Cryptocurrency transactions with synchronized images
A value is exchanged between accounts held by users of two portable electronic devices. The devices synchronize disappearance of the image at the sending device and appearance of the image at the receiving device to give the impression that a physical object representative of the value has been exchanged (e.g., handed) between the users.
1. A portable electronic device comprising:
a display device;
a camera;
a communications interface; and
a processor connected to the display device, the camera, and the communications interface, the processor to operate in a value-sending mode and a value-receiving mode;
wherein, in the value-sending mode, the processor is to:
control the display device to display an image representative of a value to be sent from an account associated with the portable electronic device to an account associated with another portable electronic device that is in the value-receiving mode;
control the communications interface to participate in a transfer of the value to be sent between the accounts in response to the other portable electronic device capturing the image with its camera; and
synchronize, with a server or server system, disappearance of the image from the display device with appearance of the image at the other portable electronic device;
wherein, in the value-receiving mode, the processor is to:
control the camera to capture an image representative of a value to be received by the account associated with the portable electronic device from the account associated with the other portable electronic device that is in the value-sending mode, wherein the image is captured while displayed by the other portable electronic device;
control the communications interface to participate in a transfer of the value to be received in response to capture of the image; and
synchronize, with the server or server system, appearance of the image on the display device with disappearance of the image from the other portable electronic device.
2. The portable electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is to agree on a time with the other portable electronic device to synchronize the disappearance and appearance of the image, such that the disappearance and appearance of the image occur within about 2 seconds of each other.
3. The portable electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the image does not appear on both of the portable electronic devices for more than 2 seconds.
4. The portable electronic device of claim 3 , wherein the image is not absent from both of the portable electronic devices for more than 2 seconds.
5. The portable electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is to synchronize disappearance and appearance of the image with the other portable electronic device to provide an illusion of users of the portable electronic devices exchanging a physical object represented by the image.
6. The portable electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the image does not appear on both of the portable electronic devices and is not absent from both of the portable electronic devices for longer than a predetermined time that is selected to visually simulate the physical conveyance of a physical object represented by the image.
7. The portable electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the image as displayed on the sending or receiving portable electronic device is substantially similar to the image as displayed on the display device of the portable electronic device.
8. The portable electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the image contains a machine-readable code to trigger the transfer of the value between the accounts.
9. The portable electronic device of claim 8 , wherein the image contains a human-readable indication of the value.
10. The portable electronic device of claim 9 , wherein the image contains a predominant color representative of the value.
11. The portable electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is to control the communications interface to conduct the transfer using a blockchain.
12. The portable electronic device of claim 1 , wherein synchronizing the disappearance and appearance of the image includes playing respective animations at the portable electronic devices at a time agreed by the portable electronic devices.