Audio signaling training for bidirectional communications

• US 8,967,465 B1
• Filed: 03/20/2014
• Issued: 03/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Block, Inc. (f/k/a Square, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Square Inc (Block, Inc. (f/k/a Square, Inc.))
• Inventors: Post, Dan, Wade, Jeremy
• Primary Examiner(s): WALSH, DANIEL I
• Application Number:
  US14/220,967
• Time in Patent Office: 348 Days
• Field of Search: 235/380, 235/375, 235/435, 235/439, 235/449, 235/451, 235/487, 235/492, 235/493
• US Class Current: 235/380
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3223 Realising banking transactions through M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/353 Payments by cards read by M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3567 Software being in the reader
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3572 Multiple accounts on card
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/0873 Details of the card reader
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/72 for local intradevice communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/77 for interrogation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0001 Systems modifying transmission characteristics according to link quality, e.g. power backoff adaptive data allocation for multicarrier modulation H04L5/0044; controlling transmission power for radio systems H04W52/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/1438 Negotiation of transmission parameters prior to communication modified according to link quality H04L1/0001
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/141 Setup of application sessions admission control or resource allocation in data switching networks H04L47/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72409 by interfacing with external accessories hands-free H04M1/60

Abstract

Aspects of the subject disclosure provide a card reader for receiving payment card information at a mobile point-of-sale terminal. In some implementations, a reader of the subject technology can include a memory, a conditioning module and a 3.5 mm audio plug including an audio bus that is configured for insertion into a headphone port of a host device, such as a smart phone or tablet computer. Implementations of the subject technology also include a microprocessor configured to perform operations for tuning communication parameters. That is, upon connection of the reader device to the host computing device, the devices can engage in an exchange of carrier waves which the devices exchange can used to not only determine and negotiate operational parameters for the devices that support a highest possible connection speed with acceptable connection quality.

Claims

1. A card reader, comprising:

a read head;

an audio plug for engaging a corresponding audio jack associated with a host mobile device;

device electronics communicatively coupled to the read head and the audio plug;

and a memory comprising a plurality of instructions for causing the device electronics to detect when the audio plug is engaged with the audio jack and to perform, upon detecting the engaging of the audio plug with the audio jack, the steps of;

establishing an initial connection with the host mobile device,

receiving and decoding a plurality of instances of a first carrier wave transmitted from the host mobile device using different sets of parameters for the device electronics,

selecting one of the sets of parameters which supports a highest connection speed between the card reader and the host mobile device at the audio plug; and

configuring the device electronics to establish a communications session with the host mobile device based on the selected one of the sets of parameters, and

engaging in a payment transaction with the host mobile device using the communications session, the engaging comprising the card reader reading a card funding the payment transaction when the audio plug of the card reader is engaged with the audio jack associated with the host mobile device and during the communications session based on the selected one of the set of parameters supporting the highest connection speed.

2. The card reader of claim 1, wherein the audio plug comprises a first input channel and a second input channel, and wherein the receiving and decoding, the evaluating, the selecting, and the configuring are performed separately for each of the first input channel and the second input channel.

3. The card reader of claim 1, wherein selecting the one of the sets of parameters comprises:

evaluating a connection quality associated with each of the sets of parameters; and

selecting the one of the sets of parameters from the sets of parameters for which the connection quality meets a minimum connection quality criteria.

4. The card reader of claim 3, wherein the memory further comprises instructions for causing the device electronics to:

upon failing to determine that at least the sets of parameters meets the connection quality criteria, performing the receiving and decoding, the evaluating, the selecting, and the configuring for a plurality of instances of a second carrier wave transmitted by the host mobile device using different sets of parameters for the device electronics.

5. The card reader of claim 4, wherein the sets of parameters for receiving and decoding the first carrier wave and the sets of parameters for receiving and decoding the second carrier wave are different.

6. The card reader of claim 1, wherein the sets of parameters comprise at least one of amplifier gain, amplifier bias, an encoding scheme, an error correction scheme, and a modulation scheme.

7. The card reader of claim 1, wherein the memory further comprises instructions for causing the device electronics to perform the establishing by:

transmitting an announce tone via the audio plug;

determining whether a response tone is received via the audio plug;

upon determining that the response tone was received via the audio plug, generating an acknowledgment of the response tone via the audio plug; and

upon determining that the response tone was not received via the audio plug, adjusting at least one parameter for transmitting the announce tone and repeating the transmitting and determining.

