FR2941807A1 - Personalizable electronic device e.g. universal serial bus memory key, for e.g. storage of data, has personalization element carried by support, and box defining housing for receiving support such that element is visible from exterior - Google Patents

Abstract

The device i.e. electronic key (10), has an electronic module connected to a universal serial bus (USB)connector (14), and an external body that forms a box (20) defining a housing for receiving the module. An oblong support (26) is formed in a smart card body (60) and separated from the module. A graphical personalization element (28) is carried by the support. The box defines another housing (30) for receiving the support such that the personalization element is visible from the exterior.

Description

The present invention relates to the technical field of electronic keys such as USB memory sticks (acronym for the expression Universal Serial Bus), in particular used for the transport and storage of computer data. In general, an electronic key comprises a set of electronic circuits, hereinafter referred to as an electronic module of the key, generally carried by a printed circuit support and a housing inside which this module and the support are housed. This housing provides mechanical cohesion to the key facilitating its grip and a protection of the electronic module against possible shocks.

The key is also provided with a USB connector adapted to engage a port compliant with the USB standard of an external terminal, such as a personal computer. This connector generally comprises a first portion protruding from the housing and a second portion electrically connected to the electronic module.

The module comprises, for example, an EPROM (Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory) or EEPROM (Electrically Readable Programmable Read Only Memory) as well as a microcontroller for managing the memory and converting the signal. data exchanged between the key and the external terminal in accordance with the USB standard. It is known, particularly from document FR 2 877 461, to graphically customize such an electronic key. Thus, graphic customization consists of an alphanumeric character string, a photograph, a drawing, and so on. Graphic customization is distinct from functional customization, which consists of adding new technical functions to the key.

In this document, the electronic key comprises a support carrying in a first zone the electronic module and, in a second zone, a personalization element of the key, this graphic personalization element being placed on the support so as to be visible to the user. outside the key. The disadvantage of such a device is that since the same carrier carries the module and the graphic personalization element, the manufacture of the electronic key is directly attached to its personalization. This requires customizing the key as soon as it is manufactured to make it functional.

Such a constraint does not allow a great flexibility in the graphic personalization, because the latter is fixed in the factory. The invention is intended in particular to allow a graphic personalization of the key, as late as possible, and in any case after manufacture of the key (for example during the sale) in a relatively simple manner. To this end, the subject of the invention is a customizable electronic device, of the USB connector key type, comprising an electronic module connected to the USB connector and an external body forming a housing delimiting a first housing arranged to receive the module, characterized in that the device comprises a support formed in a smart card-type card body and separated from the module and a graphic personalization element of the device carried by the support and in that the housing delimits a second housing arranged to receive the support so as to that the personalization element is visible from the outside.

Thanks to the physical separation of the module and the support, the manufacture of the key is carried out independently of its personalization. Thus, the personalization of the key is simplified because the latter is manufactured in large series and is personalized at the last moment, for example, during the sale, by inserting the support in its housing.

Preferably, the housings are physically separated so as to ensure a seal of the first housing relative to its external environment. Alternatively, the housing can communicate with each other. In addition, conventional smart card printing machines can be used to realize the graphic personalization because the graphic personalization medium is formed in a card body. Card body means, in the rest of the application and in the sense of the invention, the support part of a smart card, generally made of an insulating material such as for example a plastic material, without the chip.

Thus, preferably, the body is inert, that is to say within the meaning of the invention, this body is devoid of electronic and / or magnetic elements such as a magnetic tape, an antenna and a chip etc. In the document FR 2 877 461, it is necessary to insert the USB electronic module inside a card body to protect it during graphic customization. The invention makes it possible to simplify the manufacture of the key by allowing the use of a USB electronic module surface-mounted on one side of a printed circuit support and not necessarily enclosed. Indeed, in the invention, the graphic personalization and the manufacture of the key are two separate steps performed on two separate media. The skilled person is thus diverted from the solution proposed by the state of the art which clearly encourages him to group together the functional aspect of the key and the graphic personalization aspect of the key on the same support. The problem of graphic customization of a USB key is solved with a completely different approach by the invention. The invention thus deflects the conventional use of a card body, adapted to incorporate functions in the form of a chip, a magnetic strip, etc., for use exclusively as a graphic personalization support. This map is preferably in ISO-7816 format. Thus, the invention makes it possible to take advantage of existing machines for the printing of smart cards to customize electronic keys.

