Abstract: Payment readers can variously have kernels of different generations, capable of performing different (or different suites of) payment processing functions. A payment reader may be designed to obtain raw payment data from a payment device, process that data if appropriate, and transmit the data to a mobile device external to the payment reader, the mobile device having similar, more, or different processing resources than the payment reader. A mobile device is capable of determining the type and source of payment data received, for example on whether the data is processed or raw (processed data). The mobile device may then selectively determine whether and how to process the payment data and to transmit it to a payment server for approval of a payment transaction.

Abstract: A payment reader can have one or more kernels capable of performing certain payment processing functions but not capable of performing certain, more processing-intensive payment processing functions. The payment reader may be designed to selectively assign processing tasks to application layer kernels located on a mobile device and/or a cloud-based device external to the payment reader, the mobile device having more or different processing resources than the payment reader. The selective assignment may be made dynamically based on the measurement of a condition of the reader or an occurrence of an event, such as a determination that the payment reader cannot process a transaction, that the payment reader does not have sufficient battery strength to process the transaction, or that there has been a tempering attempt at the payment reader. The payment reader also has a physical layer module, which module maintains its processing on the payment reader.