Patent Description:
There are approximately <NUM> million people in the United States that are hard of hearing and nearly <NUM> million that are functionally deaf. Additionally, approximately <NUM> million people <NUM> years and over in the United States have vision impairment with <NUM> million who are blind. lt is difficult for those with any of these impairments to conduct payment card transactions because there are limited ways to effectively visually convey feedback as to whether the transaction was successful or failed (e.g., due to an error reading the card, insufficient funds, etc.) to a visually impaired user who is using a payment card (e.g., credit card). Similarly, there are limited ways to effectively convey such messages audibly to those hard of hearing or functionally deaf, cf. <CIT>, <CIT> and <CIT>. Thus, a user with any of these impairments might be able to attempt a payment card transaction but would not know when the transaction was complete or if there was an error in the attempted transaction (and what that error was so they could quickly remedy it). <CIT> discloses a Braille data display interface for blind person in banking or commercial transaction fields, having coupling units transferring data between payment terminal and interface, and Braille display displaying processed data in Braille form.

Accordingly, it is desirable to alleviate these impairments and enable such impaired people to independently conduct payment card transactions more effectively. Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to this and other considerations.

Disclosed herein are devices and methods for providing haptic feedback to a user making a transaction. The independent claims provide solutions to the problem mentioned or in other terms, the problem is a need that is satisfied by the solutions of the independent claims.

A card accessory device includes a connector configured to receive at least a first end of a card (e.g., credit card), the first end of the card not containing a chip (e.g., Europay, Mastercard, and Visa (EMV)). The card accessory device also includes an attachment arm extending from the connector, a housing connected to the attachment arm opposite the connector, a rumble pack at least partially contained within the housing, one or more processors, and memory. The memory stores instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, are configured to cause the card accessory device to receive, from a terminal in communication with the card, one or more messages, preferably comprising a complete message indicative of successfully reading the card and a read error message indicative that there was an error in reading the card, identify one or more predetermined sequences based on the one or more messages, and perform via the rumble pack, one or more predetermined vibration sequences preferably comprising a first vibration sequence associated with the complete message and a second vibration sequence associated with the read error message in a predetermined pattern.

The card accessory device may include a capacitor contained within the housing, the capacitor being configured to accumulate power from an external power source and provide power to the rumble pack, one or more processors, and memory.

A card accessory device operation method includes a connector configured to receive at least a first end of a card, the first end of the card not containing a chip, an attachment arm extending from the connector, a housing connected to the attachment arm opposite the connector, a rumble pack at least partially contained within the housing, optionally a battery contained within the housing, optionally the battery being in electrical communication with and configured to provide power to the rumble pack, one or more processors, and furthermore includes a memory. The memory stores instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, are configured to cause the card accessory device to receive, from a terminal in communication with the card, one or more messages, identify one or more predetermined vibration sequences based on the one or more messages, and perform, via the rumble pack, the one or more predetermined vibration sequences.

The features of the structural claims may supplement as method steps the method.

Further features of the disclosed design, and the advantages offered thereby, are explained in greater detail hereinafter with reference to specific examples illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like elements are indicated with like reference designators.

Reference will now be made to the accompanymg drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, and which illustrate various implementations, aspects, and principles of the disclosed technology. In the drawings:.

Examples of the present disclosure can comprise devices and methods for using a payment card accessory device to convert transaction data associated with a payment card transaction into haptic feedback for the user. As will become apparent, payment card, the card accessory device and the method for can take many forms and can be implemented using many methods and/or devices.

Although certain examples of the disclosed technology are explained in detail, it is to be understood that other examples, embodiments, and implementations of the disclosed technology are contemplated. For example, although referred to in the context of payment cards (e.g., credit and debit cards) it is contemplated that the disclosed technology can be used with cards other than payment cards (e.g., govemment identification cards, transit cards, access cards, gift cards, etc.). Accordingly, it is not intended that the disclosed technology is limited in its scope to the details of construction and arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The disclosed technology is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or carried out in various ways. Such implementations and applications are contemplated within the scope of the present disclosure.

The components described hereinafter as making up various elements of the disclosed technology are intended to be illustrative and not restrictive. Many suitable components that would perform the same or similar functions as the components described herein are intended tobe embraced within the scope of the disclosed technology. Such other components not described herein can include, but are not limited to, for example, similar components that are developed after development of the presently disclosed subject matter.

Referring now to the drawings, in which like numerals represent like elements, examples of the present disclosure are herein described.

