GB2427734A

GB2427734A - A verification arrangement

Info

Publication number: GB2427734A
Application number: GB0607286A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Dennis Mervyn Coombe
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2006-04-11
Filing date: 2006-04-11
Publication date: 2007-01-03
Also published as: GB0607286D0

Abstract

A verification arrangement (1) for verifying that the authorisation of payment of goods or services should be allowed to occur. The verification arrangement (1) comprising a ring (4) which carries a microchip (6) which is configured to transmit a first set of information to a terminal (2). A payment card (7) carries a second microchip (8) which is configured to transmit a second set of information to the terminal (2). The terminal (2) compares a portion of the first set of information with a portion of the second set of information and verifies that the user should be allowed to use the payment card (7) if the portion of the first information matches the portion of the second information.

Description

A VERIFICATION ARRANGEMENT

DescriDtion of Invention THE PRESENT INVENTION relates to a verification arrangement, and more particularly relates to a verification arrangement for verifying that a user is authorised to use a payment card for the payment of goods or services.

Card fraud is a growing problem throughout the world as cards are increasingly used instead of cash to pay for goods or services. The owner of a payment card typically stores the card in a wallet or purse which is carried in a pocket or bag. This method of carrying a card creates a problem as it may be stolen without the owner realising. The stolen card can then be used by a thief to purchase goods in a shop by pretending to be the owner of the card.

A recent development in payment card technology has seen the introduction of chip-and-pin cards to try to minimise fraud when a card is stolen. There is, however, still a problem with chip-and-pin cards as it is often easy for a thief to watch a user entering the PIN for the card and then for the thief to steal the card and use the card with the PIN.

Another problem associated with a conventional payment card is that the card may be cloned by a fraudster posing as a trader. Once a card has been cloned it can be a significant length of time before the owner of the card realises what has happened. For instance, the owner may only realise that the card has been cloned when the owner receives a statement detailing usage of the card. The fraudster can thus make a substantial number of purchases using the cloned card before the fraud is detected by the owner of the card.

Banks and card companies go to significant lengths to try to monitor the usage of cards and to alert a card owner when the bank believes that the card has been used fraudulently. The banks and card companies are, however, not always able to detect fraud quickly and a stolen or cloned card may be used many times before use of the card is blocked by a bank or card company.

The present invention seeks to provide an improved verification arrangement.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a verification arrangement comprises a wearable article to be worn by a user, the wearable article being provided with a first set of machine readable information; a portable article to be carried by the user, the portable article being provided with a second set of machine readable information; and a terminal configured to read the first set of information from the wearable article, to read the second set of information from the portable article and to process the first and second sets of information to verify that the user is authorised to use the portable article.

Preferably the wearable article is a ring to be worn on a finger or thumb of the user.

Conveniently the portable article is a payment card.

Advantageously the wearable article incorporates a first microchip with the first set of information being stored in the first microchip.

In one embodiment the terminal and the first microchip each incorporate electrical contacts which are configured to be connected to one another to form a direct electrical connection between the terminal and the first microchip, the terminal being configured to read the first set of information from the first microchip when the direct electric connection is formed between the terminal and the first microchip.

In another embodiment the first microchip incorporates a transponder and the terminal incorporates a transceiver, the terminal being configured to transmit a request signal to the transponder of first microchip and the transponder being configured to transmit the first set of information to the transceiver of the terminal in response to receipt of the request signal.

In a further embodiment the terminal is configured to transmit an energising signal to the first microchip, and the first microchip is configured to receive the energising signal and to convert the energising signal into an electrical current to power the first microchip so that the microchip can transmit the first set of information to the terminal.

Preferably the energising signal is the request signal which is transmitted by the terminal.

In one em bodiment the wearable article incorporates a power source.

Preferably the portable article incorporates a second microchip with the second set of information being stored in the second microchip.

In one embodiment the terminal and the second microchip each incorporate electrical contacts which are configured to be connected to one another to form a direct electrical connection between the terminal and the second microchip, the terminal being configured to read the second set of information from the second microchip when the direct electric connection is formed between the terminal and the second microchip.

In another embodiment the second microchip incorporates a transponder and the terminal incorporates a transceiver, the terminal being configured to transmit a request signal to the transponder of the second microchip and the transponder being configured to transmit the second set of information to the transceiver of the terminal in response to receipt of the request signal.

