Mobile reader device

• US 9,256,769 B1
• Filed: 02/25/2014
• Issued: 02/09/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Block, Inc. (f/k/a Square, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Block, Inc. (f/k/a Square, Inc.)
• Inventors: Dorogusker, Jesse, Post, Dan, Templeton, Thomas, Lamfalusi, Mike
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Thien M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Habib, Asifa
• Application Number:
  US14/189,997
• Time in Patent Office: 714 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/01 Details
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/08 by means detecting the change of an electrostatic or magnetic field, e.g. by detecting change of capacitance between electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/084 sensing magnetic material by relative movement detecting flux changes without altering its magnetised state
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/00 Payment architectures, schemes or protocols apparatus for performing or posting payment transactions G07F7/08, G07F19/00; electronic cash registers G07G1/12
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/34 using cards, e.g. integrated circuit [IC] cards or magnetic cards
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/00 Radio transmission systems, i.e. using radiation field H04B10/00, H04B15/00 take precedence

Abstract

The subject technology relates to methods and systems for processing a payment using a mobile card reader. Implementations of the subject technology provide a method for receiving payment information, wherein the payment information specifies a payment amount, generating an authorization request to process the payment information, encrypting the authorization request using an encryption engine to generate a secure authorization request and transmitting the secure authorization request using the radio transceiver to a payment processor via a messaging service, wherein the messaging service comprises one or more of a SMS, a MMS or an email service. In certain aspects, methods of the subject technology can further include steps for receiving an authorization response from the payment processor via the messaging service. Systems and methods for mobile card reader activation are also provided.

Claims

1. A mobile card reader, comprising:

a processor;

a card reader coupled to the processor;

a short-range communication module coupled to the processor; and

a long-range communication module coupled to the processor, and wherein the processor is configured to perform operations comprising;

receiving, via the card reader, financial information associated with a buyer'"'"'s payment card for initiating a financial transaction with a merchant;

determining, using the long-range communication module, an available bandwidth for data transacted with a payment processing service, wherein the payment processing service facilitates verification of the financial transaction between the buyer and the merchant;

determining, using the short-range communication module, an availability of a local device, the local device configured for facilitating communication between the mobile card reader and the payment processing service when the payment processing service is unavailable to the long-range communication module; and

selecting a communication path for communicating with the payment processing service based on the available bandwidth.

2. The mobile card reader of claim 1, wherein selecting the communication path further comprises:

selecting a low-bandwidth transmission service if the available bandwidth is below a first predetermined threshold; and

transmitting, using the long-range communication module, at least a portion of the financial information to the payment processing service.

3. The mobile card reader of claim 2, wherein the low-bandwidth transmission service comprises one or more of:

a short messaging service (SMS), a multimedia messaging service (MMS), or an email service.

4. The mobile card reader of claim 1, wherein selecting the communication path further comprises:

selecting a high-bandwidth transmission service if the available bandwidth is above a second predetermined threshold, and

transmitting, using the long-range communication module, at least a portion of the financial information to the payment processing service.

5. The mobile card reader of claim 4, wherein the high-bandwidth transmission service utilizes a protocol supporting at least one of:

an internet protocol (IP), a point-to-point protocol (PPP), or a X.25 protocol.

6. The mobile card reader of claim 1, wherein selecting the communication path further comprises:

selecting the local device for facilitating communication with the payment processing service if the available bandwidth is below a third predetermined threshold; and

transmitting, using the short-range communication module, at least a portion of the financial information to the local device.

7. The mobile card reader of claim 1, wherein the long-range communication module comprises a general packet radio service (GPRS) module.

8. The mobile card reader of claim 1, wherein the short-range communication module comprises at least one of:

a Bluetooth module, an infrared (IR) module, or a Wi-Fi module.

9. A computer-implemented method for selecting a communication path between a mobile card reader and a payment processing service, the method comprising:

receiving, by a processor of the mobile card reader, financial information associated with a buyer'"'"'s payment card;

determining, by the processor, an available bandwidth for data transacted with a payment processing service;

determining, by the processor, an availability of a local device, wherein the local device is configured to facilitate communication with the payment processing service; and

selecting, by the processor, a communication path for communicating with the payment processing service based on the available bandwidth and the availability of the local device.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, further comprising:

selecting, by the processor, a low-bandwidth transmission service if the available bandwidth is below a first predetermined threshold; and

transmitting, using the processor, at least a portion of the financial information to the payment processing service via the low-bandwidth transmission service.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein the low-bandwidth transmission service comprises one or more of:

a short messaging service (SMS), a multimedia messaging service (MMS), or an email service.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein selecting the communication path further comprises:

selecting, by the processor, a high-bandwidth transmission service if the available bandwidth is above a second predetermined threshold, and

transmitting, using the processor, at least a portion of the financial information to the payment processing service via the high-bandwidth transmission service.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein selecting the communication path further comprises:

selecting, by the processor, the local device for facilitating communication with the payment processing service if the available bandwidth is below a third predetermined threshold; and

transmitting, using the processor, at least a portion of the financial information to the local device.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, further comprising:

receiving, by the processor, a verification response from the payment processing service, via the local device, the verification response indicating a status of a financial transaction between the buyer and a merchant.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions stored therein, which when executed by one or more processors, cause the processors to perform operations for facilitating selection of a communication path between a mobile card reader and a payment processing service, the operations comprising:

receiving, by one or more processors of the mobile card reader, financial information associated with a buyer'"'"'s payment card;

determining, using the processors, an available bandwidth for data transacted with the payment processing service;

determining, using the processors, an availability of a local device, wherein the local device is configured to facilitate communication with the payment processing service; and

selecting, using the processors, a communication path for communicating with the payment processing service based on the available bandwidth and the availability of the local device.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, the operations further comprising:

selecting, using the processors, a low-bandwidth transmission service if the available bandwidth is below a first predetermined threshold; and

transmitting, using the processors, at least a portion of the financial information to the payment processing service via the low-bandwidth transmission service.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the low-bandwidth transmission service comprises one or more of:

a short messaging service (SMS), a multimedia messaging service (MMS), or an email service.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein selecting the communication path further comprises:

selecting, by the processors, a high-bandwidth transmission service if the available bandwidth is above a second predetermined threshold, and

transmitting, using the processors, at least a portion of the financial information to the payment processing service via the high-bandwidth transmission service.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein selecting the communication path further comprises:

selecting, by the processors, the local device for facilitating communication with the payment processing service if the available bandwidth is below a third predetermined threshold; and

transmitting, using the processors, at least a portion of the financial information to the local device.

20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 19, the operations further comprising:

receiving, by the processors, a verification response from the payment processing service, via the local device, the verification response indicating a status of a financial transaction between the buyer and a merchant.