Patent Application
20080135631
Not Applicable.
Not Applicable.
The present invention relates generally to a product having multiple cards with multiple data members, and more specifically to a substantially planar plastic substrate that is separable into multiple plastic cards, a plurality of the cards generally having at least one magnetic data encoded strip.
Financial and gift cards are well known in the art. Standard financial and gift cards generally comprise a plurality of substrates and films laminated together. While such financial and gift cards according to the prior art provide a number of advantageous features, they nevertheless have certain limitations. The present invention seeks to overcome some of these limitations and other drawbacks of the prior art, and to provide new features not heretofore available. A full discussion of the features and advantages of the present invention is deferred to the following detailed description, which proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings.
The present invention generally provides a multi-piece plastic card carrier made of a single plastic substrate and having multiple magnetic data strips. The multi-piece plastic card carrier is divisible into multiple plastic financial and gift cards with a plurality of the cards having a strip containing data thereon.
According to one embodiment, the multi-piece plastic card comprises a plastic substrate. The plastic substrate has a first edge, a second edge, a third edge, and a fourth edge. The first edge opposes the second edge, and the third edge opposes the fourth edge. The plastic substrate further has a first separation line extending from the first edge to the second edge and dividing the plastic substrate into a first member and a second member. A first data-encoded strip is mechanically associated with the first member and extends proximal the fourth edge, and a second data-encoded strip is mechanically associated with the second member. The first member is removably connected to the second member at the first separation line. In one embodiment, the second data-encoded strip extends distal the third edge of the second member. In another embodiment, the second data-encoded strip is provided proximal the first separation line in the multi-piece plastic card when the first member is connected to the second member. In yet another embodiment, the second data-encoded strip is located proximal an edge of the second member after the second member is separated from the multi-piece plastic card.
According to another embodiment, the multi-piece plastic card further comprises a second separation line extending from the first edge to the second edge of the plastic substrate. The second separation line divides the plastic substrate into a third member adjacent the second member. In this embodiment, the second member is between the first member and the third member. The first and second members are preferably separable from the third member. In one embodiment, the third member is provided without a data encoded strip, and has an aperture to allow the multi-piece plastic card to be retained therethrough.
According to another embodiment, the first data-encoded strip is distinct from the second data-encoded strip. In an alternate embodiment, however, the first data-encoded strip is associated with the second data-encoded strip.
According to another embodiment, the multi-piece plastic card comprises a multi-layered plastic substrate with a first component removably connected to a second component at a break in the plastic substrate. The first component is co-planar with the second component when connected to the second component, and has a first data strip positioned adjacent an outer edge thereof. The multi-piece plastic card further comprises a second data strip on the second component and positioned a substantial distance from an outer edge of the plastic substrate when the second component is connected to the first component. However, the second data strip is positioned proximal an outer edge of the second component when the first component is removed from the second component.
According to another embodiment, the multi-piece card comprises a plastic substrate divided into first, second and third removably connected cards. The first card being removably connected to the second card at a first break line in the plastic substrate, and the third card being removably connected to the second card at a second break line in the plastic substrate. The multi-piece plastic card further has a first data strip positioned on the first card adjacent an outer edge thereof and a second data strip positioned on the second card. The second data strip is positioned on the second card a substantial distance from an outer edge of the plastic substrate when the second card is connected to the first and third cards. The second data strip is also positioned proximal an outer edge of the second card when the second card is removed from the plastic substrate.
According to another embodiment, the first, second and third cards are co-planar. Further, an edge of the first card is connected to an edge of the second card and another edge of the second card is connected to an edge of the third card. In another embodiment, the multi-piece card has an aperture in the third card.
According to another embodiment, the multi-piece plastic card comprises a plastic substrate having a top edge and a bottom edge, and is divided into a first component removably connected to a second component at a first break line in the plastic substrate. A portion of the first break line is generally parallel to at least one of the top and bottom edge. Additionally, a data encoded strip is located on one of the first and second components, and it is positioned thereon distal an edge of the plastic substrate.
According to another embodiment, the multi-piece plastic card comprises a plastic substrate having a first component removably connected to a second component at a first break line in the plastic substrate, a first data encoded member on the first component, and a second data encoded member on the second component. The data encoded member is positioned adjacent an outer edge of the first component, and the second data encoded member is positioned adjacent an outer edge of the second component.
According to another embodiment, the first data encoded member and the second data encoded member are positioned proximal the first break line in the plastic substrate. The first data encoded member is encoded with first data and the second data encoded member is encoded with second data. The first data is associated with the second data.
According to another embodiment, pin data is located on one of the first and second components. In a further embodiment there is a removable covering over the pin data. In another embodiment, a separate bar code data is on one of the first and second components.
According to another embodiment, the first component meets size specifications for a CR80 card. In a further embodiment, the second component also meets size specifications for a CR80 card.
According to yet another embodiment, the data encoded members comprise magnetic data strips. In a further embodiment, the data encoded in the first data encoded strip is different, but associated with the data encoded in the second data encoded strip.
Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following specification taken in conjunction with the following drawings.
To understand the present invention, it will now be described by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
While this invention is susceptible of embodiments in many different forms, there is shown in the drawings and will herein be described in detail preferred embodiments of the invention with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the broad aspect of the invention to the embodiments illustrated.
Referring now to the Figures, and specifically to
Typically, printing is provided on a portion of the multi-piece card 10. The printing may be utilized to provide a frame for the card 10, to provide a background for the card 10, as well as to provide indicia for the card 10. For example, in the embodiments illustrated in
In a preferred embodiment, the multi-piece card 10 is made of a generally rigid (i.e., it is able to maintain its form and shape, but can still be flexed and bent to a degree without breaking and will return to its original shape) plastic material, and is substantially planar (i.e., generally flat) in its finished form. Additionally, in a preferred embodiment the multi-piece card 10 is generally opaque. This may be accomplished through material properties, or through a coating. Alternatively, the multi-piece card 10 could be transparent or translucent. In a preferred embodiment, the multi-piece card 10 is made of a solid core PVC material, however, it is understood that other substrates, as well as different materials, may be utilized. Additionally, other layers such as an outer coating may be laminated or printed, for example by lithographic or silkscreen means, on the core member.
The multi-piece card 10 also has a plurality of edges. In one embodiment wherein the card 10 is generally rectangular or square, the card 10 has a first edge 20, a second edge 22 opposing the first edge 20, a third edge 24 and a fourth edge 26 opposing the third edge 24. The edges 20, 22, 24, 26 of the card 10 define a perimeter thereof. While various embodiments of the card are shown as having a generally rectangular shape, it is understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that any other shape may be employed for the card without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention.
The multi-piece card 10 further may have a first separation or break line 12a and a second separation line 12b. In a preferred embodiment, each of the break lines extends from the first edge 20 to the second edge 22 of the card 10. In alternate embodiments, the multi-piece cards may have additional separation or break lines to further divide the card 10 into additional card members. The first break line 12a may be generally parallel to at least one of the third edge 24 and the fourth edge 26. The first separation line 12a divides the card 10 into a first card or first member 14, and a second card or second member 16. The separated cards 14, 16 also have outer edges. For example, in the embodiments shown in
Referring to the embodiment of
The first separation line 12a is formed such that the first member 14 may be removed and separated from the second member 16 of the card 10. The card 10 further may have a second separation line 12b extending from the first edge 20 to the second edge 22 of the multi-piece card 10, as shown in
Referring now to the embodiment of
Referring now to
Referring now to
The multi-piece card 10 may also contain pin data 40, as shown in
The data strips are provided on the card 10 utilizing known techniques, including various mechanical techniques. The first data strip or member 32 may be encoded with data using methods known in the art to store information and allow for readability of the strip through various scanning devices. For example, the data strip may be comprised of bar code or other visual data, magnetic data, multiple data lines, information in multiple languages, machine readable optical characters, storage data, or any other well known manner of machine readable data. In one embodiment, the first data encoded member 32 may be positioned adjacent an outer edge of the first card 14, and a second data strip 34 may be positioned adjacent an outer edge of the second card 16. The data stored on the first data strip 32 may be different than the data stored on the second data strip 34. In one embodiment, however, the data stored on the first data strip 32 is associated with the data stored on the second data strip 34.
Referring to
Generally, traditional magnetic strips contain up to three “tracks” of data, identified as tracks 1, 2 and 3. Each track has a different encoded (written) format. In one embodiment, track 1 contains up to 79 alphanumeric characters, and tracks 2 and 3 contain only numeric characters, 40 and 107 characters, respectively. Thus, an encoder or programmer 50 is utilized to write the data on the appropriate track of the magnetic strips.
As shown in
In one embodiment, as shown in
The first data strip 32 and the second data strip 34 may contain identical data, or in another embodiment may contain different data. In one embodiment, the first data strip 32 is referred to as the child data strip 32 in a parent-child relationship, with the second data strip 34 being referred to as the parent data strip 34. In this relationship, different information may be encoded on the data strips 32, 34, however a central server or some other electronic means will maintain a record of the relationship between the cards. Accordingly, at least some of the data encoded on the two strips 32, 34 is associated. Any known method of associating the information contained on the first data strip 32 with the information on the second data strip 34 may be used. The central server, may then be linked with a credit card server or the specific retail server using preferably a high speed connection (i.e., computer network, telephone line, modem, wireless connection, internet connection, etc.) such that when the second data strip 34 is read by a card reader with access to the central server the second data strip 34 will automatically be associated with the account assigned to the information on the first data strip 32. For example, the parent strip 34, may be used to add funds or money to the account associated with the child strip 32.
In another embodiment, the data strips 32, 34 may have at least some different information as a security measure. In a retail environment, it is common to have a first data strip 32 exposed, such as along an edge of the card carrier 10. This first data strip 32, if it is the only data strip associated with the card, is susceptible to imaging and counterfeiting of the card, due to the ability to read the data on the strip 32 and subsequently write that data to a fraudulent card. The presence of a second data strip 34, however, allows a retailer to assign one data strip for adding money or funds, and the other data strip may be assigned by the retailer for spending the funds or money placed on the card. As shown in
In the embodiment of
Several alternative embodiments and examples have been described and illustrated herein. A person of ordinary skill in the art would appreciate the features of the individual embodiments, and the possible combinations and variations of the components. A person of ordinary skill in the art would further appreciate that any of the embodiments could be provided in any combination with the other embodiments disclosed herein. Additionally, the terms “first,” “second,” “third,” and “fourth” as used herein are intended for illustrative purposes only and do not limit the embodiments in any way. Further, the term “plurality” as used herein indicates any number greater than one, either disjunctively or conjunctively, as necessary, up to an infinite number. Additionally, the term “having” as used herein in both the disclosure and claims, is utilized in an open-ended manner.
It will be understood that the invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or central characteristics thereof. The present examples and embodiments, therefore, are to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, and the invention is not to be limited to the details given herein. Accordingly, while the specific embodiments have been illustrated and described, numerous modifications come to mind without significantly departing from the spirit of the invention and the scope of protection is only limited by the scope of the accompanying Claims.