In a further embodiment the terminal is configured to transmit an energising signal to the second microchip, and the second microchip is configured to receive the energising signal and to convert the energising signal into an electrical current to power the second microchip so that the second microchip can transmit the second set of information to the terminal.

In another embodiment the portable article incorporates a power source.

Preferably the terminal is configured to compare the first set of information with the second set of information and to provide a verification signal to verify that the user is authorised to use the portable article if the first set of information matches the second set of information.

Conveniently the second set of information comprises an authorisation key which is unique to the portable article.

Advantageously the second set of information comprises encrypted data, and the terminal decrypts the second set of information using the first set of information and verifies that the user is authorised to use the portable article in the event that the encrypted data are successfully decrypted.

In one embodiment the encrypted data comprises encrypted human-readable data and the terminal outputs the decrypted data to a display.

Preferably the encrypted data comprises encrypted predetermined data, and the terminal compares the decrypted data with the predetermined data to determine if decryption was successful.

Conveniently the terminal is configured to compare the first set of information with the second set of information and to generate an alert signal if the first set of information does not match the second set of information to alert a person monitoring the terminal that the user is not authonsed to use the portable article.

Advantageously the portable article is provided with information for performing a transaction.

Preferably the transaction is the payment of goods or services.

Conveniently each of the sets of information is encrypted.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a ring to be worn by a person, the ring incorporating a microchip which stores a first set of machine readable information, the first set of information being readable by a terminal, and comprising information for verifying that a person wearing the ring is authorised to use a card, the terminal being operable to read the first set of information from the ring to verify that the person wearing the ring is authorised to use the card in a transaction.

Preferably the microchip incorporates a transponder which is configured to transmit the first set of information to the terminal in response to receipt of a request signal transmitted by the terminal.

Conveniently the microchip is configured to receive an energising signal transmitted by the terminal and to convert the energising signal into an electrical current to power the microchip so that the microchip can transmit the first set of information to the terminal.

Advantageously the first set of information corresponds to a second set of information which is stored on the card, the second set of information being information which is unique to the card.

In one embodiment the ring incorporates a power source.

According to a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a process for verifying that a user is authorised to use a portable article comprising the steps of reading a first set of machine readable information from a wearable article; reading a second set of machine readable information from a portable article; and comparing the first set of information with the second set of information and generating a verification signal if the first set of information matches the second set of information to verify that the user is authorised to use the portable article.

In order that the invention may be more readily understood, and so that further features thereof may be appreciated, embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: FIGURE 1 is a schematic view of a verification arrangement in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, and FIGURE 2 is a flow diagram showing a part of an operating procedure of the arrangement of Figure 1.

Referring initially to Figure 1, a verification arrangement 1 in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention incorporates a terminal 2 which is to be installed in a retail premises to process and authorise card payments. The terminal 2 incorporates a transceiver 3 and a smart card reader 4.

The verification arrangement I also incorporates a wearable article in the form of a ring 5 which may be worn on a finger or thumb of a person. The ring 5 has the appearance of a conventional ring which may be worn as an item of jewellery. The ring 5 has a rectangular recess 6 in its outer surface in which a first microchip 7 is mounted. It is to be understood that the first microchip 7 is the first of two microchips which are provided in the verification arrangement I and the second of the two microchips will be described below.

In this preferred embodiment the upper surface of the first microchip 7 is exposed to the surrounding environment. However, in other embodiments a cover is mounted over the outer surface of the first microchip 7 to hermetically seal the first microchip 7 within the recess 6. The cover may be of translucent material and form a window which allows the first microchip 7 to be viewed through the cover. In further embodiments the cover is opaque and simply provides a protective cover over the first microchip 7. In yet further embodiments, the first microchip 7 is embedded within the body of the ring 5 and in such embodiments it may not be possible to detect from a visual inspection of the ring 5 that there is a microchip embedded within the ring 5.

Whilst in the preferred embodiments the wearable article is in the form of a ring 5, in other embodiments the wearable article may be any other article which may be worn by a person whereby the removal of the article from a person wearing the article would be easily detected by the person wearing the article. In other embodiments of the invention the wearable article is an article of personal adornment other than a ring. In such embodiments the wearable article may be an article of jewellery, such as a bracelet, or any other article of jewellery which when worn by a person would be difficult to remove from the person without the person noticing the article being removed.

