Abstract:
The invention, relates to an enabling card as well as a system and method for completing a financial transaction in a P.O.S. terminal comprising: a processor carried by the enabling card for establishing a connection with a mobile device; receiving secure information from a mobile device and generating a digital signal; a coil carried by the enabling card for generating a magnetic field in response to the digital signal to simulate the swipe of card in the P.O.S. terminal and complete the financial transaction.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    This invention relates to a payment device that is compatible with magnetic readers such as existing point of sale terminal P.O.S. that improves the level of transaction security. More particularly this invention relates to an enabling card and the method and system using the enabling card in a reader such as a P.O.S. where the enabling card is capable of gathering information such as a user&#39;s credit card information from a mobile device to complete a payment transaction while placed into a regular P.O.S. terminal. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    A magnetic stripe card is a type of card capable of storing data by modifying the magnetism of tiny iron-based magnetic particles on a band of magnetic material on the card. The magnetic stripe, sometimes called swipe card or magstripe, is read by swiping past a magnetic reading head, such as a P.O.S. 
         [0003]    Financial institutions provide a variety of cards, such as credit cards, debit cards and the like. Merchants also provide gift cards or the like. A vast majority of these cards have magnetic stripes and are known as magnetic cards. There are up to three tracks on magnetic cards known as tracks 1, 2, and 3. Track 3 is virtually unused by the major worldwide networks, and often isn&#39;t even physically present on the card by virtue of a narrower magnetic stripe. Point-of-sale card readers almost always read track 1, or track 2, and sometimes both, in case one track is unreadable. The minimum cardholder account information needed to complete a transaction is present on both tracks. Track 1 has a higher bit density, and is generally the only track that may contain alphabetic text, and hence is the only track that contains the cardholder&#39;s name. 
         [0004]    Furthermore many hotels and other institutions including office buildings generate security or access cards in order to allow authorized personal to enter their hotel rooms, institutions or office buildings. There is a general concern to provide only the authorized personal with the security passes. 
         [0005]    There have been a variety of prior art devises mid methods to improve the security of the above mentioned cards and particularly financial institution cards. For example security codes or PINs, such as a sequence of 4 numbers for examples can be a required input into a P.O.S. terminal before completing a transaction. However this is not foolproof as security codes can be stolen. Moreover in many cases and in many jurisdictions PINs are not used. Also some cards have chips embedded into the cards or include RFID devices. One chip card technology relates to Europay, Master card, Visa known as EMV. 
         [0006]    Other attempts to improve the security of financial transactions are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 8,645,213 which show methods and apparatus, including computer program products, for transactions associated with a mobile device. The method includes, in a merchant device linked to a server by a first network, sending a registration to the server, sending a transaction message to the server, receiving a unique identifier from the server in response to the transaction message, broadcasting the unique identifier, in response to the broadcasted unique identifier, receiving instructions in the server from a mobile application residing in a memory of a mobile device over a second network, processing a transaction in response to the instructions, and notifying the merchant device of the processed transaction. 
         [0007]    Furthermore U.S. Pat. No. 8,348,159 shows a wireless financial transaction instrument, such as a card, that has a magnetic stripe, a display, and an on-board power supply, such as a battery, and is usable with a dual capture point of sale terminal. Information is received by such a terminal from the card wirelessly, and also from the magnetic stripe, and the data received contactlessly is preferably used to verify that read from the stripe. The display can display the account number on command, or to display a current balance, or amount of credit remaining, or any combination of these items of information. 
         [0008]    Moreover U.S. Pat. No. 8,584,938 illustrate a wireless transaction medium having combined magnetic stripe and radio frequency communications. 
         [0009]    Finally U.S. Pat. No. 8,469,277 shows methods, systems, and computer program products for acquiring payment device data for wireless payment transactions. According to one method, a request from a wireless payment reader for standardized payment device data for effecting a wireless payment is received by a wireless smart payment device. Payment device data elements are assembled by the wireless smart payment device into the standardized payment device data. The standardized payment device data are sent by the wireless smart payment device to the wireless payment reader. 
         [0010]    It is an object of this invention to provide an improved payment device and method and system to improve the security of payment using magnetic cards or tap and go cards or RFID devices. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0011]    This invention relates to an enabling card for completing a transaction in a reader comprising: a) a processor carried by the enabling card for: i) establishing a connection with a device; ii) receiving secure information from the device and generating a signal; b) structure carried by the enabling card for generating a magnetic field in response to the signal to simulate the swipe of card in the reader 
         [0012]    This invention relates to an enabling card for completing a transaction in a reader comprising: a processor carried by the enabling card for: establishing a connection with a mobile device; receiving secure information from a the mobile device and generating a digital signal; a coil carried by the enabling card for generating a magnetic field in response to the digital signal is simulate the swipe of card in the reader and complete the financial transaction. 
         [0013]    It is another aspect of the invention to provide a system for completing a financial transaction through a P.O.S. terminal comprising: a mobile phone having an app for containing encrypted credit card authorization information; an enabling card comprising: a CPU; a Bluetooth module for establishing a connection with the mobile phone app; and a coil so as to receive the encrypted credit card authorization information; wherein the CPU translates the encrypted credit card authorization information to generate a digital signal which communicates with the coil to generate a magnetic field to simulate the swipe of a regular credit card in the P.O.S. terminal and complete the transaction. 
         [0014]    Yet another aspect of this invention relates to a method of completing a financial transaction in a P.O.S. terminal comprising the steps of: inserting an enabling card into the P.O.S. terminal, said enabling card lacking authorization information; establishing a wireless connection between the enabling card and a mobile phone application containing encrypted credit card authorization information; transferring the credit card authorization information from the mobile phone to the enabling card; generating a magnetic field in response to the credit card authorization information transferred the credit card so as to complete the transaction. 
         [0015]    These and other objects and features of the invention will be described with reference to the following drawings. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0016]    A detailed description of preferred embodiments is provided herein below by way of example only and with reference to the following drawings, in which: 
           [0017]      FIG. 1  illustrates a typical financial card having a magnetic stripe. 
           [0018]      FIG. 2  illustrates an example of a track on a magnetic swipe. 
           [0019]      FIG. 3  schematically illustrates the method of using the enabling card in a P.O.S. terminal to gather credit card information from a mobile device to complete the transaction. 
           [0020]      FIG. 4  is a top plan view of one embodiment of the enabling card. 
           [0021]      FIG. 5  illustrates a flow chart representing one embodiment of the invention. 
           [0022]      FIG. 6  is another representative drawing of the invention. 
           [0023]      FIG. 7  illustrates a flow chart of the invention. 
           [0024]      FIG. 8  illustrates another embodiment of the invention whereby the enabling card is within a phone case. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0025]      FIG. 1  illustrates a card  2  such as a credit card, debit card, gift card, hotel door card, security access card or the like. The financial card  2  has a magnetic strip  4  which is comprised of tracks  6 . More specifically there can be a plurality of tracks  6   a ,  6   b  and/or  6   c . As previously described, the tracks  6  contain information in a normal transaction to complete a sale in a P.O.S. 
         [0026]    The magnetic strip  4  can by way of example contain the following sequence as shown in  FIG. 2 . The sequence shown in  FIG. 2  starts with colon  8  and includes encrypted information  10  such as the identity of the card holder, credit limit and and/or vendor or financial institution identity  12 . A credit card, gift card, hotel door card, or security card or the like also includes encrypted information on the magnetic strip  4  which can include the name of the holder of the card  2  as well as the financial institution, hotel, organization or office which has issued the card  2 . 
         [0027]    The invention to be described herein comprises in one embodiment moving the encrypted information or authorization  10  that normally resides in a card  2  to a mobile device  24  such as a mobile phone  24 , or obtaining a one time encrypted authorization by the mobile phone  24  from a financial institution, vendor, hotel, organization, office or the like. In either case the enabling or authorization card  20  to be described herein gathers the:
       encrypted information; or   one time encrypted authorization       
 
         [0030]    from the mobile phone  24  to complete the transaction. The vital information  10 , and  12  is resident in the mobile device  24 , thus more secure that if the vital information  10  and  12  was resident on the card  2 , or enabling card  20 . 
         [0031]    In the case where the enabling card  20  acts as a financial institution card  2 , once the transaction is completed the enabling card  20  loses the encrypted information or one time encrypted authorization—but the encrypted information resides within the mobile phone  24 . In other words there is separation of the encrypted information or one time encrypted authorization from the card  2  to the mobile device  24  which communicates with the enabling card  20 . 
         [0032]    In the case of a hotel door card, organization, or office security card or the like the encrypted information would reside in the mobile phone  24 . In other words hotels or vendors could send the encrypted information (which could be time sensitive) ahead of time to the guest or on the spot; making it easier and more secure than heretofore. By time sensitive we mean that the hotel door security card does not work after the guest hotel stay expires. 
         [0033]    Thus the invention described herein contemplates the use of one enabling card  20  that can be activated or deactivated by a financial institution, vendor, hotel, organization or office as the need arises; or the use of a plurality of enabling cards  20  that are activated or deactivated by a plurality of financial institutions, vendors, hotels, organizations, offices or the like as the need arises. 
         [0034]      FIG. 3  schematically illustrates the method of using the card  20  in the P.O.S. terminal to gather credit card information from a mobile device  24  such as a phone or the like to complete the transaction. 
         [0035]      FIG. 4  illustrates one embodiment of the invention which comprises the enabling card  20  having a charger circuit  26 . The card  20  also includes a CPU or micro controller  30 . Generally speaking the micro controller  30  can communicate by Bluetooth technology, WiFi or the like. The enabling card  20  establishes a secure Bluetooth connection with the mobile device  24 . 
         [0036]    In one embodiment the CPU communicates by a Bluetooth technology which is generally more secure than WiFi. Generally speaking WiFi technology is easier to intercept than that of Bluetooth. The enabling card  20  also can include a rechargeable battery  32  which can comprise a Li-Po battery or a miniature solar panel which is part of the enabling card  20  that can be charged by the sun or the like. 
         [0037]    The enabling card  20  also includes a programmable port  34  and includes a coil  36  which generates a magnetic field to simulate the swipe of a normal financial card. The coil  36  may also include sensor  38  that can used to sense when the enabling card  20  is ready to read. 
         [0038]    In one embodiment the enabling card is an electronic device that communicates with a mobile device  24  as described. 
         [0039]      FIG. 5  illustrates an operable embodiment of the invention which comprises the steps of establishing a secure connection with the enabling card  20  and then receiving a request for payment for the enabling card  20  through the P.O.S. terminal  22 . Thereafter a payment method can be selected based on GPS coordinates, default settings and user settings as shown. There can be a PIN request if the feature is enabled and thereafter encrypted data may be sent to the enabling card  20  by the mobile device  24 . Thereafter an acknowledgement can be received from the enabling card  20 . 
         [0040]      FIG. 6  also shows the method of establishing a secure connection with the mobile device  24  by means of Bluetooth technology. The swipe action can be detected through on-board proximity sensors  38 . A request is sent to the mobile device application  34  to retrieve a method of payment of use. Thereafter encrypted data is received from the mobile device  24  and sent to the enabling card  20 . There is a verifying step to verify the integrity and then decrypt the received data. Thereafter an electric signal is generated that reflects the data received and it is sent to the coil  36 . The coil  36  generates a magnetic field ready to be picked up by the P.O.S. terminal to complete the transaction. 
         [0041]    The mobile device  24  has an app which stores the encrypted information or makes it possible to receive one time encrypted information for either a single enabling card or a plurality of credit card authorization information and the user can select the credit card that is desired for the transaction. Once selected the card information can be securely sent to the enabling card  20 . The enabling card  20  is a dumb card or a blank card until it communicates with the mobile device  24 . 
         [0042]    The invention described herein has the following attributes: 
         [0043]    1 Card security improvement. The card does not hold/carry any personal and/or financial information of its owner. A lost or stolen can be easily replaced without any security concern. 
         [0044]    2 Total retro-compatibility. The card is compatible with any reading device such as a P.O.S. payment terminal already in use and does not require any software/hardware upgrade in order to work. 
         [0045]    3 Update-able. The front of the card can be periodically updated by the financial institute/issuer of the card. This technology can be used to deliver notifications, bar-codes, QR-codes etc. Once modified, the front of the card will maintain its appearance until the next update will be processed, even if the battery is unplugged or totally discharged (power consumption is very minimal). 
         [0046]    4 Enormous increment of transactional security. The validation by PIN, or other type of recognition can be processed on the mobile device  24 . This new procedure/behaviour will minimize the possibility of PIN involuntary disclosure and be substantially immune to skimmer/man in the middle type of attacks; it will also shift the responsibility for ‘un-authorized transactions. 
         [0047]    5 The already ‘armoured’ transaction security can also be further improved, by the delivery of unique and ‘one time only’ credit card numbers for each different transaction. 
         [0048]      FIG. 8  illustrates yet another embodiment of the invention where the enabling card  20  is within a phone case  50 . More specifically the enabling card  20  is slideably within compartment  52 . The method will be the same as previously described except that the enabling card  20  will slide out to one side and the user will swipe the phone as for example in an iphone, where the swiping will activate the app and the “PIN” will display on the user&#39;s phone. 
         [0049]    Although the invention has been described in relation to credit cards it can also be used for NFC, EMV and barcode. Furthermore E-paper controller technology can be used to also periodically visually update the financial institution card with promotional options, logo updates, marketing tools, and notification deliveries.