Classifications

• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
  • G06K—GRAPHICAL DATA READING; PRESENTATION OF DATA; RECORD CARRIERS; HANDLING RECORD CARRIERS
  • G06K19/00—Record carriers for use with machines and with at least a part designed to carry digital markings
  • G06K19/06—Record carriers for use with machines and with at least a part designed to carry digital markings characterised by the kind of the digital marking, e.g. shape, nature, code
  • G06K19/067—Record carriers with conductive marks, printed circuits or semiconductor circuit elements, e.g. credit or identity cards also with resonating or responding marks without active components
  • G06K19/07—Record carriers with conductive marks, printed circuits or semiconductor circuit elements, e.g. credit or identity cards also with resonating or responding marks without active components with integrated circuit chips
  • G06K19/077—Constructional details, e.g. mounting of circuits in the carrier
  • G06K19/07749—Constructional details, e.g. mounting of circuits in the carrier the record carrier being capable of non-contact communication, e.g. constructional details of the antenna of a non-contact smart card
  • G06K19/07766—Constructional details, e.g. mounting of circuits in the carrier the record carrier being capable of non-contact communication, e.g. constructional details of the antenna of a non-contact smart card comprising at least a second communication arrangement in addition to a first non-contact communication arrangement
  • G06K19/07769—Constructional details, e.g. mounting of circuits in the carrier the record carrier being capable of non-contact communication, e.g. constructional details of the antenna of a non-contact smart card comprising at least a second communication arrangement in addition to a first non-contact communication arrangement the further communication means being a galvanic interface, e.g. hybrid or mixed smart cards having a contact and a non-contact interface
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
  • G06K—GRAPHICAL DATA READING; PRESENTATION OF DATA; RECORD CARRIERS; HANDLING RECORD CARRIERS
  • G06K17/00—Methods or arrangements for effecting co-operative working between equipments covered by two or more of main groups G06K1/00 - G06K15/00, e.g. automatic card files incorporating conveying and reading operations
  • G06K17/0022—Methods or arrangements for effecting co-operative working between equipments covered by two or more of main groups G06K1/00 - G06K15/00, e.g. automatic card files incorporating conveying and reading operations arrangements or provisious for transferring data to distant stations, e.g. from a sensing device
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
  • G06K—GRAPHICAL DATA READING; PRESENTATION OF DATA; RECORD CARRIERS; HANDLING RECORD CARRIERS
  • G06K19/00—Record carriers for use with machines and with at least a part designed to carry digital markings
  • G06K19/06—Record carriers for use with machines and with at least a part designed to carry digital markings characterised by the kind of the digital marking, e.g. shape, nature, code
  • G06K19/067—Record carriers with conductive marks, printed circuits or semiconductor circuit elements, e.g. credit or identity cards also with resonating or responding marks without active components
  • G06K19/07—Record carriers with conductive marks, printed circuits or semiconductor circuit elements, e.g. credit or identity cards also with resonating or responding marks without active components with integrated circuit chips
  • G06K19/0723—Record carriers with conductive marks, printed circuits or semiconductor circuit elements, e.g. credit or identity cards also with resonating or responding marks without active components with integrated circuit chips the record carrier comprising an arrangement for non-contact communication, e.g. wireless communication circuits on transponder cards, non-contact smart cards or RFIDs
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
  • G06K—GRAPHICAL DATA READING; PRESENTATION OF DATA; RECORD CARRIERS; HANDLING RECORD CARRIERS
  • G06K7/00—Methods or arrangements for sensing record carriers, e.g. for reading patterns
  • G06K7/0013—Methods or arrangements for sensing record carriers, e.g. for reading patterns by galvanic contacts, e.g. card connectors for ISO-7816 compliant smart cards or memory cards, e.g. SD card readers
  • G06K7/0056—Methods or arrangements for sensing record carriers, e.g. for reading patterns by galvanic contacts, e.g. card connectors for ISO-7816 compliant smart cards or memory cards, e.g. SD card readers housing of the card connector
  • G06K7/006—Methods or arrangements for sensing record carriers, e.g. for reading patterns by galvanic contacts, e.g. card connectors for ISO-7816 compliant smart cards or memory cards, e.g. SD card readers housing of the card connector the housing being a portable casing