The first microchip 7 is a passive electronic component which is configured to communicate with the transceiver 3 of the terminal 2. The first microchip 7 incorporates a memory which stores a first set of machine readable information. The first microchip 7 also incorporates a transponder to enable the first microchip 7 to receive a signal from the terminal 2 and to transmit, in response, the first set of information to the terminal 2.

It is to be understood that the first set of information stored by the first microchip 7 is information which may be used to verify that the person wearing the ring 5 is authorised to carry out a transaction.

The ring 5 of this preferred embodiment does not incorporate an active power source, but the transponder of the first microchip 7 incorporates an antenna which is adapted to receive an energising signal transmitted by the terminal 2.

The transponder is configured to convert the energising signal transmitted by the terminal 2 into an electrical current to power the first microchip 7.

The range over which signals may be transmitted between the terminal 2 and the transponder in the first microchip 7 is a relatively short range of preferably 2 metres or less. A user would thus need to ensure that the ring 5 was within range of the terminal 2 to allow the terminal 2 to be able communicate with the first microchip 7.

The verification arrangement 1 also comprises a portable article in the form of a payment card 8. In this preferred embodiment the payment card 8 is a conventional chip-and-pin type smart card which might be issued by a bank or card provider. The payment card 8 of this preferred embodiment incorporates a second microchip 9 which defines the second of the two microchips of the verification arrangement 1.

The payment card 8 is configured for use with the smart card reader 4 of the terminal 2. The second microchip 9 of the payment card 8 has electrical contacts which engage electrical contacts in the smart card reader 4 of the terminal 2 when the payment card 8 is inserted into the smart card reader 4.

The second microchip 9 has a memory which stores machine readable information which includes, amongst other things, a second set of information to be utilised by the verification arrangement 1. In the preferred embodiment of the invention the second set of information is information which is unique to the payment card 8.

The payment card 8 of this preferred embodiment may be used on its own to carry out a transaction to authorise the payment of goods or services, but it is to be understood that if the payment card 8 is used on its own then there would be no verification that the person using the payment card 8 should be authorised to use the payment card 8.

It is to be understood that the payment card 8 is a portable article which is to be carried by a user and the ring 5 is a wearable article which is to be worn on a finger or thumb of the user. It will become clear from the description below that the ring 5 is to be used in conjunction with the payment card 8 to verify that a person is authorised to use the payment card 8. The first set of information from the ring 5 must match the second set of information of the payment card 8 for verification to occur. The terminal 2 is configured to compare the first set of information with the second set of information to determine whether the sets of information match one another to verify whether or not a user carrying the payment card 8 is authorised to use the payment card 8.

In this preferred embodiment the first set of information and the second set of information each comprise a code that is unique to the payment card 8.

Alternatively, the code is substantially unique such that the probability of two cards having the same code is small. For example, the code may comprise a randomly generated string of data, for instance a randomly generated 128 or 256 bit key.

In a modified embodiment, the verification arrangement I verifies that more than one person is authorised to use the payment card 8. For example, each person authorised to use the payment card 8 may wear a ring 5 carrying the same first set of information. Alternatively, the payment card 8 may store more than one set of second information, each set of second information being used to authorise a different person. Such embodiments of the invention would be applicable if, for instance, the payment card 8 is associated with a joint bank account and each holder of the bank account should be authorised to use the payment card 8 to access the account.

The process by which the verification arrangement I operates will now be described with reference to Figure 2 of the accompanying drawings.

If a user wishes to use the payment card 8 to authorise a transaction, for instance to pay for goods or services, the user presents the payment card 8 which is then inserted into the smart card reader 4 of the terminal 2. The verification arrangement I then enters an energising phase 10 where the terminal 2 transmits an energising signal to the transponder of the first microchip 7. In this preferred embodiment the energising signal defines a request signal which is transmitted by the terminal 2 to the first microchip 7.

When the transponder of the first microchip 7 receives the energising signal, the first microchip 7 converts the energising signal into an electrical current which powers the first microchip 7 and transmits, in response, the first set of information to the terminal 2 in a first microchip transmission phase II.

The smart card reader 4 reads the second set of information from the second microchip 9 via a direct electrical connection between the smart card reader 4 and the second microchip 9, during a second microchip reading phase 12.

The terminal 2 then compares the first set of information with the second set of information in a comparison phase 13.

If the terminal 2 determines that the first set of information matches the second set of information, the terminal 2 enters a verification phase 14 and the terminal 2 outputs a verification signal which provides verification that the person using the payment card 8 is authorised to do so.

