Patent ID: 8103881

Claim:
An apparatus for requesting access to an event by a user comprising: a substrate integrated into a card or a travel credential; a communications interface disposed within the substrate to receive an event access information that will permit access to the event; a magnetic field generator disposed within the substrate, wherein the magnetic field generator is normally inactive and comprises a magnetic stripe either mounted on the substrate or disposed within the substrate, one or more induction coils disposed within the substrate underneath a length of the magnetic stripe and a control circuit disposed within the substrate that is connected to the one or more induction coils and generates a low power time-varying magnetic signal by pulsing the one or more induction coils underneath the magnetic stripe when activated by a processor, wherein the low power time-varying magnetic signal (a) is transmitted to a magnetic stripe reader within a magnetic card reader, (b) emulates a data stream generated by swiping a static magnetic stripe card through the magnetic stripe reader but is not created by swiping the magnetic stripe of the apparatus through the magnetic stripe reader or using an adapter to interface with the magnetic stripe reader, and (c) includes the event access information along with an indication that the user is authorized to use the apparatus; a biometric sensor mounted on the substrate; a memory disposed within the substrate to store the event access information; the processor disposed within the substrate and communicably coupled to the communications interface, the magnetic field generator, the biometric sensor and the memory, wherein the processor (a) processes biometric information received from the biometric sensor to verify that the user is authorized to use the apparatus and (b) activates the magnetic field generator when the user is verified; and a power source disposed within the substrate and electrically connected to the communications interface, the magnetic field generator, the biometric sensor and the processor.