Abstract:
A magnetically communicative card ( 200 ) has a ferrite core ( 302 ) extending substantially the width ( 201 ) of the card body ( 203 ) and has a conductor ( 408 ) wound around the ferrite core for the entire length of the ferrite core. Embedded within the card body is a controller ( 208 ) that controls a varying magnetic field emanating from the conductor to mimic a varying magnetic field produced by a conventional magnetic stripe card. Optionally, the card includes a sensor to sense a signal intercepted by the conductor from a varying magnetic field emanating from another device. The controller reads the sensed signal to receive communication from the other device. A magnetically communicative card ( 400, 500 ) is alternatively flexibly attached and detachably coupled to an electronic wallet ( 402, 502 ) to produce an apparatus ( 405, 501 ). A wireless communication interface ( 523 ) is alternatively carried by the magnetically communicative card and the electronic wallet to provide wireless reconfiguration of the magnetically communicative card remotely.

Description:
This is a division of application Ser. No. 08/657,144, filed Jun. 3, 1996 now U.S. Pat. No. 5,834,756. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates in general to the field of data cards, and more particularly, with a data card communicative with both magnetic stripe card readers and with smartcard readers. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     A conventional prior art magnetic card reader  100 , as shown in FIG. 1, typically includes a magnetic reading mechanism  102  that comprises at least one magnetic reading head  103 . The magnetic card reader  100  normally includes a slotted portion  104  for inserting a magnetically readable card  106 . As is well known in the art, the magnetically readable card  106  typically includes a magnetic stripe  110  which is located about an edge of the magnetically readable card  106 . The magnetic stripe  110  includes at least one track  111  where information is magnetically encoded using an encoding technique that is well known in the art. As shown in FIG. 1, the magnetic stripe  110  includes three tracks of information. Correspondingly, the magnetic reading mechanism  102  includes three magnetic reading heads labeled R 1 , R 2 , and R/W 3  for reading, respectively, track  1 , track  2 , and track  3  of the magnetically readable card  106 . Additionally, the third magnetic reading head labeled R/W 3  is a read/write track and comprises, in this example of prior art, a magnetic writing mechanism for writing information to track  3  of the magnetically readable card  106  in a conventional way. As is well known, a user inserts the magnetically readable card, or card,  106  in the slotted portion  104  and slides, in a direction indicated by arrow  108 , the card  106  through the slotted portion  104 . This swiping mechanism moves the magnetic stripe  110  of the card  106  across the magnetic reading head  103  such that the at least one track  111  of information encoded in the magnetic stripe  110  can be detected by the magnetic reading head  103  and read by the magnetic card reader  100 . 
     The magnetic card reader  100 , after reading the encoded information from the magnetic stripe  110 , then typically forwards the information to another device. In the prior art example shown in FIG. 1, the magnetic card reader  100  is coupled to a central system  112 , such as via a dial up telephone line  114 , a dedicated line, or a computer network. In this example, the magnetic card reader  100  communicates with the central system  112  over the dial up telephone line  114 , e.g., using the public switch telephone network (PSTN) by way of modem communication. The information read from the magnetic stripe  110  is then forwarded from the magnetic card reader  100  to the central system  112 . The central system  112  typically comprises at least one database of information to analyze the received information from the magnetic card reader  100 . The central system  112  then communicates a conclusion to the magnetic card reader  100  which, in this example, can alert the user whether the transaction with the holder of the card  106  is authorized by the central system  112 . 
     The construction of the card  106  and of the conventional magnetic card reader  100 , the techniques for magnetic encoding of information, and the format of information content for the card  106  are well known and are specified by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), such as in ANSI standard X4.16-1983, and the more recent international standard for identification cards provided in ANSI/ISO/IEC-7811 Parts 1-5. 
     Although magnetically readable cards  106 , i.e., magnetic stripe cards, are well accepted by users, and magnetic card readers  100  are part of a large infrastructure that is a mature and stable technology, there are a number of problems with the current use of magnetically readable cards  106  and conventional magnetic card readers  100 . 
     First, cards  106  tend to wear out and become unreliable after repeated use. For example, the magnetic material of the magnetic stripe  110  is subject to physical damage from external hazards, degradation of its magnetic qualities over time, and it can be affected by external magnetic fields. Second, cards  106  can be easily duplicated which facilitates fraudulent use. For example, an unauthorized user can easily duplicate the information stored on the magnetic stripe  110  from a first card  106  that may have been obtained from a legal authorized user, and copy the information to a second blank card  106 . The unauthorized user could then utilize the second duplicate card to engage in fraudulent transactions. Third, the card  106  typically contains a fixed amount of prerecorded magnetic information on the magnetic stripe  110 . This fixed information normally corresponds to a single issuer of a card  106 . In this way, users tend to carry many different cards  106  to be able to engage in transactions with different issuers of the cards  106 . This tends to be cumbersome and inconvenient for a user to have to carry many different cards on their person. Fourth, the magnetic stripe  110  is of a fixed predetermined length and can store only a maximum number of bits of information, such as is specified by the ANSI standards. The amount of information that can be stored in the magnetic stripe  110 , therefore, is constrained by the physical dimension of the magnetic stripe  110  and the conventional magnetic recording technique used to store the magnetically encoded information on the magnetic stripe  110 . Fifth, due to the aforementioned problems with magnetic stripe card technology, there is a trend to migrate to smartcard technology. Smartcard technology typically utilizes a card with a built in controller and a group of electronic contacts arranged in a predetermined pattern on the surface of the smartcard to enable an external device, i.e., a smartcard reader, to communicate with the controller contained on the smartcard. This smartcard technology is different from the magnetic stripe card technology such that a conventional magnetic stripe card is normally not supported by a smartcard reader and a smartcard is, likewise, not supported by the vast existing stable infrastructure of the magnetic stripe card readers, i.e., conventional magnetic card readers  100 . Therefore, in migrating to the more recent smartcard technology, the vast and stable magnetic stripe card reader infrastructure will become obsolete and will have to be replaced by the more recent smartcard reader and associated infrastructure. This change in card reader and infrastructure technology will be very costly to implement and probably not available at all locations right away. Therefore, those individuals carrying smartcards for some time would not have commonly available establishments with smartcard readers, thereby inconveniencing smartcard users during this transition in technology. 
     Thus, what is needed is a magnetically communicative card that overcomes the problems of known magnetically readable cards. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a representation of a prior art magnetic stripe card reader and a prior art magnetic stripe card. 