Definitions

• THIS INVENTION relates to a system for smart cards.
• the invention relates to a pouch system for smart cards and, in particular, non-contact smart cards, to contact and non- contact smart cards adapted for use with the pouch system, and to the provision of a system employing a plurality of such pouches and such cards.
• Smart cards contain a surface mounted or embedded chip on the card.
• This chip contains a microprocessor and a memory area.
• the data stored in the memory area is accessible when the card is inserted into an appropriate form of card reader. Some of the memory area is usable during the course of the transaction to record new data received by the card from the card reader.
• Such a smart card has an array of contact pads, generally of gold, which are positioned in a standard arrangement on the card face. The power supply to the card is provided through the contact pads.
• the smart card is inserted into an appropriate card reader, which makes electrical contact with the contact pads.
• the chip microprocessor is then powered up and, following an appropriate handshake, a transaction is conducted according to parameters entered at the reader side.
• Such c-iT- ⁇ n ⁇ stanco ⁇ are, for example, in mass transit systems, in road tolling, in car park ticketing and for automated warehouse control. Accordingly, non-contact smart cards have been developed. Such cards are similar to the cards described above (referred to below as contact cards) , but instead of transmitting and receiving data through metal contact pads on the card surface, data is received and transmitted by means of an antenna loop and an induction coil to emit and receive electromagnetic waves at an appropriate frequency.
• Such cards can be powered in different ways.
• a small battery can be mounted on the card to power the chip which can be kept in a "sleep mode" at times when no transaction is to be conducted and brought to full operation when a signal from an appropriate signal source is detected.
• An advantage of this system is that unauthorised access to the card is relatively difficult as, in addition to the necessary signals for communication with the card, the card must also be sufficiently close to an appropriate external coil for it to be powered up. In known systems, this distance is typically in the region of 10 cm.
• a difficulty with the existing non-contact cards is that their range of operation is relatively small as it is not practical to place a large coil and antenna arrangement in or on a smart card having an ISO-defined standard size.
• the antennae used are essentially of normal wire but with a high carbon content and are often shaped (particularly by use of wire of a D-shaped cross-section) to enhance their effectiveness and to give them directional properties.
• the present invention provides a pouch system for smart cards, wherein said pouch system is provided with electrical contacts for connection with electrical contacts of an inserted smart card, thereby changing in use the capacity of the inserted card to receive and/or transmit external signals.
• this invention provides a smart card for use with a pouch system, which smart card comprises semi ⁇ conductor circuitry including a memory section and further comprises an induction coil and an antenna, said semi ⁇ conductor circuitry by conducting tracks, said semi ⁇ conductor circuitry being connected to contact pads formed on the surface of the card.
• Figure 1 is a plan view of a smart card embodying the present invention shown with the top laminate layers removed to expose a chip, antenna and induction coil mounted on an intermediate layer in the card;
• Figure 2 is a plan view of a top surface of the card of Figure 1;
• Figure 3 is a schematic view of one half of a pouch embodying the present invention for receiving the card of Figures 1 and 2, the plan view of the other half corresponding.
• Conventional smart cards comprise a number of laminated layers.
• a chip is typically located on the card after some, but not all, of the lamination layers have been formed.
• Smart cards embodying the present invention need not have the chip embedded at an intermediate stage of the lamination process. It is possible to form a card by lamination and then to mount the chip on top of the card.
• a typical card is in the region of 30 thousandths of an inch thick (0.76mm) .
• Figure 1 shows a card 1 embodying the present invention from which the top lamination layers have been removed to expose a chip 2.
• Tracks 3 on the card 1 are laid down to lead from the relevant pin connections 4,4', 5,5' of the chip 2 to an antenna loop 6 and an induction coil 7.
• the antenna loop 6 and the induction coil 7 are shown schematically in Figure 1.
• contact pads 8,8*, 9,9' are formed on each side 10,11 of the card i.
• Contact pads 9,9' cannot be seen in Figure 2 as they are on the opposite side 11 of the card 1.
• contact pads 8,8', 9,9' are formed on the card 1 by the applxcation of a conductive paint.
• the contact pads 8,8', 9,9' are shown as two adjacent parallel rectangular blocks.
• the contact pads 8,8', 9,9' may be in the form of text or symbols or formed as part of a design on the card 1.
• contact pad 8 is electrically connected to pin connection 4
• contact pad 8 ' to pin connection 4 ' and contact pads 9,9' are respectively electrically connected to pin connections 5,5'.
• a solid or hollow brass pin (not shown) having a length slightly greater than the thickness of the card 1 is punched through the card 1 so that it passes through and ohmically contacts a respective pin connection 4,4', 5,5'.
• An end of each pin protrudes on either side of the card 1.
• the protruding ends of the pin are flattened to form lands for facilitating electrical contact with the pins and, hence, the respective pin connections 4,4', 5,5'.
• the contact pads 8,8', 9,9' are formed on, or connected to, the flattened pin lands.
• a pin which is some 6/l,000ths of an inch (0.15mm) longer is used.
• the contact pads 8,8', 9,9' provide an enlarged area of electrical contact to the chip 2.
• the contact pads 8,8', 9,9' comprise the contact connections to the antenna loop 6 and the induction coil 7 within the card 1 and form one path 7 through hirl- th' ch' ⁇ "> can be powered up and another path 6 through which the card 1 can transmit and receive signals.
• the contact pads 8,8', 9,9' on the card 1 enable co-operation with a pouch system embodying the present invention.
• One side of a pouch 12 embodying the invention for use with the card 1 of Figures 1 and 2 is shown in Figure 3.
