Card reader device

• US 8,870,070 B2
• Filed: 01/13/2011
• Issued: 10/28/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Block, Inc. (f/k/a Square, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Block, Inc. (f/k/a Square, Inc.)
• Inventors: McKelvey, Jim, Wen, Xuancong, Dorsey, Jack
• Primary Examiner(s): Frech, Karl D
• Assistant Examiner(s): TAYLOR, APRIL ALICIA
• Application Number:
  US13/005,822
• Publication Number:
  US 20120091200A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,384 Days
• Field of Search: 235/375, 235380-382, 235/435, 235/439, 235/449, 235/492, 455/556.1, 455/556.2, 455/557
• US Class Current: 235/449
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/322 Aspects of commerce using mobile devices [M-devices]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/347 Passive cards
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03
• 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 reader device is provided that includes a housing having a slot for swiping a magnetic stripe of a financial transaction card to complete a financial transaction between a buyer and seller. A read head is positioned in the housing. The read head reads data stored on the magnetic stripe and produces a signal indicative of data stored on the magnetic stripe. The read head has sufficient impedance to set amplitude of a signal indicative of data stored on the magnetic stripe. An output jack is adapted to be inserted into a microphone input associated with a mobile device for providing the signal indicative of data stored on the magnetic stripe to the mobile device.

Claims

1. A card reader device, comprising:

a housing configured to provide for swiping a magnetic stripe of a card to complete a financial transaction between a buyer and seller;

a read head in the housing for reading data stored on the magnetic stripe and for producing a signal indicative of data stored on the magnetic stripe;

a slot that is a path with which the card is swiped in the card reader device;

an output jack adapted to be inserted into a microphone input associated with a mobile device for providing the signal indicative of data stored on the magnetic stripe to the mobile device, the output jack configured to be coupled and decoupled from the microphone input of the mobile device;

and

a monitor system configured to manage card reader behavior between power cycles.

2. The card reader device of claim 1, wherein the card reader is configured to provide for decoding data on the magnetic stripe with different frequencies.

3. The card reader device of claim 1, wherein card reader has a two track read head in series with a first read head creating a resistive element and a second read head functioning as a resistor to create a higher resistive element.

4. A computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions stored therein, which when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

reading, using a read head, data stored on a magnetic stripe to produce a signal indicative of data stored on the magnetic stripe;

providing the signal indicative of data stored on the magnetic stripe to a mobile device, via an output jack adapted to be inserted into a microphone input associated with the mobile device, and wherein the output jack is configured to be coupled and decoupled from the microphone input of the mobile device;

and

managing card reader behavior between power cycles, wherein the card reader behavior is managed by a monitor system.

5. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 4, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to perform operations comprising:

decoding data on the magnetic stripe with different frequencies.

6. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 4, wherein the read head is a two track read head comprising:

a first read head creating a resistive element; and

a second read head functioning as a resistor to create a higher resistive element.

7. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 4, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to perform operations comprising:

decoding data on the magnetic stripe using a decoding system.

8. A method for providing data from a card reader device to a mobile device to complete a financial transaction between a buyer and seller, the method comprising:

reading, using a read head, data stored on a magnetic stripe to produce a signal indicative of data stored on the magnetic stripe;

providing the signal indicative of data stored on the magnetic stripe to a mobile device, via an output jack adapted to be inserted into a microphone input associated with the mobile device, wherein the output jack is configured to be coupled and decoupled from the microphone input of the mobile device;

and

managing card reader behavior between power cycles, wherein the card reader behavior is managed by a monitor system.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

decoding data on the magnetic stripe with different frequencies.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the read head is a two track read head comprising:

a first read head creating a resistive element; and

a second read head functioning as a resistor to create a higher resistive element.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

decoding data on the magnetic stripe using a decoding system.