Card reader with passive ID circuit

• US 10,007,813 B2
• Filed: 03/10/2016
• Issued: 06/26/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/05/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Block, Inc. (f/k/a Square, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Block, Inc. (f/k/a Square, Inc.)
• Inventors: Babu, Amish, Lamba, Kartik, Sather, Elliot John Patrick, Rothschild, Adam David Peter, Dorsey, Jack, McKelvey, James M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Thien M
• Assistant Examiner(s): TAYLOR, APRIL ALICIA
• Application Number:
  US15/066,496
• Publication Number:
  US 20160188915A1
• Time in Patent Office: 838 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/01 Details
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/084 sensing magnetic material by relative movement detecting flux changes without altering its magnetised state
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/322 Aspects of commerce using mobile devices [M-devices]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3223 Realising banking transactions through M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3224 Transactions dependent on location of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/326 Payment applications installed on the mobile devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/347 Passive cards
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/0886 the card reader being portable for interacting with a POS or ECR in realizing a payment transaction

Abstract

A method of transmitting information to a mobile device includes providing a card reader is provided with a read head, a slot for swiping a magnetic stripe of a card and device electronics that includes an analog front-end and a microcontroller. The analog to digital front end is coupled to a processing element in the microcontroller. A raw magnetic head signal is received at the analog to digital front end. The raw magnetic head signal is converted into a processed digital signal that the microcontroller can interpret. An output jack output jack signal is delivered to the mobile device.

Claims

1. A device for receiving payment card information comprising:

a payment card reading component configured to read payment information stored on a payment card and produce an encoded signal;

device electronics configured to receive the encoded signal and produce a processed digital signal representative of encoded payment information stored on the payment card;

a processor configured to receive the processed digital signal;

a passive ID circuit including a memory device and a charge pump configured to receive a bias voltage from an electrical connector, the passive ID circuit configured to deliver a unique ID of the payment card reading component stored in the memory device upon the payment card reading component being connected to a mobile device; and

a battery configured to provide a power source to the device electronics and the processor.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the bias voltage powers the passive ID circuit.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the passive ID circuit is configured to deliver the unique ID of the payment card reading component only once upon the payment card reading component being connected to the mobile device.

4. The device of claim 1, further comprising an encryption circuitry to encrypt the unique ID of the payment card reading component that is stored in the memory device.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the charge pump comprises a plurality of capacitors to raise the bias voltage.

6. The device of claim 5, wherein the charge pump comprises switching logic that switches the plurality of capacitors between series and parallel configurations to raise the bias voltage.

7. A device for receiving payment card information comprising:

a financial transaction device reader configured to read payment information stored on a financial transaction device and produce an encoded signal including the payment information;

device electronics configured to receive the encoded signal and produce a processed digital signal representative of the encoded signal including the payment information stored on the financial transaction device;

a processor configured to receive the processed digital signal; and

a passive ID circuit configured to receive a bias voltage from an electrical connector, wherein the passive ID circuit comprises a unique ID storage subsystem, a communication subsystem, a power subsystem, a pathway subsystem and a control unit.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein the unique ID storage subsystem stores a unique identifier of the financial transaction device reader, and the communication subsystem reads and transmits the unique identifier from the financial transaction device reader to a mobile device.

9. The device of claim 8, wherein the control unit sets a status bit after the communication subsystem transmits the unique identifier.

10. The device of claim 7, further comprising:

a wake up circuit configured to receive the bias voltage from the electrical connector and detect an initiated payment card transaction, and provide a signal to the processor to wake up from a sleep state.

11. The device of claim 7, wherein the passive ID circuit comprises a charge pump.

12. The device of claim 7, further comprising a battery operatively coupled the device electronics and the processor.

13. A device for receiving payment card information comprising:

a financial transaction device reader configured to read encoded payment information stored on a financial transaction device and produce an encoded signal;

device electronics configured to receive the encoded signal and produce a processed digital signal representative of the encoded payment information stored on the financial transaction device;

a processor configured to receive the processed digital signal; and

a circuit comprising a plurality of capacitors configured to receive a bias voltage from a host device and raise the bias voltage, the circuit configured to deliver a unique ID of the financial transaction device reader stored in a memory device of the financial transaction device reader upon the financial transaction device reader being connected to a mobile device.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein the circuit comprises switching logic that switches the plurality of capacitors between series and parallel configurations to raise the bias voltage.

15. The device of claim 13, wherein the circuit comprises latching logic that latches the plurality of capacitors between series and parallel configurations to raise the bias voltage.

16. The device of claim 13, wherein the circuit comprises a passive ID circuit.

17. The device of claim 16, wherein the passive ID circuit includes a communication subsystem that reads and transmits the unique ID of the financial transaction device reader to the host device.

18. The device of claim 13, further comprising:

a wake up circuit configured to receive the bias voltage from the host device and detect an initiated payment card transaction, and provide a signal to the processor to wake up from a sleep state.

19. The device of claim 13, further comprising a battery operatively coupled the device electronics and the processor.

20. The device of claim 13, wherein the circuit is configured to deliver the unique ID of the financial transaction device reader stored in the memory device only once upon the financial transaction device reader being connected to the mobile device.