WO2004100050A1 - Interface device for electronic chip cards - Google Patents

Interface device for electronic chip cards Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2004100050A1
WO2004100050A1 PCT/IB2003/001803 IB0301803W WO2004100050A1 WO 2004100050 A1 WO2004100050 A1 WO 2004100050A1 IB 0301803 W IB0301803 W IB 0301803W WO 2004100050 A1 WO2004100050 A1 WO 2004100050A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
cover plate
top cover
rear end
side edges
bottom cover
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/IB2003/001803
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
William Kuon-Chung Ko
Original Assignee
William Kuon-Chung Ko
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by William Kuon-Chung Ko filed Critical William Kuon-Chung Ko
Priority to PCT/IB2003/001803 priority Critical patent/WO2004100050A1/en
Priority to AU2003224360A priority patent/AU2003224360A1/en
Publication of WO2004100050A1 publication Critical patent/WO2004100050A1/en

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Classifications

    • GPHYSICS
    • G06COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06KGRAPHICAL DATA READING; PRESENTATION OF DATA; RECORD CARRIERS; HANDLING RECORD CARRIERS
    • G06K19/00Record carriers for use with machines and with at least a part designed to carry digital markings
    • G06K19/06Record carriers for use with machines and with at least a part designed to carry digital markings characterised by the kind of the digital marking, e.g. shape, nature, code
    • G06K19/067Record carriers with conductive marks, printed circuits or semiconductor circuit elements, e.g. credit or identity cards also with resonating or responding marks without active components
    • G06K19/07Record carriers with conductive marks, printed circuits or semiconductor circuit elements, e.g. credit or identity cards also with resonating or responding marks without active components with integrated circuit chips
    • G06K19/077Constructional details, e.g. mounting of circuits in the carrier
    • G06K19/07737Constructional details, e.g. mounting of circuits in the carrier the record carrier consisting of two or more mechanically separable parts
    • G06K19/07741Constructional details, e.g. mounting of circuits in the carrier the record carrier consisting of two or more mechanically separable parts comprising a first part operating as a regular record carrier and a second attachable part that changes the functional appearance of said record carrier, e.g. a contact-based smart card with an adapter part which, when attached to the contact card makes the contact card function as a non-contact card
    • GPHYSICS
    • G06COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06KGRAPHICAL DATA READING; PRESENTATION OF DATA; RECORD CARRIERS; HANDLING RECORD CARRIERS
    • G06K7/00Methods or arrangements for sensing record carriers, e.g. for reading patterns
    • G06K7/0013Methods or arrangements for sensing record carriers, e.g. for reading patterns by galvanic contacts, e.g. card connectors for ISO-7816 compliant smart cards or memory cards, e.g. SD card readers
    • G06K7/0021Methods or arrangements for sensing record carriers, e.g. for reading patterns by galvanic contacts, e.g. card connectors for ISO-7816 compliant smart cards or memory cards, e.g. SD card readers for reading/sensing record carriers having surface contacts
    • GPHYSICS
    • G06COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06KGRAPHICAL DATA READING; PRESENTATION OF DATA; RECORD CARRIERS; HANDLING RECORD CARRIERS
    • G06K7/00Methods or arrangements for sensing record carriers, e.g. for reading patterns
    • G06K7/0013Methods or arrangements for sensing record carriers, e.g. for reading patterns by galvanic contacts, e.g. card connectors for ISO-7816 compliant smart cards or memory cards, e.g. SD card readers
    • G06K7/0047Methods or arrangements for sensing record carriers, e.g. for reading patterns by galvanic contacts, e.g. card connectors for ISO-7816 compliant smart cards or memory cards, e.g. SD card readers for reading/sensing record carriers having edge contacts

Definitions

  • the invention relates to an interface device for electrically contacting a chip card, said device comprising: an insertable card-shaped housing according to PCMCIA standard having a top cover plate, a bottom cover plate; a front end, a rear end, and a pair of narrow side edges extending between said top cover and bottom cover plate and between said front end and rear end; a slot-like accommodation channel in between said top and bottom cover plate; a plug-in strip at the front end of housing; and a printed circuit board electrically connected to the plug-in strip having a contact field on its surface adapted to contact the chip card.
  • PCMCIA standard having a top cover plate, a bottom cover plate; a front end, a rear end, and a pair of narrow side edges extending between said top cover and bottom cover plate and between said front end and rear end; a slot-like accommodation channel in between said top and bottom cover plate; a plug-in strip at the front end of housing; and a printed circuit board electrically connected to the plug-in strip having a contact field on its surface
  • a specific interface device is required for matching various electronic chip cards, often called smart cards, with particular electronic apparatus such as computer laptops or set top boxes for decrypting signals broadcasted by satellite.
  • This can be a built-in device.
  • exchangeable interface devices have become common, often referred to as CAMs .
  • a well known standard in this technical field is the PCMCIA standard.
  • the electronic apparatus For accommodating an insertable interface device, the electronic apparatus needs a plug-in strip inside, usually located at the end of a slot-like opening in the electronic apparatus and comprising a plurality of connector pins adapted to engage the matching socket-like plug-in strip at the front end of the CAM interface device.
  • the interface device When plugged in, the interface device is electronically connected to the electronic apparatus and ready to transmit electronic signals into the computer when receiving the chip card in its accommodation channel.
  • a printed circuit board electrically connected to the plug-in strip is secured in the top cover plate of the housing, and the circuit board has a contact field on its surface for contacting the chip card.
  • interface devices that make it possible to connect a chip card to a PCMCIA standard interface of a computer or other such data processing systems.
  • a system comprising chip card, interface device, and computer can be used for a variety of applications (such as data storage, entry security, electronic banking, decrypting digital signals, etc.)
  • the housings of these interface devices are usually extended to include an enlarged insertion guide at the rear end of the housing for guiding the chip card into the insertion channel.
  • This "long version" of the interface device protrudes from the insertion slot of the computer.
  • EP 0696010 describes an interface device with an extended and closed end piece for guiding chip cards into the interface device's accommodation channel. The closed end piece is outside the computer insertion slot and is wider than the part of the interface device within the slot.
  • the projecting parts of the long version interface device may be inconvenient and interfere with usage.
