Sleeve for electronic transaction card

• US 20060226217A1
• Filed: 04/07/2005
• Published: 10/12/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/07/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Tyfone Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Tyfone Incorporated
• Inventors: Tadepalli, Prabhakar, Narendra, Siva G., Spitzer, Thomas N.
• Application Number:
  US11/100,645
• Publication Number:
  US 20060226217A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/380
• 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 7/0886 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

A sleeve provides communications between an electronic transaction card and an intelligent electronic device. The intelligent electronic device may be a mobile phone or other device with or without network connectivity. The electronic transaction card may have magnetic field producing circuitry compatible with magnetic card readers, smartcard circuitry, other point-of-sale interfaces, or any combination thereof.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a body portion having a contour to receive an intelligent electronic device;

a first interface to provide communication with the intelligent electronic device; and

a second interface to provide communication with an electronic transaction card.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first interface comprises a circuit to communicate with an add-on slot in the intelligent electronic device.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the add-on slot comprises a memory card slot.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first interface comprises a wireless interface.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first interface includes contacts to communicate with a data connector on the intelligent electronic device.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 further comprising a replicated data connector to replicate the data connector on the intelligent electronic device.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the contour is shaped to receive a cellular phone as the intelligent electronic device.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the contour is shaped to receive a personal digital assistant as the intelligent electronic device.

9. A sleeve to provide communications between a handheld intelligent electronic device and an electronic transaction card, the sleeve comprising:

an add-on slot to receive the electronic transaction card; and

an interface to communicate with the handheld intelligent electronic device.

10. The sleeve of claim 9 wherein the interface comprises a mating connector to couple to a connector on the handheld intelligent electronic device.

11. The sleeve of claim 10 wherein the sleeve further includes a replicated connector to replicate the connector on the handheld intelligent electronic device.

12. The sleeve of claim 9 wherein the add-on slot comprises a memory card slot.

13. The sleeve of claim 9 wherein the interface comprises a wireless interface.

14. The sleeve of claim 9 further comprising a battery.

15. An apparatus comprising:

means for communicating with an intelligent electronic device;

means for receiving an electronic transaction card; and

means for communicating with the electronic transaction card.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the means for receiving an electronic transaction card comprises an add-on slot.

17. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the means for communicating with the electronic transaction card comprises a memory card compatible interface.

18. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein means for communicating with an intelligent electronic device comprises a mating connector to mate with a connector on the intelligent electronic device.

19. The apparatus of claim 18 further comprising a replicated connector to replicate the connector on the intelligent electronic device.

20. A transaction system comprising:

a cellular phone receiving portion having a shape compatible with a cellular phone and having an interface to communicate with the cellular phone; and

a stripe to communicate with a magnetic card reader.

21. The transaction system of claim 20 wherein the transaction system includes an electronic transaction card upon which the stripe is located.

22. The transaction system of claim 21 wherein the transaction system includes a sleeve upon which the cellular phone receiving portion is located.

23. The transaction system of claim 22 wherein the sleeve includes an add-on slot to receive the electronic transaction card.

24. The transaction system of claim 20 wherein the electronic transaction card includes a foldable portion to reduce the size of the electronic transaction card when folded.

25. The transaction system of claim 20 further comprising circuitry to produce a time-varying magnetic field in a vicinity of the stripe.