WO2006084988A1

WO2006084988A1 - Card support, use method thereof and card/adapter assembly

Info

Publication number: WO2006084988A1
Application number: PCT/FR2006/000278
Authority: WO
Inventors: Guy Enouf
Original assignee: Oberthur Card Systems Sa
Priority date: 2005-02-11
Filing date: 2006-02-07
Publication date: 2006-08-17
Also published as: FR2882175B1; CA2597468A1; CN101116093B; CN101116093A; CA2597468C; KR20070102619A; FR2882175A1; KR100930175B1

Abstract

The invention relates to a support (2) bearing a pre-cut adapter (6) which is equipped with a cavity (16) that can receive a chip card (4). The inventive support (2) also bears the chip card (4). According to the support use method, the pre-cut adapter (6) is separated from the support (2), the chip card (4) is separated from the support (2) and the chip card (4) is inserted into the cavity of the adapter (6). The card (4) is then, for example, inserted between two narrow arms (24) of the adapter (6), which help define the cavity (16) and which extend over at least a large part of the length of the card (4).

Description

Card holder, method of use and adapter card assembly

The invention relates to a microcircuit card carrier, a method of using such a carrier and a card-adapter assembly.

Microcircuit cards widely used in everyday life have dimensions precisely defined by standards in order to be received in the electronic device with which they are intended to cooperate.

Several formats have emerged according to the applications and the type of electronic device used:

the ID-1 format derived from the ISO 7810 standard, used for example for bank cards, which will be called here "large format" in view of the size of the other formats considered;

- the ID-OOO format used mainly for identification cards of mobile operators' subscribers is referred to as "SIM plug-in" (being reminded that SIM stands for "Subscriber Modulated Indentification", ie the identification module of the subscriber), referred to here as "medium format";

- the Mini-UICC format, more recently introduced in order to replace the previous format, which will be referred to in the following "small format".

These formats are for example described in the ETSI technical specification relating to the physical characteristics of microcircuit cards (see for example ETSI TS 102 221, v6.4.0 - March 2004, chapter 4).

Due to the existence of different formats, which are sometimes required for the same application, solutions have been proposed to ensure the best compatibility of a microcircuit card with the different types of devices existing on the market.

A first solution generally envisaged consists in forming the smaller microcircuit card in a breakable manner within a larger support which may form a larger microcircuit card, as described, for example, in FIG. patent application WO 2004/042651.

Another solution to ensure compatibility is to provide a large format support with a cavity able to receive a format card lower, the support then playing the role of adapter, as described for example in the patent application FR 2,853,434.

It has also been proposed to make the medium-size microcircuit card as a breakable part of a large format card forming a support, within which there is also provided an "opening part" intended to ensure a reversible attachment of the card. microcircuit card medium format, as described in the patent application FR 2 783 750. One can thus reuse the large format even after separating the medium format card during a first use.

In order to propose a compatibility among three formats, the patent application WO 00/73989 proposes an adapter dimensioned according to the medium format, with a cavity adapted to a small format ("3G" format in this document), and brought to the means of breakable connections by a support dimensioned in large format, and which itself forms an adapter adapted to receive the small format card. This document therefore proposes to solve the problem of compatibility by means of an adapter adapted to receive a small microcircuit card, the dimensions of the adapter can be chosen to correspond to the large format or medium format.

The inventors have however noticed that this solution does not allow to bring together in one and the same room the elements to obtain in a simple way the compatibility with the three formats.

In order to solve this problem in particular, the invention proposes a support carrying a pre-cut adapter, the adapter having a cavity adapted to receive a microcircuit card, characterized in that the support carries the microcircuit card and in that the card microcircuit is precut in the holder outside the adapter.

Thus, the support carries the elements that make it possible to produce three different configurations in order, for example, to obtain three different formats: the microcircuit card itself, the microcircuit card on the support and the microcircuit card received in the adapter. .

