Multi-application data card - Patent Review 5530232

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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to data cards and, more particularly, to a multi-application data card capable of substituting for a plurality of existing single-application data cards and to a system and method of employing the card.

2. Description of the Prior Art

The generic term "data card" includes not only all kinds of financial cards but also various other cards that contain non-financial data. The term "financial card" includes credit cards, debit cards, A.T.M. cards and other cards that contain financial data. From another standpoint, data cards include, to cite only a few examples, oil company cards, department store cards, car rental cards, hotel cards and airline cards.

Data cards are now ubiquitous; their use has proliferated to such an extent that users of the cards find it objectionable and burdensome to carry all that seem to be required if one is to function in modern society.

Attempts have been made in the past to remedy the problem of card proliferation. For example, certain issuers of "general-purpose" credit cards (e.g., American Express, Visa, Master Charge) have prevailed upon many establishments, including those such as department stores, oil companies, airlines and car rental companies that issue their own credit cards, to accept the general-purpose credit card in addition to the card separately issued by the department store, oil company, etc. Also, there are co-branded cards. Even so, there is no single credit card that is universally accepted, and it is not foreseeable that any single issuer of credit cards, such as American Express, Visa, Master Charge, etc., is ever likely to become totally dominant or universally accepted.

Moreover, there are now available and in general use not only credit cards but also debit cards and various other financial-transaction cards, plus data cards and forms, often not machine-readable, for drivers' licenses, building security, insurance purposes, personal identification, etc.

Within a given data card category, there may be magnetic-stripe cards and so-called "smart" cards. The magnetic-stripe cards, which are in general use, have limited capabilities. The smart cards are not yet in such wide use but show great promise because of their superior capabilities. The two types of cards require different types of readers. Smart cards are in fact of at least two types: those employing electrical contacts and the so-called "contactless" smart cards. The latter are read in an A.T.M. or point-of-sale terminal by means of a field; no electrical contacts are required for reading the card.

There is a great need, which has not heretofore been met, for a substitute, replacement, or consolidation card allowing multiple card issuers to be represented within a single data card and allowing consumers to carry just one card for all types of transactions, including those listed above and others.

There is also a need to enable vendors individually or collectively to award points for frequency use and to track the awards efficiently. The current system of awarding airline bonus mileage, for example, is cumbersome, requiring a passenger to verbally advise a ticket agent of his frequent-flyer number at the time of ticketing and requiring the airline to prepare periodic reports to advise the passenger of the current status of his bonus account.

There is also a need to eliminate the cumbersome and annoying coupon system employed by supermarkets and similar stores. Consumers object to being made to clip coupons, often provided in the store or in newspapers, in order to obtain discounts. It would be very desirable to substitute a system that automatically kept track of purchases and awarded discounts or coupon equivalents automatically depending upon current purchases and/or history of purchases, broken down by brand and in other ways.

Clearly, the promise of the so-called cashless society has been delayed because of the lack of a suitable means for implementing it.

OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of the invention is to remedy the problems of the prior art outlined above. In particular, an object of the invention is to provide a multi-application data card capable of substituting for a plurality of (indeed all) existing single-application data cards, whether or not they are co-branded.

Another object of the invention is to provide a system comprising at least one multi-application data card and at least one card reader constructed so that a single data card can be substituted for a plurality of existing single-application data cards.

Another object of the invention is to provide a process employing at least one multi-application data card and at least one card reader and comprising steps that enable a multi-application data card to be substituted for a plurality of existing single-application data cards.

Another object of the invention is to provide a single data card that can be carried by everyone, so that everyone need carry one card and one card only.

The foregoing and other objects are attained in accordance with the invention by providing a multi-application data card capable of substituting for a plurality of existing signal-application data cards and comprising memory means formed with at least three memory banks or storage areas for storing and updating data relating respectively to at least one authorized holder of the card and at least two authorized applications of the card.

In accordance with an independent aspect of the invention, there is provided a multi-application data card capable of substituting for a plurality of existing single-application data cards and comprising a magnetic stripe for reading by a card reader compatible with a magnetic-stripe card and solid-state circuitry for reading by a card reader compatible with a smart card.

In accordance with an independent aspect of the invention, there is provided a system comprising at least one multi-application data card, at least one card reader, and memory means formed with at least three memory banks or storage areas for storing and updating data relating respectively to at least one authorized holder of the card and at least two authorized applications of the card. The reader comprises first data port means (input means) enabling the holder to select one of the applications and second data port means (including a bus or line for data transfer accessing two of the memory banks, one of the accessed memory banks containing data relating to the holder and the other of the accessed memory banks containing data relating to the selected application.

If the card is a smart card, the memory means is located at least in part on the card.

If the card is a magnetic-stripe card, the memory means is located at least in part remotely from the reader and connected thereto by a data link.

In accordance with another independent aspect of the invention, there is provided a process employing at least one multi-application data card and at least one card reader. The process comprises the steps of forming at least three memory banks for storing and updating data relating respectively to at least one authorized holder of the card and at least two authorized applications of the card. First data port means is provided on the reader enabling the holder to select one of the applications and second data port means is provided for accessing two of the memory banks. One of the accessed memory banks contains data relating to the holder and the other of the accessed memory banks contains data relating to the selected application.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A better understanding of the objects, features and advantages of the invention can be gained from a consideration of the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments thereof, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a multi-application data card of the smart-card type illustrating financial and other records contained thereon;

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic representation of a system in accordance with the invention compatible with both smart cards and magnetic-stripe cards;

FIG. 2A is a representation of a card in accordance with the invention that is constructed as both a smart card and a magnetic-stripe card;

FIG. 2B is a representation of the reverse side of a card in accordance with the invention showing a space for the signature of the card holder;

FIG. 3 is a high-level multiple card system software diagram;

FIG. 4 is an example of software associated with a reader terminal; and

FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing a portion of the software illustrated in FIG. 3.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 shows a multi-application data card 10 conveniently formed of plastic and containing solid-state circuitry represented schematically at 12 and the name of the authorized card holder. The card 10 is a smart card, and the solid-state circuitry 12 includes a microprocessor and memory chips embedded within the card. The memory chips hold the equivalent of several typewritten pages of information. An example of some of the data recorded on the card is shown in FIG. 1. Thus a number of applications, including American Express, Visa, Master Charge, Discovery, various oil companies, various hotels, and various airlines, may be recorded together with a PIN (personal identification number), the account number, expiration date, account (or access or vendor) code, and various records for each of the separate accounts, plus miscellaneous data. The account, access or vendor code is a special code of each vendor which lets that vendor alone change data on the vendor's portion of the card. The records column includes, for example, frequency data, bonus point tie-ins with multiple vendors, etc. The miscellaneous column is for whatever additional data a particular vendor may wish to record.

In FIG. 1, the card 10 may have information printed or embossed, on its face in addition to the name of the card holder. For example, this information may include the address and possibly other information such as the social security number and telephone number of the card holder. The same information can alternatively or additionally be provided in a memory chip embedded in the card 10. This information is available to all: the card holder herself, of course, as well as any vendor to whom the card is presented. Thus this information, without access to the additional information represented in FIG. 1, is sufficient for many purposes, such as awarding coupons to consumers who indicate certain preferences via interactive T.V.

FIG. 2 shows the smart card 10 interacting with a card reader/writer 14 (hereinafter referred to as a card reader for short). The card reader 14 is capable of reading not only the smart card 10, which is inserted into a slot 16, but also a conventional magnetic-stripe card 18, which is inserted into a slot 20. The card reader is capable of writing on a cooperating smart card to update various records thereon. In the case of a magnetic-stripe card, the updating of the records is done at a remote location, as explained below.

As FIG. 2A shows, it is possible to combine the smart card 10 and magnetic-stripe card 18 into a single multi-application card 22 having a magnetic stripe 19 for reading by a card reader compatible with a magnetic-stripe card and solid-state circuitry 12 for reading by a card reader compatible with a smart card. FIG. 2B shows the reverse side of the card shown in FIG. 2A, including a signature space S. The card reader may combine both reading functions in a single unit, as illustrated in FIG. 2, or separat