Sunday, December 17, 2006

OTI RFID Supports Discover Network Contactless Payment

OTI RFID Reader is certified for use by the Discover Network
OTI receives certification for its RFID reader in support of the contactless payment solution for the Discover Network. ...

... "Discover Network, a business unit of Discover Financial Services and Morgan Stanley, announced that it has certified the Saturn 5000 contactless reader developed by On Track Innovations (OTI) (NASDAQ: OTIV), a global leader in contactless microprocessor-based smart card solutions, for use with Discover Network's contactless payment application. The certification process ensures that the Saturn 5000's reader technology is able to support Discover Network's proprietary contactless payment solution. Additional OTI readers are in the certification process.

Compatible with major POS terminal providers and acquirers, Saturn 5000's enhanced features allow the reader to support multiple application programs and read a variety of payments sources, including credit cards and key fobs and cell phones. The console's plug-and-play design and small footprint facilitates quick upgrades of existing POS terminals to accept contactless payments. And because the reader faces the customer, the Saturn 5000 enables easier and faster payment transactions. Additionally, OTI's patented matched antenna technology provides more effective power consumption, reliable and stable communications, and additional levels of security and encryption throughout the communication link. " ...


Via Discover Network: Discover Network Certifies Oti Card Reader For Contactless Payment System, OTI's Saturn 5000 to Support Discover Network's Fast, Secure, and Simple Contactless Payment System Worldwide

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Monday, July 17, 2006

RFID Alternative: Rubee Network Tags ...

IEEE works on the IEEE P1902.1 standard, an improvement on the RuBee visibility network protocol. RuBee is a bidirectional, on-demand, peer-to-peer, radiating, transceiver protocol operating at wavelengths below 450 Khz. The RuBee protocol works in harsh environments with networks of many thousands of tags and has an area range of 10 to 50 feet. ...

IEEE works on an RFID alternative standard called Rubee ...

... "One of the advantages of long-wavelength technology is that the radio tags can be low in cost, near credit card thin (1.5 mm), and fully programmable using 4 bit processors. Despite their high functionality, RuBee radio tags have a proven battery life of ten years or more using low-cost, coin-size lithium batteries. The RuBee protocol works with both active radio tags and passive tags that have no battery. IEEE P1902.1, IEEE Standard for Long Wavelength Wireless Network Protocol, will provide for asset visibility networking that fills the gap between the non-networked, non-programmable, backscattered, RFID tags widely used for asset tracking and the high-bandwidth radiating protocols for IEEE 802.11 local area networks and IEEE 802.15™ personnel area and data networks. " ...

RFID Alternative: Rubee Network Tags: Via IEEE: IEEE BEGINS WIRELESS, LONG-WAVELENGTH STANDARD FOR HEALTHCARE, RETAIL AND LIVESTOCK VISIBILITY NETWORKS

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Saturday, July 01, 2006

RFID MasterCard PayPass KeyFob ...

Good look at the Mastercard Paypass keyfob, based on RFID technology ...

... "The new MasterCard PayPass is an RFID token that uses radio frequency keys to authorize purchases. " ...

Via Popgadget: Citibank's RFID PayPass credit card ...

... "The average time consumers spend waiting in line is 7.4 minutes, but starting this fall, Citibank Banking Card cardholders in New York will begin zipping through checkout lines faster. They will be able to make their purchases quicker with the innovative, new tap-and-go Citibank MasterCard PayPass,a free, speedy companion payment device to the Citibank Banking Card, Citibank's ATM/debit card. Similarly, Citi will begin to pilot MasterCard PayPass for its credit card customers this fall. The PayPass key fob device fits on a key chain for easy access, so customers can make payments on purchases with a simple tap on a PayPass reader at participating merchants...and go. Following the initial launch in the New York market beginning this fall, Citibank plans to roll out 2.5 million PayPass debit devices across the country.

Paypass RFID picture ...

With the Citibank MasterCard PayPass, there is no need to swipe a banking card or hand it to a cashier to make a purchase. Customers simply tap their PayPass-enabled key fob on the PayPass reader at participating merchants and they are on their way. The purchase is automatically deducted from their checking account. When the lights flash on the reader, the transaction is complete. Tap-and-go convenience makes payment faster than using cash, check, even a card. Also, tracking smaller purchases is easier than when paying with cash, and no signature is required for purchases under $25 at select merchants. " ...

