JPH03297A - Portable electronic device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain a portable electronic device low in cost, shortened in a manufacturing time and easy to control from a manufacturing aspect by mounting a memory part, a readable and writable memory means storing the message received by a communication means, a display part displaying and outputting the data inputted by a keyboard and a control part controlling all of them. CONSTITUTION:A contact part 3, a liquid crystal display part 4 and a keyboard 5 are connected to a control element 21 and a data memory 22 storing data, a program memory 23 storing the operation program of the control element 21 and a clock circuit 24 are also connected to said control element 21. Among them, the control element 21, the data memory 22, the program memory 23 and the clock circuit 24 are formed of one chip as an integrated circuit 2 and the integrated circuit 2 receives the supply of an operating power supply by a battery 7. The data memory 22 stores various data and a display message such as an operation guidance and, for example, it is constituted of a readable and writable non-volatile memory such as an EEPROM.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Object of the Invention] (Industrial Application Field) The present invention relates to a portable electronic device called an IC card, which is used, for example, as a credit card in a shopping system.

(Prior Art) In recent years, IC (integrated circuit) chips that have erasable non-volatile memory (memory section) and control elements (control section) such as CPUs that control them have been used as a new portable data storage medium. An IC card with a built-in has been developed.

This type of IC card accesses a built-in memory using a built-in control element, and selectively inputs and outputs necessary data in response to external requests.

Furthermore, recently, battery-powered multifunctional IC cards have been developed that have a built-in battery, a keyboard, and a display section, and can operate off-line without being connected to a terminal device.

Now, in such a multi-functional IC card, messages such as operation guidance displayed on the display section during the offline function are stored in the ROM that stores the operation program of the control element.
It is permanently stored in (read-only memory),
It was impossible to change.

(Problem to be Solved by the Invention) Messages for display such as operation guidance are fixedly stored in the ROM that stores the operation program of the control unit. A new IC must be created in order to change the message used, which increases cost and production time. Also, IC
Management must be carried out separately.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a portable electronic device that is low in cost, shortens production time, and is easy to manage during production.

[Configuration of the Invention (Means for Solving the Problem) The portable electronic device of the present invention includes a memory section for storing data, a keyboard for inputting data, and a message for displaying operation guidance etc. from the outside. A communication means, a readable and writable storage means for storing messages received by the communication means, messages stored in the storage means, data stored in the memory section, data inputted with the keyboard, etc. The apparatus includes a display section that displays and outputs the information, and a control section that controls these.

(Function) By storing messages for displaying operation guidance and the like in a read/write storage means, for example, since messages do not exist directly in the read-only memory that stores the operating program of the control unit, a read-only memory is created. The message does not need to be determined at this stage. Also,
There is no need to change the read-only memory due to a change in the message, and therefore a variety of devices can be created using the same IC, resulting in lower costs and shorter manufacturing time. Furthermore, since it is a single type of device until it stores messages, inspection and management during the manufacturing process becomes extremely easy.

(Example) Hereinafter, an example of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 2 shows an example of a portable electronic device according to the present invention.
For example, it shows the appearance of a multifunctional IC card used as a credit card. That is, 1 is a card body, which is made of, for example, a rectangular thin plastic plate. A predetermined portion on the surface of the card body 1 is electrically connected to an integrated circuit (IC) 2 embedded in the card body 1, and is used to electrically communicate with an external device (for example, a terminal device) not shown during online use. A contact section 3, a liquid crystal display section 4 for displaying input/output data, time data, etc., and a keyboard 5 for data input are provided. The keyboard 5 is provided with a numeric keypad, function keys, and the like. Furthermore, a crystal oscillator 6 and a battery 7 for power supply are embedded within the card body 1.

FIG. 1 shows the circuit configuration of the above-mentioned IC card. That is, a control element (control unit) 11 such as a CPU is in charge of overall control, and the contact unit 3, liquid crystal display unit 4, and keyboard 5 are connected to this control element 11, and it also transmits data. A data memory (memory section) 12 for storing data, a program memory 13 for storing operating programs for the control element 11, and a clock circuit 1
4, etc. are connected, and among these, the control element 11,
The data memory 12, the program memory 13, and the clock circuit 14 are formed of one chip (or a plurality of chips) as an integrated circuit 2, and this integrated circuit 2 includes a battery 7
Operating power is supplied by the

The data memory 12 stores various data and messages for display such as operation guidance.
It is composed of readable and writable nonvolatile memory such as EPROM.

