Payment cards and devices for displaying barcodes

• US 8,931,703 B1
• Filed: 03/16/2010
• Issued: 01/13/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dynamics Inc.
• Original Assignee: Dynamics Inc.
• Inventors: Mullen, Jeffrey D., Yen, Philip W., Cloutier, Bruce S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Marshall, Christle I
• Application Number:
  US12/724,575
• Time in Patent Office: 1,764 Days
• Field of Search: 235487-495
• US Class Current: 235/487
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06112 the marking being simulated using a light source, e.g. a barcode shown on a display or a laser beam with time-varying intensity profile
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/083 Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/0806 Details of the card record carriers per se G06K
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/0846 On-card display means

Abstract

A payment card is provided with a display. A barcode may be selectively displayed on the display. A display may be an electrochromic display in order to increase the readability of a displayed barcode with respect to computer vision equipment. A barcode may be selected by a user from a set of barcodes. Each barcode in a set of barcodes may correspond to a different loyalty account for a different merchant. Accordingly, a user can carry a single card—but may be able to communicate multiple loyalty account barcodes to computer vision equipment across multiple merchants.

Claims

1. A payment card comprising:

a display operable to display a barcode;

a battery;

a dynamic magnetic stripe communications device operable to communicate data to a magnetic stripe reader; and

a button,

wherein said data includes barcode data in a discretionary data field of magnetic stripe track data.

2. The payment card of claim 1, further comprising:

a second button; and

a processor,

wherein at least said button and said second button are operable to receive at least a part of a manually input unlocking code for accessing additional card functionality via said processor.

3. The payment card of claim 1, further comprising:

a second barcode,

wherein said display is operable to display said second barcode with said barcode.

4. The payment card of claim 1, wherein said display is operable to display said barcode via a plurality of electrodes that each take the shape of a line.

5. The payment card of claim 1, wherein said display is a bi-stable display.

6. The payment card of claim 1, wherein said display is a non bi-stable display.

7. The payment card of claim 1, wherein said display is an electrochromic display.

8. The payment card of claim 1, wherein said barcode is representative of twelve digits of data and one of said twelve digits of data is utilized as a check-sum digit.

9. The payment card of claim 1, further comprising a light sensor operable to receive pulses of light representative of information.

10. The payment card of claim 1, further comprising a source of light operable to communicate light pulses representative of information.

11. The payment card of claim 1, further comprising:

a memory,

wherein said button is operable to program said barcode into said memory.

12. The payment card of claim 1, wherein said button is operable to activate said operation of said display.

13. The payment card of claim 1, wherein said barcode is representative of a loyalty account number.

14. The payment card of claim 1, wherein said barcode is representative of a payment account number.

15. The payment card of claim 1, wherein said barcode is representative of a coupon.

16. The payment card of claim 1, further comprising a memory, wherein a plurality of loyalty account numbers are stored in said memory and said barcode is representative of one of said plurality of loyalty account numbers.

17. The payment card of claim 1, wherein said barcode is permanently printed as electrodes of said display and said barcode is the only barcode said display is operable to display with said electrodes.

18. The payment card of claim 1, further comprising a second barcode, wherein said second barcode is permanently printed outside of said display.

19. The payment card of claim 1, wherein said barcode is representative of an airplane ticket.

20. The payment card of claim 1, wherein said barcode is represented by a plurality of line segment contacts, a first amount of charge is applied to one of said plurality of line segment contacts to form a visible line of a first thickness, and a second amount of charge is applied to said one of said plurality of line segment contacts to form a visible line of a second thickness.

21. A payment card, comprising:

a display operable to display a barcode;

a battery;

a dynamic magnetic stripe communications device operable to communicate data to a magnetic stripe reader; and

a button,

wherein at least a portion of a payment card number is printed on a surface of said payment card, and

said data includes barcode data in a discretionary data field of magnetic stripe track data.