Cardberry discount cards aggregator: from idea to prototype
Someone has just a couple of discount cards, someone has 10, and someone carries a whole stack of plastic with him every day. Obviously, with the addition of loyalty programs, the weight of a wallet increases in direct proportion. And we figured out how to solve this difficult problem in the literal sense of the word.
The concept of the project is to transfer all discount cards to digital and use them, having only a smart phone and the only Cardberry electronic card with you.
Cardberry is a bundle consisting of hardware and mobile software. Two basic tools work in a bundle: an electronic Cardberry card and a mobile application of the same name for iOS and Android.
And it happens this way: first, we load all discount cards into the Cardberry application. We have thoroughly analyzed all sorts of discount cards and divided them into 3 types: cards with magnetic stripe, cards with a bar code, cards with a number, as well as combined cards with several types of information at once. All these types of discount cards can be added to our application. It will store all data on the card: information from a magnetic strip, a digital code, a card number, an image on both sides and the name of the store. Especially for magnetic stripe cards, we added a magnetic card reader to the Cardberry set, which all mobile cashless terminals systems are equipped with today. Now that all the cards are in the app, you can simply leave them at home.
Go to the next stage. You have chosen the item you like in the store and are going to use your discount. In the Cardberry application, you select the desired discount card and click "Transfer." At this point, the application establishes a connection with the Cardberry card and transmits the data of the discount card to it. After a few seconds, the result of a successful operation is displayed on the smartphone screen. The card is now ready to be read by the card reader, and you can hand it over to the cashier.
(Photo card with screen)
')
The idea to lighten the wallet, it would seem, lies on the surface. But in reality, the complexity and innovation at the same time of this project was to develop an optimal technology for emulation of discount cards to the Cardberry electronic card.
At the same time, the technology had to meet several requirements:
High speed data transfer
Card emulation should be quick and easy, as if you normally take a discount card from the bag. The card is supposed to be used directly in front of the cash register, and the data transfer process itself should take minimal time. If you go beyond a few seconds, preparing for the application of a discount may require additional time resources from the user. And this is a discomfort that we must not allow.
Minimum energy consumption
Owners of the Cardberry electronic card will most often have to: one store, second, third. And here it becomes important to preserve both the charge of the smartphone and the card itself. Cardberry receiver is energy efficient. In addition, the card automatically shuts off several minutes after use, which forms its average service life of up to 2 years.
Security
Now we are actively working to ensure maximum data security both within the application and for the Cardberry electronic card. It is for this reason that the Cardberry project is temporarily not serving bank cards. But this option will be provided in the near future. In the meantime, a standard PIN identification identification scheme is used to connect to the Cardberry card.
Independent work
Considering the unstable Internet connection in some stores and shopping centers, we decided to make our technology as independent as possible from external circumstances. The transfer of the discount card data to the Cardberry electronic card is carried out via Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) channel without using the Internet.
Cardberry is not only a comfortable shopping, but also additional opportunities for users. The application allows you to share discounts with friends. For example, you can ask for a discount card from a friend and use the discount for 24 hours. Unless of course, he will allow you. Then the discount card will independently return to the owner.
At Cardberry, we tried to initiate a new form of loyalty - virtual discounts. In the near future, all Cardberry users will be able to receive special discount cards from partner stores directly inside the application. In the "Card Store" section you can download new discount cards and use them in stores. This will help users avoid the exhausting filling of questionnaires and other formalities.
Now the Cardberry project is in the final stages of development. The first prototype is ready and undergoing testing. The project starts in July this year at once in 3 markets: Russia, Great Britain and the USA. Despite the difference between the audiences of these countries, the problem of an excessive number of plastic cards is present in each of them.
There are a number of issues that we still have to solve. One of the most pressing ones: what to do if the cashier refuses to accept the Cardberry card instead of the original discount card? The reason may be external differences, because in reality the Cardberry electronic card is a regular plastic card that becomes a complete duplicate of the store’s discount card in the process of data transfer. We are sure that Cardberry users should not have such problems, because the application contains all the initial data about the card, including a two-sided photo. Over time, when Cardberry gains momentum, store personnel will stop paying attention to these differences.
Another nuance is the compatibility of the Bluetooth BLE channel with mobile devices. This energy-saving technology is completely new and is currently only compatible with new models of smartphones. However, we found a module that is compatible with older phone models, but significantly more expensive than a sample with support for only BLE.
The first batch of Cardberry will be pre-order with a 50% discount. Anyone who wants to be the first to evaluate a new technology will be able to do it on www.cardberry.com . from the beginning of July 2014. The project will also be posted on the crowdfunding platform www.kickstarter.com at the same time (July, 2014).
