Siten Sanghvi / Granted October 5, 2021
The payment
card, reinvented
with light.
US11138488B2Patent number
2019-06-26Filed
2 yr 3 moTime to grant
19 Claims3 independent
15 CitationsForward citations
SCROLL TO EXPLORE
Visual patent explainer
01 / The problem
Your card
knows nothing
about you.
A standard payment card is static hardware — the same data, always visible, always vulnerable. It cannot adapt, cannot protect itself, and cannot sense context.
Three failure modes of conventional cards
01
STATIC DATA — ALWAYS EXPOSEDYour real account number lives on the card permanently. One skimmer, one data breach, one theft — and it is exposed forever. There is no expiry on a stolen number.
EXPOSURE
02
NO PHYSICAL LOSS PROTECTIONA lost or stolen card keeps working until you notice and call. A device that carries your financial identity should detect separation from its owner.
LOSS RISK
03
WRONG IDENTITY AT THE WRONG TIMEYour wallet holds a credit card, a driver's license, insurance cards, a passport. None of them know where you are or which one you need right now.
FRICTION
02 / The inventive move
One card.
Every identity.
Zero permanence.
An OLED smart card that pairs to your phone, generates single-use codes, and erases its own sensitive data the moment it loses contact with you.
It combines an ultra-thin OLED display, an encrypted chipset, a Bluetooth circuit, and a location-aware processor — replacing an entire wallet with one intelligent device that shows only what you need, only when you are present to use it.
Core inventive elements — Claim 1
1
OLED ARRAY ≥90% CARD SURFACEFull-face display generates one-time representations of sensitive data — credit card numbers, driver's licenses, passports — on demand.
2
MOBILE DEVICE PAIRINGBluetooth tether to paired phone. Card activates sensitive data only when phone is within range. Separation triggers self-protection protocols.
3
LOCATION-AWARE ACTIVATIONProcessor uses mobile device location to determine which sensitive data to activate — credit at POS, license at a traffic stop, insurance at a pharmacy.
4
SINGLE-USE CODE GENERATIONActivated data is never transmitted as-is. A one-time representation is generated, valid for one transaction within a time and location window, then invalidated.
03 / The system
Card, phone,
terminal —
one secure loop.
The smart card operates as an IoT edge-node paired to a mobile device that provides location context and authorization. Data only flows when three conditions are met: proximity, authentication, and valid context.
Sensitive data stays encrypted in the chipset at all times — the OLED surface only ever displays ephemeral representations, valid once, then gone.
System data flow — US11138488B2
MOB
MOBILE DEVICE — CONTEXT PROVIDERProvides GPS location, issues override instructions, authorizes data activation. Bluetooth Class 2 tether ≤10 m range to card.
CRD
SMART CARD — EDGE NODEReceives location context. Activates appropriate sensitive data. Generates one-time representation. Monitors own security state continuously.
OLE
OLED SURFACE — OUTPUT CHANNELDisplays one-time code as: 16-digit CC format (NFC/contact), illuminated QR pattern (optical scan), or identity face (visual verification).
TRM
TERMINAL — DATA CONSUMERPOS terminal, optical scanner, or officer verification. Receives one-time representation. Code cannot be replayed or reused.
ONE-USE04 / The OLED stack
Five layers.
Credit-card
thin.
The entire device — display, processor, battery, and communication circuit — fits within standard credit-card dimensions. The OLED array covers at least 90% of the 85.60 x 53.98 mm surface.
A transparent OLED lets sunlight reach a solar panel beneath — the battery charges passively from ambient light and via electrical contact when inserted into a reader.
Layer construction — cross section (not to scale)
01
ENCAPSULATION LAYERUltra-thin protective glass (≤0.1 mm). Shields organic layer from moisture and oxygen that degrade OLED performance over time.
02
ORGANIC LIGHT EMITTER ARRAYOLED pixel matrix — ≥90% of 85.60 mm x 53.98 mm surface. Dual-face: front renders payment data, back renders identity credentials.
03
CIRCUIT LAYERProcessor (≤0.25 mm thick), designated encrypted chipset, Bluetooth communication circuit, MEMS gyroscope, heat sensor.
04
SOLAR PANEL LAYERTransparent OLED allows light to pass through. Photovoltaic cells harvest ambient light to charge the flexible battery (≤0.8 mm total).
