Terminal case with integrated reader and shortened base

• US 9,256,770 B1
• Filed: 07/02/2014
• Issued: 02/09/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/02/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Block, Inc. (f/k/a Square, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Square Inc (Block, Inc. (f/k/a Square, Inc.))
• Inventors: Edwards, Troy
• Primary Examiner(s): FRANKLIN, JAMARA ALZAIDA
• Application Number:
  US14/322,815
• Time in Patent Office: 587 Days
• Field of Search: 23547201-47203, 235/379
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/006 the housing being a portable casing
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/082 using inductive or magnetic sensors

Abstract

Aspects of the technology provide a case for a mobile device, wherein the case includes a body, and a base configured to be mechanically coupled to the body. In certain aspects, the base includes a reader configured for reading financial information from a payment card for facilitating a financial transaction between a buyer and a merchant, a card slot disposed within the base, the card slot configured to receive the payment card, and wherein the card reader comprises a tip-ring-ring-sleeve (TRRS) connector having a protruding portion and a modified base portion, and wherein the modified base portion provides not more than two electrical connections between the TRRS connector and the reader.

Claims

1. A point of sale system comprising a mobile computing device running transaction processing software and having a headphone port, and a case for enclosing the mobile computing device, the case comprising:

a body portion;

a base portion configured to interface with the body portion to collectively enclose the mobile computing device;

a reader disposed within the base portion and configured for reading financial information from a payment card; and

a tip-ring-ring-sleeve (TRRS) connector configured to be received within the headphone port of the mobile computing device and to transmit data from the reader to the transaction processing software of the mobile device, the TRRS connector having a protruding portion and a modified base portion;

the protruding portion protruding from the base portion of the case and being adapted to be received within the headphone port of the mobile device, the protruding portion having four potential points of electrical contact with the mobile device,

the modified base portion of the TRRS connector being housed within the base portion of the case, and wherein the modified base portion of the TRRS connector provides not more than two electrical connections between the TRRS connector and the reader, thereby the modified base portion takes up less space within the base portion of the case allowing the base portion of the case to be slimmer than a case enclosing a TRRS connector base portion providing more than two electrical connections between the TRRS connector and the reader.

2. The point of sale system of claim 1, wherein the modified base portion comprises a first electrical connection and a second electrical connection to the protruding portion of the TRRS connector, the first electrical connection and the second electrical connection respectively corresponding with a microphone channel and a ground connection of the microphone port.

3. The point of sale system of claim 1, wherein the card slot is configured to receive a magnetic stripe payment card.

4. The point of sale system of claim 1, wherein the card slot is configured to receive an integrated circuit (IC) payment card.

5. The point of sale system of claim 1, wherein the protruding portion of the TRRS connector is configured to conform to one or more TRRS connector standard configurations.

6. The point of sale system of claim 1, wherein the card slot is configured to facilitate mechanical contact between the payment card and a read head of the reader.

7. A mobile point of sale (POS) terminal, comprising:

a mobile device comprising an audio port;

a case mechanically disposed around the mobile device, the case comprising;

a reader configured for reading financial information from a payment card;

a card slot configured to receive the payment card and for facilitating contact between the payment card and the reader, and

wherein the card reader comprises an audio jack having a protruding portion and a base portion, the protruding portion adapted to be received by the audio port of the mobile device, and wherein the base portion provides not more than two electrical connections between the audio jack and the audio port.

8. The mobile POS terminal of claim 7, wherein the audio jack comprises a tip-ring-ring-sleeve (TRRS) connector.

9. The mobile POS terminal of claim 7, wherein the audio port is a headphone port.

10. The mobile POS terminal of claim 7, wherein the card slot is configured to receive a magnetic stripe payment card.

11. The mobile POS terminal of claim 7, wherein the card slot is configured to receive an integrated circuit (IC) payment card.

12. The mobile POS terminal of claim 7, wherein the audio jack is configured to conform to one or more TRRS connector standard configurations.

13. The mobile POS terminal of claim 7, wherein the reader is configured to transmit the financial information from the payment card to the mobile device to facilitate a financial transaction between a buyer and a seller.

14. A mobile reader, comprising:

a read head embedded in a case configured to enclose a mobile computing device, wherein the read head is electrically coupled to a tip-ring-ring sleeve (TRRS) connector, and

wherein the TRRS connector comprises a protruding portion and a modified base portion, the protruding portion adapted to be received by a headphone port of a mobile device, and

wherein the modified base portion provides not more than two electrical connections between the TRRS connector and the mobile reader.

15. The mobile reader of claim 14, wherein the modified base portion comprises a first electrical connection and a second electrical connection to the protruding portion of the TRRS connector, the first electrical connection and the second electrical connection respectively corresponding with a microphone channel and a ground connection of the headphone port.

16. The mobile reader of claim 14, wherein the read head is configured to receive data from a magnetic stripe payment card.

17. The mobile reader of claim 14, wherein the read head is configured to receive data from an integrated circuit (IC) payment card.

18. The mobile reader of claim 14, wherein the protruding portion of the TRRS connector is configured to conform to one or more TRRS connector standard configurations.

19. The mobile reader of claim 14, wherein the case comprises a card slot configured to receive a magnetic stripe payment card.

20. The mobile reader of claim 14, wherein the case comprises a dip-slot configured to receive an integrated (IC) payment card.