If, during the comparison phase 13, the terminal 2 determines that the first set of information does not match the second set of information, verification does not occur and the terminal 2 enters an alert phase 15 in which the terminal 2 outputs an alert signal. The alert signal alerts a person monitoring the terminal 2, for instance an employee in a shop, to the fact that the person attempting to use the payment card 8 is not authorised to do so and that fraudulent activity may be being attempted. This attempt at fraudulent activity may result from a thief who has stolen a payment card 8 attempting to use the payment card 8 to authorise a payment, without the ring 5 which carries the first set of information required to match the second set of information on the payment card 8 being present.

In one embodiment of the invention the terminal 2 displays details of the owner of the ring 5 on a screen so that a person monitoring the terminal 2 may be able to identify by looking at a person using the ring 5 whether that person is the owner of the ring 5. For instance, the terminal 2 may display a photograph of the owner of the ring 5 on a screen on the terminal 2 when the ring 5 is used. If the photograph does not correspond with a person using the ring 5, then a person monitoring the terminal 2 will be able to identify quickly that a person other than the owner of the ring 5 is attempting to use the ring 5, and thus fraudulent activity may be being attempted.

In the event that the terminal 2 does not receive a first set of information, for instance if the ring 5 with the microchip 7 is not present, the terminal 2 enters the alert phase 15 to alert a person monitoring the terminal 2 to the fact that use of the payment card 8 is being attempted without the ring 5 being present.

A thief would only be able to use the stolen payment card 8 if the thief were also to steal the ring 5 from the owner of the payment card 8. If the ring 5 is worn on the finger or thumb of the owner of the payment card 8 then it would be very difficult for the thief to steal the ring 5 from the owner without the owner realising. If in the unfortunate situation a thief does manage to steal both the ring 5 and the card 8 from the owner, the owner should be aware immediately that the ring 5 has been stolen and be able to contact their bank or card provider to block the use of the card 8 to prevent the thief from being able to use the card 8 fraudulently.

In other embodiments of the invention one or both of the sets of information stored in the ring 5 and the payment card 8 are encrypted such that it is not possible to decode the information without a secret key or algorithm known by the bank or provider of the payment card 8.

In one embodiment of the invention the first set of information comprises an encryption key (e.g. 128 or 256 bit key). The key defining the first set of information is used to encrypt a predetermined string of data, for instance human-readable data such as the word "Authorised", to generate the second set of information. The first and second sets of information are then stored in the respective microchips 7,9. During the comparison phase 13, the terminal 2 decrypts the second set of information read from the second microchip 9 using the first set of information read from the first microchip 7 to create a string of data.

The terminal 2 then compares the decrypted string of data against the predetermined string of data, which may be stored by the terminal 2. If the decrypted and predetermined strings of data correspond, the terminal 2 enters the verification phase 14, otherwise the terminal 2 enters the alert phase 15.

Alternatively, rather than comparing the decrypted string of data against the predetermined string of data, the decrypted string of data may be output onto a display to be viewed by a person monitoring the terminal 2. In this embodiment, the predetermined string of data comprises humanreadable data and in particular a message that immediately confirms verification. For example, the predetermined string may consist of the string "User Authorised".

In both embodiments, user authorisation is verified only upon successful decryption of the second set of information using the first set of information a decryption key.

In another embodiment of the invention the first set of information defines one half of a complete set of information and the second set of information defines the other half of the complete set of information. In this embodiment the terminal 2 processes the first and second sets of information to combine the sets of information to produce the complete set of information. Once the terminal 2 has generated the complete set of information, the terminal 2 compares the complete set of information with a predetermined set of information which may be, for instance, a user's account details. If the terminal 2 determines that the complete set of information matches the predetermined set of information, the terminal 2 enters the verification phase 14 and verification occurs. If the complete set of information does not match the predetermined set of information, the terminal 2 enters the alert phase 15 and verification does not occur.

In further embodiments of the invention the payment card 8 may not incorporate a microchip. In such embodiments the second set of information is stored as machine readable information in a magnetic strip running along the length of the card 8. In such embodiments the terminal 2 incorporates a swipe card reader instead of the smart card reader 4 so that the terminal may read the second set of information from the magnetic strip of the card 8 when the card 8 is swiped through the swipe card reader.

