RO138353A2 - Wireless payment smart-card with auxiliary memory - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a wireless payment smart-card with auxiliary memory, which can store various pieces of information able to be read on a tablet, notebook or laptop. According to the invention, the smart-card, consisting of a plastic support (1), a chip (2) with integrated circuit and magnetic strip (m), is characterized by the fact that, in the small edge (b) of the plastic support (1) opposite to the small edge (b) with chip (2), it has 1-2 mini-memory cards (3a, 3b) inserted since the pre-customization stage, such as those incorporated in memory sticks, each with four flat electric contacts (c), which, for access, get into a female cable box (4a, 5a) of a card reader (4) or a cable (5), so that they can be accessed even simultaneously, each mini-memory card (3a, 3b) being framed and fixed into a cutout (d) of the plastic support (1) by two thin strips (e, f) the ends of which are thermally plasticized simultaneously with the fixing of the chip (2) with integrated circuit.

Description

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0 -02- 2023

Wireless payment smart card with auxiliary memory

The invention refers to a smart-card of the type for payments that can also be made wirelessly, also provided with auxiliary memory mini-cards, on which various information such as those necessary for a leisure trip can be stored, readable on a tablet or on a notebook or laptop.

The smart card is a device, the size of a credit card, which can contain one or more integrated circuits, being also called 'integrated circuit card' (ICC - Integrated Circuit Card). The integrated circuit encapsulated on the smart card can act as a data storage medium, as a controller or as a computer itself. In general, the smart card is considered a functional object consisting of hardware and software and designed to be used on a specific platform. The commonly used architecture by which smart cards are supported on a desktop system comprises three main components supported by a smart card application: the service provider, the resource manager, and the card reader driver. Communication between the application and the driver is done indirectly through the service provider using a standardized resource manager interface. similarly, the resource manager uses a standard interface to communicate with the driver.

The driver is dependent on the features of the smart card reader, and the service provider is closely related to the features of the smart card. Functional separation allows the application to use any smart card with any card reader, but respect the conditions available on the host computer (imposed by the service provider and driver).

A typical smart card integrated circuit contains the following hardware and software components, (Review: Informatica Economică no.2 (38)/2006):

• the physical components of the integrated circuit, which are: the central processing unit that can operate on 8 to 32 bits, the volatile memory (RAM), which is used for temporary data storage; non-volatile memory (ROM or flash memory), which contains the operating system and application software, additional non-volatile memory space used for data storage (eg EEPROM - Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), input/output ports (l/E) and security logic; · dedicated software, known as firmware, is often used to test the integrated circuit, but may also include additional services; · the operating system includes I/O drivers and hardware drivers, I/O procedures and protocols, file and memory management procedures, encryption engine (support for DES, 3DES, RSA, ECC), and services found in the library ;

• native applications, if any, have direct access to the operating system - they can be installed by the integrated circuit manufacturer or, can be integrated later, during the card customization phase; · the system interface of installed applications may contain a loader, one or more virtual machines, context manager; · loaded applications perform specialized functions.

From a technological point of view, the following three categories of cards stood out: with magnetic tape, with integrated circuit and optical. The magnetic stripe on a card stores approximately 130 characters representing account and cardholder information (name of cardholder, card number and expiration date, etc.). Through a suitable reader, the information stored on the card can be accessed. In integrated circuit cards, depending on the content of the integrated circuit, several types of cards are identified: with memory only/with memory and security logic; with memory and central processing unit.

• Memory-only cards are used for simple applications such as prepaid telephone services and contain an integrated circuit capable of storing data. Memory cards sometimes require an on-board battery to retain the stored data. This type of card is used for holder access to certain restricted areas.

in the case of an electronic payment card, a certain value is stored on the card and it can be used until the amount is used up, after which it can be discarded.

-The EEPROM memory card has a chip that contains information that can be written and read multiple times. in the case of integrated circuits with memory and security logic, access to stored data is controlled.

- The smart card contains an integrated circuit capable of storing and processing data. The built-in microprocessor controls all the information on the card. Such a card operates under the control of an operating system, which is usually unique, being used only by the manufacturer of that type of card. The microprocessor card increases fraud protection and can be used in applications involving large amounts of money or requiring increased security. One application, for example, could be cryptographic key storage, and the chip card could function as a secure hardware device

From the functional point of view of the card payment system, the various cards can be included in one of the following categories:

• The credit card, which allows him to carry out payment operations, cash withdrawal or transfer of funds, within the limits of a previously established ceiling.

• Expense accounts are similar to credit accounts being associated with a special account. The main difference is that the payments made on this type of card must be covered at the end of a period set by the issuing bank.

• Travel vouchers are spending vouchers that can be used to purchase services from airlines, hotels, restaurants, car rental companies, etc.

• The on-line and off-line debit card is the card through which the holder only disposes of his/her own cash available in an account opened with the issuer for payment operations, cash withdrawal or fund transfer.

Online debit cards are ATM cards. They use the PIN (Personal Identification Number) authentication system, and debits are immediately updated to the holder's account.

