GB2258748A - Pocketsize data reader for chip cards - Google Patents

Abstract

To enable the data contents of a personal card 8 which contains an integrated circuit to be read by its owner at any time and place, a pocketsize Reader Unit has contacts 23 spring-urged into contact with the inserted card 8. The card is retained by caps 21a on a spring blade 21. The reader unit includes logic circuitry 1. <IMAGE>

Description

A POCKF,TSIZ1E DATA READER FOR CHIP CADS.

The object of this invention is to identify inexpensive solutions for an easily portable pccketzise reader of cards containing information stored in memory chips. Cash Registers accepting such cards issue a receipt for each transaction ,listing each item and the relevant price, as well as taxes payable. Indeed, this is the procedure with any purchase be it by cheque, credit card or by cash.

It must be considered that a chip card has a considerable memory capacity wherein a very diverse information may be held and that a pocketsize Reader can be a good management tool for a person; for more reasons than merely getting a second source purchase receipt slip. For example, a person may wish to know what its expenditure had been on a certain type of purchase for the past four weeks.

How much on fruit as compared with bread and other bakeries? how much on stationaries as compared with sweets and drinks? How much on presents for children and relatives?, and so on. Assume that the sorting of information were one of the program functions of the pocket reader. ft is believable that many holders of chip cards would welcome a personal card reader which will compile the answers to the above questions, i.e. summaries important from a self-management point of view. The same facility would be also of importance to managers in smaller businesses, to travelling salesmen who have to make their expense reports, etc.If chip cards are used for shopping, smaller shops who are in cornpetition with the large markets may introduce "loyalty discounts" for their customers. Individual discounts may be stored in the chip card, but a Reader Unit would be able to display the accrued sums of earlier discounts for several identifyable shops. The card holder may then request the surnaming of discounts with respect to a specific shop and obtain the readout within less than a second.The discounted sum may then be used for buying more goods. The pocket reader may also be used for entering into the card memory easily forgotten numbers such as telephone numbers postal codes, dates of appointments,~and the like.

These data may be recalled and displayed when the occasion demands. A pocket sms Reader, therefore, would multiply the usefulness of a chip card. Pocketsize Reader...

Various forms of realization of a Reader small enough to be carried in a persons pocket are shown in the drawings together with diverse inventive details, wherein Fig. 1 relates to the elctrical connections of the main elements Fig. 2 shows a first alternative example for the physical arrangement Fig. 3a,b, and c show various views of an alternative solution Fig. 4 shows a detail of the contactors Fig. 5 is a further simplificiation of the concept of figure 3, Fig. 6 shows a modification of the device of Fig. 5 Fig. 7 the top view of Fig. 6 Fig. 8 a cross section of a portion of yet another solution Fig. 9 conductors e-. layout on a printed circuit flexible film Fig. 10 an overall illustration of a reader wherein the elements of figs.

8 and 9 are utilized.

The basic simplicity of a card reader from the electrical point of view is illustrated in Fig. 1 wherein the chip card 8 is to be connected via some not shown contactor arrangement with an integrated logic circuit 1 (not necessarily a microprocessor). This circuit includes a buffer register for converting serial data into four-bit paralell data PBO to PB3 which can be connected to the bus input connections of the push button unit 2 and the drive inputs 4 which makes the data suitable for driving the display 3 . A generator of clock pulses is assumed to be included in IC-1 but may also be arranged separately.

Fig. 2 shows the outer view of an executed example. Most of the electronics is in the thickened portion lOb of the frame 10 with push buttons 2a and special command buttons 2b.Below the display window 3 is a number of solar cells 5 to re-charge a battery not shown. A thin lid-plate 6 is firmly secured to the lower end of the device. A chip card can be introduced into the open end between two little stud pins 6a (only one shown), with the contact pad 14 (Fig. 1) turned upwards. When fully inserted,the lid is closed and the securing spring clip 7 is turned and forced over the lid into a resting position. The card is ready for being read.The exact way electrical contact is made will be explained in the next example.The contact arrangement to be described is mounted in the lower surface lOa and can in this view of the Reader unit not be seen.

Pocketsize Reader ...

In the version of i figures es 3,a,b,c a rigid lid (20) is used, also on the underside of the reader frame 10. In Fig. 10a, the lid is closed, in Fig.

3b the lid is open ready to receive a card 8. When the lid 20,hinged on an axle 22 pivoted in flanges 10f, is closed it snaps behind the thickened 21a part/of an angular spring blade 21, slightly displacing the latter when latching into its closed position. The card is then placed flat against the inside surface 10k of the frame 10. To assiSt the opening of the tmg lid the frame 10 has recessed portionsqpermit/ grip room for thefingers of a hand. Figure 4 shags the proposed contact arrangement. 10K is the already mentioned inner surface against which the card bears. 10h is an: intermediate plate, and 10i is the third plate. 10K and 10i close off a cylindric hole 10 m except for a contact cupola which protrudes through a small hole in the plate 10K.A flanged part and a pin part protrude into the hole where a coil spring 24 presses the contactors upwards.