     FIG. 2 is a simplified diagrammatic representation of a conventional magnetic stripe card reader and an electrical block diagram of a magnetically communicative card having three conductors in accordance with the invention. 
     FIG. 3 is a simplified diagrammatic representation of a magnetic reading head in proximity to a magnetically communicative card having one conductor in accordance with the invention. 
     FIG. 4 is a perspective diagrammatic representation of the magnetically communicative card flexibly attached to an electronic wallet. 
     FIG. 5 is a simplified diagrammatic representation of an electronic wallet, of a magnetically communicative card removably connected to the electronic wallet in accordance with the invention, and of a conventional magnetic stripe card reader. 
     FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the magnetically communicative card shown in FIG.  5 . 
     FIG. 7 is a plan view of the magnetically communicative card showing smartcard technology within the magnetically communicative card in accordance with the invention. 
     FIG. 8 is an exemplary operational sequence of an electronic wallet and of the magnetically communicative card in accordance with the invention. 
     FIG. 9 is another exemplary operational sequence of an electronic wallet and of the magnetically communicative card in accordance with the invention. 
     FIG. 10 is a graph of an exemplary data stream between a magnetic card reader and the magnetically communicative card in accordance with the invention. 
     FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the magnetically communicative card and a read head of the conventional magnetic stripe card reader showing magnetic flux lines emanating from a ferrite core carried by the magnetically communicative card. 
     FIG. 12 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the magnetically communicative card and a read head of the conventional magnetic stripe card reader showing magnetic flux lines emanating from a conductor carried by the magnetically communicative card. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring to FIG. 2, a user inserts, in a direction indicated by arrow  202 , a magnetically communicative card, or card,  200  in the slotted portion  104  of the magnetic card reader  100 . The card  200 , which includes a card body  203  having a width  201  and a length  209 , comprises at least one conductor  204  located about an edge  205  of the card  200  such that when the card  200  is inserted into the slotted portion  104  of the magnetic card reader  100 , the conductor  204  corresponds to the magnetic reading head  103  of the magnetic reading mechanism  102  of the magnetic card reader  100 . The conductor  204 , having a length  207  that is substantially the width  201  of the card body, is electrically coupled to at least one driver circuit  206  for driving electrical signals through the conductor  204 . A controller  208  is coupled to the driver circuit  206  for controlling the operation of the driver circuit  206 . The controller  208 , for example, can couple a data signal to the driver circuit  206 . The controller  208 , when coupling the data signal to the driver circuit  206 , causes the driver circuit  206  to electrically drive the conductor  204  in accordance with the data signal. The electrically driven conductor  204  emits an alternating polarity magnetic field about the conductor  204  in accordance with the data signal. The alternating polarity of the magnetic field about the conductor  204  comprises magnetic flux transitions. These magnetic flux transitions can be picked up by the magnetic reading head  103  and detected by the magnetic card reader  100  to indicate bits of information corresponding to the data signal provided by the controller  208 . 
     In accordance with the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), standard X4.16-1983, and international standard ISO/IEC 7811 Part 2, a self-clocking data signal encoding technique known as two frequency encoding is utilized in the preferred embodiment of the present invention to communicate information between the card  200  and the magnetic card reader  100 . This data encoding technique comprises data and clocking flux transitions in the same signal. A magnetic flux transition occurring between clocks, signifies that the bit is a “1”. The absence of a flux transition between clock transitions signifies that the bit is a “0”. Magnetic flux transitions occur at the locations of the maxima of the magnitude of the magnetic flux density component normal to the surface of the card  200 . 
     In a preferred embodiment, the controller  208  provides the data signal to operate the driver circuit  206  to selectively drive each of the at least one conductor  204  in any one of three states. First, the driver circuit  206  can forward drive a current through the conductor  204  to emit a magnetic field with a first polarity. Second, the driver circuit  206  can drive the conductor  204  with a reverse current to emit a magnetic field of a second polarity. Third, the driver circuit  206  can remain in an idle state, neither forward driving nor reverse driving the conductor  204 . In this way, the controller  208  can couple a data signal to the driver circuit  206  to cause the conductor  204  to emit the alternating polarity magnetic field for providing the magnetic flux transitions to the magnetic reading head  103  of the magnetic card reader  100 . 
     A power source  210  in the card  200  is coupled to the driver circuit  206  to provide the electrical power to electrically drive the conductor  204 . Preferably, the power source  210  comprises a thin battery optionally combined with a thin super capacitor. For example, a thin solid state lithium ion battery combined with a thin super capacitor as a power source  210  provides both a long term energy storage and a high current pulse capability when necessary to drive the conductor  204  to emit the alternating polarity magnetic field. 
     The controller  208  is coupled to a sensor  214  for determining when the card  200  has been inserted  202  into the slotted portion  104  of the magnetic card reader  100 ; alternatively, the sensor is omitted. The sensor  214  comprises a contact switch located on the surface of the card  200  about an edge of the card  200  to detect when the card  200  is making contact with a surface in the slotted portion  104  of the magnetic card reader  100 ; alternatively, the sensor  214  comprises an optical sensor to detect a low light condition when the card  200  is inserted into the slotted portion  104 . As another alternative, the sensor  214  comprises a proximity sensor to detect when the card  200  inserted  202  into the slotted portion  104  of the magnetic card reader  100  is in proximity to a surface of the slotted portion  104 . Therefore, the sensor  214  can be utilized by the controller  208  to determine when the card  200  has been inserted  202  into the slotted portion  104  of the magnetic card reader  100  such that the conductor  204  is in a proximate location to the magnetic reading head  103  to communicate therebetween utilizing, in one embodiment, the alternating polarity magnetic field. 
     A user interface  212  such as a button, switch, or other contact sensor, is coupled to the controller to accept input from a user of the card  200 . The user interface includes a user input and a user output. For example, when the user inserts the card  200  into the slotted portion  104  from the magnetic card reader  100 , the user can activate a button at the user interface  212  to send a command signal to the controller  208 . The command signal both informs the controller  208  that the card  200  is inserted in the slotted portion  104  and instructs the controller  208  to begin providing the data signal to the driver circuit  206  to electrically drive the conductor  204  to effect communication with the magnetic card reader  100  via the magnetic reading head  103 . In the event that the card  200  comprises the sensor  214 , the controller  208  can utilize a signal from the sensor  214  to affirmatively determine that the card  200  is inserted into the slotted portion  104  of the magnetic card reader  100  before electrically driving the conductor  204  in accordance with the data signal. 