Via Mastercard International: Citibank Introduces Tap-and-Go Convenience for Its Debit Customers: Citibank MasterCard PayPass Fits on a Key Chain, Does Not Have to Be Swiped or Handed to a Cashier, Saves Time ...

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Wednesday, February 08, 2006

RFID-Enabled Smart Card ...

QI Sys is developing RFID smart cards for contactless payment applications ...

... "QI Systems Inc., a leading developer and integrator of smart card payment, access control and tracking solutions, announced that QI product engineers are now developing hardware and software components that support RFID-enabled contactless payment systems. RFID-enabled payment systems are rapidly gaining in popularity with merchants and consumers in the U.S. Small-value transactions can now be quickly completed using a payment card with a built-in microchip and wire-loop antenna utilizing very-short-range (several inches) radio waves to securely transmit account information from the card to the merchant point-of-sale terminal. There is no need for the merchant to swipe the card through a reader, so the cardholder always remains in control of the card and transaction time is optimized. MasterCard, Visa and American Express are actively promoting contactless-payment versions of their cards. The International Standards Organization has established an implementation specification enabling these credit-card leaders to share a common transmission protocol. That in turn facilitates the programming of a single merchant point-of-sale terminal to accept and process transactions from all three companies’ payment cards/devices. Merchants and cardholders alike should benefit significantly from the enhanced convenience and security offered by a broader selection of contactless payment solutions. " ...

RFID-Enabled Smart Card: Via QI Systems Inc.: QI Systems Inc. Developing Products for RFID-Enabled Smart Card ...

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Tuesday, February 07, 2006

RFID Credit Card Solution ...

SmartCode launches RFID-enabled solution for the credit card market ...

... "SmartCode Corp. - The RFID Company, the world’s leading manufacturer of low cost, high performance RFID hardware solutions announced its new SmartPay RFID solutions for the Contactless RFID Credit Card Market. Specially designed for the Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Chase Blink, SmartCode's new SmartPay RFID solution enables a time efficient contactless procedure for credit card transactions. Not requiring any physical contact between the credit card and the terminal, the SmartPay Credit Card RFID solution enable Merchants and Consumers to reduce card processing time and increase Point Of Sale throughput. The SmartPay Credit Card RFID solution also translates to lower maintenance costs and increased flexibility of terminal positioning such as on the counter, drive through installations or embedded into a variety of fixtures. Wall Street Journal and research firm TowerGroup estimates the market for transactions valued at less than $5 accounted for $1.32 trillion in consumer spending in 2003, representing more than 400 billion transactions. In addition, more than 37 million Americans are willing to use their cards for $5 or less and an estimated 6.5 million Americans would be comfortable using cards for transactions of less than $1, according to a study released late last year by the research firm Ipsos-Insight. " ...

RFID Credit Card Solution: Via SmartCode: SMARTCODE CORP. unleashes low cost RFID TO THE $1.32 trillion micro payments market: SmartCode Corp.'s new SmartPay Product line offers embedded RFID solutions for Visa, MasterCard and American Express RFID Credit Card solutions ...

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Friday, February 03, 2006

RFID e-Passport Security Breach ...

... "A Dutch television program Nieuwslicht recently worked with local security firm Riscure to successfully crack and decrypt a Dutch-prototype RFID passport. " ...


Via Engadget: Dutch RFID e-passport cracked -- US next? ...

Via Riscure: Privacy issues with new digital passport: "The new digital passport lacks in the protection of personal details of the passport holder. An attacker intercepting the contactless communication between the passport and the border control system can get access to the personal information held on the chip inside the new passport. ... Riscure is a Security Lab based in the Netherlands. Riscure evaluates the security of smart cards, mobile phones and related systems for banks, credit card companies, GSM operators, smart card manufacturers, organisations deploying digital IDs and companies in the pay television industry. "

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Saturday, December 17, 2005

Fingerprint RFID Security Sensor ...

Company is developing a fingerprint-secured RFID device for potential use in smart payment transactions and contactless applications. ...

