Payment Card With Electronic Display For Real-Time Balance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Users of payment cards face challenges in tracking their available funds or credit in real-time, especially with multiple transactions occurring both in-store and online, making it difficult to know their spending limits without exceeding them or maintaining sufficient funds for future bills.
Innovation Solution
A payment card system that integrates a physical encoder, an electronic display, and a card computing system with processors, allowing the card to receive and display account information, such as available credit or balance, directly on the card, via an electronic display, and powered by energy harvesting or other power sources.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If payment cards use traditional printed information only, then the card structure remains simple, but users cannot view real-time account information such as available funds or credit
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges traditional payment card functionality with electronic display capabilities by integrating an e-paper display, wireless transceiver, and computing system directly into the payment card. This combination allows the card to provide real-time account information visualization while maintaining a compact form factor, resolving the contradiction between information availability and structural simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The payment card is transformed into a multi-functional device that combines payment processing, real-time information display, wireless communication, and power harvesting capabilities. This multi-functionality enables the card to serve both as a traditional payment instrument and an information delivery device, eliminating the need for separate checking devices.
2Loss of information
If payment cards integrate electronic displays and computing systems, then real-time account information can be displayed, but the card requires additional power sources which increase complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The payment card employs energy harvesting technology that automatically captures and stores electrical energy from environmental sources such as electromagnetic fields during wireless transactions. This self-service power generation eliminates the need for external batteries or charging mechanisms, providing continuous power to the display and computing systems without adding complex power management components.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes e-paper display technology that changes its visual state parameters in response to electrical signals, allowing the display to update account information without requiring continuous power consumption. This parameter-based state change enables low-power operation while maintaining real-time information accessibility.
3Ease of operation
If users check account information on separate devices, then the payment card remains simple, but users experience time loss and inconvenience when needing to check funds
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the payment card with the information display function by integrating an e-paper display that shows account balance and transaction details directly on the card surface. This merging eliminates the need for users to pick up separate mobile devices or computers to check their funds, providing immediate visual access to account information at the point of transaction.
Solution Approach 2:
The wireless transceiver acts as an intermediary that receives account information from the payment processing system and automatically updates the display on the payment card. This intermediary mechanism enables real-time information transfer without requiring users to manually query their accounts, significantly reducing the time and effort needed to check funds.
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
Enables users to efficiently view their account information, including available funds or credit, directly on the payment card, reducing the need to access separate devices and providing timely notifications of spending limits, even when the user's device is offline.
Implementation Method 1
a power harvesting circuit coupled to the wireless transceiver and configured to harvest power using the one or more wireless signals to provide power for the electronic display
Data Source
AI summary
A payment card may include a physical encoder integrated into a card body of the payment card. The physical encoder encodes data unique to the payment card and enables a point-of-sale system to read the data unique to the payment card to facilitate a transaction. The payment card may also include an electronic display integrated into the card body. The payment card may further include a card computing system integrated into the card body and having one or more processors that are configured to receive account information related to an account associated with the data unique to the payment card and to instruct the display to display the account information for visualization by a user of the payment card.