Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02579417 2007-02-22
SMART CARD ADAPTOR
This invention relates generally to smart cards, and specifically to an
adaptor
for converting a contact smart card to a contactless smart card or vice versa.
Smart cards, also referred to as chip cards or integrated circuit cards, are
devices with an embedded integrated circuit (such as a microprocessor and/or
memory) for use as storage of sensitive data or user authentication. Smart
cards may
comprise memory for storing financial or personal data, or private data such
as private
keys used in the S/MIME (Secured Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions)
encryption technique. Preferably, some of this data may be secured using a PIN
(personal identification number) or a password as an access control measure.
In order
to access the protected data stored in the card's memory, a user must be
validated by
providing the correct PIN or password.
Typically, the smart card itself does not include a data entry device for
direct
entry of a PIN or password for the purpose of user authentication. The smart
card is
rather used in conjunction with a smart card reader that is in communication
with an
input device. When the smart card is in communication with the smart card
reader, a
PIN or password may be provided to the smart card by the user via the input
device to
the smart card reader. The smart card, upon receipt of the PIN or password, is
then
configured to take steps to verify the PIN or password and authenticate the
user. A
verification signal is then provided by the smart card to the smart card
reader.
Smart cards are typically provided in standardized form factors, such as
approximately credit-card sized form factors, for ease of handling by users.
The
smart card interfaces with the reader either via a physical contact pad on the
exterior
of the card, in the case of a contact smart card, or via an antenna embedded
in the card
which receives power from a radiofrequency (RF) field generated by the card
reader,
in the case of a contactless smart card. Most smart cards that are deployed
operate
either as a contact smart card or as a contactless smart card, and the readers
that are
deployed to be used with those cards are thus contact card readers or
contactless card
readers.
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However, when an existing contact or contactless smart card reader
installation is to be expanded or upgraded, the expansion or upgrade may
require the
use of smart card readers and/or smart cards that are intended to operate on a
contactless or contact basis, respectively. It is not necessarily practical to
replace
contact or contactless smart card readers with readers capable of reading both
contact
and contactless smart cards, or to replace all users' smart cards with a
contactless or
contact smart card to function with the smart card readers installed in a
given
environment. Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a system for allowing a
contact
smart card to be adapted for use with a contactiess smart card reader, and/or
for
1o allowing a contactless smart card to be adapted for use with a contact
smart card
reader, without requiring the user to replace the original smart card or
replacing or
retrofitting an existing smart card reader.
General
In an embodiment, a portable adaptor may be provided for using a smart card
of a first configuration with a smart card reader of a second configuration.
Preferably,
the adaptor is configured to adapt a signal level of the smart card reader to
energize
and interface with the smart card.
In an aspect of the embodiment, the adaptor may be adapted to boost the
signal level of the smart card reader to a level sufficient to energize the
smart card. In
an alternate aspect of the embodiment, the adaptor is adapted to limit the
signal level
of the smart card reader to a level sufficient to energize the smart card.
In accordance with a first preferred embodiment, there may be provided a
portable adaptor for using a contactless smart card with a contact smart card
reader.
The adaptor comprises: a casing having an interior and an exterior, the
exterior of the
casing being configured to physically cooperate with the contact smart card
reader;
means adapted for interfacing a contactless smart card placed in or near the
adaptor
with the contact smart card reader, and means adapted for regulating
electrical signals
received from the contact smart card reader to electromagnetic signals of a
required
level sufficient to energize the contact smart card.
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Preferably, the means adapted for interfacing a contactless smart card placed
in or near the adaptor with the contact smart card reader comprises: an
external
contact module for receiving and transmitting electrical signals from and to
the
contact smart card reader, the external contact module being disposed on the
exterior
of the casing such that the external contact module can be placed in physical
contact
with a contact pad on the contact smart card reader; and a transceiver in
communication with the external contact module for converting electrical
signals
received by the external contact module to electromagnetic signals for
reception by
the contactless smart card, and for converting received electromagnetic
signals from
the contactless smart card to electrical signals to be transmitted by the
external
contact module to the contact smart card reader.
In accordance with a second preferred embodiment, there may be provided a
portable adaptor for using a contact smart card with a contactless smart card
reader,
comprising: a casing having an interior and an exterior, the interior of the
casing
being configured to removably engage a contact smart card; means adapted for
interfacing a contact smart card inserted in the adaptor with a contactless
smart card
reader, and means adapted for regulating electromagnetic signals received from
the
contactless smart card reader to electrical signals of a required level
sufficient to
energize the contact smart card.
Preferably, the means adapted for interfacing a contact smart card inserted in
the adaptor with a contactless smart card reader comprises: an internal
contact module
for receiving and transmitting electrical signals from and to a contact smart
card
removably engaged in the casing; and a radiofrequency interface in
communication
with the internal contact module and with an antenna for converting electrical
signals
received by the internal contact module to electromagnetic signals for
reception by a
contactless smart card reader, and for converting electromagnetic signals
received
from the contactless smart card reader to electrical signals to be transmitted
by the
internal contact module to the contact smart card.
In accordance with a third preferred embodiment, there may be provided a
portable adaptor for using a contact smart card with a contactless smart card
reader
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and a contactless smart card with a contact smart card reader, comprising: a
casing
having an interior and an exterior, the interior of the casing being
configured to
removably engage a contact smart card, the exterior of the casing being
configured to
physically cooperate with a contact smart card reader; means adapted for
interfacing a
contactless smart card placed in or near the adaptor with a contact smart card
reader;
and means adapted for interfacing a contact smart card removably engaged in
the
adaptor with a contactless smart card reader.
In another aspect, there may be provided a method of facilitating use of a
contact smart card with a contactless smart card reader or a contactless smart
card
with a contact smart card reader by providing a portable adaptor according to
any of
the first to third preferred embodiments.
Brief Description of the Drawings
In drawings which illustrate by way of example only a preferred embodiment
of the invention,
Figure 1 is a block diagram of a smart card adaptor combining all of the
preferred embodiments.
Figure 2 is a perspective view of a smart card adaptor and smart card.
Description of Preferred Embodiments
In the prior art, a typical smart card system comprises a smart card reader
(not
shown), which may be a contact reader or a contactless reader, which is
operatively
connected to an input device (not shown). As is well known in the art, a
contact
reader is provided with a contact pad and preferably a slot for receiving a
smart card,
such that when a contact smart card is inserted in the contact reader, a
contact module
provided on the contact smart card makes physical contact with the contact pad
in the
contact reader, by which means the reader can transmit power and instructions
and
receive data from the contact smart card. A contactless reader is provided
with a
transceiver, which comprises an antenna, a digital signal processor, and a
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radiofrequency circuit; the contactless reader transceiver generates an
electromagnetic
field, which is used to power a contactless smart card held within the
proximity of the
contactless reader, and the transceiver is capable of receiving data from the
contactless smart card by detecting changes in the electromagnetic field
induced by
the contactless smart card. The reader and the input device may be contained
in the
same physical unit. If the reader and the input device are not integrated,
then the
input device may communicate with the smart card reader either by a direct
wired
connection, such as via USB (Universal Serial Bus) or by a wireless
communication
link in accordance with a standard such as the Institute of Electrical and
Electronic
Engineers (IEEE) 802.11a/b/g standard for wireless local area networks,
Bluetooth ,
Zigbee , and the like, or future standards for wireless, preferably short-
range,
communication.
A preferred embodiment of a smart card adaptor 200 is shown in Figures 1 and
2. As can be seen in Figure 2, the adaptor 200 is capable of receiving a smart
card
100, which may be a prior art contact smart card or contactless smart card.
Preferably, the smart card 100 is engaged with the adaptor 200 by means of a
frictional contact or a spring-biased contact, so that a user can easily
remove the smart
card 100 from the adaptor 200 without the application of excessive force. If
the smart
card 100 is a contact smart card, it is preferably provided with a physical
contact
portion (not shown) in accordance with ISO/IEC 7816 published by the
International
Organization for Standardization, which contact portion would normally provide
an
interface with a prior art contact smart card reader for data communication
between
the card 100 and the reader, and further provides any necessary power to the
card
itself. If the smart card 100 is a contactless smart card (not shown), it
preferably
operates in accordance with ISO/IEC 10536, 14443, or 15693, which define
standards
for close-coupled, proximity, and vicinity smart cards, respectively.
