Electronic Cards and Methods for Making Same

Abstract

A method for communicating with a magnetic stripe reader which has a magnetic read head by activating the electronic apparatus from an off state to a reduced power mode, then detecting the magnetic stripe reader, then activating the electronic apparatus from the reduced power mode to a full power mode after detection of the magnetic read head, and then broadcasting a signal that contains a transaction specific data packet that is read by the magnetic read head. The signal is broadcast without using a static magnetic stripe and it is a time varying and spatial varying magnetic field that is interpreted by the magnetic read head as originating from a standard magnetic stripe. A monitoring system can be used to identify what type of point-of-transaction terminal is being used to read the electronic apparatus and choose a timing of the magnetic stripe broadcaster to accommodate it.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.