MULTIFUNCTIONAL PORTABLE CONSUMER PAYMENT DEVICE

• US 20100065626A1
• Filed: 09/16/2008
• Published: 03/18/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/16/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Visa USA, Inc. (Visa, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Visa USA, Inc. (Visa, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hammad, Ayman A.
• Granted Patent: US 8,408,454 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/380
• 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 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 7/0013 by galvanic contacts, e.g. card connectors for ISO-7816 compliant smart cards or memory cards, e.g. SD card readers connectors in general H01R13/00; connectors for SIM cards used in mobile phones or the like H04B1/3816
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/006 the housing being a portable casing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/346 Cards serving only as information carrier of service
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/08 by coded identity card or credit card or other personal identification means without personal verification means G07F7/02
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/0886 the card reader being portable for interacting with a POS or ECR in realizing a payment transaction

Abstract

A card can be used to make a payment or to gain access to a secure facility. The card embeds a chip, a passive circuit, and an antennae that receives frequencies upon which the chip executes corresponding payment and access applications. The passive circuit powers the chip upon being energized by an external circuit that emits the frequencies. The card docks into a card dock having a user interface. The user interface has buttons which, when particularly engaged, permits reception of one of the frequencies that energizes the passive circuit to power the chip for the execution of the corresponding application.

Claims

1. A portable device for a consumer to conduct a transaction in a payment processing system in which a transaction handler processes said transaction characterized by a merchant and the consumer engaging in the transaction upon an account within the payment processing system that an issuer has issued to the consumer, wherein the merchant submits the transaction to an acquirer for processing by the transaction handler who requests t issuer to disburse funds from the consumer for the transaction, and wherein the issuer forwards funds to the transaction handler who forwards the funds to the acquirer to disburse the funds to the merchant for the transaction, the portable device comprising a substrate having therein:

an antennae in communication with related circuitry to transmit and receive at plurality of frequencies each carrying data;

a chip including;

a microprocessor;

memory containing instructions for a plurality of applications; and

a memory management unit (MMU) controlling rights by the microprocessor to execute the instructions for each said application; and

a passive circuit powering the chip upon being energized by an external circuit emitting;

an access said frequency carrying access data received by the antennae such that the MMU allows the instructions in the memory for an access said application to be executed by the microprocessor to process the access data for the negotiation of access to a secure facility; and

a payment said frequency carrying payment data received by the antennae such that the MMU allows access to the instructions in the memory for a payment said application to be executed by the microprocessor to process the payment data for the negotiation of one said transaction in the payment processing system.

2. The portable device as defined in claim 1, further comprising interface means for receiving a user interface having a button which, when engaged, limits to a specific said frequency that can energize the passive circuit to power the chip, wherein the interface means includes means for placing:

the chip in electrical communication with the user interface; and

the substrate in physical contact with the user interface, wherein the memory further comprises instruction for an application executable by the microprocessor to control the user interface.

3. The portable device as defined in claim 1, wherein the substrate further comprises a magnetic strip bearing magnetically encoded data corresponding to the account and for conducting one said transaction in the payment processing system.

4. The portable device as defined in claim 1, wherein the substrate further comprises a contact for physical and electrical communication with the chip.

5. The portable device as defined in claim 1, wherein when the access said frequency carrying the access data is received by the antennae, the MMU allows the instructions in the memory for the access said application to be executed by the microprocessor to process the access data for the negotiation of physical access to a physical location.

6. The portable device as defined in claim 1, wherein when the access said frequency carrying the access data is received by the antennae from the external circuit:

the passive circuit is energized and powers the chip;

the MMU allows the instructions in the memory for the access said application to be executed by the microprocessor to process the access data for the negotiation of logical access to a logical location.

7. The portable device as defined in claim 1, wherein the logical access to the logical location is access to a computer network device.

8. The portable device as defined in claim 1, wherein the secure facility is a computer network device.

9. The portable device as defined in claim 1, wherein the MMU, using the frequency received by the antennae, controls the rights by the microprocessor to execute the instructions for each said application such that:

different said frequencies can correspond to the execution of a single said application by the microprocessor;

each said frequency can correspond to the execution of only one said application by the microprocessor; and

no said frequency can correspond to the execution of more than one said application by the microprocessor.

10. The portable device as defined in claim 1, wherein the user interface is selected from the group consisting for a cellular telephone, a card docking station, and a personal digital assistant.

11. A portable device for a consumer to conduct a transaction in a payment processing system in which a transaction handler processes said transaction characterized by a merchant and the consumer engaging in the transaction upon an account within the payment processing system that an issuer has issued to the consumer, wherein the merchant submits the transaction to an acquirer for processing by the transaction handler who requests t issuer to disburse funds from the consumer for the transaction, and wherein the issuer forwards funds to the transaction handler who forwards the funds to the acquirer to disburse the funds to the merchant for the transaction, the portable device comprising a substrate having therein:

an antennae in communication with related circuitry to transmit and receive at plurality of frequencies each carrying data;

a chip including;

a microprocessor;

memory containing instructions for a plurality of applications; and

a memory management unit (MMU) controlling rights by the microprocessor to execute the instructions for each said application and, using the frequency received by the antennae, controlling the rights by the microprocessor to execute the instructions for each said application such that;

different said frequencies can correspond to the execution of a single said application by the microprocessor;

each said frequency can correspond to the execution of only one said application by the microprocessor; and

no said frequency can correspond to the execution of more than one said application by the microprocessor;

a passive circuit powering the chip upon being energized by an external circuit emitting;

an access said frequency carrying access data received by the antennae such that the MMU allows the instructions in the memory for an access said application to be executed by the microprocessor to process the access data for the negotiation of access to a secure facility; and

a payment said frequency carrying payment data received by the antennae such that the MMU allows access to the instructions in the memory for a payment said application to be executed by the microprocessor to process the payment data for the negotiation of one said transaction in the payment processing system; and

interface means for receiving a user interface having a plurality of buttons which, when one or more said buttons are engaged, limits to a specific said frequency that can energize the passive circuit to power the chip, wherein the interface means includes means for placing;

the chip in electrical communication with the user interface; and

the substrate in physical contact with the user interface, wherein the memory further comprises instruction for an application executable by the microprocessor to control the user interface.

12. The portable device as defined in claim 11, wherein:

the plurality of buttons include a plurality of subsets thereof; and

each particular said subset corresponds to;

a particular said frequency; and

a particular said application;

whereby when the particular said frequency is received by the antennae;

the particular said frequency received by the antennae is permitted to energize the passive circuit to power the chip only when the corresponding particular said subset is engaged, such that the MMU allows the instructions in the memory for the corresponding particular said application to be executed by the microprocessor to process the data being carried by the particular said frequency; and

the particular said frequency received by the antennae is not permitted to energize the passive circuit to power the chip when the particular said subset is not engaged.

13. The portable device as defined in claim 11, wherein the substrate further comprises a magnetic strip bearing magnetically encoded data corresponding to the account and for conducting one said transaction in the payment processing system.

14. The portable device as defined in claim 11, wherein the substrate further comprises a contact for physical and electrical communication with the chip.

15. The portable device as defined in claim 11, wherein when the access said frequency carrying the access data is received by the antennae, the MMU allows the instructions in the memory for the access said application to be executed by the microprocessor to process the access data for the negotiation of physical access to a physical location.

16. The portable device as defined in claim 11, wherein when the access said frequency carrying the access data is received by the antennae from the external circuit:

the passive circuit is energized and powers the chip;

the MMU allows the instructions in the memory for the access said application to be executed by the microprocessor to process the access data for the negotiation of logical access to a logical location.

18. The portable device as defined in claim 11, wherein the secure facility is a computer network device.

19. The portable device as defined in claim 11, wherein the user interface is selected from the group consisting for a cellular telephone, a card docking station, and a personal digital assistant.

17. The portable device as defined in claim 17, wherein the logical access to the logical location is access to a computer network device.

20. A card dock comprising:

a user interface having a plurality of buttons; and

means for placing;

a chip in electrical communication with the user interface; and

a card in physical contact with the user interface, wherein the card includes a substrate having therein;

an antennae in communication with related circuitry to transmit and receive at plurality of frequencies each carrying data;

the chip including;

a microprocessor;

memory containing instructions for a plurality of applications; and

a memory management unit (MMU) controlling rights by the microprocessor to execute the instructions for each said application including the instructions for one said application executable by the microprocessor to control the user interface; and

a passive circuit powering the chip upon being energized by an external circuit emitting;

an access said frequency carrying access data received by the antennae such that the MMU allows the instructions in the memory for an access said application to be executed by the microprocessor to process the access data for the negotiation of access to a secure facility; and

a payment said frequency carrying payment data received by the antennae such that the MMU allows access to the instructions in the memory for a payment said application to be executed by the microprocessor to process the payment data for the negotiation of one said transaction in the payment processing system;

wherein each said button, when engaged, corresponds to a specific said frequency that can energize the passive circuit to power the chip.

21. The card dock as defined in claim 20, wherein the means for placing comprises a contact for physical and electrical communication with the chip.

22. The card dock as defined in claim 20, wherein:

the plurality of buttons include a plurality of subsets thereof; and

each particular said subset corresponds to;

a particular said frequency; and

a particular said application;

whereby when the particular said frequency is received by the antennae;

the particular said frequency received by the antennae is permitted to energize the passive circuit to power the chip only when the corresponding particular said subset is engaged, such that the MMU allows the instructions in the memory for the corresponding particular said application to be executed by the microprocessor to process the data being carried by the particular said frequency; and

the particular said frequency received by the antennae is not permitted to energize the passive circuit to power the chip when the particular said subset is not engaged.

23. The card dock as defined in claim 20, wherein the logical access to the logical location is access to a computer network device.

24. The card dock as defined in claim 20, the secure facility is a computer network device.

25. The card dock as defined in claim 20, wherein the MMU, using the frequency received by the antennae, controls the rights by the microprocessor to execute the instructions for each said application such that:

different said frequencies can correspond to the execution of a single said application by the microprocessor;

each said frequency can correspond to the execution of only one said application by the microprocessor; and

no said frequency can correspond to the execution of more than one said application by the microprocessor.