ARLINGTON, Texas -- The Pinnacle Corp. said E-MICRO Corp.'s MyCard technology has been approved by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office. In May 2005, Pinnacle was the initial licensee of this new technology by E-MICRO.
This patent covers all aspects of the MyCard concept including multi-card applications with a single identification, said Frank Gangi, founder and president of E-MICRO as well as inventor of MyCard. MyCard is directed towards the use of cell phones, radio frequency identification, and conventional delivery techniques such as magnetic [image-nocss] stripes, bar codes and keypad entry. Licensees within many segments of the retailing and identification industries, particularly the convenience store and petroleum industry, will benefit in many ways by deploying the intellectual property covered under this patent introduced by Pinnacle.
Bob Johnson, president of Arlington, Texas-based Pinnacle, said, MyCard technology revolutionizes the way cards are used. Instead of carrying several cards such as debit, credit, and personal data like a driver's license or place of employment access ID, the consumer carries one card. One card replaces five or ten cards, making it extremely convenient and efficient at the point-of-sale.
Pinnacle is building MyCard technology into Palm POS and Loyalink loyalty solution that will be available early next year.
E-MICRO is headquartered in Frisco, Texas. Gangi is the inventor of the first automated money order dispenser that was later patented and acquired by Viad Corp. He is also the inventor of the cardless ATM concept, later patented by Electronic Data Systems Corp., the rights to which were acquired by First Data Corp. In September 2005, E-MICRO was awarded U.S. patent number 6,938,821.
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