Battery pack having a dual-type smart card interface

• US 7,418,272 B2
• Filed: 02/11/2005
• Issued: 08/26/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Info Trust, Inc. (Dimensional Visions Group, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Info Trust, Inc. (Dimensional Visions Group, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Son, Chang-Bai
• Primary Examiner(s): Trinh; Sonny
• Application Number:
  US11/055,904
• Publication Number:
  US 20050197169A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,292 Days
• Field of Search: 455/558, 455/557, 455/572, 455/573, 455/575.1, 455/550.1, 455/90.3, 455/343.1, 455/344, 455/556.1
• US Class Current: 455/558
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07743 External electrical contacts
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07769 the further communication means being a galvanic interface, e.g. hybrid or mixed smart cards having a contact and a non-contact interface
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/4257 Smart batteries, e.g. electronic circuits inside the housing of the cells or batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3816 Mechanical arrangements for accommodating identification devices, e.g. cards or chips; with connectors for programming identification devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3883 Arrangements for mounting batteries or battery chargers
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

The invention relates to a battery pack having a dual-type smart card interface. In one embodiment, a battery pack is connectable to a mobile communication terminal having at least one contact for a power supply and at least one contact for communication with the mobile communication terminal. The battery pack comprises a battery cell, an RF antenna, a slide-type connector, a contact-type connector coupled to the RF antenna, a plurality of battery pack contacts, which are coupled to the mobile communication terminal electrically, for supplying power to the mobile communication terminal and for communication with the mobile communication terminal, an SCR, which is coupled to the slide-type connector and the contact-type connector respectively, for reading data stored on a smart card that is coupled to either the slide-type connector or the contact-type connector and for writing data received from the mobile communication terminal on the smart card, and a battery protection circuit, which is located between the battery cell and the plurality of battery pack contacts, for protecting the battery cell from an instantaneous power surge.

Claims

1. A subscriber identity module (SIM)-type smart card for use with a battery pack of a mobile communication terminal, the SIM-type smart card comprising:

C1 through C8 contacts arranged according to ISO-7816;

an L1 contact configured to be electrically connected to an RF antenna of the battery pack via a SIM-type smart card connector of the battery pack, wherein the SIM-type smart card connector is electrically connected to the RF antenna; and

an L2 contact configured to be electrically connected to the RF antenna via the SIM-type smart card connector,

wherein the L1 and L2 contacts allow the SIM-type smart card to wirelessly communicate with an external device.

2. The SIM-type smart card as stated in claim 1, wherein the SIM-type smart card is either a non-contact credit card or a non-contact traffic card.

3. The SIM-type smart card as stated in claim 1, wherein the L1 and L2 contacts are formed adjacent to the C4 and C8 contacts, respectively.

4. The SIM-type smart card as stated in claim 3, wherein the L1 and L2 contacts are formed adjacent to the C3 and C7 contacts, respectively.

5. The SIM-type smart card as stated in claim 1, wherein the L1 and L2 contacts are electrically isolated from the C1 through C8 contacts.

6. The SIM-type smart card as stated in claim 1, wherein the L1 and L2 contacts are formed adjacent to the C3 and C7 contacts, respectively.

7. The SIM-type smart card as stated in claim 1, wherein each of the L1 and L2 contacts is smaller in size than those of the C1-C3 and C5-7 contacts.

8. The SIM-type smart card as stated in claim 1, wherein each of the L1 and L2 contacts is substantially the same in size as those of the C4 and C8 contacts.