Provisioning mobile device with time-varying magnetic field
View Patent ↗An electronic transaction card communicates with an add-on slot of an intelligent electronic device. The add-on slot may be a memory card slot. The intelligent electronic device may be a mobile phone or other device with or without network connectivity. The electronic transaction card may have magnetic field producing circuitry compatible with magnetic card readers, smartcard circuitry, other point-of-sale interfaces, or any combination thereof.
1. A method performed by a mobile device with circuitry for generating a time-varying magnetic field, the method comprising:
receiving a communication over a network; and
in response to the communication, programming a transaction number into the circuitry in the mobile device to emit a time-varying magnetic field to emulate the swipe of a magnetic card, wherein the transaction number is used repeatedly for each emission of the time-varying magnetic field to emulate the swipe of the magnetic card.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein the time-varying magnetic field represents a credit card transaction.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein the time-varying magnetic field represents an access transaction.
4. The method of claim 1 wherein the time-varying magnetic field represents a point-of-sale transaction.
5. A method performed by a mobile phone with circuitry for generating a time-varying magnetic field, the method comprising:
receiving a communication over a network; and
in response to the communication, storing a transaction number in the mobile phone for later use by the circuitry in the mobile phone to repeatedly emit a time-varying magnetic field representing the transaction number.
6. The method of claim 5 wherein the time-varying magnetic field represents a credit card transaction.
7. The method of claim 5 wherein the time-varying magnetic field represents an access transaction.
8. The method of claim 5 wherein the time-varying magnetic field represents a point-of-sale transaction.
9. A method performed by a mobile phone with circuitry for generating a time-varying magnetic field, the method comprising:
receiving a communication over a network; and
storing a transaction number received with the communication in the mobile phone to be used repeatedly later by the circuitry for generating a time-varying magnetic field that emulates a swipe of a magnetic card.
10. The method of claim 9 wherein the time-varying magnetic field represents a credit card transaction.
11. The method of claim 9 wherein the time-varying magnetic field represents an access transaction.
12. The method of claim 9 wherein the time-varying magnetic field represents a point-of-sale transaction.