Multifunctional portable consumer payment device

• US 8,408,454 B2
• Filed: 09/16/2008
• Issued: 04/02/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/16/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Visa USA, Inc. (Visa, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Visa USA, Inc. (Visa, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hammad, Ayman A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hess, Daniel
• Assistant Examiner(s): KELLY, RAFFERTY D
• Application Number:
  US12/211,753
• Publication Number:
  US 20100065626A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,659 Days
• Field of Search: 235/380, 235/492
• US Class Current: 235/380
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0719 at least one of the integrated circuit chips comprising an arrangement for application selection, e.g. an acceleration sensor or a set of radio buttons application selection on smart cards using pure software control, see G07F7/10
• 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: G06K 7/0013 by galvanic contacts, e.g. card connectors for ISO-7816 compliant smart cards or memory cards, e.g. SD card readers connectors in general H01R13/00; connectors for SIM cards used in mobile phones or the like H04B1/3816
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/006 the housing being a portable casing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/346 Cards serving only as information carrier of service
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/08 by coded identity card or credit card or other personal identification means without personal verification means G07F7/02
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/0886 the card reader being portable for interacting with a POS or ECR in realizing a payment transaction

Abstract

A card can be used to make a payment or to gain access to a secure facility. The card embeds a chip, a passive circuit, and an antennae that receives frequencies upon which the chip executes corresponding payment and access applications. The passive circuit powers the chip upon being energized by an external circuit that emits the frequencies. The card docks into a card dock having a user interface. The user interface has buttons which, when particularly engaged, permits reception of one of the frequencies that energizes the passive circuit to power the chip for the execution of the corresponding application.

Claims

1. A portable device for a consumer to conduct a transaction in a payment processing system, the portable device comprising a substrate having therein:

an antenna in communication with related circuitry to transmit and receive at plurality of frequencies each carrying data;

a chip including;

a microprocessor;

memory containing instructions for a plurality of applications; and

a memory management unit (MMU) controlling rights by the microprocessor to execute the instructions for each said application;

a passive circuit powering the chip upon being energized by an external circuit emitting;

an access said frequency carrying access data received by the antenna such that the MMU allows the instructions in the memory for an access said application to be executed by the microprocessor to process the access data for the negotiation of access to a secure facility; and

a payment said frequency carrying payment data received by the antenna such that the MMU allows access to the instructions in the memory for a payment said application to be executed by the microprocessor to process the payment data for the negotiation of one said transaction in the payment processing system;

a user interface in electrical communication with the chip, the user interface having a plurality of buttons, at least one button of which, when engaged, limits the applications to be executed by the microprocessor to an application associated with a specific frequency;

wherein the plurality of buttons include a plurality of subsets thereof, and each particular said subset corresponds to;

a particular said frequency; and

a particular said application;

whereby when the particular said frequency is received by the antenna;

the particular said frequency received by the antenna is permitted to energize the passive circuit to power the chip only when the corresponding particular said subset is engaged, such that the MMU allows the instructions in the memory for the corresponding particular said application to be executed by the microprocessor to process the data being carried by the particular said frequency; and

the particular said frequency received by the antenna is not permitted to energize the passive circuit to power the chip when the particular said subset is not engaged.

2. The portable device as defined in claim 1, wherein the substrate further comprises a magnetic strip bearing magnetically encoded data corresponding to the account and for conducting one said transaction in the payment processing system.

3. The portable device as defined in claim 1, wherein the substrate further comprises a contact for physical and electrical communication with the chip.

4. The portable device as defined in claim 1, wherein when the access said frequency carrying the access data is received by the antenna, the MMU allows the instructions in the memory for the access said application to be executed by the microprocessor to process the access data for the negotiation of physical access to a physical location.

5. The portable device as defined in claim 1, wherein when the access said frequency carrying the access data is received by the antenna from the external circuit:

the passive circuit is energized and powers the chip;

the MMU allows the instructions in the memory for the access said application to be executed by the microprocessor to process the access data for the negotiation of logical access to a logical location.

6. The portable device as defined in claim 5, wherein the logical access to the logical location is access to a computer network device.

7. The portable device as defined in claim 1, wherein the secure facility is a computer network device.

8. The portable device as defined in claim 1, wherein the MMU, using the frequency received by the antenna, controls the rights by the microprocessor to execute the instructions for each said application such that:

different said frequencies can correspond to the execution of a single said application by the microprocessor;

each said frequency can correspond to the execution of only one said application by the microprocessor; and

no said frequency can correspond to the execution of more than one said application by the microprocessor.

9. The portable device as defined in claim 1, wherein the user interface is selected from the group consisting for a cellular telephone, a card docking station, and a personal digital assistant.

10. A portable device for a consumer to conduct a transaction in a payment processing system, the portable device comprising a substrate having therein:

an antenna in communication with related circuitry to transmit and receive at plurality of frequencies each carrying data;

a chip including;

a microprocessor;

memory containing instructions for a plurality of applications; and

a memory management unit (MMU) controlling rights by the microprocessor to execute the instructions for each said application and, using the frequency received by the antenna, controlling the rights by the microprocessor to execute the instructions for each said application such that;

different said frequencies can correspond to the execution of a single said application by the microprocessor;

each said frequency can correspond to the execution of only one said application by the microprocessor; and

no said frequency can correspond to the execution of more than one said application by the microprocessor;

a passive circuit powering the chip upon being energized by an external circuit emitting;

an access said frequency carrying access data received by the antenna such that the MMU allows the instructions in the memory for an access said application to be executed by the microprocessor to process the access data for the negotiation of access to a secure facility; and

a payment said frequency carrying payment data received by the antenna such that the MMU allows access to the instructions in the memory for a payment said application to be executed by the microprocessor to process the payment data for the negotiation of one said transaction in the payment processing system;

a user interface in electrical communication with the chip, the user interface having a plurality of buttons, at least one button of which, when engaged, limits the applications to be executed by the microprocessor to an application associated with a specific frequency;

wherein the plurality of buttons include a plurality of subsets thereof, and each particular said subset corresponds to;

a particular said frequency; and

a particular said application;

whereby when the particular said frequency is received by the antenna;

the particular said frequency received by the antenna is permitted to energize the passive circuit to power the chip only when the corresponding particular said subset is engaged, such that the MMU allows the instructions in the memory for the corresponding particular said application to be executed by the microprocessor to process the data being carried by the particular said frequency; and

the particular said frequency received by the antenna is not permitted to energize the passive circuit to power the chip when the particular said subset is not engaged.

11. The portable device as defined in claim 10, wherein the substrate further comprises a magnetic strip bearing magnetically encoded data corresponding to the account and for conducting one said transaction in the payment processing system.

12. The portable device as defined in claim 10, wherein the substrate further comprises a contact for physical and electrical communication with the chip.

13. The portable device as defined in claim 10, wherein when the access said frequency carrying the access data is received by the antenna, the MMU allows the instructions in the memory for the access said application to be executed by the microprocessor to process the access data for the negotiation of physical access to a physical location.

14. The portable device as defined in claim 10, wherein when the access said frequency carrying the access data is received by the antenna from the external circuit:

the passive circuit is energized and powers the chip; and

the MMU allows the instructions in the memory for the access said application to be executed by the microprocessor to process the access data for the negotiation of logical access to a logical location.

15. The portable device as defined in claim 14, wherein the logical access to the logical location is access to a computer network device.

16. The portable device as defined in claim 10, wherein the secure facility is a computer network device.

17. The portable device as defined in claim 10, wherein the user interface is selected from the group consisting for a cellular telephone, a card docking station, and a personal digital assistant.