In yet further embodiments of the invention the first microchip 7 in the ring 5 incorporates electrical contacts which are configured to engage electrical contacts provided on the terminal 2. In such embodiments the signals and information are communicated between the terminal 2 and the first microchip 7 via a direct electrical connection which is formed when the electrical contacts of the first microchip 7 are brought into contact with the electrical contacts of the terminal 2.

In still further embodiments of the invention the second microchip 9 on the payment card 8 is a passive electronic components which incorporates a transponder which is configured to receive an energising signal from the terminal 2. When the second microchip 9 of such embodiments receives the energising signal the second microchip 9 converts the energising signal into an electrical current to power the second microchip 9 so that the second microchip 9 can transmit the second set of information to the terminal 2. In such embodiments, the energising signal may be the request signal which is transmitted by the terminal 2.

In embodiments where the second microchip 9 incorporates a transponder, the second microchip must be within close range, of preferably 2 metres or less, of the terminal 2 to enable the second microchip 9 to communicate with the terminal 2.

Whilst in the preferred embodiment the microchips 7,9 are passive electronic components in other embodiments either one or both of the microchips 7,9 are active electronic components, with a power source being installed in either the ring 5 or the payment card 8 to power the microchip 7,9. The power source in such embodiments is preferably a battery. In further embodiments the battery may be a rechargeable battery which is recharged by an energising signal which is supplied by the terminal 2. In still further embodiments the power source is a solar cell.

Whilst the embodiments described thusfar have each been directed towards the verification of a user for the payment of goods or services, it is to be understood that the verification arrangement of other embodiments of the invention can be used to verify a user in other situations where the verification of the user is required. For instance, in other embodiments of the invention, the verification arrangement I could be used to verify that a user is authorised to enter a building using the card 8.

Whilst in the preferred embodiments described above the portable article is a payment card, in other embodiments the portable article is another article which may be carried by a person for the purposes of authorising a transaction. In such embodiments the portable article may be a travel pass and the terminal 2 may be a terminal in a station or a vehicle, with the transaction being the allowance of a user presenting the travel pass to travel if verification occurs.

When used in this specification and claims, the terms "comprises" and "comprising" and variations thereof mean that the specified features, steps or integers are included. The terms are not to be interpreted to exclude the presence of other features, steps or components.

The features disclosed in the foregoing description, or the following claims, or the accompanying drawings, expressed in their specific forms or in terms of a means for performing the disclosed function, or a method or process for attaining the disclosed result, as appropriate, may, separately, or in any combination of such features, be utilised for realising the invention in diverse forms thereof.

