With new contactless specifications, card medium forms are now flexible. The major networks such as MasterCard, VISA, and AMEX are allowing the issuance of cards, key fobs, and even some tests are being run in mobile phones. The commonality behind all of these form factors is “Type Approved” microchips that run the appropriate “Type Approved” payment applications. This leaves the door open to have flexible card mediums that provide added value to the consumer.

Elemental Knowledge takes advantage of both the flexible form factor as well as the security behind Secure Element payments to bring the same security to eCommerce and mCommerce. Being that the major barrier to using contactless cards as an at home shopper is that the shopper is lacking a contactless reader to accept the card at the PC. Most PC’s, however, do have an accessible USB interface. To take advantage of the ubiquity of the USB port and the security of the Secure Element, Elemental Knowledge has developed the concept of “Reader On Card” that has three functions:

• USB Keyboard emulation to any device it interfaces to. Linux, Apple, PC all view the
device as a keyboard. No drivers to be installed.
• Secure Element interrogation. Simply, to interrogate the Secure Element as a reader would.
• To add a level of security to Track 2 equivalent data with a dynamic card number for internet transactions.