GB2374183A

GB2374183A - Mobile telephone with a means for blocking a smart card in its housing

Info

Publication number: GB2374183A
Application number: GB0108458A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Fernando Romao
Original assignee: Sagem SA
Current assignee: Sagem SA
Priority date: 2000-03-14
Filing date: 2001-04-04
Publication date: 2002-10-09
Anticipated expiration: 2021-04-04
Also published as: DE10112004A1; GB0108458D0; FR2806579B1; GB2374183B; DE10112004C2; FR2806579A1

Abstract

To prevent access to a smart card (6) of a mobile telephone (1) before disconnecting a power supply device (7), a connector (9) for connecting this power supply device is provided with a blocking means (10) such as a shoulder that acts as a stop in order to block access to the smart card after the connection of the power supply device to the mobile telephone.

Description

MOBILE TELEPHONE WITH A MEANS FOR BLOCKING A SMART CARD IN ITS HOUSING An object of the present invention is a mobile telephone with a means for blocking a smart card in its housing. It can be applied to mobile telephony. The aim of the invention is to provide for the removal of the smart card from a housing that is designed for it in a manner that is safe as regards the power supply voltage. Indeed, a smart card that is removed from its housing while it is still under power is at great risk of being destroyed.

Therefore, the power supply to the smart card must first be cut off before it is removed from its housing.

There are several embodiments being implemented at present in order to resolve this problem. In a first embodiment, the housing is positioned in the mobile telephone in such a way that, to reach this housing, it is first of all necessary to remove the main accumulator or battery pack from the mobile telephone. Thus, when the battery pack is withdrawn, the smart card, like the mobile telephone too, is no longer powered.

However, there are known mobile telephones with a housing that takes one or more power cells in addition to the battery pack. These cells are generally positioned between the battery pack and the casing of the mobile telephone. Thus, even if the battery pack is removed, there still remains the power cell which continues to power the mobile telephone and therefore the smart card which is henceforth accessible even when a secondary power supply is still present or at least still active. There is therefore a risk of destruction of the smart card in this first embodiment of the connector.

There is a known second embodiment in which means for detecting the insertion of a smart card in the connector are placed in the mobile telephone. In this second embodiment, the powering of the smart card is permitted only when the smart card is detected as having been inserted.

A problem can immediately be seen in this embodiment. Indeed, to obtain an operation according to this embodiment, hardware or software elements have to be installed in order to obtain such an operation. This leads to an increase in the cost of a unit for connecting the mobile telephone to the smart card. Furthermore, these hardware elements take up considerable space in a mobile telephone.

Finally, there is a known third embodiment used in the case of connectors comprising a system in order to set up the smart card in the connector by insertion. In this third embodiment, the smart card slides on the various contact terminals of the connector and reaches the power supply contact terminal last. This power contact terminal is offset with respect to the other terminals. In other words, the power terminal is further away than all the other terminals from the input slot in the connector used to insert the smart card.

This third embodiment also has drawbacks especially in that it is placed in the connector after a sliding motion between the connector and the smart card. This causes deterioration especially in the contact surfaces on the smart card.

Thus, each of these three embodiments has at least one problem that limits the reliability of the resulting connectors. It is an object of the present invention to overcome these problems by proposing a connector that resolves the general problem of the protection of the smart card during an untimely activation of the power supply and also resolves the problems of the different known embodiments of the prior art.

The invention therefore relates to a mobile telephone comprising a device for the connection of a smart card powered on the one hand by a main power supply device, on the other hand by a secondary power supply device, this one comprising an electrical connection means, characterized in that the electrical connection means of the secondary device are provided with means for blocking access to the smart card so long as the secondary power supply device is not disconnected.

The invention will be understood more clearly from the following description and the appended figures which are given purely by way of an indication and in no way restrict the scope of the invention. Of these figures: - Figure 1 shows an exemplary embodiment of the invention where the insertion of the smart card is done by sliding.

- Figure 2 shows an exemplary embodiment of the invention where the insertion of the smart card is done by deposition.