In the next post we will tell in detail about the "stuffing" of the card.
Cardberry concept
The concept of the project is to transfer all discount cards to digital and use them, having only a smart phone and the only Cardberry electronic card with you.
Cardberry is a bundle consisting of hardware and mobile software. Two basic tools work in a bundle: an electronic Cardberry card and a mobile application of the same name for iOS and Android.
And it happens this way: first, we load all discount cards into the Cardberry application. We have thoroughly analyzed all sorts of discount cards and divided them into 3 types: cards with magnetic stripe, cards with a bar code, cards with a number, as well as combined cards with several types of information at once. All these types of discount cards can be added to our application. It will store all data on the card: information from a magnetic strip, a digital code, a card number, an image on both sides and the name of the store. Especially for magnetic stripe cards, we added a magnetic card reader to the Cardberry set, which all mobile cashless terminals systems are equipped with today. Now that all the cards are in the app, you can simply leave them at home.
Go to the next stage. You have chosen the item you like in the store and are going to use your discount. In the Cardberry application, you select the desired discount card and click "Transfer." At this point, the application establishes a connection with the Cardberry card and transmits the data of the discount card to it. After a few seconds, the result of a successful operation is displayed on the smartphone screen. The card is now ready to be read by the card reader, and you can hand it over to the cashier.
(Photo card with screen)
')
How did the idea
The idea to lighten the wallet, it would seem, lies on the surface. But in reality, the complexity and innovation at the same time of this project was to develop an optimal technology for emulation of discount cards to the Cardberry electronic card.
At the same time, the technology had to meet several requirements:
High speed data transfer
Card emulation should be quick and easy, as if you normally take a discount card from the bag. The card is supposed to be used directly in front of the cash register, and the data transfer process itself should take minimal time. If you go beyond a few seconds, preparing for the application of a discount may require additional time resources from the user. And this is a discomfort that we must not allow.
Minimum energy consumption
Owners of the Cardberry electronic card will most often have to: one store, second, third. And here it becomes important to preserve both the charge of the smartphone and the card itself. Cardberry receiver is energy efficient. In addition, the card automatically shuts off several minutes after use, which forms its average service life of up to 2 years.
Security
Now we are actively working to ensure maximum data security both within the application and for the Cardberry electronic card. It is for this reason that the Cardberry project is temporarily not serving bank cards. But this option will be provided in the near future. In the meantime, a standard PIN identification identification scheme is used to connect to the Cardberry card.
Independent work
Considering the unstable Internet connection in some stores and shopping centers, we decided to make our technology as independent as possible from external circumstances. The transfer of the discount card data to the Cardberry electronic card is carried out via Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) channel without using the Internet.
Additional features
Cardberry is not only a comfortable shopping, but also additional opportunities for users. The application allows you to share discounts with friends. For example, you can ask for a discount card from a friend and use the discount for 24 hours. Unless of course, he will allow you. Then the discount card will independently return to the owner.
At Cardberry, we tried to initiate a new form of loyalty - virtual discounts. In the near future, all Cardberry users will be able to receive special discount cards from partner stores directly inside the application. In the "Card Store" section you can download new discount cards and use them in stores. This will help users avoid the exhausting filling of questionnaires and other formalities.
Cardberry today
Now the Cardberry project is in the final stages of development. The first prototype is ready and undergoing testing. The project starts in July this year at once in 3 markets: Russia, Great Britain and the USA. Despite the difference between the audiences of these countries, the problem of an excessive number of plastic cards is present in each of them.
There are a number of issues that we still have to solve. One of the most pressing ones: what to do if the cashier refuses to accept the Cardberry card instead of the original discount card? The reason may be external differences, because in reality the Cardberry electronic card is a regular plastic card that becomes a complete duplicate of the store’s discount card in the process of data transfer. We are sure that Cardberry users should not have such problems, because the application contains all the initial data about the card, including a two-sided photo. Over time, when Cardberry gains momentum, store personnel will stop paying attention to these differences.
Another nuance is the compatibility of the Bluetooth BLE channel with mobile devices. This energy-saving technology is completely new and is currently only compatible with new models of smartphones. However, we found a module that is compatible with older phone models, but significantly more expensive than a sample with support for only BLE.
The first batch of Cardberry will be pre-order with a 50% discount. Anyone who wants to be the first to evaluate a new technology will be able to do it on www.cardberry.com . from the beginning of July 2014. The project will also be posted on the crowdfunding platform www.kickstarter.com at the same time (July, 2014).
In the next post we will tell in detail about the "stuffing" of the card.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/227389/
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