A wire 24a is used to connect the contactor electrically with a printed circuit board (not shown). This is a magnified view of a contact group of five or six contactors facing the segments of the contact pad 14 (Fig. 1) of the card 8 . The coil spring 24 may be replaced by a conductive piece of cylindrical rubber filling the hole 10. The use of a piece of conductive sponge rubber as a spring is preferable as this avoids any byeffects from the inductivity of the spring coils. The conductive elastic rubber cylinder would bear against a printed circuit film placed between the two insulating plates 10i and 10 h, enabling the continuity to be established of the circuit connection via the printed conductors on the film.

Figure 5 shows still another version. The same has no lid whatever.

Instead,the stiffness of the card itself is relied upon to keep it captured between at least two recesses, 10y and 21 a. The latter is a polished cylindrical end piece set on the angled spring blade 21 which is anchored to the plate 10i at 21b. The user need only press the said cylindrical bar 21a downards whereby it gives way and makes room for the card 8 to be laid flat against the surface 10K. When releasing the pressure the card remains r captued at its two opposite end egdes. - The figure also shows again the contactors 23 and the cylindrical conductive rubber inserts 23a which allow the metal contactors to give and exert a definite contact pressure on the thin metal segments of the card pad 14. Only short printed conductor lines are needed to connect to the electronics of the head lOx which contins the integrated circuit 1 the drive electronics 4 and the display~).

Pocketsize Reader Figure 6 shows a modification of the execution of Fig.5 The main difference is is that the angular spring 21 is now rigidly connected by an additional rivet or bonding point 21c. The cylindrical cap is now divided into caps 21a (Fig. 7) while the main frame 10 has a recessed portion 35.

The same permits a finger (36) applying pressure against the card edge to guide the card down by slightly bending it and thereby moving the card past the obstacles 21a. As the card thereafter stretches to its full length it remains captured between the recesses bE 10y and 21a.

A small moulded flap 30 hinged on an axle 32 and spring-biased with the aid of a coil spring 33 ,(Fig. 7),normally fully covers the area around the contactors 23. Moreover, right above the contactors, elevated pockets 31 are provided so that they keep a good distance away from the contact tips 23 thereby constituting a buFfer shield against accidental impact by hard objects, at the same time enclosing the surrounding area against the accummulation of dust or dirt. - As in a previously shown design, the slightly elevated edges iron contribute to the exact locating of the position of the card. The push buttons 2a are sex own the lower edge of the device,as seen in fig. 6.

Figure 8 shows a longitudinal section of the elastic cross bar 13 in Fig. 10.

The cross bar consists essentially of several layers of materials. There is the metal spring 43 anchored on the underside of the device frame 10. Below that is a non-conductive sponge rubber layer 45 bonded to the spring material 43. Below that is a flexible printed circuit film 44 glued to the sponge rubber layer.

The film 44 caries the five or six contact buttons 47 positioned in such a manner that each contactor makes contact with one segment of the interface pad 14 of the card 8 when inserted into the slot 12. Figure 9 shows an example of the, here L-shaped, printed circuit film 44 whose conductors are inputs to the Reader IC 1. - When there is no card in the slot 12, the cross bar penetrates the slot so that a card cannot be inserted unless it is lifted a short distance at the cross bar tip 43a. Thereafter the chip card is fully inserted until it hits a stop. Then the lifting grip is released, and the natural elastic force of the bar presses against the card, in the process ensuring a good contact with adequate give on the segments of the interface pad of the card.

Pocketsize Reader Figure 9 is a top view of the inlaid film sheet/with its printed circuit conductors 48 most or all of which terminate at the custom IC 1.

Figure 10 gives an overall view of a Reader Unit, essentially with a smooth surface all-round and. with a thin slot opening 12 for the insertion of the card 8. It is feasible, within the scope of the invention to employ in place of precisely located contactors 23 such as described above, simple phosphor bronze blades mounted in the interior of the slot and which are displaced by the insertion of the card. However, it is likely that impatient users will insert the card very rapidly thereby causing the contact spring blades to be gradually deformed which is then bound to lead to inaccurate placing of the blades or brushes and to functional defetcs. This design alternative has therefore not been especially illustrated.

All the examples shown are presented as examples only for the general design principles, and modifications and combinations of the various design elements may be made without thereby leaving the range of the invention.

