Wireless signal generating cards and methods and system of using such cards

• US 9,621,226 B2
• Filed: 03/05/2014
• Issued: 04/11/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nayax Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Wise-Sec Ltd.
• Inventors: Maor, Vadim
• Primary Examiner(s): AGHDAM, FRESHTEH N
• Application Number:
  US14/773,782
• Publication Number:
  US 20160020829A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,133 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/061 Improving I/O performance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0659 Command handling arrangements, e.g. command buffers, queues, command scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0679 Non-volatile semiconductor memory device, e.g. flash memory, one time programmable memory [OTP]
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07732 the record carrier having a housing or construction similar to well-known portable memory devices, such as SD cards, USB or memory sticks housings for electrical equipment in general, see H05K5/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/72 for local intradevice communication

Abstract

An electronic card connectable to a client terminal via a memory card reader slot. The electronic card comprises a card interface having at least one power supply pin set to be connected to at least one source terminal in an electronic card reader slot of a client terminal, a wireless communication unit electronically wired to be powered via the at least one power supply pin, and a signal encoder which operates the wireless communication unit to transmit a presence signal containing a unique identifier (ID) independently from any computational operation of the client terminal.

Claims

1. An electronic card connectable to a client terminal via a memory card reader slot, the electronic card comprising:

a card interface having at least one power supply pin set to be connected to at least one source terminal in an electronic card reader slot of a client terminal;

a wireless communication unit electronically wired to be powered via said at least one power supply pin; and

a signal encoder which operates said wireless communication unit to transmit a presence signal containing a unique identifier (ID) independently from any computational operation of said client terminal, wherein said wireless communication unit receives a message from an external communication device and emulates an insertion of said electronic card to said memory card reader slot by operating said card interface to trigger an operation of said client terminal;

wherein said signal encoder operates said wireless communication unit to iteratively transmit said presence signal according to a predefined pattern;

wherein said wireless communication unit is configured to scan a frequency band to detect at least one signal present within said frequency band and to transmit said presence signal in response to said detection.

2. The electronic card of claim 1, wherein said presence signal is a beacon signal.

3. The electronic card of claim 1, wherein said signal encoder which operates said wireless communication unit to transmit said presence signal while said client terminal is turned off.

4. The electronic card of claim 1, wherein said signal encoder which operates said wireless communication unit to transmit said presence signal while said client terminal is in an idle state.

5. The electronic card of claim 1, wherein said unique identifier (ID) is associated with a user of said client terminal.

6. The electronic card of claim 1, wherein said wireless communication unit is a Bluetooth™

module.

7. The electronic card of claim 1, further comprising a memory element;

wherein said wireless communication unit establishes a wireless communication session with an external communication device, receives at least one data object during said wireless communication session and stores said at least one data object in said memory independently from an operation of said client terminal.

8. The electronic card of claim 1, further comprising a memory element;

wherein said wireless communication unit establishes a wireless communication session with an external communication device, receives a message during said wireless communication session and stores said message in said memory to be accessed by said client terminal.

9. The electronic card of claim 1, further comprising a housing that contains said card interface, said wireless communication unit, and said signal encoder, said housing being sized and shaped according to a member of a group consisting of a compact flash (CF) card standard, a secure digital (SD) card standard, a mini SD card standard, a micro SD card standard, a memory stick card standard, and an extreme definition (XD)-picture card standard.