Internet accessing system using card readers and dual cards with information pertaining to log on

• US 5,987,612 A
• Filed: 12/02/1997
• Issued: 11/16/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation
• Inventors: Iwata, Satoshi, Shiraishi, Yoshihiko, Shimokura, Ken-ichiro, Takagawa, Yuichiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Auve, Glenn A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): PANCHOLI, JIGAR K
• Application Number:
  US08/982,603
• Time in Patent Office: 714 Days
• Field of Search: 713/200-202, 709/217-219, 709/227, 709/229
• US Class Current: 726/9
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/34 involving the use of external additional devices, e.g. dongles or smart cards
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2101 Auditing as a secondary aspect
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/229 Hierarchy of users of accounts
• 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 20/346 Cards serving only as information carrier of service
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/1008 Active credit-cards provided with means to personalise their use, e.g. with PIN-introduction/comparison system

Abstract

An Internet accessing system which allows automatic user login onto the Internet with the use of two cards and card readers. One card contains information about an Internet access point telephone number, the ID number of the user, and the password of the user. The second card contains information about the URL designating the location of the desired startup homepage. Upon insertion of the cards into the card readers, the user is automatically logged onto the Internet.

Claims

1. An Internet accessing apparatus comprising:

a card interface portion, in which a first information storage card recording an Internet access point telephone number, an ID number of the card holder, and a password of the card holder, and a second information storage card recording a URL information designating the location where the desired homepages are stored, are installed in such a manner as to allow free insertion and removal, and which can read the information recorded on said first and second information storage cards;

a communication interface portion, which automatically originates a call to an Internet access point and connects to a WWW server, based on the information read from said first information storage card;

an information processing portion, which by accessing a WWW server, retrieves and processes the WWW information, based on the information read from said second information storage card;

a media interface portion, which presents said WWW information to the user; and

an operation interface portion for receiving the user'"'"'s operations with respect to said presented information.

2. An Internet accessing apparatus in accordance with claim 1, in which said card interface portion detects the insertion of said first information storage card, activates the other portions, while reading the information recorded on said first information storage card, and ends the operation of the other portions when the removal of said first information storage card is detected.

3. An Internet accessing apparatus in accordance with claim 1, in which said card interface portion closes the connection with said WWW server when the removal of said second information storage card is detected.

4. An Internet accessing, apparatus in accordance with claim 1, in which said information processing portion, in the case where data regulating a remaining connection time with said WWW information is recorded on said second information storage card in addition to said URL information designating the location where the homepages are stored, reads said remaining connection time recorded on said second information storage card via said card interface portion, decreases said remaining connection time by an amount corresponding to the amount of time connected to said WWW server, and updates said remaining connection time recorded on said second information storage card with the subtracted result via said card interface portion.

5. An Internet accessing apparatus in accordance with claim 2, in which said information processing portion, in the case where data regulating a remaining connection time with said WWW information is recorded on said second information storage card in addition to said URL information designating the location where the homepages are stored, reads said remaining connection time recorded on said second information storage card via said card interface portion, decreases said remaining connection time by an amount corresponding to the amount of time connected to said WWW server, and updates said remaining connection time recorded on said second information storage card with the subtracted result via said card interface portion.

6. An Internet accessing apparatus in accordance with claim 3, in which said information processing portion, in the case where data regulating a remaining connection time with said WWW information is recorded on said second information storage card in addition to said URL information designating the location where the homepages are stored, reads said remaining connection time recorded on said second information storage card via said card interface portion, decreases said remaining connection time by an amount corresponding to the amount of time connected to said WWW server, and updates said remaining connection time recorded on said second information storage card with the subtracted result via said card interface portion.

7. An Internet accessing apparatus in accordance with claim 1, in which said information processing portion, in the case where a login information necessary for displaying said WWW information is further recorded on said first information storage card, reads said login information recorded on said first information storage card via said card interface portion, and transmits said login information, when said information processing portion receives a request for said login information for displaying said WWW information.

8. An Internet accessing apparatus in accordance with claim 2, in which said information processing portion, in the case where a login information necessary for displaying said WWW information is further recorded on said first information storage card, reads said login information recorded on said first information storage card via said card interface portion, and transmits said login information, when said information processing portion receives a request for said login information for displaying said WWW information.

