for storing,transmitting, and receiving information, includingpersonal information for a user of the universal elec-tronic transaction card, account information for ac-counts with service institutions in which the user hasan account, and transactional information for ac-counts with service institutions in which the user hasan account, for a plurality of service institutionscomprising

a. housing means (15) for housing inputtingmeans, memory means communicationsmeans, display means, and processing means,the housing means adapted to fit in a pocket orpurse;b. inputting means (10) for inputting informa-tion, including personal information for the user,account information for a plurality of service in-stitutions in which the user has an account, andtransactional information for each service insti-tution for which account information exists, intomemory means;c. memory means (34) for storing information,including personal information for the user, ac-count information for a plurality of service insti-tutions in which the user has an account, andtransactional information for each service insti-tution for which account information exists, thetransactional information including transactiondate and transaction amount;d. communications means for electronicallycommunicating information, including personalinformation, account information, and transac-tional information, with service institutions;e. display means (10) for displaying informationfor a plurality of service institution accounts, in-cluding personal information, account informa-tion, and transactional information, the displaymeans comprising a touch sensitive displaythat includes means for displaying a service in-stitution as a graphic image, and means for dis-playing bar codes for bar code reader applica-tions; andf. processing means for processing informa-tion, including personal information, account in-formation, and transactional information;g. means for providing and storing electric pow-er and for selectively providing power to thememory means, inputting means, displaymeans, processing means and communica-

tions means; and,h. security means for preventing unauthorizeduse of the universal electronic transaction cardand for preventing unauthorized access to theinformation stored in the memory means of theuniversal electronic transaction card.

2. The universal electronic transaction card of claim 1in which the touch-sensitive display (10) is providedwith multiple levels of menus, including at least onelevel enabling the user to select from groups of serv-ice institutions, and at least one other level enablingthe user to select a particular service institution.

3. The universal electronic transaction card of claim 2in which a graphic image of a service institution isdisplayed when the service institution is selected bya user, along with the user's name and accountnumber.

4. The universal electronic transaction card of claim 1in which the touch-sensitive display (10) further in-cludes means for displaying account information fora selected service institution on the touch sensitivedisplay.

5. The universal electronic transaction card of claim 1in which the touch-sensitive display (10) further in-cludes means which enable the user to input a se-curity code.

6. The universal electronic transaction card of any pre-ceding claim in which means are provided for input-ting the signature of the user into the memorymeans and for displaying the signature on the dis-play (10).

7. The universal electronic transaction card of any pre-ceding claim which is further provided with meansfor storing telephone numbers.

8. The universal electronic transaction card of any pre-ceding claim in which the inputting means compris-es an interface for receiving electronic informationcomprising at least one electrically conductive con-nector (13) for directly electrically connecting to atransactional communications system (21) to elec-tronically receive transactional information there-from.

9. The universal electronic transaction card of any pre-ceding claim further including a pointing device forinputting information.

10. The universal electronic transaction card of any pre-ceding claim in which the means for providing andstoring electric power includes first power means forproviding backup power to the memory means and

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second power means for selectively providing pow-er to the memory means, inputting means (10), dis-play means (10), processing means and communi-cations means (13).

11. . The universal electronic transaction card of anypreceding claim in which the means for providingand storing power further includes means for de-tecting inputting and processing activity and forturning off power to display means (10) andprocessing means upon detecting no inputting orprocessing activity for a predetermined time inter-val.

12. The universal electronic transaction card of any pre-ceding claim further including means for automati-cally cancelling at least one account in the eventthat a non-authorized user attempts to use the cardto conduct an unauthorized transaction with the us-er's account.

13. The universal electronic transaction card accordingto any preceding claim, wherein the user authorisa-tion comprises a signature.

14. The universal electronic transaction card accordingto any preceding claim, wherein the user authorisa-tion comprises an identification number.

15. The universal electronic transaction card accordingto any preceding claim, wherein the display meansfurther displays a replica of a card corresponding toa selected service institution.

16. A system including at least one communications in-terface unit and a universal electronic transactioncard according to any preceding claim.

17. The system of claim 16 in which the communica-tions interface unit (21) comprises a passive inter-face between the universal electronic transactioncard and a personal computer (24).

18. The system of claim 16 in which the communica-tions interface unit (21) comprises a passive inter-face with the universal electronic transactions cardand a modem.

19. The system of claim 18 in which the communica-tions interface unit (21) further comprises a passiveinterface with means for processing information,means for storing information, input means for en-tering information, and display means for displayinginformation.

20. An electronic transaction system comprising;

a. a plurality of universal electronic transaction

cards according to any of claims 1 to 15;b. a point of transactions system includingmeans for inputting and storing transactionalinformation; means for electronically communi-cating with the universal electronic transactioncard to receive account information; means forelectronically communicating the account infor-mation and transactional information to an in-stitutional system; and means for electronicallycommunicating transactional information to thepersonal electronic transaction card;c. an institutional system, including means forcreating account numbers; means for assign-ing and authorizing account numbers; meansfor electronically communicating an authorizedaccount number to a universal electronic trans-action card; means for receiving and storingpersonal information for each authorized ac-count number; means for communicating witha personal electronic transaction card to au-thorize account transactions, and means for re-ceiving and storing information relating to ac-count transactions; and,d. a communications system for providing com-munications between the universal electronictransaction card and point of transactions sys-tem and between the point of transactions sys-tem and the institutional system, including cardinterfacing means for interfacing between thetransactional provider system and the universalelectronic transaction card to exchange elec-tronic information; and communications meansfor communicating with the institutional system.

