Smart card wallet
OwnerJerrell P. Hollawayinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A card wallet that can detect a missing credit card or driver's license is described. A wallet for holding plastic cards records electronically the addition of cards as well as the removal of cards. Whenever the number of cards in the wallet is less than the recorded number of cards, a signal is sent to the user warning the user that a card is missing. This may be the result of leaving a credit card at a checkout counter, theft, mishandling, or loss. The warning signal is issued only a short time after the last card was removed, aiding in rapid investigation and recovery. A simple method of detecting a missing card is to add the number of incoming cards and subtract the number of outgoing cards. An arrangement of momentary switches is used to determine the direction that the card is moving in the wallet.
Claims19
A wallet for managing the secure storage of cards used in transactions Comprising:
- a. An enclosure for holding said cards;
- b. One or more sensors for detecting the movement of said cards into and out of said enclosure;
- c. a microprocessor for recording the data from said sensors;
- d. memory for saving said data recorded by said microprocessor;
- e. a signaling device for communicating with the user of said wallet;
- f. a power source for supplying power to said microprocessor;
- Wherein said microprocessor compares said data in said memory with current data resulting from said cards being moved into or out of said enclosure and activates said signaling device whenever an analysis indicates that a card is missing from said enclosure.
A card wallet that signals the user whenever a card is removed from said wallet and not returned.
A card wallet for storing cards with magnetic stripes wherein said magnet stripes on said cards cannot be placed together due to the design of said wallet.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.