Card receptacle connector

Abstract

A smart card includes a card body that includes a length and a width, wherein the length and the width cooperatively define an outer perimeter of the card body. The smart card includes a cutout sized to receive a universal serial bus Type-C (USB-C) plug, wherein the cutout comprises: a base; and side walls spaced apart to accommodate the USB-C plug therebetween; and a USB connector receptacle comprising a thickness that permits use of the smart card with standard card readers, wherein the USB connector receptacle extends from the base toward the outer perimeter, wherein the USB connector receptacle comprises a front edge within the outer perimeter, and wherein the USB connector receptacle comprises exposed electrical contacts.

Description

TITLECARD RECEPTACLE CONNECTORFIELD

[0001] At least some aspects of the present disclosure relate to transaction cards such as payment cards, and more specifically, power and / or data connectors thereof.SUMMARY

[0002] The following summary is provided to facilitate an understanding of some of the innovative features unique to the aspects disclosed herein, and is not intended to be a full description. A full appreciation of the various aspects can be gained by taking the entire specification, claims, and abstract as a whole.

[0003] In various aspects, a smart card includes a card body, comprising: a length; and a width, wherein the length and the width cooperatively define an outer perimeter of the card body. The smart card includes a cutout sized to receive a universal serial bus Type-C (USB- C) plug, wherein the cutout comprises: a base; and side walls spaced apart to accommodate the USB-C plug therebetween; and a USB connector receptacle comprising a thickness that permits use of the smart card with standard card readers, wherein the USB connector receptacle extends from the base toward the outer perimeter, wherein the USB connector receptacle comprises a front edge within the outer perimeter, and wherein the USB connector receptacle comprises exposed electrical contacts.

[0004] In various aspects, a smart card includes a card body that includes a first edge; a second edge; and a permanent gap in the card body at the first edge. The smart card further includes a shell-less connector receptacle with a thickness that permits use of the smart card with standard card readers. The shell-less connector receptacle includes a connector tongue fully retained within the permanent gap, wherein the connector tongue is sized to interface in the permanent gap with a connector plug; and exposed electrical contacts disposed on at least one of two sides of the connector tongue.

[0005] In various aspects, a smart card includes a card body that includes a length and a width, wherein the length and the width cooperatively define an outer perimeter of the card body. The card body further includes a gap interrupting the outer perimeter, wherein the gap is sized to receive a connector plug. The smart card further includes a shell-less connector receptacle with a thickness that permits use of the smart card with standard card readers. The shell-less connector receptacle includes a connector tongue fully retained in the gap within the outer perimeter, wherein the connector tongue is sized to interface with theconnector plug in the gap; and electrical contacts disposed on at least one of two sides of the connector tongue.

[0006] These, and other objects, features, and characteristics of the present disclosure, as well as the methods of operation, and functions of the related elements of structure, and the combination of parts, and economies of manufacture, will become more apparent upon consideration of the following description, and the appended claims with reference to the accompanying drawings, all of which form a part of this specification, wherein like reference numerals designate corresponding parts in the various figures. It is to be expressly understood, however, that the drawings are for the purpose of illustration, and description only, and are not intended as a definition of the limits of the disclosure.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] Various features of the aspects described herein are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The various aspects, however, both as to organization, and methods of operation, together with advantages thereof, may be understood in accordance with the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings as follows:

[0008] The apparatuses and methods disclosed herein have been represented where appropriate by conventional symbols in the drawings, showing only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the various aspects of the present disclosure so as not to obscure the disclosure with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the description herein.

[0009] FIG. 1 is a top view of a smart card, according to at least aspect of the present disclosure.

[0010] FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view of a shell-less connector receptacle of the smart card of FIG. 1 interfacing with a connector plug.

[0011] FIG. 3 is a partial cross sectional view of a shell-less connector receptacle of the smart card of FIG. 1 interfacing with a connector plug.

[0012] FIG. 4 is a top view of a smart card, according to at least aspect of the present disclosure.

[0013] FIG. 5 is a top view of a smart card, according to at least aspect of the present disclosure.

[0014] Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding items throughout the several views. The exemplifications set out herein illustrate various aspects of the present disclosure, in one form, and such exemplifications are not to be construed as limiting thescope of the present disclosure in any manner.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0015] Before explaining various forms of the payment card, it should be noted that the illustrative forms disclosed herein are not limited in application or use to the details of construction and arrangement of components illustrated in the accompanying drawings and description. The illustrative forms may be implemented or incorporated in other forms, variations and modifications, and may be practiced or carried out in various ways. Further, unless otherwise indicated, the terms and expressions utilized herein have been chosen for the purpose of describing the illustrative forms for the convenience of the reader and are not for the purpose of limitation thereof. Also in the following description, it is to be understood that terms such as “forward,” “rearward,” “left,” “right,” “above,” “below,” “upwardly,” “downwardly,” and the like are words of convenience and are not to be construed as limiting terms.

[0016] As more and more consumers become digitally oriented, reliance on technology in everyday transactions is becoming the new norm, and with it arises a higher demand for smart cards that can be readily powered and / or subjected to data exchanges. However, standard connectors, e.g. Universal Serial Bus (USB) Type-A, Type-C, possess specific dimensional requirements the application of which to smart cards may render the smart cards inoperable with standard card readers. For example, payment cards must comply with standard preset thickness requirements such as ISO7816 standard for ID1 card which requires a thickness of about 0.68mm to about 0.84mm. Failure to comply with such requirements renders payment cards unusable with standard POS swipe / contact-chip readers.

[0017] To address the thickness requirements, one approach is to remove, or forgo, components (e.g. components that protect electrical contacts and / or components that guide an interface with the electrical contacts) to maintain the thickness of a smart card within preset constraints. However, without any protection electrical contacts are likely to become easily damaged.

[0018] Some technologies introduce solutions that replace the unitary body of the card with folding features such as hinges, thereby allowing a smart card connector to remain protected until the card is folded to expose the connector. Considering the high frequency with which cards are used, the folding features are predictably associated with a short life. The folding features are also difficult to implement on a large scale. Moreover, in the folded configuration, the exposed connector lacks any interface guides.

[0019] In some aspects, the present disclosure provides smart cards with connectors that comply with connector design requirements, without violating standard card design constraints. FIG. 1 illustrates a smart card 100, in accordance with at least one aspect of the present disclosure. A “smart card” can refer to any device that may be used to conduct a transaction, such as a financial transaction. For example, a smart card may be used to provide payment information to a merchant. A smart card can include a substrate such as a paper, metal, or plastic card, and information that is printed, embossed, encoded, and / or otherwise included at or near a surface of the smart card.

[0020] A smart card can be hand-held and compact so that it can fit into a consumer’s wallet and / or pocket (e.g., pocket-sized). A smart card can be a payment card, a debit device (e.g., a debit card), a credit device (e.g., a credit card), a stored value device (e.g., a stored value card or “prepaid” card), a magnetic stripe card, a security card, an access card, a memory card, and / or an identification card, among others.

[0021] A smart card may operate in a swipe, contact and / or contactless mode. For example, a smart card may be an electronic payment device, such as a smart card, a chip card, an integrated circuit card, and / or a near field communications (NFC) card, among others. An electronic payment device may include an embedded integrated circuit and the embedded integrated circuit may include a data storage medium (e.g., volatile and / or nonvolatile memory) to store information associated with the electronic payment device, such as an account identifier and / or a name of an account holder. A smart card may interface with an access device such as a point of sale (POS) device to initiate the transaction.

[0022] The terms “POS device,” “POS system,” or “POS terminal,” as used herein, may refer to one or more computers and / or peripheral devices used by a merchant to engage in payment transactions with customers, including one or more card readers, near-field communication (NFC) receivers, radio-frequency identification (RFID) receivers, and / or other contactless transceivers or receivers, contact-based receivers, payment terminals, computers, servers, input devices, and / or other like devices that can be used to initiate a payment transaction. A POS terminal may be located proximal to a user, such as at a physical store location, or a POS terminal may be remote from the user, such as a server interacting with a user browsing on their personal computer. POS terminals may include mobile devices.

