Device for housing a smart card

• US 5,276,317 A
• Filed: 08/02/1991
• Issued: 01/04/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 08/03/1990
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Alcatel Radiotelephone (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel Radiotelephone (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Ozouf, Rene, Seguin, Jean-Michel
• Primary Examiner(s): Hajec, Donald
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHIN, ESTHER
• Application Number:
  US07/739,543
• Time in Patent Office: 886 Days
• Field of Search: 235/441, 235/486, 439/260, 439/59, 361/395, 361/399, 364/708, 365/52
• US Class Current: 235/486
• CPC Class Codes: A45C 11/18 Ticket-holders or the like
• CPC Class Codes: A45C 2011/188 Media card holders, e.g. memory cards, SIM cards
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/005 the record carrier comprising an arrangement to facilitate insertion into a holding device, e.g. an arrangement that makes the record carrier fit into an etui or a casing ticket holders A45C11/18
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/077 Constructional details, e.g. mounting of circuits in the carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/0021 for reading/sensing record carriers having surface contacts

Abstract

A device for housing a smart card is provided which consists of a compartment for receiving the card and a support onto which the card is secured, the device further including elements that allow the support to be temporarily fixed onto the receiving compartment, the receiving compartment being part of an item of electronic equipment or a storage wallet.

Claims

1. A combination of a housing device and a smart card having contacts, said device comprising a body defining a receiving compartment for receiving said smart card, a support, said card being permanently fixedly mounted to said support, means for temporarily mounting said support to said body with said card inserted within said receiving compartment, said receiving compartment comprising part of an apparatus including at least one electronic circuit adapted to operate in relation with said smart card, and said body defining said receiving compartment including electrical connection means for connecting the contacts of the smart card to said electronic circuit upon mounting of said smart card support to said body and insertion of said card within said receiving compartment.

2. A combination of a housing device and a smart card according to claim 1, wherein the electrical connection means comprise deflectable resilient contacts, mounted to the interior of said body facing said smart card and in contact therewith.

3. A combination of a housing device and an electronic smart card comprising a body defining a receiving compartment for receiving said smart card, a support, said card being permanently fixed to said support, means for temporary mounting the support to said body with said smart card movable into said receiving compartment such that said receiving compartment defining body constitutes a storage case for said electronic smart card.

7. Housing device according to claim 3;

wherein said means for temporarily mounting the support to the receiving compartment defining body comprises snap-in elements on facing sides of said support, snap engaged with respective facing sides of said compartment defining body.

4. Housing device for a smart card having contacts, said device comprising a body defining a receiving compartment for receiving said smart card, a support, said card being permanently fixedly mounted to said support, means for temporarily mounting said support to said body with said card inserted within said receiving compartment, said receiving compartment comprising part of an apparatus including at least one electronic circuit adapted to operate in relation with said smart card, and said body defining said receiving compartment including electrical connection means for connecting the contacts of the smart card to said electronic circuit upon mounting of said smart card support to said body and insertion of said card within said receiving compartment, and wherein said support is a flat part and said smart card is fixed to one of major sides of said flat part.

5. Housing device for a smart card having contacts, said device comprising a body defining a receiving compartment for receiving said smart card, a support, said card being permanently fixedly mounted to said support, means for temporarily mounting said support to said body with said card inserted within said receiving compartment, said receiving compartment comprising part of an apparatus including at least one electronic circuit adapted to operate in relation with said smart card, and said body defining said receiving compartment including electrical connection means for connecting the contacts of the smart card to said electronic circuit upon mounting of said smart card support to said body and insertion of said card within said receiving compartment, and wherein said support is a part integral with the smart card at one end of said smart card.

6. Housing device for a smart card comprising a wallet-like holder having retained at one end in said wallet-like holder, a smart card support of U-shaped cross-section having a pair of arms, one of which is much shorter than the other, a space between the arms constituting a slot acting as a receiving compartment for said smart card, and wherein a pivot pin passing through said arms and an end of said wallet holder remote from said smart card, mounts said wallet-like holder for pivoting to said U-shaped support at one end thereof, whereby the wallet holder in swinging about said pivot pin causes the smart card to enter said slot for storage purposes or to be extracted from the slot during use of the smart card.