<FIG> is a diagram of an example of a card accessory device <NUM> without a battery, according to some examples of the present disclosure. The card accessory device <NUM> may be used in conjunction with a payment card <NUM> containing a chip 111a (e.g., Europay, Mastercard, and Visa (EMV) chip). The card accessory device <NUM> may have the ability to attach and detach from the payment card <NUM> using a connector <NUM>. The connector may include a spring or similar resiliency mechanism so that the connect can remain attached to the payment card <NUM>. The connector <NUM> may attach to an end of the payment card <NUM> opposite the end of the chip 111a. In some embodiments, the connector may include an electrical contact surface on the contact point of the connector which may contact and mate with an electric contact surface 111b of the payment card <NUM>. Although not shown, the payment card <NUM> may include a circuit, wire, or other electrical connection between the chip 111a and the electric contact surface 111b.

The card accessory device <NUM> may also include an attachment arm <NUM> that connects the connector <NUM> to a housing <NUM> of the card accessory device <NUM>. The attachment arm <NUM> may also include a wire, circuit or other electrical connection between the connector <NUM> and the housing <NUM>. The housing <NUM> may include a controller <NUM> and a rumble pack <NUM>. The rumble pack <NUM> is controlled by the controller <NUM> and is configured to provide specific haptic feedback based on the instructions it receives from the controller <NUM>.

Once the connector <NUM> is attached to the payment card <NUM> and the payment card is inserted into a payment terminal <NUM> (e.g., point-of-sale device), power and messages flow from the payment terminal <NUM> to the controller <NUM>, which then converts the messages to instructions for the rumble pack <NUM>. The rumble pack <NUM>, powered by the payment terminal <NUM>, generates different haptic feedback depending on the message received. For example, if the controller <NUM> receives a payment complete message from the payment terminal <NUM>, the controller <NUM> may instruct the rumble pack <NUM> to initiate a first vibration sequence (e.g., vibrate once for two seconds). As another example, if the controller <NUM> receives a read error message from the payment terminal <NUM>, the controller <NUM> may instruct the rumble pack <NUM> to initiate a second vibration sequence (e.g., vibrate twice for half a second each). As another example, if the controller <NUM> receives an insufficient funds (or insufficient assets available) message from the payment terminal <NUM>, the controller <NUM> may instruct the rumble pack to initiate a third vibration sequence (e.g., vibrate three times for one second each).

In some embodiments, the card accessory device <NUM> may include a sensor that is configured that the connector <NUM> has received the first end of the payment card <NUM>. The sensor may be a pressure sensor and it may be powered from the payment terminal <NUM>. Once a card is detected by the sensory, the controller <NUM> may instruct the rumble pack <NUM> to generate a particular vibration sequence indicating that the card accessory device <NUM> is connected to a card.

In an embodiment, the card accessory device <NUM> may form a circuit with the payment card <NUM> such that the payment terminal <NUM> can detect when the circuit is completed by the card accessory device. Furthermore, the card accessory device <NUM> forms a circuit with the payment card <NUM> such that the card accessory device <NUM> (or controller <NUM>) can detect when the circuit is completed by the card accessory device. Once the circuit is formed, the controller <NUM> may instruct the rumble pack <NUM> to generate an initiate vibration sequence.

<FIG> is a diagram of an example of a card accessory device <NUM> with a battery and/or a capacitor, according to some examples of the present disclosure. Card accessory device <NUM> is similar to the card accessory device <NUM> shown in <FIG> except that card accessory device <NUM> may include a battery and/or capacitor <NUM> to power the controller <NUM> and the rumble pack <NUM>. For brevity, the features of card accessory device <NUM> that are the same as the features of card accessory device <NUM> will not be repeated. Instead, the description of card accessory device <NUM> will be incorporated into the description of card accessory device <NUM>.

In alternative embodiments which are not within the claimed scope, the card accessory device may work with contactless payments cards or devices with power supplied by the card (e.g., credit card with induction coils) or the accessory device (e.g., card accessory device with induction coils) or power supplied by a battery or capacitor similar to the card accessory device <NUM> shown in <FIG>.

<FIG> is a block diagram (with additional details) of the example controller <NUM>, as also depicted in <FIG>. As shown, the controller <NUM> may include a processor <NUM>, an input/output ("<NUM>/<NUM>") device <NUM>, a memory <NUM> containing an operating system ("OS") <NUM> and a program <NUM>. In some embodiments, the controller <NUM> may further include a peripheral interface, a transceiver, a mobile network interface in communication with the processor <NUM>, a bus configured to facilitate communication between the various components of the controller <NUM>, and a power source (e.g., via a payment terminal <NUM> or battery/capacitor <NUM>) configured to power one or more components of the controller <NUM>.

