Magnetic Stripe Emulator for Persistent Data Encoding

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing proxy cards consume significant power and can lead to decoding errors due to swipe speed dependencies, requiring multiple swipes and wasting time for users and merchants.

Innovation Solution

A magnetic stripe emulator with parallel conductive traces coated with a low coercivity magnetic medium allows for persistent encoding of magnetic stripe data, eliminating the need for power and reducing decoding errors by ensuring consistent signal retrieval regardless of swipe speed.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If the proxy card uses a powered playback method to emulate magnetic stripe data, then the card can be configured to emulate multiple payment cards, but the power consumption increases significantly reducing battery life

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveability to emulate multiple payment cardsVSAvoidpower consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The magnetic stripe data is pre-encoded onto the magnetic stripe emulator before use. The parallel conductive traces are pre-configured with magnetic medium coatings that can be magnetized to store specific card data patterns. When a user selects a payment card to emulate, the system activates the corresponding pre-encoded magnetic patterns on the emulator, eliminating the need for real-time power consumption during data generation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent replaces the electronic playback system (which requires continuous power to generate magnetic signals) with a magnetic encoding system. The magnetic stripe emulator uses magnetized parallel conductive traces to physically encode magnetic stripe data, substituting an active electronic system with a passive magnetic storage system that requires no power during transaction operations.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

2Speed

If the proxy card uses playback speed dependent on swipe speed, then the system can adapt to different swipe rates, but decoding errors occur when swipe speed exceeds playback speed

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveplayback speedVSAvoiddecoding accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

SpeedVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The magnetic stripe data is pre-encoded onto the magnetic stripe emulator in a persistent form that remains stable regardless of swipe speed. The magnetic patterns are permanently magnetized onto the parallel conductive traces before use, ensuring that the data is always present and ready for reading at any speed, eliminating the timing synchronization issues inherent in active playback systems.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

3Productivity

If the magnetic read head reads data at high swipe speed, then the transaction process is faster, but the read signal may be incomplete causing decoding errors

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetransaction speedVSAvoidread signal completeness

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces the time-dependent electronic signal generation system with a spatially-encoded magnetic storage system. The magnetic stripe emulator contains pre-encoded magnetic patterns on parallel conductive traces that passively present the complete data set during any swipe operation. This substitution ensures that the complete read signal is available regardless of how quickly the card is swiped through the magnetic read head.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

The solution enables energy-efficient and error-free emulation of magnetic stripe data, reducing power consumption and improving transaction efficiency by allowing multiple uses without re-encoding.

Implementation Method 1

magnetic fields induced by electrical current flowing through each of the traces

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectElectromagnetic induction: Electromagnetic Induction

Implementation Method 2

the polarization in the magnetic medium induced by the magnetic fields remains persistent

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectMagnetic hysteresis: Magnetic Hysteresis

Data Source

PatentUS9135545B1Magnetic stripe emulator for persistently emulating magnetic stripe data

Publication Date: 2015.09.15 BLOCK INC

AI summary

A proxy card for persistently emulating a set of magnetic stripe data associated with a payment card is disclosed. The proxy card provides a magnetic stripe emulator that includes a plurality of parallel traces of conductive material oriented in a direction perpendicular to a direction in which the proxy payment card is designed to be swiped. The parallel traces are coated with a layer of a magnetic medium of low coercivity. A microcontroller on the proxy card generates electrical signals to drive electrical current along each of the plurality of parallel traces in a selected direction. The electrical current causes alignment of particles in the magnetic medium of the magnetic stripe emulator which encodes the set of magnetic stripe data on the magnetic stripe emulator. The proxy card can then emulate the payment card when swiped through a magnetic card reader without consuming any power.