US6131811A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Wallet consolidator
Assignee: Stripe LLC
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Filing: 1998-05-29
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Granted: 2000-10-17
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Expires: 2018-05-29
Abstract
Abstract A method and apparatus for warehousing information in a wallet consolidator. The wallet consolidator includes a controller for controlling operation of the wallet consolidator, a magnetic stripe reader/writer for reading and writing magnetic stripes, a bar code scanner for scanning bar codes, a keypad for inputting user selections and commands, a memory for storing information provided to the wallet consolidator, a smart card interface for effectuating communication between the wallet consolidator and a smart card and a display screen for displaying text and graphics, the display screen further for displaying a bar code pattern capable of being scanned by a bar code reader. To store information in the wallet consolidator, or alternatively in a smart card interfaced to the wallet consolidator, information is read from magnetic stripes on various types of cards such as, but not limited to, credit, debit and identification cards. Additionally, images of the cards including, but not limited to, signatures and portraits are downloaded and stored. A user retrieves the information from any of the stored magnetic stripes and writes the information to a single magnetic stripe for use in a point of sale transaction. Similarly, stored images are retrieved and displayed on a display screen including a bar code which can be scanned by a bar code scanner.
Inventors
- 👤 Frank J. Gangi
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-08 18:07
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06Q; G06Q20/00; G06Q20/08; G06Q20/20; G06Q20/30; G06Q20/32; G06Q20/322; G06Q20/3224; G06K; G06K7/00; G06K7/0004; G06Q20/10; G06Q20/105; G06Q20/108; G06Q20/16; G06Q20/202; G06Q20/204; G06Q20/206; G06Q20/208; G06Q20/34; G06Q20/341; G06Q20/357; G06Q20/3574; G06Q20/36; G06Q20/38; G06Q20/382; G06Q20/3829; G06Q20/383; G06Q20/40; G06Q20/401; G06Q20/4012; G06Q30/00; G06Q30/02; G06Q30/0207; G06Q30/0238; G06Q30/0241; G06Q30/0251; G06Q30/0253; G06Q30/06; G07; G07F; G07F7/00; G07F7/08; G07F7/0873; G07F7/088; G07F7/0886; G07F7/0893; G07F7/10; G07F7/1008; G07F7/12
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 22
Claim 1
Independent Claim
88 words
A wallet consolidator comprising: a controller for controlling operation of the wallet consolidator; a magnetic stripe reader/writer for reading and writing magnetic stripes wherein said reader/writer is contained within said consolidator; means for inputting user selections and commands; a memory for storing information provided to the wallet consolidator from a plurality of smart cards; and a smart card interface for effectuating communication between the wallet consolidator and a smart card such that a portion of the information stored in said memory can be written to a smart card.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
88 words
A wallet consolidator comprising: a controller for controlling operation of the wallet consolidator; a magnetic stripe reader/writer for reading and writing magnetic stripes wherein said reader/writer is contained within said consolidator; means for inputting user selections and commands; a memory for storing information provided to the wallet consolidator from a plurality of smart cards; and a smart card interface for effectuating communication between the wallet consolidator and a smart card such that a portion of the information stored in said memory can be written to a smart card.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
22 words
The wallet consolidator, as recited in claim 1, wherein the means for inputting user selections and commands is a user input cluster.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
20 words
The wallet consolidator, as recited in claim 1, wherein the means for inputting user selections and commands is a keypad.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
37 words
The wallet consolidator, as recited in claim 1, further comprising a display screen for displaying text and graphics, the display screen further for displaying a bar code pattern capable of being scanned by a bar code reader.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
26 words
The wallet consolidator, as recited in claim 4, wherein the display screen is a touch sensitive display screen further effectuating an input to the wallet consolidator.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
27 words
The wallet consolidator, as recited in claim 1, further comprising a telephone interface for effectuating communication between the wallet consolidator and computing devices via a telephone network.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
23 words
The wallet consolidator, as recited in claim 1, further comprising a data interface for effectuating communication between the wallet consolidator and computing devices.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
19 words
The wallet consolidator, as recited in claim 7, wherein the data interface is effectuated using a serial data line.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
19 words
The wallet consolidator, as recited in claim 7, wherein the data interface is effectuated using a parallel data line.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
18 words
The wallet consolidator, as recited in claim 1, further comprising a bar code scanner for scanning bar codes.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
14 words
The wallet consolidator, as recited in claim 1, further comprising a wireless communication interface.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
20 words
The wallet consolidator, as recited in claim 11, wherein the wireless communication interface is effectuated using a radio frequency transceiver.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
19 words
The wallet consolidator, as recited in claim 11, wherein the wireless communication interface is effectuated using an infrared transceiver.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
108 words
A wallet consolidator comprising: a controller for controlling operation of the wallet consolidator; a magnetic stripe reader/writer for reading and writing magnetic stripes; a keypad for inputting user selections and commands; a memory for storing information provided to the wallet consolidator from a plurality of smart cards; a smart card interface for effectuating communication between the wallet consolidator and a smart card such that a portion of the information stored in said memory can be written to a smart card; and a display screen for displaying text and graphics, the display screen further for displaying a bar code pattern capable of being scanned by a bar code reader.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
108 words
A wallet consolidator comprising: a controller for controlling operation of the wallet consolidator; a magnetic stripe reader/writer for reading and writing magnetic stripes; a keypad for inputting user selections and commands; a memory for storing information provided to the wallet consolidator from a plurality of smart cards; a smart card interface for effectuating communication between the wallet consolidator and a smart card such that a portion of the information stored in said memory can be written to a smart card; and a display screen for displaying text and graphics, the display screen further for displaying a bar code pattern capable of being scanned by a bar code reader.
Claim 17
Independent Claim
59 words
A method for warehousing information in a wallet consolidator comprising the steps of: reading information from magnetic stripes from a plurality of smart cards; storing the information obtained from a plurality of smart cards in a memory; selecting information, from among the stored information, to write to a magnetic stripe; and writing the selected information on a magnetic stripe.
Claim 18
Independent Claim
59 words
A method for warehousing information in a wallet consolidator comprising the steps of: reading information from magnetic stripes from a plurality of smart cards; storing the information obtained from a plurality of smart cards in a memory; selecting information, from among the stored information, to write to a magnetic stripe; and writing the selected information on a magnetic stripe.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
54 words
The method, as recited in claim 15, wherein the step of storing the information in the memory comprises the step of storing the information in a smart card, and further wherein, the step of writing the selected information on the magnetic stripe further comprises the step of retrieving the information from the smart card.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
15 words
The method, as recited in claim 15, further comprising the step of entering passcode information.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
46 words
The method, as recited in claim 15, further comprising the steps of: scanning a bar code from a card; storing the scanned bar code; selecting a stored bar code; and displaying the selected bar code on a display screen for scanning by a bar code scanner.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
26 words
The method, as recited in claim 15, further comprising the steps of: downloading information; storing the downloaded information; selecting stored information; and downloading the selected information.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2003-10-17 | 2004-04-17 | 2004-10-17 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2007-10-17 | 2008-04-17 | 2008-10-17 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2011-10-17 | 2012-04-17 | 2012-10-17 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |