Method and apparatus for image compression, storage and retrieval on magnetic transaction cards.

摘要

A transaction card is described in which an identifiable image can be stored in a limited amount of storage space. The image to be stored is converted to a pixel representation. The pixel representation is divided into a plurality of ordered image portions. Each image portion is compared with a set of reference pixel groups. Associated with each pixel group is a signal group. For each image portion, a signal group is chosen for the associated pixel group most closely associated with the pixel image portion. The signal groups are stored as physical patterns on the storage region of a transaction card. The physical patterns are read and converted to electrical signals, the signal groups can be identified. From the signal groups, a reference pixel group is identified and the reference pixel group is positioned with respect to the image at the same location as the image portion. Using this technique, a recognizable image can be constructed from images information compatible with the ISO-7811/2 standards.