... "Five-year-old Digital Defense Group says its credit-card-size token, which contains a fingerprint sensor and an RFID chip, is compliant with MasterCard International's PayPass contactless-payment program and can potentially be used for Internet transactions as well as payments in stores." ...

Fingerprint RFID Security Sensor: Via Digital Transactions: Digital Defense Group Set to Launch a Fingerprint-Secured RFID Card ...

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Monday, December 05, 2005

Wireless RFID: Parking Application ...

Laurie Sullivan explores the application of RFID technology to parking meter payment process. ...

Wireless RFID: Parking Application: Via CommsDesign: Wireless RFID helps feed parking meters ...

... "A Canadian company is adding RFID technology to its popular pay-by-cellular phone parking application, making a wave of a credit or ATM card as powerful as a fistful of quarters. " ...


Digital Payment (formerly Digital Pioneer) is an innovative leader in the design, manufacture and distribution of leading-edge revenue-management hardware, software and wireless solutions for the multi-billion-dollar parking industry. The company’s products provide complete financial tracking, control and reporting on parking revenue collected by cities, municipalities, parking management companies, private operators and national parks, from customer payment through to bank deposit. In June 2005, Digital Payment was ranked as the ninth fastest growing company in Canada by Profit Magazine.

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Friday, November 18, 2005

Blink RFID Contactless Credit Cards ...

RFID contactless credit cards free users from swiping and signing and make shopping more effortless. Jennifer Lawinski explores the Blink RFID technology being tested by Chank Bank in its Visa and Mastercard credit cards. ...

Blink RFID Contactless Credit Cards: Via InformationWeek: RFID Contactless Credit Cards Work In The Blink Of An Eye ...

... "The process involves waving a credit card with the embedded RFID chip in front of a scanning device that connects it with the credit account. The card must be within 20 centimeters of the scanner in order to be read. " ...


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Saturday, November 05, 2005

RFID Chips: Digital ID World: NYC ...

RFID Chips: Digital ID World: NYC: Via Forbes: The Week Ahead: Nov. 7-11 ...

... "RFID chips will be one of the topics of discussion at the Digital ID World conference in New York City. The event brings together banks, credit card providers, analysts and security technology companies like Microsoft and VeriSign ... " ...

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Sunday, October 02, 2005

Dexit RFID Service Pilot: Controlled Launch ...

Dexit RFID Service Pilot: Controlled Launch: Via Dexit: Dexit Opens in Ottawa ...

Dexit has initiated a controlled launch of the Dexit Service and installed its Dexit RFID tag readers and terminals in four independent merchant locations ...

... "Dexit has supplied approximately 1,500 RFID tags for distribution to the more than 5,000 people who work in the Place Bell office tower. Tags can be acquired by consumers at Sweet Rosie's Cafe and can be refilled at this location, online at dexit.com or by automated credit card refill authorization. " ...

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Thursday, September 29, 2005

RFID Contactless Payment Technology: Growth Market Opportunity

RFID Contactless Payment Technology: Growth Market Opportunity: Via USA Technologies: USA Technologies Issues Letter to Shareholders ...

... "This important agreement has placed the Company squarely in the middle of new payment technology being rolled out to millions of US consumers. Contactless RFID credit and debit cards are already being used at some movie theaters, quick serve restaurants and drug stores, and now, in vending machines. The card associations consider the $40 Billion vending market one of the last major opportunities for growth of cashless transactions, and believe that contactless RFID technology could help accelerate the vending industry's adoption and use of cashless payment. We believe this to be an important milestone for our Company. " ...


George R. Jensen Jr.
Chairman and CEO
USA Technologies, Inc.

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Wednesday, July 13, 2005

MasterCard SmartCard RFID Payment

MasterCard SmartCard RFID Payment: Hypercom Terminals Star in MasterCard Promotion at Major League Baseball All-Star Game FanFest: 80,000 Fans Tap for Prizes with Optimum T4100s and Smart Cards in Baseball Giveaway Event ...

... "MasterCard’s use of a contactless prize card drew attention to the MasterCard® PayPass™ program, an initiative that eliminates the need for consumers to swipe their credit cards through a reader. Cardholders simply tap their MasterCard PayPass card on a specially equipped merchant terminal that reads consumer account information from a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag embedded in the card. " ...


