Abstract:
A data storage card has an optical data storage region and a magnetic data storage region, and is adapted to cooperatively engage both a drive mechanism of a magnetic stripe reader and a rotatable drive mechanism of an optical data reader. An exemplary embodiment of the card includes a card body defining first and second opposed generally planar surfaces, with an aperture formed in the card body. An annular optical data region centered on the aperture is disposed on one of the first and second surfaces of the card body. At least one magnetic linear data region is disposed on at least one of the first and second surfaces. The card includes an insert structure disposed in the aperture, and configured to engage with the rotatable drive mechanism of the optical data reader in an optical data reading mode, and to engage rollers of the magnetic stripe reader in a magnetic data reading mode. In an exemplary embodiment, the insert structure is a unitary structure fabricated of an elastic material.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
       [0001]    By the early 1970&#39;s, credit cards had come to the marketplace as a form of convenient, cashless payment. Since that time, the physical form factor of credit cards has changed very little. 
         [0002]    U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,484,940 and 7,080,783, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by this reference, describe data storage cards which have optical and magnetic data storage regions, and may be engaged both by a drive mechanism of a magnetic stripe reader and a drive mechanism of an optical data reader. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0003]      FIG.1A  is a front isometric view of an exemplary embodiment of a data storage card with a center opening, adapted for installation of a disk insert, with a magnetic data storage region. 
           [0004]      FIG. 1B  is a back isometric view of the data storage card of  FIG. 1A , illustrating an optical data storage region. 
           [0005]      FIG. 2A  is a front isometric view of an exemplary embodiment of a data storage card as in  FIG. 1A , with a disk insert installed in the center opening. 
           [0006]      FIG. 2B  is a back isometric view of the data storage card of  FIG. 2A . 
           [0007]      FIG. 2C  is an isometric cutaway view, taken along line  2 C- 2 C of  FIG. 2A . 
           [0008]      FIG. 2D  is an isometric cutaway view, taken along line  2 D- 2 D of  FIG. 2B . 
           [0009]      FIG. 3A ,  3 B and  3 C are respective front, back and cutaway isometric views of an exemplary embodiment of an optical disk insert structure. 
           [0010]      FIG. 4A  is an isometric diagrammatic view of an exemplary embodiment of a data storage card entering the nip between rollers of an ATM card reader.  FIG. 4B  is an isometric diagrammatic view similar to  FIG. 4A , but showing the card pulled through the nip of the ATM reader rollers to the optical disk insert structure. 
           [0011]      FIGS. 5A-5B  are respective top and bottom diagrammatic isometric exploded view illustrating an exemplary embodiment of a data storage card and elements of an optical disk drive with a tray and spindle. 
           [0012]      FIG. 6  is a diagrammatic isometric view of a data storage card with its center opening and optical disk insert engaged by a fixed spindle, optical disk drive. 
           [0013]      FIG. 7A  is a back isometric view of an alternate exemplary embodiment of a data storage card, illustrating a center opening with a surrounding recessed area for top side attachment of an optical disk insert structure. 
           [0014]      FIG. 7B  is an isometric view of the data card of  FIG. 7A  with an optical disk insert structure attached to the data card. 
           [0015]      FIGS. 8A and 8B  are respective front and back isometric views of an alternate embodiment of a data storage card with a center opening, for top or bottom side attachment of an optical disk insert structure. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0016]    In the following detailed description and in the several figures of the drawing, like elements are identified with like reference numerals. The figures may not be to scale, and relative feature sizes may be exaggerated for illustrative purposes. 
         [0017]    An exemplary embodiment of the subject matter described herein provides a data storage card, e.g., a credit or debit card, that would have all the normal, functioning attributes of a credit card (rectangular, industry-standard shape; thinness; magnetic stripe; printing/labeling), yet also be able to work in an optical media drive such as that of a personal computer, and have a data region on the credit card that can be recognized and read by standard optical media drives (i.e. CD, DVD, etc.). 
