Memory card based contactless devices

• US 20090152361A1
• Filed: 12/14/2007
• Published: 06/18/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tyfone Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Tyfone Incorporated
• Inventors: Tadepalli, Prabharkar, Narendra, Siva G., Spitzer, Thomas N.
• Granted Patent: US 9,741,027 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/492
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3278 RFID or NFC payments by means of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/353 Payments by cards read by M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03

Abstract

A memory card compatible token includes a memory card slot compatible interface, radio circuits to transmit signals and a controller to determine if the memory card access commands are for contactless devices attached to the memory card slot or general memory. User payment account information is stored in the contactless chip as part of the contactless devices. The radio circuits can be activated and deactivated by the user for signal transmission using the controller through a mobile computing device.

Claims

1. A memory card compatible token comprising:

a memory card slot compatible interface;

a radio circuit to transmit signals; and

a controller coupled between the memory card slot compatible interface and the radio circuit, wherein the controller is operable to determine if memory card compatible commands received over the memory card slot compatible interface are meant to influence operation of the radio circuit.

2. The memory card compatible token of claim 1 wherein the controller is further operable to enable and disable the radio circuit in response to the memory card compatible commands.

3. The memory card compatible token of claim 1 wherein the controller is further operable to maintain financial account information.

4. The memory card compatible token of claim 1 wherein the controller is operable to compare an address field of the memory card compatible commands to an address value that identifies the commands as non-memory commands.

5. The memory card compatible token of claim 4 wherein the controller is further operable to compare an address field of the memory card compatible commands to an address value that identifies the commands as non-memory commands.

6. An apparatus comprising:

a memory card slot compatible interface;

a contactless device to communicate wirelessly with card readers; and

means for controlling the contactless device in response to a memory card compatible command received from the memory card slot compatible interface.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the means for controlling is operable to compare an address field in the memory card compatible command to determine if the memory card compatible command is meant to be a memory command or a non-memory command.

8. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the contactless device is operable to maintain account information for at least one payment account.

9. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the contactless device is operable to maintain account information for a plurality of accounts.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the means for controlling is operable to allow modification of the account information for the plurality of accounts in response to memory card compatible commands.

11. The apparatus of claim 6 further comprising means for enabling and disabling signal transmissions from the contactless device, wherein the means for controlling the contactless device is operable to control the means for enabling and disabling signal transmissions.

12. A method comprising:

receiving a memory card compatible command from a memory card compatible interface within a memory card compatible token;

determining whether the memory card compatible command is meant to accomplish a memory function or a contactless device function;

if the memory card compatible command is meant to accomplish a memory function, performing the memory function; and

if the memory card compatible command is meant to accomplish a contactless device function, performing the contactless device function.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the contactless device function comprises enabling a radio circuit.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein the contactless device function comprises disabling a radio circuit.

15. The method of claim 12 wherein the contactless device function comprises modifying payment account information maintained in the contactless device.

16. The method of claim 12 wherein determining whether the memory card compatible command is meant to accomplish a memory function or a contactless device function comprises checking an address field of the memory card compatible command.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein determining whether the memory card compatible command is meant to accomplish a memory function or a contactless device function further comprises checking a data field of the memory card compatible command.

18. A method comprising:

populating a first field in a memory card compatible command with a data pattern to identify the memory card compatible command as a command to control a contactless device in a memory card compatible token;

populating a second field in the memory card compatible command with a command index to specify a contactless device command; and

issuing the memory card compatible command to the token.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein populating a second field in the memory card compatible command with a command index comprises populating the second field with a command index to enable signal transmissions from the contactless device.

20. The method of claim 18 wherein populating a second field in the memory card compatible command with a command index comprises populating the second field with a command index to modify account information maintained in the contactless device.

21. The method of claim 18 further comprising prior to populating the first field and the second field, receiving a copy of the data pattern from the token.

22. The method of claim 18 further comprising populating an address field with an address value to further identify the memory card compatible command as a command to control a contactless device.

23. An article having a machine readable medium with instructions stored thereon that when accessed result in a memory card compatible token:

receiving a memory card compatible command from a memory card compatible interface;

determining whether the memory card compatible command is meant to accomplish a memory function or a contactless device function;

if the memory card compatible command is meant to accomplish a memory function, performing the memory function; and

if the memory card compatible command is meant to accomplish a contactless device function, performing the contactless device function.

24. The article of claim 23 wherein the contactless device function comprises enabling a radio circuit.

25. The article of claim 23 wherein the contactless device function comprises modifying payment account information maintained in the contactless device.