Claims

Claims 1. A verification arrangement comprising: a wearable article to be

worn by a user, the wearable article being provided with a first set of machine readable information; a portable article to be carried by the user, the portable article being provided with a second set of machine readable information; and a terminal configured to read the first set of information from the wearable article, to read the second set of information from the portable article and to process the first and second sets of information to verify that the user is authorised to use the portable article.
2. An arrangement according to Claim 1, wherein the wearable article is a ring to be worn on a finger or thumb of the user.
3. An arrangement according to Claim I or 2, wherein the portable article is a payment card.
4. An arrangement according to any one of the preceding Claims, wherein the wearable article incorporates a first microchip with the first set of information being stored in the first microchip.
5. An arrangement according to Claim 4, wherein the terminal and the first microchip each incorporate electrical contacts which are configured to be connected to one another to form a direct electrical connection between the terminal and the first microchip, the terminal being configured to read the first set of information from the first microchip when the direct electric connection is formed between the terminal and the first microchip.
6. An arrangement according to Claim 4, wherein the first microchip incorporates a transponder and the terminal incorporates a transceiver, the terminal being configured to transmit a request signal to the transponder of first microchip and the transponder being configured to transmit the first set of information to the transceiver of the terminal in response to receipt of the request signal.
7. An arrangement according to Claim 6, wherein the terminal is configured to transmit an energising signal to the first microchip, and the first microchip is configured to receive the energising signal and to convert the energising signal into an electrical current to power the first microchip so that the microchip can transmit the first set of information to the terminal.
8. An arrangement according to Claim 7, wherein the energising signal is the request signal which is transmitted by the terminal.
9. An arrangement according to any one of Claims I to 6, wherein the wearable article incorporates a power source.
10. An arrangement according to any one of the preceding Claims, wherein the portable article incorporates a second microchip with the second set of information being stored in the second microchip.
11. An arrangement according to Claim 10, wherein the terminal and the second microchip each incorporate electrical contacts which are configured to be connected to one another to form a direct electrical connection between the terminal and the second microchip, the terminal being configured to read the second set of information from the second microchip when the direct electric connection is formed between the terminal and the second microchip.
12. An arrangement according to Claim 11, wherein the second microchip incorporates a transponder and the terminal incorporates a transceiver, the terminal being configured to transmit a request signal to the transponder of the second microchip and the transponder being configured to transmit the second set of information to the transceiver of the terminal in response to receipt of the request signal.
13. An arrangement according to Claim 12, wherein the terminal is configured to transmit an energising signal to the second microchip, and the second microchip is configured to receive the energising signal and to convert the energising signal into an electrical current to power the second microchip so that the second microchip can transmit the second set of information to the terminal.
14. An arrangement according to Claim 13, wherein the energising signal is the request signal which is transmitted by the terminal.
15. An arrangement according to any one of Claims I to 12, wherein the portable article incorporates a power source.
16. An arrangement according to any one of the preceding Claims, wherein the terminal is configured to compare the first set of information with the second set of information and to provide a verification signal to verify that the user is authorised to use the portable article if the first set of information matches the second set of information.
17. An arrangement according to any one of the preceding Claims, wherein the second set of information comprises an authorisation key which is unique to the portable article.
18. An arrangement according to any one of the preceding Claims, wherein the second set of information comprises encrypted data, and the terminal decrypts the second set of information using the first set of information and verifies that the user is authorised to use the portable article in the event that the encrypted data are successfully decrypted.
19. An arrangement according to Claim 18, wherein the encrypted data comprises encrypted human-readable data and the terminal outputs the decrypted data to a display.
20. An arrangement according to Claim 18 or Claim 19, wherein the encrypted data comprises encrypted predetermined data, and the terminal compares the decrypted data with the predetermined data to determine if decryption was successful.
21. An arrangement according to any one of the preceding Claims, wherein the terminal is configured to compare the first set of information with the second set of information and to generate an alert signal if the first set of information does not match the second set of information to alert a person monitoring the terminal that the user is not authorised to use the portable article.
22. An arrangement according to any one of the preceding Claims, wherein the portable article is provided with information for performing a transaction.
23. An arrangement according to Claim 22, wherein the transaction is the payment of goods or services.
24. An arrangement according to any one of the preceding Claims, wherein each of the sets of information is encrypted.
25. A ring to be worn by a person, the ring incorporating a microchip which stores a first set of machine readable information, the first set of information being readable by a terminal, and comprising information for verifying that a person wearing the ring is authorised to use a card, the terminal being operable to read the first set of information from the ring to verify that the person wearing the ring is authorised to use the card in a transaction.
26. A process for authorising a user substantially as herein described with reference to Figure 2 of the accompanying drawings.

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26. A ring according to Claim 25, wherein the microchip incorporates a transponder which is configured to transmit the first set of information to the terminal in response to receipt of a request signal transmitted by the terminal.

27. A ring according to Claim 26, wherein the microchip is configured to receive an energising signal transmitted by the terminal and to convert the energising signal into an electrical current to power the microchip so that the microchip can transmit the first set of information to the terminal.

28. A ring according to any one of Claims 25 to 27, wherein the first set of information corresponds to a second set of information which is stored on the card, the second set of information being information which is unique to the card.

29. A ring according Claim 25 or Claim 26, wherein the ring incorporates a power source.

30. A process for verifying that a user is authorised to use a portable article comprising the steps of: reading a first set of machine readable information from a wearable article; reading a second set of machine readable information from a portable article; and comparing the first set of information with the second set of information and generating a verification signal if the first set of information matches the second set of information to verify that the user is authorised to use the

portable article.

31. An authorisation arrangement substantially as herein described with reference to and as shown in Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings.

32. A ring substantially as herein described with reference to and as shown in Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings.

33. A process for authorising a user substantially as herein described with reference to Figure 2 of the accompanying drawings.

34. Any novel feature or combination of features disclosed herein.

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1. A verification arrangement comprising: a wearable article to be worn by a user, the wearable article incorporating a first microchip which stores a first set of machine readable information, the microchip incorporating electrical contacts; a portable article to be carried by the user, the portable article being provided with a second set of machine readable information; and a terminal which incorporates electrical contacts, the electrical contacts of the terminal being configured to be connected to the electrical contacts of the first microchip to form a direct electrical connection, the terminal being configured to read the first set of information from the wearable article when the direct electrical connection is formed between the terminal and the first microchip, to read the second set of information from the portable article and to process the first and second sets of information to verify that the user is authorised to use the portable article.

2. An arrangement according to Claim 1, wherein the wearable article is a ring to be worn on a finger or thumb of the user.

3. An arrangement according to Claim I or 2, wherein the portable article is a payment card.

4. An arrangement according to any one of Claims 1 to 3, wherein the wearable article incorporates a power source.

5. An arrangement according to any one of the preceding Claims, wherein the portable article incorporates a second microchip with the second set of information being stored in the second microchip.

6. An arrangement according to Claim 5, wherein the terminal and the second microchip each incorporate electrical contacts which are configured to be connected to one another to form a direct electrical connection between the terminal and the second microchip, the terminal being configured to read the second set of information from the second microchip when the direct electric connection is formed between the terminal and the second microchip.

7. An arrangement according to Claim 6, wherein the second microchip incorporates a transponder and the terminal incorporates a transceiver, the terminal being configured to transmit a request signal to the transponder of the second microchip and the transponder being configured to transmit the second set of information to the transceiver of the terminal in response to receipt of the request signal.

8. An arrangement according to Claim 7, wherein the terminal is configured to transmit an energising signal to the second microchip, and the second microchip is configured to receive the energising signal and to convert the energising signal into an electrical current to power the second microchip so that the second microchip can transmit the second set of information to the terminal.

9. An arrangement according to Claim 8, wherein the energising signal is the request signal which is transmitted by the terminal.

10. An arrangement according to any one of Claims 1 to 7, wherein the portable article incorporates a power source.

11. An arrangement according to any one of the preceding Claims, wherein the terminal is configured to compare the first set of information with the second set of information and to provide a verification signal to verify that the user is authorised to use the portable article if the first set of information matches the second set of information.

12. An arrangement according to any one of the preceding Claims, wherein the second set of information comprises an authorisation key which is unique to the portable article.

13. An arrangement according to any one of the preceding Claims, wherein the second set of information comprises encrypted data, and the terminal decrypts the second set of information using the first set of information and verifies that the user is authorised to use the portable article in the event that the encrypted data are successfully decrypted.

14. An arrangement according to Claim 13, wherein the encrypted data ((cc comprises encrypted human-readable data and the terminal outputs the decrypted data to a display.

15. An arrangement according to Claim 13 or Claim 14, wherein the encrypted data comprises encrypted predetermined data, and the terminal.

compares the decrypted data with the predetermined data to determine if decryption was successful.

16. An arrangement according to any one of the preceding Claims, wherein the terminal is configured to compare the first set of information with the second set of information and to generate an alert signal if the first set of information does not match the second set of information to alert a person monitoring the terminal that the user is not authorised to use the portable article.

17. An arrangement according to any one of the preceding Claims, wherein the portable article is provided with information for performing a transaction.

18. An arrangement according to Claim 17, wherein the transaction is the payment of goods or services.

19. An arrangement according to any one of the preceding Claims, wherein each of the sets of information is encrypted.

20. A ring to be worn by a person, the ring incorporating a microchip which stores a first set of machine readable information, the microchip incorporating electrical contacts which are configured to be connected to electrical contacts on a terminal to form a direct electrical connection, the first set of information comprising information for verifying that a person wearing the ring is authorised to use a card, the terminal being operable to read the first set of information from the ring when the direct electrical connection is formed between the microchip and the terminal to verify that the person wearing the ring is authorised to use the card in a transaction.

21. A ring according to Claim 20, wherein the first set of information corresponds to a second set of information which is stored on the card, the second set of information being information which is unique to the card.

22. A ring according Claim 20 or Claim 21, wherein the ring incorporates a power source.

23. A process for verifying that a user is authorised to use a portable article comprising the steps of: reading a first set of machine readable information from a microchip mounted to a wearable article via a direct electrical connection formed with electrical contacts provided on the microchip; reading a second set of machine readable information from a portable article; and comparing the first set of information with the second set of information and generating a verification signal if the first set of information matches the second set of information to verify that the user is authorised to use the

portable article. p

24. An authorisatlon arrangement substantially as herein described with reference to and as shown In Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings.

25. A ring substantially as herein described with reference to and as shown In Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings.