US 9,286,500 B1Granted

Card reader communication method

AssigneeSquare, Inc.

InventorsDaniel Jeffrey Post, Thomas Templeton

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Abstract

A card reader includes a body, the body being configured for coupling with a device, the device including a device light sensor and a device light source; a reader light sensor that is configured to capture light being emitted from the device light source, wherein, when the body is coupled to the user device, the reader light sensor is positioned adjacent to the device light source; a reader light source that is configured to emit light to the device light sensor, wherein, when the body is coupled to the user device, the reader light source is positioned adjacent to the device light sensor; a reader interface positioned in the body and configured to read the card; and circuitry configured to communicate data between the card reader and the user device using the reader light sensor and the reader light source.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A card reader, comprising:

a body, the body being configured to be coupled to a device, the device including a device light sensor and a device light source;
a reader light sensor that is configured to communicate with the device light source, wherein, when the body is coupled to the device, the reader light sensor is positioned adjacent to the device light source;
a reader light source that is configured to communicate with the device light sensor, wherein, when the body is coupled to the device, the reader light source is positioned adjacent to the device light sensor, wherein the device light sensor is configured to decode an optical signal;
a reader interface positioned in the body and configured to read a magnetic stripe on a card as the card is swiped through a slot along the first axis that reads card data and generates a digital data signal, wherein the reader interface is positioned in the first slot;
and
circuitry within the card reader configured to communicate data between the card reader and the device, wherein the circuitry is configured to decode the optical signal received using the reader light sensor into digital data, and wherein the circuitry within the card reader is configured to encode the digital data signal generated by the reader interface into an optical data signal and transmit the optical data signal from the reader light source;
wherein the body further comprises a second slot, and the reader light source and the reader light sensor are positioned within the second slot.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 13/841,689Filed 15 Mar 2013
Granted: 15 Mar 2016
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification10 codes

G06Q 20/341
Using cards, e.g. integrated circuit [IC] cards or magnetic cards: active cards, i.e. cards including their own processing means, e.g. including…
G06K 7/01
Methods or arrangements for sensing record carriers, e.g. for reading patterns: details
G06K 7/084
Inductive: sensing magnetic material by relative movement detecting flux changes without altering its magnetised state
G06K 7/10148
The sensing being preceded by at least one preliminary step: the step consisting of dynamically tuning the resonant circuit of the interrogation…