A peripheral interface, for example, may include the hardware, firmware and/or software that enable(s) communication with various peripheral devices, such as media drives (e.g., magnetic disk, solid state, or optical disk drives), other processing devices, or any other input source used in connection with the disclosed technology. In some embodiments, a peripheral interface may include a serial port, a parallel port, a general-purpose input and output (GPIO) port, a game port, a universal serial bus (USB), a micro-USB port, a high definition multimedia (HDMI) port, a video port, an audio port, a Bluetooth™ port, a near-field communication (NFC) port, another like communication interface, or any combination thereof.

In some embodiments, a transceiver may be configured to communicate with compatible devices and ID tags when they are within a predetermined range. A transceiver may be compatible with one or more of: radio-frequency identification (RFID), near-field communication (NFC), Bluetooth™, low-energy Bluetooth™ (BLE), WiFi™, ZigBee™, ambient backscatter communications (ABC) protocols or similar technologies.

A mobile network interface may provide access to a cellular network, the Internet, or another wide-area or local area network. In some embodiments, a mobile network interface may include hardware, firmware, and/or software that allow(s) the processor(s) <NUM> to communicate with other devices via wired or wireless networks, whether local or wide area, private or public, as known in the art. A power source may be configured to provide an appropriate alternating current (AC) or direct current (DC) to power components.

The processor <NUM> may include one or more of a microprocessor, microcontroller, digital signal processor, co-processor or the like or combinations thereof capable of executing stored instructions and operating upon stored data. The memory <NUM> may include, in some implementations, one or more suitable types of memory (e.g. such as volatile or non-volatile memory, random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), magnetic disks, optical disks, floppy disks, hard disks, removable cartridges, flash memory, a redundant array of independent disks (RAID), and the like), for storing files including an operating system, application programs (including, for example, a web browser application, a widget or gadget engine, and or other applications, as necessary), executable instructions and data. In one embodiment, the processing techniques described herein may be implemented as a combination of executable instructions and data stored within the memory <NUM>.

The processor <NUM> may be one or more known processing devices, such as, but not limited to, a microprocessor from the Pentium™ family manufactured by Intel™ or the Turion™ family manufactured by AMD™. The processor <NUM> may constitute a single core or multiple core processor that executes parallel processes simultaneously. For example, the processor <NUM> may be a single core processor that is configured with virtual processing technologies. In certain embodiments, the processor <NUM> may use logical processors to simultaneously execute and control multiple processes. The processor <NUM> may implement virtual machine technologies, or other similar known technologies to provide the ability to execute, control, run, manipulate, store, etc. multiple software processes, applications, programs, etc. One of ordinary skill in the art would understand that other types of processor arrangements could be implemented that provide for the capabilities disclosed herein.

In accordance with certain example implementations of the disclosed technology, the controller <NUM> may include one or more storage devices configured to store information used by the processor <NUM> (or other components) to perform certain functions related to the disclosed embodiments. In one example, the controller <NUM> may include the memory <NUM> that includes instructions to enable the processor <NUM> to execute one or more applications, such as server applications, network communication processes, and any other type of application or software known to be available on computer systems. Alternatively, the instructions, application programs, etc. may be stored in an external storage or available from a memory over a network. The one or more storage devices may be a volatile or non-volatile, magnetic, semiconductor, tape, optical, removable, non-removable, or other type of storage device or tangible computer-readable medium.

In one embodiment, the controller <NUM> may include a memory <NUM> that includes instructions that, when executed by the processor <NUM>, perform one or more processes consistent with the functionalities disclosed herein. Methods, systems, and articles of manufacture consistent with disclosed embodiments are not limited to separate programs or computers configured to perform dedicated tasks. For example, the controller <NUM> may include the memory <NUM> that may include one or more programs <NUM> to perform one or more functions of the disclosed embodiments. For example, in some embodiments, the controller <NUM> may additionally manage dialogue and/or other interactions with the customer via a program <NUM>.

The memory <NUM> may include one or more memory devices that store data and instructions used to perform one or more features of the disclosed embodiments. The memory <NUM> may also include any combination of one or more databases controlled by memory controller devices (e.g., server(s), etc.) or software, such as document management systems, Microsoft™ SQL databases, SharePoint™ databases, Oracle™ databases, Sybase™ databases, or other relational or non-relational databases. The memory <NUM> may include software components that, when executed by the processor <NUM>, perform one or more processes consistent with the disclosed embodiments. In some embodiments, the memory <NUM> may include a customer information database <NUM> for storing related data to enable the controller <NUM> to perform one or more of the processes and functionalities associated with the disclosed embodiments.

The database <NUM> may include stored data relating to transactions or presets/preferences associated with vibration sequences for particular messages.

