Testing protocols for extended functionality cards

• US 8,292,164 B2
• Filed: 08/10/2009
• Issued: 10/23/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Visa USA, Inc. (Visa, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Visa USA, Inc. (Visa, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kurtek, Edward, Phillips, Samantha, Swart, Jan, Arora, Ashish, Top, Mustafa
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Thien M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kim, Tae
• Application Number:
  US12/538,353
• Publication Number:
  US 20100065637A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,170 Days
• Field of Search: 235/380
• US Class Current: 235/380
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/0833 Card having specific functional components
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/084 Additional components relating to data transfer and storing, e.g. error detection, self-diagnosis

Abstract

Testing is performed upon a transaction payment card having a substrate with opposing surfaces, battery powered circuit, and having memory in contact with the substrate to store data that includes an identifier for an account upon which a transaction can be conducted. An electronic component, in contact with the substrate, is powered by the battery powered circuit. In the testing, an electrical measurement is made of the battery powered circuit at each of different times when the card is exposed to an environmental condition. An output of the electrical measurements is made. The environmental condition can be temperature, current pulse applied at different states of charge of the one or more batteries, an acceleration, deceleration, or vibration for a period of time applied to card, a vacuum condition applied to the card, etc.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

providing a portable consumer transaction payment device (PCTPD) having;

a substrate with opposing surfaces;

memory, in contact with the substrate, storing data that includes an identifier for an account issued by an issuer to an account holder for use of the PCTPD to conduct a transaction on the account to make a purchase from a merchant;

a battery powered circuit having one or more batteries installed in a compartment within the PCTPD; and

an electronic component, in contact with the substrate, powered by the battery powered circuit;

making an electrical measurement of the one or more batteries, when the one or more batteries are installed in the compartment within the PCTPD, at each of a plurality of different times when the PCTPD is exposed to different predetermined environmental test conditions, wherein the predetermined environmental test conditions include;

a substantial vacuum condition, for a predetermined time, applied to the PCTPD,

a predetermined temperature for a predetermined time period, and

a predetermined motion for a predetermined time; and

outputting each said electrical measurement.

2. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the predetermined environmental test conditions further include at least one of:

a current pulse applied at each of a plurality of different states of charge of the one or more batteries;

a substantial acceleration, for a predetermined time, of the PCTPD;

a substantial vibration, for a predetermined time, of the PCTPD; and

a substantial deceleration of the PCTPD.

3. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the electronic component is selected from the group consisting of:

an output device;

an input device;

a solar power supply circuit for charging the one or more batteries;

a processor; and

a combination of the foregoing.

4. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the electronic component is an output device selected from the group consisting of:

a light;

a display screen;

an audio rendering device; and

a combination of the foregoing.

5. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the electronic component is an input device selected from the group consisting of:

an activation button to manually input data to the PCTPD;

a biometric input device; and

a combination of the foregoing.

6. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the PCTPD is a transaction payment card having a magstripe encoding the data that includes the identifier for the account.

7. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the PCTPD is a transaction payment card having a chip.

8. The method as defined in claim 7, wherein the chip is powered by the battery powered circuit.

9. A method comprising:

providing a portable consumer transaction payment device (PCTPD) having;

a substrate with opposing surfaces;

memory, in contact with the substrate, storing data that includes an identifier for an account issued by an issuer to an account holder for use of the PCTPD to conduct a transaction on the account to make a purchase from a merchant;

a battery powered circuit having one or more batteries installed in a compartment within the PCTPD;

a display screen on the substrate and powered by the battery powered circuit; and

a processor, powered by the battery powered circuit, and executing firmware to output information for display by rendering on the display screen;

making an electrical measurement of the one or more batteries, when the one or more batteries are installed in the compartment within the PCTPD, at each of a plurality of different times when the PCTPD is exposed to different predetermined environmental test conditions, wherein the predetermined environmental test conditions include;

a predetermined temperature for a predetermined time period;

a substantial vacuum condition, for a predetermined time, applied to the PCTPD;

a current pulse applied at each of a plurality of different states of charge of the one or more batteries;

a substantial vibration, for a predetermined time, of the PCTPD; and

at least one of;

a substantial acceleration, for a predetermined time, of the PCTPD; and

a substantial deceleration of the PCTPD;

and

outputting each said electrical measurement.

