Wireless card reader with contactless and contact card interfaces

• US 9,390,297 B2
• Filed: 10/02/2015
• Issued: 07/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/02/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Block, Inc. (f/k/a Square, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Block, Inc. (f/k/a Square, Inc.)
• Inventors: Babu, Amish, Dorogusker, Jesse, Lamba, Kartik, Sather, Elliot
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Michael G
• Assistant Examiner(s): TARDIF, DAVID P
• Application Number:
  US14/874,301
• Publication Number:
  US 20160026831A1
• Time in Patent Office: 284 Days
• Field of Search: 235/380
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3209 Monitoring remote activity, e.g. over telephone lines or network connections
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3215 Monitoring of peripheral devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3287 by switching off individual functional units in the computer system
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/0004 Hybrid readers
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/0013 by galvanic contacts, e.g. card connectors for ISO-7816 compliant smart cards or memory cards, e.g. SD card readers connectors in general H01R13/00; connectors for SIM cards used in mobile phones or the like H04B1/3816
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/0073 having multiple insertion slots, the respective slots suited for the same or different card form factors
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/084 sensing magnetic material by relative movement detecting flux changes without altering its magnetised state
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10128 the step consisting of detection of the presence of one or more record carriers in the vicinity of the interrogation device
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10297 arrangements for handling protocols designed for non-contact record carriers such as RFIDs NFCs, e.g. ISO/IEC 14443 and 18092 cryptographic protocols H04L9/00; network security protocols H04L63/00; real-time communication protocols in data switching networks H04L65/00; network protocols for data switching network services H04L67/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/202 Interconnection or interaction of plural electronic cash registers [ECR] or to host computer, e.g. network details, transfer of information from host to ECR or from ECR to ECR
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/204 comprising interface for record bearing medium or carrier for electronic funds transfer or payment credit
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3278 RFID or NFC payments by means of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/4012 Verifying personal identification numbers [PIN]
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/0886 the card reader being portable for interacting with a POS or ECR in realizing a payment transaction
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0229 where the received signal is a wanted signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0251 using monitoring of local events, e.g. events related to user activity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0254 detecting a user operation or a tactile contact or a motion of the device
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/10 Technologies improving the efficiency by using switched-mode power supplies [SMPS], i.e. efficient power electronics conversion e.g. power factor correction or reduction of losses in power supplies or efficient standby modes
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/30 Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for improving the carbon footprint of the management of residential or tertiary loads, i.e. smart grids as climate change mitigation technology in the buildings sector, including also the last stages of power distribution and the control, monitoring or operating management systems at local level
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 : Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 : in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatus, for a payment card reader comprising: a frame, where the frame includes a top surface, a bottom surface, a first side surface, and a second side surface, a second side surface of the side surfaces on an opposite side of the frame from the first side surface, the first side surface including a groove configured to receive a swipe of a magnetic stripe card, the second side surface including a slot configured to receive insertion of a chip card; a magnetic stripe reader interface; a chip card reader interface; circuitry configured to direct signals from the magnetic stripe reader interface and the chip card reader interface to a microcontroller in the card reader; and circuitry configured to communicate wirelessly between the card reader and a computing device.

Claims

1. A method for conserving power in a system, comprising:

receiving a card interaction from a card at a first card interface of the system, where the system comprises components including the first card interface, a second card interface, and one or more of the following;

a microcontroller, a power source, a circuit for communicating card data, and a wake-up circuit, where the components are powered down, and where the card interaction triggers the wake-up circuit;

activating a power source using a signal from the wake-up circuit;

powering the microcontroller using the power source, and in response to powering the microcontroller;

powering up, using the power source, only one of the first card interface or the second card interface, the powering of the first card interface or the second card interface based at least in part on the interaction of the first card interface or the second card interface with the card;

receiving card data from the card through the first card interface or the second card interface; and

sending the card data received from one of the first card interface or the second card interface, to a computing device, using the circuit for communicating card data.

2. The method of claim 1, where the first card interface is a magnetic card stripe reader interface and the second card interface is a chip card reader interface.

3. The method of claim 2, where the chip card reader interface implements the Europay, Mastercard, Visa (EMV) protocol.

4. The method of claim 1, where the card interaction is one of the following:

a card swipe or a card insertion.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the circuit for communicating card data includes an antenna for wirelessly communicating card data.

6. The method of claim 1, in response to sending the card data, sending response data, from the computing device to the card, through the card interface that interacted with the card.

7. The method of claim 1, where the card data includes a signature, an authentication notification for a transaction, a card number, an expiry date, or a name.

8. The method of claim 6, where the response data includes a passcode inputted by a user or transaction data.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising powering down the one of the first card interface or the second card interface after the receiving the card data.

10. The method of claim 1, where the power source includes a direct current convertor, where the direct current convertor converts current from the power source to usable power for the microcontroller, and where the microcontroller is powered by the usable power.

11. A payment card reader, comprising:

a microcontroller;

a first card interface and a second card interface, where the first card interface and second card interface are each configured to interact with a payment card and communicate with the microcontroller;

a circuit for communicating card data configured to send card data received from one of the first card interface or the second card interface to a computing device;

a wake up circuit configured to power up the microcontroller, and after powering up the microcontroller, the microcontroller configured to power up only one of the first card interface or the second card interface based at least in part on an interaction between the first card interface or the second card interface and the card.

12. The reader of claim 11, wherein the circuit for communicating card data further includes an antenna configured to communicate card data.

13. The reader of claim 11, where the first card interface is a magnetic card stripe reader interface and the second card interface is a chip card reader interface.

14. The reader of claim 11, further comprising a frame configure to support the microcontroller, first card interface, second card interface, wake up circuit, and circuit for communicating card data, the frame defining a plurality of sides of the payment card reader where the first card interface and second card interface are located on a same side of the frame.

15. The reader of claim 14, where the where the first card interface and second card interface are an integrated combined interface.

16. The reader of claim 15, where the combined interface includes a spring loaded gate, where if a card is inserted at the combined interface, electrical contacts of the spring loaded gate are engaged with the card, and where if the card is swiped at the combined interface, the electrical contacts are recessed from the card.

17. The reader of claim 11, further comprising a power source including a rechargeable battery.

18. The reader of claim 17, further comprising a universal serial bus (USB) interface configured to be connected to a power source for recharging the rechargeable battery.

19. The reader of claim 11, further comprising a power source including a battery and a direct current convertor, where the direct current convertor converts current from the power source to usable power for the microcontroller, and where the microcontroller is powered by the usable power.

20. The reader of claim 11, where the card interaction is a card swipe or a card insertion.