Abstract:
The present invention relates to a portable communication device. The communication device comprises a housing which accommodates a number of components enabling the user to effect two-way communications including data transfer and personal communications. The components include a selectively operable smart card sensor, a display device, a mobile electronic data communications facility to receive and transmit data communications, and a data transaction processing means in data communication with the smart card sensor, the display device and the data communications facility.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a portable communication device. The communication device comprises a housing which accommodates a number of components enabling the user to effect two-way communications including data transfer and personal communications. 
     The wallet or purse is the traditional and familiar means to hold cash and other everyday objects about the person. Other devices such as credit cards and smart cards have broadened the range of personal financial transactions so that a choice can be made to transact purchases and make other financial transactions either with cash held in the wallet or purse or electronically through retail point-of-sale terminals or automated teller machines. An even wider range of transactions has become commonplace through the advent of telephone banking whereby telephone or personal computer instructions to the relevant institution can be communicated for financial transfers and the purchase of services. 
     The variety of means to manage money has thus expanded so that the individual user is faced with a mass of different, often technologically complex devices and interfaces for communication and transaction in different contexts such as within the home, on the move or at work. The user is also faced with an increasing diversity of information from advertisers, banks and retailers which may affect the management of financial affairs. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is the aim of the present invention to provide a portable communication device which provides the user with improved communications facilities. 
     According to the present invention, there is now provided a portable communication device comprising a housing incorporating; 
     at least one selectively operable smart card sensor, 
     a display device, 
     a mobile electronic data communications facility to receive and transmit data communications, and 
     a data transaction processing means in data communication with the smart card sensor, the display device and the data communications facility. 
     The selectively operable smart card sensor may incorporate a switch engageable by the user. The switch is preferably located to be operable through the intermediary of pressure applied to flex a smart card held by the sensor. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which; 
     FIG. 1 shows a portable communication device incorporating the present invention, 
     FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an electronic network including a network site constituted by the device of FIG. 1, and 
     FIG. 3 shows a block circuit diagram of components accommodated within the communication device of FIG.  1 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Referring now to FIG. 1, there is shown a portable, hand-held communication device  10  comprising an outer casing  11 . A liquid crystal display  12  is mounted on a front face of the casing  11 . Above the display  12 , as seen in FIG. 1, are arranged a microphone/loudspeaker  13 , a user recognition device  14  and an antenna  15 . Below the display  12  are arranged vertical cursor control controls  16  and horizontal cursor controls  17  to control a cursor displayed on the display device as will be explained. The device  10  also has a pair of smart card sensors  18 , a paging control  19 , and a transaction processor  20 . Data communication ports  21  allow external data communication to the data processor  20 . The transaction processor  20  and the ports  21  are shown diagrammatically in dotted lines in FIG. 1 because they are disposed within the interior of the casing  11 . 
     Each of the smart card sensors  18  includes a receiving slot  22  to receive a smart card and hold the smart card in an operating position for data communication with sensor contacts within the smart card sensor. An example of a smart card  23  useable with the sensors  18  is shown alongside the device  10 . The smart card is generally T-shaped and carries a semiconductor chip  24  which has contacts for engagement with the smart card sensor contacts in the device  10 . An operating switch  25  is mounted above each sensor  18  to be overlaid by the cross-bar of the T-shaped smart card when in use. The switch  25  is operable in response to pressure applied by a user of the device  10  to flex the smart card into engagement with the switch  25 . The switch is then operated by the pressure applied through the intermediary of the flexed smart card held by the sensor. The number of smart card sensors  18  is a matter of design choice. Although only two such sensors have been shown, there may be any convenient number other than two. 
     The cross-bar of the T-shaped smart card  23  is wider than the entry slot  22  of either smart card sensor  18 . The cross-bar therefore acts as an abutment to register the smart card  23  precisely in relation to the sensor contacts within the smart card sensor  18  upon entry of the smart card into the slot  22 . Whilst a T-shaped smart card is to be preferred, other shapes may be used to provide a suitable abutment to register the smart card in the sensor  18  and to overlay the switch  25 . For example the cross-bar of the smart card may be replaced by a tongue of circular or elliptical shape. 
