Abstract:
A portable adapter for using a contact smart card with a contactless smart card reader and a contactless smart card with a contact smart card reader. The adaptor is provided with a casing that is configured to engage a contact smart card or a contactless smart card, and is provided with an exterior portion that physically cooperates via a contact pad with a contact smart card reader. The adapter is provided with an interface passing signals between a contactless smart card and a contact smart card reader, and an interface for passing signals between a contact smart card and a contactless smart card reader.

Description:
This invention relates generally to smart cards, and specifically to an adapter for converting a contact smart card to a contactless smart card and vice versa. 
     Smart cards, also referred to as chip cards or integrated circuit cards, are devices with an embedded integrated circuit (such as a microprocessor and/or memory) for use as storage of sensitive data or user authentication. Smart cards may comprise memory for storing financial or personal data, or private data such as private keys used in the S/MIME (Secured Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions) encryption technique. Preferably, some of this data may be secured using a PIN (personal identification number) or a password as an access control measure. In order to access the protected data stored in the card&#39;s memory, a user must be validated by providing the correct PIN or password. 
     Typically, the smart card itself does not include a data entry device for direct entry of a PIN or password for the purpose of user authentication. The smart card is rather used in conjunction with a smart card reader that is in communication with an input device. When the smart card is in communication with the smart card reader, a PIN or password may be provided to the smart card by the user via the input device to the smart card reader. The smart card, upon receipt of the PIN or password, is then configured to take steps to verify the PIN or password and authenticate the user. A verification signal is then provided by the smart card to the smart card reader. 
     Smart cards are typically provided in standardized form factors, such as approximately credit-card sized form factors, for ease of handling by users. The smart card interfaces with the reader either via a physical contact pad on the exterior of the card, in the case of a contact smart card, or via an antenna embedded in the card which receives power from a radiofrequency (RF) field generated by the card reader, in the case of a contactless smart card. Most smart cards that are deployed operate either as a contact smart card or as a contactless smart card, and the readers that are deployed to be used with those cards are thus contact card readers or contactless card readers. 
     However, when an existing contact or contactless smart card reader installation is to be expanded or upgraded, the expansion or upgrade may require the use of smart card readers and/or smart cards that are intended to operate on a contactless or contact basis, respectively. It is not necessarily practical to replace contact or contactless smart card readers with readers capable of reading both contact and contactless smart cards, or to replace all users&#39; smart cards with a contactless or contact smart card to function with the smart card readers installed in a given environment. Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a system for allowing a contact smart card to be adapted for use with a contactless smart card reader, and for allowing a contactless smart card to be adapted for use with a contact smart card reader, without requiring the user to replace the original smart card or replacing or retrofitting an existing smart card reader. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In accordance with a preferred embodiment, a portable adapter is provided for using a contact smart card with a contactless smart card reader and a contactless smart card with a contact smart card reader, comprising a casing having an interior and an exterior, the interior of the casing being configured to removably engage a contact smart card or a contactless smart card, the exterior of the casing being configured to physically cooperate with a contact smart card reader, means adapted for interfacing a contactless smart card with a contact smart card reader, and means adapted for interfacing a contact smart card with a contactless smart card reader. 