The invention therefore has a certain advantage for companies already using personalized smart cards to identify their customers and wishing to replace smart cards with personalized electronic keys.

Preferably, in order to avoid any falsification of identity of the electronic key, the housing comprises means for preventing the support from being tampered with in its housing in order to avoid the extraction of the support from the housing after its first introduction into the housing. Thus, once the first implementation of the graphic personalization support in the second housing, it is thus impossible for an attacker to remove the personalization support of the key without destroying the latter. An electronic device according to the invention may further comprise one or more of the features in which: the second housing defines a cavity in the housing sized to receive the support and provided with an opening for inserting the support into the housing; ; the support having a generally oblong shape, the insertion opening allows the introduction of the support in a longitudinal direction of the support; the second housing comprises a window through which the personalization element is visible from outside the housing; the window is formed by another opening of the cavity, distinct from the introduction opening, opening out of the housing; the window is formed by a window transparent to visible rays; the support defining first and second opposite main faces, the insertion opening allows the introduction of the support in a direction orthogonal to one of the main faces and the second housing comprises means for holding the support in the cavity; the retaining means comprise a lid closing the cavity on which the window is formed; the housing comprises anti-fraud locking means of the support in its housing to prevent the extraction of the support out of the housing after its first introduction into the housing; the second housing comprising an insertion opening of the support, the locking means comprise at least one tab forming a clip partially closing the insertion opening, said tongue being arranged to allow the passage of the support in a first direction by elastic deformation of the tongue and to block the passage of the support in the opposite direction; the locking means comprise a plurality of attachment teeth formed on the cover adapted to cooperate with a plurality of complementary notches for receiving the attachment teeth formed on the housing, so that the cover is immovably fixed on The box ; the second housing comprises guide means in translation of the support inside the cavity for its introduction into the housing; - The guide means are formed by at least one rim of the cavity and an inner wall of the cavity forming between them a guide edge; the support delimits a keyed outline and the second housing has a complementary shape to impose a mounting direction of the support in the housing; the smart card body is smaller than the ID-1 format defined by the ISO7816 standard; the graphic personalization element is printed on one side of the medium; the electronic module comprises a near field communication interface and the device incorporates a near field communication antenna and / or an electronic chip; the graphic personalization element comprises at least one personalization data stored in the electronic module accessible via a near-field communication or via a communication via the USB connector; the support forms an inert body. The subject of the invention is also an assembly comprising a customizable electronic device of the USB connector key type and a chip card body comprising a detachable precut zone, characterized in that the electronic device is according to the invention and in that that the detachable precut zone forms the support of the device personalization element. The invention will be better understood on reading the following description made with reference to the drawings, of which: FIG. 1 represents a top view of an electronic device that is not yet graphically personalized according to a first embodiment of the invention; FIG. 2 represents a sectional view of the device of FIG. 1; FIG. 3 represents the device of FIG. 1 being customized; FIG. 4 represents a support carrying a graphical personalization element of the electronic device of FIGS. 1 to 3; Figure 5 schematically illustrates steps of personalizing the device of Figures 1 and 2; FIG. 6 represents a perspective view of an electronic device according to a second embodiment.