  • EP 1008280 describes an interface device having bottom and top cover plates that are solely attached in the region between the card stop end and the rear end, and the lateral sides of the accommodation channel are continuously open from the rear end to at least the card stop end. This allows the bottom cover plate to swivel around the sole attachment point near the plug-in strip as the chip card is inserted and firmly hold the card against the top cover with a restoring force.
  • the swivel point depends on the sole attachment area of the top cover to the bottom cover of the interface device's housing.
  • Insertion of a chip card puts stress on the only area holding the housing together, such that if that area fails, the whole unit would fall apart.
  • the base cover plate may bend under the weight of the chip card and not be able to secure the card against the top cover towards the rear end of the accommodation channel .
  • the chip card can be misaligned in a lateral direction.
  • EP 0976082 also describes a device having the accommodation channel completely closed on the sides, or at least closed in the rear end of housing.
  • the closed lateral sides help address the problem of the chip card being misaligned in a lateral direction when inserted into the interface device. But if the rear end of the housing is closed, it loses the advantages of a swiveling base plate that opens to accommodate a chip card and then helps to firmly secure an inserted chip card against the cover plate .
  • EP 1056032 proposes a design for producing both a long version and a short version of the interface device in one manufacturing process.
  • the short version is used for complete insertion of the interface device into the electronic apparatus as a laptop computer or set top box.
  • the interface device is similar to the one described in patent EP 1008280, the only difference is the modification of the bottom cover plate so that it would extend outside the accommodation slot of the computer. Guides can also be added to the extension to help direct the card laterally into the accommodation channel of the interface device.
  • a break-line is created on the bottom cover such that the extension can either be left on to result in a long version of the device, or broken off along a break-line to result in a short version of the interface device.
  • the extension since the bottom cover plate has a break-line, using the extension to remove the interface device may cause it to break off.
  • the short version will still have the drawbacks of EP 1008280.
  • the extended bottom cover plate, with or without additional guides, will only add additional stress to the swivel point where the top and bottom cover plates are solely attached in the area near the front end.
  • the interface device can no longer be converted back to the long version.
  • the invention improves the prior art interface devices as described above in that the chip card, when inserted, is always securely held in the interface device even after repeated insertion and removal of the chip card, and in that it is always guaranteed that the chip card is properly guided into the accommodation channel within the interface device.
  • the invention allows to customize the chip card guide, in particular in offering to choose reversibly whether the long or short version should be used.
  • both the short and long versions achieve by not closing the rear end of the accommodation channel, that the portion of the bottom cover plate between the lateral enclosure and the rear end can bend or flex relative to the cover plate.
  • the height of the insertion channel at the rear end is variable to accommodate and firmly secure the chip card.
  • the bottom cover plate can be made from a resilient material. The partially closed lateral sides of the accommodation channel will 1) help support the bottom cover plate to take pressure off the attachment point near the front end of the housing, 2) provide some lateral guidance for the card inside the accommodation channel, and 3) provide a firm base in the accommodation channel towards the front end for the chip card such that the contact on the chip card will securely connect with the contacts on the printed circuit board.
  • the part of the bottom cover plate with unclosed lateral sides in the rear end can be partially angled up towards the top cover plate to provide a stronger restoring force against a chip card inserted in the accommodation channel
  • the top cover plate extends beyond the bottom cover plate.
  • the top cover plate can be designed much thicker than the bottom cover plate in order to accommodate a printed circuit board.
  • One method of securing the printed circuit board to the top cover plate is to use of an intermediate element, or to injection mold around the edge of the top cover plate .
  • To extend the top cover plate all that is necessary is a second mold such that the injection molded plastic forms an extension protruding from the rear end of the top cover plate. Since only the molding needs to be changed to determine whether a short or long version of the housing is created, no additional steps are added to the assembly line of the manufacturing process.
  • the resulting extension is virtually fused to one and the same piece with both the top cover plate and the injection molding inside the top cover plate, providing a thicker and stronger extension than a bottom cover plate extension would be able to. This reduces any possibility of damaging the extension when it is used to remove the interface device from the insertion slot of the computer.
  • the extension on the top cover can be used to guide the card into the accommodation channel . Further enhancements can be made to the extension to improve its ability to guide a card both laterally and vertically into the accommodation channel .
  • the mold can be shaped with edges to guide the chip card laterally, or with "L" shaped arms to guide the chip card both laterally and vertically.
  • the invention offers an interchangeable system that enables a single interface device to change between a long version and a short version, as determined by the user.
  • small changes can be made to the rear end of the top cover plate such that it can accommodate a separate extension piece.
  • the extension piece When attached to the top cover plate, the extension piece is secure enough to be used to remove the interface device from the insertion slot of the computer.
  • Such an extension piece can take on various shapes to help guide the chip card into the accommodation channel .
  • the extension piece can be securely fastened to the top cover plate to form a long version of the device, or can be removed to restore it to a short version of the device.
  • an extension piece is detachably and re-attachably fixed to the top cover plate, extending the top cover plate beyond the bottom cover plate.
  • said side edges are at least partially closed in an area between the rear and front ends and are continuously open from said rear end towards the front end over less than half of the entire length of the side edges .
  • this preferred embodiment also allows the bottom cover plate to bend downwards under an insertion force executed by the chip card.
  • the side edges are completely closed in an area from said rear end towards said front end over at least half of the entire length of the side edges.
  • said side edges are completely open in an area from said rear end towards said front end except for a bridge located in the front half of the entire length of the side edges, said bridge fixing said top and bottom cover plate to each other.
  • the bridge can be of any length less than half of the entire length of the side edges. Also, the bridge can be located at any location in the rear half of the side edges.
  • the bridge in the rear quarter of the entire length of the side edges and using bridges having a width of less than one tenth of the entire length of the side edges. This preferred embodiment guarantees that a sufficient force is pressing the rear end of the bottom cover plate against the inserted chip card and avoids any excess length of the bridge, therefore lowering manufacturing costs.
  • the printed circuit board can either be fixed to the top cover plate or the bottom cover plate, it is preferred to fix it at the top cover plate for making the top cover plate as rigid as possible. Also, the top cover plate becomes thicker- through the combination with the chip card, allowing the extension in the "long" version to be thicker nad more rigid if attached to the top cover plate.
  • the top cover plate comprises in its rearmost area a first slanting part slanting away from said bottom cover plate.
  • a first slanting part slanting away from said bottom cover plate.
