US6593167B2
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
IC card indicating state of usage and system therefor
Assignee: NTT Inc
•
Filing: 2002-08-06
•
Granted: 2003-07-15
•
Expires: 2022-08-06
Abstract
Abstract An IC card whose state of usage can be judged by a user from an appearance of the card, and a relevant IC card system and method are provided. In an IC card fed electricity from an IC card reader-writer via feeding means using one of electromagnetic coupling and electrostatic coupling, and the IC card having an IC chip which communicates with the IC card reader-writer, the possible/impossible state of usage of the card by a user is determined using electric means for disconnecting or non-disconnecting the feeding means or providing another circuit and disconnecting this circuit, and appearance of the IC card is also changed at the time of the change caused by such electric means and thereby the state of usage of the card is indicated to the user.
Inventors
- 👤 Hisanobu Dobashi
- 👤 Shinji Nishimura
- 👤 Toshinori Sonehara
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-03 21:38
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06K; G06K19/00; G06K19/06; G06K19/067; G06K19/07; G06K19/077; G06K19/0772; G06K19/07726; G06K19/07749; G06K19/07773; G06K19/07777; G06K19/07779; G06K19/07783; G06K19/07784; H; H05; H05K; H05K1/00; H05K1/02; H05K1/0286
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 15
Claim 1
Independent Claim
88 words
A method of indicating a state of usage of an IC card which is fed electricity from an IC card reader-writer via feeding means using one of electromagnetic coupling and electrostatic coupling, and the IC card having an IC chip which communicates with the IC card reader-writer, the method comprising the steps of: short-circuiting the feeding means so as to make the IC card unusable; and making the card usable by freeing the short-circuited state, and also making appearance of the card different according to the short-circuiting operation.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
88 words
A method of indicating a state of usage of an IC card which is fed electricity from an IC card reader-writer via feeding means using one of electromagnetic coupling and electrostatic coupling, and the IC card having an IC chip which communicates with the IC card reader-writer, the method comprising the steps of: short-circuiting the feeding means so as to make the IC card unusable; and making the card usable by freeing the short-circuited state, and also making appearance of the card different according to the short-circuiting operation.
Claim 3
Independent Claim
102 words
A method of indicating a state of usage of an IC card which is fed electricity from an IC card reader-writer via feeding means using one of electromagnetic coupling and electrostatic coupling, and the IC card having an IC chip which communicates with the IC card reader-writer, wherein: the IC chip comprises two lead wire connecting terminals, and the method comprising the steps of: short-circuiting the two lead wire connecting terminals so as to make the IC card unusable; and making the card usable by freeing the short-circuited state, and also making appearance of the card different according to the short-circuiting operation.
Claim 4
Independent Claim
102 words
A method of indicating a state of usage of an IC card which is fed electricity from an IC card reader-writer via feeding means using one of electromagnetic coupling and electrostatic coupling, and the IC card having an IC chip which communicates with the IC card reader-writer, wherein: the IC chip comprises two lead wire connecting terminals, and the method comprising the steps of: short-circuiting the two lead wire connecting terminals so as to make the IC card unusable; and making the card usable by freeing the short-circuited state, and also making appearance of the card different according to the short-circuiting operation.
Claim 5
Independent Claim
107 words
A method of indicating a state of usage of an IC card which is fed electricity from an IC card reader-writer via feeding means using one of electromagnetic coupling and electrostatic coupling, and the IC card having an IC chip which communicates with the IC card reader-writer, the method comprising the steps of: generating a current having a reversed polarity with respect to a current generated by the feeding means in the IC card so as to make the IC card unusable; and making the card usable by disconnecting the current of the reversed polarity, and also making appearance of the card different according to the disconnection.
Claim 6
Independent Claim
107 words
A method of indicating a state of usage of an IC card which is fed electricity from an IC card reader-writer via feeding means using one of electromagnetic coupling and electrostatic coupling, and the IC card having an IC chip which communicates with the IC card reader-writer, the method comprising the steps of: generating a current having a reversed polarity with respect to a current generated by the feeding means in the IC card so as to make the IC card unusable; and making the card usable by disconnecting the current of the reversed polarity, and also making appearance of the card different according to the disconnection.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
25 words
A method as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising the step of indicating information relating to a state of usage of the IC card.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
25 words
A method as claimed in claim 2 , further comprising the step of indicating information relating to a state of usage of the IC card.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
25 words
A method as claimed in claim 3 , further comprising the step of indicating information relating to a state of usage of the IC card.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
29 words
A method as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the information relating to the state of usage is indicated according to a fused or pre-fused state of a fuse.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
29 words
A method as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the information relating to the state of usage is indicated according to a fused or pre-fused state of a fuse.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
29 words
A method as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the information relating to the state of usage is indicated according to a fused or pre-fused state of a fuse.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
32 words
A method as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the information relating to the state of usage is indicated according to a change of color of a thermochromic material which received heat.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
32 words
A method as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the information relating to the state of usage is indicated according to a change of color of a thermochromic material which received heat.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
32 words
A method as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the information relating to the state of usage is indicated according to a change of color of a thermochromic material which received heat.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2006-07-14 | 2007-01-13 | 2007-07-15 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2010-07-14 | 2011-01-13 | 2011-07-15 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2014-07-14 | 2015-01-13 | 2015-07-15 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |