Wireless Transaction Instrument Having Display And On-Board Power Supply And Method Of Using Same

• US 20080110977A1
• Filed: 04/23/2007
• Published: 05/15/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Liberty Peak Ventures, LLC (Dominion Harbor Enterprises, LLC)
• Original Assignee: American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc. (American Express Company)
• Inventors: Senghore, Medina J., Bonalle, David S., Thomas, Tracey R., Paylor, Scott Glen, Donovan, Michael D., Jackson, Sherrie G.
• Granted Patent: US 7,909,247 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/380
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/00 Digital computing or data processing equipment or methods, specially adapted for specific functions information retrieval, database structures or file system structures therefor G06F16/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/00 Record carriers for use with machines and with at least a part designed to carry digital markings
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06187 with magnetically detectable marking
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0719 at least one of the integrated circuit chips comprising an arrangement for application selection, e.g. an acceleration sensor or a set of radio buttons application selection on smart cards using pure software control, see G07F7/10
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0723 the record carrier comprising an arrangement for non-contact communication, e.g. wireless communication circuits on transponder cards, non-contact smart cards or RFIDs
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07703 the interface being visual
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/10 at least one kind of marking being used for authentication, e.g. of credit or identity cards verification of coded identity or credit cards in mechanisms actuated by them G07F7/12
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/12 the marking being sensed by magnetic means
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/145 at least one of the further markings being adapted for galvanic or wireless sensing, e.g. an RFID tag with both a wireless and an optical interface or memory, or a contact type smart card with ISO 7816 contacts and an optical interface or memory
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/322 Aspects of commerce using mobile devices [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: G06Q 20/3415 Cards acting autonomously as pay-media
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/352 Contactless payments by cards
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/385 using an alias or single-use codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40 Authorisation, e.g. identification of payer or payee, verification of customer or shop credentials; Review and approval of payers, e.g. check credit lines or negative lists
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/409 Device specific authentication in transaction processing
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/1008 Active credit-cards provided with means to personalise their use, e.g. with PIN-introduction/comparison system
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3006 underlying computational problems or public-key parameters

Abstract

A wireless financial transaction instrument, such as a card, has a magnetic stripe, a display, and an on-board power supply, such as a battery, and is usable with a dual capture point of sale terminal. Information is received by such a terminal from the card wirelessly, and also from the magnetic stripe, and the data received contactlessly is preferably used to verify that read from the stripe. The display can display the account number on command, or to display a current balance, or amount of credit remaining, or any combination of these items of information.

Claims

1. A contactless transaction device comprising a radio frequency (RF) communication system, and operable to provide, via that RF communication system, account data compatible with Track 1/Track 2 format, the contactless transaction device further comprising a magnetic stripe configured to store account data in magnetic stripe Track 1/Track 2 format, a display, and an on-board power source.

2. The transaction device according to claim 1, wherein the on-board power source comprises a battery.

3. The transaction device according to claim 1, further comprising means for rewriting at least a portion of the account data stored in the magnetic stripe.

4. The transaction device according to claim 3, wherein the account data stored in the magnetic stripe comprises an account number having plural digits, and wherein the means for rewriting is arranged for rewriting at least four predetermined ones of the digits of the account number.

5. The transaction device according to claim 1, wherein the magnetic stripe Track 1/Track 2 format complies with ISO/IEC 7813.

6. The transaction device according to claim 1, wherein the account data includes an account number, and said device further comprising a processor configured to generate a set of data to replace at least a portion of the account number, thereby to produce a new account number, and a transaction device memory configured to store the account data, wherein the processor causes the account number in the transaction device memory to be replaced with the new account number after producing the new account number.

7. The transaction device according to claim 6, further comprising means for rewriting at least a portion of the account data stored in the magnetic stripe.

8. The transaction device according to claim 7, wherein the account number has plural digits, and wherein the means for rewriting is arranged for rewriting at least four predetermined ones of the digits of the account number.

9. The transaction device according to claim 6, wherein the processor is configured to produce a new account number each time a response signal is sent in response to a signal received by the transaction device from a reader.

10. The transaction device according to claim 6, wherein the display is configured to display the account number, prior to production of the new account number, and to display the new account number, once the new account number has been produced.

11. The transaction device according to claim 10, wherein the display becomes active to display the new account number only in response to actuation of a switch.

12. A transaction system, comprising:

a contactless transaction device comprising a radio frequency (RF) communication system, and operable to provide, via that RF communication system, account data compatible with Track 1/Track 2 format, the contactless transaction device further comprising a magnetic stripe configured to store account data in magnetic stripe Track 1/Track 2 format, a display, and an on-board power source; and

a reader operable to provide an interrogation signal to the transaction device, and to receive the Track 1/Track 2 compatible account data via RF communication from the transaction device, the reader comprising a magnetic stripe reader for reading the magnetic stripe of the contactless transaction device.

