Registers – Systems controlled by data bearing records
Reexamination Certificate
1998-12-11
2002-03-12
Lee, Michael G. (Department: 2876)
Registers
Systems controlled by data bearing records
C235S380000, C902S025000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06354489
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an IC card (smart card) reading/writing apparatus and an IC card system. In particular, the present invention relates to an IC card reading/writing apparatus having both an intelligent function and a pass-through function, and an IC card system using the IC card reading/writing apparatus.
(2) Description of the Related Art
There is a tendency recently to distribute processes (functions) in a system in order to reduce the burden on a host system from terminals or the like. In a card system using an IC (Integrated Circuit) card, an intelligent-type IC card reading/writing (R/W: Reader/Writer) apparatus is used. Such apparatuses having a so-called intelligent function, in which an application is built to process the card data first instead of the host system like a personal computer, are spreading.
FIG. 14
is a diagram showing an example of a general IC card system. In
FIG. 14
, reference numeral
101
denotes an IC card, reference numeral
102
denotes an IC card reading/writing (R/W) apparatus (equipment), and reference numeral
103
denotes an intelligent-type IC card R/W apparatus. Reference numerals
104
and
105
denote a personal computer and a printing apparatus of which a host system of the IC card R/W apparatus
102
and
103
consist.
The IC card R/W apparatus
102
has a so-called pass-through function to control read-out/write-in processing for the IC card
101
by an application on the personal computer
104
. The IC card R/W apparatus
102
has, for example, a communication control unit
102
a
, a mechanism control unit
102
b
, a mechanism unit
102
c
and an IC card commands processing unit
102
d
, as shown in FIG.
15
. Also, reference numeral
104
a
in the personal computer
104
denotes an application unit.
The communication control unit
102
a
identifies a type of a R/W command (an R/W control command, an IC card command and so on, described later) received from the personal computer
104
to control a communication (transmission/reception of a command/response) with the IC card
101
according to a result of the identification. The mechanism control unit
102
b
transmits an instruction to insert (i.e., “fetch”) or discharge the IC card
101
to the mechanism unit
102
c
if the type of the R/W command accepted through the communication control unit
102
a
is a R/W control command, which instructs to insert/discharge the IC card
101
.
The mechanism unit
102
c
drives a motor or the like according to the instruction to insert/discharge the IC card
101
from the mechanism control unit
102
b
so as to insert/discharge the IC card
101
. The IC card command processing unit
102
d
transmits a card command to get card data of the IC card
101
described later if a type of the R/W command received by the communication control unit
102
a
is an IC card command. Unit
102
d
transmits a response (including data from the IC card
101
) thereto to the personal computer
6
. Using this function (the pass-through function), the application unit
104
a
of the personal computer
104
can directly process the card data (a reading/writing process) in the IC card
101
.
With the above structure, the above-mentioned IC card R/W apparatus
102
performs an inserting/discharging process on the IC card
101
according to an instruction from the upper system (the personal computer
104
or the like). In addition, the IC card command processing unit
102
d
transfers the card data of the inserted IC card
101
as a response to the host system. In this manner, the application (the application unit
104
a
of the personal computer
104
) of the host system directly performs a reading/writing process (a card data process) on the IC card
101
.
The operation of the above-mentioned IC card system can be described as the following with reference to the flowchart (Steps A
1
through A
8
) shown in FIG.
16
.
When the power source for the IC card R/W apparatus
102
is switched on, the IC card R/W apparatus
102
comes to a state of waiting for a command from the host system (NO route at Step A
1
). If the R/W command, for example, is transmitted from the personal computer
104
(Step A
2
) and the IC card R/W apparatus
102
receives this R/W command (if a decision at Step A
1
is YES), the IC card R/W apparatus
102
checks whether the type of the received R/W command is the R/W control command or the IC card command (Steps A
3
and A
4
).
If the received R/W command is an R/W control command (if a decision at Step A
3
is YES), the mechanism control unit
102
b
of the IC card R/W apparatus
102
controls the mechanism unit
102
c
to drive a motor to insert/discharge the IC card
101
(Step A
5
). Then the IC card RAN apparatus
102
transmits a command response to the R/W control command, which shows the process completed normally, to the personal computer
104
(Step A
8
).
If the command from the personal computer
104
is an IC card command (if a decision at Step A
3
is NO and at Step A
4
is YES), the communication control unit
102
a
and the IC card command processing unit
102
d
of the IC card R/W apparatus
102
perform an IC card command process on the IC card
101
as the follows. The IC card R/W apparatus
102
converts the communication protocol of the card command to instruct reading/writing processing for the IC card
101
, the instructed processing being adapted to the IC card
101
, and transmits the card command to the IC card
101
. Further, the IC card R/W apparatus
102
receives a response (a card response) to the transmitted card command. Apparatus
102
converts the communication protocol of this card response (including the card data of the IC card
101
) into the original communication protocol adapted to the personal computer
104
(Step A
6
).
The IC card R/W apparatus
102
then transmits a command response to the R/W control command, which shows the process was completed normally, to the personal computer
104
(Step A
8
). In the personal computer
104
, having received this command response, the application unit
104
a
performs a data process on the card data of the IC card
101
transmitted as the response. That is, in the IC card R/W apparatus
102
, the writing/reading process on the IC card
101
is directly performed, not by the IC card R/W apparatus
102
itself, but rather by the application unit
104
a
of the personal computer
104
.
If the R/W command received from the personal computer
104
at Step A
1
is neither a R/W control command nor an IC card command (if decisions at both Steps A
3
and A
4
are NO), the IC card R/W apparatus
102
generates an error response (Step A
7
). Apparatus
102
then transmits this response to the personal computer
104
to notify the received command is not normal (Step A
8
).
In
FIG. 14
, an intelligent-type IC card R/W apparatus
103
has a built-in application. By this application, a primary process on card data of the IC card
101
can be independently performed by the IC card R/V apparatus itself. The intelligent-type IC card R/W apparatus
103
has, for example, a communication control unit
103
a
, an application unit
103
b
, a mechanism control unit
103
c
an a mechanism unit
103
d
, as shown in FIG.
17
.
The communication unit
103
a
controls the communication of a R/W command from the personal computer
104
(i.e., the application unit
104
a
therein) or the application unit
103
b
. The application unit
103
b
identifies the type of the R/W command from the personal computer
104
, and executes an application processing. The application processing is to fetch (insert/discharge) the IC card, convert a communication protocol for the IC card
101
, generate/transmit a card command, or the like, according to the result of the identification. The mechanism control unit
103
c
controls a motor or the like of the mechanism unit
103
d
when the application unit
103
b
identifies the type of the R/W command as an R/W control command to insert/discharge the IC card
101
.
The above-mentioned
Fujitsu Limited
Lee Diane I.
Lee Michael G.
Staas & Halsey , LLP
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