     Additionally, the operation of a card  200  can be made secure by requiring a user to enter a predetermined combination of inputs or a password via the user interface  212  before the controller  208  can provide the data signal to operate the driver circuit  206  to effect communication with the magnetic card reader  100 . For example, utilizing a single button at the user interface  212 , a user is able to enter a series of dots and dashes similar to a Morse code, to unlock a combination that would then permit the card  200  to begin communicating with the magnetic card reader  100 . In an alternative example, the user interface  212  comprises a set of keys (not shown) representing a keypad or keyboard, and a liquid crystal display (LCD) (not shown), that allow a user of the card  200 , in response to being prompted by a message displayed on the LCD, to enter a security code or password by selectively pressing the keys. After the user enters a predetermined security code or password via the user interface  212 , a magnetic communication operation of the card  200  unlocks and becomes operative, and then the user can insert the card  200  in the slotted portion  104  of the magnetic card reader  100  to begin communication. When the card  200  is inserted into the slotted portion  104 , in this example, the sensor  214  provides a sensing signal to the controller  208  that then begins communication between the card  200  and the magnetic card reader  100 . 
     Referring to FIG. 3, the card  200  is shown in close proximity to a magnetic reading head  308  according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention. The controller  208  is coupled to a switch circuit  316  for selectively coupling the conductor  204  to either a driver circuit  304  or a detector circuit  318 . The driver circuit  304  causes a current in the conductor  204 , with changes in such current producing a magnetic field in the vicinity of the conductor. The detector circuit  318  responds to current in the conductor  204 , the current changing as a result of the conductor intercepting a changing magnetic field. Although the preferred embodiment comprises the switch circuit  316  to selectively couple the conductor  204  either to the driver circuit  304  or to the detector circuit  318 , an alternative embodiment has a first conductor and a second conductor with the first conductor coupled to the driver circuit  304  and the second conductor being coupled to the detector circuit  318 . In this alternative arrangement, the selective switching between the driver circuit  304  and the detector circuit  318  could be implemented as an operation of the controller  208 . In alternative embodiments, either the driver circuit  304  or the detector circuit  318  is omitted from the card  200 , and, therefore, switch circuit  316  is not needed. For example, in a second alternative embodiment, the card  200  could include only the driver circuit  304  coupled to the conductor  204  for writing information from the card  200  to the magnetic card reader  100 . In a third alternative embodiment, the card  200  includes only the detector circuit  318  coupled to the conductor  204  for reading information from the magnetic card reader  100  into the card  200 . 
     The controller  208 , in a write mode operation, activates switch circuit  316  to selectively couple the driver circuit  304  to the conductor  204 . The controller  208  then couples a data signal to the driver circuit  304  to electrically drive the conductor  204  in accordance with the data signal. The driven conductor  204  emits, for example, an alternating polarity magnetic field (see FIGS. 11 and 12) to write information, preferably encoded in magnetic flux transitions, that can be detected by the magnetic card reader  100 . 
     Alternatively, in a read mode operation, such as when a magnetic card reader  100  writes information to the card  200 , the controller  208  activates the switch circuit  316  to selectively couple the detector circuit  318  to the conductor  204 . The detector circuit  318  in combination with the conductor  204  can detect a changing magnetic field, such as an alternating polarity magnetic field. The detector circuit  318  couples to the controller  208  a detection data signal representing, for example, a detected alternating polarity magnetic field preferably detected as a series of magnetic flux transitions, to read information emitted by a magnetic card reader, such as by a read/write head of the magnetic card reader  100  that is typically utilized for communicating information with a third track of a conventional magnetically readable card. This read mode operation, in one embodiment, would be an analogous operation to a magnetic card reader  100  writing information to a third track of a magnetic stripe  110  of a card  106  (see FIG.  1 ). 
     The card  200  as shown in FIG. 3, optionally includes the switch circuit  316  and a detector circuit  318  to allow the controller  208  to additionally detect a changing magnetic field, such as represented by magnetic flux transitions in an alternating polarity magnetic field, being picked up by the conductor  204  when the controller  208  is in a read mode. The controller  208 , in this optional embodiment, is electrically coupled to the switch circuit  316  to selectively couple either the driver circuit  304  or the detector circuit  318  through the conductor  204  via the switch circuit  316 . In a first mode, the controller  208 , as discussed before, provides a data signal to the driver circuit  304  to electrically drive the conductor  204  to emit the exemplary alternating polarity magnetic field therefrom. In a second mode, the controller  208  is coupled to the detector circuit  318  to detect the magnetic flux transitions and thereby read a data signal from an exemplary alternating polarity magnetic field being picked up by the conductor  204 . This second mode is useful to receive information from the magnetic card reader  100  in certain circumstances. For example, a conventional magnetic card reader  100  can read data and can reprogram data in track three of a conventional magnetic stripe card. This read-write process for a conventional card reader  100  is well known in the art. Therefore, in an embodiment of the present invention, the conductor  204  alternates between emitting a data signal represented as an alternating polarity magnetic field and detecting a data signal represented by an alternating polarity magnetic field that was emitted from another device, such as by the magnetic card reader  100 . 
     Alternatively, the conductor  204  of the present invention is driven by a current that alternates by utilizing a switching means similar to that shown in figure thirteen of the Burkhardt patent, U.S. Pat. No. 4,791,283 entitled Transaction Card Magnetic Stripe Emulator issued, Dec. 13, 1988, and which is hereby fully incorporated by reference herein. The switching means provides drive and return paths that alternately couples the driver and return paths (corresponding to the driver circuit  206  of the other embodiment of the present invention) to alternate opposite ends of the conductor  204  to cause alternating drive current pulses through the conductor to emit an alternating magnetic field from the conductor. The switching means is coupled to, and controlled by, the controller. This alternating magnetic field corresponds to the data signal being provided by the controller to the switching means (and to the driving means) in accordance with the international standard ISO/IEC 7811 Part 2 for providing a magnetically readable stripe card that is magnetically readable by a conventional magnetic card reader. 
     In the preferred embodiment, the conductor  204  is wound about a ferrite core  302  in the approximate shape of a coil. The conductor  204  is physically wound about the ferrite core  302 . Alternatively, a printed circuit or similar technique, is used to add the conductor  204  with windings about the ferrite core  302  to the card  200 . 
     The conductor  204  is located in the card  200  to correspond to the location of the magnetic reading head  308  when the card  200  has been inserted into the slotted portion  104  of the magnetic card reader  100  (see FIG.  2 ). 
     The magnetic reading head  308  of a magnetic card reader  100  typically comprises a pickup coil  310  wound about a ferrite core  312 . The pickup coil  310  is electrically coupled to a detector circuit  314  in the magnetic card reader  100  to detect, for example, the magnetic flux transitions of the changing magnetic field emitted by the conductor  204  when driven in accordance with the data signal. The magnetic flux transitions of the changing magnetic field emitted by the conductor  204  when driven in accordance with the data signal mimic the changing magnetic field emitted by a conventional prior art magnetic stripe encoded with data corresponding to the data signal. The magnetic card reader  100  thereby reads a representation of the data signal from the card  200  as if the data signal originated from a conventional prior art magnetic stripe card. 
     In an alternative embodiment, the conductor  204  is a straight conductor without the windings about the ferrite core  302 . The alternating polarity magnetic field emitted from the conductor  204  is picked up by the pickup coil  310  such that in the preferred embodiment the magnetic flux transitions are detected by the detector circuit  314  of the magnetic card reader  100 . 
     Referring to FIG. 4, a magnetically communicative card, or card,  400  is flexibly coupled about an edge  401  thereof with an edge  403  of an electronic wallet  402 , thereby forming an apparatus  405 , in accordance with a first alternative embodiment of the present invention. The electronic wallet  402  is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,221,838 entitled Electronic Wallet, issued, Jun. 22, 1993, to Gutman, et al., which is hereby fully incorporated herein by reference. A flexible coupling means  404  about the edge of the card  400  preferably comprises a flexible material and a flex circuit to allow the card  400  to be rotated or generally moved about the edge of the electronic wallet  402  while remaining coupled, as shown in FIG. 4, to the electronic wallet  402 , such as in a hinge-like fashion. In this embodiment, the card  400  comprises at least one conductor  408 , and the sensor  214  that operates as has been discussed with respect to FIG.  2 . The conductor  408  is electronically coupled to at least one driver circuit  409  located in the electronic wallet  402 . In one embodiment, for example, a first driver circuit  410  is electrically coupled to a first of the at least one conductor  408 , a second driver circuit  412  is electrically coupled to a second of the at least one conductor  408 , and a third driver circuit  414  is electrically coupled to a third of the at least one conductor  408 . In this exemplary embodiment, the first conductor, the second conductor, and the third conductor, of the at least one conductor  408 , corresponds to a first reading head, a second reading head, and a third reading/writing head of a magnetic card reader  100 . The first conductor, the second conductor, and the third conductor, can be operated by the card  400  to communicate information bi-directionally with the magnetic card reader  100 . This bi-directional communication is in a manner analogous to the swiping action of a conventional magnetic stripe card across the first reading head, the second reading head, and the third reading/writing head of the magnetic card reader  100 , where the magnetic stripe comprises a first track, a second track, and a third track of information for communication with the magnetic card reader  100 . 
     A controller  416  in the electronic wallet  402  is electronically coupled to the at least one driver circuit  409  for controlling the operation of the driver circuit  409 . For example, the controller  416  can provide a data signal to the driver circuit  409 , and, in response to receiving the data signal, the driver circuit  409  electrically drives the conductor  408  in accordance with the data signal. In response to being electronically driven, the conductor  408  preferably emits an alternating polarity magnetic field. When the card  400  has been inserted, in a direction indicated by arrow  406 , into the slotted portion  104  of the magnetic card reader  100 , the alternating polarity magnetic field can be detected by the magnetic reading head  103  of the magnetic card reader  100 . The bidirectional communication process of the card  400  and the magnetic card reader  100  has been discussed with respect to FIG. 3 such as by detecting magnetic flux transitions to indicate bits of information that represent a “1” or a “0” value. Also, as has been discussed hereinabove with respect to the sensor  214 , the card  400  that optionally includes the sensor  214  can detect when the card  400  has been inserted  406  into the slotted portion  104  of the magnetic card reader to affirmatively determine when communication between the card  400  and the magnetic reading head  103  can take place. 
     It should be understood that the flex circuit, preferably constituting a hinge-like flexible coupling means  404  between the card  400  and the electronic wallet  402 , provides an electrical coupling means for electrically coupling the conductor  408  with the driver circuit  409  and for electrically coupling the sensor  214  with the controller  416 . Alternatively, the flex circuit comprises other components in addition to the hinge. The power source  418  residing in the electronic wallet  402  comprises similar elements to those already discussed for power source  210  in FIG. 2. A larger battery optionally combined with a capacitor are incorporated into the electronic wallet  402  to help power both the functions of the electronic wallet  402  and the operation of the card  400 . 
     The controller  416  is electrically coupled to a user interface  428  for communicating with the user of the electronic wallet  402 . The user interface  428  comprises, in the preferred embodiment, a display (not shown), e.g., a liquid crystal display, for displaying information to the user. The user interface  428  also includes a user input means (not shown), such as buttons, switches, keys, or other contact input means for accepting input from the user. Additionally, the user interface  428  preferably comprises a user alerting means (not shown), e.g., an alert transducer for generating an audible alert, a light emitting diode or a lamp for providing visual indication, or a vibrator transducer for providing a tactile alert to the user, or a combination of the aforementioned output indicators. 
