Electronic stripe cards

• US 7,364,092 B2
• Filed: 07/18/2006
• Issued: 04/29/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/18/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Icashe Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Tyfone Incorporated
• Inventors: Tadepalli, Prabhakar, Narendra, Siva G., Spitzer, Thomas N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Paik; Steven S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Vo; Tuyen Kim
• Application Number:
  US11/488,400
• Publication Number:
  US 20070023532A1
• Time in Patent Office: 651 Days
• Field of Search: 235/449, 235/451, 235/492, 235/439
• US Class Current: 235/494
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06187 with magnetically detectable marking
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06196 Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06206 the magnetic marking being emulated
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07 with integrated circuit chips
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0723 the record carrier comprising an arrangement for non-contact communication, e.g. wireless communication circuits on transponder cards, non-contact smart cards or RFIDs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/00826 comprising a plurality of single poles or gaps or groups thereof operative at the same time
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/64 comprising only the magnetic material without bonding agent

Abstract

An electronic stripe card senses when it is being swiped passed a read head, and drives a conductive path to mimic a magnetic card track. Multiple conductive paths may be driven in an interleaved fashion one after another. The card may include multiple swipe sensors to detect when to start and stop driving the conductive paths. The conductive paths may include traces on a top metal layer and bottom metal layer without magnetic material therebetween.

Claims

1. An electronic stripe card comprising:

a top metal layer and a bottom metal layer without magnetic material therebetween; and

a conductive path alternating between the top metal layer and the bottom metal layer, wherein the conductive path on the top metal layer is remote from the conductive path on the bottom metal layer to reduce magnetic flux interference.

2. The electronic stripe card of claim 1 wherein the conductive path on the top metal layer has a different width from the conductive layer on the bottom metal layer.

3. The electronic stripe card of claim 1 further comprising track driving circuitry to provide current to the conductive path.

4. The electronic stripe card of claim 3 further comprising a swipe sensor to detect when the electronic stripe card is swiped past a read head.

5. The electronic stripe card of claim 4 wherein the track driving circuitry is responsive to the swipe sensor to active when the electronic stripe card is swiped past the read head.

6. The electronic stripe card of claim 5 further comprising a second swipe sensor.

7. The electronic stripe card of claim 6 wherein the track driving circuitry is responsive to the second swipe sensor to deactivate the electronic stripe when the second swipe sensor is swiped past the read head.

8. The electronic stripe card of claim 1 further comprising a second conductive path alternating between the top metal layer and the bottom metal layer.

9. The electronic stripe card of claim 8 further comprising interleaving track driving circuitry to provide current to the conductive path and the second conductive path in an interleaved fashion.

10. An electronic stripe card comprising:

a first conductive path to emit a first magnetic field to mimic a first track in a magnetic card;

a second conductive path to emit a second magnetic field to mimic a second track in the magnetic card;

a swipe sensor to detect when the electronic stripe card is swiped past a read head; and

an interleaved track driver circuit responsive to the swipe sensor, to drive the first and second conductive paths one at a time.

11. The electronic stripe card of claim 10 further comprising a top metal layer and a bottom metal layer without magnetic material therebetween.

12. The electronic stripe card of claim 11 wherein the first conductive path comprises a conductive path alternating between the top metal layer and the bottom metal layer, wherein the conductive path on the top metal layer is remote from the conductive path on the bottom metal layer to reduce magnetic flux interference.

13. The electronic stripe card of claim 12 wherein the conductive path on the top metal layer is a different width from the conductive path on the bottom metal layer.

14. The electronic stripe card of claim 10 further comprising a second swipe sensor.

15. The electronic stripe card of claim 14 wherein the interleaved track driver circuit is responsive to the second swipe sensor to stop driving the first and second conductive paths.

16. A method comprising:

detecting that a swipe sensor has been swiped past a read head; and

driving a first conductive path to mimic a first magnetic track and driving a second conductive path to mimic a second magnetic track, wherein the driving of the first and second conductive paths is interleaved.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising detecting that a second swipe sensor has been swiped past the read head.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising stopping driving when the second swipe sensor is detected.

19. The method of claim 16 wherein driving a first conductive path comprises driving a first conductive path alternating between a top metal layer and a bottom metal layer, wherein the conductive path on the top metal layer is remote from the conductive path on the bottom metal layer to reduce magnetic flux interference.

20. The method of claim 16 wherein driving a first conductive path comprises driving a first conductive path alternating between a top metal layer and a bottom metal layer without magnetic material therebetween, wherein the conductive path on the top metal layer is remote from the conductive path on the bottom metal layer to reduce magnetic flux interference.