RF transactions using a wireless reader grid

• US 8,009,018 B2
• Filed: 04/27/2010
• Issued: 08/30/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Liberty Peak Ventures, LLC (Dominion Harbor Enterprises, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Xatra Fund MX LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Bishop, Fred
• Primary Examiner(s): Mehmood, Jennifer
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rushing, Mark
• Application Number:
  US12/768,610
• Publication Number:
  US 20100201484A1
• Time in Patent Office: 490 Days
• Field of Search: 3405721-5729, 34053916-53919, 340/10.1, 235375-385
• US Class Current: 340/10.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/04 Payment circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/327 Short range or proximity payments by means of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3278 RFID or NFC payments by means of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/352 Contactless payments by cards
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/28 the pass enabling tracking or indicating presence
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/29 the pass containing active electronic elements, e.g. smartcards
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/56 Financial cryptography, e.g. electronic payment or e-cash
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/805 Lightweight hardware, e.g. radio-frequency identification [RFID] or sensor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3231 Biological data, e.g. fingerprint, voice or retina network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using biometrical features in a packet data network H04L63/0861
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3273 for mutual authentication network architectures or network communication protocols for achieving mutual authentication in a packet data network H04L63/0869

Abstract

The present invention discloses a radio frequency (RF) reader grid and method for facilitating transactions. The RF reader grid includes a transponder, a RFID reader, and a host RFID reader in communication with a merchant system. The secondary and host RFID readers communicate with one another via wireless, RF frequencies. The present invention also discloses a wireless grid that comprises non-radio frequency readers, such as magnetic stripe readers. In addition, a method for using a secondary RFID reader to perform a transaction is disclosed. The method includes the steps of initializing the secondary RFID reader, communication transaction information using the secondary RFID reader and processing the transaction information using a host RFID reader.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, from a first Radio Frequency (RF) payment fob associated with a first fob user, a first transaction request at a secondary Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) reader of an RFID reader grid; and

communicating the first transaction request from the secondary RFID reader to a host RFID reader of the RFID reader grid via a wireless signal while the host RFID reader receives a second transaction request directly from a second RF payment fob associated with a second fob user.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying, at the secondary RFID reader, a menu item to the first fob user.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising communicating a menu item selection from the secondary RFID reader to the host RFID reader.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving, at the secondary RFID reader, a PIN from a user interface, wherein the PIN is associated with the first fob user.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising communicating information from the secondary RFID reader to an additional secondary RFID reader via the host RFID reader.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising interrogating an RFID tag associated with a grocery item and sending grocery item information as part of the first transaction request to the host RFID reader.

7. A secondary Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) reader, comprising:

a transponder configured to receive a first transaction request from a first Radio Frequency (RF) payment fob associated with a first fob user; and

a communications device configured to communicate the first transaction request to a host RFID reader of an RFID reader grid while the host RFID reader receives a second transaction request directly from a second RF payment fob associated with a second fob user.

8. The secondary RFID reader of claim 7, further comprising a user interface configured to receive a PIN from the first fob user.

9. The secondary RFID reader of claim 7, further comprising an electronic menu configured to display menu items.

10. A tangible computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon that, in response to execution by a system, cause the system to perform operations comprising:

receiving, from a first Radio Frequency (RF) payment fob associated with a first fob user, a first transaction request at a secondary Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) reader of an RFID reader grid; and

communicating the first transaction request from the secondary RFID reader to a host RFID reader of the RFID reader grid via a wireless signal while the host RFID reader receives a second transaction request directly from a second RF payment fob associated with a second fob user.

11. A secondary Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) reader, comprising:

means for receiving, from a first Radio Frequency (RF) payment fob associated with a first fob user, a first transaction request at a secondary Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) reader of an RFID reader grid; and

means for communicating the first transaction request to a host RFID reader of the RFID reader grid via a wireless signal while the host RFID reader receives a second transaction request directly from a second RF payment fob associated with a second fob user.

12. A method comprising:

receiving, via a wireless signal from a secondary Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) reader of an RFID reader grid, a first transaction request at a host RFID reader of the RFID reader grid, wherein the secondary RFID reader receives the first transaction request from a first Radio Frequency (RF) payment fob associated with a first fob user; and

receiving, at the host RFID reader, a second transaction request directly from a second RF payment fob associated with a second fob user while the host RFID reader is receiving the first transaction request from the secondary RFID reader.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising controlling the secondary RFID reader with the host RFID reader.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising transferring a communication from the secondary RFID reader to an additional secondary RFID reader through the host RFID reader, wherein the secondary RFID reader and the additional secondary RFID reader are not aware of each other.

15. A host Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) reader, comprising:

a communications device configured to receive a first transaction request from a secondary RFID reader of an RFID reader grid wherein the secondary RFID reader is configured to receive the first transaction request from a first Radio Frequency (RF) payment fob associated with a first fob user; and

a transponder configured to receive a second transaction request directly from a second RF payment fob associated with a second fob user while the communications device receives the first transaction request from the secondary RFID reader.

16. The host RFID reader of claim 15, further comprising a magnetic stripe reader configured to receive a third transaction request from a magnetic stripe card.

17. The host RFID reader of claim 15, further comprising a biometric security device to authenticate the second fob user.

18. The host RFID reader of claim 15, further comprising a user interface configured to receive a PIN from the second fob user.

19. A tangible computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon that, in response to execution by a system, cause the system to perform operations comprising:

receiving, via a wireless signal from a secondary Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) reader of an RFID reader grid, a first transaction request at a host RFID reader of the RFID reader grid, wherein the secondary RFID reader receives the first transaction request from a first Radio Frequency (RF) payment fob associated with a first fob user; and

receiving, at the host RFID reader, a second transaction request directly from a second RF payment fob associated with a second fob user while the host RFID reader is receiving the first transaction request from the secondary RFID reader.

20. A host Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) reader, comprising:

means for receiving, via a wireless signal from a secondary Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) reader of an RFID reader grid, a first transaction request at a host RFID reader of the RFID reader grid, wherein the secondary RFID reader receives the first transaction request from a first Radio Frequency (RF) payment fob associated with a first fob user; and

means for receiving, at the host RFID reader, a second transaction request directly from a second RF payment fob associated with a second fob user while the host RFID reader is receiving the first transaction request from the secondary RFID reader.