Financial transaction card with sound recording

• US 7,225,994 B2
• Filed: 11/20/2002
• Issued: 06/05/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Innovative Card Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Innovative Card Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Finkelstein, Alan
• Primary Examiner(s): Le; Thien M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Labaze; Edwyn
• Application Number:
  US10/300,556
• Publication Number:
  US 20040026506A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,658 Days
• Field of Search: 235/493, 235/380, 235/492, 235/375, 235/382, 235/435, 235/441, 235/449, 235/487, 379/357.01, 379/357.03, 379/91.01, 379/93.03, 705/73, 705/24
• US Class Current: 235/493
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06187 with magnetically detectable marking
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07 with integrated circuit chips

Abstract

A distinctive recorded sound is generated when a credit card or other financial transaction card is used at a point of sale (POS) terminal. As is common, the POS terminal includes a card reader through which the card is swiped to read data that is encoded on a magnetic stripe affixed to the card. A recorded sound may be stored in the card or in the card reader. In either case, the sound is played back through the card reader when the card is swiped.

Claims

1. A method of emitting a sound at a card reader terminal comprising:

providing a card with a magnetic stripe encoded with transaction data and audio data separate from the transaction data;

providing a card reader with means for reading the transaction data, means for reading the audio data, an audio driver and a sound transducer;

swiping the card through the card reader;

reading the audio data encoded on the magnetic stripe;

generating a first signal in accordance with the audio data;

asserting the first signal as an input to the audio driver;

generating a second signal in the audio driver in accordance with the first signal;

asserting the second signal as an input to the sound transducer, whereby the sound transducer emits a sound in accordance with the audio data.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the audio data is encoded on the magnetic stripe as an analog signal.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the audio data is encoded on the magnetic stripe as a digital signal.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the card reader further includes a sound storage device coupled to the audio driver and further including storing at least one sound in the sound storage device.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the audio data causes the sound storage device to generate the first signal.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein a plurality of sounds are stored in the sound storage device and wherein the audio data causes the sound storage device to generate the first signal in accordance with a value of the audio data.