MXPA98000728A - Mobile radio terminal provided with an additional card reader integr circuit cards - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to mobile radio terminal provided with an additional integrated circuit card reader of prepaid integrated circuit card, which can be made available both on a terminal made in accordance with the TACS technology and on a terminal employing the GSM technology. The prepaid integrated circuit card modalisa the means of payment for rad mobile phone service

Description

MOBILE RADIO TERMINAL PROVIDED WITH AN ADDITIONAL READER OF INTEGRATED CIRCUIT CARDS DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a mobile radio terminal provided with an additional integrated circuit card reader, and more particularly it relates to a mobile terminal of radio provided with an additional reader of prepaid integrated circuit cards, which can be applied both to terminals made with TACS (Total Access Communication System) technology and terminals that use GSM technology (Global System for communication raóvi 1) . Currently, both the mobile telephony -TACS service and the GSM telephone service do not provide prepaid integrated circuit cards, regardless of their wide dissemination. On the other hand, the advantages of prepaid telephone cards are well known in public telephony, since they allow the user to continuously check the amount of the credit and the expense.

British Patent 2 269 512 A (Nokia) relates to a radio telephone arrangement comprising two or more card readers for accommodate a corresponding number of memory cards, in the form of subscriber identity modules (Sims). The phone is adapted to use the information from one of the memory cards (to the exclusion of the other memory cards) according to a predetermined priority assignment and the priority assignment can be restored automatically if a card is removed or inserted, or the user can modify the priorities, for example by selecting the menu. First of all, this type of radiotelephone does not take into account the use of a prepaid card in one of the card readers provided, and in principle it does not refer to a specific mobile cell phone, but to the radiotelephone plant. or more card readers can be added according to the need. In any case, the priority assignment to use one of the card readers instead of the other is predictable and obvious, since the non-prepaid integrated circuit card is also provided. British Patent 2 267 794 refers to a mobile cell phone communication system prepaid According to the invention a cell phone is provided where the current headphones are adapted so that a cartridge or smart card is inserted into the headset which allows the connection to the network and therefore make the outgoing telephone calls In this embodiment, the handset would still be able to receive calls even if the cartridge was not inserted and even if there was no "" airtime available.11 In any case, the mobile prepaid cell phone does not absolutely provide the use of a SIM card that it would allow the use of the cell phone in accordance with a subscription contract with the subsequent payment for the telephone call.

This use is also not provided, with the card reader that accommodates the prepaid integrated circuit card or by means of a second supplementary port. Of course, in this type of mode there is no problem assigning priority to use several card readers.

An object of the present invention is to realize a mobile radio terminal provided with an additional reader of integrated circuit cards, which allow to increase the functionality of the terminal, allowing the use of prepaid cards to pay for the mobile radio service, when it benefits through this service. A further object of the present invention is to provide a mobile radio terminal with an additional integrated circuit card reader, wherein the additional reader is compatible with the prepaid integrated circuit cards admitted by the administrator of this service and can handle the different operations (validation, cancellation, change of card, etc. ). At least one other object of the invention is to realize a mobile radio terminal provided with an additional integrated circuit card reader, being completely compatible with the construction technologies currently employed in the field of mobile telephony and being easy to handle by the final user . The above and other objects that will be clearly illustrated in the course of this description will be obtained by a mobile radio terminal provided with an additional reader of integrated circuit cards, wherein an additional reading device (a second reader corresponding to a standard format in the case of terminals of the GSM type) handles a prepaid integrated circuit card that stores the amount of available credit used for the benefit of the telephone service; the integrated circuit card modalisa the means of payment for the mobile radio service. The additional integrated circuit card reader complies with ISO 7816-2 and ID1 format, and can read cards with six contacts as well as eight contacts. The mobile radio terminal is compatible with the standard network, is provided with all the functions of the network, and is additionally equipped with the functions related to the handling of integrated circuit cards. In terminals of the GSM type the additional reader must be made to be able to read identification cards for mobile communication (SIM) (SIM = Subscriber Identity Module) which has an ID-1 format. In this case, the possible operating conditions of the terminal comprising two integrated circuit card readers are the following: if the SIM card is inserted in the usual reader (ordinary) and there is no card inserted (loaded) in the additional reader ID -1, the terminal of the GSM type handles the SIM card of the ordinary reader; - if two SIM cards are charged, the SIM card of the ordinary reader and the SIM card of the additional reader ID-1, the GSM terminal handles the SIM card of the additional reader ID-1 only; - if the ordinary or usual reader is not loaded and only the additional reader is loaded ID-1, the GSM terminal handles the SIM card of the additional reader ID-1; - if the ordinary reader is charged and the prepaid card is charged inside the additional reader, the GSM terminal handles the SIM card of the ordinary reader; the payment is carried out by means of the prepaid card inserted into the additional reader. The additional reader of the terminal can also perform the following functions: - it allows the insertion and removal of the integrated circuit card automatically and simply (without removing any mechanical part of the terminal); prevents movement of the card during the telephone conversation, except at the termination of the credit, since the change of card may be allowed; automatically detects possible external connections with the card, stopping its operations. The terminal provided with the additional reader displays the remaining credit of the prepaid card, in the following operative situations: when the terminal is in the waiting condition and the user acts on the keyboard for interrogation; - during a loaded phone call (executed from the terminal provided with the adi cial reader). The additional reader of the terminal can also execute the following handling procedures (in addition to the usual standard network procedures): validation of the integrated circuit card; - reduction of the credit units from the integrated circuit card during the conversation; - change of the integrated circuit card which is terminated. The practical realization of the invention as explained up to now at an illustrative level, should not of course be interpreted in a limiting sense. Numerous and varied can be the configurations that, starting from the basic principles established in claim 1, employ an additional reader of prepaid integrated circuit cards in order to provide an optimal functionality of the terminal in which they are located. An additional direct application may be of interest to the public telephone network implemented in ferryboats, where the terminals are included in a network with a centralized management and where the terminal operates after the insertion of the SIM card, which allows the identification of the user . Also in this type of terminals connected in a network, the provision of a dual reader for the handling of prepaid integrated circuit cards results in an increase in the value of the services associated with the terminal itself.

Claims (1)

1. The mobile radio terminal provided with an additional integrated circuit card reader, includes an additional reading device for handling standard format integrated circuit cards, wherein the additional reading device in a second reader having a standard format in In the case of a GSM terminal, the reader device is suitable for receiving and handling prepaid integrated circuit cards where the available credit used for the benefit of the telephone service is stored, and the integrated circuit card is modeled for the means of payment for the service. mobile radio, characterized in that in the terminals of the GMS type of the additional reader is also placed to execute the reading of SIM cards of the ID-1 format, with the following possible operating conditions of the two readers: if the SIM card is loaded in the ordinary reader and there is no card that is inserted in the additional reader I-Dl, the to the GSM type operates on the SIM card of the ordinary reader; - if a SIM card is loaded in the ordinary reader and the second SIM card is charged in the additional reader ID-1, the GSM terminal handles the SIM card of the additional reader ID-1 only; - if the SIM card is not loaded in the ordinary reader and only the additional reader ID-1 is charged the GSM terminal handles the SIM card of the additional reader ID-1; if a SIM card is charged in the ordinary reader and in the additional reader the prepaid card is charged, the GSM terminal operates on the SIM card of the ordinary reader; the payment is carried out by means of the prepaid card introduced in the additional reader.