[0023] While aspects of the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1 , are illustrated in the context of a payment card, it shall be appreciated that these aspects can be similarly applied to any card, including a debit card, a credit card, a membership card, an identification card, a health savings account card, a loyalty rewards card, and / or a cryptocurrency card, amongstothers. As such, the non-limiting aspects of FIG. 1 are merely illustrative.

[0024] While embodiments of the present disclosure are described in the context of USB Type-C connector receptacles, these and other embodiments of the present invention can be used as connector receptacles in other types of connector systems.

[0025] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the smart card 100 includes a card body 101. The card body 101 is a unitary card body void of hinges or other folding features. The card body 101 includes a substrate such as a paper, metal, or plastic card, and information that is printed, embossed, encoded, and / or otherwise included at or near a surface of the smart card 100.

[0026] The card body 101 includes a length 102, a width 103, and a thickness 104. The length 102 and the width 103 cooperatively define an outer perimeter 105 of the card body 101. The outer perimeter 105 is interrupted by a gap 106. The gap 106 is defined in an outer region of the card body 101. The gap 106 is sized to receive a connector plug 107 (e.g. USB Type-C connector shown in FIG. 3).

[0027] In some aspects, as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the gap 106 can be defined by a cutout in a peripheral region of the card body 101. The cutout includes side walls 110 and 111 that are spaced apart a distance D sufficient to receive the connector plug 107 therebetween. The side walls 110, 111 guide the connector plug 107 into the gap 106 for interfacing with a shell-less connector receptacle 120 fully retained in the gap 106.

[0028] The shell-less connector receptacle 120 includes a connector tongue 121 sized to interface with the connector plug 107. The connector tongue 121 includes a central plate 122 that extends outwardly within the gap 106 toward the outer perimeter 105, but does not reach the outer perimeter 105. The connector tongue 121 includes a front edge 125 positioned within the outer perimeter 105.

[0029] Fully maintaining the connector tongue 121 within the gap 106 protects the connector tongue 121, while still permitting quick access to it by the connector plug 107, without needing to manipulate the smart card 100 to expose the connector tongue 121. Accordingly, the shell-less connector receptacle 120 of the smart card 100 is readily available for interfacing with the connector plug 107, without additional bending or flexing of the card body 101, and is simultaneously protected by the card body 101 , as illustrated in FIG. 1.

[0030] The connector tongue 121 extends in the gap 106 from a base 126 defined between the side walls 110, 111. The connector tongue 121 extends outwardly from the base 126 toward the outer perimeter 105, and is in alignment with the side walls 110, 111.The base 126 and the side walls 110, 111 cooperatively protect the connector tongue 121. In some aspects, as illustrated in FIG. 1, the side walls 110, 111 are longer than the connector tongue 121, thereby ensuring that the connector tongue 121 is fully maintained within the gap 106.

[0031] The side walls 110, 111 can be 5%, 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, or 50% longer than the connector tongue 121. In some aspects, the ratio of the length of the connector tongue 121 to the length of the side walls 110, 111 is any value selected from the range of about 0.1 to about 0.9, for example. Other values are also contemplated by the present disclosure.

[0032] As illustrated in FIG. 1, the central plate 122 includes locking features 127, 128 in the form of lateral protrusions, for example, sized and positioned to interlock with corresponding locking features of the connector plug 107. The locking features 127, 128 ensure a proper interface between the connector tongue 121 and the shell-less connector receptacle 120.

[0033] A plurality of electrical contacts 123A, 123B are disposed on opposite sides of the central plate 122 for interfacing with corresponding electrical contacts 124A, 124B of the connector plug 107, as illustrated in FIG. 2. In alternative embodiments, electrical contacts are disposed on only one side of the central plate 122. While three electrical contacts are illustrated on each side of the central plate 122, this is only for illustrative purposes, and it is understood that more or less than three electrical contacts can be disposed on one or both sides of the central plate 122.