     In the preferred embodiment, the electronic wallet  402  comprises a wireless communication interface  419  capable of communicating messages with a remotely located communication device. The wireless communication interface includes a wireless communication receiver. The operation of the wireless communication interface is well known in the art and is described more fully in U.S. Pat. No. 5,124,697 entitled Acknowledge Back Pager, issued, Jun. 23, 1992, to Moore; U.S. Pat. No. 5,153,582 entitled Method and Apparatus for Acknowledging and Answering a Paging Signal, issued, Oct. 6, 1992, to Davis; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,875,038 entitled Frequency Division Multiplexed Acknowledge Back Paging System, issued, Oct. 17, 1989, to Siwiak et al., which are assigned to the assignee of the present invention and which are hereby fully incorporated herein by reference. The invention preferably operates with the Motorola ReFLEX® two-way wireless paging protocol described in detail in the following U.S. patent applications assigned to the assignee of the present invention: U.S. Pat. No. 5,475,863 entitled Method and Apparatus for Identifying a Transmitter in a Radio Communication System, issued Dec. 12, 1995 to Simpson et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,712,624 entitled Method and Apparatus for Optimizing Receiver Synchronization in a Radio Communication System, issued Jan. 27, 1998 to Ayerst et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,521,926 entitled Method and Apparatus for Improved Message Reception at a Fixed System Receiver, issued May 28, 1996 to Ayerst et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,638,369 entitled Method and Apparatus for Inbound Channel Selection in a Communication System, issued Jun. 10, 1997 to Ayerst et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,737,691 entitled A System and Method for Allocating Frequency Channels in a Two-way Messaging Network, issued Apr. 7, 1998 to Wang et al., which are hereby fully incorporated by reference herein. It should be appreciated that other communication protocols are also contemplated, such as the Motorola Flex™ one-way wireless paging protocol described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,168,493 entitled Time Division Multiplex Selective Call System issued Dec. 1, 1992 to Nelson et al., assigned to the assignee of the present invention, and which is hereby fully incorporated by reference herein. As shown in FIG. 4, the electronic wallet  402  comprises an antenna  420  electrically coupled to a receiver circuit  422  that is electrically coupled to a decoder circuit  424  for selectively receiving and decoding messages transmitted by a remote device in a manner well known in the art. Typically, the messages comprise address information and message data. When the address information of a message being received matches a predetermined address information for the electronic wallet  402 , the decoder circuit  424  determines that the message is destined for reception by the electronic wallet  402 . Consequently, the decoder circuit  424  decodes the message being received, including the message data. The decoder circuit  424  is electrically coupled to the controller  416  for providing the received and decoded messages to the controller  416 . Although a receiver circuit is shown in FIG. 4, a transmitter is alternatively included in order to implement two-way wireless communication. 
     In first alternative embodiment, the wireless communication interface  419  comprises an infrared communication means capable of communicating with a remotely located device utilizing infrared communication, preferably utilizing a standard set forth by the Infrared Data Association, in a manner well known in the art. In a second alternative embodiment, the wireless communication interface  419  comprises an ultrasound communication means for communicating with a remotely located device utilizing ultrasound communication. In a third alternative, the wireless communication interface  419  comprises a two-way radio frequency (RF) communication means capable of communicating with a remotely located device utilizing two-way RF communication. In a fourth alternative, the wireless communication interface  419  comprises a satellite communication means for communicating with a remotely located device utilizing satellite communication. Other alternative wireless communication means can be utilized by the wireless communication interface  419  within the spirit of the present invention. 
     For example, another device can transmit a message to the electronic wallet  402  via a wireless communication media, such via an RF communication channel. The antenna  420 , in this example, receives a transmitted signal comprising the messages and couples the received signal to the receiver circuit  422 . The receiver circuit  422  receives the signal and demodulates the data signal from the received RF signal. The decoder circuit  424  then decodes the data signal and extracts a message from the data signal. The decoder circuit  424  couples the message to the controller  416 . In this way, a remote device can transmit commands, or data, or both, to the electronic wallet  402  and to the card  400 . 
     The controller  416  can be remotely configured by transmitting messages to the electronic wallet  402 . The electronic wallet  402  can be configured, for example, to store a data signal in a memory (not shown) to represent a subscription membership to a particular financial service. This would be analogous to an issuer of a financial card issuing a new card to the user. However, instead of delivering a tangible card to the user to begin a subscription to the service, the service provider only has to deliver the card information to the user&#39;s electronic wallet  402 . The delivery of information to the user is preferably done by delivering a message to the electronic wallet  402  via the wireless communication interface  419 . As an alternative, the information is communicated to the electronic wallet  402  via a communication between the card  400  and a magnetic card reader  100 , such as when the card  400  has been inserted  406  into the slotted portion  104  of the magnetic card reader  100 . In a third alternative, the information is provided to the user, such as via a writing, a display, or other delivery means, and then the user can enter the information into the electronic wallet  402  via the user interface  428 . 
     Although not shown in the drawing, the wireless communication interface  419  is alternatively carried by the card  200 , rather than by the electronic wallet, and such card is capable of being reconfigured over-the-air via the wireless communication interface  419  without involving use of the electronic wallet  402  during reconfiguation. 
     After the electronic wallet  402  has been configured as discussed above, in one embodiment, the user can select, via the user interface  428 , a transaction using the subscription of a particular financial service provider. Then, the user can insert the card  400  into the slotted portion  104  of the magnetic card reader  100  to initiate a transaction that uses the particular financial service provider to authorize the transaction. This would be analogous to the user selecting the particular financial card from a conventional (i.e., non-electronic) wallet and swiping the card through the slotted portion  104  of the magnetic card reader  100 . However, by using the card  400  and electronic wallet  402  arrangement of the present invention, the user has significant advantages over the conventional magnetic stripe card approach. First, the initiation of the transaction is more secure because the electronic wallet  402  requires a password to be entered by the user at the user interface  428  before a transaction could be effected. On the other hand, a conventional magnetic stripe card could be easily duplicated without the user&#39;s permission. Second, the electronic wallet  402  can store many different service provider identification and subscription information in a memory (not shown), such as in a memory at the controller  416  which can advantageously be configured via wireless communication through the use of the wireless communication interface  419 . In this way, the user of the electronic wallet  402  can utilize the card  400  to initiate a transaction with a selected one of the many different service providers and subscription services identified in the controller  416 . On the other hand, a user of the conventional magnetic stripe card typically keeps one magnetic stripe card for each service provider in a conventional wallet to be carried on the user&#39;s person. This is a bulky and cumbersome burden that users have had to tolerate in the past. This is especially burdensome if a user wants to engage in transactions with many different service providers. Third, the card  400  comprising the conductor  408  is a much more durable and reliable medium for initiating transactions with the magnetic card reader  100 . With the invention, there are no problems with losing magnetic quality of the magnetic stripe  110  on a card  106  (see FIG.  1 ). The conductor  408  can be embedded deeply into the card  400  thereby protecting the conductor  408  from the external elements and physical damage. On the other hand, the conventional magnetic stripe  110  typically resides near the outer surface of the conventional magnetic stripe card and can be very susceptible to physical damage or external hazards. 