However, this solution can also be used even when a smaller number of formats are targeted: for example, it may be desired to use the card itself or the card received in the adapter, without the medium producing a specific format. In addition, the adapter is thus made independently of the pre-cut card, which avoids for example to provide cutting areas within the adapter and thus makes it possible to make an adapter of good mechanical strength. According to one embodiment, the cavity is positioned in such a way that the adapter receiving the microcircuit card forms a card according to a first predetermined format, for example the format ID-OOO in which case the adapter has dimensions 25 mm × 15 mm, usually within 1%.

The support carrying the microcircuit card may also form a card in a second predetermined format, distinct from the first predetermined format, for example the ID-1 format of dimensions 85.6 mm × 54 mm to 1%.

The microcircuit card itself generally has a third predetermined format, distinct from the first predetermined format and the second predetermined format, for example the Mini-UICC format of dimensions 15 mm x 12 mm to 1%.

In general, it is possible to qualify in this case the first format of medium format, the second format of large format and the third format of small format. According to a possible mode of implementation, the microcircuit card has a mortise adapted to cooperate with a tenon of the adapter. The tenon can then have a base of width less than its free end.

The invention also proposes a method of using a support according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises the following steps:

- separation of the pre-cut adapter and the support;

separation of the microcircuit card and the support;

- insertion of the microcircuit card in the cavity of the adapter.

This makes it easy to obtain an adapter - card assembly that can then match a specific card format.

The adapter carrying the card can then be positioned in an electronic device.

There is also provided a microcircuit-adapter card assembly, in which the adapter has a through-cavity which receives the card. microcircuit, characterized in that the card is inserted between two narrow arms of the adapter which contribute to define the cavity and which extend over at least a substantial part of the length of the card.

This set can be obtained by applying the method mentioned above to certain particular modes of implementation of the support according to the invention, such as the embodiment described below.

The width of each arm mentioned above is for example less than 2 mm.

Other features and advantages of the invention will appear better in the light of the following description, made with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 shows a card holder made in accordance with the teachings of the invention; FIG. 2 represents an adapter and a microcircuit card separated from the support of FIG. 1 and then assembled.

The card support 2 represented in FIG. 1 carries a microcircuit card 4 of Mini-UICC format (hereinafter referred to as "small format") precut, that is to say linked to the support 2 by means of breakable links. 10 described in detail below The card holder 2 is made to the dimensions of a format card

ID-1 (general format of bank cards, referred to in the suite "large format") and carries the small microcircuit card 4 in a location such that the support assembly 2 - microcircuit card 4 is a microcircuit card according to the ID-1 format (that is to say, large format) In practice, the positioning (with reference to Figure 1) of the upper left corner of the microcircuit card 4 relative to the upper left corner of the support 2 to obtain such an arrangement is 17.89 mm in width and 8.10 mm in length of support 2.

Naturally, by detaching the microcircuit card 4 from the support 2, a card is obtained which can be used in a device cooperating with Mini-UICC format cards (small format).

The card support 2 also carries a pre-cut adapter 6, that is to say connected to the support by means of breakable links 12, 14 described in detail below. The adapter 6 comprises an eave 16 (here opening) of substantially complementary shape to the outer circumference of the microcircuit card 4, which thus forms a cavity (here through) adapted to receive the microcircuit card 4 when it comes to be separated from the support 2 as described below.

Note that the adapter 6 and its recess (or cavity) 16 are placed on the support 2 so that, if the microcircuit card 4 was placed in the recess 16 while the adapter 6 is still carried by the support 2, the support 2 thus provided with the microcircuit card 4 within the adapter 6 constitutes a large format microcircuit card (here of ID-1 format), usable in a symmetrical configuration with respect to the microcircuit card large format mentioned above (which resulted from the proper positioning of the pre-cut microcircuit card 4 in the support 2 before cutting the microcircuit card 4). This particular arrangement of the adapter makes it possible, on the one hand, to reuse the support 2 as a large-format card after separation of the small-format microcircuit card 4 from the support 2 and, on the other hand, simplifies the manufacturing process. of the card support of Figure 1 since the adapter 6 can be pre-cut by means of tools previously used for pre-cutting cards of medium format.

Alternatively, one could however provide to have the adapter 6 in another region of the support (other naturally than that used by the small microcircuit card 4) without this calling into question the possibilities of using the support 2 which will now be described. In fact, in all cases, when it is desired to obtain a card in the format ID-OOO (or PLUG-IN UICC, generally referred to as medium format), the procedure is as follows: the adapter 6 is separated from the support 2 ; the small microcircuit card 4 is separated from the support 2; the small-format microcircuit card 4 is mounted in the cavity 16 of the adapter 6, notably thanks to the complementary shape of the cavity and the small-format microcircuit card 4.

The positioning of the cavity 16 relative to the assembly of the adapter 6 is such that the adapter assembly 6 - small card 4 realizes a medium size card as shown in Figure 2. This is achieved here by arranging (with reference to Figure 2) the upper left corner of the card 4 to 1, 6 mm width and 1, 8 mm the length of the upper left corner of the adapter 6. It can also be noted that the realization of the small size card

4 apart from the adapter 6 and its possible mounting in the cavity 16 thereof allow for the arms 24 of the adapter 6 which hold the card 4 on both sides with a width sufficient to ensure a good mechanical strength, for example when detaching the adapter 6 from the support 2, Precisely, thanks to this solution, the cumulative width of the arms 24 is equal to the difference in width between the small format and the medium format, here 3 mm: in the example described here, each arm has a width of about 1.5 mm.

This solution is particularly interesting in cases, such as that described here, where the difference in size between two formats is low, which would lead to arms of too small a width (here of the order of 0.7 mm) if the card small format was made precut within a medium format card (the pre-cutting recesses necessarily encroaching on the width of the arms).

Furthermore, the use of a through cavity 16 makes it possible to achieve all the elements (support 2 - adapter 6 - card 4) with the same thickness (or at least a thickness of the same order), which simplifies the manufacture from the whole.

In the embodiment illustrated in the figures, the edges of the microcircuit card 4 defining its length are completely hollowed out and the microcircuit card 4 is connected to the support 2 only by means of a breakable hinge 8 which extends over most of its width (on the side of the microcircuit card 4 located on the left side of the support 2 side) and a breakable connecting finger 10 which extends over a reduced portion of the width of the card to microcircuit 4 on the opposite side.

The width of the microcircuit card 4 which carries the breakable connecting finger 10 also has a mortise 18 in the vicinity of a foolproof portion 20 of the small microcircuit card 4.

Note that because of the small size of the microcircuit card 4 (particularly with respect to the metal contacts that this card 4 carries, which extend over almost the entire surface of the card 4), the positioning of the mortise 18 which has just been described and appears clearly in FIG. to use for the formation of this mortise 18 the portion of the length of the card 4 left free according to the definition of the Mini-UICC card, in particular for the formation of the foolproof portion 20.

The adapter 6 is connected to the support 2 by means of a breakable hinge 12 which extends along a major part of the width of the adapter 6 and by a breakable connecting finger 14 made at a given point d one of the lengths of the adapter 6.

The adapter 6 has a pin 22 which projects into the cavity 16 (here of 1.2 mm) in order to cooperate in the mortise 18 of the microcircuit card 4 during the assembly of the adapter 6 and the card microcircuit 4 to form a medium format card as explained above and shown in Figure 2.

The post 22, of complementary shape to the mortise 18, is made with a base of dimension less than the dimension of its free end, namely here a base 3.4 mm long and a free end extending over 3, 6 mm. The tenon 22 - mortise 18 cooperation has the particular advantage of leading to a very good connection of the card 4 in the adapter 6 (and therefore to a very good performance of the assembly after assembly) without requiring a complex geometry for the slices of the card 4 and the cavity 16, these slices being here simply transverse. The respective circumferences of the card 4 and the cavity 16 may thus have straight slices, substantially perpendicular to the general plane of the support, and therefore achievable in a particularly simple manner.