FIGS. 1 to 3 show an electronic device according to a first embodiment of the invention designated by the general reference 10. In the example described, the electronic device is an electronic key 10 of the USB connector type. This electronic device 10 conventionally comprises an electronic module 12 connected to a connector 14, this connector 14 being intended to engage with a USB port of an external terminal (not shown) such as for example a personal computer. The electronic module 12 comprises, for example, a support 16 for a printed circuit such as a PCB carrying the module 12, and an assembly 18 of electronic components and conductive tracks carried by an external face of this support 16. The assembly 18 comprises by example a memory, a microcontroller, etc. In this example, the printed circuit support 16 supports part of the plug-in connector. Preferably, the electronic module 12 comprises a near-field communication interface. For this purpose, the electronic key 10 incorporates a near-field communication antenna (not shown in the figures). In addition, the electronic key 10 comprises an outer body 20 forming a housing arranged to house the electronic module 12 and protect it from possible shocks. This housing 20 is substantially of parallelepipedal general shape. Thus, the housing 20 comprises a lower face 20B and an upper face 20A opposite the lower face 20A and side walls 20C. For this purpose, the housing 20 comprises a first housing 22 arranged to receive the electronic module 12. This first housing 22 is formed inside the housing body 20 and is formed by a blind cavity 24. In order to allow customization of the electronic key 10, the key 10 comprises a support 26 carrying a graphic personalization element 28 (FIG. 4). For example, the personalization element 28 comprises an alphanumeric character string 28A, a photograph 28B or a drawing, a diagram (not shown), etc. The graphic personalization element 28 comprises at least one piece of data stored in the electronic module 12 accessible via a near field communication or via a USB type communication. For this purpose, the electronic module 12 comprises a near-field communication interface and the device 10 incorporates a near-field communication antenna and / or an electronic chip (not shown in the figures). The support 26 is formed in a card body type smart card. In this example, the medium 26 has a smaller format than the ID-1 format defined by the ISO7816 standard. For example, the medium 26 has a format of a mini-UICC card. Preferably, the support 26 forms an inert body and is made for example of a plastic material. The support 26 delimits two opposite faces 26A, 26B, one of the faces 26A carrying the personalization element 28. Preferably, the personalization element 28 is printed on the support 26, for example using printing techniques known to those skilled in the art of printing smart cards. In this example, the housing 20 delimits a second housing 30, separated from the first housing 22. Thus, the second housing 30 does not communicate with the first housing 22.

Preferably, the first housing 22 is hermetically sealed, which makes it possible in particular to protect the electronic module 12 from moisture and the external environment. In a variant not shown in the figures, the first 22 and second housing 30 can communicate with each other.

The second housing 30 is arranged to receive the personalization support 26 of the electronic key 10 so that the personalization element 28 is visible from outside the electronic key 10.

In the first embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the second housing 30 defines a cavity 32 in the housing 20 designed to receive the support 26 and provided with an opening 34 for introducing the support 26 into the housing 30. In the first embodiment, the support 26 having a generally oblong shape, the insertion opening 34 allows the introduction of the support 26 in its housing 30 in a longitudinal direction of the support 26. The introduction opening 34 a a generally rectangular general shape having a width slightly greater than the thickness of the support 26 and a length slightly greater than the width of the support 26, so as to leave a set of tolerances facilitating the insertion of the support 26 into the second housing 30. As illustrated in FIG. 3, the insertion opening 34 of the support 20 opens onto a side wall 20C of the housing 20 of the device 10.

Furthermore, the housing 30 comprises a window 38 through which the personalization element 28 is visible from outside the housing 20. This window 38 is for example formed by an opening 40 in the cavity, distinct from the opening of the housing. In this way, the window 38 is positioned so as to extend substantially to the right of the graphic personalization element carried by the support 26 when the latter is in its housing 30. As illustrated in FIG. the body of the housing 20 is provided with flanges 42 protruding above the cavity 32 which enable the support 26 to be retained inside the cavity 32 and prevent it from coming out. In a variant not shown, the window is formed by a transparent window visible ray arranged to extend to the right of the personalization element of the support and closing the opening of the cavity. To facilitate the placement of the support 26 in the second housing 30, the latter comprises means 44 for guiding the support 26 in translation inside the cavity 32 for its insertion into the housing 24. In this embodiment, the guiding means 44 are formed by the flanges 42 forming with each inner wall of the cavity 32 a guide edge 44. As illustrated in FIG. 3, the guiding means comprise in this example two guide edges 44. Preferably, in order to prevent any extraction of the support 26 from its housing 30 after it has been introduced into the latter for the first time, the housing 20 comprises means 46 for anti-fraud locking of the support 26 in its housing 30. For example, in the first embodiment, the locking means 46 comprise at least one tab 48 forming a clip partially closing the insertion opening 34 of the support 26. The tongue 48 is arranged to allow re the passage of the support 26 in a first direction (identified by the arrow S1 of Figure 3) by elastic deformation of the tongue 48 and to block the passage of the support 26 in the opposite direction (identified by the arrow S2). The tongue 48 comprises a first face 48A of generally beveled shape and a second face 48B opposite to this first face having a flat surface against which the support 26 abuts. Thus, once the support 26 has been inserted in its housing 30, the support 26 abuts against this flat surface 48B whereas during its introduction, the support 26 is guided by the beveled surface 48A which forms a support surface guiding the deformation progressive of the tongue 48.

