Portable electronic apparatus for writing and reading data to and from an external device and performing data memory allocation

• US 5,097,118 A
• Filed: 03/07/1989
• Issued: 03/17/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 03/09/1988
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Iijima, Yasuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Trafton, David
• Application Number:
  US07/319,729
• Time in Patent Office: 1,106 Days
• Field of Search: 235/492, 360/49, 360/72.1, 365/230.01, 364/200 MS File, 364/900 MS File, 364/282.3
• US Class Current: 235/492
• 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 20/35765 Access rights to memory zones
• 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 memory section of an IC card is divided into a plurality of areas. Identification data is induvidually assigned to each area. The IC card has a first means for selecting a physically identical area based on at least two identification data. The IC card further has a second means for setting different access enable/disable conditions when an access is made by the first means based on the two identification data. The IC card further has a third means for setting the same access enable/disable condition. The IC card further has a fourth means for selecting whether the second or third means is used.

Claims

1. A portable electronic apparatus for selectively inputting and outputting data to and from an external device, said apparatus comprising:

memory means for storing said data, said memory means comprising;

a first group comprising at least one data area for storing a first portion of said data;

a second group comprising at least one data area for storing a second portion of said data, said data area of said second group being different from said data area of said first group;

a directory name storage area for storing directory characters, said directory characters being provided by said external device and identifying said first and second groups; and

an area definition storage data area for storing area definition data, said area definition data comprising area identification characters, said area identification characters being provided by said external device and indicating to which of said groups said data areas belong; and

control means for interacting with said external device and performing data transactions, said control means comprising;

means for receiving, from said external device, said data and signals, said signals including said directory characters and said area identification characters, and for interpreting said signals to provide a function signal;

means for selecting said first group and said second group to write and read said data to and from said data areas of said first group and said second group in accordance with said function signal, said selecting means being capable of accessing said data area of said first group by way of said first group and said second group and said data area of said second group by way of said first group and said second group; and

means for encoding/decoding said data when said data is being written and read to and from said data areas of said first group and said second group.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said area definition data further comprises area designation characters labeling said areas, area start address data indicating a position in said memory means where an area designated by the area designation character is allocated, area size data, area link data indicating whether an area is area-registered or area-link registered, and link destination designation data designating an area that is linked to one of said groups other than said group to which said area belongs.

3. An apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the directory identification data has specific data indicating that the area does not belong to any directory.

4. An apparatus according to claim 2, wherein when the area link data indicates that the area defined by the area definition data is area-registered, the link destination designation data is made invalid, and when the area link data indicates that the area defined by the area definition data is area-link registered, the area start address data and the area size data are made invalid.

5. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said control means further comprises:

means for registering a directory name in the directory name storage area in accordance with a registration instruction, said registration instruction including an operation code providing a function for registering the directory name and an operand indicating the directory name.

6. An apparatus according to claim 2, said selecting means further comprising:

directory selection instruction means for selecting a directory name stored in the directory name storage area, said directory selection instruction means including an operation code for selecting identification data corresponding to the directory means, and an operand indicating the directory name.

7. An apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said control means further comprises:

area registration instruction means for registering an area in the area definition data storage area, said area registration instruction means providing an operation code for registering the area, and an operand indicating an area number and area size, and checking whether the directory identification data selected by said directory selection instruction means and the area designation character in said area registration instruction means has already been stored, if said area registration instruction means determines that the area definition data selected by said directory selection instruction means has not been stored, computing a start address of an area, and storing, in an area definition data storage area, area definition data including the directory identification data selected by said directory selection instruction means, the area number and area size designated by the area registration instruction means, the computed area start address, and the area link data indicating that the area being registered is not linked with another area.

8. An apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said control means further comprises means for:

registering area link data in the area definition data storage area in accordance with an area link registration instruction provided by said function signal, said area link registration instruction including an operation code for registering the area link data, and an operand including one of said area designation characters, another one of said area designation characters to be linked with said one of said area designation characters, and a target directory name to be linked, the area designation character to be linked belonging to said target directory name,

finding, from the directory name storage area, the target directory name to be linked,

finding, from the area definition data storage area, area definition data having data representing the found target directory name and the target area number to be linked,

setting, as area link data, data indicating that an area is linked, and

storing area definition data such that directory identification data of an area to be linked as link destination designation data and an area designation character are set in the area definition data storage area.

9. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the area definition data includes access condition data indicating an access condition for a corresponding area, and access condition selection data indicating whether the access condition data is used.

10. An apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said control means further includes means for referencing destination designation data of the area definition data when the access condition data indicates that the access condition for the corresponding area is not used, and means for using access condition data of area definition data of a link destination area as an access condition for the corresponding area.

11. An apparatus as in claim 1, wherein said directory characters and said area identification characters are address data.

12. An apparatus as in claim 1, wherein said control means further comprises:

condition setting means, provided for each data area, for setting a condition, in accordance with said function signal, to designate access to one of said data areas by way of one of the first group and the second group, and

means for determining, from the condition setting means, whether said one of said data areas is to be accessed by way of one of the first group and the second group.