JPH11167615A - Ic card - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To inexpensively obtain an IC card which can be judged whether it is unused or not from the appearance and which a visually hadicapped person can also judge it by means of feeling by providing a means for electrically recognizing whether the card is unused or not from the appearance by short- circuiting two lead patterns or not in an IC itself. SOLUTION: A means for electrically recognizing whether an IC card is unused or not from the appearance by short-circuiting two lead patterns or not in an IC itself. In the IC card, a user inserts the part of a spacer space part 4 from the back face, a plastically deforms a back face material 9 and makes the spacer space part 4 in a prescribed form at the start to use the card. Then, the detection lead patterns 5 and 6 connected to a detection terminal of the IC are short-circuited by the plastic deformation of the back face member 9 and the action of a conductive adhesion 7. When the IC card becomes a connection state with a transmission/reception device in the state, the IC is activated with power induced by a communication coil, recognizes that the card is in a use state, stores it as non-volatile data and executes bi-directional communication.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] The present invention relates to an IC card.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In an IC card, it is general to judge whether or not an IC card is an unused item electrically or to punch a hole at the start of use like a telephone card. Also, a method of irreversible packaging is known. Non-contact I
A method of irreversibly affixing a shield foil that makes communication impossible on an unused C card can easily be inferred.

[0003]

In the case where a means for determining whether or not a used IC card is unused is provided in the IC card itself in order to make it impossible to reuse the used IC card, it is only necessary to use an electrical determination method alone. There is a problem that it is necessary to load an IC card into a device for making a determination.

[0004] The method of punching holes has the advantage that it can be distinguished visually and that a visually impaired person can also be recognized. However, a mechanical mechanism is required for the transmission / reception device, maintenance is required, and costs are high. Not only is there a problem that the surface design is lost, but also it is necessary to take measures such as cutting the signal line with a punched hole in order to make the determination electrically, in which case measures against destruction due to static electricity Is necessary.

[0005] In addition, the irreversible packaging method has a problem that not only costs are required for individual IC cards, but also that when applied to a non-contact IC card, data can be falsified.

[0006] Further, the method of attaching a shield foil to a non-contact IC card not only has a problem that it costs a lot for each IC card, but also cannot confirm that it is full when applied to a pre-bait card. There's a problem.

[0007]

The two lead patterns from the IC on the substrate on which the IC of the IC card is mounted are the same as those of the IC card.
An exposed space is provided in the C card, and at the start of use, plastic deformation of the card back material by finger pressing through a conductive adhesive attached to the card back material facing the two lead pattern exposed surfaces of the substrate. Thereby, the two lead patterns are short-circuited.

It is possible to electrically recognize whether or not two lead patterns from the IC are unused by determining whether or not they are short-circuited. In addition, it can be determined from the appearance whether or not plastic deformation is caused by finger pressing whether or not it is unused.

In addition, for an unused IC card, an electric prohibiting means is provided so that a writing operation cannot be performed.

[0010]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of component mounting of a non-contact type IC card as an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a spacer space portion 4 when the IC card shown in FIG. 1 is not used.
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a portion in the vicinity of. FIG. 3 shows a spacer space portion 4 after the start of use of the IC card shown in FIG.
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a portion in the vicinity of. FIG. 4 is a flow chart of a use state when the present invention is applied to a pre-bait card.

The detection lead pattern 5 and the detection lead pattern 6 connected to the detection terminal of the IC 3 are exposed in the spacer space 4, and are electrically insulated from each other in the unused state shown in FIG. In this state, if the IC card 1 is connected to the transmitting / receiving device (S1 in FIG. 4), the IC 3 is activated by the power induced in the communication coil 2 and recognizes that the IC 3 is not used (FIG. 4-S2). To determine whether the busy flag is set, and
(4) Judgment as to whether or not the detection lead pattern 5 and the detection lead pattern 6 connected to the detection terminal of the IC 3 are short-circuited). Communication with the transmission / reception device is performed (FIG. 4-S5).

At the start of use, the user of the IC card 1 pushes the space portion 4 from the back surface with his / her finger to plastically deform the back surface material 9 to bring the spacer space portion 4 into the state shown in FIG. In FIG. 3, the detection lead pattern 5 and the detection lead pattern 6 connected to the detection terminals of the IC 3 are short-circuited by the plastic deformation of the back surface material 9 and the action of the conductive adhesive 9. In this state, if the IC card 1 is connected to the transmitting / receiving device, the IC 3 is activated by the power induced in the communication coil 2 (S1 in FIG. 4), and recognizes that the IC 3 is in use (FIG. 4-S2). After passing through S4) and storing as non-volatile data (S6 in FIG. 4), normal bidirectional communication (S3 in FIG. 4) is performed via S2 in FIG.

If the IC card 1 after the start of use has been stored as non-volatile data (S6 in FIG. 4) is connected to the transceiver, the IC 3 is activated by the power induced in the communication coil 2 (FIG. 4). 4-S1), and recognizes that it is in use (FIG. 4-S2) and normal two-way communication (FIG. 4-S
Perform 3).

[0015]

According to the present invention, it is possible to judge whether or not it is unused from the appearance, and it is also possible to judge a visually impaired person by tactile sensation. A possible IC card is realized at low cost.

Further, there is an advantage that, even in an unused state, by using the transmission / reception device, information in a permissible range (one unique to each IC card) can be obtained.

Another advantage is that by specifying the position of the detection unit by the type of the IC card, a visually impaired person can also determine the type of the IC card.

Further, since there is no need for mechanical processing of the IC card, there is an advantage that no equipment cost for a mechanical mechanism in the transmission / reception device is required and no mechanical maintenance cost is required. In addition, there is an advantage that the design on the surface of the IC card is not damaged.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective component mounting diagram showing an example of an embodiment to an IC card of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a main part of the embodiment when the IC card shown in FIG. 1 is not used.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a main part of the embodiment after the use of the IC card shown in FIG. 1 is started.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a usage pattern when the present invention is applied to a non-contact IC card for prebait.

[Explanation of symbols]

1: IC card 2: Communication coil 3: IC 4: Spacer space 5: Detection lead pattern 6: Detection lead pattern 7: Conductive adhesive 8: Spacer 9: Back surface material 10: Substrate 11: Surface material S1 S6: Each step of the flowchart.

Claims (3)

[Claims] In an IC card, a space for exposing two lead patterns from the IC on a substrate on which the IC is mounted is provided in a spacer portion of the card, and a plastic material of a card back surface material located in the spacer space is provided. Means for electrically recognizing whether or not the two lead patterns are not used by appearance and electrically by the IC itself by determining whether or not the two lead patterns are short-circuited via the conductive adhesive attached to the card back material by deformation. An IC card comprising: 2. An IC card according to claim 1, further comprising means for inhibiting writing to said IC card when an unused state is electrically recognized. 3. The IC card according to claim 1, further comprising means for storing, as nonvolatile data, that the use has already been started when the use state is electrically recognized. IC card.