Card reader with asymmetric spring

• US 9,324,100 B2
• Filed: 11/17/2011
• Issued: 04/26/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/05/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Block, Inc. (f/k/a Square, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Block, Inc. (f/k/a Square, Inc.)
• Inventors: Sather, Elliot John Patrick, Babu, Amish, Staples, Gregory, Dorsey, Jack, McKelvey, James M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Thien M
• Assistant Examiner(s): TAYLOR, APRIL ALICIA
• Application Number:
  US13/298,540
• Publication Number:
  US 20120168505A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,622 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: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/087 flux-sensitive, e.g. magnetic, detectors G06K7/10336 takes precedence
• 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 is positioned in a housing that has length, height and width dimensions. The read head is configured to be coupled to a mobile device and has a slot for swiping a magnetic stripe of a card. The read head reads data on the magnetic stripe and produces a signal indicative of data stored on the magnetic stripe. The read head has length, height and width edge surfaces. An asymmetric spring is coupled to the read head. The asymmetric spring positions the read head to be offset in the housing with the housing length and height edges being non-symmetrical in respect to the length and height edges of the read head. An output jack is adapted to be inserted in a port of the mobile device and deliver an output jack signal to the mobile device.

Claims

1. A card reader, comprising:

a housing having length, height and width dimensions;

a read head positioned in the housing, the read head configured to be coupled to a mobile device, the housing having a slot for swiping a magnetic stripe of a card, the read head reading data on the magnetic stripe and producing a signal indicative of data stored on the magnetic stripe, the read head having length, height and width dimensions;

an asymmetric spring coupled to the read head, the asymmetric spring supporting the read head to position supports for the read head within the asymmetric spring, the asymmetric spring positioning the read head to be offset in the housing so the read head is positioned away from a center point of the housing; and

an output jack adapted to be inserted in a port of the mobile device and deliver an output jack signal to the mobile device.

2. The card reader of claim 1, wherein the asymmetric spring is a cantilever with a pre-load onto an opposing wall on a back bone to provide that the read head is substantially perpendicular to the magnetic strip of the card when the card is read by the read head.

3. The card reader of claim 1, wherein the asymmetric spring is configured to provide read head positional adjustment when the card is in the card reader slot.

4. The card reader of claim 3, the read head is positioned to provide up to 10 degrees of rotation and still register on track 1 or track 2 of the card.

5. The card reader of claim 1, wherein accommodation of rocking enables the card to be moved in a direction away from a bottom of the slot while the card is slid through the slot.

6. The card reader of claim 1, wherein the asymmetric spring is attached at a single point to a side of the housing.

7. The card reader of claim 1, wherein the asymmetric spring angles the read head to create an angled read head and provides that when the card is inserted in the slot the read head is parallel to the card.

8. The card reader of claim 7, wherein the angled read head is substantially parallel with a card as it is swiped through the slot.

9. The card reader of claim 8, wherein the asymmetric spring shifts the read head off center relative to the housing.

10. The card reader of claim 9, wherein offsetting of the read head increases successful card readings when the card is rotated about a corner of a bottom of the slot.

11. The card reader of claim 9, wherein offsetting the read head allows the card to be rotated at a greater angle while still keeping the read heads active area on the magnetic stripe of the card.

12. The card reader of claim 9, wherein the offsetting allows for more card rotation by a user as the card is swept through the slot.

13. The card reader of claim 1, wherein the read head is shifted up with respect to a center line of the magnetic stripe.

14. The card reader of claim 1, wherein the card can be rotated farther off a bottom of the slot before a read head active area is no longer on the magnetic stripe of the card.

15. The card reader of claim 1, wherein the read head is configured to be positioned to be offset from a center of track 1 or track 2 of the card.

16. The card reader of claim 1 further comprising:

device electronics that include an analog to digital front-end, and a microcontroller, the analog to digital front end coupled to a processing element in the microcontroller, the analog to digital front end receiving a raw magnetic head signal and converting the raw magnetic head signal into a processed digital signal that the microcontroller can interpret, the microcontroller producing the output jack signal.

17. The card reader of claim 16, wherein the analog to digital front end includes, an amplifier/filter, differentiator and a comparator.

18. The card reader of claim 17, wherein the analog to digital front end further includes wake-up electronics.

19. The card reader of claim 18, further comprising:

a power source coupled to the wake-up electronics.

20. The card reader of claim 19, wherein the wake-up electronics signals the microcontroller, which in turn puts the device electronics into an active mode from a sleep mode, and back into the sleep mode when a card swipe signal stops.

21. The card reader of claim 16, wherein the microcontroller has a non-volatile memory with a size of 2-8 kbytes, and RAM with a size 128-512 bytes.

22. The card reader of claim 16, wherein the analog to digital front end is configured to capture card readings that are swept at a rate of 5 inches to 50 inches per second.

23. The card reader of claim 16, wherein the read head sends the output jack signal to the mobile device at a constant baud rate.

24. The card reader of claim 23, wherein the constant baud rate is 2400 to 9200 baud.

25. The card reader of claim 1, wherein the asymmetric spring offsets the read head so that a center point of the read head is offset with respect to the center point of the housing.

26. The card reader of claim 1, wherein the asymmetric spring includes a mounting lip that supports a cantilever arm.

27. The card reader of claim 26, wherein the mounting lip is formed at a proximal end of the cantilever arm, and the read head is supported at a distal end of the cantilever arm.

28. The card reader of claim 26, wherein the mounting lip and the cantilever arm form an angle such that the read head is biased away from one side of the slot.

29. The card reader of claim 28, wherein the mounting lip is mounted proximate the one side of the slot and the cantilever arm biases the read head away from the side of the slot proximate where the mounting lip is mounted.

30. A card reader, comprising:

a housing having length, height and width dimensions;

a read head positioned in the housing, the housing having a slot for swiping a card, the read head configured to read data on a magnetic stripe of the card and produce a signal indicative of data stored on the magnetic stripe;

an asymmetric spring coupled to the read head, the asymmetric spring supporting the read head to position supports for the read head within the asymmetric spring, the asymmetric spring positioning the read head to be offset in the housing so the read head is positioned away from a center point of the housing; and

an output jack adapted to be inserted in a port of a mobile device and deliver an output jack signal to the mobile device.