Contactless
smart cards are not required to maintain physical contact with a contactless
smart card
reader in order to function, but rather communicate with the reader with an
antenna
and a radiofrequency interface, and are powered by an electromagnetic field
generated at the reader. A typical form factor for the smart card 100 is the
"credit
card" type form factor, although the smart card 10 may be comprised in another
form
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factor or device that provides the functionality for communication with a
smart card
reader, such as a SIM card.
The smart card adaptor 200 will be described first in relation to its use as
an
adaptor for converting a contactless smart card for use with a contact smart
card
reader. Referring to Figure 1, in a preferred embodiment, the smart card
adaptor 200
is provided with an external contact module 210 in communication with an
optional
processor 280, which in turn is in communication with a transceiver 230. The
transceiver 230 may be in direct communication with the external contact
module
210. The external contact module 210 is preferably similar to the contact
modules
known in the art and provided on contact smart cards, and is preferably
provided with
the same contacts (such as Vcc, reset, clock, ground, and input/output) that
are
defined by ISO 7816. As can be seen from Figure 2, preferably the external
contact
module 210 is provided on an external portion 240 of the adaptor 200, the
external
portion 240 being sized to physically cooperate with a contact smart card
reader, and
the external contact module 210 being positioned to physically engage the
contact pad
of the contact smart card reader when the external contact module 210 is in
physical
cooperation with the reader. Most preferably, the adaptor 200 is sized to
provide a
portable means for carrying the smart card 100 without adding appreciable bulk
or
weight to the smart card 100.
Preferably, the transceiver 230 is configured to receive signals from the
external contact module 210 when the adaptor is engaged with a contact smart
card
reader, and is receiving power and signals from the contact smart card reader
via the
external contact module 210. The transceiver 230 preferably comprises an
oscillator
or radiofrequency circuit, a digital signal processor, and an antenna. It will
be
appreciated that while the transceiver 230 is defined to include several
components
including an antenna, it would also be possible for transceiver 230 to use an
external
antenna such as antenna 250 for communications.
When the transceiver receives an initialization signal from the external
contact
module 210, the transceiver 230, powered by the contact card reader via the
contact
module 210, initializes a wireless protocol with a contactless smart card 100
inserted
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in the adaptor 200. As is known in the art in relation to contactless smart
cards and
contactless smart card readers, the transceiver 230 creates an electromagnetic
field
and transmits information to the smart card via the electromagnetic field; the
contactless smart card 100 within the adaptor 200 is thus initialized via the
electromagnetic field generated by the transceiver 230. The transceiver 230
receives
information from the contactless smart card 100 by detecting changes in the
electromagnetic field caused by the contactless smart card 100, for example in
accordance with ISO 10536, 14443, or 15693, and converts the received data to
a
signal that is transmitted via the output contact of the external contact
module 210 to
the contact card reader in accordance with ISO 7816. The optional processor
280
may act as an interface between the external contact module 210 and the
transceiver
230, converting the signals received from the external contact module 210 to a
signal
that can be processed by the transceiver 230 for conversion to an
electromagnetic
signal, and vice versa. The adaptor 200 thus acts as a "dumb" contactless card
reader,
which transmits instructions to and receives data from the contactless card
100 within
the adaptor 200, and transmits data to and receives instructions from the
contact card
reader in physical cooperation with the adaptor 200.
When the smart card adaptor 200 is used as an adaptor for converting a
contact smart card to a contactless smart card, a contact smart card 100 as
known in
the prior art is engaged in the adaptor 200. The contact pad provided on the
contact
smart card 100 is placed in physical contact with an internal contact module
270,
shown in Figure 1. The internal contact module 270 is connected to a radio
frequency
interface 260, which in turn is connected to an antenna 250. The antenna 250
is
preferably formed of multiple turns of a conductive medium, such as wire or a
conductive ink, embedded within the adaptor 200, similar to the configuration
of the
antenna in a contactless smart card.