  • the bottom cover plate comprises an angling part in said continuously open rear end section, said angling part angling upwards to the top cover plate.
  • This preferred embodiment enhances fixing of the chip card at its rear end within the accommodation channel so that it can be held securely in place.
  • even without an upwardly angling part such force is created by the bottom cover plate, depending on the width of the accommodation channel. If the width in the non-angled version is chosen to be narrow enough, the bottom cover plate will bend under the insertion force from the chip card, causing it to flex and pressing against the inserted chip card holding it in place at the rear end.
  • the angling part extends over the entire continuously open rear end area.
  • Other alternatives would be a convex rear end area of the bottom cover plate, having an apex pointing towards to the top cover plate. This apex can press against the inserted chip card, holding it in place when inserted.
  • the angling part may comprise in its rearmost area a second slanting part slanting away from said top cover plate. This creates an additional help in inserting the chip card into the accommodation channel .
  • the top cover plate extends beyond the bottom cover plate. This creates additional guidance for the chip card and interacts in a particularly preferred manner with the slanting part of the bottom cover plate if such slanting part is provided.
  • an extension piece is detachably and re-attachably fixed to the rear end of the top cover plate.
  • This extension piece can be provided regardless of whether or not the top cover plate extends beyond rear end of the bottom cover plate .
  • this extension piece can be positively locked to the top cover plate in that a protrusion formed on the extension piece engages a recess formed in the top cover plate or vice versa .
  • This extension piece can either be a flat plate, or have a U- shaped configuration including lateral guides extending downwards from the top cover plate, hence helping to guide the chip card laterally, or in another preferred embodiment have L- shaped guides extending downwards from the top cover plate and from a most downward part of the guides inwards, hence helping to guide the chip card both laterally and vertically, or the extension piece may in a further preferred embodiment have a circumferentially closed insertion opening.
  • Figure 1 a perspective exploded view of the main parts of a "short" version of the interface device without top cover plate extension or extension piece;
  • Figure 2 a perspective view of the assembled top cover plate viewed from below;
  • Figure 3 two embodiments of a short version of the interface device, both as perspective view and as side view;
  • Figure 4A side views of three embodiments with no chip card inserted and as an example in addition with the chip card inserted in one of the embodiments;
  • FIG. 4B more detailed side views of the three embodiments shown in Figure 4;
  • Fig. 5A a perspective view and a side view of the long version including a fixed L-shaped flat top cover plate extension
  • Fig. 5B a perspective view of the long version including a fixed U-shaped flat top cover plate extension
  • Fig. 5C a perspective view of the long version including a fixed L-shaped flat top cover plate extension
  • Fig. 6A a perspective view of the long version including a detachable and re-attachable flat top cover plate extension piece;
  • Fig. 6B a perspective view of various variations of detachable and re-attachable extension pieces
  • Fig. 6C a perspective view of an embodiment with various variations of detachable and re-attachable extension pieces as shown in Fig. 6A and 6B;
  • Fig. 7 a perspective view of an embodiment of the long version with fixed flat top cover plate extension and variations of detachable and re-attachable extension pieces .
  • Figure 1 shows a perspective exploded view of the basic components of a short version of the interface device.
  • a bottom cover plate (1) an intermediate frame (2) for accommodating a printed circuit board (3), a printed circuit board (3) , and a top cover plate (4) .
  • the intermediate frame (2) can also serve for attaching the bottom cover plate (1) and the top cover plate (4) to each other.
  • the printed circuit board (3) is provided with a plug-in strip (5) and a contact field (6) .
  • the intermediate frame (2) is assembled to the top cover plate (4) , and the printed circuit board (3) is placed within an accommodation recess in the top cover plate (4) and held in place by the intermediate frame (2) .
  • the intermediate frame (2) can be a separate plastic piece, or it could also be formed by injection molding so that it may be integrally formed as a part of the top cover plate (4) .
  • Figure 2 shows a perspective view of the partially assembled interface device, namely of the three parts intermediate frame (2) , printed circuit board (3) and top cover plate (4) assembled together as the top structure of the interface device.
  • This top structure is shown in a flipped upside down position, or in other words shown as a view from below. It also shows mounting structures for attaching the bottom cover plate (2) to said top structure comprising the intermediate frame (2) , printed circuit board (3) and top cover plate (4) .
  • the front end (8) can be plugged into an electronic apparatus such as a laptop computer, a set top box for decrypting digital signals received from a satellite dish, or to any other electronic apparatus making use of a CAM and chip card combination.
  • the rear end (9) points towards the user inserting the device into the electronic apparatus.
  • the contact field (6) adapted to contact a chip card.
  • FIG. 3 shows two embodiments of the short version of the interface device.
  • the uppermost embodiment is also shown in side views with and without inserted chip card (10) .
  • the bottom cover plate (1) is attached to the top cover plate (4) in the rear area only by a bridge (11) that is comparatively narrow as compared to the entire length of the narrow side edges (12) . Therefore, the narrow side edges (12) are substantially open throughout their entire length, except for the front end (8) carrying the plug-in strip (5) and the bridge (11) .
  • the bridge (11) is located at the rear quarter of the interface device. For this reason, an accommodation channel (13) is open substantially over the entire length thereof, except for the very forward end (8) area carrying the plug-in strip (5) .
  • the bridge (11) is located in the rear-quarter from the rear end (9) .
  • This design provides that the accommodation channel (13) is open over a rear end area (14) on both lateral sides.
  • the bottom cover plate (1) can therefore bend downwards when a chip card is inserted, while at the same time the bridge (11) has the function of a lateral guide for the chip card (10) .
  • FIG. 3 Another embodiment is shown in the perspective view second from top in figure 3.
  • the narrow side edges (12) are substantially closed over the entire length of said side edges, just leaving the rearward quarter of the accommodation channel (13) laterally open at both sides thereof.
  • This allows the rearward end section of the bottom plate (1) to flex down when a chip card is inserted, and therefore be biased against the chip card holding it in place at the rear end (9) .
  • the closed side edges operate as a lateral guide for the chip card (10) .
  • Figures 4A and 4B show side views of three embodiments, one of these embodiments with and without inserted chip card.
  • the uppermost design in figure 4A has an accommodation channel (13) of constant height, or in other words, the bottom cover plate (1) and top cover plate (4) extend parallel to each other over the entire length of the interface device.
  • Figures 4A and 4B show the "bridge" design.
