Card Reader Device for a Cell Phone and Method of Use

Abstract

In one embodiment, a card reader device includes: circuitry having exactly three non-wire elements of (a) one two-terminal inductive read head having a first read head terminal and a second read head terminal, (b) one two-terminal resistor having a first resistor terminal and a second resistor terminal, and (c) one TRS (tip, ring, sleeve) connector including a microphone contact and a circuit completion contact, with said TRS connector adapted to be inserted into a socket of a cell phone to connect the microphone contact and circuit completion contact to corresponding cell phone circuitry including connecting to a microphone input of the cell phone; wherein said three non-wire elements are connected together using one or more direct connections, one or more wires, or both; and a housing enclosing said read head and said resistor, with said TRS connector extending out of the housing.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A card reader device, comprising:
 circuitry having exactly three non-wire elements of (a) one two-terminal inductive read head having a first read head terminal and a second read head terminal, (b) one two-terminal resistor having a first resistor terminal and a second resistor terminal, and (c) one TRS (tip, ring, sleeve) connector including a microphone contact and a circuit completion contact, with said TRS connector adapted to be inserted into a socket of a cell phone to connect the microphone contact and circuit completion contact to corresponding cell phone circuitry including connecting to a microphone input of the cell phone; wherein said three non-wire elements are connected together using one or more direct connections, one or more wires, or both as follows: the first read head terminal is connected to the first resistor terminal, the second resistor terminal is connected to the TRS connector, and the second read head terminal is connected to the TRS connector; wherein said circuity is the only circuity in the card reader device used in adjusting and providing a signal generated by said read head to the cell phone; and   a housing enclosing said read head and said resistor, with said TRS connector extending out of the housing.   
     
     
         2 . A method, comprising:
 generating and providing, by a card reader device, an attenuated non-decoded analog signal indicative of data stored on a magnetic stripe of a card to a microphone input of a cell phone via a TRS (tip, ring, sleeve) connector of the card reader device inserted into a socket of the cell phone;   wherein the card reader device includes a housing and circuitry; wherein said circuitry has exactly three non-wire elements of (a) one two-terminal inductive read head having a first read head terminal and a second read head terminal, (b) one two-terminal resistor having a first resistor terminal and a second resistor terminal, and (c) said TRS connector including a microphone contact and a circuit completion contact to connect the microphone contact and circuit completion contact to corresponding cell phone circuitry including connecting to the microphone input; wherein said three non-wire elements are connected together using one or more direct connections, one or more wires, or both as follows: the first read head terminal is connected to the first resistor terminal, the second resistor terminal is connected to the TRS connector, and the second read head terminal is connected to the TRS connector; wherein said circuitry is the only circuitry in the card reader device used in said generating and providing the attenuated non-decoded analog signal to the microphone input; and   wherein said generating and providing by the card reader device include:   producing, by said inductive read head, a non-decoded analog signal indicative of data stored on a magnetic stripe of a card in response to the magnetic stripe being passed by said inductive read head;   receiving, by said resistor on the first resistor terminal, the non-decoded analog signal;   passively attenuating, by the resistor, the non-decoded analog signal to produce the attenuated non-decoded analog signal on the second resistor terminal;   receiving, by the TRS connector, the attenuated non-decoded analog signal; and   providing, by the TRS connector via the socket, the attenuated non-decoded analog signal to the microphone input.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , comprising amplifying, digitizing and decoding, by the cell phone circuitry, the attenuated non-decoded analog signal to produce decoded digital information corresponding to said data stored on a magnetic stripe. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , comprising providing, by the cell phone, said decoded digital information to a third party to authorize or deny a financial transaction.