Widely recognized as the global payment technology innovator, Hypercom delivers complete card payment terminal, network access device, server and transaction networking solutions that help merchants and financial institutions generate revenues and increase profits. Hypercom’s card payment terminal, network and server solutions are leading the transformation of electronic payments in more than 100 countries. The company is headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona.

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Wednesday, June 01, 2005

RFID Contactless Cards Growth: Vending Applications ...

USA Technologies : Exciting Developments in Cashless Vending ...

... "We are collaborating with major players in the credit/debit card industry such as American Express, MasterCard and others to bring contactless payment technology to the vending market; and for us to further participate in the $40 billion US vending business, considered one of the last major cashless opportunities. These companies are conducting multi-million dollar advertising campaigns and shipping millions of new credit cards to consumers with RFID capability. The contactless cards are activated by radio frequency identification (RFID) technology, and are recognized by the e-Port terminal when the consumer either passes the credit card in front of the vending machine, or taps the reader. Our e-Port technology is also designed to continue to let consumers swipe their cards. " ...

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Sunday, May 22, 2005

RFID Key Fobs: eCommerce Transactions

Federal Reserve Board’s Request for Comment regarding the proposed changes to Regulation E ... Wendy Nolan Sutton, Assistant Vice President, Credit & Check Programs, The TJX Companies, Inc.

... "Customers are accustomed to electronic consumer payments in many environments including eCommerce, telephone, gas stations, and other retail establishments. They see many sources for debit entries against their checking accounts: online and offline debit card transactions, use of RFID key fobs, conversion of their paper checks, and verbal or electronic approval when supplying routing and account number in a telephone or eCommerce transaction. " ...

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Saturday, May 21, 2005

RFID Blink Smart Cards: Speed and Convenience

RFID Blink Smart Cards: Speed and Convenience: Chase To Roll Out Next Generation Payment Product This Summer

Chase will release RFID smart cards with blink capabilities ...

... "Chase Bank U.S.A., N.A., a division of JPMorgan Chase & Co. [NYSE: JPM], announced today that it will become the first bank to increase the speed and convenience of a credit card by broadly rolling out consumer cards with contactless functionality, called blink. Chase will begin a market-by-market rollout of the Chase credit cards with blink this summer, after working closely with merchants in each market to ensure the broadest possible acceptance at launch. Working in conjunction with Visa U.S.A. and MasterCard International Incorporated, Chase has identified merchants where speed and convenience are important to consumers, and has been actively building a roster of merchants in each market. Initially, Chase cardmembers will be able to blink at well-known movie theaters, convenience and specialty retailers such as 7-Eleven, quick service restaurants and drug stores. Chase will announce additional lists of specific merchants when they issue cards with blink in each market. " ...

RFID smart cards with blink contactless capability save consumers time and speeds transactions ...

The most significant timesavings can be realized in the drive-thru environment, where transaction time was reduced by as much as 20 seconds as compared to cash. Consumers also liked the convenience of not carrying cash for everyday purchases, meaning they no longer needed to fumble around for change and small bills, or be confined by the cash in their purses or wallets. In fact, 60 percent of respondents to a recent MasterCard survey said they use cash less often today than they did five years ago. For merchants, blink transactions speed checkout times and allow consumers to spend less time waiting in lines. Research has shown that customers who use blink cards often spend more per transaction and are happier with their store experience. Chase cards with blink also provide a reliable, trusted payment method that works well in environments where speed is important. JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM) is a leading global financial services firm.

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Tuesday, May 10, 2005

MicroPower UWB RFID Tag ...

MULTISPECTRAL SOLUTIONS RECEIVES CERTIFICATION FOR MICROPOWER RFID TAG UNDER NEW FCC UWB REGULATIONS ...

... "The FCC has issued a Grant of Equipment Authorization for Multispectral Solutions' micropower ultra wideband (UWB) Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag under its latest UWB regulations. The UWB tag is the fifth in a series of FCC-certified UWB products from the company, and is compatible with the company's latest Sapphire Precision Asset Location System product line. The tag is available in two form factors - a small asset tag for equipment and a credit card-sized mini-badge tag for personnel. Both UWB tags have ranges in excess of 650 feet line-of-sight, yet have battery life expectancies in excess of 4 years, over 2 orders of magnitude longer than other active RFID tags operating at the same blink rate of once per second. " ...