  • the second design from the top in figure 4A shows an accommodation channel (13) decreasing in height from the bridge towards the rear end (9) .
  • the bottom cover plate (1) has an angled area.
  • the bottom cover plate (1) is biased against the top assembly, in particular against the top cover plate (4) and/or the printed circuit board (3) and/or the intermediate frame (2), and maybe pressed into direct contact with and against any of these.
  • the bottom cover plate (1) is in addition provided with a slanting part (15) likewise, the top structure can be provided with a slanting part (16) .
  • the slanting parts (15) and (16) help in inserting the chip card.
  • the entire rear end area (14) is angled towards the top cover plate (4) .
  • the lowermost side view in figure 4A shows the same embodiment as the afore-mentioned embodiment third from top, but with the chip card (10) inserted. Insertion of the chip card (10) has the consequence of flexing the bottom cover plate (1) downwards,
  • FIG 4B the same side views as in figure 4A in the same consecutive order are shown, except for showing a more detailed view from which electrical contacts (17) of the contact field (6) can be gathered.
  • These electrical contacts (17) can be resiliently displaced by inserting the chip card (10) , and as a result, the chip card is held in place at its forward end when inserted, and a proper electrical contact is guaranteed.
  • the chip card can be held in place by the biased, angled rear section of the bottom cover plate.
  • Figure 5A shows a perspective view and a side view of the long version of the interface device including a top cover plate extension (18) of the top cover plate (4) .
  • the top cover plate (4) is extended beyond the accommodation channel (13) .
  • the chip card (10), as shown in the side view of figure 5A, can be slid against the top cover plate extension (18) to better guide it into the accommodation channel (13) of the interface device.
  • the extension (18) can be integrally formed with the top cover plate (4) as shown in figure 5A. As shown in the side view in figure 5A, the extension (18) helps guiding the chip card (10) properly into the accommodation channel (13) .
  • the rear end of the bottom cover plate (1) is slanted in this embodiment, and it can be seen how the slanted portion interacts with the extension (18) for proper insertion of the chip card (10) . From this side view in figure 5A it also becomes apparent that the rearward end section of the bottom cover plate (1) is bent or flexed downwards by the insertion force from the chip card (10) .
  • FIG. 5B various embodiments of the extension (18) are shown, namely in Fig. 5B a U-shaped extension with lateral guides 20 helping to guide the chip card laterally during the process of insertion, and Fig. 5C an L-shaped extension (18) providing both lateral and vertical guidance to the chip card when inserted.
  • Fig. 6A to 6C show embodiments with detachable and re- attachable extension pieces (19) , allowing to convert the short version into the long version and vice versa.
  • the respective extension piece is detachably and re-attachably attached to the rear end of the top cover structure as the top cover plate (4) or the intermediate frame (2) .
  • This design allows complete conversion from the long to the short version. This is in particular desired if the CAM is inserted into a laptop computer since protruding parts from a laptop computer are vulnerable to damage. For this reason, an extension piece (19) without additional extension (18) maybe preferred.
  • Attaching or detaching can be made by snapping-on. When snapped-on, protrusions formed at the top cover plate (4) or the intermediate frame (2) can engage respective recesses formed in the extension piece (19) or vice versa. Other attaching mechanisms such as screws or inserted pins are possible.
  • Fig. 6B shows 3 variations of the extension pieces detached from the CAM, namely a U-shaped, L-shaped and circumferentially closed alternative.
  • Fig. 6C shoes these alternatives plus the flat alternative in relation to the CAM, the flat version shown as attached to the CAM. This demonstrates that it is not only possible to switch between the long and short version, but also to pick from a variety of possible extension pieces.
  • Fig. 7 shows a further embodiment having a fixed flat extension piece and a variety of extension pieces, in the drawings from top to bottom in the consecutive order circumferentially closed insertion opening, L-shaped guide and U-shaped guide.
  • the extension pieces comprise an attachment channel (22) that can be slid on the fixed extension (18) .
  • An additional fixed extension (18) has the advantage of making it easier to attach and detach the extension piece (19) and secures it better in place. If the extension (18) is designed as a break-off design, this would allow a complete conversion of the long version into the short version. As long as left as the long version, this combines the advantage of securing the detachable and re-attachable extension piece (19) better in place, while after breaking the extension (18) off, the extension piece may still be re-attached without existence of the extension by providing in addition to the attachment channel also means for positively locking the extension piece to the top cover plate, or by using a different extension piece.

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  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Theoretical Computer Science (AREA)
  • Artificial Intelligence (AREA)
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  • Computer Hardware Design (AREA)
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Abstract

The invention relates to an interface device for electrically contacting a chip card (10), said device comprising: an insertable card (10)-shaped housing according to PCMCIA standard having a top cover plate (4), a bottom cover plate (1); a front end (8), a rear end (9), and a pair of narrow side edges (12) extending between said top cover and bottom cover plate (1) and between said front end (8) and rear end (9); a slot-like accommodation channel (13) in between said top and bottom cover plate (1); a plug-in strip (5) at the front end (8) of housing; and a printed circuit board (3) electrically connected to the plug-in strip (5) having a contact field (6) on its surface adapted to contact the chip card (10). According to the invention, an extension piece (19) is detachably and re-attachably fixed to the top cover plate (4), extending the top cover plate (4) beyond the bottom cover plate (1). In another embodiment of the invention, said side edges (12) are at least partially closed in an area between the rear and front ends and are continuously open from said rear end (9) towards the front end (8) over less than half of the entire length of the side edges (12).

Description

Interface device for electronic chip cards
The invention relates to an interface device for electrically contacting a chip card, said device comprising: an insertable card-shaped housing according to PCMCIA standard having a top cover plate, a bottom cover plate; a front end, a rear end, and a pair of narrow side edges extending between said top cover and bottom cover plate and between said front end and rear end; a slot-like accommodation channel in between said top and bottom cover plate; a plug-in strip at the front end of housing; and a printed circuit board electrically connected to the plug-in strip having a contact field on its surface adapted to contact the chip card.
For matching various electronic chip cards, often called smart cards, with particular electronic apparatus such as computer laptops or set top boxes for decrypting signals broadcasted by satellite, a specific interface device is required. This can be a built-in device. However, since it may be desirable to customize the electronic device, for instance by choosing a particular decryption system, exchangeable interface devices have become common, often referred to as CAMs . A well known standard in this technical field is the PCMCIA standard.
