Mobile device with transaction card in add-on slot

• US 7,954,715 B2
• Filed: 11/08/2010
• Issued: 06/07/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Icashe Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Tyfone Incorporated
• Inventors: Tadepalli, Prabhakar, Narendra, Siva G., Spitzer, Thomas N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Frech; Karl D.
• Application Number:
  US12/941,410
• Publication Number:
  US 20110053644A1
• Time in Patent Office: 211 Days
• Field of Search: 235/380, 235/375, 235/382, 235/492, 235/487, 235/493, 235/451, 235/472.01, 235/462.45, 235/462.46, 235/472.02, 235/472.03
• US Class Current: 235/451
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06187 with magnetically detectable marking
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06206 the magnetic marking being emulated
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07 with integrated circuit chips
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0703 the battery being onboard of a handheld device, e.g. a smart phone or PDA
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0723 the record carrier comprising an arrangement for non-contact communication, e.g. wireless communication circuits on transponder cards, non-contact smart cards or RFIDs
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0727 the arrangement being a circuit facilitating integration of the record carrier with a hand-held device such as a smart phone of PDA
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/073 Special arrangements for circuits, e.g. for protecting identification code in memory protection against unauthorised use of computer memory G06F12/14
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07741 comprising a first part operating as a regular record carrier and a second attachable part that changes the functional appearance of said record carrier, e.g. a contact-based smart card with an adapter part which, when attached to the contact card makes the contact card function as a non-contact card
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07758 arrangements for adhering the record carrier to further objects or living beings, functioning as an identification tag
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07762 the adhering arrangement making the record carrier wearable, e.g. having the form of a ring, watch, glove or bracelet record carriers for insertion in the human body for medical purposes A61B90/00; record carriers adapted for attachment to animals A01K11/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/0008 General problems related to the reading of electronic memory record carriers, independent of its reading method, e.g. power transfer
• 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 20/327 Short range or proximity payments by means of M-devices
• 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: G06Q 20/353 Payments by cards read by M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces

Abstract

An electronic transaction card communicates with an add-on slot of an intelligent electronic device. The add-on slot may be a memory card slot. The intelligent electronic device may be a mobile phone or other device with or without network connectivity. The electronic transaction card may have magnetic field producing circuitry compatible with magnetic card readers, smartcard circuitry, other point-of-sale interfaces, or any combination thereof.

Claims

1. A transaction system comprising:

a mobile phone having an add-on slot; and

an electronic transaction card compatible with the add-on slot, wherein the electronic transaction card includes circuitry to produce a time-varying magnetic field to transmit transaction data to a reader device.

2. The transaction system of claim 1 wherein the electronic transaction card includes software to be installed on the mobile phone.

3. The transaction system of claim 1 wherein the electronic transaction card includes nonvolatile memory accessible through the add-on slot.

4. The transaction system of claim 1 wherein the electronic transaction card includes volatile memory accessible through the add-on slot.

5. The transaction system of claim 1 wherein the circuitry for producing the time-varying magnetic field comprises smartcard circuitry.

6. The transaction system of claim 1 wherein the electronic transaction card includes volatile memory accessible through the memory card slot.

7. The transaction system of claim 1 wherein the circuitry for producing the time-varying magnetic field comprises smartcard circuitry.

8. A transaction system comprising:

a mobile device having an add-on slot; and

an electronic transaction card compatible with the add-on slot, wherein the electronic transaction card includes circuitry to produce a time-varying magnetic field to transmit transaction data to a reader device.

9. The transaction system of claim 8 wherein the electronic transaction card includes software to be installed on the mobile device.

10. The transaction system of claim 8 wherein the mobile device includes circuitry for wireless network connectivity.

11. The transaction system of claim 8 wherein the electronic transaction card includes nonvolatile memory accessible through the add-on slot.

12. The transaction system of claim 8 wherein the electronic transaction card includes volatile memory accessible through the add-on slot.

13. The transaction system of claim 8 wherein the circuitry for producing the time-varying magnetic field comprises smartcard circuitry.

14. A transaction system comprising:

a mobile device having a memory card slot; and

an electronic transaction card compatible with the memory card slot, wherein the electronic transaction card includes circuitry to produce a time-varying magnetic field to transmit transaction data to a reader device.

15. The transaction system of claim 14 wherein the electronic transaction card includes software to be installed on the mobile device.

16. The transaction system of claim 14 wherein the mobile device includes circuitry for wireless network connectivity.

17. The transaction system of claim 14 wherein the electronic transaction card includes nonvolatile memory accessible through the memory card slot.

18. The transaction system of claim 14 wherein the electronic transaction card includes volatile memory accessible through the memory card slot.

19. The transaction system of claim 14 wherein the circuitry for producing the time-varying magnetic field comprises smartcard circuitry.

20. A transaction system comprising:

a mobile phone having a memory card slot; and

an electronic transaction card compatible with the memory card slot, wherein the electronic transaction card includes circuitry to produce a time-varying magnetic field to transmit transaction data to a reader device.

21. The transaction system of claim 20 wherein the electronic transaction card includes software to be installed on the mobile phone.

22. The transaction system of claim 20 wherein the electronic transaction card includes nonvolatile memory accessible through the memory card slot.

23. A transaction system comprising:

a mobile device having a memory card slot; and

a memory card compatible with the memory card slot, wherein the memory card includes circuitry to produce a time-varying magnetic field to transmit transaction data to a reader device.

24. The transaction system of claim 23 wherein the memory card includes software to be installed on the mobile device.

25. The transaction system of claim 23 wherein the mobile device includes circuitry for wireless network connectivity.

26. The transaction system of claim 23 wherein the memory card includes nonvolatile memory accessible through the memory card slot.

27. The transaction system of claim 23 wherein the memory card includes volatile memory accessible through the memory card slot.

28. The transaction system of claim 23 wherein the circuitry for producing the time-varying magnetic field comprises smartcard circuitry.