METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ASSOCIATING IDENTIFICATION AND PERSONAL DATA FOR MULTIPLE MAGNETIC STRIPE CARDS OR OTHER SOURCES

A method and apparatus for warehousing information in a wallet consolidator, including personal identification data for facilitating a transaction. The wallet consolidator includes a controller for controlling operation of the wallet consolidator, a magnetic stripe reader/writer for reading and writing magnetic stripes, a bar code scanner for scanning bar codes, a keypad for inputting user selections and commands, a memory for storing information provided to the wallet consolidator, a smart card interface for effectuating communication between the wallet consolidator and a smart card and a display screen for displaying text and graphics, the display screen further for displaying a bar code pattern capable of being scanned by a bar code reader. To store information in the wallet consolidator, or alternatively in a smart card interfaced to the wallet consolidator, information is read from magnetic stripes on various types of cards such as, but not limited to, credit, debit and identification cards. Additionally, images of the cards including, but not limited to, signatures and portraits are downloaded and stored. A user retrieves the information from any of the stored magnetic stripes and writes the information to a single magnetic stripe for use in a point of sale transaction. Similarly, stored images are retrieved and displayed on a display screen including a bar code which can be scanned by a bar code scanner.