IC card terminal device and installation of application program into IC card terminal device

• US 6,505,297 B1
• Filed: 09/08/1999
• Issued: 01/07/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd., Hitachi Video & Information System Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd., Hitachi Video & Information System Incorporated
• Inventors: Yoneta, Koichi, Inoue, Masayuki, Kawashima, Kazuhiro, Matsumoto, Kenji, Takami, Yutaka, Itoh, Shigeyuki, Inamitsu, Tetsuharu
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): Cao, Chun
• Application Number:
  US09/391,490
• Time in Patent Office: 1,217 Days
• Field of Search: 710/8, 710/9, 710/18, 710/19, 710/36, 710/37, 710/62, 710/74, 396/48, 396/57, 396/211, 711/115, 713/1
• US Class Current: 713/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/60 Software deployment
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3552 Downloading or loading of personalisation data
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/1008 Active credit-cards provided with means to personalise their use, e.g. with PIN-introduction/comparison system

Abstract

When installing a new system application in the terminal device which can read from and store in the IC card, the application is installed by communicating with a host machine through a connector for the IC card attached to the terminal device, without an exclusive interface mechanism for installing the application.

Claims

1. A terminal device, comprising;

an IC card connector into which an IC card is inserted and which connects with an external device;

a memory to store an IC card control program to be used when reading/writing from/to said IC card, an application program input via said IC card connector, and a control program to be used when said application program is stored into said memory; and

a processor which, according to said control program, sends empty address space of said memory to said external device via said IC card connector, receives said application program relocated according to the empty address via said IC card connector, and then stores said relocated application program into said memory.

2. The terminal device of claim 1, further comprising:

said control program controlling detecting of an empty address in the memory and communicating the detected empty address to outside said terminal device through said IC card connector; and

said control program being responsive to receiving an application program from outside of said terminal device through said IC card connector that has been relocated according to said detected empty address.

3. The terminal device of claim 1, including another connector and an IC card connected with said another connector, said IC card storing certification data, and said processor confirming with said certification data whether said application program is stored into said memory.

4. The terminal device of claim 1, further comprising means for displaying a condition of said stored application program in order to recognize said stored application program.

5. The terminal device of claim 1, further comprising means for managing said stored application program in order to detect said empty address.

6. The terminal device of claim 1, further comprising:

means for detecting error of said application program provided through said IC card connector;

means for transmitting said detected error from the terminal device to a host computer.

7. A terminal device, comprising:

an IC card connector into which an IC card is inserted;

another connector to connect with an external device;

a memory to store an IC card control program to be used when reading/writing from/to said IC card, an application program input via said another connector, and a control program to be used when said application program is stored into said memory; and

a processor which, according to said control program, sends empty address space of said memory to said external device via said another connector, receives said application program relocated according to the empty address via said IC card connector, and then stores said relocated application program into said memory.

8. The terminal device of claim 7, further comprising:

said control program controlling detecting of an empty address in the memory and communicating the detected empty address to outside said terminal device through one of said IC card connector and said connector; and

said control program being responsive to receiving an application program from outside of said terminal device through said one connector that has been relocated according to said detected empty address.

9. The terminal device of claim 8, including an IC card connected with IC card connector, said IC card storing certification data, and said processor confirming with said certification data whether said application program is stored into said memory.

10. The terminal device of claim 8, further comprising means for displaying a condition of said stored application program in order to recognize said stored application program.

11. The terminal device of claim 8, further comprising means for managing said stored application program in order to detect said empty address.

12. The terminal device of claim 8, further comprising:

means for detecting error of said application program provided through said one connector;

means for transmitting said detected error from the terminal device to a host computer.

13. A terminal device, comprising:

a first IC card connector into which an IC card is inserted;

a second IC card connector to connect with an external device;

a memory to store an IC card control program to be used when reading/writing from/to said IC card, an application program input via said second connector, and a control program to be used when said application program is stored into said memory; and

a processor which, according to said control program, sends empty address space of said memory to said external device via said second IC card connector, receives said application program relocated according to the empty address via said second IC card connector, and then stores said relocated application program into said memory.

14. The terminal device of claim 13, further comprising:

said control program controlling detecting of an empty address in the memory and communicating the detected empty address to outside said terminal device through one of said IC card connectors; and

said control program being responsive to receiving an application program from outside of said terminal device through said one IC card connector that has been relocated according to said detected empty address.

15. The terminal device of claim 14, including an IC card connected with one of said IC card connectors, said IC card storing certification data, and said processor confirming with said certification data whether said application program is stored into said memory.

16. The terminal device of claim 14, further comprising means for displaying a condition of said stored application program in order to recognize said stored application program.

17. The terminal device of claim 14, further comprising means for managing said stored application program in order to detect said empty address.

18. The terminal device of claim 14, further comprising:

means for detecting error of said application program provided through one of said IC card connectors;

means for transmitting said detected error from the terminal device to a host computer.