Transaction cards having dynamically reconfigurable data interface and methods for using same

• US 7,690,580 B2
• Filed: 11/17/2006
• Issued: 04/06/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Austin William Shoemaker
• Original Assignee: Austin William Shoemaker
• Inventors: Shoemaker, Austin William
• Primary Examiner(s): Le; Thien M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): VO, TUYEN KIM
• Application Number:
  US11/561,366
• Publication Number:
  US 20080116285A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,236 Days
• Field of Search: 235/380, 235/492, 235/493, 235/449, 235/375
• US Class Current: 235/493
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06187 with magnetically detectable marking
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06206 the magnetic marking being emulated

Abstract

Apparatuses and methods backward compatible with existing card processing infrastructure are provided to furnish dynamically configurable data to a card reader to facilitate transactions such as credit card transactions. The inventive apparatuses and methods are operable even with card readers configured to read statically implemented data, such as statically implement magnetic stripe data and/or statically printed bar codes. Techniques are also provided to take advantage of features of the inventive apparatus and method to substantially reduce or to eliminate transaction fraud and to improve efficiency for cardholders, card issuers, and intermediary institutions.

Claims

1. An active stripe card compatible with a magnetic stripe card reader that is configured to read statically implemented magnetic stripe cards, said active stripe card being configured to exchange data with said magnetic stripe card reader, comprising:

a card base;

a dynamically reconfigurable data interface disposed on said card base, said dynamically reconfigurable data interface having at least a set of dynamically reconfigurable data bearing portions that includes at least a first dynamically reconfigurable data bearing portion;

reconfiguration controller circuitry coupled to said set of dynamically reconfigurable data bearing portions;

control logic circuitry coupled to said reconfiguration controller circuitry, said control logic circuitry being configured to provide a first data pattern to said reconfiguration controller circuitry to cause a second data pattern that includes at least a portion of the information contained in said first data pattern to be manifested on said dynamically reconfigurable data interface, thereby rendering said second data pattern to be readable by said magnetic stripe card reader, wherein at least one of said first data pattern and said second data pattern represents a time-varying serial data stream, wherein each data value in said time-varying serial data stream is a function of time; and

a swipe direction detector coupled with said control logic circuitry, wherein each of said first data pattern and said second data pattern changes responsive to a swipe direction of said active card with respect to said card reader, said swipe direction ascertained via said swipe direction detector.

2. The active stripe card of claim 1 wherein said dynamically reconfigurable data interface includes at least a plurality of tracks associated with different data fields, said plurality of tracks including at least a first track and a second track, said first track disposed closer to a longer edge of said card base than said second track.

3. The active stripe card of claim 1 wherein said dynamically reconfigurable data bearing portions includes a plurality of dynamically reconfigurable data bearing portions, individual ones of said plurality of dynamically reconfigurable data bearing portions being independently reconfigurable with data values by said reconfiguration controller circuitry.

4. The active stripe card of claim 1 wherein all data bearing portions in said active stripe card represent volatilely reconfigurable data bearing portions.

5. The active stripe card of claim 1 wherein said set of dynamically reconfigurable data bearing portions represent permanently reconfigurable data bearing portions.

6. The active stripe card of claim 1 further including a card holder input arrangement coupled to said control logic circuitry for providing card holder input data to said control logic circuitry.

7. The active stripe card of claim 6 wherein said card holder input arrangement represents at least one of a set of buttons and a touch screen.

8. The active stripe card of claim 6 wherein said card holder input arrangement represents a biometric input device.

9. The active stripe card of claim 1 wherein said card base includes a set of static data bearing portions for manifesting static data, said static data being configured to be read by said magnetic stripe card reader.

10. The active stripe card of claim 1 wherein said control logic circuitry includes an encryption engine configured to encrypt information pertaining to a particular account prior to providing said information pertaining to said particular account in said first data pattern.

11. The active stripe card of claim 10 wherein said encryption engine implements public key encryption.

12. The active stripe card of claim 10 wherein said encryption engine implements pre-shared key encryption.

13. The active stripe card of claim 1 wherein said control logic circuitry is configured to generate N-time use tokens for use in conduction of transactions using said active stripe card.

14. The active stripe card of claim 1 wherein said control logic circuitry is configured to generate one-time use tokens for use in conduction of transactions using said active stripe card.