21. A health care management system comprising:

a. at least one universal electronic transactioncard according to any of claims 1 to 15, whereinpersonal information includes personal medicalhistory information;b. at least one central health care informationprocessing system, including means for creat-ing, assigning and storing patient and healthcare provider accounts; means for electronical-ly communicating account information to a uni-versal electronic transaction card; means forreceiving and storing personal information foreach authorized account number; means forcommunicating with a universal electronictransaction card to authorize account transac-tions, means for receiving and storing informa-tion relating to account transactions; andmeans for storing and communicating medicalhistories;c. at least one health care provider processingsystem, including means for electronically com-municating with the central health care informa-tion processing system; means for electronical-

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ly communicating with the universal electronictransaction card; and memory means for stor-ing patient information; and,d. at least one communications system for pro-viding communications between the universalelectronic transaction card, the central healthcare information processing system, and thehealth care provider processing system.

22. The health care management system of claim 21,further including card interfacing means for interfac-ing between the health care provider processingsystem and the central health care informationprocessing system.

23. A method of conducting an electronic credit trans-action using a service institution account compris-ing the steps of:

a. selecting from a universal electronic transac-tion card according to any of claims 1 to 15 aservice institution account from a group of serv-ice institution accounts;b. establishing an electronic communicationbetween the universal electronic transactioncard, a point of transaction system and a serv-ice institution system;c. transmitting from the universal electronictransactions card to the point of transactionsystem the account information for the selectedservice institution account;d. transmitting from the point transaction sys-tem to the service institution system transac-tional information for the credit transaction andthe service institution account;e. in the service institution system, screeningthe service account and transactional informa-tion to determine whether the account is validand whether the credit transaction is within pre-determined credit limits for that account;f for valid accounts and credit transactions with-in predetermined limits, transmitting an author-ization for the credit transaction to the point oftransaction system, storing the transactional in-formation for the credit transaction in the serv-ice institution system with respect to the serviceinstitution account, and transmitting the trans-actional information for the credit transaction tothe universal electronic transaction card andstoring the transactional information for thecredit transaction in the universal electronictransaction card with respect to the service in-stitution account.

24. A method of transferring account information andaccumulated transactional information for a plural-ity of credit transactions for a service institution ac-count from a universal electronic transaction card

according to any of claims 1 to 15 to a personal com-puter comprising:

a. establishing an electronic communicationbetween a personal computer and a universalelectronic transaction card;b. selecting at least one service institution ac-count;c. selecting from the at least one service insti-tution account credit transactions for such ac-count which were transacted in a predeter-mined period of time;d. transmitting from the universal electronictransaction card the selected credit transac-tions to storage means in a personal computer.

25. The method of claim 24 in which the selected credittransactions are thereafter displayed on the person-al computer (24) in the form of a monthly statement.

26. A method of using a universal electronic transactioncard according to any of claims 1 to 15 as a remoteterminal for a service institution system comprising:

a. selecting a previously authorized service in-stitution account from the universal electronictransaction card;b. establishing an electronic communicationbetween a personal computer (24) and theservice institution system for such service insti-tution account;c. transmitting to the service institution systemfrom the universal electronic transaction cardidentifying information for the user and for theservice institution account;d. comparing the identifying information withauthorization information in the service institu-tion account to determine if the identifying in-formation is valid;e. for valid identifying information, communicat-ing selected account and transaction informa-tion between the universal electronic transac-tion card and the service information system,responsive to commands communicated fromthe universal electronic transaction card to theservice information system.

27. The method of claim 26 in which the selected trans-actional information is thereafter displayed on theuniversal electronic transaction card in the form ofa monthly statement.

Patentansprüche

1. Universelle elektronische Transaktionskarte zumSpeichern, Übertragen und Empfangen von Infor-mationen, einschließlich persönlicher Informatio-

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nen für einen Benutzer der universellen elektroni-schen Transaktionskarte, Kontoinformationen fürKonten bei Dienstleistungsinstitutionen, bei denender Benutzer ein Konto hat, sowie Transaktionsin-formationen für Konten bei Dienstleistungsinstitu-tionen, bei welchen der Benutzer ein Konto hat, füreine Vielzahl von Dienstleistungsinstitutionen um-fassend:

a. Gehäusemittel (15) zum Einbau von Einga-bemitteln, Speichermitteln, Kommunikations-mitteln, Anzeigemitteln sowie Bearbeitungsmit-teln, wobei die Gehäusemittel so angepasstsind, dass sie in eine Hosentasche oder in einPortemonnaie passen;

b. Eingabemittel (10) zur Eingabe von Informa-tionen, einschließlich persönlicher Informatio-nen für den Benutzer, Kontoinformationen füreine Vielzahl von Dienstleistungsinstitutionen,bei welchen der Benutzer ein Konto hat, sowieTransaktionsinformationen für jede Dienstlei-stungsinstitution, für welche Kontoinformationexistiert, in Speichermittel;

