Registers – Systems controlled by data bearing records – Credit or identification card systems
Reexamination Certificate
1998-05-11
2001-05-29
Pitts, Harold I. (Department: 2876)
Registers
Systems controlled by data bearing records
Credit or identification card systems
C235S492000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06237849
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to systems for performing financial transactions using smart cards and similar devices.
BACKGROUND ART
Smartcard technology is increasingly being adopted for a variety of financial transactions. By way of example, these include stored value, banking and point of sale applications, pay TV, pay phones, loyalty schemes, electronic tolling and electronic ticketing. Such systems generally utilise a smartcard issued to users, readers for the cards, hardware and software associated with the reader for performing a transaction, and in many cases, a communications link to a host system.
The term smartcard is used throughout this document to refer to all portable devices including a processing device and storing financial or identification information, including but not limited to devices meeting ISO standard 7816.
Current developments and proposals tend to utilise smart cards and transaction applications which are proprietary to particular developments. In order to use a card, customers must use a terminal which supports the particular system implemented on that card.
Prior Art
FIG. 1
illustrates a typical system based on these techniques. Terminals
3
A and
3
B each support only a single scheme. Terminal
3
C contains multiple applications, each residing in terminal
3
C, which can each support a single scheme. Multi-scheme functionality is accordingly provided by having different applications to support each scheme resident in each terminal. This type of functionality will increasingly be required in new terminals. In the case of fixed location, relatively high cost terminals this requirement can readily be accommodated, as substantial processing and memory resources are available.
However, a further likely and intended outcome of stored value-type schemes is that low cost, potentially portable terminals will come into widespread use. According to conventional methodologies, these terminals would need to be either single scheme specific at best, or unacceptably expensive.
It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide a smart card transaction system and terminal which enable the implementation of multiple schemes within a low cost terminal environment.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly to one aspect the present invention provides a system for performing a transaction using a smart card, said smart card including an application allowing transactions with at least one transaction scheme, said system including at least one remote terminal device, each said remote terminal device including means for interfacing to a smart card, a scheme independent terminal application, and communications means for communicating with a base terminal, said base terminal including a plurality of smart card terminal applications for different transaction schemes, and means for selecting one of said smart card terminal applications corresponding to an available transaction scheme for any given smart card, the arrangement being such that upon a smartcard being inserted into the remote terminal, a corresponding terminal application is selected and a transaction conducted between the terminal application and the smartcard.
According to another aspect the present invention provides a system for performing a transaction using a smart card, said smart card including an application allowing transactions with at least one transaction scheme, said system including at least one remote terminal device, each said remote terminal device including means for interfacing to a smart card, and communications means for communicating with a base terminal, said base terminal including at least one smart card transaction application corresponding to an available transaction scheme for a given smart card, the arrangement being such that a transaction occurs between the smart card and the base terminal as if the smart card were directly interfaced to the base terminal.
According to a further aspect the present invention provides a remote terminal device for a smartcard transaction processing system, said system including a plurality of smartcards, each smartcard including applications allowing transactions with at least one transaction scheme, and a base terminal including transaction applications corresponding to at least one of the transaction schemes incorporated in said smartcards, wherein said terminal device including means for interfacing to a smart card, a scheme independent terminal application, and communications means for communicating with a base terminal, said remote terminal device being adapted to communicate with said smartcard and said base terminal so as to facilitate a transaction between the smartcard and the base terminal as if the smartcard were directly interfaced to the base terminal.
The present invention accordingly provides a system wherein a base terminal provides appropriate interfaces, links to host systems, and applications for a plurality of smart card transaction applications, and the base terminal is accessed by many less complex remote terminal devices. This enables the competing requirements of multi-scheme operation and low cost to be fulfilled.
According to the inventive system, the base terminal responds as if it were in physical contact with the smart card, although in fact the card may be remotely linked and accessed. This allows for a single set of complex applications to service many low cost remote terminals.
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Achelles Peter
Cooper Dean Anthony
Keycorp Limited
Pitts Harold I.
Senterfitt Akerman
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