Methods and apparatus for facilitating capture of magnetic credit card data on a hand held device

• US 8,181,874 B1
• Filed: 11/04/2010
• Issued: 05/22/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Movella Incorporated (Movella Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: mCube, Inc.
• Inventors: Wan, Hong, Merrill, Raymond Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sharifzada, Ali
• Application Number:
  US12/940,020
• Time in Patent Office: 565 Days
• Field of Search: 235/435, 235/439, 235/449, 235/450, 382/312, 382/320
• US Class Current: 235/449
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1696 the I/O peripheral being a printing or scanning device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04105 Pressure sensors for measuring the pressure or force exerted on the touch surface without providing the touch position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04106 Multi-sensing digitiser, i.e. digitiser using at least two different sensing technologies simultaneously or alternatively, e.g. for detecting pen and finger, for saving power or for improving position detection
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion

Abstract

A computer implemented method for processing data stored on a magnetic stripe of a user medium performed by a hand-held computer system includes displaying an alignment GUI on a display of the computer system, wherein the GUI includes a visual alignment mark on the display at a first offset relative to a MEMS magnetic field sensor in the computer system, wherein when a user aligns the user medium to the alignment mark GUI, a portion of a first track of the magnetic stripe is disposed above the MEMS magnetic field sensor, sensing, by the MEMS magnetic field sensor, magnetic data stored on the first track when the user aligns the user medium to the visual alignment mark, and moves the user medium along the visual alignment mark, and determining user data stored on the first track from the magnetic data stored on the first track.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for processing data stored on a magnetic stripe of a user provided medium performed by a hand-held computer system programmed to perform the method comprising:

displaying, with a processor disposed within the computer system, a first alignment graphical user interface on a display of the computer system, wherein the first alignment graphical user interface includes a first visual alignment mark, wherein the first alignment mark is positioned on the display relative to a position of a MEMS magnetic field sensor disposed within the computer system at a first offset, wherein when a user aligns the user provided medium to the first alignment mark on the display, a portion of a first track of the magnetic stripe is disposed above the MEMS magnetic field sensor;

sensing, by the MEMS magnetic field sensor, a plurality of magnetic data stored on the first track of the magnetic stripe, in response to the user aligning the user provided medium to the first alignment mark, and moving the user provided medium along the first alignment mark; and

determining, with the processor, a plurality of user data stored on the first track of the magnetic stripe in response to the plurality of magnetic data stored on the first track.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1 further comprising:

displaying, with the processor, a second alignment graphical user interface on a display of the computer system, wherein the second alignment graphical user interface includes a second visual alignment mark, wherein the second alignment mark is positioned on the display relative to the MEMS magnetic field sensor at a second offset, wherein when the user aligns the user provided medium to the second first alignment mark on the display, a second track of the magnetic stripe is disposed above the MEMS magnetic field sensor;

sensing, by the MEMS magnetic field sensor, a plurality of magnetic data stored on the second track of the magnetic stripe, in response to the user aligning the user provided medium to the second alignment mark, and moving the user provided medium along the second alignment mark; and

determining, with the processor, a plurality of user data stored on the second track of the magnetic stripe in response to the plurality of magnetic data stored on the second track.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 1 further comprising:

outputting, with the processor, at least a portion of the plurality of user data to a remote destination, via a communications interface disposed within the computer system.

4. The computer implemented method of claim 1 wherein the sensing comprises sensing, by a foundry-compatible-process manufactured MEMS magnetic sensor, the plurality of magnetic data stored on the first track of the magnetic stripe.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 1 wherein the sensing comprises sensing, by at least one axis of a three-axis MEMS magnetic field sensor, the plurality of magnetic data stored on the first track of the magnetic stripe.

6. The computer implemented method of claim 1

wherein the sensing comprises sensing, by the MEMS magnetic field sensor, the plurality of magnetic data stored on the first track of the magnetic stripe of the user provided medium,

wherein the user provided medium is selected from a group consisting of:

a credit card, a bank card, a debit card, a drivers license, an identification card.

