PC-card having several communication protocols

• US 5,420,412 A
• Filed: 01/25/1993
• Issued: 05/30/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Gemalto SA (Thales SA)
• Original Assignee: Gemplus International SA (Thales SA)
• Inventors: Kowalski, Jacek
• Primary Examiner(s): Hajec, Donald
• Assistant Examiner(s): FILIPEK, JEFFER
• Application Number:
  US08/008,517
• Time in Patent Office: 855 Days
• Field of Search: 235/492, 235/379, 235/380, 395/275, 370/79, 370/85.13
• US Class Current: 235/492
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07733 the record carrier containing at least one further contact interface not conform ISO-7816
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/0008 General problems related to the reading of electronic memory record carriers, independent of its reading method, e.g. power transfer
• 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 20/4097 using mutual authentication between devices and transaction partners
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/1008 Active credit-cards provided with means to personalise their use, e.g. with PIN-introduction/comparison system

Abstract

The invention relates to PC-cards.

In order to permit communications between readers operating according to several different communication protocols, according to the invention said card comprises:

several conversion circuits (CNV1, CNV2, CNV3), each of which is able to convert into instructions performable by the card the electrical signals received from the reader according to a given protocol, each of the different conversion circuits corresponding to a different communication protocol,

and a protocol selection circuit (CNVA, L0, L1, L2, L3, G1 to G6), incorporating an auxiliary conversion circuit (CNVA), the latter being able to produce specific instructions performable by the card, said specific instructions being used for the selection of one of the conversion circuits and being produced from electrical signals which can be produced in all the protocols.

Claims

1. A PC-card able to communicate with a card reader according to several different communication protocols comprising in the card:

several conversion circuits (CNV1, CNV2, CNV3), each of which is able to convert into instructions, performable by the card, the electrical signals received from the reader according to a given protocol, each of the different conversion circuits corresponding to a different communication protocol,

and a protocols select, on circuit (CNVA, L0, L1, L2, L3, G1 to G6), incorporating an auxiliary conversion circuit (CNVA), the latter being able to produce specific instructions performable by the card, said specific instructions being used for the selection of one of the conversion circuits and being produced from electrical signals which can be produced in all the protocols, and having between five and eight contacts, including a clock contact CLK, a data input-output contact I/O and a reset contact RST, wherein the auxiliary conversion circuit essentially uses the signals present on the contacts CLK and RST for producing protocol selection instructions.

2. A card according to claim 1, wherein the auxiliary conversion circuit supplies different instructions (WR, ER;

RD) according to the duration of a square wave pulse appearing on the clock contact CLK.

3. A PC-card able to communicate with a card reader according to several different communication protocols comprising:

several conversion circuits (CNV1, CNV2, CNV3), each of which is able to convert into instructions performable by the card the electrical signals received from the reader according to a given protocol, each of the different conversion circuits corresponding to a different communication protocol,

and a protocol selection circuit (CNVA, L0, 11, L2, L3, G1 to G6), incorporating an auxiliary conversion circuit (CNVA), the latter being able to produce specific instructions performable by the card, said specific instructions being used for the selection of one of the conversion circuits and being produced from electrical signals which can be produced in all the protocols further comprising a memory (MEM) which can be controlled by reading, writing, incrementation or reinitialization instructions, wherein the memory is used for recording in a protocol selection phase an identification of the protocol to be used and wherein the recorded identification is used in a subsequent phase for the selection of one of the conversion circuits corresponding to the identified protocol.

4. A card according to claim 3, wherein the auxiliary conversion circuit is able to supply programming, erasing and incrementing instructions from the signals present on the terminals CLK and RST.

5. A card according to claim 4, wherein an erase instruction is defined by the presence of a long clock signal and a programming instruction by the presence of a second long clock signal immediately following the first and without the interposing of a short clock signal between the two of them.