Wearable payment device with tunable antenna

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11763285-B2
Application number	US-202117246329-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 30, 2021
Priority date	Jul 16, 2020
Publication date	Sep 19, 2023
Grant date	Sep 19, 2023

Abstract

A wearable payment device, such as a finger ring worn by a user, communicates payment data via an antenna to a payment reader that uses the payment data in order to request a payment transaction. The wearable payment device can tune the antenna to enhance performance of the antenna. The wearable payment device can measure a characteristic of the antenna and perform an assessment of the performance of the antenna based on the measured characteristic. The antenna can be tuned, such as by changing the impedance of the antenna, based on the assessed performance of the antenna.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A wearable payment device for processing payment transactions, comprising:
a ring for receiving a body part of a user, the ring having an antenna; and
electrical circuitry configured to transmit payment data for a payment transaction via the antenna, the electrical circuitry comprising at least one impedance control element electrically coupled to the antenna, the impedance control element having at least one capacitor or inductor, wherein the electrical circuitry, in response to an event indicating that the payment transaction is imminent, is configured to (1) measure at least one parameter indicative of a voltage or current of the antenna, (2) perform an assessment of a performance of the antenna based on the measured at least one parameter, and (3) tune the antenna based on the assessment by changing a state of the at least one impedance control element, thereby changing an impedance of the antenna for enhancing the performance of the antenna.

2. A wearable payment device for processing payment transactions, comprising:
a ring for receiving a body part of a user, the ring having an antenna; and
electrical circuitry coupled to the ring and configured to transmit payment data for a payment transaction via the antenna, the electrical circuitry further configured to measure at least one characteristic of the antenna, perform an assessment of a performance of the antenna based on the measured at least one characteristic, and tune the antenna by changing an impedance of the antenna based on the assessment for enhancing the performance of the antenna.

3. The wearable payment device of claim 2 , wherein the electrical circuitry is configured to sense a magnetic field, and wherein the electrical circuitry is configured to tune the antenna in response to the magnetic field.

4. The wearable payment device of claim 2 , wherein the electrical circuitry is configured to sense an event that the payment transaction is imminent, and wherein the electrical circuitry is configured to tune the antenna in response to the event.

5. The wearable payment device of claim 2 , wherein the electrical circuitry comprises an impedance control element having at least one capacitor or inductor electrically coupled to the antenna, and wherein the electrical circuitry is configured to tune the antenna by changing a state of the impedance control element.

6. The wearable payment device of claim 5 , wherein the electrical circuitry is configured to tune the antenna by changing a capacitance or inductance of the impedance control element.

7. The wearable payment device of claim 2 , wherein the electrical circuitry comprises a plurality of impedance control elements selectively coupled to the antenna through a plurality of switches, each of the plurality of impedance control elements having at least one capacitor or inductor, and wherein the electrical circuitry is configured to tune the antenna by controlling the plurality of switches.

8. The wearable payment device of claim 2 , wherein the electrical circuitry comprises at least one sensor for sensing movement of the ring, and wherein the electrical circuitry is configured to tune the antenna based on movement of the ring sensed by the at least one sensor.

9. The wearable payment device of claim 2 , wherein the electrical circuitry comprises a power source, wherein the electrical circuitry is configured to sense an amount of available energy in the power source and to determine whether to tune the antenna based on the sensed amount of available energy.

10. The wearable payment device of claim 2 , wherein the electrical circuitry is configured to transmit from the antenna a first signal at a first frequency and a second signal at a second frequency, wherein the electrical circuitry is configured to perform a first measurement of a frequency response of the antenna based on the first signal and a second measurement of the frequency response of the antenna based on the second signal, and wherein the electrical circuitry is configured to perform the assessment based on the first measurement and the second measurement.

11. The wearable payment device of claim 2 , wherein the electrical circuitry is configured to measure a frequency response of the antenna over a range of frequencies and to perform the assessment based on the measured frequency response.

12. A wearable payment device for processing payment transactions, comprising:
a ring for receiving a body part of a user, the ring having an antenna; and
electrical circuitry coupled to the ring and configured to transmit payment data for a payment transaction via the antenna, the electrical circuitry further configured to measure at least one characteristic of the antenna and to tune the antenna based on the measured at least one characteristic, wherein the electrical circuitry comprises a power source and a transceiver electrically coupled to the antenna, wherein the transceiver is electrically coupled to the power source through a switch, wherein the electrical circuitry is configured to control the switch such that (1) the switch is in a closed state during tuning of the antenna thereby electrically coupling the power source to the transceiver and (2) is transitioned to an open state thereby electrically isolating the transceiver from the power source after tuning of the antenna is performed, and wherein the transceiver is configured to transmit the payment data to an external device via the antenna using passive load modulation while the switch is in the open state.

13. The wearable payment device of claim 2 , A wearable payment device for processing payment transactions, comprising:
a ring for receiving a body part of a user, the ring having an antenna; and
electrical circuitry coupled to the ring and configured to transmit payment data for a payment transaction via the antenna, the electrical circuitry further configured to measure at least one characteristic of the antenna and to tune the antenna based on the measured at least one characteristic, wherein the electrical circuitry is configured to communicate with an external device via the antenna in a first operational mode and to harvest energy from the antenna in a second operational mode, and wherein the electrical circuitry is configured to select one of the first operational mode or the second operational mode and to tune the antenna based on the selected one of the first operational mode or the second operational mode.

14. A method for use with a wearable payment device, comprising:
transmitting payment data for a payment transaction via an antenna of a wearable payment device, the wearable payment device forming a ring for receiving a body part of a user;
measuring, with electrical circuitry of the wearable payment device, at least one characteristic of the antenna;
assessing a performance of the antenna based on the measured at least one characteristic; and
tuning the antenna with the electrical circuitry based on the assessing such that the performance of the antenna is enhanced, wherein the tuning comprises changing an impedance of the antenna.

15. The method of claim 14 , further comprising sensing a magnetic field with the electrical circuitry, wherein the tuning is in response to the magnetic field.

16. The method of claim 14 , further comprising sensing with the electrical circuitry an event indicative of the payment transaction, wherein the tuning is in response to the sensing of the event.

17. The method of claim 14 , wherein the electrical circuitry comprises an impedance control element having at least one capacitor or

Assignees

• Block Inc

Inventors

• Rezayee Afshin
• Bidari Emad
• Templeton Thomas
• Lamfalusi Michael
• Maibach Matthew H
• Dorogusker Jesse L

Classifications

• H04B5/45

  Transponders · CPC title

• H04B5/70

  specially adapted for specific purposes · CPC title

• H04B5/26

  using coils · CPC title

• G06Q20/321 Primary

  using wearable devices · CPC title

• A44C9/0053

  having special functions · CPC title