Patent Application
20230409849
The present invention relates generally to contactless readers.
Near-Field-Communication (NFC) is a set of established communication protocols for communication between two electronic devices over a distance of 4 cm or less (this could be greater than 4 cm however the field strength is only measured up to 4 cm). NFC readers are known which allow a payment device to be presented in proximity of the reader and to obtain payment credential data from the payment device by way of inductive coupling. The reader has an antenna which emits a field. This is received by an antenna of the payment device which in turn causes the data stored on the device to be conveyed to the reader.
When installing multiple readers (say, one for each passenger) in a mass transportation vehicle, such as a passenger aeroplane, we have realised that various issues could arise. We therefore seek to provide an improved contactless payment reader for use in relation to a passenger cabin of an aircraft. Contactless payment terminals can be used in this context to allow passengers to pay for goods and/or services, which may be displayed/offered on a display device such as a screen.
According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a contactless credential reader which is arranged to be installed in a rearward portion of a passenger seat of a (mass) transportation vehicle, such as an aircraft, in which the reader is arranged to be capable of being installed as either a rear mount or as a front mount.
The reader may comprise a unit or carcass which comprises a housing, and the housing contains processing electronics. The unit or carcass may be a sealed entity.
The housing may be arranged to receive an antenna on top of or an external surface of the housing.
The housing may be a welded housing.
In a rear mount installation, the reader is located behind a rearward panel of the passenger seat, said panel is preferably an integral part of the seat at the time of manufacture.
In a front mount installation, a frontmost/foremost surface thereof sits within a hole or cut-out provided in the rearmost panel of the seat, and said frontmost surface may be located flush or substantially so, with said rearmost panel.
The frontmost portion of the terminal may comprise an antenna.
In a front mount installation, a fascia may be provided forwardly of the frontmost surface of the reader, which fascia may be attached to the rearward panel of the passenger seat. The fascia may be provided outwardly of the rearward panel of the passenger seat. The fascia may be arranged to protrude outwardly of the rearward panel of the seat.
The fascia may be made of substantially the same material as that of the panel of the passenger seat.
The reader may include a fascia, which is arranged to be located such that it is the foremost part of the reader.
The fascia may comprise a thickness which is substantially that of a passenger seat panel. The thickness may be in range 2.5 mm to 3.5 mm, and may be 3 mm. The range may be 3.15 mm to 2.85 mm).
The material of the fascia is substantially the same or similar material as the material of the panel of the passenger seat.
The reader may comprise an antenna, a memory and/or a processor.
The reader may include a processor, such as a microprocessor.
The reader may comprise circuitry which is arranged to process a payment credential.
The reader may be termed a contactless terminal (in EMV terms this is an ‘Intelligent Card Reader (ICR) and may not be considered a terminal which applies to the broader system). The reader may be termed a contactless payment terminal.
By contactless credential reader we include implementation of an NFC protocol or similar. Broadly, by ‘contactless’ we include
The reader may be arranged for use which one or more of the following devices:
Each of the above devices may comprise circuitry which includes an antenna, and stored credential data. Each of the devices may include a microprocessor (chip).
The invention may comprise one or more features as shown in the Figures and/or as described in the description, either singularly or in combination.
The reader may include a welded housing.
A further aspect of the invention includes a passenger seat which includes the reader of the above aspect of the invention, installed as a rear mount or a front mount.
One or more embodiments of the invention are shown in the drawings:
Reference is made to the Figures in which an exemplary embodiment of a contactless payment terminal is shown. The payment terminal is arranged be installed for use in one of two ways, namely a front mount configuration or a rear mount configuration.
The payment terminal contains circuitry which enables a payment credential to be read when brought into proximity with an antenna of the terminal. The antenna is a printed circuit board with a precise geometrical track formed as a copper strip formed as a flat coil within a circuit board. It has two exposed surface contacts that connect to the payment electronics contained within the welded housing via two spring pins that push against the exposed contacts. The terminal may also include one or more processors to drive the functionality of the terminal. The processor(s)/payment electronics, or more generally the electronic componentry is contained internal of the housing, as best seen in
With reference to
In
In the front mounted install the unit sits in a hole in the panel and the fascia component is welded to the unit encapsulating the antenna and therefore prevents access to the unit (and its innards) behind.
The thickness of the fascia is advantageously intended to be of the same or substantially the same thickness, and of the same or similar material, as that of the panel of the passenger seat. This means that the main or carcass part of the terminal can be used for both rear mount and front mount installs, since the antenna has the same thickness of material to push the electromagnetic field through.
In the classic case for payment terminals the end use scenario (how and/or where it is be installed etc) is defined at the outset of development. The end use case determines the location of the payment antenna with respect to both the user of the terminal and the person paying for the goods or service.
However, within the aircraft industry this advanced knowledge is seldom known and therefore the use case can only be guessed at. As far as the location is concerned, the payment terminal may be horizontal, vertical, behind a seat panel or in front of a panel. The challenge which has been overcome by the above-described payment terminal is providing a single terminal that can advantageously be used in the majority of cases.
The above contactless payment terminal can be installed in many different locations by providing a single antenna system, no matter if the unit fits behind a panel or indeed sits in front of a panel. Different passenger seats can be constructed differently, with some allowing only a front mount install and others allowing only a rear mount install.
The datum point for the field measurement process is critical to the certification of the unit. In most situations the device is designed so that the antenna is in a controlled and known attitude. This allows any attenuation of the magnetic field by the casing to be considered at the design stage and therefore the electronics, the antenna and the casing geometry can be controlled to provide the optimum allowable magnetic field. In an aircraft situation the orientation of the device, the plane in which it sits and more importantly the position of the antenna with respect to the landing plane are installation dependent (space, Head Impact Criteria, cable runs etc). The above described reader allows for behind panel and in front of panel situations (as described above) as a function of design thereby ensuring the position of the antenna relative to the landing plane. In this way, every different installation does not need to be re-certified, thus avoiding the significant time and financial costs.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014141.2 | Sep 2020 | GB | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/GB2021/052328 | 9/9/2021 | WO |