The discrepancy determination device <NUM> may also be communicatively connected to one or more memory devices (e.g., databases) locally or through a network. The remote memory devices may be configured to store information and may be accessed and/or managed by the discrepancy determination device <NUM>. By way of example, the remote memory devices may be document management systems, Microsoft™ SQL database, SharePoint™ databases, Oracle™ databases, Sybase™ databases, or other relational or non-relational databases. Systems and methods consistent with disclosed embodiments, however, are not limited to separate databases or even to the use of a database.

The controller <NUM> may also include one or more <NUM>/<NUM> devices <NUM> that may comprise one or more interfaces for receiving signals or input from devices and providing signals or output to one or more devices that allow data to be received and/or transmitted by the controller <NUM>. For example, the controller <NUM> may include interface components, which may provide interfaces to one or more input devices, such as one or more keyboards, mause devices, tauch screens, track pads, trackballs, scroll wheels, digital cameras, microphones, sensors, and the like, that enable the controller <NUM> to receive data from one or more users.

In example embodiments of the disclosed technology, the controller <NUM> may include any number of hardware and/or software applications that are executed to facilitate any of the operations. The one or more <NUM>/<NUM> interfaces may be utilized to receive or collect data and/or user instructions from a wide variety of input devices. Received data may be processed by one or more computer processors as desired in various implementations of the disclosed technology and/or stored in one or more memory devices.

While the controller <NUM> has been described as one form for implementing the techniques described herein, other, functionally equivalent, techniques may be employed. For example, some or all of the functionality implemented via executable instructions may also be implemented using firmware and/or hardware devices such as application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), programmable logic arrays, state machines, etc. Furthermore, other implementations of the controller <NUM> may include a greater or lesser number of components than those illustrated.

<FIG> is a flow diagram <NUM> of a method for providing haptic feedback for card transactions, according to some examples of the present disclosure.

In step <NUM>, the controller <NUM> may receive one or more messages from the payment terminal <NUM>. In step <NUM>, the controller may identify one or more predetermined vibration sequences based on the one or more messages and possibly based on preferences stored in database <NUM>. In optional step <NUM>, the controller <NUM> may direct a portion of the stored power to the rumble pack to initiate it. In step <NUM>, the controller <NUM> send instructions to the rumble pack <NUM> to perform the one or more predetermined vibration sequences. In other words, the card accessory device <NUM> or <NUM> performs the one or more vibration sequences.

The following example use case describes an example of particular implementations of using a card accessory device with a payment card. This example is intended solely for explanatory purposes and should not be considered as limiting.

Jack, a vision-impaired man, pulls out a credit card and credit card accessory device (e.g., card accessory device <NUM> or <NUM>) to pay for a new jacket. He feels the credit card to determine which end has an EMV chip and which end has metal contacts. Jack takes the connector portion of the credit card accessory device and attaches it to the metal contacts (the opposite end from the EMV chip) on the credit card. Then Jack places the credit card, with the credit card accessory device attached, into a point-of-sale (POS) terminal to pay for the jacket. The POS terminal denies payment and issues an insufficient funds message on a display of the POS terminal Jack cannot read. However, Jack left his hand on the credit card accessory device while the POS terminal read and processed the credit card and he feels three one second lang vibrations with a short pause between them from the rumble pack found in the housing of the credit card accessory device. Recognizing this predetermined vibration sequence, Jack can reposition the credit card to again attempt the transaction.

Claim 1:
A card accessory device comprising:
a connector (<NUM>) configured to receive at least a first end of a card (<NUM>), the first end of the card not containing a chip;
an attachment arm (<NUM>) extending from the connector;
a housing (<NUM>) connected to the attachment arm opposite the connector;
a rumble pack (<NUM>) at least partially contained within the housing;
one or more processors (<NUM>,<NUM>);
and
a memory (<NUM>) storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, are configured to cause the card accessory device to
receive, from a terminal in communication with the card, one or more messages (<NUM>), preferably comprising a complete message indicative of successfully reading the card and a read error message indicative that there was an error in reading the card;
identify one or more predetermined sequences (<NUM>), based on the one or more messages;
and
perform via the rumble pack, one or more predetermined vibration sequences (<NUM>), preferably comprising a first vibration sequence associated with the complete message and a second vibration sequence associated with the read error message in a predetermined pattern,
wherein:
- the connector comprises an electrical contact surface configured to contact a mating electrical contact surface (111b) of the card (<NUM>);
- an external power source is associated with the terminal and supplies power through the chip of the card and on to the electrical contact surface of the connector; and
- the card accessory device forms a circuit with the card and the terminal such that the terminal can detect when the circuit is completed by the card accessory device (<NUM>,<NUM>).