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Sunday, April 24, 2005

RFID Tracking and Inventory ...

Radio Frequency Identification Tags for Tracking and Inventory ...

... "Radio frequency tags (RFID) are small, inexpensive tags that can be used to identify, inventory and track assets. The tags range in size from a grain of rice to a credit card, and can be encoded with detailed information." ...

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Monday, April 18, 2005

RFID Loyalty Cards Drive Customer Service

RFID Café ™ is a proof of concept solution that enables the use of ABCO's RFID preferred customer cards in self-service kiosks to promote higher-efficiency line-busting in busy restaurant operations ...

... "In the RFID Cafe card and platform demonstration, preferred customers are issued special loyalty cards that store dollar values for purchasing food; tally award points based on frequency of purchases; and record quick-order preferences to speed order processing and eliminate long lines at the register. " ...


IBSS is the creator of Synapse, a groundbreaking software technology. Synapse is a complete framework and methodology used to create, implement and manage a wide variety of dynamic, distributed, networked, and real-time enterprise applications including RFID, quickly and efficiently. Global enterprises utilizing Synapse leverage the power of its single, flexible framework to enjoy tremendous time and cost advantages, in the development, deployment and on-going management of customized applications. Enabled by Synapse to take competitive advantage of cutting-edge technologies such as wireless networking, mobile computing and RFID, IBSS and its strategic partners bring solutions to customers for mission-critical applications in manufacturing, distribution, healthcare, finance, insurance, retail, education, and government. IBSS is headquartered in Columbia, South Carolina.

Arthur Blank & Co., Inc., founded in 1934 and located in Boston, Massachusetts, specializes in all facets of custom printed plastic cards. Products include private label loyalty, gift, phone, credit, debit, membership, security I.D., access cards, RFID and Smart cards, as well as complete card numbering and personalization. The company produces more than 600 million plastic cards a year, and its manufacturing capacity exceeds one billion cards annually. With its distributor partners, Arthur Blank serves many of today's Fortune 1000 companies.

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Wednesday, March 23, 2005

RFID-Enabled Fare Payment Systems ...

4.1 INTEGRATED ELECTRONIC AND AUTOMATED FARE PAYMENT SYSTEMS

... "Fare Systems Based on Passenger Accounts: It would be possible to operate a fare payment system based on the establishment of passenger accounts and the issuance of ID passes to riders. The entrance of passengers would be signaled by use of their pass, which could be a read-only magnetic stripe card, an RFID device, or even a bar code ID card. Passenger use information would be collected every time a passenger entered or exited a transit vehicle or station. The usage information would be processed and passengers would be billed periodically. Distance-based fares could be charged if passengers used their ID passes to indicate end points of trips as well as beginning points. No present or contemplated system employs such a scheme. However, the fare payment system used on Phoenix Transit buses comes close. Phoenix bus users can use their bank-issued credit cards to pay bus fares. In this case, Phoenix Transit relies on the banks to issue cards, keep track of accounts, and bill customers, all for the usual fees charged merchants by credit card companies. "

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Friday, March 18, 2005

RFID Smart Cards Identification Technology ...

The Committee on Energy and Commerce

... "Contactless identification technology is also used for personal identification, including in so-called smart cards. Smart cards typically come in a credit card form factor and carry sensitive, personally identifiable data. American consumers are likely to encounter smart cards and similar RF-enabled personal identification devices in their daily lives through applications such as secure access cards for building entry, speedy gasoline purchasing such as the Exxon Speedpass, vehicle anti-theft systems, and in transportation systems all over the world, including in the Minneapolis, San Francisco, Seattle, San Diego (in Subcommittee member Congressman Issa's district), Houston, and other systems. Smart cards are essentially RFID systems with advanced computing power, storage, and strong encryption accelerators, offering advanced services with enhanced security and privacy protection. In fact, smart cards are so powerful that the Department of Defense (DoD) and other government agencies are adopting the technology to secure access to their facilities and computer networks, even storing a picture and fingerprint of the cardholder on the card for enhanced security control. The DoD makes worst case scenario assumptions about the cards falling into the wrong hands and having large resources at their disposal to crack the card -- standards that advanced smart cards have met through the use of encryption, secure design, and other measures. " ...

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