7. The computer implemented method of claim 1 further comprising displaying, with the processor, a progress graphical user interface on the display, wherein the progress graphical user interface is moved on the display in response to movement of the user provided medium relative to the display.

8. The computer implemented method of claim 1 wherein the first alignment graphical user interface instructs the user to place a finger at the first visual alignment mark.

9. The computer implemented method of claim 1 wherein the first alignment graphical user interface instructs the user to place a straight-edge along the first visual alignment mark.

10. The computer implemented method of claim 1 wherein the first alignment graphical user interface includes an indicia positioned on the display indicating the position of the MEMS magnetic field sensor relative to the display.

11. A hand-held computer system for processing data stored on a magnetic stripe of a user provided medium comprising:

a housing;

a tangible memory for storing a plurality of non-transitory executable instructions;

a display disposed within the housing, wherein the display is configured to display a plurality of graphical user interfaces to a user;

a MEMS magnetic field sensor disposed within the housing, wherein the MEMS magnetic field sensor is configured to sense magnetic data stored within a magnetic stripe of the user provided medium; and

a processor disposed within the housing and coupled to the tangible memory, the display, and to the MEMS magnetic field sensor, wherein the processor is programmed to perform a plurality of functions by the plurality of non-transitory executable instructions;

wherein the plurality of non-transitory executable instructions comprise;

executable code that programs the processor to display a first alignment graphical user interface on the display, wherein the first alignment graphical user interface includes a first visual alignment mark, wherein the first alignment mark is positioned on the display relative to a position of the MEMS magnetic field sensor at a first offset, wherein when the user aligns the user provided medium to the first alignment mark on the display, a portion of a first track of the magnetic stripe is sensed by the MEMS magnetic field sensor; and

executable code that programs the processor to determine a plurality of user data stored on the first track of the magnetic stripe, in response to magnetic data stored within the first track of the magnetic stripe sensed by the MEMS magnetic field sensor when the user moves the user provided medium along the first alignment mark.

12. The hand-held computer system of claim 11 wherein the plurality of non-transitory executable instructions comprise:

executable code that programs the processor to display a second alignment graphical user interface on the display, wherein the second alignment graphical user interface includes a second visual alignment mark, wherein the second alignment mark is positioned on the display relative to the position of the MEMS magnetic field sensor at a second offset, wherein when the user aligns the user provided medium to the second alignment mark on the display, a portion of a second track of the magnetic stripe is sensed by the MEMS magnetic field sensor;

executable code that programs the processor to determine a plurality of user data stored on the second track of the magnetic stripe, in response to magnetic data stored within the second track of the magnetic stripe sensed by the MEMS magnetic field sensor when the user moves the user provided medium along the second alignment mark.

13. The hand-held computer system of claim 11 further comprising:

a communications interface disposed within the housing, wherein the communications interface is configured to output data; and

wherein the plurality of non-transitory executable instructions further comprises executable code the programs the processor to provide at least a portion of the plurality of user data to a remote destination via the communications interface.

14. The hand-held computer system of claim 11 wherein the MEMS magnetic field sensor comprises a foundry-compatible-process manufactured MEMS magnetic sensor.

15. The hand-held computer system of claim 11 wherein the MEMS magnetic field sensor comprises a three-axis MEMS magnetic field sensor.

16. The hand-held computer system of claim 11 wherein the user provided medium is selected from a group consisting of:

a credit card, a bank card, a debit card, a drivers license, an identification card.

17. The hand-held computer system of claim 11 wherein the plurality of non-transitory executable instructions further comprises:

executable code that programs the processor to display a progress graphical user interface on the display, wherein the progress graphical user interface is moved on the display in response to movement of the user provided medium relative to the display.

18. The hand-held computer system of claim 11 wherein the first alignment graphical user interface instructs the user to place a finger at the first visual alignment mark.

19. The hand-held computer system of claim 11 wherein the first alignment graphical user interface instructs the user to place a straight-edge along the first visual alignment mark.

20. The hand-held computer system of claim 11 wherein the first alignment graphical user interface includes an indicia positioned on the display indicating the position of the MEMS magnetic field sensor relative to the display.