c. Speichermittel (34) zum Abspeichern von In-formationen einschließlich persönlicher Infor-mation für den Benutzer, Kontoinformationenfür eine Vielzahl von Dienstleistungsinstitutio-nen, bei denen der Benutzer ein Konto hat, so-wie Transaktionsinformationen für jede Dienst-leistungsinstitution, für welche Kontoinformati-on existiert, wobei die Transaktionsinformationdas Transaktionsdatum und den Transaktions-betrag umfasst;

d. Kommunikationsmittel zum elektronischenKommunizieren von Informationen, ein-schließlich persönlicher Informationen, Kontoin-formationen sowie Transaktionsinformationenmit Dienstleistungsinstitutionen;

e. Anzeigemittel (10) zum Anzeigen von Infor-mationen für eine Vielzahl von Dienstleistungs-institutionskonten, einschließlich persönlicherInformationen, Kontoinformationen sowieTransaktionsinformationen, wobei die Anzei-gemittel eine berührempfindliche Anzeige um-fassen, welche Mittel zur Anzeige einer Dienst-leistungsinstitution als grafisches Bild sowieMittel zum Anzeigen von Strichcodes für Strich-codeleseranwendungen umfassen; und

f. Verarbeitungsmittel zur Verarbeitung von In-formationen, einschließlich persönlicher Infor-mationen, Kontoinformationen sowie Transak-tionsinformationen;

g. Mittel zur Versorgung mit und Speicherungvon elektrischem Strom und zur selektiven Be-reitstellung von Strom für die Speichermittel,Eingabemittel, Anzeigemittel, Verarbeitungs-mittel sowie Kommunikationsmittel; und

h. Sicherheitsmittel zur Verhinderung von un-befugter Benutzung der universellen elektroni-schen Transaktionskarte und zur Verhinderungvon unbefugtem Zugang zu der in den Spei-chermitteln der universellen elektronischenTransaktionskarte abgespeicherten Informa-tionen.

2. Die universelle elektronische Transaktionskarteaus Anspruch 1, bei welcher die berührungsemp-findliche Anzeige (10) mit vierfachen Menü-Ebenenversehen ist, einschließlich mindestens einer Ebe-ne, welche den Benutzer in die Lage versetzt, ausGruppen von Dienstleistungsinstitutionen auszu-wählen sowie mindestens einer weiteren Ebene,welche den Benutzer in die Lage versetzt, eine be-stimmte Dienstleistungsinstitution auszuwählen.

3. Die universelle elektronische Transaktionskarte ge-mäß Anspruch 2, bei welcher ein grafisches Bild ei-ner Dienstleistungsinstitution zusammen mit demNamen und der Kontonummer des Benutzers an-gezeigt wird, wenn die Dienstleistungsinstitutionvon dem Benutzer ausgewählt wird.

4. Die universelle elektronische Transaktionskarte ge-mäß Anspruch 1, bei welcher die berührungsemp-findliche Anzeige (10) ferner Mittel zur Anzeige vonKontoinformationen für eine ausgewählte Dienstlei-stungsinstitution auf der berührungsempfindlichenAnzeige beinhaltet.

5. Die universelle elektronische Transaktionskarte ge-mäß Anspruch 1, bei welcher die berührungsemp-findliche Anzeige (10) ferner Mittel beinhaltet, wel-che den Benutzer in die Lage versetzt, einen Si-cherheitscode einzugeben.

6. Die universelle elektronische Transaktionskarte ge-mäß einem der vorhergehenden Ansprüche, beiwelcher Mittel zur Eingabe der Unterschrift des Be-nutzers in die Speichermittel sowie zur Anzeige derUnterschrift auf der Anzeige (10) vorgesehen sind.

7. Die universelle elektronische Transaktionskarteaus einem der vorhergehenden Ansprüche, welcheferner mit Mitteln zum Abspeichern von Telefon-nummern versehen ist.

8. Die universelle elektronische Transaktionskarte ge-mäß einem der vorhergehenden Ansprüche, beiwelcher die Eingabemittel eine Schnittstelle zum

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Empfang von elektronischer Information umfassen,wobei die Schnittstelle mindestens einen elektrischleitenden Stecker (13) zum elektrischen Verbindenmit einem Transaktionskommunikationssystem(21) umfasst, um auf elektronischem Wege Trans-aktionsinformationen davon zu empfangen.

9. Die universelle elektronische Transaktionskarte ge-mäß einem der vorhergehenden Ansprüche, wel-che ferner eine Zeigevorrichtung zur Eingabe vonInformationen beinhaltet.

10. Die universelle elektronische Transaktionskarte ge-mäß einem der vorhergehenden Ansprüche, beiwelcher die Mittel zur Bereitstellung und Speiche-rung von elektrischem Strom erste Stromversor-gungsmittel zur Bereitstellung von Reservestromfür die Speichermittel und zweite Stromversor-gungsmittel zur selektiven Bereitstellung von Stroman die Speichermittel, Eingabemittel (10), Anzeige-mittel (10), Verarbeitungsmittel sowie Kommunika-tionsmittel (13) beinhalten.

