Patent Publication Number: US-2010121692-A1

Title: Advertisement screen on payment card

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     Aspects of financial transaction cards are described. 
     BACKGROUND INFORMATION 
     The need for conducting accurate transactions between parties, such as between a customer using a credit card and a merchant, becomes paramount as the financial transaction card industry strives for increasingly cost efficient, safe and secure apparatus and methods to complete these transactions. Conventional technologies used by financial institutions and consumers alike, while providing the ability to conduct financial transactions, are not adaptable to make the consumer aware of new offers for service. 
     Conventional cards, such as credit cards, bank cards, debit cards and other financial transaction cards are configured with a plastic body that has a unique identification number imprinted on the card. The cards also have a magnetic strip that allows for a magnetic verification of the authenticity of the card to the financial institution issuing the card. Cards having additional functionality are desired. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In one configuration, a financial transaction card is presented. The financial transaction card has a front face and a back face. A financial payment device is positioned on or in the card. An advertising assembly is also positioned on one of the front face and the back face. At least one activating arrangement is connected to the advertising assembly configured to activate and deactivate the advertising assembly. 
     In another aspect, a method of advertising is presented. The method comprises: conducting a financial transaction between the merchant and a card holder including use of a payment card, communicating between a merchant communication device and the payment card to transfer information between the merchant communication device and the payment card, and conducting an advertisement on the payment card from the information obtained from the merchant communication device. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a front view of a payment card as described in the detailed description. 
         FIG. 2  is a back view of the payment card of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is a flow chart of a method of advertising. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , a financial transaction card  100  is presented. In the illustrated configuration, the financial transaction card  100  has a rectangular shape. Although illustrated as a rectangular shape, other shapes may be used. The financial transaction card  100  is a plastic bodied card however other materials may be used. The financial transaction card  100  may be configured in a conventional shape such that various automated payment machines may accept the financial transaction card  100 . 
     A serial number  102  is located on a first (e.g., front) face  104  of the financial transaction card  100 . The serial number  102  is unique to the individual card and allows an issuing organization to track financial purchases and transactions to the financial transaction card  100 . The serial number  102 , as it is unique, allows an issuing organization to identify potential fraud occurring through the unauthorized use of the financial transaction card  100 . A database of serial numbers for financial transaction cards that have been stolen or compromised may be maintained by the issuing organization thereby preventing further fraudulent transactions from occurring with a compromised financial transaction card  100 . The front face  104  of the financial transaction card  100  may be a smooth surface with raised numbers. Tactile features may be placed on the front face  104  of the financial transaction card  100  to allow a user to quickly identify the front face  104  from the back face  200  of the financial transaction card  100 . Other tactile features, such as Braille encoding may be included on the front face  104  of the financial transaction card  100  thereby allowing individuals who have visual difficulty to nonetheless use the financial transaction card  100 . 
     A holograph  106  may also be located on the front face  104  of the financial transaction card  100 . The holograph  106  provides an additional protection against fraud by allowing a merchant to quickly identify if a financial transaction card  100  is a validly authorized card. An authorization name  108  is also located on the front face  104  of the financial transaction card  100 . Additionally, an expiration date  110  is located on the front face  104  of the financial transaction card  100 . The expiration date  110  quickly indicates to a merchant the expiration date of the financial transaction card  100  such that purchases after the expiration date  110  cannot be performed. 
     In some embodiments, an advertising assembly  103  is located on the front face  104  of the financial transaction card  100 . In other embodiments, the advertising assembly  103  is located on the back face  200 . The advertising assembly  103 , in the illustrated configuration, is an electronic paper screen with electronic ink, such as an electrophoretic display, an electro-wetting display, a bistable LCD, a cholesteric LCD, or the like. The advertising assembly  103  may also be a bistable screen. The advertising assembly  103  is connected to both a battery  204  and an activating arrangement or circuit  206 , described below. In the illustrated embodiment, the advertising assembly  103  and the below-described activating arrangement  206  are powered by a battery  204 . In another embodiment, financial transaction card  100  may include electrical contacts for connecting to a voltage supply terminal and a ground terminal of a merchant payment reader or terminal configured to provide power to the card  100  from an external source. In another embodiment, financial transaction card  100  may include an antenna to receive power from an external electromagnetic field of a merchant payment reader or terminal configured to provide power to the card  100 . In some embodiments, the advertising assembly  103  may not draw any power in between state changes. In other embodiments, the advertising assembly  103  may draw power for a relatively short time just before or just after a state change, and have a period between state changes when the advertising assembly  103  does not draw power. For example, the advertising assembly  103  may draw power only during the transitions between displaying the advertisement and not displaying the advertisement, and draw no power during at least a portion of the period when the advertisement is displayed. Similarly, the advertising assembly  103  may draw no power during at least a portion of the period when no advertisement is displayed. 
     The advertising assembly  103  allows for either a predefined advertisement to be displayed upon the advertising assembly  103  or, through use of the activating arrangement  206 , the advertising assembly  103  may display different advertisements that are received from a source exterior to the card systems. The advertising assembly  103  can display alphanumeric data or may provide a picture or logo. The advertising assembly  103  also may include a speaker or a combination of a speaker and an advertising screen. An override function/button may also be placed upon the card  100  such that advertising is halted upon the selection by the user. The advertising assembly  103  may provide a static display in the case of a picture or text, or, in alternative aspects, provide for motion in video format. 