The program memory 13 stores an operation program for the control cable 11, and is composed of a read-only memory such as a mask ROM.

Clock circuit] 4 generates date and time information by counting the reference clock output from crystal oscillator 6.

Next, the operation in such a configuration will be explained. Book I
The C card can be used in an online mode using the function of communicating with the outside via the contact section 3;
There is an offline mode that is performed using the keyboard 5 and the liquid crystal display section 4.

Operations in the offline mode are performed by operating the keyboard 5, and messages are displayed on the liquid crystal display section 4 by operating the keyboard 5. Further, by operating the keyboard 5 according to the message, processing based on the operation program stored in the program memory 13 is executed.

Now, in such an IC card, there are messages that are displayed on the liquid crystal display section 4 according to the processing procedure. Suppose now that a shopping transaction can be carried out using the procedure shown in FIG. 3, for example. At this time, it is assumed that the message is stored in katakana, for example, as shown in FIG. 4(a). Then, the message in katakana existing at the position of that number is no longer displayed on the liquid crystal display section 4. Also,
For example, if the message is stored in alphabetical characters as shown in FIG. 4(b), the message will be displayed on the liquid crystal display section 4 in alphabetical characters.

Such a message is set and stored in the data memory 12, for example. As a method for storing the settings, for example, a procedure as shown in FIG. 5 can be considered.

This will be explained below. In online mode via the contact section 3, a message setting command is sent from an external device to the control element 11 of the IC card. Then, the control element 11 determines whether the setting end flag is set (set) or not, and if it is not yet completed (reset), the control element 11 proceeds to the setting process.

That is, first, it is verified whether or not the person can set the message using a password, etc., and if the person is, the address information for storing the message and the message are sent from an external device, and the message is stored in the data memory 12. Remember. After storing, the user selects whether to store other messages or not, and if the message is to be terminated, the input data is confirmed. Here, if the input is correct and the setting storage is to be ended, the setting end flag is set and all message setting operations are ended.

In this way, you can display messages such as operating instructions in R.
Since it is not stored in OM (program memory 13), R
The message does not need to be determined at the stage of creating the OM, and the ROM does not need to be changed by changing the message. Furthermore, when it is necessary to change the message, the IC card can be used without changing anything in terms of the ID, so development and production periods can be shortened, and the same type can be used in many different ways. It is also very effective in terms of cost. Since it is a single type of IC card until the message is stored, inspection and management during the manufacturing process becomes extremely easy.

In the above embodiment, a method as shown in FIG. 5 was exemplified as a method for setting and storing a message, but the method is not limited to this. For example, a setting end flag may not exist, or a password may There is no need for number verification.

Further, when storing message settings, both the address information and the message are input as data, but depending on the processing method, a method may be considered in which only the message is input as data and a storage address is generated inside the card.

Further, although the data memory is also used as a readable and writable storage means for storing messages, it is not necessary to do so, and a readable and writable storage means exclusively for messages may be provided.

[Effects of the Invention] As described in detail above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a portable electronic device that is low in cost, shortens production time, and is easy to manage during production.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

The drawings are for explaining one embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing the circuit configuration of an IC card, and Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing the circuit configuration of an IC card.
FIG. 3 is a flowchart explaining the procedure for shopping transactions; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of messages stored in the data memory; FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the procedure for setting and storing messages. It is a flowchart explaining. 2... Integrated circuit, 3... Contact section, 4... Liquid crystal display section, 5... Keyboard, 11... Control element (
Control unit) 12... Data memory (memory unit, storage means), 13... Program memory.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] A memory unit for storing data, a keyboard for inputting data, a communication means for accepting messages for display such as operation guidance from the outside, and a readable and writable device for storing messages received by the communication means. A display unit for displaying and outputting a message stored in the storage unit, data stored in the memory unit, data input using the keyboard, etc., and a control unit for controlling these. A portable electronic device characterized by: