Patent ID: 8346663

Claim:
A method of contactless interfacing for a financial transaction smart card, comprising: allowing a user to establish a physical contact bi-directional communication interface between a financial transaction smart card and a hand-held computing device for accessing a financial transaction smart card application on a microcomputer of the financial transaction smart card; allowing the user to enter identifying information and transaction information on the hand-held computing device; allowing the user to initiate a contactless bi-directional infrared communication interface via an infrared emitter and sensor of the hand-held computing device as a conduit between the financial transaction smart card application on the microcomputer of the financial transaction smart card and an infrared emitter and sensor of a self-service transaction terminal of an on-line system of a financial institution, wherein allowing the user to initiate the contactless bi-directional communication interface further comprises guiding the hand-held computing device into a position of substantial alignment of the infrared emitter and sensor of the hand -held computing device with the infrared emitter and sensor of the self-service financial transaction terminal by a structure provided on a face of the self-service transaction terminal; verifying the financial transaction smart card by the on-line system based at least in part on the identifying information received by the on-line system via the contactless communication interface between the hand-held computing device and the self-service transaction terminal; and communicating the transaction information entered by the user on the hand-held computing device to the self-service transaction terminal of the on-line system via the contactless communication interface, wherein the self-service transaction terminal is programmed to present a sequence of selection screens for a transaction related to the transaction information entered by the user on the hand-held computing device, wherein the hand-held computing device is programmed to skip the presentation of at least some of the selection screens of the sequence, and wherein communicating the transaction information further comprises skipping the presentation of said at least some of the selection screens of the sequence by the hand-held computing device according to said program.