In a variant not illustrated, the personalization support may comprise projections formed on the edge 26C of the support 26 arranged to cooperate with non-return notches provided on the side walls of the cavity preventing the release of the support from the housing once its implemented.

A second embodiment of the invention is shown in FIG. 6. Thus, in this FIG. 6, elements similar to those of the preceding figures are designated by identical references. In this second embodiment, the insertion opening 34 of the support 26 in its housing 30 allows the introduction of the support 26 in a direction substantially orthogonal to the main faces 26A, 26B delimiting the support 26. Thus, the opening 26 introduction 34 opens on one of the main walls of the housing 20 of the electronic key 10.

Furthermore, as shown in Figure 6, the support 26 defines a keyed contour and the second housing 30 has a complementary shape to impose a mounting direction of the support in the housing. In particular, the insertion opening 34 has a shape complementary to that of the support 26. In addition, in this second embodiment, the insertion opening 34, once the introduction of the support 26 in the housing 30 operated, is closed by a cover 50 of the housing. This cover 50 is provided with a window 38 arranged so that once the cover 50 mounted on the housing 30, this window 38 shows the graphic customization 28 carried by the support 26. It is seen in this figure, that the window 38 is formed by a window 52 transparent to visible rays. Optionally, alternatively, the window 52 may be formed in a perforated lid.

Furthermore, in this second embodiment, the anti-fraud locking means 46 comprise a plurality of teeth 54 hooking formed on the cover 50 adapted to cooperate with a plurality of complementary notches 56 for receiving the attachment teeth arranged on the housing 20, so that the cover 50 is fixed immovably on the housing 20. The electronic key 10 according to these two embodiments described above can be delivered in the form of a set 58 or personalization kit comprising an electronic key 10 and a body 60 of ID-1 format card according to the ISO 7816 standard provided with a detachable pre-cut zone Z delimiting the personalization support 26, as shown in FIG. 5. The body of card 60 has according to the standard a thickness of 0.76 millimeters. The main aspects of the operation of a set or kit for customizing an electronic key according to the first embodiment of the invention will now be described and with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5. In this personalization kit 58, the housing 20 of the electronic key houses the functional module 14 of the key 10. This module 14 is received in the first sealed housing and is inaccessible from the outside of the electronic key 10. For example, the smart card 60 in ID format -1 is inserted in a card printing equipment for customizing cards and is printed so that the detachable pre-cut zone Z carries the personalization element of the key 10. The user detaches the zone Z from the card 60 and inserts the support 26 into the second housing 30 through the insertion opening 34. The tongue 48 is deformed under the effect of the force exerted by the support 26 and then resumes its configuration i nitiale after the passage of the support 26. In this position, the tab 48 prevents any exit of the support out of its housing with its flat face 48B. Furthermore, the flanges 42 integral with the housing 20 provide a retention of the support 26 in the housing 30 and a guide of the support 26 inside the housing 30. Thanks to the invention, the customization of the electronic keys do not require specific equipment other than those already existing to allow the personalization of smart cards. Such equipment is relatively widespread in companies distributing identification cards 20 of their customers, for example in the field of transport. The preceding embodiments are only possible examples of implementation of the invention which is not limited thereto.

Claims (20)

REVENDICATIONS1. Electronic device (10), of the customizable USB connector key type, comprising an electronic module (12) connected to the USB connector (14) and an external housing body (20) delimiting a first housing (22) arranged to receive the module ( 12), characterized in that the device (10) comprises a support (26) formed in a smart card-type card body and separated from the module (12) and a graphic personalization element (28) of the device (10) carried by the support (26) and in that the housing (20) delimits a second housing (30) arranged to receive the support (26) so that the personalization element (28) is visible from the outside . 2. Device (10) according to the preceding claim, wherein the second housing (30) defines a cavity (32) in the housing (20) sized to receive the support (26) and provided with an opening (34) of introducing the support (26) into the housing (30). 3. Device (10) according to the preceding claim, wherein, the support (26) having a generally oblong shape, the insertion opening (34) allows the introduction of the support (26) in a longitudinal direction of the support ( 26). A device (10) as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the second housing (30) comprises a window (38) through which the personalization element (28) is visible from outside the housing (10). ). 5. Device (10) according to the preceding claim taken together with claim 2, wherein the window (38) is formed by another opening (40) of the cavity (32), distinct from the insertion opening (34). ), opening out of the housing (20). 6. Device (10) according to claim 4, wherein the window (38) is formed by a transparent window to visible rays. 7. Device (10) according to claim 2 taken with any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein, the support (26) delimiting first (26A) and second (26B) opposite main faces, the opening opening (34) allows the introduction of the support (26) in a direction orthogonal to one of the main faces (26A, 26B) and the second housing (30) comprises means for retaining the support in the cavity (32). 8. Device (10) according to the preceding claim, wherein the retaining means comprises a cover (50) closing the cavity (32) on which is formed the window (38). 9. Device (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the housing (20) comprises means (46) anti-fraud locking of the support (26) in its housing (30) to prevent the extraction of the support (26) out of the housing (30) after its first introduction into the housing (30). 10. Device (10) according to the preceding claim, wherein, the second housing (30) comprising an opening (34) for introducing the support, the locking means (46) comprise at least one tab (48) forming closing clip. partially the insertion opening (34), said tongue (48) being arranged to allow the passage of the support (26) in a first direction by elastic deformation of the tongue (48) and to block the passage of the support (26) in the opposite direction. 11. Device (10) according to claims 8 and 9 taken together, wherein the locking means (46) comprise a plurality of attachment teeth formed on the cover (50) adapted to cooperate with a plurality of complementary receiving notches gripping teeth formed on the housing, so that the cover (50) is fixedly fixed to the housing (20). 12. Device (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the second housing (30) comprises means (44) for guiding the support (26) in translation inside the cavity (32) for its introduction into the dwelling (30). 13. Device (10) according to the preceding claim, wherein the guide means (44) are formed by at least one flange (42) of the cavity (32) and an inner wall of the cavity (34) forming between them a ridge guidance. 14. Device (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the support (26) defines a keyed contour and the second housing (30) has a complementary shape to impose a mounting direction of the support (26). ) in the housing (30). The device (10) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the smart card body has a format smaller than the ID-1 format defined by the ISO-7816 standard. Apparatus (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the graphic personalization element (28) is printed on one side of the support (26). Apparatus (10) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the electronic module comprises a near field communication interface and the device incorporates a near field communication antenna and / or an electronic chip. 18. Device (10) according to the preceding claim, wherein the graphic personalization element (28) comprises at least one personalization data stored in the electronic module (12) accessible via a near-field communication or via a communication type USB. 19. Device (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the support (26) forms an inert body. 20. A set (58) comprising a customizable USB key type electronic device (10) (14) and a chip card type card body (60) comprising a detachable pre-cut zone (Z), characterized in that the electronic device (10) is according to any one of the preceding claims and in that the detachable precut zone (Z) forms the support (26) of the personalization element (28) of the device (10).