Audio-equipped transaction card systems and approaches

• US 20050177484A1
• Filed: 01/14/2005
• Published: 08/11/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/16/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Keith Jentoft
• Original Assignee: Keith Jentoft
• Inventors: Jentoft, Keith
• Granted Patent: US 8,447,668 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/35
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/346 Cards serving only as information carrier of service
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/4012 Verifying personal identification numbers [PIN]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/0886 the card reader being portable for interacting with a POS or ECR in realizing a payment transaction
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/1008 Active credit-cards provided with means to personalise their use, e.g. with PIN-introduction/comparison system

Abstract

Approaches for using and implementing transactions involving audio-equipped transaction cards reduce both data-management efforts and costs. In addition, certain applications further facilitate loyalty to the business entity that issues the audio-equipped transaction cards by, e.g., facilitating transactions with the card-issuing entity and/or selected business partners. One example embodiment is directed to audio-equipped personal cards and an approach to purchase agreement that involve activating an audio transmission from a transaction card to establish a point-of-sale purchase agreement. Data relating to the purchase agreement is communicated to an account/payment institution to confirm the purchase agreement, optionally in response to the customer'"'"'s PIN being received. In another embodiment, a two apparatus (or “card”) approach involves retailers entering data via a retailer card that is useable by selected users (e.g., the retailer'"'"'s representatives or employees). For such retailer and/or customer cards, various implementations are directed to different approaches for entering user information and/or security information such as customer PIN, a retailer-employee ID or PIN number.

Claims

1. A method for conducting a business transaction involving personal transaction cards, the method comprising:

storing audio information with a transaction card;

in connection with a particular transaction, communicating the audio information from the transaction card; and

authorizing the transaction as a function of the communicated audio information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein encoding audio information with the transaction card includes at least one of:

encoding DTMF information;

encoding authorization information;

encoding account information;

encoding security information; and

encoding encrypted information.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein storing audio information with a transaction card includes storing audio information that functions as a transaction card, wherein the communication of the audio information is implemented for providing transaction card information from which to facilitate the transaction.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein storing audio information includes storing audio information in a hand-held audio device configured and arranged for communicating the audio information for use in a business transaction.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the audio information includes an authorization code and wherein authorizing the transaction as a function of the communicated audio information includes authorizing the transaction as a function of the authorization code.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein storing audio information includes storing merchant information and wherein authorizing the transaction as a function of the communicated audio information includes authorizing the transaction when the stored merchant information matches merchant information for a merchant involved in the transaction.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein storing audio information with a transaction card includes storing unique identification information, further comprising:

at a remote server, associating customer information with the unique identification information; and

wherein authorizing the transaction as a function of the communicated audio information includes using the unique identification information for retrieving the associated customer information and authorizing the transaction as a function of the associated customer information.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing retailer audio information with a retailer card;

in connection with a particular transaction, communicating the retailer audio information from the retailer card; and

wherein authorizing the transaction as a function of the communicated audio information includes authorizing the transaction as a function of the audio information and the retailer audio information.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein authorizing the transaction as a function of the communicated audio information includes:

communicating at least a portion of the audio information to a financial institution; and

in response to the financial institution providing authorization information, authorizing the transaction.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

entering customer identification information;

comparing the customer identification information with stored identification information; and

wherein authorizing the transaction as a function of the communicated audio information includes authorizing the transaction as a function of the communicated audio information and the entered comparing.

11. A system for processing business transactions, the system comprising:

a transaction card for storing audio information;

means for communicating, in connection with a particular transaction, the audio information from the transaction card; and

means for authorizing the transaction as a function of the communicated audio information.

12. A system for processing business transactions, the system comprising:

a transaction card configured and arranged for storing audio information;

a transaction card reader for communicating, in connection with a particular transaction, the audio information from the transaction card; and

a transaction processing arrangement for authorizing the transaction as a function of the communicated audio information.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the transaction card is configured and arranged for storing audio information in response to an access code.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the transaction card is configured and arranged for facilitating the communication of the audio information in response to an access code.

15. The system of claim 12, further comprising:

a user terminal including the transaction card reader and adapted to audibly communicate the audio information;

a retailer terminal including the transaction processing arrangement and configured and arranged for receiving the audibly communicated audio information and for authorizing the transaction as a function of the communicated audio information.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the retailer terminal is adapted to communicate the audio information to a financial institution and, in response to the financial institution providing an authorization for the communicated audio information, authorizing the transaction.

17. For use in conducting a transaction between a buyer and a seller, a transaction card device comprising:

a transaction card reader configured and arranged to read audio information from a buyer'"'"'s transaction card;

an audio communications device configured and arranged to audibly communicate the read audio information to a retailer; and

wherein the communicated audio information includes information for authorizing the transaction.