[0034] In some aspects, the central plate 122 is comprised of the same substrate as the card body 101, and forms a unitary structure with the card body 101, as illustrated in FIG. 1. In other aspects, the central plate 122 is comprised of a different substrate than the card body 101.

[0035] In various aspects, the shell-less connector receptacle 120 extends in a plane (e.g. XY plane in FIG. 1) defined by the card body 101, and has a thickness 104 (in the Z- axis) that permits use of the smart card with standard card readers. In some aspects, the thickness 104 is of a magnitude that permits swiping the smart card at a swipe reader. In some aspects, the thickness 104 is of a magnitude that permits insertion of the smart card in a contact chip reader.

[0036] The thickness 104 can be less than or equal to the thickness of the card body 101, less than or equal to the thickness of the side walls 110, 111, less than or equal to the thickness of the base 126, and / or less than or equal to the thickness of the gap 106. In some aspects, the thickness 104 is selected from a range of about 0.68 mm to about 0.84 mm. In some aspects, the thickness 104 is selected from a range of about 0.65 mm to about 0.75mm. In some aspects, the thickness 104 is about 0.7 mm.

[0037] FIG. 3 illustrates a partial cross-sectional view of the shell-less connector receptacle 120 interfacing with the connector plug 107, for example. Side walls 130, 131 of the connector plug 107 are aligned with, and abut against, the side walls 110, 111, respectively, in the connected configuration illustrated in FIG. 3. Such arrangement ensures a proper interface between the shell-less connector receptacle 120 and the connector plug 107.

[0038] In some aspects, as illustrated in FIG. 1 , the side walls 110, 111 extend from the base 126, and perpendicularly transact the outer perimeter 105. In other aspects, the side walls 110, 111 can be slanted, curve, tampered, or offset, or comprise slanted, curved, tampered, or offset outer portions, to guide insertion of the connector plug 107 into the gap 106. FIG. 4 illustrates a smart card 100’ similar in many respects to the smart card 100, which are not repeated herein for brevity. The smart card 100’ differs from the smart card 100 in having offset outer portions 112, 113, as illustrated in FIG. 4, that are offset from the side walls 110, 111, thereby widening the opening of the gap 106 to accommodate insertion of the connector plug 107.

[0039] FIG. 5 illustrates a smart card 200 similar in many respects to the smart card 100, which are not repeated herein for brevity. The smart card 200, however, differs from the smart card 100 in that it comprises a shell-less connector receptacle 120 defined at a portion of the width of the smart card 200, while the shell-less connector receptacle 120 is defined at a portion of the length of the smart card 100. In other embodiments, a smart card, similar to the smart cards 100, 200, may include a shell-less connector receptacle 120 defined at one of its four corners, for example.

[0040] In various aspects, the shell-less connector receptacle 120 may support a power mode that allows the smart card 100 to draw energy from a host device connected to the smart card 100 through the connector plug 107, for example. The host device can be, for example, a cell phone, a tablet, a PC, or any suitable device that can transfer power to the smart card 100. The energy drawn from host device can be utilized to power, for example, a fingerprint sensor, an antenna, a communication chip, and / or an EMV chip, for example. In certain instances, the energy drawn from the shell-less connector receptacle 120 can be utilized to charge an on-card battery, capacitor, or super capacitor, for example.

[0041] Additionally, in some aspects, the shell-less connector receptacle 120 may support a data mode that allows the smart card 100 to exchange data with a host device, for example. The contacts of the shell-less connector receptacle 120 can be configured to USB data exchange modes, e.g., USB2.0 / 1.1, USB3.0 / 3.1 / 3.2. In data exchange mode, the smartcard 100 can exchange data with a LISB-C host, for example, while drawing energy. The data exchange may encompass, for example, provisioning new identity and credentials via an Internet connection provided by LISB-C host device, providing authentication and signature for LISB-C host device for transactions, and / or add, modifying, or deleting content on the smart card 100.

[0042] Examples of the method according to various aspects of the present disclosure are provided below in the following numbered clauses. An aspect of the method may include any one or more than one, and any combination of, the numbered clauses described below.