         [0018]    In order for a data storage card, e.g., one having the overall form factor of an industry-standard credit card, to function in a standard optical media drive, the card has an opening or aperture, e.g., a 15 mm hole, in the center of the card. This aperture allows the spindle mechanism of an optical media drive of a laptop optical drive, or the spindle/cone mechanism of a standard tray-based optical media drive, to be able to clasp and spin-up the optical media, so that the optical media data region can be read by the optical media drives laser mechanism. However, if a credit card with a 15 mm aperture is placed into the card reader of a standard ATM machine (“automated teller machine”), the pin-rollers inside the ATM drive mechanism that drive the card in to the unit will cross the open area of the hole, and thus not be able to further drive the card in to the ATM reading mechanism. 
         [0019]    An exemplary embodiment of a data storage card configured to be read by magnetic readers and by optical media drives may include an insert structure attached to the card at the optical drive opening. The insert structure may provide one or more of the following features:
       be a permanent, durable part of the data storage card;   allow functioning in snap-on-spindle and spindle/cone type optical media drives;   allowing functioning in single and dual pin-roller ATM machines;   not create any additional thickness to the standard credit card thickness;   allow manufacturing capabilities to be applied to the data storage card in a high-speed manner.       
 
         [0025]    An exemplary embodiment of an optical disk insert (ODI) has no moving parts, is durable, and may be as thin, or thinner, than the thickness of the card at the optical media opening. The data card with the ODI may be cooperatively configured to operate in the drive mechanisms of ATMs, and in the drive mechanisms of optical media drives, preferably both drives with tray and spindle, and those with fixed spindle (laptops). An exemplary embodiment of the data card with the ODI may be configured to conform to a standard credit card form factor, in flatness and thinness, and provide a durable, one piece device, which does not require assembly/disassembly by consumer. 
         [0026]    An exemplary embodiment of the ODI includes structural features that extend across the opening, and includes an ODI open center area to accommodate optical drive spindles with alignment crown/pins. In an exemplary embodiment, the ODI is elastic, and may be constructed with ripples, to support stretching and elongation. 
         [0027]    An exemplary embodiment of a data card with an ODI is a configuration in which the optical media portion of the data card is characterized by a bottom or underside, in which the laser first enters the optical media. In this exemplary embodiment, the data card may be notched completely through the thickness of the data card around the opening in the card. The card may have a depression or clearance region defined in the bottom surface of the card around the center opening, facilitating attachment of the ODI and allowing settling of ODI when not stretched. The notches or relieved areas formed around the opening of the card allow the ODI to be urged or stretched upwardly by the optical media drive spindle while still preserving the diameter dimension of the card opening. 
         [0028]      FIGS. 1A-1B  illustrate exemplary features of an exemplary embodiment of a data card  10  which is “ODI-ready” but without an installed ODI. The data card  10  in this embodiment is rectangular, with generally planar opposed surfaces  12  and  16 . The length, width and thickness of the card  10  may be those of a standard sized credit or ATM data card, e.g., nominally 85.6 mm by 54 mm by 0.76 mm, ±10% for an ISO 7816 format card, also known as the CR80 format. The card  10  has a magnetic data storage region  14  on the first side  12 , which in this embodiment is a linear stripe  14 . The opposite side  16  of the card has formed thereon an optical data region  18 , which is an annular region. The optical data region  18  is encoded with data, in a form suitable for reading by an optical disk data drive. 
         [0029]    An opening  20  is centrally located in the card  10 , and in this exemplary embodiment has a 15 mm diameter, selected for engagement with standard optical disk drives. In this exemplary embodiment, the opening  20  is not defined by a smooth circle, but has notches or relieved portions spaced about the periphery of the opening. Thus, the opening  20  has arc-shaped portions  20 - 1  separated by notches  20 - 2 , in this example on 90 degree spacing. The notches may be arc-shaped as well but on a larger diameter. 
         [0030]    The surface  16  of the card  10  in an exemplary embodiment has a recessed annular region  22  surrounding the opening  20 . In an exemplary embodiment, the card  10  has a general thickness of 0.95 mm over an area outside the region  22 , and the card thickness in region  22  is 0.5 mm. For this exemplary embodiment, for the case in which the optical data region  18  has an inner diameter of 32 mm, the annular region  22  has an outer diameter of 25 mm. In other embodiments, the outer diameter of annular region  22  may smaller or larger. Another annular region  24  separates the region  22  from the optical data region  18 . In an exemplary embodiment, the opposed surface  12  is not recessed in an area surrounding the opening. The recessed region  22  provides a mounting surface to attach an ODI  30 . 
         [0031]      FIG. 1C  illustrates an alternate embodiment of the data card  10  with a circular opening  20  and the recessed annular region  22  surrounding the opening. In this embodiment, the opening  20  is not provided with the notches as in the embodiment of  FIGS. 1A-1B . 
         [0032]    Referring now to  FIGS. 2A-2D , the data card  10  is illustrated with an exemplary embodiment of an ODI  30  installed at the center opening  20  of the card. The ODI is fabricated of an elastic material, such as a thermo plastic elastomer (TPU) or a thermo plastic urethane (TPU). Of course, other suitable elastic materials may also be used. 
         [0033]    An exemplary embodiment of the ODI  30  in isolation is depicted in  FIGS. 3A-3C . The ODI includes a generally annular outer peripheral portion  32 , and an inner ring portion  34  joined to the outer peripheral portion by web portions  36 . In this embodiment, there are four web portions arranged at generally equal spacing about the center opening  40  of the ODI, with openings  38  defined in the ODI between the web portions, the ring portion and the annular outer peripheral portion  32 . The center opening accommodates an alignment pin or center cone in an optical disk drive. The web portions include web portions  36 - 1  and  36 - 2  generally aligned along the longitudinal center axis of the card  10 . In an exemplary embodiment, the center opening  40  has a diameter of 3 mm, the ODI has an outer diameter of 35 mm, the outer diameter of the ring portion  34  is 10 mm, and the web portions have a width of 5 mm to essentially match, or be somewhat small in width than the notches  20 - 2  formed in the data card body at the center opening  20 . The ODI in this example has a thickness of 0.5 mm. 
         [0034]    While the exemplary embodiment of the ODI  30  has four web portions, it will be appreciated that other ODI configurations may also be employed, e.g. with two, three, six or more web portions. Preferably, the ODI provides sufficient structure extending along the path of the ATM drive rollers to maintain sufficient contact with the rollers as the roller pass over the aperture  20  that the roller continue to impart drive forces to pull the card  10  into and out of the ATM reader during its operation. If the material of the ODI is sufficiently elastic, the web portion between the ring portion  34  and the outer peripheral portion may be a continuous layer of material, i.e. without openings  38 , to form a diaphragm with a hole  40  in its center. 
         [0035]    The ODI may be attached to the data card body  10 A, by adhering a top surface  32 A ( FIG. 3A ) of the outer annular portion  32  to the data card body at recessed surface  22 . This is depicted in  FIGS. 2C and 2D . An exemplary adhesive suitable for the purpose is a pressure sensitive acrylic adhesive, although other adhesives may also be employed. The ODI is positioned in a rotational sense about the center opening  20  such that the web portions  36  are positioned at corresponding notches  20 - 2  formed in the data card body. The notches permit greater elongation travel of the ring portion  34  when the data card is positioned on a spindle of an optical media reader. 
         [0036]    The ODI may be fabricated as a separate unit from the data card body, e.g. by cavity molding. The ODI may also be molded in place with the data card, e.g. by over-molding techniques. The data card with an ODI may be fabricated by various techniques, in which the ODI is attached to the card by in-line adhesion in which the card is fabricated and the ODI is applied in the same production line or process, or post construction adhesion using an adhesive. 
