Smart IC card

• US 4,924,075 A
• Filed: 09/29/1988
• Issued: 05/08/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/1987
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Toshiba Corporation
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Tanaka, Tsutomu
• Primary Examiner(s): Pitts, Harold I.
• Application Number:
  US07/250,724
• Time in Patent Office: 586 Days
• Field of Search: 235/379, 235/380, 235/381, 235/492
• US Class Current: 235/380
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07 with integrated circuit chips
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07703 the interface being visual
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/341 Active cards, i.e. cards including their own processing means, e.g. including an IC or chip
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3415 Cards acting autonomously as pay-media
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3576 Multiple memory zones on card
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/1008 Active credit-cards provided with means to personalise their use, e.g. with PIN-introduction/comparison system

Abstract

A hand-held electronic apparatus such as an IC card including a data memory and a CPU has a keyboard and a display. The IC card includes a timepiece circuit which is kept operated. The IC card turns off the display in the standby state in order to save an internal battery. The CPU is also set in a HALT state since no clock signal is supplied thereto. When a start key for activating the IC card is pressed in the HALT state, the CPU is brought to an active state, and timepiece data from the timepiece circuit is automatically displayed on the display. When a numerical key is operated in the timepiece display state, a control mode is turned from the timepiece mode to a calculator mode, and a number corresponding to the pressed numerical key is input at a first digit position. If an account key (7-10) is pressed in the timepiece display state, a transaction mode of the corresponding account is set.

Claims

1. A hand-held electronic circuit card, comprising:

memory means for storing data;

control means operable in accordance with at least first and second modes, for writing data to and reading data from said memory means;

clock generating means for generating clock pulses;

timepiece means for counting the clock pulses generated by said clock generating means to produce timepiece data;

display means for selectively displaying data from said control means and said timepiece means;

a keyboard having at least first and second keys;

start means for causing said control means to operate in accordance with said first mode wherein said display means displays timepiece data from said timepiece means in response to the operation of said first key; and

mode setting means for causing said control means to operate in accordance with said second mode in response to operation of said second key during display of the timepiece data.

2. A card according to claim 1 wherein said second mode is a calculator mode and wherein said control means includes means for carrying out arithmetic calculations and said second keys includes numerical keys for entering data to be calculated and wherein said display means displays entered and calculated data when said control means is operated in said calculator mode, the control means automatically changing from timepiece mode to calculator mode when any one of said second keys is operated.

3. A card according to claim 2 wherein when said control means is operating in said timepiece mode, the operation of one of said second keys causes a mode change to said calculator mode and substantially simultaneously therewith enters a digit corresponding to the second key operated for calculation.

4. A card according to claim 1 wherein said second mode is an "account" mode wherein said control means reads data from and writes data to said memory means and performs calculations with respect to at least one account.

5. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said keyboard further comprises a mode end key, and said mode setting means returns said control means to said first mode in response to operation of said mode end key.

6. An apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said mode setting means stops an operation of said control means in response to the operation of the mode end key during said first mode, and turns off said display means.

7. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said keyboard further comprises a mode advance key and a selection key, said mode setting means causes said display means to sequentially display a function mode in response to the operation of the mode advance key, and said control means is set in a mode displayed on said display means upon operation of the selection key.

8. A hand-held electronic apparatus, comprising:

memory means for storing data;

control means for performing data read/write access to said memory means;

timepiece means for counting clock pulses so as to generate timepiece data;

display means for selectively displaying data from said control means and said timepiece means;

a keyboard having at least a start key; and

start means for causing said display means to display timepiece data from said timepiece means in response to an operation of the start key at said keyboard and starting an operation of said control means.

9. An apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said keyboard further has a numerical key and an account key, and further comprising mode setting means for setting an operation mode of said control means in response to operation of the numerical key and the account key during display of the timepiece data on said display means.

10. An apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the timepiece data displayed on said display means including date data and time data.

11. An apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said display means alternately displays the date data and the time data.

12. An apparatus acording to claim 10, wherein said memory means stores a plurality of types of time data display formats, and said display means displays the timepeice data based on an externally designated format.