Transaction verification system using optical coupling data communication link
First Claim
1. A system for determining whether a requested transaction is authorized, comprisinga portable verification device to be carried by a user, said device comprising a housing, data processing and storage circuit means inside said housing;
- a keyboard for providing monodirectional first transaction data to said circuitry and a first optical transceiver exposed through said housing for providing bidirectional second transaction data to said circuitry;
a console at a point of transaction location, including a receptacle for receiving said verification device, a second optical transceiver within said receptacle position to establish an optical communication link with said first optical transceiver, said receptacle including means for maintaining said first and second optical transceivers in proper optical registration with each other andmeans responsive to keyboard entered data and stored data for establishing transaction authorization data on said optical link.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A system for providing authorization to complete a requested transaction comprises a portable verification device (20) carried by each user to be inserted into a receptacle (34) at a point of transaction for authorization verification. The portable device (20) comprises a housing (22) containing data processing and storage circuitry, a keyboard (24) for manually entering identification and transaction data, and a display. An optical transceiver (70) exposed through the housing (22) establishes a bidirectional optical data link between the portable device (20) and a corresponding optical transceiver (80) in the receptacle (34). The optical data link is preferably in the non-visible wave length range, e.g. infrared, to make the system immune to ambient visible light and to mask optical data from the user. The portable device can be used either in an off-line mode, wherein transaction data, such as account balance and user restrictions, are stored in memory within the device and transactions are approved based upon keyboard entered data and data stored in device (20), or in an on-mode, wherein transactions are authorized based upon keyboard entry of the personal identification number and data coupled between the portable device and a host computer via the optical channel. Vouchers (30) are imprinted by a thermal print head (56) within device (20) following authorization.
205 Citations
10 Claims
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1. A system for determining whether a requested transaction is authorized, comprising
a portable verification device to be carried by a user, said device comprising a housing, data processing and storage circuit means inside said housing; - a keyboard for providing monodirectional first transaction data to said circuitry and a first optical transceiver exposed through said housing for providing bidirectional second transaction data to said circuitry;
a console at a point of transaction location, including a receptacle for receiving said verification device, a second optical transceiver within said receptacle position to establish an optical communication link with said first optical transceiver, said receptacle including means for maintaining said first and second optical transceivers in proper optical registration with each other and means responsive to keyboard entered data and stored data for establishing transaction authorization data on said optical link. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
- a keyboard for providing monodirectional first transaction data to said circuitry and a first optical transceiver exposed through said housing for providing bidirectional second transaction data to said circuitry;
Specification