9. An Internet accessing apparatus in accordance with claim 3, in which said information processing portion, in the case where a login information necessary for displaying said WWW information is further recorded on said first information storage card, reads said login information recorded on said first information storage card via said card interface portion, and transmits said login information, when said information processing portion receives a request for said login information for displaying said WWW information.

10. An Internet accessing apparatus in accordance with claim 1, in which said information processing portion, in the case where a point information necessary for displaying said WWW information is further recorded on said second information storage card, reads said point information recorded on said second information storage card via said card interface portion, processes said point information in compliance with a point request, and updates said point information recorded on said second information storage card with the processed result via said card interface portion, when said information processing portion receives said point request for displaying said WWW information.

11. An Internet accessing apparatus in accordance with claim 2, in which said information processing portion, in the case where a point information necessary for displaying said WWW information is further recorded on said second information storage card, reads said point information recorded on said second information storage card via said card interface portion, processes said point information in compliance with a point request, and updates said point information recorded on said second information storage card with the processed result via said card interface portion, when said information processing portion receives said point request for displaying said WWW information.

12. An Internet accessing apparatus in accordance with claim 3, in which said information processing portion, in the case where a point information necessary for displaying said WWW information is further recorded on said second information storage card, reads said point information recorded on said second information storage card via said card interface portion, processes said point information in compliance with a point request, and updates said point information recorded on said second information storage card with the processed result via said card interface portion, when said information processing portion receives said point request for displaying said WWW information.

13. An Internet accessing system comprising:

a card information processing apparatus, in which a first information storage card recording an Internet access point telephone number, an ID number of the card holder, and a password of the card holder, and a second information storage card recording a URL information designating the location where the desired homepages are stored, are employed, and which detects the insertion of said first and second information storage cards, and which activates the system, while reading the information recorded on said first and second information storage cards;

a communication processing apparatus, which automatically originates a call to an Internet access point and connects to a WWW server, based on the information read from said first information storage card;

an information processing apparatus, which by accessing a WWW server, retrieves and processes the WWW information such as homepages, based on the information read from said second information storage card;

a media interface apparatus, which presents said WWW information to the user; and

an operation interface apparatus for operating on said presented information.

14. An Internet accessing system in accordance with claim 13, in which said card information processing apparatus detects the insertion of said first information storage card, activates the system, while reading the information recorded on said first information storage card, and ends the system when the removal of said first information storage card is detected.

15. An Internet accessing system in accordance with claim 13, in which said card information processing apparatus detects the insertion of said second information storage card, reads the information recorded on said second information storage card, while transmitting to said communication processing apparatus the information recorded on said first and second information storage cards, and connects to said WWW server and accesses said WWW information.

16. An Internet accessing system in accordance with claim 13, in which said information processing apparatus, in the case where data regulating a remaining connection time with said WWW information is recorded on said second information storage card in addition to said URL information designating the location where the homepages are stored, reads said remaining connection time recorded on said second information storage card via said card information processing apparatus, decreases said remaining connection time by an amount corresponding to the amount of time connected to said WWW server, and updates said remaining connection time recorded on said second information storage card with the subtracted result via said card information processing apparatus.

17. An Internet accessing system in accordance with claim 13, in which said information processing apparatus, in the case where a login information necessary for displaying said WWW information is further recorded on said first information storage card, reads said login information recorded on said first information storage card via said card information processing apparatus, and transmits said login information, when said information processing apparatus receives a request for said login information for displaying said WWW information.

18. An Internet accessing system in accordance with claim 13, in which said information processing apparatus, in the case where a point information necessary for displaying said WWW information is further recorded on said second information storage card, reads said point information recorded on said second information storage card via said card information processing apparatus, processes said point information in compliance with a point request, and updates said point information recorded on said second information storage card with the processed result via said card interface portion, when said information processing apparatus receives said point request for displaying said WWW information.

19. An Internet accessing method, which employs first and second information storage cards, and which automatically originates a call to an Internet access point and connects to a WWW server, based on the information read from said first information storage card recording an Internet access point telephone number, an ID number of the card holder, and a password of the card holder, and which by accessing a WWW server, retrieves the WWW information, based on the information read from said second information storage card recording a URL information designating the location where the desired homepages are stored, and which presents said WWW information to the user.