     Referring to FIG. 3, the transaction processor  20  is shown to incorporate a read-only memory  20   a . The transaction processor is connected through a data bus  30  to the liquid crystal display  12 , the smart card sensors  18 , a random access memory  31 , an electronic mobile communications facility  32  and the microphone  13 . The electronic mobile communications facility incorporates the antenna  15 . 
     In FIG. 2, the device  10  is shown in operation as one site of an electronic communications network. Other sites include a retail store  33  including a communications centre  34  and a home building  35  including a personal computer  36 . The communications network is shown diagrammatically to include a satellite  37  which provides a link to satellite dishes  38  provided on the buildings  33  and  35 . It will be understood by those skilled in the art of electronic communications that the network is capable of transmitting data to be relayed over the public switched networks with additional links to the internet for e-mail communications. 
     In operation, a user can operate the paging control  19  to gain access to the data communications network. The recognition device  14  is a biometric device which responds to the requested access and operates by reference to an image of the iris of the authorized user. The authorized image is stored by the transaction processor. When an attempt is made to use the device  10 , a comparison is made between the stored image and the iris of the user attempting to use the device  10 . If there is a match between the iris of the user and the stored image, the transaction processor  20  is enabled and a message informing the user of this is displayed on the display screen  12 . If there is no match, the transaction processor  20  is shut down. 
     It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the biometric recognition device  14  may take a form other than an iris recognition device. One such alternative form is a biometric recognition device in which recognition is made of the fingerprint of the authorized user. 
     Upon recognition of the user, the transaction processor  20  is programmed by means of programs stored in the ROM  20   a  to display to the user a menu of options on the screen  12 . The options enable mobile electronic banking and communication, electronic commerce, personal communication, data transfer and computing operations as will be explained. 
     In a first option, the user may select a banking operation which involves the use of a smart card  23  inserted in one of the smart card readers  18 . The smart card reader  18  is switched on by pressure on the smart card  23  which flexes into engagement with the switch  25 . The smart card communicates via the data bus  30  with the transaction processor  20  to signal the selection of the chosen smart card  23  and to transfer data from the smart card to the RAM  31  under the control of the transaction processor  20 . The data in the RAM  31  includes encrypted information which is accessed by the transaction processor  20  and subject to decryption by means of a decryption program stored in the ROM  20   a . The decrypted information may include financial information such as the balance of currency stored in the smart card. The financial information is displayed to the user on the screen  12  so that the user may be informed of the balance stored on the smart card. 
     In the event that the user chooses to increase the balance of currency stored on the smart card  23 , the user may opt to select this option from the display on the screen  12 . The option is selected by moving a screen cursor to the location where that option is displayed under the control of the cursor controls  16  and  17 . The selection of the option is communicated via the data bus  30  to the transaction processor  20  which is programmed to send data to activate the mobile communications facility  32 . The communications facility  32  is activated to communicate a message over the network illustrated in FIG.  2 . The message may be addressed to a bank to dispense currency of a value selected from the screen  12  by the user. The bank dispenses the requested currency value by sending a return message to the facility  32  for entry into the RAM  31  under the control of the transaction processor  20 . The value of any dispensed currency is deducted from the balance of an account held by the user. The dispensed currency is communicated from the RAM  31  to the smart card reader  18  via the data bus  30  to be entered into the smart card  23 . 
     From the above explanation, it will be seen that the device  10  can be used as a digital wallet in which the currency value stored in one or more of the smart cards  23  can be increased because the display device  12  is user operable to communicate financial transaction instructions to the transaction processing means  20 , and the data transaction processing means  20  is programmed to respond to the user instructions to effect financial transfers between the smart card reader  18  and the data communications facility  32 . 
     The cash stored electronically in the smart cards  23  can be used to make purchases electronically. In this case, the user may choose an option from the screen  12  to make a purchase using a card  23  entered into a selected card reader  18 . The different card readers  18  may hold smart cards which correspond to individual retailers. For example one smart card reader  18  may hold a smart card  23  individual to a food store and another may hold a smart card  23  individual to an automobile fuel station. The choice of smart card reader is made by the user by pressing a smart card to activate the corresponding switch  25 . The display screen  12  and cursor controls  16  and  17  enable the user to enter the data relevant to the purchase. The purchase is communicated electronically by way of the communications facility  32  over the network to the retailer or service provider from whom the purchase is being made. A return message from the retailer or service provider acknowledging the purchase is entered into the RAM  31  and the transaction processor  20  responds to this return message by sending data via the bus  30  to the smart card reader  18  to deduct the purchase amount from the smart card  23  in the reader  18 . 
