Methods and apparatus for conducting financial transactions

• US 8,638,709 B2
• Filed: 09/14/2012
• Issued: 01/28/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/19/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Round Rock Research LLC
• Original Assignee: Round Rock Research LLC
• Inventors: Wood, Clifton W. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Chi
• Assistant Examiner(s): HYUN, SOON D
• Application Number:
  US13/619,382
• Publication Number:
  US 20130073348A1
• Time in Patent Office: 501 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/312
• 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 7/10019 resolving collision on the communication channels between simultaneously or concurrently interrogated record carriers. collision between the communication channels used by wireless communication devices, where the solution is not particularly adapted for RFIDs or the like, H04W74/08
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/24 Credit schemes, i.e. "pay after"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/26 Debit schemes, e.g. "pay now"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3223 Realising banking transactions through M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/00 Arrangements or apparatus for collecting fares, tolls or entrance fees at one or more control points handling coins or valuable papers, e.g. banknotes, G07D; apparatus for vending or hiring articles or services activated by coins, credit cards, paper currency or the like G07F7/00, G07F17/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5092 by self-assignment, e.g. picking addresses at random and testing if they are already in use
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/246 Connectivity information discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/06 using polling
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/08 Non-scheduled access, e.g. ALOHA hybrid access H04W74/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/11 Allocation or use of connection identifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support

Abstract

A method of establishing wireless communications between an interrogator and individual ones of multiple wireless identification devices, the method comprising combining tree search and Aloha methods to establish communications between the interrogator and individual ones of the multiple wireless identification devices without collision. A system comprising an interrogator, and a plurality of wireless identification devices configured to communicate with the interrogator In a wireless fashion, the respective wireless identification devices having a unique identification number, the interrogator being configured to employ tree search and Aloha techniques to determine the unique identification numbers of the different wireless identification devices so as to be able to establish communications between the interrogator identification and individual devices without ones of the multiple wireless collision by multiple wireless identification devices attempting to respond to the interrogator at the same time.

Claims

1. A method of conducting a financial transaction via radio frequency communications, the method comprising:

transmitting a first wireless command from an interrogator to initiate identification of at least one radio frequency communications device, the first wireless command including first bits that are configured to elicit one or more responses from a population of one or more radio frequency communication devices;

receiving a first reply from a radio frequency communications device in response to the first wireless command;

transmitting a second wireless command from the interrogator to initiate identification of the radio frequency communications device, the second wireless command including second bits that are configured to elicit one or more responses from a subpopulation of the population;

receiving a second reply from the radio frequency communications device in response to the second wireless command;

determine at least a portion of identifier of the radio frequency communications device when there is no collision in response to the second wireless command; and

causing the debiting of an account associated with the radio frequency communications device based at least in part on at least a portion of the replies from the radio frequency communications device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the radio frequency communications device is disposed substantially within a card.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the act of causing the debiting of the account is associated with the payment of a toll.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the interrogator is disposed within or proximate to a toll booth, and further comprising operating the interrogator disposed within or proximate the toll booth at least when the radio frequency communications device issuing the reply to the first wireless command is in close proximity to the toll booth.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the causing of the debiting of the account comprises receiving data relating to a credit account which can be charged.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the data relating to the credit account comprises a credit card number.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the causing of the debiting of the account comprises receiving data relating to a credit account against which a toll can be charged.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the data relating to the credit account comprises a credit card number.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the causing of the debiting of the account is for the payment of goods or services.

10. A method of conducting a financial transaction via radio frequency communications, the method comprising:

transmitting a first wireless command that is configured to elicit one or more responses from one or more radio frequency communications devices within an operating field of the master wireless device, the first wireless command configured to elicit responses from a full set of arbitration values associated with the one or more radio frequency communications devices;

transmitting a second wireless command that is configured to elicit one or more responses from the one or more radio frequency communications devices within the operating field of the master wireless device, the second wireless command configured to elicit responses from a subset of arbitration values associated with the one or more radio frequency communications devices, the subset being less than the full set;

receiving a reply from one radio frequency communications device in response to the first wireless command and/or the second wireless command;

identifying, from at least the reply, an identifier of the one radio frequency communications device when there is no collision; and

transmitting a third wireless command to individually address the one radio frequency communications device using the identifier of the one radio frequency communications device, the third wireless command requesting the one radio frequency communications device to transmit a subsequent reply; and

causing the receipt of funds for the payment of goods or services based at least on part on one or more replies from the one radio frequency communications device.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the financial transaction is associated with the payment of a toll.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the master wireless device is disposed within or proximate to a toll booth.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the act of causing the receipt of funds further comprises receiving information relating to a credit account against which the toll can be charged.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the data relating to the credit account comprises a credit card number.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the act of causing the debiting of the account is for the payment of goods or services.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the one radio frequency communications device is embodied within a card.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the card includes visual identification features including at least one of graphics and/or text.

18. A method of conducting a financial transaction via radio frequency communications, comprising:

transmitting a first wireless command having first bits that are indicative of a full set of arbitration values, the first wireless command configured to elicit responses from a full set of radio frequency communications devices which may be present within an operating field of a master wireless device;

transmitting a second wireless command having second bits that are indicative of a subset of arbitration values, the second wireless command configured to elicit responses from a subset of the radio frequency communications devices, the subset being less than the full set;

receiving a reply from a target radio frequency communications device in response to the first wireless command and/or the second wireless command;

determining, from at least the reply, an identifier of the target radio frequency communications device when there is no collision; and

transmitting of a third wireless command to individually address the target radio frequency communications device using the identifier; and

causing the debiting of an account associated with the target radio frequency communications device, the debiting of the account enabled by the wireless master device.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the third wireless command requests that the target radio frequency communications device transmit a subsequent reply.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising providing the target radio frequency communications device to a user.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the target radio frequency communications device is disposed substantially within a card.

22. The method of claim 18, wherein the act of causing the debiting of the account is associated with the payment of a toll.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the act of causing the debiting of the account comprises receiving data corresponding with a credit account against which a toll can be charged.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the data corresponding with the credit account comprises a credit card number.

25. The method of claim 18, wherein the act of causing of the debiting of the account comprises receiving data corresponding with a credit account which can be charged.

26. A method of conducting a financial transaction via radio frequency communications, the method comprising:

transmitting a first wireless command from an interrogator to initiate identification of a target radio frequency communications device within an operating field of the interrogator, the first wireless command including first bits that are configured to elicit a response from one or more devices within the operating field;

receiving a first reply from the target radio frequency communications device in response to the first wireless command;

transmitting a second wireless command from the interrogator to further identify the target radio frequency communications device, the second wireless command including second bits that are configured to elicit a response from a subset of the one or more devices within the operating field;

receiving a second reply from the target radio frequency communications device in response to the second wireless command;

identifying an identifier of the target radio frequency communications device when there is no collision in response to the second wireless command;

transmitting a third wireless command to individually address the target radio frequency communications device using the identifier of the target radio frequency communications device; and

causing the debiting of an account associated with a target radio frequency communications device, the debiting of the account enabled by the interrogator.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the third wireless command requests the target radio frequency communications device to transmit a subsequent reply.

28. The method of claim 26, wherein the target radio frequency communications device is disposed within a card, the card comprising visual identification features including at least one of graphics and/or text.

29. The method of claim 26, wherein:

the debiting of the account is associated with the payment of a toll;

the interrogator is disposed within or proximate to a toll booth; and

the method further comprises operating the interrogator at least when the target radio frequency communications device issuing the reply to the first wireless command is in proximity thereto.

30. The method of claim 26, wherein:

the debiting of the account comprises receiving data corresponding to a credit card account which can be charged; and

the debiting of the account is for the payment of goods or services.