Finally, it is necessary to point at least to one example for a pocketsize card reader capable of reading and writing a chip card designed to communicate via optical communication elements or reactive coupling elements. The example to be given employes a method recently described in patent application GB .9 ;15 403.9, (to be inserted) of July 17, 1991. In that system, the card has either sprayed-on or electrolytically deposited thin layers on one side of its surface which are overlaid by a non-conductive thin dielectric layer which covers the whole card. - A similar conductive and dielectric layer is applied to the surface of one inner side of the slot 12, or respectively to the surface 10k of the reader frame. The conductive surfaces are connected to the Reader electronics as described in the cited patent application. The data transfer is characterized by each data bit being embedded in synchronized groups of three clock pulses. The data rate is thus one third of the clock frequency. The cited patent application is herewith incorporated by reference.

Other techniques are phase modulation and frequency shift modulation of a carrier wave. These techniques are equally suitable and applicable to a design of a pocketsize card Reader Unit.

Claims (14)

1. Claims, Pocketsize Data Reader

   CLAIMS 1. A Data Reader Unit having a size such as would fit into a pocket for reading chip cards and incorporating means for providing the operating energy to the card, further means for entering various numbers and commands to the card for storing information and for retrieving of information in humanly legible form, means on the card for locating a chip card correctly to enable a write or readout operation to be executed, and electronic digi tal circuits for parallel/serial conversion and serial/parallel conversion of data and other logic circuits for the processing of read-out data, wherein the Card - Reader interface consists of rounded metal pins implanted in an elastic holding medium or in a rigid holding medium attached to an elastic medium to ensure good individual contact with the card.
2. 2. A pocketsize Reader Unit having a size such as would fit into a pocket as in Claim 1 wherein the card location means are a slot (12) with an end stop, and wherein the means for entering commands are metal contactors (23) mounted on a spring-biased cross bar (13) which must be lifted before a card (8) can pass through the slot (12) and on which are mounted the said contactors in such a configuration that each will correspond with one of the segments of the chip card contact pad (14).
3. 3. A pocketsize Reader Unit having a size such as would fit into a pocket as in claims 1 and 2, wherein the said metal contactors are part of a piston pin combined with a pressure coil spring which presses the individual contactor against the surface of the card.
4. 4. A pocketsize Reader Unit as in Claim 3 wherein the action of the said coil spring is replaced by an elastic cylinder made of soft,elastic rubber or plastics which is also conductive, and which is bonded to a metal tip on one side and bears against the surface of a printed circuit conductor on its other side.
5. 5. A pocketsize Reader Unit as in Claim 2 and 4 wherein the said cross bar con

   sists of a spring blade (43), a to the blade bonded sponge-like anulcon- ductive rubber or plastic layer (45), a semi-elastic film layer 44 with printed circuit conductors on it. and contactors (47) fastened by riveting or bonding to the said printed circuit layerS

   Claims, Pocketsize Reader
6. 6. A pocketsize Reader Unit as in claim 1 wherein the locating means are border strips (iOn) moulded aor machined into the frame (10) so that the said border strip is elevated marginally above the surface (10k) against which the card is to be placed.
7. 7. A pocketsize Reader Unit as in Claim 1 wherein the card holding means is a hinged lid (20).
8. 8. A pocketsize Reader Unit as in Claim 1 wherein the means that hold a card in position and prevent it from falling off, are undercut ledges (lOy, 21a) which are part of the design of the Reader Unit.
9. 9. A pocketsize Reader Unit in accordance with Claims 1,4 and 8 wherein the contactor elements of the Reader Unit with which the card contact pad interfaces, are protected by spring loaded flap (30).
10. 10. A pocketsize Reader Unit as in Claim 9 wherein the said flap is formed in such a manner that the flap does not come to rest on the contactors directly but rather that a moulded-in cupola overbridges the contactors to protect them from accidental blows as well as against the intrusion of dust,liquids, and dirt, when not in use.
11. 11. A Data Reader Unit such as would fit into a pocket for reading a chip card and incorporating means for providing the operating energy to the card, further means for entering various numbers and commands to the card for storing information and for retrieving of information in humanly legible form, means on the card for locating a chip card correctly to enable a write or readout operation to be executed, and electronic digital circuits for parallel/serial conversion and serial/parallel conversion of data ,and other logic circuits for the processing of read-out data, furthermore transducer elements by which the Reader transmits data to the card, and by which the card transmits data to the Reader, wherein the said transducer elements on the card consist of a thin conductive layer or two such layers extending over a pre-determined part of the surface of the card, and the tranducer elements of the Reader Unit consist of similar layers arranged on the surface against which the card iS placed during the read write process after insertion into the Reader Unit.

    Claims, Pocketsize Reader
12. 12. A Data Reader Unit such as would fit into a pocket, as in Claim 11, wherein the said capacitive surface layers are in part or in total replaced by inductive loops in the card and in corresponding configuration, in the Reader Unit.
13. 13. A Data Reader Unit such as would fit into a pocket, essentially combining features such as described or illustrated in the drawings.
14. 14. A Data Reader Unit of any size essentially combining features such as described,or illustrated in the drawings.