Color changing payment card

• US 10,102,520 B1
• Filed: 10/03/2016
• Issued: 10/16/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Wells Fargo Bank NA (Wells Fargo & Company)
• Original Assignee: Wells Fargo Bank NA (Wells Fargo & Company)
• Inventors: Anderson, Erika L., Duke, Mike
• Primary Examiner(s): Haile, Benyam
• Application Number:
  US15/283,882
• Time in Patent Office: 743 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07703 the interface being visual
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07705 the visual interface being a single light or small number of lights capable of being switched on or off, e.g. a series of LEDs
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/32 using wireless devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/34 using cards, e.g. integrated circuit [IC] cards or magnetic cards
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/342 Cards defining paid or billed services or quantities
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/352 Contactless payments by cards
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/357 Cards having a plurality of specified features
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/0833 Card having specific functional components
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/084 Additional components relating to data transfer and storing, e.g. error detection, self-diagnosis
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/0846 On-card display means
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 5/36 using visible light sources

Abstract

A method includes receiving, on an electronic payment device, a radio frequency signal from a mobile electronic device. The radio frequency signal is used to control an activation of an electric current to one or more color producing components on the electronic payment device. The electric current is transmitted to the one or more color producing components. The one or more color producing components display a color when the electric current is transmitted to the color producing components.

Claims

1. A method implemented on an electronic device, the method comprising:

receiving a signal of a specific frequency that corresponds to a financial account status of a user;

producing an electric current based on the specific frequency;

applying the electric current to one or more color producing components on the electronic device; and

as a result of applying the electric current to the one or more color producing components of the electronic device, causing the one or more color producing components to produce a color in the electronic device,

wherein the one or more color producing components comprise mechanical panels, the mechanical panels comprising a plurality of sides, each side of the plurality of panels being of a different color, and

wherein the color that is produced corresponds to the financial account status of the user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the financial account status of the user can comprise one of a good status, a borderline status or an over a limit status.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the signal is a radio frequency signal.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein applying the electric current to the one or more color producing components comprises using the radio frequency signal to control an activation of the electric current to the one or more color producing components.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein controlling an activation of the electric current to the one or more color producing components comprises using the electric current to control a selection of the one or more color producing components.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the electrical current causes the mechanical panels to rotate to a different side so that a different color is displayed on the mechanical panels than was displayed before the electric current was transmitted to the mechanical panels.

7. An electronic device, the electronic device comprising:

a radio frequency identification (RFID) device for receiving a signal of a specific electrical frequency that corresponds to a financial account status of a user;

a power source;

one or more color producing components, the one or more color producing components comprising wires or foil strips; and

one or more switching components that control a selection of one or more of the wires or foil strips,

wherein the one or more color producing components are activated by an electric current that is derived from the specific electrical frequency received at the RFID device, the electric current causing the one or more color producing components to produce a color that corresponds to the financial account status for the user.

8. The electronic device of claim 7, wherein the wires or foil strips produce a color when an electric current passes through the wires or foil strips.