For accommodating an insertable interface device, the electronic apparatus needs a plug-in strip inside, usually located at the end of a slot-like opening in the electronic apparatus and comprising a plurality of connector pins adapted to engage the matching socket-like plug-in strip at the front end of the CAM interface device. When plugged in, the interface device is electronically connected to the electronic apparatus and ready to transmit electronic signals into the computer when receiving the chip card in its accommodation channel.
For this purpose, a printed circuit board electrically connected to the plug-in strip is secured in the top cover plate of the housing, and the circuit board has a contact field on its surface for contacting the chip card. When a chip card is inserted into the accommodation channel through the opening at the rear end of the housing in a direction towards the front end, it eventually comes to a card stop end at the front end of the accommodation channel. The card stop end helps to properly align the contact point on the printed circuit board with the contact point on the chip card. The top cover plate of the interface device is connected to the bottom cover plate near the plug-in strip; somewhere between the rear end and the card stop end.
Known in the current art are interface devices that make it possible to connect a chip card to a PCMCIA standard interface of a computer or other such data processing systems. A system comprising chip card, interface device, and computer can be used for a variety of applications (such as data storage, entry security, electronic banking, decrypting digital signals, etc.) The housings of these interface devices are usually extended to include an enlarged insertion guide at the rear end of the housing for guiding the chip card into the insertion channel. This "long version" of the interface device protrudes from the insertion slot of the computer. EP 0696010 describes an interface device with an extended and closed end piece for guiding chip cards into the interface device's accommodation channel. The closed end piece is outside the computer insertion slot and is wider than the part of the interface device within the slot. However, with mobile computers, the projecting parts of the long version interface device may be inconvenient and interfere with usage.
A "short version" of the interface device is generally preferred for portable computers such as notebooks or computer laptops. EP 1008280 describes an interface device having bottom and top cover plates that are solely attached in the region between the card stop end and the rear end, and the lateral sides of the accommodation channel are continuously open from the rear end to at least the card stop end. This allows the bottom cover plate to swivel around the sole attachment point near the plug-in strip as the chip card is inserted and firmly hold the card against the top cover with a restoring force. There are several disadvantages of this design. Firstly, the swivel point depends on the sole attachment area of the top cover to the bottom cover of the interface device's housing. Insertion of a chip card puts stress on the only area holding the housing together, such that if that area fails, the whole unit would fall apart. Secondly, since the swivel point is so far from the rear end of the base cover, if a lighter more flexible material such as plastic is used, the base cover plate may bend under the weight of the chip card and not be able to secure the card against the top cover towards the rear end of the accommodation channel .
Further, since the lateral sides of the insertion channel are completely open, the chip card can be misaligned in a lateral direction.
EP 0976082 also describes a device having the accommodation channel completely closed on the sides, or at least closed in the rear end of housing. The closed lateral sides help address the problem of the chip card being misaligned in a lateral direction when inserted into the interface device. But if the rear end of the housing is closed, it loses the advantages of a swiveling base plate that opens to accommodate a chip card and then helps to firmly secure an inserted chip card against the cover plate .
EP 1056032 proposes a design for producing both a long version and a short version of the interface device in one manufacturing process. The short version is used for complete insertion of the interface device into the electronic apparatus as a laptop computer or set top box. The interface device is similar to the one described in patent EP 1008280, the only difference is the modification of the bottom cover plate so that it would extend outside the accommodation slot of the computer. Guides can also be added to the extension to help direct the card laterally into the accommodation channel of the interface device. A break-line is created on the bottom cover such that the extension can either be left on to result in a long version of the device, or broken off along a break-line to result in a short version of the interface device. However, there are several drawbacks to this design. Since the bottom cover plate has a break-line, using the extension to remove the interface device may cause it to break off. The short version will still have the drawbacks of EP 1008280. Further, the extended bottom cover plate, with or without additional guides, will only add additional stress to the swivel point where the top and bottom cover plates are solely attached in the area near the front end. Also, once the extension is broken off, the interface device can no longer be converted back to the long version. The invention improves the prior art interface devices as described above in that the chip card, when inserted, is always securely held in the interface device even after repeated insertion and removal of the chip card, and in that it is always guaranteed that the chip card is properly guided into the accommodation channel within the interface device. In addition, the invention allows to customize the chip card guide, in particular in offering to choose reversibly whether the long or short version should be used.
This is achieved by the features in the characterizing parts of claims 1 and 3. Preferred further embodiments are described in the dependent claims 2 and 4 to 17.
In the following, some main advantages of the design according to the present invention are discussed:
Both the short and long versions achieve by not closing the rear end of the accommodation channel, that the portion of the bottom cover plate between the lateral enclosure and the rear end can bend or flex relative to the cover plate. Thus, the height of the insertion channel at the rear end is variable to accommodate and firmly secure the chip card. For this purpose, the bottom cover plate can be made from a resilient material. The partially closed lateral sides of the accommodation channel will 1) help support the bottom cover plate to take pressure off the attachment point near the front end of the housing, 2) provide some lateral guidance for the card inside the accommodation channel, and 3) provide a firm base in the accommodation channel towards the front end for the chip card such that the contact on the chip card will securely connect with the contacts on the printed circuit board. To further enhance retention of the card in the rear end of the accommodation channel, the part of the bottom cover plate with unclosed lateral sides in the rear end can be partially angled up towards the top cover plate to provide a stronger restoring force against a chip card inserted in the accommodation channel
According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the top cover plate extends beyond the bottom cover plate. The top cover plate can be designed much thicker than the bottom cover plate in order to accommodate a printed circuit board. One method of securing the printed circuit board to the top cover plate is to use of an intermediate element, or to injection mold around the edge of the top cover plate . To extend the top cover plate, all that is necessary is a second mold such that the injection molded plastic forms an extension protruding from the rear end of the top cover plate. Since only the molding needs to be changed to determine whether a short or long version of the housing is created, no additional steps are added to the assembly line of the manufacturing process. The resulting extension is virtually fused to one and the same piece with both the top cover plate and the injection molding inside the top cover plate, providing a thicker and stronger extension than a bottom cover plate extension would be able to. This reduces any possibility of damaging the extension when it is used to remove the interface device from the insertion slot of the computer. Further, the extension on the top cover can be used to guide the card into the accommodation channel . Further enhancements can be made to the extension to improve its ability to guide a card both laterally and vertically into the accommodation channel . The mold can be shaped with edges to guide the chip card laterally, or with "L" shaped arms to guide the chip card both laterally and vertically. Further, the invention offers an interchangeable system that enables a single interface device to change between a long version and a short version, as determined by the user. Taking the proposed short version interface device of this invention, small changes can be made to the rear end of the top cover plate such that it can accommodate a separate extension piece. When attached to the top cover plate, the extension piece is secure enough to be used to remove the interface device from the insertion slot of the computer. Such an extension piece can take on various shapes to help guide the chip card into the accommodation channel . The extension piece can be securely fastened to the top cover plate to form a long version of the device, or can be removed to restore it to a short version of the device.