     The ROM  20   a  stores an identity code or call sign which is individual to the device  10  and which distinguishes it from other such devices. m the communications network shown in FIG. 2, the retail store  33  has a communications centre  34  which also stores the identity code or call sign for a multiplicity of portable communication devices each as constituted by the device  10  of FIG.  1 . The communications centre  34  has the capability of transmitting call signs for the multiplicity of devices  10 . The call signs are transmitted continually by the retail store  33  to be received over an area in proximity to the store  33 . As a user carrying one of the devices  10  nears the retail store, the device  10  picks up the call signs through the antenna  15 . The call signs from the retail store include an identifier to indicate that the source of the call signs is the retail store. 
     The transaction processor  20  is programmed to recognize an incoming signal as a call sign and is also programmed to compare the incoming call sign with the call sign in the ROM  20   a . When the incoming call sign matches that stored in the ROM  20   a , the transaction processor deciphers the identifier to register that the call signs emanated from the retail store and places an answering message on the bus  30  which is transmitted by the communications facility  32  as an outgoing message to be received by the communications centre  34 . The answering message advises the communications centre that the device  10  is in the vicinity of the retail store  33 . The communications centre  34  responds to the message from the device by sending personalized data to the device  10  preceded by the call sign for the device. The personalized data may include a welcome message, updating information about purchases available at a discount price and credit facilities available to the user. The user is informed through the display  12  that communication has been established with the particular retail store identified by the call sign and that a purchase may be made from the store using the smart card  23  corresponding to that store. 
     The microphone  13  is provided to widen the communication capability of the device  10 . The microphone incorporates an analog to digital conversion circuit so as to enable digital information to pass via the data bus  30  to the transaction processor  20 . The transaction processor  20  has a speech recognition program capable of converting the microphone input into a text output for display on the screen  12  and for communication to the communications facility  32 . The user may select an option from the screen  12  to compose a message to be sent via the communications facility  32 . The message may, for example consist of a paging message or may be an e-mail message. The selection of the message option through the screen  12  is communicated to the transaction processor  20  via the data bus  30 . In response, the transaction processor requests the user via the screen  12  to enter the message through the microphone  13 . The transaction processor  20  receives the digital form of the message via the data bus  30  and is programmed to store the message in the RAM  31 . The transaction processor converts the digital data in the RAM  31  to text data which is supplied by way of the bus  30  to be displayed on the screen  12 . The user is requested to confirm or cancel the displayed message. If the message is confirmed, the transaction processor  20  controls the communication facility  32  to receive the text data from the bus  30  and to transmit the message over the appropriate mobile communications network. 
     In the communications network shown in FIG. 2, the home building  35  includes a personal computer  36  with a home communications centre. The home communications centre is loaded with the call sign of a user device  10  and is adapted to transmit the call sign continually in an area within the vicinity of the home building. The call sign transmitted from the home communications centre includes an identifier to indicate that the source of the call sign is the home communications centre. Once the user has reached the proximity of the home building, the device  10  matches the call sign transmitted from the home building to the call sign stored in the ROM  20   a  in the manner already described above. The response of the transaction processor  20  is to recognize that the call sign is form the home communications centre and to formulate an answer message which interrogates the personal computer  36 . The personal computer is programmed to respond with a transmission of personal information to the device  10 . Such information may include a welcome message, recorded telephone messages and paging information. The personal computer  36  is linked to a public switched network for the purpose of taking and recording messages received while the user is away from the home building  35 . 
     Request messages can also be transmitted from the device  10  to request information from information servers to be displayed on the screen  12  or to be downloaded onto a smart card  19 . The downloaded information may, for example, be of sporting results, financial share information, music or any other material which can conveniently be transmitted and received for storage in a smart card. Intelligent agent programs may be stored by the transaction processor  20  or accessed by a request message transmitted from the device  10  by the user. Such intelligent agent programs may be used to search for material to be transmitted back or may be used to filter material which is transmitted back.