Internal card reader skimmer disrupter
AssigneeNCR Atleos Corporation
InventorKevan Douglas Johnston
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A dual antiphase read-head arranged card reader is provided. The card reader includes a first read-head arrangement and a second read-head arrangement. Electromagnetic noise is applied to both the first and second arrangements. Waves associated with the electromagnetic noise on the second arrangement is transformed and applied to the first arrangement canceling the noise on a first read head of the first arrangement. The first read head reads magnetically encoded information on a magnetic strip of a card inserted into a card slot of the card reader free of noise. However, the noise remains present such that any skimmer read head of a skimmer inserted into the card slot is unable to read the magnetically encoded information off the magnetic strip of the card.
Claims17
A card reader, comprising:
- a first read-head arrangement;
- and
- a second read-head arrangement;
- wherein when electromagnetic noise is applied on a first read head of the first read-head arrangement and a second read head of the second read-head arrangement, the noise is canceled out on the first read head permitting the first read head to read a magnetic strip of a card while the electromagnetic noise remains and interferes with any skimmer inserted into a card slot of the card reader;
- wherein the second read-head arrangement is connected to the first read-head arrangement in antiphase.
A system, comprising:
- a terminal;
- and
- an integrated peripheral card reader comprises a card slot adapted to receive a card, a read-head portion, and a disruptive read-head portion;
- wherein when an electromagnetic noise signal is applied to a read head of the read-head portion and a dummy read head of the disruptive read-head portion, connections between the disruptive read-head portion and the read-head portion cancel the electromagnetic noise signal on the read head to permit the read head to read magnetic encoded information on a card inserted into the card slot while preventing any skimmer from reading the magnetic encoded information because of the electromagnetic noise signal;
- wherein the read-head portion is aligned within the card slot with the read head substantially centered and under a track 2 of a magnetic strip of the card to read the magnetic encoded information.
A method, comprising:
- applying an electromagnetic noise signal on a first read head of a card reader;
- applying the electromagnetic noise signal on a second read head of the card reader;
- transforming electromagnetic waves associated with the electromagnetic noise signal on the second read head 180 degrees and applying to the first read head to cancel the electromagnetic noise signal on the first read head;
- reading, by the first read head, magnetic encoded information on a magnetic strip of a card inserted into a card slot of the card reader while preventing any skimmer from reading the magnetic encoded information on the magnetic strip because of the presence of the electromagnetic noise signal on a skimmer read head of the skimmer inserted into the card slot;
- and
- implementing the method through an antiphase connection between the second read head and the first read head.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.