Reading head arrangement for two data card types

Details Reading head arrangement for two data card types Reading head arrangement for two data card types

1997-05-06

1999-07-27

Hajec, Donald

Registers

Coded record sensors

Particular sensor structure

235440, 235441, 235451, 235486, G06K 700

Patent

active

059294167

DESCRIPTION:

BRIEF SUMMARY
In a general sense, the present invention refers to terminal hardware having the capability of, indifferently, processing two types of portable data elements in the form of a card. More specifically, it refers to the reading of the information contained on inductive cards of the type described in Brazilian patent documents PI 7804885 and PI 9201380, as well as on smart cards with contact pads, i.e. "chip cards" and furthermore, to the recording of new information on both types of cards, without any other manipulation but the manual insertion and withdrawal of said cards by the user.
The inductive cards described in document PI 7804885 are well known and widely used. These contain a series of metallic cells in the form of a closed ring, each corresponding to a credit unit whose reading off is accomplished by the induction of an alternate mangnetic field and its erasure by means of a fusion ("burning out") of the cell material--due to Joule effect--also resulting from the induction of the alternating magnetic field. FIG. 1-a shows a card of this type which is divided lengthwise into three areas, namely, central region 11 containing the credit cells, and two end areas 12 and 12' where there are no cells since these are intended for the handling of the card by the user during the insertion or withdrawal from the card reading device ("reading head"). On this card, four cells 13, 14, 15 and 16, located at the corners of said central area, are used to identify the position and validity of the card, according to the previously mentioned patent document PI 9201380.
Notwithstanding the advantage these cards bear, the physical dimensions of the cells constrain the number of bits which may be stored on each card to a few hundred, thus limiting the use of the cards in applications involving a greater quantity of data to be handled and stored.
The development of electronic circuity of high complexity, integrated on chips having a reduced thickness, has overcome this constraint, thus enabling the manufacture of portable elements--cards--containing one or more chips, such as a microprocessor, memory, etc. in which the memory capability is not limited any longer by the dimensions of the physical substract. The advent of this technique has enlarged its perspective of use, opening a wide spectrum of applications such as personal data storage (banking, health, etc.), service release keys, transaction registration, etc.
In spite of the foregoing advantages, the advent of smart cards will not eliminate, at least not within a medium time span, the use of inductive debit cards. The latter are being implemented in Brazil and are meeting satisfactorily all the requirements for public telephone call payment. Furthermore, due to the relatively high cost of smart cards, their implementation is not expected to occur soon in Brazil. Another obstacle to such implementation consists of the high cost of the hardware needed for processing the smart cards, which makes it desirable to have a reading device able to interact with both inductive debit cards and smart cards having a processor, so as to avoid a future need of replacing said reading heads in order to implement the use of said smart cards.
Among the problems found in the implementation of this concept one may point out those resulting from the incompatibility of the physical dimensions between both kinds of card, including the incompatibility between the posicioning of the cells in the inductive debit cards and the contact pads for the connection of the smart card within the reading head. In fact, while the thickness of the inductive debit cards is 0.4 mm, the smart card, or chip card, is standardized at 0.76 mm. Therefore, a reading head suited to the insertion of smart cards will have a channel excessively wide for inductive debit cards leading to a poor coupling between the cells of this card and the reading/burning-out inductors.
A possible solution for this incompatability can be found in the Brazilian patent document PI 9204685 which describes a reading head capable of process

REFERENCES:
patent: 4931622 (1990-06-01), Ohtsuki et al.
patent: 5317138 (1994-05-01), Togawa
patent: 5332890 (1994-07-01), Kitahara
patent: 5332891 (1994-07-01), Togawa

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