In various embodiments, a smart card is provided. The smart card includes a smart card body having a first depression for accommodating a chip carrier and having a second depression in the first depression for accommodating a chip that is arranged on the chip carrier, and a booster antenna structure having a chip coupling region for inductive coupling to the chip. The chip coupling region includes a plurality of coupling turns. The chip coupling region is embedded in the smart card body. The bottom of the second depression is arranged in the smart card body less deeply than the highest region of the coupling turns which faces the second depression.

When an IC card is passed over an external card reading and writing apparatus, the IC card starts communication with the card reading and writing apparatus via a wireless interface, so that a change in the internal state of the IC card is reported to an external device via an external wired interface or a dedicated control signal line, thus allowing a specific application to be enabled on the external device or allowing a controller to be powered on and activated. Alternatively, the controller is powered off and deactivated. Accordingly, processing according to the communication state between the IC card and the card reading and writing apparatus or the internal state of the IC card can be smoothly initiated.

A chip card manufacturing method. A module includes a substrate supporting contacts on one surface and conductive paths and a chip on another; and an antenna on a holder, the antenna including a contact pad for respectively connecting to each of the ends thereof. A solder drop is placed on each of the contact pads of the antenna. The holder of the antenna is inserted between plastic layers. A cavity is provided, in which the module can be accommodated and the solder drops remain accessible. The height of the solder drops before heating is suitable for projecting into the cavity. A module is placed in each cavity. The areas of the module that are located on the solder drops are heated to melt the solder and to solder the contact pads of the antenna to conductive paths of the module.

A dual interface transaction card includes a metal card body having first and second surfaces. A contact-only transaction module is secured in the card body, the contact-only transaction module including contact pads disposed on the first surface of the card body and including a first transaction circuit. A contactless transaction module is secured in a void in the metal card body. The contactless transaction module includes a second transaction circuit and an antenna. Also disclosed is a process for manufacturing the dual interface transaction card. The process includes the steps of constructing a metal card body having the first and second surfaces, securing the contact-only transaction module in the metal card body, forming the void in the metal card body, and securing the contactless transaction module in the void.

An IC card according to an embodiment includes a contact communication interface, a non-contact communication interface, and a processor. A contact communication means is configured to perform contact communication with a reader/writer. A non-contact communication means is configured to perform non-contact communication with the reader/writer. The processor is configured to set an Answer To Reset (ATR) in the contact communication and an Answer To Select (ATS) in the non-contact communication based on a predetermined command including historical bytes.

A video camera for use in a security system may include a processor including control circuitry and a removable memory card coupled to the control circuitry. The removable memory card may include a wireless transceiver configured to receive wireless data transmissions from at least one wireless sensor device. The removable memory card may further include security system logic configured to allow the video camera itself to function as a security system, including identifying and then transmitting one or more security system messages to a remote location via the wireless transceiver of the removable memory card.

In one embodiment, chip-cards are fed from conveyor canisters individually into an array of N heterogeneous encoding assemblies of a heterogeneous chip-card production apparatus. Each chip-card is associated with a user account based on a database. Smart chips and magnetic stripes of the chip-cards are encoded asynchronously, electrically and magnetically by the N assemblies with N independent timing protocols for the N assemblies. Encoded chip-cards are deposited asynchronously in parallel by the N assemblies onto a conveyor belt and transported asynchronously and serially to a chip-card printer. The chip-card printer synchronizes each encoded chip-card with associated user account and prints on a surface of the encoded chip-card based on the associated user account. Parallel verification, serial verification-registration, and/or vision-based verification may be performed to verify and ensure consistency among printed text, patterns, custom labeling, magnetic encoded data, electrical encoded data, and associated user accounts. Faulty cards may be identified/rejected.

A payment card (e.g., credit and/or debit card) or other device (e.g., mobile telephone) is provided with a magnetic emulator operable to communicate data to a magnetic stripe read-head. Gift cards may be inputted by a user into such a payment card or other device such that a user can combine gift cards. Similarly, a user be provided with a global payment account that can be utilized in multiple countries that have different standards for formatting data. A user may be provided with a default country (e.g., United States) but may have a way to select that the user is in a different country (e.g., Japan). Accordingly, a user may select that a Japanese data structure be transmitted through a magnetic stripe reader when the user is in Japan.

A smart card includes a card body, a transmission unit, a fingerprint sensor, a processing unit and a cover layer. The card body is formed with a cavity. The transmission unit is disposed on the card body, and outputs electricity. The fingerprint sensor is connected to the transmission unit, is accommodated in the cavity, and generates a detection signal after receiving the electricity. The processing unit is disposed in the card body, is connected to the transmission unit and the fingerprint sensor, and performs signal processing on the detection signal after receiving the electricity. The cover layer is disposed in the cavity and covers the fingerprint sensor.

An electronic module for a smart card has on a first face a terminal block of electrical contacts for contact with corresponding contacts of a card reader, and on a second face an antenna and a microelectronic chip within an encapsulation zone and provided with contact and contactless communication interfaces. The antenna has a plurality of turns at the periphery of the module and a proximal connection pad and a distal connection pad inside the encapsulation zone for connection to corresponding terminals of the contactless communication interface. The distal connection pad is located a short distance d from the edge of the encapsulation zone, and the internal edges of connection wells of the two contacts closest to the distal connection pad are spaced outward from the module relative to the internal edges of the connection wells of the other contacts.