11. Die universelle elektronische Transaktionskarte ge-mäß einem der vorhergehenden Ansprüche, beiwelcher die Mittel zur Bereitstellung und Speiche-rung von Energie ferner Mittel zur Erkennung vonEingabe- und Verarbeitungsvorgängen und zumAbschalten der elektrischen Versorgung der Anzei-gemittel (10) und Verarbeitungsmittel umfassen,nachdem keine Eingabe- oder Verarbeitungsvor-gänge während eines vorbestimmten Zeitintervallserkannt wurden.

12. Die universelle elektronische Transaktionskarte ge-mäß einem der vorhergehenden Ansprüche, wel-che außerdem Mittel umfasst zum automatischenLöschen wenigstens eines Kontos in dem Fall, dassein unbefugter Benutzer versucht, die Karte zurDurchführung einer unbefugten Transaktion mitdem Konto des Benutzers zu verwenden.

13. Die universelle elektronische Transaktionskarte ge-mäß einem der vorhergehenden Ansprüche, beiwelcher die Benutzerautorisierung eine Unterschriftumfasst.

14. Die universelle elektronische Transaktionskarte ge-mäß einem der vorhergehenden Ansprüche, beiwelcher die Benutzerautorisierung eine Kennzahlbeinhaltet.

15. Die universelle elektronische Transaktionskarte ge-mäß einem der vorhergehenden Ansprüche, bei derdie Anzeigemittel zusätzlich eine Replik einer zu ei-ner ausgewählten Dienstleistungsinstitution gehö-renden Karte anzeigen.

16. Ein System umfassend mindestens eine Kommuni-kationsschnittstelleneinheit und eine universelleelektronische Transaktionskarte gemäß einem dervorhergehenden Ansprüche.

17. Das System aus Anspruch 16, bei welchem dieKommunikationsschnittstelleneinheit (21) eine pas-sive Schnittstelle zwischen der universellen elektro-nischen Transaktionskarte und einem PC (24) um-fasst.

18. Das System aus Anspruch 16, bei welchem dieKommunikationsschnittstelleneinheit (21) eine pas-sive Schnittstelle mit der universellen elektroni-schen Transaktionskarte und einem Modem um-fasst.

19. Das System aus Anspruch 18, bei welchem dieKommunikationsschnittstelleneinheit (21) außer-dem eine passive Schnittstelle mit Mitteln zur Ver-arbeitung von Informationen, Mitteln zum Abspei-chern von Informationen, Eingabemitteln zur Einga-be von Informationen sowie Anzeigemittel zum An-zeigen von Informationen umfasst.

20. Ein elektronisches Transaktionssystem umfas-send;

a. eine Vielzahl von universellen elektroni-schen Transaktionskarten gemäß einem derAnsprüche 1 - 15;

b. ein System von Transaktionspunkten, wel-ches Mittel zum Eingeben und Abspeichernvon Transaktionsinformationen; Mittel zur elek-tronischen Kommunikation mit der universellenelektronischen Transaktionskarte zum Emp-fang von Kontoinformationen; Mittel zur elek-tronischen Kommunikation der Kontoinformati-on und Transaktionsinformation an ein institu-tionales System; sowie Mittel zur elektroni-schen Kommunikation von Transaktionsinfor-mationen an die persönliche elektronischeTransaktionskarte beinhaltet;

c. ein institutionales System umfassend Mittelzum Anlegen von Kontonummern; Mittel zumZuweisen und Autorisieren von Kontonum-mern, Mittel zum elektronischen Kommunizie-ren einer autorisierten Kontonummer an eineuniverselle elektronische Transaktionskarte;Mittel zum Empfangen und Abspeichern per-sönlicher Information für jede autorisierte Kon-tonummer; Mittel zur Kommunikation mit einerpersönlichen elektronischen Transaktionskar-te, um Kontotransaktionen zu autorisieren so-wie Mittel zum Empfangen und Abspeichernvon kontotransaktionsbezogener Information;

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und

d. ein Kommunikationssystem zur Bereitstel-lung von Kommunikation zwischen der univer-sellen elektronischen Transaktionskarte unddem Transaktionspunktesystem sowie zwi-schen dem Transaktionspunktesystem unddem institutionalen System, umfassend Kar-tenschnittstellenmittel zur Bildung einerSchnittstelle zwischen dem Transaktionsprovi-dersystem und der universellen elektronischenTransaktionskarte, um elektronische Datenauszutauschen; und Kommunikationsmittel fürdie Kommunikation mit dem institutionalen Sy-stem.