[0043] Clause 1. In various aspects, a smart card includes a card body, comprising: a length; and a width, wherein the length and the width cooperatively define an outer perimeter of the card body. The smart card includes a cutout sized to receive a universal serial bus Type-C (LISB-C) plug, wherein the cutout comprises: a base; and side walls spaced apart to accommodate the LISB-C plug therebetween; and a USB connector receptacle comprising a thickness that permits use of the smart card with standard card readers, wherein the USB connector receptacle extends from the base toward the outer perimeter, wherein the USB connector receptacle comprises a front edge within the outer perimeter, and wherein the USB connector receptacle comprises exposed electrical contacts.

[0044] Clause 2. The smart card of Clause 1 , wherein the cutout is defined at a portion of the length of the card body.

[0045] Clause 3. The smart card of Claim 1, wherein the cutout is defined at a portion of the width of the card body.

[0046] Clause 4. The smart card of any of Clauses 1-3, wherein the thickness is of a magnitude that permits swiping the smart card at a swipe reader.

[0047] Clause 5. The smart card of any of Clauses 1-3, wherein the thickness is selected from a range of about 0.68 mm to about 0.84 mm.

[0048] Clause 6. The smart card of any of Clauses 1-3, wherein the thickness is of a magnitude that permits insertion of the smart card in a contact chip reader.

[0049] Clause 7. The smart card of any of Clauses 1-6, wherein the exposed electrical contacts are on opposite sides of the USB connecter receptacle.

[0050] Clause 8. The smart card of any of Clauses 1-7, wherein the USB connector receptacle comprises a USB connector receptacle thickness of about 0.7 mm.

[0051] Clause 9. The smart card of any of Clauses 1-7, wherein the card body is a unitary body.

[0052] Clause 10. A smart card includes a card body, comprising a first edge; a second edge; and a permanent gap in the card body at the first edge. The smart card further includes a shell-less connector receptacle with a thickness that permits use of the smart card with standard card readers. The shell-less connector receptacle includes a connector tongue fully retained within the permanent gap, wherein the connector tongue is sized to interface in the permanent gap with a connector plug; and exposed electrical contacts disposed on at least one of two sides of the connector tongue.

[0053] Clause 11. The smart card of Clause 10, further comprising: a base; a first side wall extending outwardly from the base to intersect the first edge; and a second side wall extending outwardly from the base to intersect the second edge, wherein the permanent gap is defined between the first side wall and the second side wall.

[0054] Clause 12. The smart card of any of Clauses 10-11, wherein the connector tongue extends outwardly from the base between the first side wall and the second side wall, and in alignment with the first side wall and the second side wall.

[0055] Clause 13. The smart card of any of Clauses 10-12, wherein the thickness is of a magnitude that permits swiping the smart card at a swipe reader.

[0056] Clause 14. The smart card of any of Clauses 10-13, wherein the thickness is selected from a range of about 0.68 mm to about 0.84 mm.

[0057] Clause 15. The smart card of any of Clauses 10-11, wherein the thickness is of a magnitude that permits insertion of the smart card in a contact chip reader.

[0058] Clause 16. The smart card of any of Clauses 10-11 , wherein the exposed electrical contacts are on opposite sides of the shell-less connector receptacle.

[0059] Clause 17. The smart card of any of Clauses 10-11 , wherein the shell-less connector receptacle comprises a shell-less connector receptacle thickness of about 0.7 mm.

[0060] Clause 18. The smart card of any of Clauses 10-17, wherein the card body is a unitary body.

[0061] Clause 19. A smart card includes a card body that includes a length and a width, wherein the length and the width cooperatively define an outer perimeter of the card body. The card body further includes a gap interrupting the outer perimeter, wherein the gap is sized to receive a connector plug. The smart card further includes a shell-less connector receptacle with a thickness that permits use of the smart card with standard card readers. The shell-less connector receptacle includes a connector tongue fully retained in the gap within the outer perimeter, wherein the connector tongue is sized to interface with theconnector plug in the gap; and electrical contacts disposed on at least one of two sides of the connector tongue.

