Apparatus for processing symbol-encoded credit card information

Claim 1

A system for verifying the authenticity of a manual signature presented by a bearer of an identification card, wherein said identification card comprises a two-dimensional bar code symbol encoded with a bit-mapped representation of an authorized signature, said system comprising: bar code reading means for optically scanning said two-dimensional bar code symbol and for decoding said scanned symbol to produce a first digital data signal representative of said authorized signature; computer input means accessible to said identification card bearer, said computer input means comprising electronic pen data entry means for allowing said identification card bearer to provide a manual bearer signature at the time said identification card is presented and for providing a second digital data signal representative of said manual bearer signature; a display for displaying said authorized signature from said first digital data signal and for displaying said manual bearer signature from said second digital data signal; and a comparator for comparing said first digital data signal with said second digital data signal and for providing an indication when said signals are equivalent to each other.

Claim 2

A system for verifying the authenticity of a manual signature presented by a bearer of an identification card, wherein said identification card comprises a two-dimensional bar code symbol encoded with a bit-mapped representation of an authorized signature, said system comprising: bar code reading means for optically scanning said two-dimensional bar code symbol and for decoding said scanned symbol to produce a first digital data signal representative of said authorized signature; computer input means accessible to said identification card bearer, said computer input means comprising electronic pen data entry means for allowing said identification card bearer to provide a manual bearer signature at the time said identification card is presented and for providing a second digital data signal representative of said manual bearer signature; a display for displaying said authorized signature from said first digital data signal and for displaying said manual bearer signature from said second digital data signal; and a comparator for comparing said first digital data signal with said second digital data signal and for providing an indication when said signals are equivalent to each other.