IR Transmitter with integral magnetic-stripe ATM type credit card reader & method therefor

• US 5,973,756 A
• Filed: 06/19/1996
• Issued: 10/26/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ft Comm Remote LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: FCA Corporation
• Inventors: Erlin, Dan
• Primary Examiner(s): GRANT, CHRISTOPHER C
• Application Number:
  US08/666,027
• Time in Patent Office: 1,224 Days
• Field of Search: 348/12, 348/13, 348/134, 348/734, 348/906, 348/10, 348/6, 235/379, 455/6.2, 455/6.3, 455/6.1, 380/52
• US Class Current: 348/734
• 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: G07F 7/0886 the card reader being portable for interacting with a POS or ECR in realizing a payment transaction
• 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: H04B 1/202 by remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2143 located in a single building, e.g. hotel, hospital or museum arrangements specially adapted for plural spots in a confined site in broadcast systems H04H20/63; adaptations for transmission by electric cable for domestic distribution in television systems H04N7/106
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4181 for conditional access
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4185 for payment
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42204 User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42213 for facilitating data entry
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42221 Transmission circuitry, e.g. infrared [IR] or radio frequency [RF]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47815 Electronic shopping payment schemes, payment architectures or payment protocols for electronic shopping systems G06Q20/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/44 Receiver circuitry for the reception of television signals according to analogue transmission standards H04N5/14 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/445 for displaying additional information H04N5/50 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A television remote control unit including an IR (infra-red) transmitter with integral magnetic stripe ATM type credit card reader and method therefor for transmitting IR signals to a remote interactive location such as a television set or a TV cable remote control box. The remote control unit permits the user to swipe a credit card through the credit card reader so as to generate credit card transaction signals for transmission to the remote interactive locations. The remote control unit can be used in an interactive environment such as a hotel casino, a cable TV home shopping network, or an off track betting (OTB) environment.

Claims

1. An interactive television remote control unit for transmitting IR (infra-red) signals to an interactive location such as a television set top box and for receiving IR signals from said interactive location, said remote control unit comprising:

an integral magnetic stripe financial ATM transaction type card reader for reading ATM type financial card information from a magnetic stripe of an ATM type card swiped through said reader to form read ATM card information;

a keypad for entering ATM transaction information for a particular ATM card transaction and for entering ATM card identification information relating to a specific personal identification number (PIN) to form PIN information;

interactive receiver means for interactively receiving a personal encryption key (PEK) from said interactive location to code said PIN information thereby forming coded PIN information;

a processor for processing said ATM transaction information and said coded PIN information to form IR ATM card transaction signals; and

interactive IR transmitter means for interactively transmitting said IR ATM card transaction signals to said interactive location in response to the received PEK from said interactive location.

2. A remote control unit as in claim 1 including an IR transmitter for transmitting ATM transaction indication or PIN information to said interactive location, said interactive location responsive to said ATM transaction information or said PIN information for transmitting said PEK to said receiver means.

3. In a financial transaction card interactive network including a television remote control unit for transmitting IR (infra-red) signals to an interactive location such as a television set top box, said remote control unit including an integral magnetic-stripe financial ATM transaction type card reader, the method comprising the steps of:

reading ATM type financial card information from a magnetic stripe of an ATM type card swiped through said remote control unit to form read ATM card information;

entering into said remote control unit ATM transaction information for a particular ATM card transaction,

entering into said remote control unit ATM card identification information relating to a specific personal identification number (PIN) to form PIN information;

receiving into said remote control unit a personal encryption key (PEK) from said interactive location to code said PIN information thereby forming coded PIN information;

processing within said remote control unit said ATM transaction information and said coded PIN information to form IR ATM card transaction signals; and

transmitting said IR ATM card transaction signals from said remote control unit to said interactive location.

4. In a financial transaction card interactive network comprising:

an interactive location such as a television set top box,

an ATM network,

a television display,

a television remote control unit for transmitting IR (infra-red) signals to said interactive location, said remote control unit including

an integral magnetic stripe financial ATM transaction type card reader for reading ATM type financial card information from a magnetic stripe of an ATM type card swiped through said reader to form read ATM card information;

keypad means for entering ATM transaction information for a particular ATM card transaction and for entering ATM card identification information relating to a specific personal identification number (PIN) to form PIN information;

receiver means for receiving a personal encryption key (PEK) from said interactive location to code said PIN information thereby forming coded PIN information;

processor means for processing said ATM transaction information and said coded PIN information to form IR ATM card transaction signals; and

IR transmitter means for transmitting said IR ATM card transaction signals to said interactive location.

5. The network as in claim 4 wherein said remote control unit includes a Menu key for controlling the display of interactive menus on said television display through said interactive location.

6. The network as in claim 5 wherein said remote control unit includes an ATM key for entering an ATM financial transaction signal for transmission to said interactive locations said interactive location responsive to said ATM signal for transmitting said PEK to said remote control unit.

7. The network as in claim 6 wherein said interactive location includes transmitter means for transmitting said ATM card information to said ATM network for verification and authorization, said interactive location responsive to said verification and authorization for displaying a selected menu and transaction directions on said television display.

8. The network as in claim 7 wherein said remote control unit includes means for completing the ATM card transaction following said directions displayed on said selected menu on said television display.