Battery pack having a dual-type smart card interface

• US 20050197169A1
• Filed: 02/11/2005
• Published: 09/08/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Info Trust, Inc. (Dimensional Visions Group, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Info Trust, Inc. (Dimensional Visions Group, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Son, Chang-Bai
• Granted Patent: US 7,418,272 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/572
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07743 External electrical contacts
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07769 the further communication means being a galvanic interface, e.g. hybrid or mixed smart cards having a contact and a non-contact interface
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/4257 Smart batteries, e.g. electronic circuits inside the housing of the cells or batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3816 Mechanical arrangements for accommodating identification devices, e.g. cards or chips; with connectors for programming identification devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3883 Arrangements for mounting batteries or battery chargers
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

The invention relates to a battery pack having a dual-type smart card interface. In one embodiment, a battery pack is connectable to a mobile communication terminal having at least one contact for a power supply and at least one contact for communication with the mobile communication terminal. The battery pack comprises a battery cell, an RF antenna, a slide-type connector, a contact-type connector coupled to the RF antenna, a plurality of battery pack contacts, which are coupled to the mobile communication terminal electrically, for supplying power to the mobile communication terminal and for communication with the mobile communication terminal, an SCR, which is coupled to the slide-type connector and the contact-type connector respectively, for reading data stored on a smart card that is coupled to either the slide-type connector or the contact-type connector and for writing data received from the mobile communication terminal on the smart card, and a battery protection circuit, which is located between the battery cell and the plurality of battery pack contacts, for protecting the battery cell from an instantaneous power surge.

Claims

1. A battery pack for use with a mobile communication terminal, the battery pack comprising:

an RF antenna;

a slide-type connector;

a contact-type connector coupled to the RF antenna; and

a smart card reader (SCR), which is coupled to the slide-type connector and the contact-type connector, configured to read data stored on a smart card that is inserted into either the slide-type connector or the contact-type connector and to write data received from the mobile communication terminal on the smart card.

2. The battery pack as stated in claim 1, wherein the slide-type connector comprises a plurality of contacts for electrical connection to the corresponding contacts of an ID-1 type smart card.

3. The battery pack as stated in claim 1, wherein the contact-type connector comprises a plurality of contacts for electrical connection to the corresponding contacts of a subscriber identity module (SIM)-type smart card, and two of the contacts are also connected to the RF antenna, and wherein the SIM-type smart card wirelessly communicates with an external device via the RF antenna.

4. The battery pack as stated in claim 1, further comprising:

a battery cell;

a plurality of battery pack contacts, which are electrically coupled to the mobile communication terminal, for supplying power to the mobile communication terminal and for communication with the mobile communication terminal; and

a battery protection circuit, which is located between the battery cell and the plurality of battery pack contacts, configured to protect the battery cell from an instantaneous power surge.

5. The battery pack as stated in claim 4, wherein the plurality of battery pack contacts comprise:

a power supply contact for providing power to the mobile communication terminal;

a data receiving contact, which is coupled to the SCR, for receiving data from the mobile communication terminal;

a data transmitting contact, which is coupled to the SCR, for transmitting data to the mobile communication terminal;

an SCR control contact, which is coupled to the SCR, for receiving a control signal from the mobile communication terminal; and

a common contact.

6. The battery pack as stated in claim 1, wherein the RF antenna is an RF-Inlay antenna mounted on an external surface of the battery pack.

7. A battery pack for use with a mobile communication terminal, the battery pack comprising:

an RF-Inlay antenna;

an outer casing having a slot for inserting an ID-1 type smart card;

an inner casing defining a hole for a subscriber identity module (SIM)-type smart card and holes for receiving a plurality of contacts, which are configured to be electrically connected to a plurality of contacts of a mobile communication terminal;

a battery cell that is located between the outer casing and the inner casing;

a first PCB, which is located between the battery cell and the inner casing, including i) a plurality of contacts configured to be inserted into the holes of the inner casing, respectively, ii) a SIM-type connector coupled to the RF-Inlay antenna and configured to be inserted into the SIM-type smart card hole of the inner casing, iii) a smart card reader (SCR) and iv) a battery protection circuit coupled to both the battery cell and the plurality of contacts, wherein the SCR is connected to the SIM-type connector, an ID-1 type connector and the plurality of contacts; and

a second PCB, which is located between the outer casing and the battery cell, including the ID-1 type connector.

8. The battery pack as stated in claim 7, wherein the RF-Inlay antenna is mounted on the outer casing.

9. The battery pack as stated in claim 7, wherein the SIM-type connector comprises:

a contact frame having a plurality of contacts arranged with respect to each contact of the SIM-type smart card; and

an inserting frame in which an end is hinged to an end of the contact frame for supporting the SIM-type smart card.

10. A subscriber identity module (SIM)-type smart card for use with a battery pack of a mobile communication terminal, the SIM-type smart card comprising:

C1 through C8 contacts arranged according to ISO-7816;

an L1 contact configured to be electrically connected to an RF antenna of the battery pack via a SIM-type smart card connector of the battery pack, wherein the SIM-type smart card connector is electrically connected to the RF antenna; and

an L2 contact configured to be electrically connected to the RF antenna via the SIM-type smart card connector,

wherein the L1 and L2 contacts allow the SIM-type smart card to wirelessly communicate with an external device.

11. The SIM-type smart card as stated in claim 10, wherein the SIM-type smart card is either a non-contact credit card or a non-contact traffic card.

12. The SIM-type smart card as stated in claim 10, wherein the L1 and L2 contacts are formed adjacent to the C4 and C8 contacts, respectively.

13. The SIM-type smart card as stated in claim 10, wherein the L1 and L2 contacts are electrically isolated from the C1 through C8 contacts.

14. A battery pack for use with a mobile communication terminal, the battery pack comprising:

a first connector configured to receive a subscriber identity module (SIM)-type smart card;

a second connector configured to receive an ID-1 type smart card; and

a smart card reader electrically connected to both the first and second connectors.

15. The battery pack as stated in claim 14, wherein a smart card is inserted into either the first connector or the second connector.