[0062] Clause 20. The smart card of Clause 19, wherein the gap is bounded by: a base; a first side wall extending outwardly from the base; and a second side wall extending outwardly from the base, wherein the connector tongue extends outwardly from the base between the first side wall and the second side wall, and in alignment with the first side wall and the second side wall.

[0063] The foregoing detailed description has set forth various forms of the systems and / or processes via the use of block diagrams, flowcharts, and / or examples. Insofar as such block diagrams, flowcharts, and / or examples contain one or more functions and / or operations, it will be understood by those within the art that each function and / or operation within such block diagrams, flowcharts, and / or examples can be implemented, individually and / or collectively, by a wide range of hardware, software, firmware, or virtually any combination thereof. Those skilled in the art will recognize that some aspects of the forms disclosed herein, in whole or in part, can be equivalently implemented in integrated circuits, as one or more computer programs running on one or more computers (e.g., as one or more programs running on one or more computer systems), as one or more programs running on one or more processors (e.g., as one or more programs running on one or more microprocessors), as firmware, or as virtually any combination thereof, and that designing the circuitry and / or writing the code for the software and or firmware would be well within the skill of one of skill in the art in light of this disclosure. In addition, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the mechanisms of the subject matter described herein are capable of being distributed as one or more program products in a variety of forms, and that an illustrative form of the subject matter described herein applies regardless of the particular type of signal bearing medium used to actually carry out the distribution.

[0064] As used in any aspect herein, the terms “component,” “system,” “module” and the like can refer to a computer-related entity, either hardware, a combination of hardware and software, software, or software in execution.

[0065] One or more components may be referred to herein as “configured to,” “configurable to,” “operable / operative to,” “adapted / adaptable,” “able to,” “conformable / conformed to,” etc. Those skilled in the art will recognize that “configured to” can generally encompass active-state components and / or inactive-state components and / or standby-state components, unless context requires otherwise.

[0066] As used herein, the term “comprising” is not intended to be limiting, but may be atransitional term synonymous with “including,” “containing,” or “characterized by.” The term “comprising” may thereby be inclusive or open-ended and does not exclude additional, unrecited elements or method steps when used in a claim. For instance, in describing a method, “comprising” indicates that the claim is open-ended and allows for additional steps. In describing a device, “comprising” may mean that a named element(s) may be essential for an embodiment or aspect, but other elements may be added and still form a construct within the scope of a claim. In contrast, the transitional phrase “consisting of” excludes any element, step, or ingredient not specified in a claim. This is consistent with the use of the term throughout the specification.

[0067] Those skilled in the art will recognize that, in general, terms used herein, and especially in the appended claims (e.g., bodies of the appended claims) are generally intended as “open” terms (e.g., the term “including” should be interpreted as “including but not limited to,” the term “having” should be interpreted as “having at least,” the term “includes” should be interpreted as “includes but is not limited to,” etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is intended, such an intent will be explicitly recited in the claim, and in the absence of such recitation no such intent is present. For example, as an aid to understanding, the following appended claims may contain usage of the introductory phrases “at least one” and “one or more” to introduce claim recitations. However, the use of such phrases should not be construed to imply that the introduction of a claim recitation by the indefinite articles “a” or “an” limits any particular claim containing such introduced claim recitation to claims containing only one such recitation, even when the same claim includes the introductory phrases “one or more” or “at least one” and indefinite articles such as “a” or “an” (e.g., “a” and / or “an” should typically be interpreted to mean “at least one” or “one or more”); the same holds true for the use of definite articles used to introduce claim recitations.

[0068] In addition, even if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is explicitly recited, those skilled in the art will recognize that such recitation should typically be interpreted to mean at least the recited number (e.g., the bare recitation of “two recitations,” without other modifiers, typically means at least two recitations, or two or more recitations). Furthermore, in those instances where a convention analogous to “at least one of A, B, and C, etc.” is used, in general such a construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., “a system having at least one of A, B, and C” would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and / or A, B, and C together, etc.). In those instances where a convention analogous to “at least one of A, B, or C, etc.” is used, ingeneral such a construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., “a system having at least one of A, B, or C” would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and / or A, B, and C together, etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that typically a disjunctive word and / or phrase presenting two or more alternative terms, whether in the description, claims, or drawings, should be understood to contemplate the possibilities of including one of the terms, either of the terms, or both terms unless context dictates otherwise. For example, the phrase “A or B” will be typically understood to include the possibilities of “A” or “B” or “A and B.”