     In a further aspect of the invention, the means adapted for interfacing a contactless smart card with a contact smart card reader comprises an external contact module for receiving and transmitting electrical signals from and to a contact smart card reader, the external contact module being disposed on the exterior of the casing such that the external contact module can be placed in physical contact with a contact pad on a contact smart card reader, and a transceiver in communication with the external contact module for converting electrical signals received by the external contact module to electromagnetic signals for reception by a contactless smart card removably engaged in the casing, and for converting received electromagnetic signals from the contactless smart card to electrical signals to be transmitted by the external contact module to the contact smart card reader. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       In drawings which illustrate by way of example only a preferred embodiment of the invention, 
         FIG. 1  is a block diagram of a smart card adaptor. 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a smart card adaptor and smart card. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     In the prior art, a typical smart card system comprises a smart card reader (not shown), which may be a contact reader or a contactless reader, which is operatively connected to an input device (not shown). As is well known in the art, a contact reader is provided with a contact pad and preferably a slot for receiving a smart card, such that when a contact smart card is inserted in the contact reader, a contact module provided on the contact smart card makes physical contact with the contact pad in the contact reader, by which means the reader can transmit power and instructions and receive data from the contact smart card. A contactless reader is provided with a transceiver, which comprises an antenna, a digital signal processor, and a radiofrequency circuit; the contactless reader transceiver generates an electromagnetic field, which is used to power a contactless smart card held within the proximity of the contactless reader, and the transceiver is capable of receiving data from the contactless smart card by detecting changes in the electromagnetic field induced by the contactless smart card. The reader and the input device may be contained in the same physical unit. If the reader and the input device are not integrated, then the input device may communicate with the smart card reader either by a direct wired connection, such as via USB (Universal Serial Bus) or by a wireless communication link in accordance with a standard such as the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) 802.11a/b/g standard for wireless local area networks, Bluetooth®, Zigbee®, and the like, or future standards for wireless, preferably short-range, communication. 
     A preferred embodiment of a smart card adaptor  200  is shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 . As can be seen in  FIG. 2 , the adaptor  200  is capable of receiving a smart card  100 , which may be a prior art contact smart card or contactless smart card. Preferably, the smart card  100  is engaged with the adaptor  200  by means of a frictional contact or a spring-biased contact, so that a user can easily remove the smart card  100  from the adaptor  200  without the application of excessive force. If the smart card  100  is a contact smart card, it is preferably provided with a physical contact portion (not shown) in accordance with ISO/IEC 7816 published by the International Organization for Standardization, which contact portion would normally provide an interface with a prior art contact smart card reader for data communication between the card  100  and the reader, and further provides any necessary power to the card itself. If the smart card  100  is a contactless smart card (not shown), it preferably operates in accordance with ISO/IEC 10536, 14443, or 15693, which define standards for close-coupled, proximity, and vicinity smart cards, respectively. Contactless smart cards are not required to maintain physical contact with a contactless smart card reader in order to function, but rather communicate with the reader with an antenna and a radiofrequency interface, and are powered by an electromagnetic field generated at the reader. A typical form factor for the smart card  100  is the “credit card” type form factor, although the smart card  10  may be comprised in another form factor or device that provides the functionality for communication with a smart card reader, such as a SIM card. 
     The smart card adaptor  200  will be described first in relation to its use as an adaptor for converting a contactless smart card for use with a contact smart card reader. Referring to  FIG. 1 , in a preferred embodiment, the smart card adaptor  200  is provided with an external contact module  210  in communication with an optional processor  280 , which in turn is in communication with a transceiver  230 . The transceiver  230  may be in direct communication with the external contact module  210 . The external contact module  210  is preferably similar to the contact modules known in the art and provided on contact smart cards, and is preferably provided with the same contacts (such as Vcc, reset, clock, ground, and input/output) that are defined by ISO 7816. As can be seen from  FIG. 2 , preferably the external contact module  210  is provided on an external portion  240  of the adaptor  200 , the external portion  240  being sized to physically cooperate with a contact smart card reader, and the external contact module  210  being positioned to physically engage the contact pad of the contact smart card reader when the external contact module  210  is in physical cooperation with the reader. Most preferably, the adaptor  200  is sized to provide a portable means for carrying the smart card  100  without adding appreciable bulk or weight to the smart card  100 . 
     Preferably, the transceiver  230  is configured to receive signals from the external contact module  210  when the adaptor is engaged with a contact smart card reader, and is receiving power and signals from the contact smart card reader via the external contact module  210 . The transceiver  230  preferably comprises an oscillator or radiofrequency circuit, a digital signal processor, and an antenna. It will be appreciated that while the transceiver  230  is defined to include several components including an antenna, it would also be possible for transceiver  230  to use an external antenna such as antenna  250  for communications. 
