Abstract: A portable consumer device includes a base, and a computer readable medium on the base. The computer readable medium comprises code for an issuer verification value and a supplemental verification value. The issuer verification value is used by an issuer to verify that the portable consumer device is authentic in an on-line transaction and the supplemental verification value is used to verify that the portable consumer device is authentic in an off-line transaction.

Abstract: At each of a plurality of point of sale terminals (POS) of a transit system, for each of a plurality of riders, where each rider seeks access into a facility of the transit facility by using a payment device issued by an issuer in a payment system, data is read from the payment device. The data can include an identifier for an account issued by an issuer. For each such access, a communication including the account is addressed to a network address of a system remote from the payment processing system and remote from each of POS terminals. A response to the communication is received that includes information as to the validation of the access based upon the account being on a list keep by remote system. When the received information contains the validation of the access, the rider is permitted access to the facility of the transit system and the payment device is unchanged for the fare of the access to the facility of the transit system.

Abstract: At each of a plurality of merchant Point Of Service terminals (POS), for each of a plurality of consumers, where each consumer seeks to conduct a transaction with the merchant for a good or service by using a payment device issued by an issuer in a payment system, data is read from the payment device. The data can include an identifier for an account issued by an issuer. The consumer is permitted to receive the good or service from the merchant prior to validating the account with the issuer. Transaction information for each transaction is stored during a predetermined aggregation criteria, such as time period, number of transactions, monetary volume, etc., into an aggregation set of said transactions. During the predetermined aggregation criteria, an evaluation is made, by communication with the corresponding issuer, whether the accounts in the aggregation set of transactions are valid.

Abstract: At each of a plurality of point of sale terminals (POS) of a merchant, for each of a plurality of consumers, where each consumer seeks to conduct a transaction with the merchant for a good or service at a cost by using a payment device issued by an issuer in a payment system, data is read from a payment device. The data can include an identifier for an account issued by an issuer. Information is stored for each transaction and the consumer is permitted to receive the good or service from the merchant. After the consumer has received the good or service, a batch of the transaction are processed to derive there from the respective costs that are assessable to the respective accounts, where the merchant can be a transit system, the consumer a rider thereon, and the transaction can be access to a facility thereof.

Abstract: Each portable payment device associated with a single account within a payment processing system is distinguished using track data. The track data from the portable payment device is read at each of a plurality of merchant point of sale terminals (POS). Rather than relying on the PAN alone, a merchant may utilizes the track data, or a proxy thereof, as the unique identifier for the portable payment device. The merchant may then process transactions involving the portable payment device based on the unique identifier. For example, in the transit environment the transit fare for each rider with different portable payment devices but the same account can be calculated using the unique identifier, such as the full track data read from both tracks of the corresponding portable payment devices.

Abstract: A module for thermally processing a substrate has a plurality of thermally-conductive heating elements supported in position within a plane. Resistive heaters in the form of cartridge heaters are in thermal contact with the heating elements. Multiple zones are enabled by physical separation of the heating elements that constitute the thermal processing plate. A cooling plate is positioned in proximity to the backside of the heating elements and can be driven into thermal contact with the upper heated plate when cooing is desired.

Abstract: A thermal cycling module includes an array of thermoelectric devices ?36! divided into multiple zones ?A, B, C, D! independently controlled by corresponding variable power supplies ?56, 58, 60, 62!. The thermoelectric devices ?36! provide localized, precise, and rapid control of both heating and cooling, while fluid from one of several fluid supplies ?64, 66, 68! provides bulk heating or cooling via a fluid heat exchanger ?38!. Sensors ?46, 48, 50, 52! provide feedback of temperature or other process parameters to a controller ?54! which generates control signals for controlling the power supplies ?56, 58, 60, 62!, the fluid supplies ?64, 66, 68!, and fluid valves ?70, 72! which control fluid flow through the heat exchanger ?38!.