• the other side of the pouch comprises a mirror image of the first side. When sandwiched together, the two sides form a slot 12A in which a card 1 may be inserted.
• a pouch 12 in the pouch system retains a card 1 in the same manner as pouches in conventional credit card wallets.
• the pouches 12 of the pouch system are also provided with electrical contacts 13,13', 14,14' within the slot 12A for connection with the contact pads 8,8", 9,9' of a smart card 1 retained in the pouch 12 to change the capacity of the smart card 1 to receive and transmit external signals.
• Pouches 12 in the pouch system may have different configurations.
• electrical contacts formed on the pouch 12 are electrically connected to one another to short together the two contact pads 8,8', 9,9' on the card 1 which link the respective inputs on the chip 2 for powering up the chip 2 through the induction coil 7.
• This has the effect that when the card 1 is inserted in the pouch 12, it is quite impossible for the card 1 to be involved in any transaction because it is not possible to provide power to the card 1.
• This configuration of pouch 12 enables the card 1 to be placed in a so-called "park" position in which the card 1 is stored securely in the pouch 12 without there being any danger of unauthorised remote access.
• the pouch system may also comprise other pouch configurations in which the connection between electrical contacts 13,13', 14,14' on the pouch 12 (referring to Figure 3) an ⁇ J tha electrical contacts 8,8', 9,9' on the card l is used to different effect.
• a second configuration which may involve no more than re ⁇ orientation of the card l within a single pouch 12, or may alternatively involve placing the card 1 in a separate pouch 12' (not shown), the contact pads 8,8', 9,9' associated with the antenna loop 6 and the induction coil 7 contacts are connected to another and much larger, antenna loop 15 and induction coil 16 combination associated with the pouch system itself. This enables the card 1 to be read at a greater distance than would be possible for a conventional non-contact smart card using only the antennae within the card.
• a particularly useful embodiment of this configuration involves the placement of a card 1 in a pouch 12 which is fixed to the windscreen of a car.
• An antenna loop and induction coil combination formed of appropriate conducting paint or in another appropriate manner is fixed on the surface of the car windscreen and forms the power and signal pick-up for the smart card.
• This embodiment is especially suitable for mass transit applications such as road tolling as it thus becomes possible to take a toll from a car carrying a smart card without any need for unduly close proximity between the card and the card reader.
• the non-contact smart cavl ..ill ⁇ -»p ⁇ _ ⁇ 3 _ in tha same manner as a conventional non-contac smart card having a range in the region of 10 cm - i.e. a configuration in which the range is not extended and the card 1 is not disabled.
• Another useful embodiment for the non-contact smart card comprises use of the smart card as an intelligent luggage tag, the luggage tag itself comprising a pouch system embodying the present invention. Luggage tagged in this manner may be tracked whilst out of contact with the luggage owner. Rather than using the smart card itself, it is envisaged that the smart card may be cloned to provide card clones having either the same or a limited version of the information contained on the master smart card for use as such intelligent luggage tags.
• Non-contact smart cards in accordance with this invention can be produced using appropriate techniques and materials known for existing non-contact smart cards.
• the previously described technique of making electrical and mechanical contact with the various elements within the card laminate using a through pin may be modified to improve such connections either within or between laminates.
• the through pin is provided with pre-selected regions along its length which, under compression, increase in diameter or form, for example, fingers in a star pattern which radiate outwardly from the j>in co nm ⁇ :- good electrical and mechanical contact with the i espective element in or between laminates.
• a land is formed within the card.
• the pre-selected regions in the pin are selected to correspond to the position within the laminate at which the element to be contacted is located.
• the terminations of the element to be contacted by the land may be, for example, circular holes for receiving a through pin or in the shape of a star cut-out to accept the radiating fingers from the pin.
• the means of exchange of data between non-contact smart cards as employed in the invention and card readers can be as for existing non-contact smart cards.
• the software stored within the chip can be in accordance with existing non-contact smart cards systems and information exchanged can be according to known protocol.
• the card readers employed to conduct transactions with the cards and to power the cards may again be as are employed in existing non-contact smart card systems.
• a contact smart card having semi-conductor circuitry but no internal induction coil and antenna can be used with the pouch system of the present invention by providing electrical connection between the semi-conductor circuitry and contact pads formed on the surface of the card. Such connection would allow the card to use the induction coil and antenna of the pouch system thereby allowing the card to operate as a non-contact smart card.

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Publications (2)

Family

ID=10786829

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (8)

Families Citing this family (2)

Family Cites Families (5)

• 1996
  • 1996-01-10 GB GB9600442A patent/GB2309108B/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
• 1997
  • 1997-01-08 EP EP97900303A patent/EP0879450A3/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 1997-01-08 WO PCT/GB1997/000053 patent/WO1997025688A2/en not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 1997-01-08 EA EA199800632A patent/EA199800632A1/ru unknown
  • 1997-01-08 AU AU13892/97A patent/AU1389297A/en not_active Abandoned
  • 1997-01-08 BR BR9707128-5A patent/BR9707128A/pt not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 1997-01-08 CA CA 2242920 patent/CA2242920A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 1997-01-08 JP JP9524982A patent/JP2000503147A/ja active Pending

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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