Noncontact type IC card and system therefor

• US 6,343,744 B1
• Filed: 02/18/2000
• Issued: 02/05/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/19/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation
• Inventors: Takeda, Tadao, Fukunaga, Toshinori, Shibata, Tsugumichi, Ieyasu, Tomota
• Primary Examiner(s): Pitts, Harold I.
• Application Number:
  US09/507,298
• Time in Patent Office: 718 Days
• Field of Search: 235/380, 235/492, 235/441
• US Class Current: 235/492
• 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 19/0716 at least one of the integrated circuit chips comprising a sensor or an interface to a sensor
• 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: G06K 19/07345 by activating or deactivating at least a part of the circuit on the record carrier, e.g. ON/OFF switches

Abstract

A noncontact type IC card includes an electromagnetic induction coil, integrated circuit, and switch. The electromagnetic induction coil receives the energy of an electromagnetic field radiated from an external device. The integrated circuit can be operated by driving power supplied by the energy of the electromagnetic field. The switch is provided on the electromagnetic induction coil for receiving the energy of the electromagnetic field and switches the inductance of the electromagnetic induction coil.

Claims

1. A noncontact type IC card comprising:

an antenna coil to receive energy of an electromagnetic field radiated from an external device;

an integrated circuit which can be operated by driving power supplied by the energy of the electromagnetic field; and

a connecting means electrically connected with an antenna conductor in a surrounding portion of the antenna coil, the actuation of the connecting means changes the inductance of the antenna coil.

2. A card according to claim 1, wherein

said means for receiving the energy of the electromagnetic field comprises an electromagnetic induction coil.

3. A card according to claim 1, wherein

said means for receiving the energy of the electromagnetic field comprises a strip antenna.

4. A card according to claim 1, wherein

said means for receiving the energy of the electromagnetic field comprises a slot antenna.

5. A card according to claim 1, wherein

said means for receiving the energy of the electromagnetic field comprises a bowtie antenna.

6. A card according to claim 1, wherein

said switch is connected in series to said means for receiving the energy of the electromagnetic field.

7. A card according to claim 1, wherein

said switch is connected in parallel to said means for receiving the energy of the electromagnetic field.

18. The noncontact type IC card of claim 1, wherein the connecting means comprises a tactile switch in the noncontact type IC card.

8. A noncontact type IC card system comprising:

a noncontact type IC card having means for receiving an energy of an electromagnetic field radiated from an external device and an integrated circuit which can be operated by driving power supplied by the energy of the electromagnetic field; and

means which comes into contact with part of said means for receiving the energy of the electromagnetic field, thereby changing an inductance of said means;

wherein said means for changing the inductance comprises a card folder to receive the noncontact type IC card, the card folder short-circuiting at least two terminals provided at part of the means for receiving the energy of the electromagnetic field while receiving the noncontact type IC card.

9. A system according to claim 8, wherein

said means for changing the inductance comprises a card clip formed from a conductive material, said card clip short-circuiting at least two terminals provided at part of said means for receiving the energy of the electromagnetic field while clamping said noncontact type IC card.

10. A system according to claim 8, wherein

said means for changing the inductance comprises a card folder which can receive said noncontact type IC card, said card folder short-circuiting at least two terminals provided at part of said means for receiving the energy of the electromagnetic field while receiving said noncontact type IC card.

11. A system according to claim 10, wherein

said card folder comprises means for communicating with said IC card.

12. A system according to claim 8, wherein

said means for receiving the energy of the electromagnetic field comprises an electromagnetic induction coil.

13. A system according to claim 8, wherein

said means for receiving the energy of the electromagnetic field comprises a strip antenna.

14. A system according to claim 8, wherein

said means for receiving the energy of the electromagnetic field comprises a slot antenna.

15. A system according to claim 8, wherein

said means for receiving the energy of the electromagnetic field comprises a bowtie antenna.

16. A system according to claim 8, wherein

said means for changing the inductance is connected in series to said means for receiving the energy of the electromagnetic field.

17. A system according to claim 8, wherein

said means for changing the inductance is connected in parallel to said means for receiving the energy of the electromagnetic field.

19. A noncontact type IC card system comprising:

a noncontact type IC card including an antenna coil to receive electromagnetic field energy radiated from an external device, an integrated circuit that can be operated by a driving power supplied by the electromagnetic field energy, and a connecting means, to change the inductance of the antenna coil, having a plurality of terminals connected to an antenna conductor, the plurality of terminals exposed on the surface of the noncontact type IC card; and

a card folder having a means for changing the inductance of the antenna coil by coming into contact with the plurality of terminals.

20. The noncontact type IC card system of claim 19, wherein the means for changing the inductance of the antenna coil is a communications means for the card folder to communicate with the noncontact type IC card, the frequency used by the communications means tunes with a resonance frequency of the noncontact type IC card.