Figure 1 shows a mobile telephone 1 according to the invention. This telephone 1 comprises a cavity 2 that can receive a detachable main power supply device 3 or battery pack 3. Generally, a bottom 4 of this cavity 2 has a

connector 5 for a smart card 6. In mobile telephony, this card 6 is most usually called a SIM card (or Subscriber Identity Module card) and contains various items of information on the configuration of the telephone 1. Thus, the card 6 is placed in a housing designed for this purpose in the connector 5.

The connector 5 has a series of contacts 5 1 to 5 6, one of which, for example the contact 5 1, powers the card 6. The other contacts 5 2 to 5 5 are used to set up communication between the telephone 1 and the card 6. It is considered, in this example, that the contact 5 6 corresponds to a ground contact. Thus, when the card 6 is removed from the connector 5, it must be seen to it that there is no power at the contact 5 1.

In the case of a telephone whose only power supply is the battery pack 3, there is no problem since the battery pack 3 must first of all be removed before the card 6 is accessed.

However, in the case of a telephone such as the telephone 1 comprising a main power supply and possibly including a secondary supply 7, it must then be seen to it that this power supply 7 is disconnected before removing the card 6. In general, this power supply 7 is used as a reserve power supply. In this case, the bottom 4 is provided with a connector 8 that gives the connection, to the telephone 1, of the power supply 7 which is provided, for this purpose, with a means 9 of electrical connection to the telephone 1. In a preferred example, this means 9 is a connector 9 complementary to the connector 8.

In the invention, the connector 9 is provided with a means 10 for blocking the card 6 in the connector 5. Thus, when the connector 9 is connected to the connector 8 of the telephone 1 then the means 10 prevents the possibility of removing the card 6 from the connector 5.

In a first case, the connector 5 is made in such a way that the card 6 is inserted by sliding. Then, the means 10, taking the form of a shoulder 10, acts as a stop. Indeed, the card 6 is above all inserted into an access slot 11 of the connector 5. Then, the connector 9 is connected to the connector 8, the shoulder 10 being placed at the entrance to the slot 11. Thus, a power supply is set up for the card 6 immediately after the card 6 has been placed in the connector 5. The connector 8 is positioned preferably along one side of the connector 5. This side is perpendicular to the side receiving the slot

11. Thus, a connection of the connector 9 with the connection 8 is obtained following the translation motion of the connector 9 in the same direction as the direction of insertion of the card 6 in the slot 11. Consequently, to remove the card 6 from the connector 5, it is necessary to remove, first of all, the connector 9 from the shoulder 10 to allow the removal of the card 6 through the slot 11. Consequently, the power supply to the card 6 is eliminated, i. e. disconnected, before the connector 5 is extracted.

Figure 2 shows a second embodiment of the connector 5. In this second example, the connector 5 has a fold-down flap 12. Thus, the card 6 is not slid through a slot 11 but laid on the connector 5, the flap 12 being then folded down in order to hold the card 6 and therefore maintain electrical contact with the connector 5. Thus, in this second embodiment, access to the card 6 is blocked by the blocking of the opening of the flap12. For this purpose, when the connector 9 is connected with the connector 8, the shoulder 10 gets placed on the flap 12, or at least above the flap 12. In fact, it is enough that the shoulder 12 should prevent the opening of the flap 12 so that the card 6 cannot be accessed.

More generally, the means 10 is therefore mechanically fixed to the connector 9 of the secondary power supply 7 and prevents the extraction of the card 6 from the connector 5 so long as the power supply 7 is active.

Claims

1-Mobile telephone comprising a device for the connection of a smart card powered on the one hand by a main power supply device, on the other hand by a secondary power supply device, this one comprising an electrical connection means wherein the electrical connection means of the secondary device are provided with means for blocking access to the smart card so long as the secondary power supply device is not disconnected.

2-Mobile telephone according to claim 1, wherein the electrical connection means are provided with a shoulder serving as blocking means.

3-Mobile telephone substantially as hereinbefore described, with reference to and as illustrated in Fig. 1.

4-Mobile telephone substantially as hereinbefore described, with reference to and as illustrated in Fig.

2.