     When the transceiver receives an initialization signal from the external contact module  210 , the transceiver  230 , powered by the contact card reader via the contact module  210 , initializes a wireless protocol with a contactless smart card  100  inserted in the adaptor  200 . As is known in the art in relation to contactless smart cards and contactless smart card readers, the transceiver  230  creates an electromagnetic field and transmits information to the smart card via the electromagnetic field; the contactless smart card  100  within the adaptor  200  is thus initialized via the electromagnetic field generated by the transceiver  230 . The transceiver  230  receives information from the contactless smart card  100  by detecting changes in the electromagnetic field caused by the contactless smart card  100 , for example in accordance with ISO 10536, 14443, or 15693, and converts the received data to a signal that is transmitted via the output contact of the external contact module  210  to the contact card reader in accordance with ISO 7816. The optional processor  280  may act as an interface between the external contact module  210  and the transceiver  230 , converting the signals received from the external contact module  210  to a signal that can be processed by the transceiver  230  for conversion to an electromagnetic signal, and vice versa. The adaptor  200  thus acts as a “dumb” contactless card reader, which transmits instructions to and receives data from the contactless card  100  within the adaptor  200 , and transmits data to and receives instructions from the contact card reader in physical cooperation with the adaptor  200 . 
     When the smart card adaptor  200  is used as an adaptor for converting a contact smart card to a contactless smart card, a contact smart card  100  as known in the prior art is engaged in the adaptor  200 . The contact pad provided on the contact smart card  100  is placed in physical contact with an internal contact module  270 , shown in  FIG. 1 . The internal contact module  270  is connected to a radio frequency interface  260 , which in turn is connected to an antenna  250 . The antenna  250  is preferably formed of multiple turns of a conductive medium, such as wire or a conductive ink, embedded within the adaptor  200 , similar to the configuration of the antenna in a contactless smart card. 
     When the smart card adaptor  200  is placed in the vicinity of a prior art contactless smart card reader, the electromagnetic field generated by the contactless smart card reader induces a current in the antenna  250  which is used to transmit signals to the internal contact module  270  via the RF interface  260 . Optionally, the RF interface  260  and the optional processor  280  may be provided in the same integrated circuit, reducing the number of separate components in the adaptor  200 . The internal contact module  270  then transmits the received signals to the contact smart card  100  via the contact pad on the contact smart card  100 , again in accordance with techniques known in the art. The contact smart card  100  is thus powered through the internal contact module  270 , which receives a current from the antenna  250  so long as the contact smart card  100  and the adaptor  200  are within the vicinity of a contactless smart card reader. The adaptor  200  thus operates as a “dumb” contact card reader, transmitting instructions to and receiving data from the contact smart card  100 , and transmitting data to and receiving instructions from the contactless card reader. 
     Optionally, it may be necessary to include a signal booster, or voltage pump, to the internal contact module  270  to supply an amplified current to the contact card. As will be appreciated by the person skilled in the art, the necessity of including a signal booster, and the requisite level of amplification, is dependent upon the characteristics of a particular embodiment including: the power requirements of the contact smart card  100 , the signal strength of the contactless smart card reader, the distance between the contactless smart card reader and the antenna  250 , and the speed of data transmission. 
     A signal booster is generally not required for standard readers, as the reader is designed to provide sufficient power to activate the type of card with which the reader has been designed to operate. Since the present invention permits a card to operate with a reader for which it was not intended to operate, the power provided by the reader may not be sufficient for the requirements of the card. In such a situation, a signal booster may be provided that amplifies the signal to a card depending upon the requirements of that card type. 
     Various embodiments of the present invention having been thus described in detail by way of example, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that variations and modifications may be made without departing from the invention. The invention includes all such variations and modifications as fall within the scope of the appended claims. 
     A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material which is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by any one of the patent document or patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyrights whatsoever.