13. The transaction system according to claim 12, further comprising a transaction completion system operable to receive the account data from the reader in the magnetic stripe Track 1/Track 2 format.

14. The transaction system according to claim 12, wherein the account data includes an account number, and the contactless transaction device further comprising a processor configured to generate a set of data to replace at least a portion of the account number, thereby to produce a new account number, and a transaction device memory configured to store the account data, wherein the processor causes the account number in the transaction device memory to be replaced with the new account number after producing the new account number.

15. The transaction system according to claim 14, wherein the contactless transaction device further comprises means for rewriting at least a portion of the account data stored in the magnetic stripe.

16. The transaction system according to claim 15,

wherein the reader is operable to compare the account data received via RF communication from the transaction device with the account data read from the magnetic stripe of the contactless transaction device, and

wherein the reader is constructed to compare the account data received via RF communication from the transaction device with the account data read from the magnetic stripe of the contactless transaction device only after the new account number has been stored in the transaction device memory and the means for rewriting has rewritten the at least a portion of the account data stored in the magnetic stripe, and wherein the reader uses the result of comparing to verify that the account data received by RF communication and the account data read from the magnetic stripe are valid.

17. The transaction system according to claim 15, wherein the account number has plural digits, and wherein the means for rewriting is arranged for rewriting at least four predetermined ones of the digits of the account number.

18. A method for reading and using data from a device, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving contactless account data from the device, via radio frequency (RF) communication, the contactless account data being compatible with Track 1/Track 2 format,

reading magnetic-stripe account data from a magnetic stripe in the device, the magnetic-stripe account data being compatible with magnetic-stripe Track 1/Track 2 format and at least a portion of the magnetic-stripe account data having been dynamically changed prior to the reading step;

comparing and verifying the contactless account data with the magnetic-stripe account data.

19. A method for performing a transaction, the method comprising the steps of:

outputting from a transaction device, via radio frequency (RF) communication, in response to an interrogation signal, account data compatible with Track 1/Track 2 format, the account data including an account number for a financial transaction account, wherein the transaction device comprises a radio frequency (RF) communication system, and is operable to provide, via that RF communication system, account data compatible with Track 1/Track 2 format, the transaction device further comprising a magnetic stripe configured to store account data in magnetic stripe Track 1/Track 2 format, a display, and an on-board power source;

receiving the Track 1/Track 2 compatible account data via RF communication from the transaction device;

reading the magnetic stripe; and

outputting the account data to a transaction completion system in magnetic stripe Track 1/Track 2 format.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein the magnetic stripe Track 1/Track 2 format complies with ISO/IEC 7813.

21. The method according to claim 19, wherein the on-board power source comprises a battery.

22. The method according to claim 19, further comprising the step of a transaction completion system receiving the account data from the reader in the magnetic stripe Track 1/Track 2 format.

23. The method according to claim 19, further comprising the step of determining from the account data read from the magnetic stripe of the contactless transaction device whether the transaction device comprises account data to be received via RF communication.

24. The method according to claim 19, wherein the account data includes an account number, and further comprising the steps of generating a set of data to replace at least a portion of the account number, thereby to produce a new account number, storing the account data, and causing the account number to be replaced with the new account number after producing the new account number.

25. The method according to claim 24, further comprising the step of rewriting at least a portion of the account data stored in the magnetic stripe.

26. The method claim 24, further comprising the step of comparing the account data received via RF communication from the transaction device with the account data read from the magnetic stripe of the contactless transaction device,

wherein the receiving, reading and comparing steps are performed only after the new account number has been stored in the transaction device memory and after the rewriting step has been performed, and further comprising the step of using the result of the comparing step to verify that the account data received by RF communication and the account data read from the magnetic stripe are valid.

27. The method according to claim 25, wherein the account number has plural digits, and wherein rewriting step includes rewriting at least four predetermined ones of the digits of the account number.

28. A contactless transaction device comprising a radio frequency (RF) communication system, and operable to store first data and to communicate that first data via that RF communication system, the contactless transaction device further comprising a magnetic stripe configured to store second data, a display, and an on-board power source, the RF communication system being constructed to respond to an interrogation signal from outside the device by communicating at least a portion of the first data, and the magnetic stripe being constructed to permit reading of the second data therefrom by means of a magnetic-strip reader, whereby the second data read from the magnetic stripe can be validated by means of comparison with the first data communicated via the RF communication system.

29. The transaction device according to claim 28, wherein the on-board power source comprises a battery.

30. The transaction device according to claim 28, further comprising means for rewriting at least a portion of the data stored in the magnetic stripe.