8. A media reader, comprising:

at least one media reading device, at least one audio connector for engaging an audio port associated with a networked mobile computing device;

device electronics communicatively coupled to the at least one media reading device and the connector; and

a memory comprising a plurality of instructions for causing the device electronics to detect when the audio connector is engaged with the audio port and to perform, upon detecting the engaging of the at least one audio connector with the audio port, the steps of;

receiving and decoding a plurality of instances of at least one carrier wave received from the networked computing device by performing a sweep of at least one parameter at the device electronics;

determining a set of parameters for the device electronics, based on the sweep, providing a highest connection speed between the media reader and the computing device;

configuring the device electronics for a communications session using the set of parameters; and

engaging in the communication session, wherein the communication session includes the computing device reading a media device and funding a payment transaction when the media reader is engaged with the computer device when the audio port and the audio connector are engaged.

9. The media reader of claim 8, wherein the audio connector comprises a plurality of input channels, and wherein the receiving and decoding, the determining, and the configuring are performed separately for each of the plurality of input channels.

10. The media reader of claim 8, wherein the determining further comprises:

determining a connection quality for a plurality of parameter sets for the device electronics;

selecting the set of parameters from a portion of the plurality of parameter sets for which the connect quality meets a minim connection quality criteria.

11. The media reader of claim 8, wherein the connection quality criteria comprises a maximum bit error rate (BER).

12. The media reader of claim 8, wherein the at least one parameter comprises at least one of amplifier gain, amplifier bias, an encoding scheme, an error correction scheme, and a modulation scheme.

13. The media reader of claim 8, wherein the device electronics comprises an input amplifier, and wherein the at least one parameter comprises at least one of a gain and a bias of the input amplifier.

14. The media reader of claim 8, wherein the device electronics further comprises:

a microcontroller; and

an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) communicatively coupled to the at least one media reading device, the audio connector, and the microcontroller,

wherein the ADC is configured for converting analog signals from the audio connector and the at least one media reading device to digital signals for the microcontroller.

15. The media reader of claim 8, wherein the device electronics further comprises:

a conditioning module configured for receiving analog signals from the audio connector and conditioning the analog signals;

an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) for receiving the conditioned analog signals from the conditioning module and converting the conditioned analog signals to digital signals; and

a microcontroller configured for receiving and processing the digital signals and for controlling the conditioning module during the sweep.

16. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having stored thereon a computer program for operating a processor in a device with an audio signaling element, the computer program comprising a plurality of code sections which when executed by a processor performs the steps of:

receiving and decoding a plurality of instances of at least one carrier wave, via the audio signaling element at a mobile computing device, the at least one carrier wave being received from an audio element of the mobile computing device when the device and the mobile computing device are operatively engaged through the audio signaling element, using different sets of parameters, each of the at least one carrier wave associated with a different encoding scheme;

calculating a bit error rate (BER) for each of the plurality of instances;

determining whether the BER for at least one of the instances meets a BER criteria;

upon determining that the BER for at least one of the instances meets the BER criteria, establishing a communications session via the audio signaling element using a one of the different sets of parameters associated with meeting the BER criteria;

wherein each of the different coding schemes associated with a different connection speed between the device and the mobile computing device, and wherein the plurality of code sections further comprises code sections, which when executed by the processor perform the steps of selecting a one of the encoding schemes associated with the at least one of the instances that meets the BER criteria and is associated with a highest connection speed between the device and the mobile computing device, and engaging in the communication session of the device and the mobile computing device, including funding a financial transaction when the device and mobile device are engaged through the audio signaling equipment.

17. The computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the audio signaling element comprises a plurality of input channels, and wherein the plurality of code sections comprise code sections for performing the receiving and decoding, the calculating, the determining, and the configuring separately for each of the plurality of input channels.

18. The computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the memory further comprises instructions for causing the device electronics to:

upon failing to determine that the BER for at least one of the instances meets the BER criteria, performing the receiving and decoding, the calculating, the determining, and the configuring for a plurality of instances of a second carrier wave.

19. The computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the different sets of parameters for each of the at least one carrier wave are different.

20. The computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the parameters comprise at least one of amplifier gain, amplifier bias, and a modulation scheme.

21. The computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the plurality of code sections further comprises code sections for:

transmitting an announce tone via the audio plug;

determining whether a response tone is received via the audio plug;

upon determining that the response tone was received via the audio plug, generating an acknowledgment of the response tone via the audio plug; and

upon determining that the response tone was not received via the audio plug, adjusting at least one parameter for transmitting the announce tone and repeating the transmitting and determining.