Collision detection and avoidance scheme for contactless card payment systems

• US 20060022042A1
• Filed: 07/15/2005
• Published: 02/02/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mastercard International Incorporated (MasterCard Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Mastercard International Incorporated (MasterCard Incorporated)
• Inventors: Smets, Patrick, Garrett, Duncan, Van De Velde, Eddy Lodewijk Hortensia
• Granted Patent: US 7,717,346 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/451
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/302 Contactless testing G01R31/66 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/308 using non-ionising electromagnetic radiation, e.g. optical radiation investigating or analysing materials by the use of optical means G01N21/00; image analysis G06T7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/00 Methods or arrangements for effecting co-operative working between equipments covered by two or more of main groups G06K1/00 - G06K15/00, e.g. automatic card files incorporating conveying and reading operations
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/00 Methods or arrangements for sensing record carriers, e.g. for reading patterns methods or arrangements for marking the record carrier in digital fashion G06K1/00; pattern recognition G06F18/00; arrangements for image or video recognition or understanding G06V10/00; character recognition, recognising digital ink or document-oriented image-based pattern recognition G06V30/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/0008 General problems related to the reading of electronic memory record carriers, independent of its reading method, e.g. power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/0095 Testing the sensing arrangement, e.g. testing if a magnetic card reader, bar code reader, RFID interrogator or smart card reader functions properly testing of electrical circuits G01R31/28
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10019 resolving collision on the communication channels between simultaneously or concurrently interrogated record carriers. collision between the communication channels used by wireless communication devices, where the solution is not particularly adapted for RFIDs or the like, H04W74/08
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10336 the antenna being of the near field type, inductive coil
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10465 the interrogation device being capable of self-diagnosis, e.g. in addition to or as part of the actual interrogation process testing of electrical circuits in general G01R31/28
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/327 Short range or proximity payments by means of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/341 Active cards, i.e. cards including their own processing means, e.g. including an IC or chip
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/084 Additional components relating to data transfer and storing, e.g. error detection, self-diagnosis
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/1008 Active credit-cards provided with means to personalise their use, e.g. with PIN-introduction/comparison system

Abstract

An electronic payment system for conducting transactions by presenting a contactless payment card to a card reader. The card reader is configured to process transactions when only one card is present in its operating field. The card reader uses collision detection and avoidance algorithms to detect and report instances where multiple cards are present in the operating field. In response to a reported collision, the collision may be cleared by manual intervention, i.e., by physically removing excess cards from the reader'"'"'s operating field.

Claims

1. An electronic payment system for processing a contactless payment card transaction, the electronic payment system comprising a card reader which is configured to process the transaction when only one card is present in the card reader'"'"'s operating field, wherein the card reader deploys collision detection algorithms to detect and report a collision instance in which multiple cards are present in the card reader'"'"'s operating field, and wherein the card reader halts processing the transaction in the instance a collision is detected.

2. The electronic payment system of claim 1 further comprising a terminal to which the card reader is coupled, the terminal comprising transaction-processing applications.

3. The electronic payment system of claim 1 wherein the collision detection algorithm includes the steps of detecting collisions of a first type of cards and detecting collisions of the first type of cards and a second type of cards.

4. The electronic payment system of claim 1 wherein the card reader is configured to alternately poll a first type of cards and a second type of cards.

5. The electronic payment system of claim 4 wherein the card reader is configured to identify the type of the only one card present in the card reader'"'"'s operating field, and accordingly activate the card for a communication session.

6. The electronic payment system of claim 1 wherein the card reader has a plurality of communication signal interfaces corresponding to different card types, and wherein the card reader is configured to have only a communication signal interface corresponding to a single card type active during a communication session.

7. The electronic payment system of claim 1 wherein the card reader is configured to deactivate the only one card present in the card reader'"'"'s operating field upon processing the transaction.

8. The electronic payment system of claim 1 wherein the card reader deploys a collision detection algorithm comprising a binary search routine to detect collisions of ISO 14443 Type A contactless payment cards.

9. The electronic payment system of claim 1 wherein the card reader wherein the card reader deploys a collision detection algorithm comprising a Slotted Aloha routine to detect collisions of ISO 14443 Type B contactless payment cards.

10. The electronic payment system of claim 1 wherein the card reader deploys a collision detection algorithm by which after one card of a type has been identified as present in the card reader'"'"'s operating field, the card reader polls for the presence of another type of card.

11. A collision detection and avoidance method for processing a transaction involving a contactless payment card and a card reader in a system of interacting contactless payment cards and card readers, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) investigating the presence of payment cards in an operating field of the card reader;

(b) in response to step (a), processing the transaction involving the contactless payment card and the card reader if and only if the contactless payment card is the only card present in the operating field of the card reader; and

(c) halting processing of the transaction when more than one payment card is present in the operating field of the card reader.

12. The collision detection and avoidance method of claim 11 wherein the interacting contactless payment cards comprise a first type of card and a second type of cards, and wherein step (a) comprises using a polling sequence to detect the presence of both types of cards.

13. The collision detection and avoidance method of claim 12 wherein polling sequence comprises alternating wake-up commands for the first Type And the second type of cards.

14. The collision detection and avoidance method of claim 12 wherein step (a) comprises identifying the type of card present, when only one card is found to be present in the operating field of the card reader.

15. The collision detection and avoidance method of claim 14 wherein step (b) comprises activating a communication session between the identified only one card and the card reader according to the type of the card to initiate processing of a transaction.

16. The collision detection and avoidance method of claim 15, wherein the card reader is coupled to terminal which is configured with transaction processing applications, wherein steps (a)-(c) are directed by a terminal process, and wherein step (b) comprises using a terminal transaction processing application to process the transaction.

17. The collision detection and avoidance method of claim 15, further comprising deactivating the card after processing the transaction.

18. The collision detection and avoidance method of claim 11 wherein step (a) comprises using a binary search algorithm to detect collisions of ISO 14443 Type A contactless payment cards.

19. The collision detection and avoidance method of claim 11 wherein step (a) comprises using a Slotted Aloha algorithm to detect collisions of ISO 14443 Type B contactless payment cards.

20. The collision detection and avoidance method of claim 11 wherein step (a) comprises, after one card of a type has been identified as present in the card reader'"'"'s operating field, polling for the presence of another type of card.