Card reader

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10339747-B2
Application number	US-201615570757-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 26, 2016
Priority date	Sep 25, 2015
Publication date	Jul 2, 2019
Grant date	Jul 2, 2019

Abstract

A card reader may include a wireless user interface; a host connecting interface structured to connect with the host device of the system; and a wireless communication interface structured to connect with the mobile terminal. The wireless user interface may be structured to communicate with the host device through the host connecting interface and with the mobile terminal through the wireless communication interface.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A card reader for use with a system comprising a host device without a wireless communication interface, and a mobile terminal, the card reader comprising:
a host connecting interface structured to connect with the host device of the system; and
a wireless communication interface structured to connect with the mobile terminal;
a control unit connected to the host connecting interface and the wireless communication interface;
wherein said wireless user interface is structured to exchange information with said mobile terminal through said wireless communication interface and to exchange the information with said host device through said host connecting interface.

2. The card reader as set forth in claim 1 , wherein
said wireless communication interface is a Bluetooth interface;
a control unit is provided, the control unit being structured to receive card data held in said mobile terminal via said Bluetooth interface and transmit said received card data to said host device; and
said card reader can be mounted in various terminal devices.

3. The card reader as set forth in claim 2 , wherein
said control unit is structure to implement Bluetooth communication with said mobile terminal via said Bluetooth interface at a low transmission output before the connection is made with said mobile terminal and at a high transmission output after the connection is made with said mobile terminal.

4. The card reader as set forth in claim 2 , wherein
said control unit is structured to implement a Bluetooth connection with said mobile terminal which has read specific information assigned to it from the unique information given differently to different card readers, by said Bluetooth interface.

5. The card reader as set forth in Clam 2 , wherein
when the control unit is structured such that, in response to judging from the Bluetooth connection status between said mobile terminal, which has received card data, and said card reader that an owner of said mobile terminal is present at a position at which said host device can be operated, said control unit notifies said host device of the card insertion status.

6. The card reader as set forth in claim 5 , wherein
the control unit is structured such that in response to judging, based on the change in amount of the Bluetooth communication radio wave intensity created with said mobile terminal from the Bluetooth communication radio wave intensity which is stored immediately after the Bluetooth connection is made with said mobile terminal, that the owner of said mobile terminal has left from the position at which said host device can be operated, said control unit cancels the Bluetooth connection that is made with said mobile terminal via said Bluetooth interface and notifies said host device of the card removal status.

7. The card reader as set forth in claim 5 , wherein
the control unit is structured such that, in response to judging, based on the change in amount of the Bluetooth communication radio wave intensity created with said mobile terminal from the Bluetooth communication radio wave intensity which is stored immediately after the Bluetooth connection is made with said mobile terminal, that the owner of said mobile terminal has left from the position at which said host device can be operated and also detecting that the Bluetooth connection with said card reader is canceled, said control unit notifies said host device of the card removal status.

8. The card reader as set forth in claim 2 , wherein
the control unit is structured such that, even when recognizing the Bluetooth connection with said mobile terminal and that the owner of said mobile terminal is present at the position at which a host device can be operated, said control unit disconnects the Bluetooth connection that is made with said mobile terminal via said Bluetooth interface, responding to a Bluetooth disconnect request from said host device which has judged that the owner of said mobile terminal is not present in the vicinity of said mobile terminal because there were no operations of said mobile terminal for a given time although said mobile terminal is present near said terminal device.

9. The card reader as set forth in claim 2 , wherein
the control unit is structured such that, in response to a card being inserted while a Bluetooth connection is on with said mobile terminal via said Bluetooth interface, said control unit disconnects the Bluetooth connection and prioritizes processing the card data of said inserted card; when there is a Bluetooth connection request from said mobile terminal while card is inserted, rejects said Bluetooth connection request; when there is a Bluetooth connection request from another mobile terminal while a Bluetooth connection is on, rejects said Bluetooth connection request from said another mobile terminal.

10. The card reader as set forth in claim 2 , wherein
said host device interface is a USB interface;
said control unit is structured to communicate card data and information of the presence of the owner of said mobile terminal with said host device through a card reader logic channel in said USB interface, and communicate the information, which is obtained through Bluetooth communication with said mobile terminal, with said host device through another logic channel in said USB interface allocated as a USB composite device.

11. The card reader as set forth in claim 1 , further comprising:
a reading unit structured to read card numbers on an inserted card; and
a control unit structured to, in response to said mobile terminal requesting a connection of said wireless communication interface, sends said mobile terminal part of the card number read by said reading unit as connection authentication information for said wireless communication interface.

12. The card reader as set forth in claim 1 , further comprising:
a control unit structured to a personal identification number, input by the owner of a card into said mobile terminal, from said mobile terminal via said wireless communication interface and transmit said received personal identification number to said host device via said host connecting interface.

13. The card reader as set forth in claim 1 , further comprising:
a control unit structured to , in response to receiving a request of extra information besides card information from said host device via said host connecting interface, receive said extra information stored in said mobile terminal from said mobile terminal via said wireless communication interface and transmits it to said host device via said host connecting interface.

14. The card reader as set forth in claim 1 , further comprising:
a control unit structured to , in response to receiving transaction slip content from said host device via said host connecting interface, transmit the received transaction slip content to said mobile terminal via said wireless communication interface.

15. The card reader as set forth in claim 1 , further comprising:
a control unit structured to control acquisition of maintenance data needed for maintenance operation on said card reader or control maintenance operation on said card reader through the wireless communication made with said mobile terminal via said wireless communication interface.

16. The card reader as set forth in claim 15 , wherein
said control unit is structured to, in response to making wireless communication connection with said mobile terminal via said wireless communication interface, implement authentication with said mobile terminal using said wireless communication interface and permits acqu

Assignees

• Nidec Sankyo Corp

Inventors

• Ishikawa Kazutoshi
• Higashi Katsuhisa
• Oguchi Yosuke
• Shiomi Toshiro

Classifications

• G06Q20/3278

  RFID or NFC payments by means of M-devices · CPC title

• H04B1/59

  Responders; Transponders · CPC title

• H04W76/10

  Connection setup · CPC title

• G07F7/0893

  the card reader reading the card in a contactless manner · CPC title

• H04W76/30

  Connection release · CPC title