         [0037]    The ODI  30  provides a data card structure which is engagable by the pin rollers of an ATM card reader, and which also permits the data card to be engaged by a spindle of an optical media drive.  FIGS. 4A and 4B  illustrate diagrammatically a data card  10  with an ODI  30  being fed into the nip between pin rollers  82 A and  82 B of an ATM card reader  80 . As the rollers are rotated in the directions illustrated by the arrows in  FIG. 4A , the rollers engage the card body  10 A, and pull the card into the card reader. As the rollers continue to rotate, the data card  10  is drawn forward, with the ODI  30  being contacted and engaged between the roller nip, as shown in  FIG. 4B . The ODI  30  has sufficient thickness that the rollers engage the ODI, continuing to pull the card into the card reader, such that data card body  10 A is again contacted by the rollers. The magnetic data region may be read by the card reader, in the standard manner. The card may be ejected from the card reader by reversing the direction of rotation of the rollers. 
         [0038]      FIGS. 5A-5B  diagrammatically illustrate an exemplary spindle cone mechanism of a standard tray-based optical media drive  100 , with spindle cone  102  and clamp  104 . The data card  10  with ODI  30  is configured to be clasped between the spindle cone and the clamp, and spun-up by the motor drive unit of the optical media drive, so the optical media data region  18  ( FIG. 5B ) can be read by the optical media drive laser mechanism. The ODI  30  is sufficiently elastic, to elongate in a direction transverse to the plane of the data card body, to allow the spindle cone and clamp to center and secure the data card in proper position. 
         [0039]    The data card with an ODI may also be configured for use in a fixed spindle optical media drive, such as a laptop-type drive unit.  FIG. 6  diagrammatically depicts such an optical media drive, which includes a spindle  120 . The data card  10  has been pushed onto the spindle, so that the spindle is engaged with the ODI  30 . The engagement has resulted in the ring portion  34  of the ODI being displaced in a direction transverse to the plane of the data card, with the ODI elastically stretching or deforming to accommodate the displacement. After the data card is removed from the optical drive, the ODI  30  will conform to, or resume, its generally planar condition, as depicted in  FIG. 2C , for example. 
         [0040]    The exemplary embodiments of the data card illustrated in  FIGS. 1A-6  attach the ODI to the bottom surface of the data card, and provide notches in the card opening to accommodate the ODI material thickness when installed in an optical drive and deformed or stretched upwardly by the disk drive to preserve the diameter of the opening, e.g. 15 mm. Alternatively, the data card may have an annular recess formed in the top surface, and the ODI attached to the top surface of the data card. In this embodiment, the card opening may be formed as a circle, i.e. without the notches or relieved areas of the data card of  FIGS. 1A-6 . Such an alternate embodiment is illustrated in  FIGS. 7A and 7B . 
         [0041]    An “ODI ready” data card  10 ′ is illustrated in  FIG. 7A . The top surface  12 ′ of the card has a magnetic data strip  14 ′ arranged along a longitudinal edge, and an opening  20 ′ as with the embodiment of  FIG. 1A . In this alternate embodiment, the card has an annular recess  22 ′ formed in the top surface for attachment of an ODI  30 .  FIG. 7B  shows an ODI  30  attached to the data card  10 ′ on its top surface  12 ′. 
         [0042]      FIGS. 8A and 8B  depict another embodiment of an “ODI-ready” data card  10 ″. The top surface  12 ″ of the card has a magnetic data strip  14 ″ arranged along a longitudinal edge, and an opening  20 ″ as with the embodiments of  FIG. 1A and 7A . The bottom surface  16 ″ is visible in  FIG. 8B , which also depicts the annular region  24 ″ and optical data region  18 ″. In contrast to the embodiments of  FIGS. 1A-1B  and  7 A- 7 B, the data card  10 ″ is not formed with a recess as an attachment surface for the ODI, nor is the opening  20  notched along its periphery. The thickness of the card  10 ″ may be reduced so that the ODI is attached to the top or bottom surface of the card in an annular region surrounding the opening  20 ″ and the combined thickness of the card and ODI does not exceed the nominal thickness of an optical or magnetic data card, so that the card and ODI assembly may be read by a magnetic card reader and an optical media drive. 
         [0043]    Although the foregoing has been a description and illustration of specific embodiments of the subject matter, various modifications and changes thereto can be made by persons skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as defined by the following claims.