When the smart card adaptor 200 is placed in the vicinity of a prior art
contactless smart card reader, the electromagnetic field generated by the
contactless
smart card reader induces a current in the antenna 250 which is used to
transmit
signals to the internal contact module 270 via the RF interface 260.
Optionally, the
RF interface 260 and the optional processor 280 may be provided in the same
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integrated circuit, reducing the number of separate components in the adaptor
200.
The internal contact module 270 then transmits the received signals to the
contact
smart card 100 via the contact pad on the contact smart card 100, again in
accordance
with techniques known in the art. The contact smart card 100 is thus powered
through the internal contact module 270, which receives a current from the
antenna
250 so long as the contact smart card 100 and the adaptor 200 is within the
vicinity of
a contactless smart card reader. The adaptor 200 thus operates as a "dumb"
contact
card reader, transmitting instructions to and receiving data from the contact
smart
card 100, and transmitting data to and receiving instructions from the
contactless card
reader.
Thus, the adaptor 200 may act as a pass-through, allowing data to pass
between a medium of a first format and a medium reader of a different format
without
the adaptor 200 otherwise altering or interpreting the data.
Optionally, it may be necessary to include a signal booster, or voltage pump,
to the internal contact module 270 to supply an amplified current to the
contact card.
As will be appreciated by the person skilled in the art, the necessity of
including a
signal booster, and the requisite level of amplification, is dependent upon
the
characteristics of a particular embodiment including: the power requirements
of the
contact smart card 100, the signal strength of the contactless smart card
reader, the
distance between the contactless smart card reader and the antenna 250, and
the speed
of data transmission.
A signal booster is generally not required for standard readers, as the reader
is
designed to provide sufficient power to activate the type of card with which
the reader
has been designed to operate. Since the present invention permits a card to
operate
with a reader for which it was not intended to operate, the power provided by
the
reader may not be sufficient for the requirements of the card. In such a
situation, a
signal booster may be provided that amplifies the signal to a card depending
upon the
requirements of that card type.
In an embodiment, a portable adaptor may be provided with a signal booster
that provides an appropriate signal level to energize and communicate with a
smart
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card, regardless of the signal level delivered by a smart card reader to the
portable
adaptor. By way of example, an adaptor configured to receive a contactless
smart card
would convert a contact smart card reader signal to a level appropriate to
energize the
contactless smart card. In such a fashion, the adaptor not only provides a
physical
interface between a smart card of a first configuration, and a smart card
reader of a
second configuration, but it also adapts a signal generated by the smart card
reader
according to the second configuration to energize and communicate with the
smart
card of the first configuration.
Thus, the smart card adaptor may be operable to energize a smart card of a
lo first configuration by amplifying, or reducing, the signal of a smart card
reader of a
second configuration, where the smart card reader would not otherwise be
capable of
successfully energizing and communicating with the smart card. The portable
adaptor
may include, for instance, a power source and circuitry to boost the level of
a signal
received from a smart card reader to a level sufficient to energize a smart
card
engaged with the adaptor.
In circumstances where a smart card reader signal level might be too large for
a smart card, the portable adaptor may include, for instance, circuitry to
limit the level
of a signal received from a smart card reader to a required level for
energizing a smart
card engaged with the adaptor.
Similarly, the smart card adaptor may be operable to boost or limit a signal
received from a smart card to a level sufficient for communication with smart
card
reader. In such a fashion, the smart card adaptor may permit a smart card of a
first
configuration to be energized by, and read by, a smart card reader of a second
configuration.
It will be understood from the foregoing description relating to a preferred
embodiment of the adaptor comprising a combined form of said adaptor, that an
adaptor comprising only the means necessary for adapting a contact smart card
for use
with a contactless smart card reader may be provided. Furthermore, in a
similar
manner, an adaptor comprising only the means necessary for adapting a
contactless
smart card for use with a contact smart card reader may be provided.
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Various embodiments of the present invention having been thus described in
detail by way of example, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that
variations
and modifications may be made without departing from the invention. The
invention
includes all such variations and modifications as fall within the scope of the
appended
claims.
A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material which is
subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the
facsimile reproduction by any one of the patent document or patent disclosure,
as it
appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but
otherwise
reserves all copyrights whatsoever.
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