AUTOMATED CARD CUSTOMIZATION MACHINE

• US 20110114738A1
• Filed: 01/24/2011
• Published: 05/19/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/03/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sandisk China Limited (Western Digital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: SanDisk IL Ltd. (Western Digital Corporation)
• Inventors: COHEN, YOHAN, MEIR, AVRAHAM, POMERANTZ, ITZHAK, BYCHKOV, EYAL
• Granted Patent: US 9,230,389 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/492
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/1235 with control of digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3552 Downloading or loading of personalisation data
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/005 for the hiring of content carriers, e.g. of DVDs or CDs reverse vending for box-like objects such as videocassettes G07F7/069
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/26 for printing, stamping, franking, typing or teleprinting apparatus ticket printing or the like apparatus G07F17/42
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/1008 Active credit-cards provided with means to personalise their use, e.g. with PIN-introduction/comparison system

Abstract

A memory card includes a non-volatile memory, a connector configured to enable the memory card to be operatively coupled to a host computer, and a housing enclosing the non-volatile memory. The housing has a customized physical contour that is determined according to a user-selected value.

Claims

1. A memory card comprising:

a non-volatile memory;

a connector configured to enable the memory card to be operatively coupled to a host computer; and

a housing enclosing the non-volatile memory, the housing having a customized physical contour that is determined according to a user-selected value.

2. The memory card of claim 1, wherein a first pre-customized memory card including the non-volatile memory and the connector is stored in a first storage compartment of a card vending machine, the first storage compartment accessible by a first issuer and excluded from access by a second issuer, wherein the card vending machine is configured to store a second pre-customized memory card stored in a second storage compartment, the second storage compartment accessible by the second issuer and excluded from access by the first issuer.

3. The memory card of claim 2, wherein shaping is applied to a pre-customized housing of the first pre-customized memory card by a contour shaper of the card vending machine to form the customized physical contour.

4. The memory card of claim 2, wherein the housing includes a user-selected customized graphical decoration that is determined according to a user-selected graphic value.

5. A memory card comprising:

a non-volatile memory;

a connector configured to enable the memory card to be operatively coupled to a host computer; and

a housing enclosing the non-volatile memory, the housing having a customized physical contour and further having a customized graphical decoration printed upon the housing,

wherein the memory card is a secure memory card and wherein the customized physical contour and the customized graphical decoration correspond to selections of an authenticated user of the secure memory card at a card vending machine to apply the customized physical contour and the customized graphical decoration to the secure memory card.

6. The memory card of claim 5, wherein a first pre-customized memory card is stored in a first storage compartment of the card vending machine, the first pre-customized memory card including a pre-customized housing, the non-volatile memory, and the connector, wherein the housing is formed from the pre-customized housing, and wherein the first storage compartment accessible by a first issuer and excluded from access by a second issuer, wherein the card vending machine includes a second storage compartment configured to store a second pre-customized memory card, wherein the second storage compartment is accessible by the second issuer and the second storage compartment is excluded from access by the first issuer.

7. The memory card of claim 6, wherein shaping is applied to the pre-customized housing of the first pre-customized memory card by a contour shaper of the card vending machine to form the customized physical contour.

8. The memory card of claim 6, wherein a user is authenticated in response to satisfaction of at least one authentication criterion associated with the first issuer.

9. A customized memory card produced in accordance with a method, the method comprising:

at a vending apparatus that stores a first memory card associated with a first issuer in a first secure compartment of the vending apparatus and that stores a second memory card associated with a second issuer in a second secure compartment of the vending apparatus, wherein the first issuer is excluded from accessing the second secure compartment and the second issuer is excluded from accessing the first secure compartment, performing;

receiving one of a user-selected value of a first parameter from a user and a user-selected value of a second parameter from the user;

granting access to at least one of the first memory card and the second memory card in response to authentication of the user;

storing first data associated with the user-selected value of the first parameter in the first memory card via a card programming unit to form a customized first memory card when the user is granted access to the first memory card and in response to receipt of the user-selected value of the first parameter;

storing second data associated with the user-selected value of the second parameter in the second memory card via the card programming unit to form a customized second memory card when the user is granted access to the second memory card and in response to receipt of the user-selected value of the second parameter; and

providing one of the customized first memory card and the customized second memory card to the user.

10. The customized memory card of claim 9, wherein the first parameter is associated with musical content.

11. The customized memory card of claim 9, wherein the first parameter is associated with a fungible asset.

12. The customized memory card of claim 9, wherein the first parameter is associated with downloadable digital content.

13. The customized memory card of claim 9, wherein the first data includes digital content.

14. The customized memory card of claim 9, wherein the digital content includes a software application.

15. The customized memory card of claim 9, wherein prior to providing the first memory card to the user, the first customized memory card is further customized by shaping the first customized memory card according to a user-selected physical contour.

16. The customized memory card of claim 9, wherein prior to providing the first memory card to the user, the first customized memory card is further customized by applying a user-selected graphic to the first customized memory card.

17. The customized memory card of claim 9, wherein the user is granted access to the first memory card in response to the user satisfying at least one authentication criterion associated with the first issuer, and wherein the user is granted access to the second memory card in response to the user satisfying at least one authentication criterion associated with the second issuer.

18. The customized memory card of claim 9, wherein the first data is user-selected data that is downloaded to the non-volatile memory in response to authorization by the first issuer.

19. The customized memory card of claim 9, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving a user selection at the vending machine of one of the customized first memory card and the customized second memory card.

20. The customized memory card of claim 9, wherein the user-selected first parameter specifies an amount of data to be stored in the first memory card.