According to one embodiment, an extension piece is detachably and re-attachably fixed to the top cover plate, extending the top cover plate beyond the bottom cover plate. According to a preferred embodiment in connection with this design, said side edges are at least partially closed in an area between the rear and front ends and are continuously open from said rear end towards the front end over less than half of the entire length of the side edges . In addition to the extension piece helping to give guidance to the chip card when inserted, this preferred embodiment also allows the bottom cover plate to bend downwards under an insertion force executed by the chip card.
In an embodiment with the continuously open rear end area of the lateral side edges, according to a preferred embodiment the side edges are completely closed in an area from said rear end towards said front end over at least half of the entire length of the side edges. However, any kind of variations from completely closed in the front half of the side edges to partially closed or open with spaced apart windows are possible. According to another preferred embodiment, said side edges are completely open in an area from said rear end towards said front end except for a bridge located in the front half of the entire length of the side edges, said bridge fixing said top and bottom cover plate to each other. The bridge can be of any length less than half of the entire length of the side edges. Also, the bridge can be located at any location in the rear half of the side edges. However, it is preferred to locate the bridge in the rear quarter of the entire length of the side edges and using bridges having a width of less than one tenth of the entire length of the side edges. This preferred embodiment guarantees that a sufficient force is pressing the rear end of the bottom cover plate against the inserted chip card and avoids any excess length of the bridge, therefore lowering manufacturing costs.
Even though the printed circuit board can either be fixed to the top cover plate or the bottom cover plate, it is preferred to fix it at the top cover plate for making the top cover plate as rigid as possible. Also, the top cover plate becomes thicker- through the combination with the chip card, allowing the extension in the "long" version to be thicker nad more rigid if attached to the top cover plate.
Preferably, the top cover plate comprises in its rearmost area a first slanting part slanting away from said bottom cover plate. This makes insertion of the chip card easier. However, also a design without said slanting part would be possible. According to a further preferred embodiment the bottom cover plate comprises an angling part in said continuously open rear end section, said angling part angling upwards to the top cover plate. This preferred embodiment enhances fixing of the chip card at its rear end within the accommodation channel so that it can be held securely in place. However, even without an upwardly angling part such force is created by the bottom cover plate, depending on the width of the accommodation channel. If the width in the non-angled version is chosen to be narrow enough, the bottom cover plate will bend under the insertion force from the chip card, causing it to flex and pressing against the inserted chip card holding it in place at the rear end.
In a preferred embodiment, the angling part extends over the entire continuously open rear end area. As alternative embodiments, it would be possible to have the angling part only extending over a portion of the continuously open rear end area in an upward direction. Other alternatives would be a convex rear end area of the bottom cover plate, having an apex pointing towards to the top cover plate. This apex can press against the inserted chip card, holding it in place when inserted.
In addition, according to a preferred embodiment, the angling part may comprise in its rearmost area a second slanting part slanting away from said top cover plate. This creates an additional help in inserting the chip card into the accommodation channel .
In a preferred embodiment, the top cover plate extends beyond the bottom cover plate. This creates additional guidance for the chip card and interacts in a particularly preferred manner with the slanting part of the bottom cover plate if such slanting part is provided.
Preferably, an extension piece is detachably and re-attachably fixed to the rear end of the top cover plate. This extension piece can be provided regardless of whether or not the top cover plate extends beyond rear end of the bottom cover plate . According to a further preferred embodiment, this extension piece can be positively locked to the top cover plate in that a protrusion formed on the extension piece engages a recess formed in the top cover plate or vice versa .
This extension piece can either be a flat plate, or have a U- shaped configuration including lateral guides extending downwards from the top cover plate, hence helping to guide the chip card laterally, or in another preferred embodiment have L- shaped guides extending downwards from the top cover plate and from a most downward part of the guides inwards, hence helping to guide the chip card both laterally and vertically, or the extension piece may in a further preferred embodiment have a circumferentially closed insertion opening.
In the following, further advantages and alternatives of the present invention are discussed by referring to the drawings. In the drawings, it is shown in:
Figure 1 a perspective exploded view of the main parts of a "short" version of the interface device without top cover plate extension or extension piece;
Figure 2 a perspective view of the assembled top cover plate viewed from below; Figure 3 two embodiments of a short version of the interface device, both as perspective view and as side view;
Figure 4A side views of three embodiments with no chip card inserted and as an example in addition with the chip card inserted in one of the embodiments;
Figure 4B more detailed side views of the three embodiments shown in Figure 4;
Fig. 5A a perspective view and a side view of the long version including a fixed L-shaped flat top cover plate extension; Fig. 5B a perspective view of the long version including a fixed U-shaped flat top cover plate extension;
Fig. 5C a perspective view of the long version including a fixed L-shaped flat top cover plate extension;
Fig. 6A a perspective view of the long version including a detachable and re-attachable flat top cover plate extension piece;
Fig. 6B a perspective view of various variations of detachable and re-attachable extension pieces;
Fig. 6C a perspective view of an embodiment with various variations of detachable and re-attachable extension pieces as shown in Fig. 6A and 6B; and
Fig. 7 a perspective view of an embodiment of the long version with fixed flat top cover plate extension and variations of detachable and re-attachable extension pieces .
