CASING FOR ELECTRONIC KEY AND SYSTEM COMPRISING SUCH A CASING

• US 20100193583A1
• Filed: 06/19/2007
• Published: 08/05/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/04/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oberthur Technologies SA
• Original Assignee: Oberthur Technologies SA
• Inventors: Bertin, Marc, Tartavull, Philippe, Meslin, Jean-Marc
• Granted Patent: US 8,225,986 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/375
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07 with integrated circuit chips
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07732 the record carrier having a housing or construction similar to well-known portable memory devices, such as SD cards, USB or memory sticks housings for electrical equipment in general, see H05K5/02
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/08 using markings of different kinds or more than one marking of the same kind in the same record carrier, e.g. one marking being sensed by optical and the other by magnetic means
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/0004 Hybrid readers

Abstract

This USB memory key casing exhibits an accessory accommodation housing (6) for a chip microcard (7) independent of the electronic components (4, 5) of the USB memory key. It allows the owner of a USB key and of a chip microcard (7) to have available a convenient location for accommodating the chip microcard (7). It also makes it possible to associate, in one and the same packaging, while being separable, an intelligent chip microcard and an electronic key that are dedicated to transactions pertaining to one and the same banking or other service, one by way of a specialized reading terminal hooked up to the computer system of the provider of the service and the other by way of a host electronic apparatus linked to the Internet network.

Claims

1. A casing, for an electronic key with connector, comprising:

a main housing for the whole collection of electronic circuits of the key that are hooked up to the connector which remains accessible from outside the casing, and

an accessory housing, without electrical hookup, for accommodating a chip microcard.

2. The casing as claimed in claim 1, wherein the accessory accommodation housing is a cavity having a profile suited to a particular chip microcard profile and comprises snap-fastening retaining means coming to bear on the edges of a chip microcard introduced into the cavity.

3. The casing as claimed in claim 1, suitable for accommodating a chip microcard having a polarizer profile and possessing a set of electrical contact pads, wherein the accessory accommodation housing is a cavity open toward the outside having a contour suited to the polarizer profile of the chip microcard tolerating the chip microcard only in a position in which its set of electrical contact pads remains accessible from outside the key.

4. The casing as claimed in claim 1, suitable for accommodating a chip microcard having a polarizer profile and possessing an antenna for electrical power supply and communication, wherein the accessory accommodation housing is a cavity open toward the outside having a contour suited to the polarizer profile of the chip microcard tolerating the chip microcard only in a position in which its antenna remains pointing toward the outside of the key.

5. The casing as claimed in claim 1, wherein the accessory accommodation housing is a closed cavity provided with a slot allowing the introduction of a chip microcard.

6. The casing as claimed in claim 1, wherein the accessory accommodation housing is provided with extraction means consisting of a lever articulated with a pushrod acting on a motion reversing cam bearing on the edge of a chip microcard, opposite to the direction of insertion.

7. The casing as claimed in claim 1, wherein the accessory accommodation housing is a cavity provided with a removable and snap-fastenable cover.

8. The casing as claimed in claim 1, wherein the accessory accommodation housing is dimensioned for a chip microcard with a smaller format than the ID-1 format defined in the ISO7816 standard.

9. The casing as claimed in claim 1, wherein the accessory accommodation housing is dimensioned for a chip microcard with the ID-000 format defined in the ISO7816 standard.

10. The casing as claimed in claim 1, wherein the accessory accommodation housing is dimensioned for a chip microcard with the format defined in the MMC standard.

11. The casing as claimed in claim 1, wherein the accessory accommodation housing is dimensioned for a chip microcard with the SD format.

12. A system comprising a casing as claimed in claim 1, wherein it comprises electronic circuits placed in the main housing of the casing and hooked up to the connector, and able to participate, by way of the connector plugged into a socket of a host electronic apparatus linked to a communication network, in transactions pertaining to a service provided by a computerized provider system linked to the communication network.

13. The system as claimed in claim 12, wherein the electronic circuits placed in the main housing of the casing participate in the securing of the transactions.

14. The system as claimed in claim 12, wherein it furthermore comprises an intelligent chip microcard placed in the accessory accommodation housing of the casing, able to participate in transactions pertaining to the same service as the transactions in which the electronic circuits placed in the main housing of the casing participate.

15. The system as claimed in claim 14, wherein the intelligent chip microcard and the electronic circuits placed in the main housing of the casing are able to secure transactions pertaining to one and the same service provided by a computerized provider system to an authorized proprietor.

16. The system as claimed in claim 14, wherein the intelligent chip microcard and the electronic circuits placed in the main housing of the casing are able to secure transactions pertaining to one and the same service provided by a computerized provider system to one and the same authorized proprietor recognized by identifier means by the computer system.

17. The system as claimed in claim 16, wherein the intelligent chip microcard and the electronic circuits placed in the main housing of the casing store the same identifiers.

18. The system as claimed in claim 17, wherein the intelligent chip microcard and the electronic circuits placed in the main housing of the casing store the same identifiers put into IMSI form.

19. The system as claimed in claim 14, with an intelligent chip microcard and electronic circuits placed in the main housing of the casing and able to secure transactions pertaining to one and the same service provided by a computerized provider system to an authorized proprietor recognized by identifier means, wherein the chip microcard and the electronic circuits placed in the main housing of the casing comprise, each on their side, non-volatile memory circuits, of which at least a part with secure access stores the identifiers necessary for the controlled transactions.

20. The system as claimed in claim 19, wherein the intelligent chip microcard and electronic circuits placed in the main housing of the casing store, each on their side, the same identifiers.

21. The system as claimed in claim 14, wherein the intelligent chip microcard and the electronic circuits placed in the main housing comprise, each on their side, cryptographic calculation units.

22. The system as claimed in claim 14, wherein the intelligent chip microcard and the electronic circuits placed in the main housing comprise, each on their side, cryptographic calculation units and non-volatile memory circuits, of which at least a part with secure access stores encryption keys.

23. The system as claimed in claim 14, wherein the intelligent chip microcard complies with the ISO 7816 standard.

24. The system as claimed in claim 14, wherein the intelligent chip microcard is a chip card with antenna in accordance with the ISO 14443 standard.

25. The system as claimed in claim 14, wherein the intelligent chip microcard complies with the MMC standard.