21. Gesundheitsversorgungsverwaltungssystem umfas-send:

a. mindestens eine universelle elektronischeTransaktionskarte gemäß einem der Ansprü-che 1 - 15, bei welcher die persönliche Informa-tion persönliche Anamnesedaten beinhaltet;

b. mindestens ein zentrales Gesundheits-versorgungsdatenverarbeitungssystem, um-fassend Mittel zum Anlegen, Zuweisen und Ab-speichern von Patienten- und Gesundheitsver-sorgungsanbieterkonten; Mittel zur elektroni-schen Übertragung von Kontoinformationen aneine universelle elektronische Transaktions-karte; Mittel zum Empfangen und Abspeichernpersönlicher Daten für jede autorisierte Konto-nummer; Mittel zur Kommunikation mit eineruniversellen elektronischen Transaktionskarte,um Kontotransaktionen zu autorisieren, Mittelzum Empfangen und Abspeichern von konto-transaktionsbezogenen Daten; und Mittel zumAbspeichern und Übertragen von Anamnesen;

c. mindestens ein Gesundheitsversorgungsan-bieterverarbeitungssystem, umfassend Mittelzur elektronischen Kommunikation mit demzentralen Gesundheitsversorgungsinformati-onsverarbeitungssystem; Mittel zum elektroni-schen Kommunizieren mit der universellenelektronischen Transaktionskarte; und Spei-chermittel zum Abspeichern von Patientenda-ten; und

d. mindestens ein Kommunikationssystem zurBereitstellung von Kommunikation zwischender universellen elektronischen Transaktions-karte, dem zentralen Gesundheitsversor-gungsinformationsverarbeitungssystem unddem Gesundheitsversorgungsanbieterverar-beitungssystem.

22. Das Gesundheitsversorgungsverwaltungssystemgemäß Anspruch 21, welches darüber hinaus Mittelzur Bildung einer Kartenschnittstelle beinhaltet zurBildung einer Schnittstelle zwischen demGesundheitsversorgungsanbieterverarbeitungssy-stem und dem zentralen Gesundheitsversorgungs-informationsverarbeitungssystem.

23. Verfahren zur Durchführung einer elektronischenKredittransaktion unter Inanspruchnahme einesDienstleistungsinstitutionskontos, umfassend dieSchritte:

a. Auswählen eines Dienstleistungsinstituti-onskontos aus einer Gruppe von Dienstlei-stungsinstitutionskonten von einer universellenelektronischen Transaktionskarte gemäß einerder Ansprüche 1 - 15;

b. Aufbau einer elektronischen Kommunikationzwischen der universellen elektronischenTransaktionskarte, einem Transaktionspunkte-system und einem Dienstleistungsinstitutions-system;

c. Übertragung der Kontendaten für die ausge-wählten Dienstleistungsinstitutionskonten vonder universellen elektronischen Transaktions-karte an das Transaktionspunktesystem;

d. Übertragen von Transaktionsdaten für dieKredittransaktion und das Dienstleistungsinsti-tutionskonto von dem Transaktionspunktesy-stem an das Dienstleistungsinstitutionssystem;

e. Durchsuchen des Dienstleistungskontos undder Transaktionsdaten in dem Dienstleistungs-institutionssystem, um festzustellen, ob dasKonto gültig ist und ob die Kredittransaktion in-nerhalb der vorgegebenen Kreditgrenzen fürdieses Konto befindlich ist;

f. im Falle von gültigen Konten und Kredittrans-aktionen innerhalb vorgegebener Grenzen,Übermitteln einer Autorisierung für die Kredit-transaktion an das Transaktionspunktesystem,Abspeichern der Transaktionsdaten für dieKredittransaktion in dem Dienstleistungsinsti-tutionssystem in Bezug auf das Dienstlei-stungsinstitutionskonto sowie Übermitteln derTransaktionsdaten für die Kredittransaktion andie universelle elektronische Transaktionskar-te und Abspeichern der Transaktionsdaten fürdie Kredittransaktion auf der universellen elek-tronischen Transaktionskarte in Bezug auf dasDienstleistungsinstitutionskonto.

24. Verfahren zum Übertragen von Kontodaten und ak-

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kumulierten Transaktionsdaten für eine Vielzahlvon Kredittransaktionen für ein Dienstleistungsin-stitutionskonto von einer universellen elektroni-schen Transaktionskarte gemäß einem der Ansprü-che 1 - 15 zu einem PC umfassend:

a. Aufbau einer elektronischen Kommunikationzwischen einem PC und einer universellenelektronischen Transaktionskarte;

b. Auswählen mindestens eines Dienstlei-stungsinstitutionskontos;

c. Auswählen aus dem mindestens einenDienstleistungsinstitutionskonto von Kredit-transaktionen für solche Konten, welche in ei-nem vorgegebenen Zeitintervall umgesetztwurden;

d. Übertragen der ausgewählten Kredittransak-tionen von der universellen elektronischenTransaktionskarte zu Speichermitteln in einemPC.

25. Das Verfahren gemäß Anspruch 24, bei dem dieausgewählten Kredittransaktionen anschließendauf einem PC (24) in Form eines monatlichen Kon-toauszugs angezeigt werden.