     Referring to FIG. 5, a second alternative embodiment of a magnetically communicative card  500  and electronic wallet  502  apparatus  501  is shown according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention. The magnetically communicative card, or card,  500  comprises a controller  514  electrically coupled to at least one driver circuit  509  that is electrically coupled to at least one conductor  510 . In this second alternative embodiment, the card  500  mechanically engages with the electronic wallet  502 , but can be separated from the electronic wallet  502 . For example, the card  500  can reside within a pocket  504  of the electronic wallet  502 . The card  500  can be pulled out, in a direction indicated by arrow  506 , from the pocket  504  to initiate a transaction with another device. The card  500  and the electronic wallet  502  are electrically coupled via slidable engagement contacts as will be more fully discussed below. While the card  500  and the electronic wallet  502  are slidably engaged, a controller/decoder  522  in the electronic wallet  502  can communicate via a sliding engagement means  524  with the controller  514  in the card  500 . Additionally, a power source  418  provides power to the circuits on the card  500  through a slidable engagement means  518 . In this way, the card  500 , when slidably engaged with the electronic wallet  502 , communicates therebetween and, for example, can be configured by the electronic wallet  502 . That is, the controller/decoder  522  can communicate a data signal to the controller  514  on the card  500  to program a memory (not shown) in the controller  514 . The controller/decoder  522  on the electronic wallet  502  can communicate with a remote device via the wireless communication interface  523  to, for example, receive messages. These messages, once received by the controller/decoder  522  includes commands or data, or both, to instruct the controller/decoder  522  to configure the controller  514  in the card  500 . In this way, for example, a message transmitted by a remote device can be delivered to the wireless communication interface  523  and can reconfigure a card  500  to allow the user to initiate transactions with a service provider. Therefore, the card  500  is configured remotely with the magnetic card reader  100  to initiate transactions with many different service providers that are identified and a subscription identification is stored in a memory in the controller  514  in the card  500 . The delivery of information to the user is preferably done by delivering a message to the electronic wallet  502  via the wireless communication interface  523 . As an alternative, the information is communicated to the electronic wallet  502  via a communication between the card  500  and a magnetic card reader  100 , such as when the card  500  has been inserted into the slotted portion  104  of the magnetic card reader  100 . In a third alternative, the information is provided to the user, such as via a writing, a display, or other delivery means, and then the user can enter the information into the electronic wallet  502  via the user interface  428 . 
     A user, in one preferred mode of operation, partially disengages the card  500  from the electronic wallet  502  by pulling out, in the direction indicated by arrow  506 , a portion of the card  500  from the pocket  504 . With an edge portion of the card  500  being exposed outside the pocket  504  of the electronic wallet  502 , the user inserts the edge portion of the card  500  into the slotted portion  104  of the magnetic card reader  100 . The conductor  510  is then located in the slotted portion  104  to allow communication of information between the conductor  510  and the at least one magnetic reading head  103  of the magnetic card reader  100 . 
     The user interface  428 , as has been discussed above with respect to FIG. 4, is alternatively included in the electronic wallet  502  to provide output signals or display information to the user, and to provide means for the user to enter user input into the electronic wallet  502 . It is evident that the card  500  can also include a user interface (not shown in FIG.  5 ), such as the user interface  212  shown in FIG.  2  and discussed with respect thereto. The user can access the functions of the card  500 , for example, either via the user interface  428  of the electronic wallet  502 , or a user interface (not shown) of the card  500 , or a combination of both. 
     The sensor  214 , as has been discussed above, is alternatively included in the card  500  to allow the controller  514  to affirmatively determine when the card  500  has been inserted into the slotted portion  104  of the magnetic card reader  100 , at which time the controller  514  can begin providing a data signal to the driver circuit  512  to electrically drive the conductor  510  to communicate with the magnetic reading head  103 . 
     Now referring to FIG.  6  and to FIG. 5, a slidable engagement means of the preferred embodiment will be more fully discussed below. The card  500  comprises, in this embodiment, a first flat contact  606  and a second flat contact  608 . The electronic wallet  502  comprises a first flexible contact  602  and a second flexible contact (not shown). The first flexible contact  602  is electrically coupled to the power source  418  and the second flexible contact is electrically coupled to a ground reference return  515  for the power source  418 . The first flexible contact  602  and the second flexible contact are electronically coupled to the first flat contact  606  and the second flat contact  608 , respectively, via a sliding engagement means  518 . When the card  500  is pulled out (up to a predetermined distance  525  indicated on FIG. 5) of the electronic wallet  502 , the first flexible contact  602  maintains electronic contact with the first flat contact  606 , and the second flexible contact maintains electrical contact with the second flat contact  608 . The slidable engagement means  518  is used to couple the power source  418  in the electronic wallet  502  to electronic circuits in the card  500 . Another slidable engagement means  524 , shown in FIG. 5, comprising a third flexible contact (not shown) and a third contact (not shown) on the magnetically card provides an electrical path for other signaling between the electronic wallet  502  and the card  500 . For example, the controller/decoder  522  can communicate signals with the controller  514  via the other slidable engagement means. 
     Referring to FIG. 7, the card  500 , also shown in FIG.  5  and FIG. 6, also comprises smartcard technology, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 7, the card  500  typically comprises a plurality of electrical contacts, such as the electrical contact  704  shown, which are located in a predetermined orientation within a predetermined region  702  about the surface of the card  500 . Each electrical contact  704  is used for communicating signals, or power, or both, between a smartcard reader (not shown) and the card  500  with the smartcard technology therein. The orientation, location, and use of the electrical contact  704  for the smartcard technology is defined by industry standards for the smartcard industry. 
     According to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the card  500  also includes conductor  510  about an edge of the card  500  to allow communications with the magnetic card reader  100  as has been discussed above. The controller  514  is electrically coupled to the conductor  510  such as via the driver circuit  512 , to electrically drive the conductor  510  to communicate with the magnetic card reader  100  via the magnetic reading head  103 . As shown in FIG. 7, the first flat contact  606  and the second flat contact  608  provide an electrical path for coupling electrical power from the electronic wallet  502  to the card  500  thereby providing power to the circuits, including the controller  514 , the driver circuit  512 , the sensor  214 , and the conductor  510 , located in the card  500 . Therefore, the card  500  can operate in either a smartcard mode, or in a magnetic stripe card mode, or both. In this way, the card  500  comprising smartcard technology is compatible with conventional magnetic card reader technology and with the more recent smartcard reader technology. This allows a graceful evolution, if desired, to the more modern smartcard infrastructure while remaining compatible with the existing magnetic card reader infrastructure. 
     This dual compatibility with both the more modern smartcard reader technology and the existing magnetic card reader technology allows the user of the card  500  the significant advantage of utilizing whichever type of card reader infrastructure is available at a particular location for engaging in a transaction. Further, the significant investment in the current magnetic card reader infrastructure and technology does not become obsolete while the industry gracefully evolves to the more modern smartcard reader and newer infrastructure. This provides a significant financial advantage to the establishments that have already invested in magnetic card reader technology. 
     Referring to FIG. 8, an exemplary operational sequence for the controller/decoder  522  of the electronic wallet  502  and for the controller  514  of the card  500 , as shown in FIG. 5, FIG. 6, and FIG. 7, will now be discussed below. As has been discussed above with respect to FIG. 5, the controller  514  communicates with the controller/decoder  522  via the slidable engagement means  524  while the card  500  is at least partially inserted into the pocket  504  into the electronic wallet  502 . The controller/decoder  522  enters the operational sequence, at step  800 , and monitors for user input, at step  802 , via the user interface  428 . For example, the controller/decoder  522  displays on a display at the user interface  428  a prompt for the user to enter a password to begin operation of the electronic wallet  502 . The controller/decoder  522  then monitors the user interface  428  to detect a user input, at step  802 , such as via keys on a keyboard accessible to the user via the user interface  428 . If no user input, or the wrong password is entered as user input, at step  802 , the controller/decoder  522  then exits the operational sequence at step  804 . On the other hand, if a correct password is entered by a user, at step  802 , then the controller/decoder  522  either prompts a user to select a particular card, i.e., a particular service provider that issued a subscription to the user, in the event that a user has been issued more than one subscription for engaging in transactions using different services and service providers, or, alternatively, if the user has only one default subscription, then the controller/decoder  522  selects a particular service provider subscription for the user and communicates the selection with the controller  514  on the card  500 . The controller  514  contains subscription identification information and related data in a memory preferably located in the controller  514 . The controller  514 , upon receiving a selection signal from the controller/decoder  522 , prepares data, at step  806 , for providing a data signal to the driver circuit  512  to electrically drive the conductor  510  in accordance with the data corresponding to the service provider subscription identification stored in the memory of the controller  514 . Additionally, in the case of a financial transaction, the data prepared by the controller  514 , at step  806 , can include a transaction amount, such as may have been entered by a user via the user interface  428  and accepted by the controller/decoder  522  and then coupled to the controller  514  during the process of accepting user input, at step  802 . The card  500  is now ready to be inserted, in a direction indicated by arrow  508 , into the magnetic card reader  100 . The controller  514  monitors the sensor  214 , at step  808 , to affirmatively determine when the card  500  has been inserted into the magnetic card reader  100 . 
     When the sensor  214  couples a sensor signal to the controller  514  indicating that the card  500  is inserted in the slotted portion  104  of the magnetic card reader  100 , at step  808 , the controller  514  begins to provide the data signal to the driver circuit  512 , at step  810 , to electrically drive the conductor  510  in accordance with the data signal. After driving the data signal, at step  810 , the controller  514  determines whether there is data to be read from the magnetic card reader  100 , at step  812 . This would be the case, for example, when an information service provider reprograms certain information at the card  500  utilizing the magnetic card reader  100 . This is typically accomplished today with magnetic card readers  100  that are equipped with a read/write head mechanism for reading and writing to a third track in a conventional magnetic stripe card. However, the card  500  of the present invention, is also able to read data, at step  816 , from the magnetic card reader  100 . As has been discussed above with respect to FIG. 3, this entails, in one embodiment, the switching of a conductor  204  to be electrically coupled with either a driver circuit  304  or with a detector circuit  318 , depending on whether the conductor is used to emit an exemplary alternating polarity magnetic field or the conductor is used to pick up a signal from an exemplary external alternating polarity magnetic field provided by the magnetic card reader  100 . Therefore, while there is more data to be processed, at step  814 , the controller  514  enters either the write data operational sequence, at step  810 , or the read data operational sequence, at step  816 , or both. After all the data has been processed, at step  814 , the controller  514  then exits the operational sequence, at step  804 . In this way, the electronic wallet  502  and the card  500  can communicate with the user and the magnetic card reader  100  to accept a transaction request from the user, including transaction parameters such as an amount, and then communicate with a magnetic card reader  100  to affect a transaction with a particular service provider that was selected by the user. 
     Referring to FIG. 9, a second exemplary operational sequence is shown for the electronic wallet  502  and the card  500 , according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The controller/decoder  522  periodically monitors the wireless communication interface  523 , such as via the antenna  420  and receiver circuit  422  in a manner well known in the art. Upon detecting a message being received with address information selecting the particular electronic wallet  502 , at step  902 , the controller/decoder  522  then decodes the data from the message being received, at step  906 . The data decoded from the message, at step  906 , may include a command to the electronic wallet  502  and the card  500 , as will be discussed below. If the controller/decoder  522  determines that the address of the message is not an address destined for reception by the electronic wallet  502 , at step  902 , the controller/decoder  522  exits the operational sequence at step  904 . 
     First, the data may instruct the controller/decoder  522  to store a new entry into memory for a new subscription for the user, at step  908 . When the controller/decoder  522  determines that a new data item is to be stored into memory, at step  908 , the controller/decoder  522  stores the data in a memory located in the controller/decoder  522  and further communicates with the controller  514  and provides the data to the controller  514  which also stores the received data in a memory in the controller  514 . This would store a new record in the data base for the controller/decoder  522  and in the controller  514  to allow the user to initiate transactions with the service provider corresponding to the subscription identification and data. 
     Secondly, the controller/decoder  522  may detect the command in the decoded data to update an existing record, at step  912 . In such a case, the controller/decoder  522  updates the existing data base for the service provider at step  914 , and further instructs the controller  514  to update its memory for the existing record for the service provider to correspond to the new received data. 
     As a third exemplary command, the controller/decoder  522  may detect a security clear command instructing the electronic wallet  502  and the card  500  to delete a particular record from the memory and from the database, at step  916 . This occurs if a user of the electronic wallet  502  and the card  500  has terminated a subscription to a particular service provider. Of course, a user that has lost their electronic wallet  502  and card  500  can request a central service to transmit, at step  918 , a security clear command to clear all data records and information from the database and memory in the controller/decoder  522  and the controller  514 . In this way, a lost electronic wallet  502  and card  500  cannot be then used by an unauthorized user to initiate fraudulent transactions. 