10. The method as defined in claim 9, wherein the PCTPD further comprises an input device for receiving data to be processed by the processor.

11. The method as defined in claim 10, wherein input device is selected from the group consisting of:

an activation button to manually input data to the PCTPD;

a biometric input device; and

a combination of the foregoing.

12. The method as defined in claim 9, wherein the PCTPD is a transaction payment card having a magstripe encoding the data that includes the identifier for the account.

13. The method as defined in claim 9, wherein the PCTPD is a transaction payment card having a chip.

14. The method as defined in claim 13, wherein the chip is powered by the battery powered circuit.

15. A method comprising:

providing a portable consumer transaction payment device (PCTPD) having;

a substrate with opposing surfaces;

memory, in contact with the substrate, storing data that includes an identifier for an account issued by an issuer to an account holder for use of the PCTPD to conduct a transaction on the account to make a purchase from a merchant;

a battery powered circuit having;

one or more batteries;

at least partially situated between the opposing surfaces of the substrate; and

battery terminals in electrical communication with the one or more batteries;

and

an electronic component, in contact with the substrate, powered by the battery powered circuit;

making a plurality of measurements that include;

a battery capacity measurement, at the battery terminals, of the battery capacity of the one or more batteries at;

each of a plurality of temperatures; and

each said temperature, a plurality of different times at a respectively plurality of different currents;

a pulse power capability measurement, at the battery terminals, of the one or more batteries while applying a current pulse at each of a plurality of different states of charge of the one or more batteries;

an open-circuit voltage value, at the battery terminals, of the one or more batteries before and after;

applying an substantial acceleration, for a predetermined time, to the PCTPD;

applying a vibration, for a predetermined time, to the PCTPD;

dropping the PCTPD from a predetermined distance to a hard surface at each of plurality of times;

exposing the PCTPD to different predetermined temperatures for different exposure time lengths; and

exposing the PCTPD to a pressure that is substantially a vacuum for a predetermined period of time;

a measurement for a prediction of a shelf life of the one or more batteries as a function of time and capacitance by;

making assessments of the battery capacity, at the battery terminals, of the one or more batteries at the end of each of a plurality of times during which the PCTPD was exposed to a different fixed temperature; and

deriving, using the assessments of the battery capacity, the prediction of the shelf life of the one or more batteries as a function of time and capacitance;

a measurement, periodically, of voltage and current as a function of time, at the battery terminals, of the one or more batteries as the one or more batteries are;

discharged at a constant temperature and at a constant rate using a constant-current load; and

discharged when a short-circuit is connected at the battery terminals;

and

a measurement, periodically, of the temperature of the one or more batteries and of the voltage, at the battery terminals, of the one or more batteries as pressure is applied to the PCTPD so as to dent the substrate proximal the one or more batteries;

and

outputting each said measurement.

16. The method as defined in claim 15, wherein the electronic component is selected from the group consisting of:

an output device;

an input device;

a solar power supply circuit for charging the one or more batteries;

a processor; and

a combination of the foregoing.

17. The method as defined in claim 15, wherein the electronic component is an output device selected from the group consisting of:

a light;

a display screen;

an audio rendering device; and

a combination of the foregoing.

18. The method as defined in claim 15, wherein the electronic component is an input device selected from the group consisting of:

an activation button to manually input data to the PCTPD;

a biometric input device; and

a combination of the foregoing.

19. The method as defined in claim 15, wherein the PCTPD is a transaction payment card having a magstripe encoding the data that includes the identifier for the account.

20. The method as defined in claim 15, wherein the PCTPD is a transaction payment card having a chip.