Driver key car identifying system

• US 4,555,619 A
• Filed: 05/19/1983
• Issued: 11/26/1985
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/1983
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Tripmaster Corporation (MiX Telematics Limited)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell International Corporation
• Inventors: Anderson, Eric G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pitts, Harold I.
• Application Number:
  US06/496,043
• Time in Patent Office: 922 Days
• Field of Search: 235/492
• US Class Current: 235/492
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/067 Record carriers with conductive marks, printed circuits or semiconductor circuit elements, e.g. credit or identity cards also with resonating or responding marks without active components
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/0013 by galvanic contacts, e.g. card connectors for ISO-7816 compliant smart cards or memory cards, e.g. SD card readers connectors in general H01R13/00; connectors for SIM cards used in mobile phones or the like H04B1/3816
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/0047 for reading/sensing record carriers having edge contacts
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/0086 the connector comprising a circuit for steering the operations of the card connector
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/20 involving the use of a pass

Abstract

A key card receiver is mounted in the cab of a truck. The driver inserts a card with a power-in contact shorted to several data output contacts. A power-out contact provides power to the receiver to operate three sequentially connected integrated circuits and another integrated circuit for pulsing the three serially connected circuits to convert concurrent binary data of shorted or open conductors on the driver card to a sequential data signal.

Claims

1. A key card system comprising:

(a) a key card receiver having a jack with plural terminals including power-out terminals, power-in terminals and data terminals;

(b) a power source connected to the power-out terminal;

(c) a key card having first and second sides, power-in contacts and power-out contacts located on both sides, first connection means connecting the power-in contacts with the power-out contacts including means to connect them through a body of the card, a plurality of data contacts located on opposite sides of the card, a plurality of conductors located on opposite sides of the card and connecting the power-in contacts to the data contacts, the conductors on one side of the card being alternately looped, second connection means extending through the body of the card connecting distal ends of the looped conductors to conductors on an opposite side of the card in opposite sequential order thereby enabling the cord to be inserted into the receiver with either side up;

(d) means for interrupting selected conductors for producing a binary code of shorted and interrupted conductors on the data contacts;

(e) converting means connected to the data terminals for converting binary shorted or open data from the key card concurrently received on the data terminals to sequential data; and

,

(f) signal output means connected to the converting means for carrying the sequential data to a remote location.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the conductors on the opposite side of the card are connected to each other and are connected to the power-in and power-out contacts.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the conductors on the opposite side of the card are widely spaced on the card for selective interrupting.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein bus conductors extend longitudinally on the card from the power-in and power-out terminals and wherein the contacts on the opposite sides of the card are connected to the bus terminals with conductors having widely spaced portions for selective interrupting.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the receiver includes a housing having upper and lower halves and a card receiver insert fixed in at least one half of the housing and wherein the jack is fixed internally within the housing between the insert and the housing.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the power source comprises a power-in line mounted parallel to the signal output line.

8. The system of claim 1 further comprising a power bus mounted in the receiver and connected to the power-in terminal and wherein the converting means comprise plural integrated circuits connected to the power bus, connected to the data input terminals and connected to the signal output line.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the plural integrated circuits are sequentially connected to each other then to the signal output line for converting concurrent binary input signals to a pulsed output train.

10. The system of claim 9 further comprising clock means connected to the power bus and connected to the plural integrated circuits for pulsing the integrated circuits to control the flow of sequential data among the integrated circuits and from the plural integrated circuits to the signal output line.

2. A driver identification system comprising:

(a) a driver identification card receiver;

(b) means to mount the identification card receiver in a cab of a vehicle;

(c) a jack mounted in the identification card receiver having a power-in terminal, a power-out terminal and a plurality of data input terminals;

(d) a power source connected to the power-out terminal;

(e) a dielectric driver identification key card having first and second sides, power-in contacts and power-out contacts located on both sides, first connection means connecting the power-in contacts with the power-out contacts including means to connect them through a body of the card, a plurality of data contacts located on opposite sides of the card, a plurality of conductors located on opposite sides of the card and connecting the power-in contacts to the data contacts, the conductors on one side of the card being alternately looped, second connection means extending through the body of the card connecting distal ends of the looped conductors to conductors on an opposite side of the card in opposite sequential order thereby enabling the card to be inserted into the receiver with either side up;

(f) means for interrupting selected conductors for producing a binary code of shorted and interrupted conductors on the data contacts;

(g) signal converting means connected to the data terminals for converting binary shorted or open data from the driver identification key card concurrently received on the data terminals to sequential data; and

,

(h) signal output means connected to the converting means for carrying the sequential data to a remote location.

11. The system of claim 2 wherein the power-in contacts and power-out contacts are connected through the cards, and further comprising power bus conductors mounted on one side of the card, wherein the conductors mounted on the side of the card with the power bus conductors are severally connected to the power bus conductors in widely spaced positions, whereby the conductors are selectively interrupted at the widely spaced positions to provide coding of shorted and non-shorted conductors.

12. The system of claim 11 further comprising adhesive covers on the driver key card.

13. The system of claim 2, wherein the driver key card has an edge and the plurality of contacts are mounted along the edge, the plurality of contacts including data contacts, a power-in contact, a power-out contact and a power bus conductor connecting the power-in contact to the power-out contact, the driver key card further comprising plural conductors severally connecting the plural data contacts to the power bus and means for selectively interrupting the plural conductors.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein the plurality of contacts are positioned on opposite sides of the edge.

15. The system of claim 2 wherein the receiver comprises a housing;

a card receiver insert mounted in the housing; and

a jack connected to the card receiver insert and the housing, wherein the power means and signal output means comprise electrical connectors extending through an opening in the housing.