Portable information processing apparatus

• US 20040041025A1
• Filed: 06/17/2003
• Published: 03/04/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd., Hitachi Maxell Limited (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd., Hitachi Maxell Limited (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Fukushima, Shinichiro, Yoshioka, Atsushi, Takami, Yutaka, Kishimoto, Kiyoharu, Nakagawa, Isao, Matsumoto, Shuzo
• Granted Patent: US 6,840,448 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/451
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/0008 General problems related to the reading of electronic memory record carriers, independent of its reading method, e.g. power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10178 including auxiliary means for focusing, repeating or boosting the electromagnetic interrogation field comparable booster antennas integrated on the record carrier itself G06K19/07794
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10336 the antenna being of the near field type, inductive coil

Abstract

When an IC card module is used for a small portable information apparatus such as a portable telephone terminal, the module has a size much smaller than an ordinary IC card from the viewpoint that the apparatus is required to be small in size and weight. In the case of a small non-contact type card, there are problems that an antenna coil cannot secure its necessary surface area, a necessary power cannot be obtained for a signal to be transmitted or received, a communication distance from an external device becomes small. When the signal is transmitted and received via a booster coil provided between the external device and the antenna coil of the IC card module, the effective surface area of the antenna coil can be increased and the communication distance can be increased to a level as large as it can practically avoid involvement of any problem.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus comprising:

a unit to mount a non-contact type information medium; and

a unit to receive a signal from the non-contact type information medium mounted to the mounting unit, transmit the signal to an external device, receive a signal from the external device, and transmit the signal to the non-contact type information medium mounted to the mounting unit.

2. An information processing apparatus comprising:

an insert port to insert a non-contact type IC card;

a coil provided between the non-contact type IC card inserted in the insert port and an external device to transmit and receive information through electromagnetic induction;

3. An information processing apparatus comprising:

a booster coil for transmit and receive information through electromagnetic induction to and from an external device for transmitting and receiving information;

a mounting unit to mount a non-contact type information medium having an antenna coil for transmitting and receiving information through electromagnetic induction to and from the booster coil.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said booster coil and said mounting member are arranged so that a surface formed by said booster coil is opposed to a surface formed by said antenna coil.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said booster coil and said mounting member are arranged so that no electromagnetic shielding object is provided between a surface formed by said booster coil and a surface formed by said antenna coil.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein part of said booster coil is modified so that no electromagnetic shielding object is provided between a surface formed by said booster coil and a surface formed by said antenna coil.

7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said booster coil is formed on a flexible substrate which can be deformed

8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said electromagnetic shielding object is a battery pack for giving a power to the portable information apparatus.

9. The information processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said electromagnetic shielding object is a battery pack for giving a power to the portable information apparatus and said booster coil is arranged so as to wrap the battery pack.

10. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said portable information apparatus includes a main body casing and a battery lid casing, and said battery lid casing is provided with said booster coil.

11. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein an antenna coil possessed by said non-contact type information medium is integrally formed on a semiconductor chip forming the non-contact type information medium.

12. A non-contact type information medium mounted in a first information processing apparatus for transmitting and receiving information to and from a second information processing apparatus via the first information processing apparatus, comprising:

a substrate mountable to mounting means possessed by the first information processing apparatus;

an antenna coil for transmitting and receiving information to and from signal transmitting/receiving unit possessed by the first information processing apparatus through electromagnetic induction; and

an information processor to process information to be transmitted and received to and from the antenna coil.

13. The non-contact type information medium according to claim 12, wherein said antenna coil and said information processor are integrally formed on a semiconductor chip.