15. The active stripe card of claim 1 wherein said control logic includes memory configured for storing information pertaining to a plurality of accounts, wherein one of said plurality of accounts is selectable by a card holder of said active stripe card for conducting a transaction.

16. The active stripe card of claim 1 wherein said control logic includes memory configured for storing information pertaining to a plurality of profiles associated with an account, wherein one of said plurality of profiles is selectable by a card holder of said active stripe card for conducting a transaction.

17. The active stripe card of claim 1 wherein said second data pattern includes card holder authentication data entered by a card holder using a card holder input arrangement that is disposed on said active stripe card.

18. The active stripe card of claim 17 wherein said user-inputted authentication data is employed by said control logic circuitry for only a subset of transactions that are conducted using said active stripe card.

19. The active stripe card of claim 1 wherein said second data pattern manifested by said dynamically reconfigurable data interface for a first transaction is different from said second data pattern manifested by said dynamically reconfigurable data interface for a second transaction.

20. The active stripe card of claim 1 further comprising a battery configured to provide electrical power at least to said control logic circuitry.

21. An active card compatible with a card reader, said card reader representing one of a card reader that is configured to read statically implemented magnetic stripe cards and a bar code reader that is configured to read statically printed bar codes, said active card being configured to exchange data with said card reader, comprising:

a card base;

dynamically reconfigurable data providing means attached to said card base, said dynamically reconfigurable data providing means being configured to provide said card reader a first data pattern for a first transaction that is different from a second data pattern for a second data transaction, said second data pattern also provided to said card reader by said dynamically reconfigurable data providing means, wherein at least one of said first data pattern and said second data pattern represents a time-varying serial data stream, wherein each data value in said time-varying serial data stream is a function of time; and

a swipe direction detector coupled with said dynamic reconfigurable data providing means, wherein each of said first data pattern and said second data pattern changes responsive to a swipe direction of said active card with respect to said card reader, said swipe direction ascertained via said swipe direction detector.

22. The active card of claim 21 wherein said dynamically reconfigurable data providing means includes a dynamically reconfigurable data interface representing a data interface configured for providing data readable by said card reader.

23. The active card of claim 22 wherein said dynamically reconfigurable data providing means includes control logic circuitry configured to provide information to said dynamically reconfigurable data interface to manifest said first data pattern and said second data pattern for reading by said card reader.

24. The active card of claim 23 wherein said dynamically reconfigurable data providing means includes magnetizing controller circuitry communicatively coupled with said control logic circuitry for magnetizing a set of dynamically reconfigurable data bearing portions implemented on said dynamically reconfigurable data interface.

25. The active card of claim 23 wherein said set of dynamically reconfigurable data bearing portions represent volatilely reconfigurable data bearing portions.

26. The active card of claim 23 wherein said set of dynamically reconfigurable data bearing portions represent permanently reconfigurable data bearing portions.

27. The active card of claim 23 wherein said dynamically reconfigurable data providing means includes a card holder input arrangement coupled to said control logic circuitry for providing card holder input data to said control logic circuitry.

28. The active card of claim 23 wherein said control logic circuitry includes an encryption engine configured to encrypt information pertaining to a particular account prior to providing said information pertaining to said particular account in said first data pattern.

29. The active card of claim 28 wherein said encryption engine implements public key encryption.

30. The active card of claim 28 wherein said encryption engine implements pre-shared key encryption.

31. The active card of claim 23 wherein said control logic circuitry is configured to generate N-time use tokens for use in conduction transactions using said active card, wherein N represents an integer that is greater than zero.

32. The active card of claim 23 wherein said control logic includes memory configured for storing information pertaining to a plurality of accounts, wherein one of said plurality of accounts is selectable by a card holder of said active card for conducting a transaction.

33. The active card of claim 23 wherein said control logic includes memory configured for storing information pertaining to a plurality of profiles associated with an account, wherein one of said plurality of profiles is selectable by a card holder of said active card for conducting a transaction.

34. The active card of claim 21 wherein said first data pattern includes card holder authentication data entered by a card holder using a card holder input arrangement that is disposed on said active card.

35. The active card of claim 34 wherein said user-inputted authentication data is employed for only a subset of transactions that are conducted using said active card.

36. The active card of claim 21 wherein said dynamically reconfigurable data providing means includes at least a plurality of tracks associated with different data fields, said plurality of tracks including at least a first track and a second track, said first track disposed closer to a longer edge of said card base than said second track.