Abstract:
A connector device for connecting a smart card to a computer comprises a receptacle having an upwardly facing opening for receiving the card. The receptacle contains spring contacts which establish electrical contact with the card contacts, and which serve to connect the card contacts to the computer, and is provided with a projection adjacent the opening to facilitate one-handed withdrawal of the card from the receptacle.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to connector devices, and is more particularly concerned with connector devices for connecting electronic memory cards, known as smart cards, to general purpose computers such as personal computers (PCs). 
     1. Background of the Invention 
     Smart cards, that is plastic cards incorporating an electronic memory (or a microprocessor associated with such a memory), are becoming increasingly widely used in an increasing variety of applications. For example, they are used as credit cards, as security access devices, and for the storage of medical records. Usually, each type is used in association with a dedicated card reader. However, it is also becoming increasingly desirable that such cards should be readable and/or programmable via a conventional general purpose computer such as a PC. It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a simple and inexpensive connector device suitable for establishing connection between a smart card and such a computer. 
     2. Summary of the Invention 
     According to the present invention, there is provided a connector device for connecting a smart card having electrical contacts to a computer, the connector device comprising a base, a body projecting upwardly from the base and defining a receptacle for receiving a portion of the smart card having the electrical contacts whereby another portion of the smart card remains outside the receptacle, the receptacle having an upwardly facing opening for receiving the portion of the smart card having the electrical contacts, the receptacle containing resilient electrical contacts for making resilient electrical contact with at least some of the electrical contacts of the smart card when said portion of the smart card is in the receptacle, and a plurality of conductors each having one end electrically connected to a respective one of the receptacle contacts and the other end connected to a connector adapted to co-operate with a port of the computer, wherein the body is provided with a projecting member which projects upwardly from one side of the opening, the projection member having a main face that is substantially face-to-face with a main face of the smart card when the smart card is inserted in the connector device, the projection member being shaped to facilitate one-handed withdrawal of the smart card from the receptacle. 
     It will be appreciated that the resilient receptacle contacts tend to grip the card by virtue of their resilience, so that it would normally be necessary to hold the connector device with one hand while withdrawing the card with the other. However, by virtue of the present invention, the card can be withdrawn with one hand, by gripping the card between thumb and forefinger of one hand, and then withdrawing it while pressing down on the top of the projecting member with the middle finger of the same hand. 
     In this specification, the term “computer” is intended to include not only a stand-alone computer of the PC or Mac type, but also a laptop or similar version of such a computer and a computer of the type comprising at least one computer workstation connected to a central processor. 
     Preferably the projecting member is provided at its top with a substantially flat region to which downward pressure can be applied as the card is withdrawn. 
     The connector is preferably a standard serial connector, in particular a universal serial bus (USB) connector, adapted to fit the corresponding serial port of the computer. 
     In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the receptacle contacts are formed by respective convexly curved resilient conductors which are mounted on an insulating support so as to project into the path of the card as it is inserted into the receptacle. The insulating support may be, or may co-operate with, a printed circuit board having a plurality of conductive tracks thereon, each track serving to electrically connect a respective one of said resilient conductors to a respective one of said plurality of firstmentioned conductors. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which: 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a connector device in accordance with the present invention for connecting a smart card to the USB port of a computer; and 
     FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the connector device of FIG.  1 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The connector device of FIG. 1 is indicated at  10 , and comprises a flat base  12  and a hollow body  14  projecting upwardly from the base. The body  14  is substantially rectangular in cross-section, and has an upwardly facing opening or slot  18  in its upper surface  20  for receiving the portion or end of a smart card  22  having the electrical contact of the card in its surface: thus the body  14  forms a receptacle into which the smart card  22  can be inserted. 
     The base  12  and body  14  are moulded in a suitable plastics material, in two parts  24   a  and  24   b , which mate in a plane containing the opening or slot  18 , as best seen in FIG.  2 : typically, the two parts  24   a  and  24   b  simply snap together. 
     The body  14  contains a plurality of resilient or springy electrical contacts  26  mounted in an insulating support  27  which fits and is held between the two parts  24   a  and  24   b  of the body. Each contact has a convexly curved portion  28  which is disposed in the path followed by the smart card  22  as it is inserted into the opening or slot  18 , this path being effectively defined by a flat guide surface  30  extending downwardly within the body  14  from the opening or slot  18 . Thus as the portion of the smart card  22  containing the contacts of the card is pushed into the receptacle defined by the body  14 , the resilient receptacle contacts  26  are pushed to one side, but are urged into contact with the card by their resilience. The receptacle contacts  26  are positioned such that when the card is fully pushed into the receptacle defined by the body  14 , as shown in FIG. 1, some of the contacts  26  are urged into contact with the card contacts. It should be noted that there are more receptacle contacts  26  than card contacts, to cater for cards having card contacts in various different positions. 
     The ends  31  of the receptacle contacts  26  remote from the curved portions  28  project perpendicularly from the plane of the support  27 , and are received in respective holes in a printed circuit board  32  having a respective conductive track for each receptacle contact  26 . Those of the tracks associated with receptacle contacts  26  in use in particular smart card application are connected to respective wires of a flying lead  34  (see FIG.  1 ), whose other end is connected to a USB serial connector (not shown), which plugs into the USB serial port of a computer such as a PC. 
     To facilitate one-handed use of the connector device  10 , the body part  24   a  containing the flat guide surface  30  is provided in accordance with the present invention with an integral, upwardly projecting, substantially rectangular and planar member  36 , which extends along substantially the whole width of one side of the opening or slot  18 . The member  36  is inclined slightly away from the plane in which the smart card  22  lies when it is inserted into the opening or slot  18 , and is supported by four spaced apart buttress-like members  38  which extend between the rear surface of the member  36  (ie the surface remote from the opening or slot  18 ) and the body part  24   a  and which are formed integrally with the member  36  and the body part  24   a . Additionally, the member  36  is provided in the middle of its upper edge with an integrally formed, rearwardly projecting, slightly concave, surface  40  sized to receive the end of a finger. 
     In use, the smart card  22  is inserted into the receptacle defined by the body  14  of the connector device  10 , whereupon its contacts are connected via the relevant receptacle contacts  26 , the tracks on the PCB  32 , the flying lead  34  to the USB serial connector. The USB serial connector is then plugged into the USB serial port of the computer, whereupon the smart card  22  can be read and/or written to via the computer. 
     As already indicated, the resilience of the receptacle contacts  26  urges them into contact with the contacts of the smart card  22 , so that the receptacle contacts tend to grip the card. Absent the present invention, therefore, in order to withdraw the smart card  22  from the connector device  10 , it would be necessary to hold the connector device with one hand while withdrawing the card with the other. However, with the present invention, in order to withdraw the smart card  22  from the connector device  10 , it is merely necessary to grip the top of the card between the forefinger and thumb of one hand, and to press down on the surface  40  with the middle finger of the same hand while withdrawing the card. 
     Several modifications can be made to the described embodiment of the invention. For example, the insulating support  27  and the printed circuit board  32  can be replaced by a single component performing the functions of both.