Patent Application
20230214628
The present invention generally relates to near field communication tags, which may be provided as NFC active tags or RFID passive tags and, more particularly, to a credit card shaped and sized device that incorporates multiple NFC tags, enabling rapid and very convenient execution of different preset functions with the same device.
Near Field Communication (NFC) is a form of short range communication technology enabling devices in close proximity with each other to interact. At least one of the interacting devices needs to be an active device that initiates contact to the other device. The other device may be a passive device such as a passive Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag, which returns its content upon query by the active device. That is, in one operating mode, an active NFC device reads passive RFID or NFC tags. This allows various interactions between the users and their surroundings.
Typically, a single, either an RFID or NFC tags, is located in a small package and then used to active and open a front door lock or to identify a product or a file and the like. In the current art, people carry on their person multiple such tags, e.g., for their automobiles, front doors, and the like. It is difficult and avoided to include multiple tags package together owing to their interfering with each other in their wireless signal transmissions.
Prior art providing background information is available in the form of U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,432,262; 7,535,616; and 9,088,862, the contents of which are incorporated by reference herein.
Aspects of the invention provide new and inventive solutions that can be used in connection with multiple tags packaged closely together, for example, on a credit card shaped and sized package.
According to a first example aspect of the invention there is provided a credit card shaped/sized package housing four NFC tags, with the antenna of each NFC tag housing at a respective corner region of the card, in a manner that avoids signal interference during wireless communications.
According to a further developed aspect of the present disclosure, a system is provided that enables use of the four-corner tag card to communicate with various financial, school or other institutions.
For example, in an embodiment, the invention comprises a four-cornered, wireless information conveying card having a card body defining at least four corners that are oriented in different directions with first, second, third and fourth information tags supported within said card body. Each information tag contains predetermined information therein, is associated with a respective one of the at least four corners of the card body and has a respective antenna located at the respective corner associated therewith. Each antenna is configured to communicate the predetermined information of its associated information tag wirelessly to a tag reader without interference from the other antennas.
In an embodiment, the location of each antenna inside the card body is visually marked on an exterior surface of the card, to assist users to more precisely position each corner of the card body relative to the tag reader. The card may include one or more of an internal smart chip controlling the tags, a Q-bar located on an exterior surface of the card body, a readable magnetic strip, date information and card identification information.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of the invention which refers to the accompanying drawings.
The invention will be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
As noted at the outside, it is difficult to provide a multi-tag, NFC device where the tags are closely spaced because, as any given tag is placed in close proximity to the tag reader, the other tags might respond to interrogation signals and cause signal interference.
However, in accordance with the present invention and as shown in
The multi-tag card 10 has been implemented as shown in
In conventional fashion, and as shown in
In accordance with one method of use contemplated by the inventors herein, the reader 30 communicates with a financial institution that recognizes that particular (unique) tag number and then proceed to debit the holder of the particular card to donate a fixed amount to a pre-defined charitable organization, for example $10. In similar manner, if the user of the card places another corner of the card 10 against the reader 30 the amount being contributed is $20, and so on for each corner, there being a unique amount that is being contributed to a charity organization.
The system diagram of
Thereby, in use of the system 50, the users may opt to present their individually-issued and unique cards to the reader 30, which conveys the tag information to the server 52 and then communicates that tag information to a third party institution such as the bank 72 or a school 74 and so on. The communication with the third party institutions may be for example via a fixed line communication module, e.g. an Ethernet or LAN communication module or even a radio communication module, e.g., a WLAN, GSM/GPRS, or WCDMA radio module.
Referring now to
In an embodiment, the card 10 was fabricated of PVC, the magstrip as an: HiCo Track 1 & Track 2, with the NFC being implemented with four F08-ISO14443A chips.
A virtual identical process is executed if the institution is a school or a hospital and the purpose of the cards 10 is to grant access to different spaces within these institution via the multi-tag NFC cards herein. For example, in a hypothetical school, the first corner of the card might allow access only to general lobby spaces, while another corner tag allows access through and operates (unlocks) doors associated with lunch area of the school or its gym facilities, while another corner allows access to individual class rooms, providing obviously improved school security and safety.
Various embodiments have been presented. It should be appreciated that in this document, words comprise, include and contain are each used as open-ended expressions with no intended exclusivity. The foregoing description has provided by way of non-limiting examples of particular implementations and embodiments of the invention a full and informative description of the best mode presently contemplated by the inventors for carrying out the invention. It is however clear to a person skilled in the art that the invention is not restricted to details of the embodiments presented above, but that it can be implemented in other embodiments using equivalent means or in different combinations of embodiments without deviating from the characteristics of the invention. It is also noted that the above embodiments are used merely to explain selected aspects or steps that may be utilized in implementations of the present invention. Some features may be presented only with reference to certain example embodiments of the invention. It should be appreciated that corresponding features may apply to other embodiments as well.
Furthermore, some of the features of the above-disclosed embodiments of this invention may be used to advantage without the corresponding use of other features. As such, the foregoing description shall be considered as merely illustrative of the principles of the present invention, and not in limitation thereof. Hence, the scope of the invention is only restricted by the appended patent claim.
Although the present invention has been described in relation to particular embodiments thereof, many other variations and modifications and other uses will become apparent to those skilled in the art. It is preferred, therefore, that the present invention be limited not by the specific disclosure herein, but only by the appended claims.
The present non-provisional patent application claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/295,461, filed Dec. 30, 2021, by Yitzchok Furth and Shimon Smilowitz, and entitled “FOUR-CORNERED WIRELESS INFORMATION CARD,” the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63295461 | Dec 2021 | US |
