Magnetic tape with holographic hidden pattern, method of making same and reader for reading same

1. A hidden image bar code pattern in a holographic magnetic tape of a transaction card is used to determine the validity of said transaction card and said holographic magnetic tape,

wherein the hidden image bar code pattern in said holographic magnetic tape is not registered to said transaction card and the hidden image bar code pattern is randomly located from a referenced point on said holographic magnetic stripe, and

wherein the location of the hidden image bar code pattern along the length of said holographic magnetic tape is tied to another fixed location on said holographic magnetic tape.

2. The hidden image bar code pattern of claim 1 , wherein said another fixed location is a leading edge of a first binary encoded one in a start sentinel, thereby linking encoded data to said holographic magnetic tape to prevent skimming from another magnetic stripe card.

3. The hidden image bar code pattern of claim 2 , further comprising a security offset number generated by a security algorithm based on an association of the location of said hidden image bar code pattern and a predetermined point in magnetically encoded data in said holographic magnetic tape.

4. The hidden image bar code pattern of claim 3 , wherein said security offset number is generated during an initial encoding of the data on said holographic magnetic tape and stored in a customer database of an issuing institution or written into discretionary data fields in track 1 or 2 of said holographic magnetic tape.

5. The hidden image bar code pattern of claim 3 , wherein said security offset number is generated during first authorized use of said transaction card; and wherein a point-of-sale swipe reader captures and transmits an association between said hidden image bar code pattern and encoded data on said holographic magnetic tape during said first authorized use to a database for coupling said association to customer data associated with said transaction card.

6. The hidden bar code image pattern of claim 3 , wherein a spatial distance of the hidden image bar code pattern and said leading edge of the first bit of the start sentinel is read by a read head of a terminal when said holographic magnetic tape is read by said terminal; wherein a security algorithm of said terminal generates a new offset value during the processing of said spatial distance and compares said new offset value to said security offset value read at initialization.

7. The hidden bar code image pattern of claim 6 , wherein a correlation score between the current read and the initial read establishing the degree of match between the spatial relationships is used to discriminate between authentic data and non-authentic or skimmed data on said holographic magnetic tape.

8. A hidden image pattern in a holographic magnetic tape of a transaction card is used to determine the validity of said transaction card and said holographic magnetic tape, wherein the hidden image pattern in said holographic magnetic tape is not registered to said transaction card and the hidden image pattern is randomly located from a referenced point on said holographic magnetic stripe, and wherein the location of the hidden image pattern along the length of said holographic magnetic tape is tied to another fixed location on said holographic magnetic tape.

9. The hidden image pattern of claim 8 , wherein said another fixed location is a leading edge of a first binary encoded one in a start sentinel, thereby linking encoded data to said holographic magnetic tape to prevent skimming from another magnetic stripe card.

10. The hidden image pattern of claim 9 , further comprising a security offset number generated by a security algorithm based on an association of the location of said hidden image pattern and a predetermined point in magnetically encoded data in said holographic magnetic tape.

11. The hidden image pattern of claim 10 , wherein said security offset number is generated during an initial encoding of the data on said holographic magnetic tape and stored in a customer database of an issuing institution or written into discretionary data fields in track 1 or 2 of said holographic magnetic tape.

12. The hidden image pattern of claim 10 , wherein said security offset number is generated during first authorized use of said transaction card; and wherein a point-of-sale swipe reader captures and transmits an association between said hidden image pattern and encoded data on said holographic magnetic tape during said first authorized use to a database for coupling said association to customer data associated with said transaction card.

13. The hidden image pattern of claim 10 , wherein a spatial distance of the hidden image pattern and said leading edge of the first bit of the start sentinel is read by a magnetic read head of a terminal when said holographic magnetic tape is read by said terminal; wherein a security algorithm of said terminal generates a new offset value during the processing of said spatial distance and compares said new offset value to said security offset value read at initialization.

14. The hidden image pattern of claim 13 , wherein a correlation score between the current read and the initial read establishing the degree of match between the spatial relationships is used to discriminate between authentic data and non-authentic or skimmed data on said holographic magnetic tape.