IC card

• US 6,644,554 B1
• Filed: 06/09/2000
• Issued: 11/11/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/11/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Dai Nippon Printing Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Dai Nippon Printing Company Limited
• Inventors: Kaneko, Taichi, Shiro, Teruaki, Hirosawa, Eiji
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Michael G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): TRAIL, ALLYSON NEEL
• Application Number:
  US09/590,169
• Time in Patent Office: 1,250 Days
• Field of Search: 235/492, 235/487, 235/380, 235/379, 235/385, 705/14, 705/17
• US Class Current: 235/492
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/204 comprising interface for record bearing medium or carrier for electronic funds transfer or payment credit
• 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 20/4093 Monitoring of device authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/1008 Active credit-cards provided with means to personalise their use, e.g. with PIN-introduction/comparison system

Abstract

A use information judging means compares use information recorded in use information recording means with a predetermined condition value to judge whether or not the use information agrees with the predetermined condition value. When the use information judges that the use information agrees with the condition value, rewriting means rewrites content information stored in content information storing means. The use information can include an accumulated used amount of money or use times. The content information can include a royalty service rate, a premium rate or a limit of usable amount of money.

Claims

1. An IC card comprising:

use information recording means for recording use information of an IC card;

content information storage means for storing content information of the IC card;

use information judging means for comparing the use information of the IC card recorded by the use information recording means with a predetermined condition value of use information, and judging whether the recorded use information of the IC card agrees with the predetermined condition value; and

rewriting means for rewriting the content information stored in the content information storage means when the use information judging means judges that the recorded use information of the IC card agrees with the determined condition value.

2. An IC card according to claim 1, wherein the IC card is adaptable to multi-applications, and the use information judging means and the rewriting means comprise additional corresponding applications.

3. An IC card according to claim 1, wherein

the use information recorded in the use information recording means comprises an accumulated used amount of money.

4. An IC card according to claim 1, wherein

the use information recorded in the use information recording means comprises accumulated use times.

5. An IC card according to claim 1, wherein

the content information stored in the content information storing means comprises a royalty service rate.

6. An IC card according to claim 1, wherein

the content information stored in the content information storing means comprises a premium rate.

7. An IC card according to claim 1, wherein

the content information stored in the content information storing means comprises a limit of usable amount of money.

8. An IC card according to claim 1, wherein

the IC card is for use in a game apparatus;

and

the content information stored in the content information storing means comprises ability data for a game apparatus.