Non-contact type IC card

• US 5,378,887 A
• Filed: 01/14/1993
• Issued: 01/03/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 05/22/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Kyodo Printing Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Kyodo Printing Company Limited
• Inventors: Kobayashi, Yoshinori
• Primary Examiner(s): Hajec, Donald
• Assistant Examiner(s): FILIPEK, JEFFER
• Application Number:
  US07/961,882
• Time in Patent Office: 719 Days
• Field of Search: 235/449, 235/379, 235/380, 235/382, 235/492, 235/441
• US Class Current: 235/492
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0723 the record carrier comprising an arrangement for non-contact communication, e.g. wireless communication circuits on transponder cards, non-contact smart cards or RFIDs
• 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: G07F 7/082 Features insuring the integrity of the data on or in the 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

In a non-contact type IC card, a re-access inhibition time setting circuit 12 sets a re-access inhibition period of time for inhibiting the re-access for a fixed period of time after an operation of a main circuit 16 is finished. This prevents a double write operation of history in the card due to the re-access in a short period of time. Moreover, two areas 321 and 322 are disposed in a memory 32 to write data alternately in these areas. In a read operation, when data of one of the areas is destroyed, the normal data in the other area is read; whereas, when each data is normal, the data last recorded is read. Consequently, the disabled state of the read operation due to wrong data can be prevented.

Claims

1. A non-contact type IC card that communicates signals with an external device in a non-contact manner, comprising:

main circuit means for conducting various operations based on functions of said non-contact type IC card;

operation inhibition signal generating means for creating an operation inhibition signal to inhibit an operation of said main circuit means for a predetermined period of time; and

control means for controlling said main circuit means and said operation inhibition signal generating means,

wherein said control means operates said operation inhibition signal generating means when said operation of said main circuit means is finished and inhibits said operation of said main circuit means for a predetermined period of time according to said operation inhibition signal from said operation inhibition signal generating means.

2. A non-contact type IC card in accordance with claim 1, further comprising power source circuit means for receiving power supplied from an external device and supplying said power to each section of said non-contact type IC card,

wherein said main circuit means and said operation inhibition signal generating means operate by receiving power from said power source circuit means.

3. A non-contact type IC card in accordance with claim 2, said operation inhibition signal generating means comprising means for accumulating said power supplied from said power source circuit means and discharging said power according to a predetermined time constant, means for inverting an output from said accumulating means to obtain a gradually increasing voltage, and means for outputting said operation inhibition signal when said voltage obtained from said inverting means exceeds a predetermined value.

4. A non-contact type IC card in accordance with claim 3, said operation inhibition signal generating means further comprising a switching transistor operated by a control signal from said control means to control said accumulation of power supplied from said power source circuit means in said accumulating means.

5. The non-contact type IC card of claim 3, wherein said outputting means comprises a Schmitt trigger circuit.

6. The non-contact type IC card of claim 1, wherein said operation inhibition signal generating means comprises:

means for accumulating electrical power supplied from a power source circuit and for discharging said electrical power according to a predetermined time constant;

means for inverting an output from said accumulating means to obtain a gradually increasing voltage; and

means for outputting said operation inhibition signal when said voltage obtained from said inverting means exceeds a predetermined value.

7. The non-contact type IC card of claim 6, further comprising means for receiving said electrical power from an external device.

8. The non-contact type IC card of claim 7, wherein said electrical power from said external device is magnetically coupled to said non-contact type IC card.

9. The non-contact type IC card of claim 7, wherein said electrical power from said external device is capacitively coupled to said non-contact type IC card.

10. A non-contact IC card, comprising:

means for communicating signals with an external device in a non-contact manner;

a memory for storing data sent from said external device; and

means for controlling operations of said communicating means and said memory,

wherein said control means comprises means for reading, when data is to be read from said memory, data from one of a plurality of areas in which data is normally stored, and means for inhibiting an operation of said non-contact IC card for a predetermined period of time upon an occurrence of a predetermined event.

11. A non-contact type IC card in accordance with claim 10, wherein said controlling means reads, when there are said plurality of areas in which data is normally stored, data from one of said plurality of areas in which data is last stored.

12. A non-contact hype IC card in accordance with claim 11, further comprising means for recording number data in each of said plurality of areas of said memory representing a recording sequence number of said data.

13. A non-contact type IC card in accordance with claim 10, further comprising a power source circuit for receiving power from an external device and supplying said power to said communicating means, said memory and said control means.

14. A non-contact type IC card, comprising:

means for communicating signals with an external device in a non-contact manner;

a memory for storing data sent from said external device;

first control means for controlling operations of said communicating means and said memory;

operation inhibition signal generating means for generating an operation inhibition signal for inhibiting said operations of said communicating means, said memory, and said first control means; and

second control means for controlling said operation inhibition signal generating means,

wherein said memory has an area subdivided into a plurality of areas for storing therein data sent from said external device;

said first control means reads, when data is to be read from said memory, said data from one of said plurality of areas in which data is normally stored; and

said second control means operates said operation inhibition signal generating means when said operations of said communicating means, said memory, and said first control means are finished and inhibits for a predetermined period of time said operations of said communicating means, said memory, and said first control means according to said operation inhibition signal from said operation inhibition signal generating means.

15. A data storage device that prevents the exchange of erroneous data with an external device, comprising:

a memory for storing data;

means for exchanging data between said memory and said external device in a non-contact manner; and

means for inhibiting an operation of said memory and said data exchanging means for a predetermined period of time after said data storage device completes an exchange of data with said external device.

16. The data storage device of claim 15, further comprising means for receiving electrical power supplied from an external device, said power being supplied to said memory, said exchanging means and said inhibiting means.

17. The data storage device of claim 16, wherein said electrical power supplied from said external device is magnetically coupled to said data storage device.

18. The data storage device of claim 16, wherein said electrical power supplied from said external device is capacitively coupled to said data storage device.

19. The data storage device of claim 15, wherein said inhibiting means comprises means for accumulating electrical power supplied from an external device, said accumulated electrical power being discharged according to a predetermined time constant.

20. The data storage device of claim 19, further comprising:

means for inverting an output of said accumulating means to obtain a gradually increasing voltage; and

means for triggering said inhibiting means to output an inhibiting signal when said voltage of said inverting means exceeds a predetermined value.

21. The data storage device of claim 15, further comprising a processing unit that controls various operations of said memory, said exchanging means and said inhibiting means.