05
SUBSTRATEFlexible base. Electrical contact on one face transfers charge from a card reader to the battery, supplementing solar charging during active use.
05 / The display
Front or back —
two identities,
one card.
The OLED array covers both faces. The front renders payment credentials in credit-card format. The back renders identity credentials — driver's license photo, number, and machine-readable barcode.
Neither face ever shows a real account number — every code is generated on demand, valid within a location and time window, then invalidated.
OLED face configurations — claims 10 and 12
Front face — payment
.... .... .... 7291
ONE-TIME CODE · VALID 90s
NFC · CONTACT · QR OPTICAL
SINGLE-USE
NFC · CONTACT · QR OPTICAL
Back face — identity
FIRST LAST · DOB · [PHOTO]
LICENSE NO. · STATE · ADDRESS
BARCODE · MACHINE-READABLE
LOCATION-ACTIVATED
BARCODE · MACHINE-READABLE
Values shown are illustrative. Actual codes are generated one-time by the processor and never repeat across transactions.
06 / Security mechanism
The right data,
once — then
gone.
The processor monitors location via the paired mobile device and activates the appropriate sensitive data before a transaction request even arrives, reducing latency at the moment of use.
A second data type — license, insurance, passport — activates only on explicit override from the phone, pre-decrypted for speed, valid only within a tight time and proximity window.
Code generation — claim 1 flow
LOC
LOCATION DETECTEDMobile device GPS identifies context — merchant, pharmacy, clinic, border crossing, traffic stop. System determines which sensitive data is appropriate.
ACT
SENSITIVE DATA ACTIVATEDFirst data (payment) activates by location. Second data (identity) activates on explicit override from mobile. Both are pre-decrypted to minimize response latency.
GEN
ONE-TIME REPRESENTATION GENERATED16-digit CC format for NFC/contact; illuminated QR pixel pattern for optical readers; visual face for human verification. Each is unique and time-bounded.
INV
TRANSMITTED → INVALIDATEDTerminal receives the code. After transmission or timeout, the representation is invalidated by the processor. Cannot be replayed, cloned, or reused.
DONE07 / Tamper protection
Lose it — and
it erases
itself.
The card monitors three security conditions continuously. Any trigger causes the processor to purge all sensitive data from the designated chipset. A found card is a dead card.
A MEMS gyroscope and heat sensor detect removal from a wallet, wake the processor, and trigger a Bluetooth check — if the phone is out of range, purge executes automatically.
Purge trigger conditions — claims 8 and 9
BLUETOOTH TETHER — CONNECTION ACTIVE
Card within 10 m of paired mobile device — secure. If connection drops for a predetermined time interval, all sensitive data is purged. Rightful user is always nearby.
BATTERY LEVEL — BELOW THRESHOLD
Low battery suggests inactivity — card not in regular use or being charged. Low charge is a proxy for possible loss or abandonment. Purge executes to protect stored data.
TAMPER DETECTION — CHIPSET INTRUSION
Physical intrusion or unauthorized electronic access attempt detected on the designated chipset. Immediate purge — no time window, no override, no recovery.
Threshold values are illustrative. Specific trigger parameters are implementation choices, not patent claims.
08 / Real-world applications
One device
for every
identity check.
The smart card's context-aware architecture and dual-face display support a range of use cases — from everyday payment to travel documentation and physical access control.
Use cases — Express = explicitly claimed · Inferred = extrapolated
09 / Forward citations
Cited by Capital One,
Apple — and 13 more.
15 patents have cited this work as prior art, spanning smart card hardware, contactless authentication, and transaction card assembly. Capital One Services is the primary citing entity with multiple patent families.
Forward citations by Google Patents / checked Jun 2026
Capital One
Apple Inc.
Nokia
HCL Technologies
Idex Biometrics
+ 10 more
10 / Patent lifecycle
From idea to active patent.
Jun 2019
Priority Filed
US16/452,885 filed
priority date established
priority date established
1 yr 6 mo
Dec 2020
Published
US20200410314A1
claims publicly visible
claims publicly visible
9 mo
Oct 2021
Granted
USPTO granted US11138488B2
19 claims, 3 independent
19 claims, 3 independent
~18 years
Feb 2040
Expires
Adjusted expiration
includes patent term adj.
includes patent term adj.
End / Patent 05