IDENTIFICATION: SYSTEM USING A LABEL BONDED TO THE CLOTHING OF A USER
Field of the Invention This invention relates to an identification system, for example for use in controlling personnel access to a restricted area. Background to the Invention A commonly used method of controlling personnel access to a restricted area is by way of a badge or pass having printed thereon the bearer's name and other identifying indicia, and usually a photograph of the bearer. To gain access to the area, for example a factory or research building, the bearer is required to present the badge or pass for inspection by security staff at the entrance point to the area. However, badges and passes are readily lost or stolen, and inspection of the badge or pass is a relatively labour-intensive activity, and therefore expensive to administer. Various automated systems have been proposed for confirming identity of a person seeking to gain access to a restricted area. These typically involve some form of pattern matching, for example of fingerprints or the retina, and thus require the person to wait while the necessary scanning operation is undertaken. If a large number of people are seeking access the same time, for example at the commencement of a working shift in a factory, the delays can be unacceptable. Summary of the Invention According to the invention, there is provided an identification system comprising a garment for wear by a user, the garment having bonded thereto an identification panel comprising a photograph of the user and other identifying indicia. Preferably, the identification panel has printed thereon the user's name and/or an identifying code. The code may in the form of a machine-readable code such as a bar code, and the system preferably comprises access-control means located at an access point for a restricted area for reading the machine-readable code and for allowing access to said restricted area only to a user whose code has been notified to said access-control means. The bar code can be disguised by incorporating it into another design, for example a company logo or the like. The access-control means may comprise a long range barcode scanner. While such scanners usually involve a laser to carry out the
scanning, the laser is selected and positioned so as to remove any risk of damage to the eyes of the person seeking access. More preferably, the access-control means includes a camera for recording an image of the user's face and of the photograph on the identification panel, and processing means for performing image comparison between the images and allowing access only when there is an acceptable degree of matching between the two images. An acceptable degree of matching may be achieved by comparison of pre-determined features, such as overall shape of the face, shape of the nose, position and separation of the eyes, for example. The identification panel is preferably formed by printing on to a plastics film and then bonding the film to the garment, for example by means of a heat-activated adhesive.
The printing is suitably carried out by a dye-sublimation process, in which dyes forming the image are transferred into the surface of the film from a dye-carrier foil by heating.
Such processes are well-known in the photographic imaging field, and will therefore not be described in detail here. By incorporating the identifying information into a panel permanently attached to a garment, the likelihood of loss of the panel is greatly reduced, and, since the position of the panel on the garment can be controlled, automatic scanning of the information is facilitated; the panel can be located by the scanning system more quickly. The garment is conveniently in the form of a jacket or the like sized to fit the user, and the identification panel is suitably located on the upper breast position of the jacket so as to be most clearly visible, but it could be some other article of clothing, for example a hat or cap.
Brief Description of the Drawings In the drawings, which illustrate exemplary embodiments of the invention: Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view of a garment with attached identification panel; Figure 2 is an enlarged sectional view through the identification panel attached to the garment; and Figure 3 illustrates an automated identification system in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention.
Detailed Description of the Illustrated Embodiments Referring first to Figure 1 , the garment, illustrated as a jacket, may be any form of garment, including headwear. Attached to the jacket 1 in a standardised location, for example on the left breast, is an identification panel 2 bearing three principal elements: a photographic representation 3 of the wearer, identifying wording 4, for example the wearer's name, and a machine-readable identifying code, for example a standard bar code 5. The panel 2 is produced by printing the images, wording and code on to a vinyl film substrate 6 (Figure 2) using a dye-sublimation printer to transfer dyes from a support foil or foils on to the substrate under the influence of heat. It has been found that this produces a very stable print which is unaffected by washing and other cleaning treatments applied to the garment. The substrate 6 has a layer 7 of a holt-melt adhesive on the reverse thereof, permitting the completed panel with its printed surface layer 8 to be permanently secured to the fabric 9 of the garment 1 by heat treatment to fuse the adhesive with the fabric. Figure 3 illustrates diagrammatically an automated identification system in accordance with the invention, having a security access door 10 controlling access to a secure area. A video camera 1 1 is associated with the door so as to be able to view a person 12 approaching the door, and in particular to record an image of the person's face and of the identification panel 2 on the jacket 1 worn by the person 12. These images are passed by the camera 1 1 to a computer 1 3, which has stored therein the person's clearance details according to the numeric code embedded in the printed bar code on the identification panel 2. The computer also compares the image of the person's face with the image printed on to the identification panel. Only if the person has clearance to enter the secure area, and there is a satisfactory match between the camera image of the face and the image printed on the identification panel is a signal sent to the door lock mechanism 14 to allow the door to open.