Secure Card with Coded Mark for Multi-Account Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
The exposure of financial information on traditional credit and debit cards increases the risk of fraud and identity theft, as multiple cards must be managed and used, leading to cumbersome transactions and potential unauthorized use.
Innovation Solution
A single secure card is created with a coded mark, such as a bar code or two-dimensional matrix, that encodes the transactional capabilities of multiple cards, allowing secure access and use of financial accounts while keeping sensitive information hidden.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple individual transaction cards are used to provide different transactional capabilities, then the versatility and transactional functionality are improved, but the device complexity and ease of operation deteriorate due to the need to manage and select among multiple cards
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple individual transaction cards into a single secure card. Each individual card's transactional capability (account number, routing symbol, expiration date) is encoded into a unique coded mark on the secure card. The coded mark contains multiple sets of transaction information, allowing the single card to perform the functions of multiple separate cards.
Solution Approach 2:
The secure card is designed as a universal card that can perform multiple transactional functions. By encoding multiple sets of transactional data (different account numbers, routing symbols, expiration dates) within single coded marks, the card can serve as multiple different transaction cards depending on which coded mark is scanned and decoded by the reader.
2Ease of operation
If financial information is printed on the face of cards for easy reading, then the ease of operation is improved, but the security and loss of information worsen due to exposure to unauthorized individuals
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of printing financial information directly on the card face, the patent encodes the information into coded marks (bar codes or two-dimensional binary symbols). These coded marks are machine-readable copies of the transactional data that can be scanned and decoded by readers, eliminating the need for human-readable printed information on the card surface.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical/visual system of printed text with an optical/electronic system. Financial information is not displayed as visible text but is encoded in coded marks that are read by optical scanners. This substitution ensures that no financial information is visually exposed on the card face while maintaining full functionality through machine reading.
3Reliability
If coded marks are used to encode financial information, then the security is improved by hiding information, but the ease of operation worsens due to the need for specialized readers and decoding processes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses two-dimensional binary symbols (matrix bar codes) instead of traditional linear bar codes. This dimensional change allows encoding of multiple sets of transactional information (multiple accounts, routing symbols, expiration dates) within a compact space. The two-dimensional structure enables more data to be stored and retrieved efficiently by standard scanning equipment.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention generally relates to credit cards and debit cards. More particularly, the present invention relates to security methods and techniques that can be used with credit and debit cards and the like in order to provide protection against unauthorized use.