Oberthur Card Systems Sa

Daniel Perrot

Fran&ccedil;ois Devaux

This IC card reader ( ) is intended to release the software workload of a smart IC card ( ) which itself supervises the running of its transaction. It is managed by a circuit ( ) with microcontroller ( ) and memory ( ) and includes display means ( ). It contains in memory ( ) a library of programs which define visual, audio or other objects that are displayed on the display means and are executed by its circuit ( ) with microcontroller ( ) and memory ( ) in response to a call from the connected IC card ( ). By virtue of this library of programs, the IC card reader ( ) provides a connected IC card ( ) with a particularly sophisticated man-machine interface accessible using simplified commands. The object program calls are advantageously accompanied by parameters allowing the way in which the objects are defined and animated to be adjusted at leisure.

IC card reader with improved man-machined interface

A storage process that includes adding, to the elementary files of fixed length provided for by, e.g., ISO Standard 7816-4, elementary files of variable length whose capacity is always adapted to the size of the records they store, and managing this new type of file with micro-instructions complying with the formalism of ISO Standard 7816-4 and belonging to the proprietary class of instructions. By virtue of this new type of variable-length elementary file, it is possible to envisage new smartcards complying with ISO Standard 7816-4 and implementing data compression techniques at the data storage level, this capability being particularly beneficial considering the limited data storage capacities of a smartcard.

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Maurepas, France

Daniel Perrot