Point of sale (POS) device responsive to detected interference with antenna

• US 10,182,328 B1
• Filed: 06/12/2017
• Issued: 01/15/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Block, Inc. (f/k/a Square, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Block, Inc. (f/k/a Square, Inc.)
• Inventors: Maibach, Matthew H., Lamfalusi, Michael C., Douthat, Cory, Razaghi, Mani, Hafemann, Sean
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Thien M
• Application Number:
  US15/620,642
• Time in Patent Office: 582 Days
• Field of Search: 235439
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10148 the step consisting of dynamically tuning the resonant circuit of the interrogation device that is emitting the interrogation signal, e.g. for impedance matching inside of the interrogation device for tuning related to loop aerials in general H01Q7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10336 the antenna being of the near field type, inductive coil
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3278 RFID or NFC payments by means of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 19/209 Monitoring, auditing or diagnose of functioning of ATMs
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 3/00 Alarm indicators, e.g. bells
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2216 used in interrogator/reader equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 7/00 Loop antennas with a substantially uniform current distribution around the loop and having a directional radiation pattern in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the loop
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/401 for selecting or indicating operating mode
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/24 Inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/72 for local intradevice communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0225 using monitoring of external events, e.g. the presence of a signal
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A payment object reader or POS device tracks performance of a wireless transceiver. In response to detection of a dip in performance of the wireless transceiver, the payment object reader or POS device retunes the wireless transceiver, enables a first subsystem of the payment object reader or POS device from a disabled state, transmits a notification indicating a defect, or identifies a tamper attempt. Sensor measurements and other actions within the payment object reader or POS device can be correlated with wireless transceiver underperformance and used to predict actions to take.

Claims

1. A payment object reader that preemptively prepares one or more subsystems, the payment object reader comprising:

a wireless transceiver;

a reader interface that reads transaction information from a payment object;

a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions;

a first processor; and

a second processor, wherein execution of the instructions by the second processor causes the second processor to;

measure performance of the wireless transceiver over a time period using a performance metric,

detect that the performance of the wireless transceiver has dipped below a performance threshold, and

boot the first processor up from a powered down state in response to detecting that the performance of the wireless transceiver has dipped below the performance threshold.

2. The payment object reader of claim 1, wherein execution of the instructions by the second processor causes the second processor to also enable a second wireless transceiver from a disabled state in response to detecting that the performance of the wireless transceiver has dipped below the performance threshold.

3. The payment object reader of claim 1, wherein execution of the instructions by the second processor causes the second processor to also enable a retuning subsystem from a disabled state in response to detecting that the performance of the wireless transceiver has dipped below the performance threshold, wherein the retuning subsystem retunes the wireless transceiver.

4. The payment object reader of claim 1, wherein execution of the instructions by the second processor causes the second processor to also enable a component from a disabled state in response to detecting that the performance of the wireless transceiver has dipped below the performance threshold, wherein the component is a printer.

5. The payment object reader of claim 1, wherein execution of the instructions by the second processor causes the second processor to also enable the reader interface from a disabled state in response to detecting that the performance of the wireless transceiver has dipped below the performance threshold.

6. The payment object reader of claim 1, wherein execution of the instructions by the second processor causes the second processor to also:

enable an anti-tamper module from a disabled state in response to detecting that the performance of the wireless transceiver has dipped below the performance threshold, the anti-tamper module identifying that the payment object reader has been tampered with, and

disable at least the reader interface of the payment object reader in response to the anti-tamper module identifying that the payment object reader has been tampered with.

7. The payment object reader of claim 1, wherein the wireless transceiver includes a near field communication (NFC) transceiver used by the reader interface.

8. The payment object reader of claim 1, wherein the wireless transceiver includes a wireless local area network (WLAN) transceiver.

9. The payment object reader of claim 1, wherein the wireless transceiver includes a cellular network transceiver.

10. The payment object reader of claim 1, wherein the wireless transceiver includes a global positioning system (GPS) receiver.

11. A method for preemptive preparation of one or more subsystems a device, the method comprising:

measuring performance of a wireless transceiver of the device over a time period using a performance metric;

detecting that the performance of the wireless transceiver has dipped below a performance threshold; and

booting a processor of the device up from a powered down state in response to detecting that the performance of the wireless transceiver has dipped below the performance threshold.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

enabling a second wireless transceiver from a disabled state in response to detecting that the performance of the wireless transceiver has dipped below the performance threshold.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

enabling a retuning subsystem from a disabled state in response to detecting that the performance of the wireless transceiver has dipped below the performance threshold, wherein the retuning subsystem retunes the wireless transceiver.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

enabling a component from a disabled state in response to detecting that the performance of the wireless transceiver has dipped below the performance threshold, wherein the component is a printer.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

enabling a reader interface of the device from a disabled state in response to detecting that the performance of the wireless transceiver has dipped below the performance threshold, wherein the reader interface reads transaction information from a payment object.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

enabling an anti-tamper module from a disabled state in response to detecting that the performance of the wireless transceiver has dipped below the performance threshold; and

identifying, via the anti-tamper module, that the device has been tampered with; and

disabling at least one component of the device in response to identifying that the device has been tampered with.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the wireless transceiver includes a near field communication (NFC) transceiver used by a reader interface of the device, wherein the reader interface reads transaction information from a payment object.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the wireless transceiver includes a wireless local area network (WLAN) transceiver.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the wireless transceiver includes a cellular network transceiver.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein the wireless transceiver includes a global positioning system (GPS) receiver.