Similarly, again in the context of the essentially complementary shape of the cavity 16 with respect to the circumference of the small-format microcircuit card 4, the cavity 16 has in particular a shape complementary to the foolproof portion 20 of the microcircuit card. 4.

It may be noted, however, that the cavity 16 may, in some places, have dimensions slightly greater than the circumference of the microcircuit card 4, as can be seen in particular in the figures, in which small recesses (not referenced) situated on the side and side other of the breakable finger 10 to facilitate the separation of the microcircuit card 4 of the support 2, leave one day of reduced dimensions between the microcircuit card 4 and the adapter 6, as shown in Figure 2, without this compromises the mechanical strength of the microcircuit card 4 in the adapter 6. These small recesses also make it possible to ensure that the outline of the microcircuit card 4 obtained at the breakable connecting finger 10 after detaching the card 4 allows the insertion of the card 4 into the cavity 16 at this point. level. Similarly, it can be seen that recesses existing in the adapter 6 on either side of the breakable finger 14 remain in FIG. 2 after separation of the adapter 6 from the support 2 without this compromising the positioning of the adapter. adapter 6 (that is, the medium format microcircuit card formed by adapter assembly 6 - card 4) in the receiving apparatus, because these recesses are present only on a part reduced by one length of the adapter 6.

The invention has been described here in the context of three specific formats, but could be used with other types of format. His teachings are indeed directly applicable to them using the name small format, medium format and large format.

We recall for memory the dimensions of the formats used in the embodiment described above:

- cards in ID-1 format: 85.6 mm x 54 mm;

- ID-OOO format cards: 25 mm x 15 mm; - Mini-UICC format cards: 15 mm x 12 mm.

Standards define tolerances for these dimensions, usually less than 1%.

Claims

1. Support (2) carrying a pre-cut adapter (6), the adapter (6) having a cavity (16) adapted to receive a microcircuit card (4), characterized in that the support (2) carries the card to microcircuit (4) and in that the microcircuit card (4) is pre-cut in the holder (2) outside the adapter (6).

2. Support according to claim 1, characterized in that the cavity (16) is positioned in such a way that the adapter (6) receiving the microcircuit card (4) forms a card according to a first predetermined format.

3. Support according to claim 2, characterized in that the first determined format is an ID-000 format.

4. Support according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the support (2) carrying the microcircuit card (4) forms a card according to a second predetermined format distinct from the first predetermined format.

5. Support according to claim 4, characterized in that the second predetermined format is an ID-1 format.

6. Support according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that the microcircuit card (4) has a third predetermined format distinct from the first predetermined format and the second predetermined format.

7. Support according to claim 6, characterized in that the third predetermined format is the Mini-UICC format.

8. Support according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the microcircuit card (4) has a mortise (18) adapted to cooperate with a tenon

(22) of the adapter (6).

9. Support according to claim 8, characterized in that the pin (22) has a base of width less than its free end.

10. A method of using a support according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises the following steps:

- separation of the pre-cut adapter (6) and the support (2); - separation of the microcircuit card (4) and the support (2);

insertion of the microcircuit card (4) in the cavity (16) of the adapter (6).

11. A method of use according to claim 10, characterized by a step of positioning the adapter (6) carrying the card (4) in an electronic device.

12. A microcircuit-adapter card assembly, in which the adapter (6) has a through cavity (16) which receives the microcircuit card (4), characterized in that the card (4) is inserted between two narrow arms ( 24) of the adapter (6) which contribute to defining the cavity (16) and which extend over at least a substantial part of the length of the card (4).

Card adapter assembly according to Claim 12, characterized in that the width of each arm (24) is less than 2 mm.

14. card adapter assembly according to claim 12 or 13, characterized in that the card (4) has a mortise (18) adapted to cooperate with a pin (22) of the adapter (6).