Method and system for conducting contactless payment card transactions

• US 20060027655A1
• Filed: 07/15/2005
• Published: 02/09/2006
• 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 7,424,977 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

A system and method for enhancing functional interoperability of contactless payment devices that are used for conducting electronic payment transactions between consumers and merchants. The contactless payment devices include RFID-embedded cards issued to consumers and proximity coupling devices such as RFID-enabled readers deployed by merchants. The system and method involve use of a reference card and a reference reader to establish acceptable specifications for issued cards and deployed readers, respectively. The reference card and reference reader are cross-calibrated to link the operational specifications for the cards and the readers. A suitable selection of overlapping specification ranges or tolerances for proper card and reader functions, the enhances the interoperability of the issued cards with a deployed reader, and also the interoperability of deployed readers with an issued card.

Claims

1. A system of contactless payment devices such as card and reader devices, wherein in operation of the devices, the reader devices transmit signals which are received by counterpart card devices, and the card devices transmit signals which are received by counterpart reader devices, the system comprising:

a specification range Rtx of a parameter related to a signal transmitted by the device, wherein each device is specified to transmit a signal whose parameter value C is in the range Rtx;

a specification range Rrx of parameter values of the signal received by the counterpart devices, wherein each counterpart device is specified to operate properly when the received signal parameter has any value in the range Rrx, and wherein the specification range Rtx is a subset of the specification range Rrx so that parameter value C is in the range Rrx and therefore the counterpart device can operate properly in response to the signal transmitted by any device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the signals transmitted by the reader devices comprise power and data signals.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the signals transmitted by the card devices comprise data signals.

4. The system of claim 1 further comprising a reference device and a reference counterpart device.

5. The system of claim 4 further comprising a specification verification that each device transmits a signal whose parameter value C is within the specification range Rtx as measured using the reference counterpart device.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein each device is a reader and each counterpart device is a card, and wherein the signal transmitted by the reader is a card-activating power signal, and wherein a power level of the signal transmitted by the reader is measured on the reference counterpart device.

7. The system of claim 5 wherein each device is a reader and each counterpart device is a card, and wherein the signal transmitted by the reader comprises a data signal and wherein a characteristic of the signal transmitted by the reader is measured on the reference counterpart device.

8. The system of claim 5 wherein each device is a card and each counterpart device is a reader, and wherein the signal transmitted by the card comprises a load modulated data signal and wherein a modulation characteristic of the signal transmitted by the card is measured on the reference counterpart device.

9. The system of claim 4 further comprising a specification verification that each counterpart device operates properly when the received signal parameter has any value in the range Rrx by using the reference device to generate and transmit different signals having parameter values across the range Rrx.

10. The system of claim 4 wherein the reference device is calibrated with respect to the characteristics of the reference counterpart device and conversely the reference counterpart device is calibrated with respect to the characteristics of the reference counterpart device.

11. In an electronic payment system based on payment devices such as contactless cards and readers each of which has mutual signal transmitting and receiving functions, a method for enhancing interoperability of a transmitting payment device with a set of different receiving devices and conversely for enhancing step of interoperability of a receiving device with a set of different transmitting payment devices, the method comprising:

identifying a range of values (Rtx) of a parameter related to a signal transmitted by a transmitting device and in response to which signal each of the set of different receiving devices are specified to operate properly;

specifying each of the set of different transmitting devices in proper operation to transmit only a signal which has a parameter value lying within range Rtx;

identifying a range of values (Rrx) of the parameter related to the signal received by the receiving devices, which range Rrx includes the range Rtx, and

specifying each of the set of different receiving devices to operate properly in response to any received signal having a parameter value lying within range Rtx, whereupon all transmitting devices operating as specified can generate only signals that have parameter values that correspond to signals for which the receiving devices are specified to operate properly.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the signals transmitted by the reader devices comprise power and data signals.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the signals transmitted by the card devices comprise data signals.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising using a reference device and a reference counterpart device to verify device parameters.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising specification verification step wherein each transmitting device transmits a signal whose parameter value C is within the specification range Rtx as measured using the reference counterpart device.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein each device is a reader and each counterpart device is a card, and wherein the signal transmitted by the reader is a card-activating power signal, and wherein the specification verification step further comprises measuring a power level of the signal transmitted by the reader on the reference counterpart device.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein each device is a reader and each counterpart device is a card, and wherein the signal transmitted by the reader comprises a data signal, and wherein the specification verification step further comprises measuring a characteristic of the signal transmitted by the reader on the reference counterpart device.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein each device is a card and each counterpart device is a reader, and wherein the signal transmitted by the card comprises a load modulated data signal and wherein a modulation characteristic of the signal transmitted by the card is measured on the reference counterpart device.

19. The method of claim 14, further comprising a specification verification step wherein each counterpart device operates properly when the received signal parameter has any value in the range Rrx by using the reference device to generate and transmit different signals having parameter values across the range Rrx.

20. The method of claim 14, further comprising a calibration step wherein the reference device is calibrated with respect to the characteristics of the reference counterpart device, and conversely the reference counterpart device is calibrated with respect to the characteristics of the reference counterpart device.