     Referring to FIG. 10, for example, a data stream  350 , is shown being communicated to a prior art magnetic card reader  100  by either swiping through the slotted portion  104  a card  106  (see FIG.  1 ), or alternatively by operating the card  200  of the current invention in the slotted portion  104  of the magnetic card reader  100  (see FIG.  2  and FIG.  3 ). 
     The data stream  350  in this example comprises the data bits “100110”. A series  360  of arrows represent a series of changing magnetic fields. The series of changing magnetic fields preferably communicates the data stream  350  utilizing a series of magnetic flux transitions. This would be analogous to passing a track of the at least one track  111  of information encoded in the magnetic stripe  110  in proximity to the magnetic reading head  103 . Each arrow  362  represents a magnetic field change, such as a change in polarity or in magnitude. A change in direction of an arrow  362  represents a change in the magnetic field. In a preferred embodiment, a point in the series  360  at which the direction of the arrow  362  changes corresponds to a magnetic flux transition. 
     A data signal representing the data stream  350 , in a preferred embodiment, comprises a self-clocking data signal represented by clock transition changes in direction of the arrow  362  at predetermined time intervals as illustrated in FIG.  10 . Each “1” in the data stream  350  is represented by a change in direction of the arrow  362  in between clock transition changes in direction of the arrow  362 . Each “0” in the data stream  350  is represented by an unchanged magnetic field (no change in direction of the arrow  362 ) in between clock transition changes in direction of the arrow  362 . By providing a changing magnetic field, preferably exhibiting magnetic flux transitions, as illustrated by series  360 , to the magnetic reading head  103 , the data stream  350  is communicated to a magnetic card reader such as the prior art magnetic card reader  100 . This is analogous, in one embodiment, to swiping the card  106  through the slotted portion  104  of the magnetic card reader  100  to pass the magnetic stripe  110  in proximity to the magnetic reading head  103 . 
     Line  370  shows a changing current that can be driven through the conductor  204  of the present invention to causes the data stream  350  to be read by the magnetic reading head  103 . In a preferred embodiment, a series of clock transitions are represented by a series of changes in a magnetic field at predetermined time intervals. This corresponds to changes in the current being driven through the conductor  204  at the predetermined time intervals. 
     For the magnetic reading head  103  to determine the presence of a “1”, a change in the magnetic field, such as represented by a magnetic flux transition, occurs in between the changes in the magnetic field that represent the clock transitions occurring at the predetermined time intervals. This can be effected by changing the current being driven through the conductor  204  at a point in time in between the predetermined time interval when a “1” is to be communicated to the magnetic reading head  103 . If a “0” is to be communicated to the magnetic reading head  103 , the current being driven through the conductor  204  remains unchanged during the predetermined time interval thereby communicating a “0”. Thus, in order to communicate the data stream  350 , the current through conductor  204  is modulated in accordance with line  370 . A “high” on line  370  indicates a first current while a “low” indicates a second current. For different implementations in accordance with the present invention, the second current can be less in value than the first current, or it can be a no value current, or it can be a negative value current. 
     Therefore, by electronically changing the magnetic fields about a conductor of the conductor  204  in a time variable manner, information is communicated to a magnetic card reader such as the prior art magnetic card reader  100 . Since the magnetic fields change electronically, movement of the card of the present invention is not required, thereby saving wear and tear on both the card and the card reader. Nevertheless, since the conductor  204 , in the preferred embodiment, runs substantially the width  201  of the card, the card of the present invention may still be “swiped” through a magnetic card reader. This allows users to perform the familiar “swiping” movement while using the card  200  of the present invention for users that have become accustomed to the “swiping” movement of the card  106 . However, no “swiping” movement is necessary. Additionally, since the conductor  204  runs substantially the width of the card, the placement of the card along the “swipe” direction in the magnetic card reader is not critical for operation with the magnetic card reader  100  as long as a portion of the length of the card is inserted in the slotted portion  104  of the magnetic card reader  100 . Consequently, communication of data by the card of the current invention is independent of movement of the card or placement of the card within the magnetic card reader. Further, the long track also provides for the present invention to work with magnetic card readers which have electromechanical mechanisms which automatically move the card through the magnetic card reader. 
     Thus, the card  500  of the present invention provides significant advantages to the user and to society over the conventional magnetic stripe card technology. Although conventional magnetic stripe cards are inherently limited in the amount of information that can be stored in the magnetic stripe  110 , due in part to the ANSI standard and in part to the physical limitation of the magnetic media of the magnetic stripe  110 , the card  500  of the present invention provides a much longer stream of data to a magnetic card reader  100 . This alternative operation for a magnetic card reader  100  could be effected by reprogramming the magnetic card reader  100  to allow reading a much longer data stream from to a single track of a magnetic stripe card. One method for reprogramming a magnetic card reader  100  involves reprogramming an erasable programmable read only memory (EPROM) for the magnetic card reader  100 . In an alternative method, a central system downloads commands over a communication link, such as a telephone link, to the magnetic card reader  100  to cause the magnetic card reader  100  to modify a parameter memory within the magnetic card reader  100 . One of the parameters that would be modified at the magnetic card reader parameter memory would be the length of information that would be stored in a magnetic stripe card track. Once the magnetic card reader  100  has been configured to read a much longer track of information from a magnetically card, and the card  500  has also been configured to provide the much longer data stream, the card  500  provides to the magnetic card reader  100  a significantly larger amount of information than is possible with conventional magnetic stripe card technology. This much higher amount of information that can be communicated with the magnetically communicative card  500  is comparable to the amount of information that can be stored and communicated using smartcard technology. Therefore, the magnetically communicative card  500  performs well compared with smartcard technology, including the amount of information that is delivered between the magnetically communicative card  500  and the magnetic card reader  100 . 
     Referring now to FIG. 11, the alternating polarity magnetic field as represented by magnetic flux lines  919  produced by the changing current through conductor  204  extend outwardly beyond a plane formed by the card  200  and are curved about the length of the ferrite core  302 . Referring now to FIG. 12, in the alternative embodiment in which the conductor  204  is a straight conductor, the magnetic flux lines  920  produced by the changing current through conductor  204  also extend outwardly beyond a plane formed by the card, although it can be seen that the magnetic flux lines in FIG. 12 curve about the conductor  204  and run in another direction relative to the conventional position of a magnetic stripe than do the flux lines shown in FIG.  11 . 
     While a detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the invention has been given, it should be appreciated that many variations can be made thereto without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.