     In some embodiments, the advertising assembly  103  requires no front or back light, thereby allowing individuals to view the advertising assembly data with little power consumption. The advertising assembly  103  is also viewable under a wide range of circumstances such as from varying angles. The advertising assembly  103  is also configured such that ultra low power is used to develop and maintain an image on the financial transaction card  100 . in some embodiments, the advertising assembly  103  is also flexible and can be bent without harm to the advertising assembly  103 . Under differing electronic/magnetic fields, materials placed in the fluid environment will either gather at the surface or dissipate from the surface thereby creating images for the card user to view. By alternating the electronic/magnetic fields, different messages or video playback may be accomplished. Alternative embodiments may include a front lit screen, for example. 
     Referring to  FIG. 2 , a back face  200  of the financial transaction card  100  is presented. The back face  200  of the financial transaction card  100  may be essentially smooth, unlike the front face  104  that has tactile features placed upon it. The back face  200  has a financial payment device  202  that will interact with financial transaction systems used in commerce. Examples of different types of financial payment device  202  are a magnetic stripe, a contact electronic transfer system, or a contactless data transfer system. For a contactless data transfer system, randomized authorization codes may be used to prevent fraud from occurring. In some embodiments, a radio frequency identification system is used as the contactless data transfer system. Depending on the type of financial payment device  202 , the device may be on either the front or rear surface of the card (e.g., if the device is a magnetic stripe) or embedded in the card (e.g., if the device is a chip or circuit). 
     In the illustrated configuration, the financial payment device  202  is a magnetic stripe that does not require charging. A battery  204  is embedded in the financial transaction card  100  to provide power to an activating arrangement  206  and an advertising assembly  103 . In the illustrated embodiment, the battery  204  is a rechargeable unit, however, the battery presented may be a one-time only charged unit. The battery  204  itself may also be incorporated into the body of the card  100  so that a user of the financial transaction card  100  does not see the battery  204 The thin-film battery  204  is preferably a flexible unit that will withstand shock and vibration such that connection is not lost to other components on the financial transaction card  100 . In alternative configurations, the thin-film battery  204  may be a rechargeable unit and may be charged by induction coupling. The thin-film battery  204  may also be configured to be heat resistant The thin-film battery  204  may also be waterproof and shockproof. 
     An activating arrangement  206  is illustrated on the back face  200  of the financial transaction card  100 . The activating arrangement  206 , in the illustrated configuration, may include a computer or application specific integrated circuit chip that can receive wired or wireless transmission from an outside source, such as from a merchant communication device, through a built-in communication arrangement or circuit. The activating arrangement  206  is connected to the advertising assembly  103  located on the front face  104  of the financial transaction card  100 . The activating arrangement  206  allows the financial transaction card  100  to accept data from a merchant communication device (e.g., reader or terminal), decode the data, and outputting the data such that the data is displayed upon the advertising assembly  103  of the financial transaction card  100 . In some embodiments, the activating arrangement  206  also provides a storage buffer (e.g., a plurality of memory cells) for rate matching. The storage buffer may be advantageous for decoding and displaying video or sequences of multiple images, for example. 
     The information transmitted to the financial transaction card  100  may also be an open source or standard format data transfer, thereby minimizing decoding requirements of the card  100 . In an alternative configuration, the activating arrangement  206  is connected to the financial payment device  202 . As an additional security check, the activating arrangement  206  may activate the financial payment device  202 , thereby authorizing a financial transaction. A security code  208  is also located on the back face  200  of the financial transaction card  100 . A bearer of the financial transaction card  100  is also provided with an authorized signature block  210  thereby allowing a merchant to check a signature of the cardholder. Either the front face  104  or the back face  200  may be configured with a photo identification of the bearer of the card. Artwork/Logo work may also be located on various portions of the card  100 . The front face  104  and the back face  200  of the financial transaction card  100  may also be configured with contact information and payment information for the issuer of the card  100 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 3 , a method  300  of advertising is presented. In the method  300 , a financial transaction card is provided to a merchant such that a financial transaction can be completed  302 . Next, a financial transaction is conducted between a merchant and the cardholder  304 . This can be, for example, a purchase of an item from the vendor/merchant. A communication is established between a merchant communication device and the financial transaction card such that information is transferred between the merchant communication device and the financial transaction card  306 . In the illustrated configuration provided, the merchant communication device may be a transmitter that sends data over a wireless network to a financial transaction card it is capable of receiving information placed upon the wireless network. The data may be encoded or may not be encoded in different configurations. The financial transaction card then takes the information from the merchant communication device and displays the information on an advertising assembly located on the financial transaction card  308 . The advertisement may be terminated  310  based upon either elapse of a preset time or a signal received from the merchant communication device that terminates the advertisement placed on the financial transaction card  100 . 
     In the foregoing specification, the configurations have been described with reference to specific configurations thereof. It will, however, be evident that various modifications and changes may be made thereunto without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the configurations as set forth in the appended claims. The specification and drawings are accordingly to be regarded in an illustrative rather than in a restrictive sense.