The life cycle of a smart card includes the five main stages:

• manufacturing and testing of the integrated circuit: a unique production key is added to the chip, to protect it from fraudulent changes until assembly in the plastic material; manufacturing data are written into the integrated circuit;

• pre-customization: the card manufacturer mounts the integrated circuit on the support which may have a logo of the application provider inscribed; testing of the herd takes place; the factory key is replaced with a personalized key; memory access instructions are not available;

• personalization: the issuer of the card registers data files and application data on the card; information about the identity of the cardholder, the PIN and the unlocking PIN are stored;

• use: applications and file access control by the card holder are enabled; access to the information on the card is limited by the security policies of the application;

the application provider can install multiple applications on the same card;

• the end of the life cycle is reached by one of two methods: - an application writes an invalid key to an individual file or a master file; all operations launched through the operating system will be blocked; in order to be able to analyze the event, only the reading instructions remain active; - the control system irreversibly blocks access, both the PIN and the unlocking PIN are locked; all operations will be blocked.

-Although smart cards have many advantages, there are also disadvantages, including the following:

• Cards and smart-card readers can be expensive.

• Not all smart card readers are compatible with all types of smart cards. Some readers use non-standard protocols for data storage and card interface, and some smart cards and readers use proprietary software that is incompatible with other readers.

-For this reason, although several smart-card type memory chips can be included on the same card, it is not preferable that data that is not strictly necessary for the 'smart card' role be stored on similar memory chips wirelessly readable ones. in this context, smart-cards with an expired validity period are no longer usable, they are usually thrown away.

-On the other hand, however, in various cases, especially for older people who, in the case of moving to the territory of interest over longer distances, may present a greater risk of unforeseen deterioration of their health, it is necessary to know either by them either by third parties, respectively - doctors, of some data that is harder for elderly people to remember, such as health history, travel itinerary, events on the route, scheduled meetings/goals, etc., data which - in the case where they have not been saved on the personal smartphone or when it has been forgotten at home or elsewhere, can be vital in helping the person's health.

The technical problem that the invention solves is to provide an ordinary smart card, usable as a credit, expense or travel card, for payments that can also be made wirelessly, with at least one mini-memory card with a capacity of at least 500 megabytes , which can be accessed for data storage/reading via a USB plug connector to connect to a tablet or via a cable to connect to a smartphone.

The proposed wireless payment smart card with auxiliary memory solves this problem in that in the pre-personalization phase of a smart card with chip and magnetic stripe, that is, in the stage of fixing the integrated circuit chip on the support in plastic in a position close to one of its small edges, in the opposite edge of the plastic support, 1-2 mini-memory cards of the type included in the memory-sticks, with a thickness of approx. 1 mm, surface are inserted into it of 10x25 mm ² and the capacity of at least 500 megabytes and with four flat electrical contacts of approx. 1.5 mm wide in the outer edge of the card, which for access enters a female socket of a reader with a connector for the USB input of a tablet, respectively- of a cable with a USB plug of a notebook, laptop or desktop computer, these mini-cards being arranged with a minimum distance of 5 mm between them so that they can be accessed simultaneously, using cables with USB plugs.

The insertion of each mini-memory card into the plastic holder of the card can be done by fitting its edges into a suitable cutout in the free edge of the plastic holder, which also allows insertion into a suitable card reader or into the mother socket of of a USB extension cable, framing the surface of the part to be fixed in the plastic support by two thin strips, about 0.5-s-1 mm thick and slightly longer than the width of the memory card, and thermal plasticizing their ends for gluing them to the support plastic of the card, simultaneously with the fixing of the integrated circuit chip of the smart-card part.

The payment smart card with auxiliary memory according to the invention has the following advantages: - although it costs significantly more than a regular single-function smart card, it costs less than the sum of the costs of a regular smart card and a memory- ordinary stick, because the metal case and its plastic support case are removed;

- after the expiration of the validity period of the smart-card, it must not be thrown away, being still usable as a support for the mini-memory cards inserted in it;

-can represent-in the form of a travel basket, a valuable gift that can also be used to store travel-related data (photos, interviews, etc.) and that can be kept as a memory and as evidence.

-by proper formatting of the chip, it can also be used for payment procedures, in particular banking, modified (new), for example- for mixed payments, and for hotel accommodation and travel by means of public transport, etc., supported from his own account or from another account to which he has legal access, either with a single chip or with two smart-card chips, with the maintenance of a payment diary.

The proposed smart card with auxiliary memory is presented in detail below in connection with figures 1-4 which represent:

- fig. 1, a, b, top view a) and side view b) of the smart-card with a mini-memory auxiliary card;

- fig. 1, c - the cutout in the plastic support in which the mini-memory card is fixed;

- fig. 2, a, b, top view a), from the side b) and from the back c) of the smart-card with two auxiliary memory mini-cards;

- fig. 3, view of a smart-card with a mini-memory card connected to a card reader;

- fig. 4, view of a smart-card with two mini-memory cards connected to a cable with USB plugs;

According to the invention, the smart card for wireless payments with auxiliary memory has inserted in the plastic holder 1 a smart card with chip 2 with integrated circuit and magnetic strip m, in the small edge ba of the plastic holder 1 opposite the small edge a with chip 2, 1+2 mini-memory cards 3a, 3b, of the type used in memory sticks, with a thickness of about 1 mm, a surface of about 10x25 mm ² and a capacity of at least 500 megabytes and with four flat electrical contacts c of approx. 14-1.5 mm wide in the external surface of the card, which for access enters a socket 4a of a card reader 4 with connector 4b for the USB input of a tablet T, respectively - of a cable 5 with female plug 5a and male plug 5b USB to connect to the USB input of a tablet T, a notebook, a laptop or desktop computer.

