WIRELESS CARD READER WITH ONE OR MORE CARD INTERFACES

• US 20140001263A1
• Filed: 09/05/2012
• Published: 01/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/02/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Block, Inc. (f/k/a Square, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Block, Inc. (f/k/a Square, Inc.)
• Inventors: Babu, Amish, Dorogusker, Jesse, Lamba, Kartik, Sather, Elliot
• Granted Patent: US 9,063,737 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/440
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3209 Monitoring remote activity, e.g. over telephone lines or network connections
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3215 Monitoring of peripheral devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3287 by switching off individual functional units in the computer system
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/0004 Hybrid readers
• 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 7/0073 having multiple insertion slots, the respective slots suited for the same or different card form factors
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/084 sensing magnetic material by relative movement detecting flux changes without altering its magnetised state
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10128 the step consisting of detection of the presence of one or more record carriers in the vicinity of the interrogation device
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10297 arrangements for handling protocols designed for non-contact record carriers such as RFIDs NFCs, e.g. ISO/IEC 14443 and 18092 cryptographic protocols H04L9/00; network security protocols H04L63/00; real-time communication protocols in data switching networks H04L65/00; network protocols for data switching network services H04L67/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/202 Interconnection or interaction of plural electronic cash registers [ECR] or to host computer, e.g. network details, transfer of information from host to ECR or from ECR to ECR
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/204 comprising interface for record bearing medium or carrier for electronic funds transfer or payment credit
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3278 RFID or NFC payments by means of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/4012 Verifying personal identification numbers [PIN]
• 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: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0229 where the received signal is a wanted signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0251 using monitoring of local events, e.g. events related to user activity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0254 detecting a user operation or a tactile contact or a motion of the device
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/10 Technologies improving the efficiency by using switched-mode power supplies [SMPS], i.e. efficient power electronics conversion e.g. power factor correction or reduction of losses in power supplies or efficient standby modes
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/30 Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for improving the carbon footprint of the management of residential or tertiary loads, i.e. smart grids as climate change mitigation technology in the buildings sector, including also the last stages of power distribution and the control, monitoring or operating management systems at local level
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 : Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 : in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatus, for a payment card reader comprising: a frame, where the frame includes a top surface, a bottom surface, a first side surface, and a second side surface, a second side surface of the side surfaces on an opposite side of the frame from the first side surface, the first side surface including a groove configured to receive a swipe of a magnetic stripe card, the second side surface including a slot configured to receive insertion of a chip card; a magnetic stripe reader interface; a chip card reader interface; circuitry configured to direct signals from the magnetic stripe reader interface and the chip card reader interface to a microcontroller in the card reader; and circuitry configured to communicate wirelessly between the card reader and a computing device.

Claims

1. A card reader that communicates wirelessly, comprising:

a frame, where the frame includes a top surface, a bottom surface, a first side surface, and a second side surface, a second side surface of the side surfaces on an opposite side of the frame from the first side surface, the first side surface including a groove configured to receive a swipe of a magnetic stripe card, the second side surface including a slot configured to receive insertion of a chip card;

a magnetic stripe reader interface including magnetic read heads positioned in the frame to read a stripe of the magnetic stripe card as it is swiped through the groove;

a chip card reader interface including electrical contacts positioned in the frame to contact contacts of the chip card when it is inserted into the slot;

circuitry configured to direct signals from the magnetic stripe reader interface and the chip card reader interface to a microcontroller in the card reader; and

circuitry configured to communicate wirelessly between the card reader and a computing device.

2. The reader of claim 1, further comprising a wake-up circuit, where the wake-up circuit is configured to activate the microcontroller upon a card interaction at a corresponding card interface, where upon the card interaction, the microcontroller receives card data from the corresponding card interface and sends the card data to the circuitry configured to communicate wirelessly, and where the circuitry configured to communicate wirelessly sends and receives data to and from the computing device, respectively, where the data includes the card data.

3. The reader of claim 2, where the card data includes a signature, an authentication notification for a transaction, a card number, an expiry date, or a name.

4. The reader of claim 2, where the magnetic stripe reader interface is coupled to an accelerometer, where the accelerometer triggers or functions as the wake-up circuit.

5. The reader of claim 2, where the microcontroller is configured to activate only one of the chip card reader interface or the magnetic stripe reader interface.

6. The reader of claim 2, where the card interaction is a card swipe or a card insertion.

7. The reader of claim 1, further comprising a power source, where the power source powers one or more of the following:

the magnetic stripe reader interface, the chip card reader interface, the circuitry configured to direct signals, and the circuitry configured to communicate wirelessly.

8. The reader of claim 7, where the power source includes a direct current convertor, where the direct current convertor converts current from the power source to usable power for the microcontroller, and where the microcontroller is powered by the usable power.

9. The reader of claim 7, where the power source includes a lithium ion battery.

10. The reader of claim 7, where the power source includes a rechargeable battery, where the rechargeable battery is recharged using an external adapter or a Universal Serial Bus (USB).

11. The reader of claim 10, where the external adapter provides power through unused electrical contacts of the chip card reader interface.

12. The reader of claim 10, where the external adapter is a connector that engages with electrical contacts of one of the card interfaces.

13. The reader of claim 1, where the microcontroller is configured to power the circuitry configured to communicate wirelessly only after receipt of card data from the magnetic stripe reader interface or the chip card reader interface.

14. The reader of claim 1, where the magnetic stripe reader interface and the chip card reader interface are integrated as a combined interface.

15. The reader of claim 14, where the combined interface includes a spring loaded gate, where if a card is inserted at the combined interface, electrical contacts of the spring loaded gate are engaged with the card, and where if the card is swiped at the combined interface, the electrical contacts are recessed from the card.

16. The reader of claim 1, where the chip card reader interface implements the Europay, Mastercard, Visa (EMV) protocol.

17. The reader of claim 1, where the circuitry configured to communicate wireless includes an antenna.

18. The reader of claim 17, where the antenna is a WiFi adapter and communicates through a WiFi network.

19. The reader of claim 17, where the antenna is a Bluetooth adapter and communicates using a Bluetooth protocol.

20. The reader of claim 1, further comprising a contactless card reader interface, where the microcontroller is configured to operate with the contactless card reader interface.