[0069] With respect to the appended claims, those skilled in the art will appreciate that recited operations therein may generally be performed in any order. Also, although various operational flow diagrams are presented in a sequence(s), it should be understood that the various operations may be performed in other orders than those which are illustrated, or may be performed concurrently. Examples of such alternate orderings may include overlapping, interleaved, interrupted, reordered, incremental, preparatory, supplemental, simultaneous, reverse, or other variant orderings, unless context dictates otherwise. Furthermore, terms like “responsive to,” “related to,” or other past-tense adjectives are generally not intended to exclude such variants, unless context dictates otherwise.

[0070] It is worthy to note that any reference to “one aspect,” “an aspect,” “an exemplification,” “one exemplification,” and the like means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the aspect is included in at least one aspect. Thus, appearances of the phrases “in one aspect,” “in an aspect,” “in an exemplification,” and “in one exemplification” in various places throughout the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same aspect. Furthermore, the particular features, structures or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more aspects.

[0071] As used herein, the singular form of “a”, “an”, and “the” include the plural references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

[0072] In this specification, unless otherwise indicated, terms “about” or “approximately” as used in the present disclosure, unless otherwise specified, means an acceptable error for a particular value as determined by one of ordinary skill in the art, which depends in part on how the value is measured or determined. In certain embodiments, the term “about” or “approximately” means within 1, 2, 3, or 4 standard deviations. In certain embodiments, the term “about” or “approximately” means within 50%, 20%, 15%, 10%, 9%, 8%, 7%, 6%, 5%, 4%, 3%, 2%, 1%, 0.5%, or 0.05% of a given value or range.

[0073] In this specification, unless otherwise indicated, all numerical parameters are to be understood as being prefaced and modified in all instances by the term “about,” in which the numerical parameters possess the inherent variability characteristic of the underlying measurement techniques used to determine the numerical value of the parameter. At the very least, and not as an attempt to limit the application of the doctrine of equivalents to the scope of the claims, each numerical parameter described herein should at least be construed in light of the number of reported significant digits and by applying ordinary rounding techniques.

[0074] Any numerical range recited herein includes all sub-ranges subsumed within the recited range. For example, a range of “1 to 10” includes all sub-ranges between (and including) the recited minimum value of 1 and the recited maximum value of 10, that is, having a minimum value equal to or greater than 1 and a maximum value equal to or less than 10. Also, all ranges recited herein are inclusive of the end points of the recited ranges. For example, a range of “1 to 10” includes the end points 1 and 10. Any maximum numerical limitation recited in this specification is intended to include all lower numerical limitations subsumed therein, and any minimum numerical limitation recited in this specification is intended to include all higher numerical limitations subsumed therein.Accordingly, Applicant reserves the right to amend this specification, including the claims, to expressly recite any sub-range subsumed within the ranges expressly recited. All such ranges are inherently described in this specification.

[0075] Any patent application, patent, non-patent publication, or other disclosure material referred to in this specification and / or listed in any Application Data Sheet is incorporated by reference herein, to the extent that the incorporated materials is not inconsistent herewith. As such, and to the extent necessary, the disclosure as explicitly set forth herein supersedes any conflicting material incorporated herein by reference. Any material, or portion thereof, that is said to be incorporated by reference herein, but which conflicts with existing definitions, statements, or other disclosure material set forth herein will only be incorporated to the extent that no conflict arises between that incorporated material and the existing disclosure material. None is admitted to be prior art.

[0076] In summary, numerous benefits have been described which result from employing the concepts described herein. The foregoing description of the one or more forms has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or limiting to the precise form disclosed. Modifications or variations are possible in light of the above teachings. The one or more forms were chosen and described in order to illustrate principles and practical application to thereby enable one of ordinary skill in theart to utilize the various forms and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is intended that the claims submitted herewith define the overall scope.

Claims

CLAIMSWhat is claimed is:

1. A smart card, comprising: a card body, comprising: a length; and a width, wherein the length and the width cooperatively define an outer perimeter of the card body; and a cutout sized to receive a universal serial bus Type-C (LISB-C) plug, wherein the cutout comprises: a base; and side walls spaced apart to accommodate the LISB-C plug therebetween; and a USB connector receptacle comprising a thickness that permits use of the smart card with standard card readers, wherein the USB connector receptacle extends from the base toward the outer perimeter, wherein the USB connector receptacle comprises a front edge within the outer perimeter, and wherein the USB connector receptacle comprises exposed electrical contacts.

2. The smart card of Claim 1 , wherein the cutout is defined at a portion of the length of the card body.

3. The smart card of Claim 1 , wherein the cutout is defined at a portion of the width of the card body.

4. The smart card of Claim 1 , wherein the thickness is of a magnitude that permits swiping the smart card at a swipe reader.

5. The smart card of Claim 1 , wherein the thickness is selected from a range of about 0.68 mm to about 0.84 mm.

6. The smart card of Claim 1 , wherein the thickness is of a magnitude that permits insertion of the smart card in a contact chip reader.

7. The smart card of Claim 1, wherein the exposed electrical contacts are on opposite sides of the USB connecter receptacle.

8. The smart card of Claim 1, wherein the USB connector receptacle comprises a USB connector receptacle thickness of about 0.7 mm.

9. The smart card of Claim 1, wherein the card body is a unitary body.

10. A smart card, comprising: a card body, comprising: a first edge; a second edge; and a permanent gap in the card body at the first edge; and a shell-less connector receptacle with a thickness that permits use of the smart card with standard card readers, the shell-less connector receptacle comprising: a connector tongue fully retained within the permanent gap, wherein the connector tongue is sized to interface in the permanent gap with a connector plug; and exposed electrical contacts disposed on at least one of two sides of the connector tongue.

11. The smart card of Claim 10, further comprising: a base; a first side wall extending outwardly from the base to intersect the first edge; and a second side wall extending outwardly from the base to intersect the second edge, wherein the permanent gap is defined between the first side wall and the second side wall.

12. The smart card of Claim 11 , wherein the connector tongue extends outwardly from the base between the first side wall and the second side wall, and in alignment with the first side wall and the second side wall.

13. The smart card of Claim 10, wherein the thickness is of a magnitude that permits swiping the smart card at a swipe reader.

14. The smart card of Claim 10, wherein the thickness is selected from a range of about 0.68 mm to about 0.84 mm.

15. The smart card of Claim 10, wherein the thickness is of a magnitude that permits insertion of the smart card in a contact chip reader.

16. The smart card of Claim 10, wherein the exposed electrical contacts are on opposite sides of the shell-less connector receptacle.

17. The smart card of Claim 10, wherein the shell-less connector receptacle comprises a shell-less connector receptacle thickness of about 0.7 mm.

18. The smart card of Claim 10, wherein the card body is a unitary body.

19. A smart card, comprising: a card body, comprising: a length; a width, wherein the length and the width cooperatively define an outer perimeter of the card body; and a gap interrupting the outer perimeter, wherein the gap is sized to receive a connector plug; a shell-less connector receptacle with a thickness that permits use of the smart card with standard card readers, the shell-less connector receptacle comprising: a connector tongue fully retained in the gap within the outer perimeter, wherein the connector tongue is sized to interface with the connector plug in the gap; and electrical contacts disposed on at least one of two sides of the connector tongue.

20. The smart card of Claim 19, wherein the gap is bounded by: a base; a first side wall extending outwardly from the base; and a second side wall extending outwardly from the base, wherein the connector tongue extends outwardly from the base between the first side wall and the second side wall, and in alignment with the first side wall and the second side wall.

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