Payment object reader device with multiple types of reader circuitry

• US 9,870,557 B2
• Filed: 10/27/2016
• Issued: 01/16/2018
• 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): Glass, Shay S
• Assistant Examiner(s): Glass, Russell S.
• Application Number:
  US15/336,597
• Publication Number:
  US 20170046677A1
• Time in Patent Office: 446 Days
• Field of Search: None
• 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 point of sale (POS) system for transactions, the POS system comprising:

a transaction application stored in a memory of a first device, the transaction application including transaction application instructions that, when executed using one or more processors of the first device, cause the first device to transmit payment object information from the first device to a payment processing service via a network, thereby causing a payment transaction associated with the payment object information to be processed; and

a payment object reader device communicatively coupled to the first device, the payment object reader device comprising;

a first type of reader circuitry that is configured to read a first type of payment object,

a second type of reader circuitry that is configured to read a second type of payment object,

communication circuitry that is configured to communicate with the transaction application of the first device,

a reader processor that is configured to execute reader instructions effective to receive payment object information from at least one of the first type of reader circuitry or the second type of reader circuitry, and to cause the communication circuitry to transmit the payment object information to the transaction application of the first device, and

power circuitry that is configured to provide electrical power to at least the reader processor and the communication circuitry.

2. The POS system of claim 1, wherein the first type of reader circuitry is a magnetic stripe reader and the first type of payment object is a magnetic stripe payment object, wherein the second type of reader circuitry is a chip reader and the second type of payment object is a chip payment object.

3. The POS system of claim 1, wherein the first type of reader circuitry is a magnetic stripe reader and the first type of payment object is a magnetic stripe payment object, wherein the second type of reader circuitry is a near field communication (NFC) reader and the second type of payment object is a NFC payment object.

4. The POS system of claim 1, wherein the first type of reader circuitry is a chip reader and the first type of payment object is a chip payment object, wherein the second type of reader circuitry is a near field communication (NFC) reader and the second type of payment object is a NFC payment object.

5. The POS system of claim 1, wherein the communication circuitry includes at least one of a wireless Bluetooth antenna, a wireless Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) antenna, or a WiFi antenna.

6. The POS system of claim 1, wherein the power circuitry includes at least one rechargeable battery.

7. The POS system of claim 1, wherein the a power circuitry is configured to provide electrical power to at least one of the first type of reader circuitry or the second type of reader circuitry.

8. The POS system of claim 1, wherein the transaction application instructions, when executed by the one or more processors of the first device, cause the first device to receive a payment authorization input via a user interface of the first device.

9. The POS system of claim 8, wherein the payment authorization input includes a user-input PIN code, wherein the transaction application instructions, when executed by the one or more processors of the first device, cause the first device to:

transmit the user-input PIN code to the reader device via the communication circuitry, and

receive a confirmation from the payment object reader device that the user-input PIN code matches an embedded PIN code stored at the payment object via the communication circuitry.

10. The POS system of claim 1, wherein the communication circuitry includes at least one of an audio plug, an audio port, a universal serial bus (USB) plug, or a USB port.

11. The POS system of claim 1, wherein the power circuitry includes at least one of an audio plug, an audio port, a universal serial bus (USB) plug, or a USB port.

12. The POS system of claim 1, wherein the power circuitry includes at least one direct current converter.

13. The POS system of claim 1, further comprising a card slot to receive a the payment object, wherein the payment object is a payment card, and wherein the card slot includes at least one of the first type of reader circuitry or the second type of reader circuitry.

14. A method for transactions using a point of sale (POS) system, the method comprising:

providing electrical power to a reader processor and to communication circuitry of a payment object reader device via power circuitry of the payment object reader device;

reading a payment object at the payment object reader device using one of a first type of reader circuitry of the payment object reader device or a second type of reader circuitry of the payment object reader device;

extracting payment object information at the reader processor of the payment object reader device based on reading the payment object at the payment object reader device;

transmitting the payment object information from communication circuitry of the payment object reader device to a transaction application of a first device; and

causing, via the transaction application stored in a memory of the first device communicatively coupled to the payment object reader device, the first device to transmit the payment object information to a payment processing service via a network, thereby causing a payment transaction associated with the payment object information to be processed.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the first type of reader circuitry is a magnetic stripe reader and the first type of payment object is a magnetic stripe payment object, wherein the second type of reader circuitry is a chip reader and the second type of payment object is a chip payment object.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the first type of reader circuitry is a magnetic stripe reader and the first type of payment object is a magnetic stripe payment object, wherein the second type of reader circuitry is a near field communication (NFC) reader and the second type of payment object is a NFC payment object.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the first type of reader circuitry is a chip reader and the first type of payment object is a chip payment object, wherein the second type of reader circuitry is a near field communication (NFC) reader and the second type of payment object is a NFC payment object.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising receiving a payment authorization input at the transaction application of the first device via a user interface of the first device.

19. The method of claim 14, further comprising providing electrical power, via the power circuitry, to at least one of the first type of reader circuitry or the second type of reader circuitry.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein the payment object information includes a confirmation that a user-input PIN code matches an embedded PIN code stored at the payment object, further comprising receiving the user-input PIN code at the payment object reader device from the first device via the communication circuitry.