Non contact type IC-card

Claim 2

An IC card according to Claim 1, wherein said input/output controlling means comprises a transmitting circuit, a first receiving circuit requiring a bias current, a second receiving circuit having a threshold value higher than that of said first receiving circuit, and a change-over switch for connecting said second receiving circuit between said antenna and said bus in place of said first receiving circuit according to said control signal supplied from said data processing means when the count value of said start number counting/storing means reaches said set value, said bias current flowing through said first receiving circuit being stopped when said first receiving circuit is switched to said second receiving circuit; and said start number counting/storing means comprises a start number register formed in said volatile storage means so as to count the total number of starts, said register being counted up by one by control of said data processing means each time said data processing means is started.

Claim 3

An IC card according to Claim 2, wherein said input/output controlling mean further comprises a modulator/demodulator connected to said transmitting circuit and said change-over switch and an input/output circuit for serial/parallel conversion connected between said modulator/demodulator and said bus.

Claim 4

An IC card according to Claim 1, wherein said input/output controlling means comprises a transmitting circuit, a receiving circuit requiring a bias current, and an inhibit circuit connected between said receiving circuit and said antenna so as to earth said antenna through a predetermined resistance according to said control signal supplied from said data processing means when the count value of said start number counting/storing means reaches said set value; and said start number counting/storing means comprises a start number register formed in said volatile storage means so as to count the total number of starts, said register being counted up by one by control of said data processing means each time said data processing means is started.

Claim 5

An IC card according to Claim 4, wherein said input/output controlling mean further comprises a modulator/demodulator connected to said transmitting circuit and said receiving circuit and an input/output circuit for serial/parallel conversion connected between said modulator/demodulator and said bus.

Claim 6

An IC card according to Claim 1, wherein when the count value of said start number counting/storing means reaches said set value, said data processing means generates said control signal to said input/output controlling mean and simultaneously generates a code for informing said external device of the fact that the count value reaches said set value through said antenna.

Claim 7

An IC card according to Claim 1, wherein said start number counting/storing means counts and stores the total number of starts of said data processing means and the number of continuous erroneous starts thereof so that said data processing means generates said control signal when one of said total number of starts and number of continuous erroneous starts reaches respective set values.

Claim 8

An IC card according to Claim 7, wherein when one of said total number of starts and said number of continuous erroneous starts, which are stored in said start number counting/storing means, reaches respective set values, said data processing means generates said control signal to said input/output controlling means and, when said total number of starts reaches said set value, said data processing means further generates a code for informing, through said antenna, the outside of said card of the fact that said total number reaches said set value.

Claim 9

An IC card according to Claim 8, wherein said start number counting/storing means comprises a start number register for counting and storing said total number of starts and an erroneous start register for counting and storing said number of continuous erroneous starts, both of which are formed in said volatile storage means and which are counted up or cleared by control of said data processing means.

Claim 10

An IC card according to Claim 9, wherein said external device generates an identification code after generating a trigger signal; said start number register contains a plurality of bits for counting said total number of starts of said processing means, and said erroneous start number register contains a plurality of bits for counting said number of continuous erroneous starts and a single bit for showing that an erroneous start occurs at the preceding time; and said data processing means counts up said start number register by one each time it is started by receiving a trigger signal through said antenna, and when the identification code sent from said external device is irregular, and when no identification code is received within a predetermined time, is an erroneous start occurs at the preceding time, said data processing means then counts up said erroneous start counting bits of said erroneous start number register by one, while when said identification code is regular, said data processing mean clears said erroneous start counting bits of said erroneous start number register.

Claim 11

An IC card according to Claim 1, wherein said data processing means further generates a second control signal for returning the threshold value of said receivable signal level of said input/output controlling means to a normal value each time said data processing means is started by said trigger signal.

Claim 12

An IC card system in which data and signals are transmitted and received, by using an electric wave, between an external device and an IC card comprising data processing means started to operate from a stand-by state by a trigger signal output from said external device, said IC card system comprising: an external device having mean for generating an identification code after generating a trigger signal for starting an IC card, periodically generating a dump command and displaying or indicating by sound the fact that the total number of starts of said IC card reaches a set value according to said code sent from IC card; and an IC card comprising non-volatile storage means for storing a program, volatile storage means for storing data, start number counting/storing means for counting and storing the total number of starts of said data processing means and the number of erroneous starts thereof, data processing means for controlling a signal and processing data in said card according to said program, and for generating a control signal when one of the count values of said start number counting/storing means reaches respective set values, and when said total number of starts reaches a set value, reading all data stored in said volatile storage means according to said dump command generated from said external device and then generating a code showing the fact that the number of stars reaches a set value to said external device, a bus for connecting said processing means, said non-volatile storage means, said volatile storage means and said start number counting/storing means to each other, an antenna for converting an electrical analog transmit signal to be output from said card into an electric wave and sending said electric wave to the outside of said card, and converting an electric wave received from the outside of said card into an electrical analog receive signal, input/output controlling means connected between said antenna and said bus so as to increase the lower threshold value of a receivable signal level according to said control signal supplied from said data processing means on the basis of the fact that one of the count values of said start number counting/storing means reaches a set value, and a battery serving as a power source for each of said means.