Communications: electrical – Selective – Interrogation response
Reexamination Certificate
1998-05-14
2001-07-10
Zimmerman, Brian (Department: 2635)
Communications: electrical
Selective
Interrogation response
C340S010200, C340S010520, C340S010600, C340S539230, C340S573100, C340S573200, C340S573400, C342S044000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06259353
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a transponder communication device for the contactless communication with mobile transponders, comprising interrogation means for generating at least one type of interrogation information by means of which mobile transponders, which are in an active state and which are situated within a receiving range of the transponder communication device, can each be requested to generate and transmit answer information, and transmission means for transmitting interrogation information to a mobile transponder situated within the receiving range, and receiving means for receiving answer information generated and transmitted by mobile transponders within the receiving range in response to the interrogation information of at least one type, and answer information detection means with the aid of which the presence of a mobile transponder within the receiving range can be detected depending on the occurrence of answer information of at least one type.
The invention further relates to a transponder for the contactless communication with a transponder communication device, which transponder is capable, when in an active state, of communicating with a transponder communication device, the transponder including receiving means for receiving at least one type of interrogation information transmitted by means of a transponder communication device and interrogation information detection means for detecting received interrogation information of at least one type and answer means controllable by the interrogation information detection means to generate answer information in response to received interrogation information detected by the interrogation information detection means, and transmission means for transmitting the answer information generated by the answer means.
Such a transponder communication device of the type defined in the first paragraph and such a transponder of the type defined in the second paragraph are known, for example from the document U.S. Pat. No. 5,345,231 A. As has been stated in said document, the known transponder communication device and the known transponder can be parts of a transponder system, which may be a toll collection system, an access control system, a tool changing system and the like. Particularly in those transponder systems in which the transponder communication device or an apparatus including the transponder communication device is accessible to the public, as for example in the case of public telephones having an integrated transponder communication device, it is necessary to check or test the proper working order of a transponder communication device included in a such a transponder system. To date such a test is carried out in such a manner that a qualified person trained for this personally carries out an on-site inspection of the transponder communication device, which is laborious and expensive.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the invention to improve a transponder communication device of the type defined in the first paragraph and a transponder of the type defined in the second paragraph and to provide an improved transponder as well as an improved transponder communication device enabling the proper working order of such a transponder communication device to be tested at regular intervals in a simple and inexpensive manner. Moreover, the invention particularly aims at making the means required for this regular testing particularly reliable, trouble-free, vandal proof as well as simple.
To achieve the afore-mentioned objects, according to the invention, a transponder communication device of the type defined in the first paragraph is characterized in that the transponder communication device includes means for carrying out an operational test and the transponder communication device includes an operational test transponder arranged within the receiving range of the transponder communication device and also capable of communicating with the transponder communication device when mobile transponders are situated within the receiving range of the transponder communication device and including means for generating and means for transmitting operational test information which can be received by the receiving means of the transponder communication device, and the transponder communication device has operational test information detection means connected to the receiving means and adapted to detect the received operational test information transmitted by the operational test transponder also when mobile transponders are situated within the receiving range of the transponder communication device and with the aid of which error information can be generated when information which deviates from valid operational test information is detected. By means of the measures in accordance with the invention it is achieved that a regular test of the proper working order of a transponder communication device in accordance with the invention is possible in a simple manner. Moreover, the measures in accordance with the invention particularly lead to a very reliable, trouble-free, vandal proof as well as simple construction, for which during a testing process, i.e. an operational test, it is not necessary to first remove another mobile transponder from the transponder communication device to be tested and even a multitude of other mobile transponders may be situated within the receiving range of the transponder communication device in accordance with the invention without an operational test being affected or rendered impossible thereby, no mechanically moved parts being required to carry out a testing process, which leads to low manufacturing costs, a high dependability and reliability of operation.
It is to be noted that a read apparatus for non-stationary, i.e. mobile data memories, for example credit cards, is known from the document WO 89/07802A1. This known apparatus can be checked or tested continually as regards its proper working order in that a read head of the known apparatus, which in normal operation scans an external mobile data memory, is given access to a stationary test data memory in the absence of such an external mobile data memory, which stationary test data memory can be scanned by the read head of the known apparatus in the same way as a mobile data memory. In this known apparatus the read head can only scan either a mobile data memory or the stationary data memory. To enable the test data memory to be scanned for the purpose of testing, it is necessary to first remove a mobile data memory which may be present in the known apparatus. Moreover, for the known apparatus it is necessary to move either the read head or the test data memory mechanically in order to bring the read head and the test data memory in scanning engagement with one another. This requires mechanically movable parts, which leads top comparatively high manufacturing costs and a reduced dependability and reliability of operation. In contradistinction thereto, the transponder communication device in accordance with the invention enables both the operational test transponder and an arbitrary number of mobile transponders within the receiving range of the transponder communication device can be present at the same time without imposing thereby any restrictions on the process of operational testing, because with the aid of its interrogation means the transponder communication device can generate suitable interrogation information for carrying out an operational test, by means of which interrogation information only the operational test transponder can be interrogated to supply operational test information, in which case no communication takes place between the transponder communication device and all the other mobile transponders situated within the receiving range of the transponder communication device. In an embodiment of the invention, a transponder communication device includes memory means in which nominal operational test information is stored, which information can be applied to the operational-test-information detection
Berger Dominik J.
Staudinger Max
Dalencourt Yves
U.S. Philips Corporation
Zimmerman Brian
LandOfFree
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