Magnetic emissive use of preloaded payment card account numbers

• US 9,536,241 B2
• Filed: 03/04/2015
• Issued: 01/03/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fitbit, Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Fitbit, Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Brown, Kerry D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Mai, Thien T
• Application Number:
  US14/638,364
• Publication Number:
  US 20150186877A1
• Time in Patent Office: 671 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06206 the magnetic marking being emulated
• 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 20/325 using wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/327 Short range or proximity payments by means of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/34 using cards, e.g. integrated circuit [IC] cards or magnetic cards
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/347 Passive cards
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/352 Contactless payments by cards
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3829 involving key management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/385 using an alias or single-use codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/409 Device specific authentication in transaction processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 2220/00 Business processing using cryptography postage metering system using cryptography G06Q2250/05
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/084 Additional components relating to data transfer and storing, e.g. error detection, self-diagnosis
• 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 thin-client access card has a card body with partial or fully emissive magnetic data tracks. An emissive element is disposed in the card body under the location of the legacy magnetic data tracks. An electronic signal conditioner converts audio signals from a mobile device into magnetic data applied to the emissive element. A swipe sensor detects when the thin-client access card is being swiped by a legacy card reader, and triggers an output of magnetic data from the emissive element while proximal to the POS reader head. A cable attaches the thin-client access card as a peripheral to the mobile device with an audio output jack.

Claims

1. A payment card system, comprising:

a computer;

a mobile device; and

a payment card,

wherein the computer is programmed to encrypt a use-once account number and to transmit the encrypted use-once account number to the mobile device,

wherein the mobile device comprises a Bluetooth transceiver and the mobile device is programmed to receive the encrypted use-once account number from the computer, to decrypt the encrypted use-once account number, and to transmit the decrypted use-once account number via the Bluetooth transceiver to the payment card,

wherein the payment card comprises;

a Bluetooth transceiver configured to receive the decrypted use-once account number from the mobile device;

an inductive loop configured for the serial output of dynamic magnetic data to spoof a read head of a legacy card reader into accepting the dynamic magnetic data as conventional track data;

a microcontroller programmed to convert the decrypted use-once account number for serial output by the inductive loop in which serially time encoded electro-magnetic fields are emitted to mimic those of a conventional magnetic recording being swiped past said read head; and

a swipe sensor configured to signal when the payment card has been swiped by the legacy card reader and to trigger an output that includes the decrypted use-once account number via the inductive loop as magnetic data.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the computer is further programmed to transmit the encrypted use-once account number to the mobile device via Wi-Fi.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the mobile device comprises a serial port and the mobile device is configured to receive the encrypted use-once account number via the serial port.

4. A payment card system, comprising:

a computer;

a mobile device; and

a payment card,

wherein the computer is programmed to encrypt an account number and to transmit the encrypted account number to the mobile device,

wherein the mobile device comprises a Bluetooth transceiver and the mobile device is programmed to receive the encrypted account number from the computer, to decrypt the encrypted account number, and to transmit the decrypted account number via the Bluetooth transceiver to the payment card,

wherein the payment card comprises;

a Bluetooth transceiver configured to receive the decrypted account number from the mobile device;

an inductive loop configured for the serial output of dynamic magnetic data to spoof a read head of a legacy card reader into accepting the dynamic magnetic data as conventional track data;

a microcontroller programmed to convert the decrypted account number for serial output by the inductive loop in which serially time encoded electro-magnetic fields are emitted to mimic those of a conventional magnetic recording being swiped past said read head; and

a swipe sensor configured to signal when the payment card has been swiped by the legacy card reader and to trigger an output that includes the decrypted account number via the inductive loop as magnetic data.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein the computer is further programmed to transmit the encrypted account number to the mobile device via Wi-Fi.

6. The system of claim 4 wherein the mobile device comprises a serial port and the mobile device is configured to receive the encrypted use-once account number via the serial port.

7. A payment card, comprising:

a Bluetooth transceiver configured to receive a decrypted use-once account number from a mobile device;

an inductive loop configured for the serial output of dynamic magnetic data to spoof a read head of a legacy card reader into accepting the dynamic magnetic data as conventional track data;

a microcontroller programmed to convert the decrypted use-once account number for serial output by the inductive loop in which serially time encoded electro-magnetic fields are emitted to mimic those of a conventional magnetic recording being swiped past said read head; and

a swipe sensor configured to signal when the payment card has been swiped by the legacy card reader and to trigger an output that includes the decrypted use-once account number via the inductive loop as magnetic data.

8. A payment card, comprising:

a Bluetooth transceiver configured to receive a decrypted account number from a mobile device;

an inductive loop configured for the serial output of dynamic magnetic data to spoof a read head of a legacy card reader into accepting the dynamic magnetic data as conventional track data;

a microcontroller programmed to convert the decrypted account number for serial output by the inductive loop in which serially time encoded electro-magnetic fields are emitted to mimic those of a conventional magnetic recording being swiped past said read head; and

a swipe sensor configured to signal when the payment card has been swiped by the legacy card reader and to trigger an output that includes the decrypted account number via the inductive loop as magnetic data.

9. A payment system, comprising:

a computer;

a mobile device; and

a payment card,

wherein the computer is programmed to encrypt a use-once account number and to transmit the encrypted use-once account number to the mobile device,

wherein the mobile device comprises a first wireless transceiver and the mobile device is programmed to receive the encrypted use-once account number from the computer, to decrypt the encrypted use-once account number, and to transmit the decrypted use-once account number via the first wireless transceiver to the payment card,

wherein the payment card comprises;

a second wireless transceiver configured to receive the decrypted use-once account number from the mobile device;

an inductive loop configured to serially output dynamic magnetic data to spoof a read head of a legacy card reader into accepting the dynamic magnetic data as conventional track data;

a microcontroller programmed to convert the decrypted use-once account number for serial output by the inductive loop in which serially time encoded electro-magnetic fields are emitted to mimic those of a conventional magnetic recording being swiped past the read head; and

a swipe sensor configured to signal when the payment card has been swiped by the legacy card reader and to trigger an output that includes the decrypted use-once account number via the inductive loop as magnetic data.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the first and second wireless transceivers each comprise a near field communication (NFC) transceiver.