Systems and methods for sensor mechanisms for magnetic cards and devices

• US 9,881,245 B1
• Filed: 04/20/2016
• Issued: 01/30/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dynamics Inc.
• Original Assignee: Dynamics Inc.
• Inventors: Rhoades, Randy L., Workley, James H., Mullen, Jeffrey D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Haupt, Kristy A
• Application Number:
  US15/133,538
• Time in Patent Office: 650 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06196 Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06206 the magnetic marking being emulated
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0716 at least one of the integrated circuit chips comprising a sensor or an interface to a sensor
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/084 sensing magnetic material by relative movement detecting flux changes without altering its magnetised state

Abstract

A card exhibiting multiple linear arrays of sensors are provided to detect a presence and movement of an external object (e.g., a read-head of a magnetic stripe reader). Each sensor of each array of sensors may be independently connected to a dual port of a processor so that the processor may determine a direction in which the card is swiped through a magnetic stripe reader. A portion of sensors of each array of sensors may be shared by a portion of inputs and/or outputs of a single port of a processor. Sensors may be cross-coupled to a single processor port so that forward and reverse directions of a card swipe may nevertheless be detected by a single-port processor of a card.

Claims

1. A device, comprising:

a first array of sensors including a first and a second sensor;

a second array of sensors including a third and a fourth sensor;

a first pin electrically coupled to the first and the third sensor;

a second pin electrically coupled to the second and the fourth sensor;

a processor electrically coupled to the first and the second pins and operable to determine a first swipe direction based on a first sequence of signals from the first and the second pins and a second swipe direction based on a second sequence of signals from the first and second pins.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the processor is further operable to determine at least one communication parameter based on one of the determined direction.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising a communications device, coupled to the processor and operable to communicate payment data.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising a communications device, coupled to the processor and operable to communicate payment data, wherein the communications device is a dynamic magnetic stripe communications device.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising a communications device, coupled to the processor and operable to communicate payment data, wherein:

the communications device is a dynamic magnetic stripe communications device; and

the processor is further operable to determine at least one communication parameter based on one of the determined direction.

6. The card of claim 1, wherein first and second sensor are coupled to other circuitry.

7. The card of claim 1, wherein first and second sensor are coupled to an IR transceiver.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the processor is further operable to determine a communication order based on one of the determined direction.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising a communications device, coupled to the processor and operable to communicate payment data, wherein the processor is further operable to determine a communication order of the payment data based on one of the determined direction.

10. A device, comprising:

an array of sensors including a first, a second, a third, and a fourth sensor;

a processor operable to receive a plurality of signals from the first, the second, the third, and the fourth sensors and to determine a swipe direction and a communication parameter based on the received plurality of signals.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein the determined communication parameter is a rate of communication.

12. The device of claim 10, further comprising a communications device, coupled to the processor and operable to communicate payment data.

13. The device of claim 10, further comprising a communications device, coupled to the processor and operable to communicate payment data, wherein the communications device is a dynamic magnetic stripe communications device.

14. The device of claim 10, further comprising a communications device, coupled to the processor and operable to communicate payment data, wherein:

the communications device is a dynamic magnetic stripe communications device; and

the determined communication parameter is a rate of communication for the payment data.

15. The device of claim 10, wherein first and second sensor are coupled to other circuitry.

16. The device of claim 10, wherein first and second sensor are coupled to an IR transceiver.

17. The device of claim 10, wherein the determined communication parameter is a communication order.

18. The device of claim 10, further comprising a communications device, coupled to the processor and operable to communicate payment data, wherein:

the communications device is a dynamic magnetic stripe communications device; and

the determined communication parameter is a communication order for the payment data.