Figure 1 shows a perspective exploded view of the basic components of a short version of the interface device. In particular, it shows a bottom cover plate (1) , an intermediate frame (2) for accommodating a printed circuit board (3), a printed circuit board (3) , and a top cover plate (4) . The intermediate frame (2) can also serve for attaching the bottom cover plate (1) and the top cover plate (4) to each other. The printed circuit board (3) is provided with a plug-in strip (5) and a contact field (6) . The intermediate frame (2) is assembled to the top cover plate (4) , and the printed circuit board (3) is placed within an accommodation recess in the top cover plate (4) and held in place by the intermediate frame (2) . The intermediate frame (2) can be a separate plastic piece, or it could also be formed by injection molding so that it may be integrally formed as a part of the top cover plate (4) .
Figure 2 shows a perspective view of the partially assembled interface device, namely of the three parts intermediate frame (2) , printed circuit board (3) and top cover plate (4) assembled together as the top structure of the interface device. This top structure is shown in a flipped upside down position, or in other words shown as a view from below. It also shows mounting structures for attaching the bottom cover plate (2) to said top structure comprising the intermediate frame (2) , printed circuit board (3) and top cover plate (4) . The front end (8) can be plugged into an electronic apparatus such as a laptop computer, a set top box for decrypting digital signals received from a satellite dish, or to any other electronic apparatus making use of a CAM and chip card combination. The rear end (9) points towards the user inserting the device into the electronic apparatus. Also shown in figure 2 is the contact field (6) adapted to contact a chip card.
Figure 3 shows two embodiments of the short version of the interface device. The uppermost embodiment is also shown in side views with and without inserted chip card (10) . In the uppermost embodiment the bottom cover plate (1) is attached to the top cover plate (4) in the rear area only by a bridge (11) that is comparatively narrow as compared to the entire length of the narrow side edges (12) . Therefore, the narrow side edges (12) are substantially open throughout their entire length, except for the front end (8) carrying the plug-in strip (5) and the bridge (11) . In this embodiment the bridge (11) is located at the rear quarter of the interface device. For this reason, an accommodation channel (13) is open substantially over the entire length thereof, except for the very forward end (8) area carrying the plug-in strip (5) . The bridge (11) is located in the rear-quarter from the rear end (9) . This design provides that the accommodation channel (13) is open over a rear end area (14) on both lateral sides. The bottom cover plate (1) can therefore bend downwards when a chip card is inserted, while at the same time the bridge (11) has the function of a lateral guide for the chip card (10) . This has in particular been demonstrated in the side views, the upper side view showing the uppermost embodiment with no chip card inserted and the rearward quarter of the bottom plate (1) being biased upwards towards the top cover plate (4) . In the lowermost side view, the chip card (10) has been inserted, flexing the rearward quarter section of the base plate (1) downwards .
Another embodiment is shown in the perspective view second from top in figure 3. In this embodiment, the narrow side edges (12) are substantially closed over the entire length of said side edges, just leaving the rearward quarter of the accommodation channel (13) laterally open at both sides thereof. Like in the uppermost embodiment with the bridge, this allows the rearward end section of the bottom plate (1) to flex down when a chip card is inserted, and therefore be biased against the chip card holding it in place at the rear end (9) . The closed side edges operate as a lateral guide for the chip card (10) . Figures 4A and 4B show side views of three embodiments, one of these embodiments with and without inserted chip card. The uppermost design in figure 4A has an accommodation channel (13) of constant height, or in other words, the bottom cover plate (1) and top cover plate (4) extend parallel to each other over the entire length of the interface device. Figures 4A and 4B show the "bridge" design.
The second design from the top in figure 4A shows an accommodation channel (13) decreasing in height from the bridge towards the rear end (9) . In other words, the bottom cover plate (1) has an angled area. As a result, with no chip card (10) inserted, the bottom cover plate (1) is biased against the top assembly, in particular against the top cover plate (4) and/or the printed circuit board (3) and/or the intermediate frame (2), and maybe pressed into direct contact with and against any of these.
In the third design from the top in figure 4A, the bottom cover plate (1) is in addition provided with a slanting part (15) likewise, the top structure can be provided with a slanting part (16) . The slanting parts (15) and (16) help in inserting the chip card. Also in this embodiment, the entire rear end area (14) is angled towards the top cover plate (4) . The lowermost side view in figure 4A shows the same embodiment as the afore-mentioned embodiment third from top, but with the chip card (10) inserted. Insertion of the chip card (10) has the consequence of flexing the bottom cover plate (1) downwards,
In figure 4B, the same side views as in figure 4A in the same consecutive order are shown, except for showing a more detailed view from which electrical contacts (17) of the contact field (6) can be gathered. These electrical contacts (17) can be resiliently displaced by inserting the chip card (10) , and as a result, the chip card is held in place at its forward end when inserted, and a proper electrical contact is guaranteed. At the rear end, the chip card can be held in place by the biased, angled rear section of the bottom cover plate.
Figure 5A shows a perspective view and a side view of the long version of the interface device including a top cover plate extension (18) of the top cover plate (4) . In this design, the top cover plate (4) is extended beyond the accommodation channel (13) . The chip card (10), as shown in the side view of figure 5A, can be slid against the top cover plate extension (18) to better guide it into the accommodation channel (13) of the interface device. The extension (18) can be integrally formed with the top cover plate (4) as shown in figure 5A. As shown in the side view in figure 5A, the extension (18) helps guiding the chip card (10) properly into the accommodation channel (13) . The rear end of the bottom cover plate (1) is slanted in this embodiment, and it can be seen how the slanted portion interacts with the extension (18) for proper insertion of the chip card (10) . From this side view in figure 5A it also becomes apparent that the rearward end section of the bottom cover plate (1) is bent or flexed downwards by the insertion force from the chip card (10) .
In figures 5B and 5C various embodiments of the extension (18) are shown, namely in Fig. 5B a U-shaped extension with lateral guides 20 helping to guide the chip card laterally during the process of insertion, and Fig. 5C an L-shaped extension (18) providing both lateral and vertical guidance to the chip card when inserted.
Fig. 6A to 6C show embodiments with detachable and re- attachable extension pieces (19) , allowing to convert the short version into the long version and vice versa. The respective extension piece is detachably and re-attachably attached to the rear end of the top cover structure as the top cover plate (4) or the intermediate frame (2) . This design allows complete conversion from the long to the short version. This is in particular desired if the CAM is inserted into a laptop computer since protruding parts from a laptop computer are vulnerable to damage. For this reason, an extension piece (19) without additional extension (18) maybe preferred.