26. Verfahren zur Verwendung einer universellen elek-tronischen Transaktionskarte gemäß einem der An-sprüche 1 -15 als Fernterminal für ein Dienstlei-stungsinstitutionssystem umfassend :

a. Auswählen eines vorher autorisiertenDienstleistungsinstitutionskontos von der uni-versellen elektronischen Transaktionskarte;

b. Aufbau einer elektronischen Kommunikationzwischen einem PC (24) und dem Dienstlei-stungsinstitutionssystem für ein solchesDienstleistungsinstitutionskonto;

c. Übertragen von Identifikationsdaten für denBenutzer und für das Dienstleistungsinstituti-onskonto an das Dienstleistungsinstitutionssy-stem von der universellen elektronischenTransaktionskarte;

d. Vergleichen der Identifikationsdaten mit Au-torisierungsdaten in dem Dienstleistungsinsti-tutionskonto, um festzustellen, ob die Identifi-kationsdaten gültig sind;

e. für gültige Identifikationsdaten, kommunizie-ren ausgewählter Kontound Transaktionsdatenzwischen der universellen elektronischenTransaktionskarte und dem Dienstleistungsin-

formationssystem, wobei das Dienstieistungs-informationssystem auf Befehle reagiert, wel-che von der universellen elektronischen Trans-aktionskarte an das Dienstleistungsinformati-onssystem übertragen werden.

27. Das Verfahren gemäß Anspruch 26, in welchem dieausgewählten Transaktionsdaten anschließend aufder universellen elektronischen Transaktionskartein Form eines monatlichen Kontoauszugs ange-zeigt werden.

Revendications

1. Carte électronique universelle de transaction pourmémoriser, émettre et recevoir des informations, in-cluant des informations personnelles pour un utili-sateur de la carte de transaction électronique uni-verselle, des informations de compte pour descomptes auprès d'institutions de services dans les-quelles l'utilisateur a un compte, et des informationsde transaction pour des comptes auprès d'institu-tions de services dans lesquelles l'utilisateur a uncompte, pour une pluralité d'institutions de servicescomportant

a. des moyens (15) de logement pour loger desmoyens d'entrée, des moyens de mémoire, desmoyens de communication, des moyens d'affi-chage et des moyens de traitement, lesmoyens de logement étant conçus pour s'adap-ter dans une poche ou un porte-monnaie ;b. des moyens (10) d'entrée pour entrer des in-formations, incluant des informations person-nelles pour l'utilisateur, des informations decompte pour une pluralité d'institutions de ser-vices auprès desquelles l'utilisateur a un comp-te, et des informations de transaction pour cha-que institution de services pour lesquelles desinformations de compte existent, dans desmoyens de mémoire ;c. des moyens (34) de mémoire pour mémori-ser des informations, comportant des informa-tions personnelles pour l'utilisateur, des infor-mations de compte pour une pluralité d'institu-tions de services auprès desquelles l'utilisateura un compte, et des informations de transactionpour chaque institution de services pour les-quelles des informations de compte existent,les informations de transaction comportant ladate de transaction et le montant de latransaction ;d. des moyens de communication pour commu-niquer de manière électronique des informa-tions, comportant des informations personnel-les, des informations de compte et des informa-tions de transaction avec des institutions de

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services ;e. des moyens (10) d'affichage pour afficherdes informations pour une pluralité de comptesd'institution de service, en incluant des informa-tions personnelles, des informations de compteet des informations de transaction, les moyensd'affichage comportant un dispositif d'affichagesensible au toucher ou tactile qui comporte desmoyens pour afficher une institution de servi-ces en tant qu'une image graphique, et desmoyens pour afficher des codes barres pour lesapplications de lecteur de codes barres ; etf. des moyens de traitement pour traiter des in-formations, incluant des informations person-nelles, des informations de compte et des in-formations de transaction ;g. des moyens pour fournir et stocker de la puis-sance électrique et pour fournir de manière sé-lective de la puissance aux moyens de mémoi-re, aux moyens d'entrée, aux moyens d'afficha-ge, aux moyens de traitement et aux moyensde communication ; eth. des moyens de sécurisation pour empêcherune utilisation non autorisée de la carte de tran-saction électronique universelle et pour empê-cher un accès non autorisé aux informationsmémorisées dans les moyens de mémoire dela carte de transaction électronique universelle.

2. Carte de transaction électronique universelle sui-vant la revendication 1, dans laquelle le dispositif(10) d'affichage sensible au toucher est muni de ni-veaux multiples de menus, incluant au moins un ni-veau permettant à l'utilisateur de sélectionner parmides groupes d'institutions de services, et au moinsun autre niveau permettant à l'utilisateur de sélec-tionner une institution de services particulière.

3. Carte de transaction électronique universelle sui-vant la revendication 2, dans laquelle une imagegraphique d'une institution de services est affichéelorsque l'institution de services est sélectionnée parun utilisateur, en même temps que le nom de l'utili-sateur et son numéro de compte.

4. Carte de transaction électronique universelle sui-vant la revendication 1, dans laquelle le dispositif(10) d'affichage sensible au toucher comporte, enoutre, des moyens destinés à afficher des informa-tions de compte pour une institution de services sé-lectionnée sur le dispositif d'affichage sensible autoucher.

5. Carte de transaction électronique universelle sui-vant la revendication 1, dans laquelle le dispositif(10) d'affichage tactile ou sensible au toucher com-porte, en outre, des moyens qui permettent à l'utili-sateur d'entrer un code de sécurité.

6. Carte de transaction électronique universelle sui-vant l'une quelconque des revendications précé-dentes, dans laquelle des moyens sont prévus pourentrer la signature de l'utilisateur dans le moyen demémoire et pour afficher la signature sur le dispo-sitif (10) d'affichage.

7. Carte de transaction électronique universelle sui-vant l'une quelconque des revendications précé-dentes qui est, en outre, munie de moyens pour mé-moriser des numéros téléphoniques.

8. Carte de transaction électronique universelle sui-vant l'une quelconque des revendications précé-dentes, dans laquelle les moyens d'entrée compor-tent un interface pour recevoir des informationsélectroniques comportant au moins un connecteur(13) conducteur d'électricité pour une connexionélectrique directe à un système (21) de communi-cations de transaction pour en recevoir de manièreélectronique des informations de transaction.

9. Carte de transaction électronique universelle sui-vant l'une quelconque des revendications précé-dentes,' comportant, en outre, un dispositif de poin-tage pour entrer des informations.

10. Carte de transaction électronique universelle sui-vant l'une quelconque des revendications précé-dentes, dans laquelle les moyens pour fournir etstocker de la puissance électrique comportent despremiers moyens de puissance pour fournir unepuissance de secours aux moyens de mémoire etdes seconds moyens de puissance pour fournir demanière sélective de la puissance aux moyens demémoire, aux moyens (10) d'entrée, aux moyens(10) d'affichage, aux moyens de traitement et auxmoyens (13) de communication.

11. Carte de transaction électronique universelle sui-vant l'une quelconque des revendications précé-dentes, dans laquelle les moyens pour fournir etstocker de la puissance comportent, en outre, desmoyens pour détecter une activité d'entrée et detraitement et pour couper le courant ou la puissancevers les moyens (10) d'affichage et les moyens detraitement lorsque l'on ne détecte aucune activitéd'entrée ou de traitement pendant un intervalle detemps déterminé à l'avance.

12. Carte de transaction électronique universelle sui-vant l'une quelconque des revendications précé-dentes, comportant, en outre, des moyens pour an-nuler de manière automatique au moins un compteau cas où un utilisateur non autorisé tente d'utiliserla carte pour effectuer une transaction non autori-sée avec le compte de l'utilisateur.

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13. Carte de transaction électronique universelle sui-vant l'une quelconque des revendications précé-dentes, dans laquelle l'autorisation de l'utilisateurcomporte une signature.

14. Carte de transaction électronique universelle sui-vant l'une quelconque des revendications précé-dentes, dans laquelle l'autorisation de l'utilisateurcomporte un numéro d'identification.

15. Carte de transaction électronique universelle sui-vant l'une quelconque des revendications précé-dentes, dans laquelle les moyens d'affichage affi-chent, en outre, une réplication d'une carte corres-pondant à une institution de services sélectionnée.

16. Système comportant au moins une unité d'interfacede communication et une carte de transaction élec-tronique universelle suivant l'une quelconque desrevendications précédentes.

17. Système suivant la revendication 16, dans lequell'unité (21) d'interface de communications compor-te un interface passif entre la carte de transactionélectronique universelle et un ordinateur (24) per-sonnel.

18. Système suivant la revendication 16, dans lequell'unité (21) d'interface de communications compor-te un interface passif avec la carte de transactionélectronique universelle et un modem.

19. Système suivant la revendication 18, dans lequell'unité (21) d'interface de communications compor-te, en outre, un interface passif avec des moyenspour le traitement d'informations, des moyens des-tinés à mémoriser des informations, des moyensd'entrée pour introduire des informations et desmoyens d'affichage pour afficher des informations.

20. Système de transaction électronique comportant :

a. une pluralité de cartes de transaction élec-tronique universelle suivant l'une quelconquedes revendications 1 à 15;b. un point de système de transactions compor-tant des moyens pour introduire et mémoriserdes informations de transaction ; des moyenspour communiquer électroniquement avec lacarte de transaction électronique universellepour recevoir des informations de compte ; desmoyens pour communiquer de manière élec-tronique les informations de compte et les in-formations de transaction à un systèmed'institution ; et des moyens pour communiquerde manière électronique des informations detransaction vers la carte de transaction électro-nique personnelle ;

c. un système d'institution, comportant desmoyens pour créer des numéros de comptes ;des moyens pour affecter et autoriser des nu-méros de comptes ; des moyens pour commu-niquer électroniquement un numéro de compteautorisé à une carte de transaction électroni-que universelle ; des moyens pour recevoir etmémoriser des informations personnelles pourchaque numéro de compte autorisé ; desmoyens pour communiquer avec une carte detransaction électronique personnelle pourautoriser des transactions de comptes, et desmoyens pour recevoir et mémoriser des infor-mations se rapportant à des transactions decomptes ; etd. un système de communications pour fournirdes communications entre la carte de transac-tion électronique universelle et un point du sys-tème de transactions et entre le point du systè-me de transactions et le système institutionnel,comportant des moyens d'interface de cartepour effectuer un interface entre le systèmefournisseur de transaction et la carte de tran-saction électronique universelle pour échangerdes informations électroniques ; et des moyensde communications pour communiquer avec lesystème institutionnel.

21. Système de gestion des soins de santécomportant :

a. au moins une carte de transaction électroni-que universelle suivant l'une quelconque desrevendications 1 à 15, dans laquelle des infor-mations personnelles comportent des informa-tions historiques médicales personnelles ;b. au moins un système de traitement d'infor-mations de soins de santé central, comportantdes moyens pour créer, affecter et mémoriserun patient et des comptes de fournisseurs desoins de santé ; des moyens pour communi-quer électroniquement des informations decompte à une carte de transaction électroniqueuniverselle ; des moyens pour recevoir et mé-moriser des informations personnelles pourchaque numéro de compte autorisé ; desmoyens pour communiquer avec une carte detransaction électronique universelle pour auto-riser des transactions de compte, des moyenspour recevoir et mémoriser des informations serapportant à des transactions de comptes ; etdes moyens pour mémoriser et communiquerdes historiques médicaux ;c. au moins un système de traitement de four-nisseurs de soins de santé, comportant desmoyens pour communiquer électroniquementavec le système de traitement de l'informationde soin de santé central ; des moyens pour

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communiquer électroniquement avec la cartede transaction électronique universelle ; et desmoyens de mémorisation pour mémoriser desinformations de patient ; etd. au moins un système de communicationpour fournir des communications entre la cartede transaction électronique universelle, le sys-tème de traitement de l'information de soins desanté central et le système de traitement defournisseurs de soins de santé.

22. Système de gestion de soins de santé suivant larevendication 21, comportant, en outre, desmoyens d'interface de carte pour effectuer un inter-face entre le système de traitement de fournisseursde soins de santé et le système de traitement del'information de soins de santé central.

23. Procédé pour effectuer une transaction de créditélectronique en utilisant un compte d'institution deservices, comportant les étapes qui consistent à :

a. sélectionner d'une carte de transaction élec-tronique universelle suivant l'une quelconquedes revendications 1 à 15 un compte d'institu-tion de services parmi un groupe de comptesd'institutions de services ;b. établir une communication électronique en-tre la carte de transaction électronique univer-selle, un point du système de transaction et unsystème d'institution de services ;c. émettre à partir de la carte de transactionélectronique universelle vers le point du systè-me de transaction l'information de compte pourle compte d'institution de services sélectionné ;d. émettre à partir du point du système de tran-saction vers le système d'institution de servicedes informations de transaction pour la tran-saction de crédit et le compte d'institution deservice ;e. dans le système d'institution de service, re-chercher dans le compte de service et l'infor-mation de transaction pour déterminer si lecompte est valable et si la transaction de créditse trouve à l'intérieur de limites de crédit déter-minées à l'avance pour ce compte ;f. pour des comptes et des transactions de cré-dit valables à l'intérieur de limites déterminéesà l'avance, émettre une autorisation pour latransaction de crédit vers le point du systèmede transaction, mémoriser l'information de tran-saction pour la transaction de crédit dans lesystème d'institution de services en ce qui con-cerne le compte d'institution de services, etémettre l'information de transaction pour latransaction de crédit vers la carte de transac-tion électronique universelle et mémoriser l'in-formation de transaction pour la transaction de

crédit dans la carte de transaction électroniqueuniverselle en ce qui concerne le compte d'ins-titution de services.

24. Procédé pour transférer des informations de comp-tes et des informations de transactions cumuléespour une pluralité de transactions de crédit pour uncompte d'institution de service à partir d'une cartede transaction électronique universelle suivantl'une quelconque des revendications 1 à 15 vers unordinateur personnel, comportant :

a. l'établissement d'une communication élec-tronique entre un ordinateur personnel et unecarte de transaction électronique universelle ;b. la sélection d'au moins un compte d'institu-tion de service ;c. la sélection à partir du au moins un compted'institution de services des transactions decrédit pour un compte de ce genre qui ont étéeffectuées pendant une durée déterminée àl'avance ;d. l'émission à partir de la carte de transactionélectronique universelle des transactions decrédit sélectionnées vers des moyens de mé-morisation dans un ordinateur personnel.

25. Procédé suivant la revendication 24, dans lequelles transactions de crédit sélectionnées sont ensui-te affichées sur l'ordinateur (24) personnel sous laforme d'un relevé mensuel.

26. Procédé d'utilisation d'une carte de transactionélectronique universelle suivant l'une quelconquedes revendications 1 à 15 en tant que terminal àdistance pour un système d'institution de services,comportant :

a. la sélection d'un compte d'institution de ser-vices précédemment autorisé à partir de la car-te de transaction électronique universelle ;b. l'établissement d'une communication élec-tronique entre un ordinateur (24) personnel etle système d'institution de services pour uncompte d'institution de services de ce genre ;c. l'émission vers le système d'institution deservices à partir de la carte de transaction élec-tronique universelle d'informations d'identifica-tion pour l'utilisateur et pour le compte d'insti-tution de service ;d. la comparaison de l'information d'identifica-tion avec des informations d'autorisation dansle compte d'institution de service pour détermi-ner si l'information d'identification est valable ;e. pour des informations d'identification vala-bles, la communication du compte sélectionnéet des informations de transaction sélection-nées entre la carte de transaction électronique

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universelle et le système d'information de ser-vice, en réponse à des instructions communi-quées à partir de la carte de transaction élec-tronique universelle vers le système d'informa-tion de service.

27. Procédé suivant la revendication 26, dans lequell'information de transaction sélectionnée est ensui-te affichée sur la carte de transaction électroniqueuniverselle sous la forme d'un relevé mensuel.

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