These mini-memory cards 3a, 3b are fixed in the plastic holder 1 in the pre-customization phase, in which it is fixed quasi-simultaneously on the plastic holder 1 and the chip 2, these mini-cards 3 being arranged with an inter-distance i of at least 5 mm between them so that they can be accessed simultaneously, with the help of cables 5 with USB plugs.

The insertion of each mini-memory card 3 into the plastic holder of the card is done by fitting its edges into a suitable cutout d in the free edge of the plastic holder 1, formatted so as to allow the insertion of the mini-memory card 3 into a suitable card reader 4 or into the female socket of a USB extension cable 5, and by framing the surface of the part to be fixed in the plastic holder 1 by two thin plastic strips e, f, of approx. 0.54-1 mm thick and with a length slightly greater than the width of the mini-memory card 3 and thermal plasticization of their ends for gluing them to the plastic support 1 of the card, simultaneously with the fixing of the integrated circuit chip 2 of the smart-card part.

So that the part with electrical contacts c of a mini-memory card 3 of the smart-card fits in the same way as a memory card of a memory-stick in the USB socket of a regular card reader 4 or a cable USB extension, it is necessary to stick on the face of the insertion into the USB socket opposite to the face with contacts c a plastic or aluminum strip g of approx. 0.54-0.8 mm thickness and the same width as that of the mini-memory card 3. in particular, this lamella g can be solidarized by construction (properly made) with the lower plastic strip f for fixing the mini-memory card 3 in the plastic support 1, forming a lamella g', (fig. 2 , c).

If it is desired to use the smart-card part for payments of a different nature, which cannot be made with the same chip, two independently readable chips 2 can be provided during the pre-personalization phase. Also, through miniaturization, the thickness of the card can be reduced to 0.7-0.5 mm, i.e. to the shape of a business card, (a role it can have in particular through the mini-card 3). In particular, a small median groove of 0.5 mm depth parallel to the width can facilitate the breaking of the plastic holder 1 in two after the expiration of the validity of the chip smart-card part 2.

The invention is not limited to the present embodiments.

Claims (5)

demand 1. Wireless payment smart card with auxiliary memory, consisting of a plastic support (1), at least one chip (2) with an integrated circuit or a magnetic strip (m), characterized by the fact that it has inserted, in the small edge (b) of the plastic holder (1) opposite the small edge (b) with the chip (2), from the pre-customization phase, 1+2 mini-memory cards (3a, 3b) of the type included in the memory -sticks, with a thickness of about 1 mm, a surface of about 10x25 mm ² and a capacity of at least 500 megabytes and with four flat electrical contacts (c) of about 1.5 mm wide in the outer edge of the card, which for access go into -a female plug (4a) of a card reader (4) with connector (4b) for the USB input of a tablet or a cable (5) with female plug (5a) and male plug (5b) USB, these mini-cards (3a, 3b) being arranged with an interdistance (i) of at least 5 mm between them so that they can be accessed simultaneously, with the help of cables (5) with USB plugs. 2. Wireless payment smart-card with auxiliary memory, according to claim 1, characterized in that the insertion of each mini-memory card (3) in the plastic support of the card is made by fitting its edges into a cutout (d) suitable from the free edge of the plastic holder (1), formatted to allow the mini-memory card (3) to be inserted into a suitable card reader (4) or into the female socket of an extension cable (5) USB, and by framing the surface of the part to be fixed in the plastic support by two thin plastic strips (e, f), about 0.5 mm thick and slightly longer than the width of the mini-memory card (3), of whose ends are thermally plasticized for their bonding to the plastic support (1) of the card, simultaneously with the fixing of the chip (2) with integrated circuit of the smart-card part. 3. Wireless payment smart card with auxiliary memory, according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, on the face of insertion into the USB socket opposite the face with contacts (c) of each memory card (3a, 3b) is glued one lamella (g) of plastic or aluminum approx. 0.54-0.8 mm thick and the same width as the width of the mini-memory card (3). 4. Wireless payment smart card with auxiliary memory, according to claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized in that it also has a small median groove of 0.5 mm depth parallel to the width, to facilitate the breaking of the plastic support in two (1) after the expiry of the chip smart-card part (2). 5. Wireless payment smart-card with auxiliary memory, according to claim 3, characterized in that the lamella (g) is solidarized from the construction by suitable manufacturing with the lower plastic strip (f) for fixing the mini-memory card (3) in the plastic holder (1).