Attaching or detaching can be made by snapping-on. When snapped-on, protrusions formed at the top cover plate (4) or the intermediate frame (2) can engage respective recesses formed in the extension piece (19) or vice versa. Other attaching mechanisms such as screws or inserted pins are possible.
Fig. 6B shows 3 variations of the extension pieces detached from the CAM, namely a U-shaped, L-shaped and circumferentially closed alternative. Fig. 6C shoes these alternatives plus the flat alternative in relation to the CAM, the flat version shown as attached to the CAM. This demonstrates that it is not only possible to switch between the long and short version, but also to pick from a variety of possible extension pieces.
Fig. 7 shows a further embodiment having a fixed flat extension piece and a variety of extension pieces, in the drawings from top to bottom in the consecutive order circumferentially closed insertion opening, L-shaped guide and U-shaped guide. The extension pieces comprise an attachment channel (22) that can be slid on the fixed extension (18) .
An additional fixed extension (18) has the advantage of making it easier to attach and detach the extension piece (19) and secures it better in place. If the extension (18) is designed as a break-off design, this would allow a complete conversion of the long version into the short version. As long as left as the long version, this combines the advantage of securing the detachable and re-attachable extension piece (19) better in place, while after breaking the extension (18) off, the extension piece may still be re-attached without existence of the extension by providing in addition to the attachment channel also means for positively locking the extension piece to the top cover plate, or by using a different extension piece.

Claims

Claims :
1. An interface device for electrically contacting a chip card (10) , said device comprising: an insertable card-shaped housing according to PCMCIA standard having a top cover plate (4) , a bottom cover plate (1) ; a front end (8), a rear end (9), and a pair of narrow side edges (12) extending between said top cover plate (4) and bottom cover plate (1) and between said front end (8) and rear end (9) ; a slot-like accommodation channel (13) in between said top and bottom cover plate (4,1); a plug-in strip (5) at the front end (8) of housing; a printed circuit board (3) electrically connected to the plug- in strip (5) having a contact field (6) on its surface adapted to contact the chip card (10) ; characterized in that an extension piece (19) is detachably and re-attachably fixed to the top cover plate (4) , extending the top cover plate (4) beyond the bottom cover plate (1) .
2. An interface device according to claim 1, characterized in that said side edges (12) are at least partially closed in an area between the rear and front ends (9,8) and are continuously open from said rear end (9) towards the front end (8) over less than half of the entire length of the side edges (12) .
3. An interface device for electrically contacting a chip card (10) , said device comprising: an insertable card-shaped housing according to PCMCIA standard having a top cover plate (4) , a bottom cover plate (1) ; a front end (8), a rear end (9), and a pair of narrow side edges (12) extending between said top cover and bottom cover plate (1) and between said front end (8) and rear end (9) ; a slot-like accommodation channel (13) in between said top and bottom cover plate (1) ; a plug-in strip (5) at the front end (8) of housing; a printed circuit board (3) electrically connected to the plug- in strip (5) having a contact field (6) on its surface adapted to contact the chip card (10) ; characterized in that said side edges (12) are at least partially closed in an area between the rear and front ends and are continuously open from said rear end (9) towards the front end (8) over less than half of the entire length of the side edges (12) .
4. The interface device according to claim 2 or 3 , characterized in that said side edges (12) are completely closed in an area from said rear end (9) towards said front end (8) over at least half of the entire length of the side edges (12) .
5. The interface device according to claim 2 or 3 , characterized in that said side edges (12) are completely open in an area from said rear end (9) towards said front end (8) except for a bridge (11) located in the front half of the entire length of the side edges (12) , said bridge (11) fixing said top and bottom cover plates (4,1) to each other.
6. Interface device according to claim 5, characterized in that said bridge (11) is located in the rear quarter of the entire length of the side edges (12) and extends over less than one tenth of the entire length of the side edges (12) .
7. Interface device according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the printed circuit board (3) is fixed to the top cover plate (4) .
8. The device according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the top cover plate (4) comprises in its rearmost area a first slanting part slanting away from said bottom cover plate (1) .
9. The device according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the bottom cover plate (1) comprises an angling part in said continuously open rear end (9) section, said angling part angling upwards to the top cover plate (4) .
10. The device according to claim 9, characterized in that the angling part extends over the entire continuously open rear end (9) area.
11. The device according to claims 9 or 10, characterized in that the angling part comprises in its rearmost area (14) a second slanting part slanting away from said top cover plate (4) .
12. The device according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that an extension (18) at the top cover plate (4) extends beyond the bottom cover plate (1) .
13. The device according to claim 12, characterized in that said extension has a U-shaped configuration, including lateral guides (20) extending downwards from the top cover plate (4) , hence helping to guide the chip cart laterally.
14. The device according to claim 12, characterized in that said extension has L-shaped guides (20) extending downwards from the top cover plate (4) and from a most downward part of the guides (20) inwards, hence helping to guide (2) the chip card (10) both laterally and vertically.
15. The device according to any of claims 3 to 12, characterized in that an extension piece (19) is detachably and re-attachably fixed to the rear end (9) of the top cover plate (4) .
16. The device according to claim 1, 2 or 15, characterized in that the extension piece (19) is positively locked to the top cover plate (4) in that a protrusion formed on the extension piece (19) engages a recess formed in the top cover plate (4) .
17. The device according to either one of claims 1, 2, 15 or 16, characterized in that said extension piece (19) has a U-shaped configuration, including lateral guides extending downwards from the top cover plate (4) , hence helping to guide the chip cart laterally.
18. The device according to either one of claims 1, 2, 15 or 16, characterized in that said extension piece (19) has L-shaped guides (20) extending downwards from the top cover plate (4) and from a most downward part of the guides (20) inwards, hence helping to guide the chip card (10) both laterally and vertically.
19. The device according to either one of claims 1, 2, 15 or 16, characterized in that said extension piece (19) has a circumferentially closed insertion opening (21) .
PCT/IB2003/001803 2003-05-08 2003-05-08 Interface device for electronic chip cards WO2004100050A1 (en)

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PCT/IB2003/001803 WO2004100050A1 (en) 2003-05-08 2003-05-08 Interface device for electronic chip cards
AU2003224360A AU2003224360A1 (en) 2003-05-08 2003-05-08 Interface device for electronic chip cards

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EP2830320A1 (en) * 2013-07-25 2015-01-28 SmarDTV S.A. A USB conditional access module comprising a chip card reader and an adaptor

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