Contact arrangement and counter-contact module

• US 6,496,381 B1
• Filed: 03/14/2001
• Issued: 12/17/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/14/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Groeger, Klaus-Erwin
• Primary Examiner(s): Gibson, Randy W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): BUI, HUNG S
• Application Number:
  US09/743,824
• Time in Patent Office: 643 Days
• Field of Search: 361/761, 361/737, 361/796, 361/752, 361/726, 361/727, 361/789, 361/800, 361/802, 361/743, 361/753, 439/946, 439/948, 439/954, 439/59
• US Class Current: 361/761
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07739 comprising a first part capable of functioning as a record carrier on its own and a second part being only functional as a form factor changing part, e.g. SIM cards type ID 0001, removably attached to a regular smart card form factor
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07743 External electrical contacts
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07747 at least one of the integrated circuit chips being mounted as a module
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/0004 Hybrid readers
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/0021 for reading/sensing record carriers having surface contacts
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 439/946 Memory card cartridge
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 439/948 Contact or connector with insertion depth limiter

Abstract

A contact arrangement for an electrically contactable module that is arranged on a card-shaped carrier, having a first contact bank with a plurality of contact areas, of which at least one is disposed outside of a predefined region. A second contact bank is provided having at least one contact area within the predefined region, and the contact areas of the first contact bank that are arranged outside of the predefined region are in each case electrically connected to contact areas of the second contact bank.

Consequently, for example, both chip cards according to ISO 7816 and multimedia card modules can be evaluated by a chip-card reader provided for evaluating ISO-7816 chip cards. At the same time, the ability of the MMC modules to be evaluated by an MMC-module reader provided for that purpose is retained.

Claims

1. A contact arrangement for an electrically contactable module that is situated on a card shaped carrier, comprising:

a first contact bank including a plurality of first contact areas, at least one of the first contact areas being situated outside a predefined region; and

a second contact bank including at least one second contact area situated within the predefined region;

region wherein there are at least as many second contact areas situated within the predefined region as there are first contact areas situated outside the predefined region, and each first contact area situated outside of the predefined region is electrically connected to one of the second contact areas situated within the predefined region.

2. The contact arrangement of claim 1, wherein the predefined region is a region specified by standard ISO 7816-1 for contact areas of a contact bank.

3. The contact arrangement of claim 1, wherein:

the first contact bank includes;

a first contact row, the first contact row having first contact areas adjacent to one another, a number of the first contact areas in the first contact row being within the predefined region; and

the second contact bank includes;

a second contact row adjacent to the first contact row, the second contact row being situated in the predefined region.

4. The contact arrangement of claim 1, wherein the electrically contactable module is at least one of a processor module and a storage module.

5. The contact arrangement of claim 1, wherein the electrically contactable module is an MMC module.

6. A counter-contact module, comprising:

a plurality of counter contacts for contacting an electrically contactable module situated on a cardshaped carrier, the plurality of counter contacts contacting a plurality of first contact areas in a first contact bank, at least one of the first contact areas being situated outside a predefined region, the plurality of counter contacts further contacting a least one second contact area in a second contact bank, the at least one second contact area being situated within the predefined region;

wherein there are at least as many second contact areas situated within the predefined region as there are first contact areas situated outside the predefined region, and each first contact area situated outside the predefined region is electrically connected to one of the second contact areas situated within the predefined region.

7. The counter-contact module of claim 6, further comprising submodules, the submodules including at least one counter contact.

8. The counter-contact module of claim 7, wherein the submodules include joining elements, the joining elements mounting in a latchtype manner.

9. The counter contact module of claim 6, wherein each of the counter contacts includes a solder connection for a printed-circuit-board mounting.

10. A counter-contact submodule for forming a counter contact module, the counter contact module including a plurality of counter contacts for contacting an electrically contactable module situated on a cardshaped carrier, the plurality of counter contacts contacting a plurality of first contact areas in a first contact bank, at least one of the first contact areas being situated outside of a predefined region, the plurality of counter contacts further contacting at least one second contact area in a second contact bank, the at least one second contact area being situated within the predefined region, each of the at least one first contact area situated outside of the predefined region being electrically connected to at least one of the at least one second contact area, the submodule comprising:

joining elements for joining at least one further counter-contact submodule to the counter-contact submodule.

11. The counter-contact submodule of claim 10, further comprising:

walls, including a third wall and a fourth wall;

a dovetailed tongue situated on the third wall; and

a dovetailed groove situated on the fourth wall;

wherein the dovetailed tongue and the dovetailed groove are adapted to engage dovetailed grooves and tongues, respectively, of further counter-contact submodules.

12. The counter-contact submodule of claim 10, further comprising:

walls, including a third wall and a fourth wall;

at least one locating pin situated on the third wall; and

at least one bore hole situated on the fourth wall;

wherein the at least one locating pin and the at least one bore hole are adapted to engage at least one bore hole and at least one locating pin, respectively, of further counter-contact submodules.

13. The counter-contact submodule of claim 10, further comprising:

interlocking elements, the interlocking elements mutually interlocking with interlocking elements of a further counter-contact submodule when the counter-contact submodule and the further counter-contact submodule are mounted in a side-by-side manner.

14. The counter-contact submodule of claim 13, further comprising:

a top side;

a bottom side, the interlocking elements including;

a locking hook situated on at least one of the top side and the bottom side; and

a recess situated on at least one of the top side and the bottom side;

wherein the locking hook and the recess are adapted to engage a recess and a locking hook, respectively, of further counter-contact submodules.