Patent ID: 6199763
Filing Date: 2001-03-13
Classification: G06K

Abstract:
A data carrier operable in a contact-bound mode and in a contactless mode and which includes the means specified hereinafter, namelytransmission contacts which are mechanically accessible from outside the data carrier and of which a first a transmission contact serves to receive a clock signal in the contact-bound mode of the data carrier, and at least one transmission coil which is inductively accessible from outside the data carrier and which serves to receive a useful HF signal in the contactless mode of the data carrier, anda circuit which includes an a.c. detector connected to detect the presence of a received useful HF signal, by which the a.c. detector enables the supply of contactless activation information upon the detection of the presence of such a useful HF signal in a detection process, which activation information enables the contactless mode to be activated,the circuit including clock signal detector connected to a first contact terminal of the circuit, which contact terminal is connected to the first transmission contact, which clock signal detector is connected to detect the presence of a received clock signal and, upon the detection of the presence of such a clock signal in a detection process, enables the supply of contact-bound activation information to indicate activation of the contact-bound,and the circuit including logic means arranged to receive the contactless activation information and the contact-bound activation information and constructed so as to supply contactless mode-setting information associated with said contactless activation information when solely the contactless activation information occurs and to supply contact-bound mode-setting information associated with said contact-bound activation information when solely the contact bound activation information occurs and to give one of the two types of activation information priority over the other one of these two types of activation information when these two types of activation information occur simultaneously and accordingly, to supply the mode-setting information associated with the activation information having priority, the contact-bound mode-setting information enabling the contact-bound mode and the contactless mode-setting information enabling the contactless mode of the data carrier to be set.