DEVICE FOR STORING AT LEAST ONE OBJECT

Abstract

A device for storing at least one object which is designed for wireless communication, in particular for storing one or more debit cards, includes a hollow chamber in which the object can be positioned and which is at least partially shielded from electromagnetic waves of a surrounding environment by a shielding layer. In order to place an object arranged in the device in a non-readable state from a readable state in a particularly simple manner, it is provided that an external antenna for wirelessly communicating with equipment arranged in an environment surrounding the device and an internal antenna for wirelessly communicating with an object arranged in the hollow chamber are provided, wherein the internal antenna can be electrically connected to the external antenna in a reversible manner via an electric switch in order to enable a wireless communication between the equipment and the object.

Claims

1. A device for storing at least one object which is designed for wireless communication, in particular for storing one or more debit cards, comprising a hollow chamber in which the object can be positioned and which is at least partially shielded from electromagnetic waves of a surrounding environment by a shielding layer, wherein an external antenna for wirelessly communicating with equipment arranged in an environment surrounding the device for wirelessly communicating with an object arranged in the hollow chamber are provided, wherein the internal antenna can be electrically connected to the external antenna in a reversible manner via an electric switch in order to enable a wireless communication between the equipment and the object, wherein at least two hollow chambers in which objects can be positioned are provided, with a shielding layer being arranged between the hollow chambers and one internal antenna being allocated to each of the at least two hollow chambers, wherein each internal antenna can be reversibly connected to the external antenna via an electric switch in order to enable a wireless communication between an object arranged in one of the hollow chambers and the equipment.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the hollow chamber is bounded by two separating elements, which respectively comprise a shielding layer for the at least partial shielding of electromagnetic waves and are preferably embodied to be flat.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein the shielding layer comprises a material with a permeability value of at least 4, preferably at least 50, in particular at least 100.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein the shielding layer comprises ferrite, in particular a continuous ferrite layer.

5. The device according to claim 1, wherein the shielding layer comprises a metal layer.

6. The device according to claim 1, wherein the external antenna and the internal antenna are suitable for receiving and sending electromagnetic waves at a frequency of more than 100 kHz, in particular a frequency in a range between 1 MHz and 10 MHz, preferably a frequency of approximately 13.56 MHz.

7. (canceled)

8. The device according to claim 1, wherein the device comprises multiple separating elements connected to one another, wherein each separating element comprises a shielding layer which is suitable for at least partially shielding electromagnetic waves, and one or more hollow chambers are formed between the separating elements.

9. The device according to claim 8, wherein the separating elements are detachably connected to one another.

10. The device according to claim 8, wherein the separating elements are magnetically connected to one another.

11. The device according to claim 8, wherein each separating element comprises a first ferrite layer, over which a metal layer is arranged, with a second ferrite layer being arranged over the metal layer.

12. The device according to claim 1, wherein the device is suitable for accommodating multiple, preferably at least three, debit cards in hollow chambers electromagnetically shielded from one another, wherein an electromagnetic connection between a surrounding environment and one or more of the hollow chambers can be produced via a selector switch.

13. The device according to claim 1, wherein the device has a first element, which comprises the external antenna and a shielding layer that at least partially shields electromagnetic waves, and at least one second element, which comprises a shielding layer that at least partially shields electromagnetic waves and comprises the internal antenna.

14. The device according to claim 13, wherein the switch for producing an electrical connection between the external antenna and the internal antenna is provided on the first element.

15. The device according to claim 13, wherein the at least one second element is detachably connected to the first element, wherein electrical contacts are arranged in corresponding positions on the first element and on the second element, in order to electrically connect the internal antenna to the external antenna via the contacts when a mechanical connection between the first element and the second element is produced and the switch is closed.

16. The device according to claim 15, wherein the second element comprises electrical contacts on a front side and on a back side, wherein at least one contact arranged on the front side is connected to at least one contact arranged on the back side, so that an internal antenna of an additional second element, which is indirectly connected to the first element via a second element connected directly to the first element, can be indirectly electrically connected to the external antenna of the first element.

17. The device according to claim 16, wherein the at least one contact on the front side is connected to a contact that is not arranged in a corresponding position on the back side, in particular to a contact that is in an obliquely opposite position.

Description

[0031] Additional features, advantages, and effects of the invention follow from the exemplary embodiment described below. In the drawings which are thereby referenced:

[0032] FIGS. 1 and 2 show a first element of a device according to the invention;

[0033] FIGS. 3 through 5 show a second element of a device according to the invention in different views;

[0034] FIG. 6 shows a detailed view of a device according to the invention in a sectional illustration;

[0035] FIG. 7 shows a further first element of a device according to the invention;

[0036] FIG. 8 shows a further second element of a device according to the invention;

[0037] FIG. 9 shows a detailed view of a device according to the invention.

[0038] FIG. 1 shows a front side 6 of a first element 2 of a device 1 according to the invention in a schematic illustration, which element comprises an external antenna 9 and a switch embodied as a selector switch 8. The first element 2 comprises a base piece 20, which for example is produced in a 3D printing method and is composed of a plastic, on which base piece 20 a shielding layer 4 is arranged in order to shield an object arranged behind the first element 2 against electromagnetic waves located in front of the first element 2. The shielding layer 4 typically extends over an entire cross section or an entire front side 6 of the first element 2, though it can also be provided that the shielding layer 4 only extends over a portion of the cross section or a portion of the front side 6, in order to block electromagnetic waves from an antenna of a debit card arranged in the device 1. Antennas of debit cards are often arranged along an edge of the debit card.

[0039] By means of the selector switch 8, the external antenna 9 can be connected to one of multiple contacts on the first element 2, via which contacts internal antennas 10 of second elements 3 can be connected to the first element 2 by means of second connecting lines 13. A first connecting line 12 can permanently connect the external antenna 9 to the individual internal antennas 10, wherein an electrical connection can be produced via a first connecting contact 14. Thus, by means of the selector switch 8, one of multiple debit cards arranged in the device 1 can be electromagnetically connected to a surrounding environment via the external antenna 9 and a respective internal antenna 10, so that the respective debit card is readable with a reader device, such as an automated bank teller for example, arranged externally from the device 1, whereas the other debit cards am not readable. For this purpose, the contacts embodied as first connecting contact 14, second connecting contact 15, and daisy chain contacts 16 are arranged in corresponding positions on the first element 2 and on the second element 3.

[0040] To detachably connect the first element 2 to one or more second elements 3, three magnets 11 are provided in this case, which magnets allow a simple connection. Of course, additional connection fittings, which act in a force-fitting and/or form-fitting manner for example, can also be alternatively or additionally provided.

[0041] FIG. 2 shows a further first element 2 of a device 1 according to the invention. In contrast to the first element 2 illustrated in FIG. 1, the selector switch 8 is in this case not embodied as a rotary switch, but rather as a sliding switch. Here, the external antenna 9 arranged in or on the first element 2 can, via the selector switch 8, also either be disconnected from all internal antennas 10 or be connected, via one of the contacts, to an internal antenna 10 of a second element 3 connected to the first element 2, in order to relay electromagnetic signals of the surrounding environment into a respective hollow chamber or into an object, such as a debit card, arranged in the hollow chamber.

[0042] FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 schematically show a second element 3 that can be connected to one of the first 1I elements 2 illustrated in FIG. 1 or FIG. 2, wherein FIG. 3 shows the second element 3 in a front view and FIG. 4 shows the second element 3 in a top view. As can be seen, the second element 3 also comprises magnets 11 arranged correspondingly to the magnets 11 of the first element 2, in order to connect the first element 2 to the second element 3 by means of the magnets 11.

[0043] Additionally, the contacts via which the internal antenna 10 of the second element 3 is connected to the external antenna 9 of the first element 2 are also visible on the second element 3. The internal antenna 10 is, as shown, connected to the external antenna 9 via a first connecting line 12 and a second connecting line 13, so that a current induced in the external antenna 9 can flow through the internal antenna 10. In order to disconnect the internal antenna 10 from the external antenna 9, it is thus sufficient to disconnect one of the connecting lines 12, 13 from the external antenna 9. A reversible electrical disconnection of this type of the internal antenna 10 from the external antenna 9 occurs in the exemplary embodiment using the selector switch 8 arranged on the first element 2, with which switch the second connecting line 13 can be disconnected from the external antenna 9. The first connecting line 12 of one or each internal antenna 10 can thus also be permanently connected to the external antenna 9. For this purpose, a first connecting contact 14 can be provided which connects the first connecting line 12 of multiple second elements 3, which are arranged behind one another and are connected, to the external antenna 9.

[0044] As can be seen in FIG. 4, the second element 3 has a recess 5 in the top view. When the second element 3 is connected to another second element 3 or a first element 2 via the front side 6, this recess 5 forms a hollow chamber in which an object such as a debit card can be arranged. The second element 3 also comprises a shielding layer 4, so that the hollow chamber is essentially shielded from electromagnetic waves. Typically, the hollow chamber is shielded from electromagnetic waves at least to such an extent that a reading of a debit card arranged in the hollow chamber using a common reader device, such as an automated teller machine or the like, is not possible.

[0045] Of course, it can also be alternatively provided that both the first connecting line 12 and also the second connecting line 13 can be disconnected by means of the selector switch 8.

[0046] FIG. 5 shows the back side 7 of the second element 3 illustrated in FIG. 3. As can be seen, contacts are in this case also provided in order to connect a second connecting line 13 of an additional second element 3 indirectly connected to the first element 2 via the second element 3 to the external antenna 9.

[0047] FIG. 6 schematically shows how the contacts of the second element 3 are connected between a front side 6 and a back side 7 when the first element 2 and the second element 3 are assembled to form a device 1 according to the invention. For a better illustration, the first element 2 and the second elements 3 are illustrated here such that they are slightly spaced apart from one another.

[0048] As can be seen, contacts of a first element 2, of a second element 3 directly connected to the first element 2, and of an additional second element 3 are illustrated, which additional second element 3 is indirectly connected to the first element 2 via the second element 3 directly connected to the first element 2. The second element 3 and the additional second element 3 are identically constructed in this case.

[0049] As can be seen, a first connecting contact 14, to which the first connecting line 12 of the second element 3 or the first connecting line 12 of the additional second element 3 is connected, is respectively in the same position. The internal antenna 10 of the second element 3 is respectively connected to the first connecting contact 14 of the respective second element 3 on the one side and to a second connecting contact 15 of the respective second element 3 on the other side, which second connecting contact 15 is in this case located next to the first connecting contact 14. The other contacts are used for daisy-chaining additional second elements 3 arranged behind the second element 3 and can also be referred to as daisy chain contacts 16. For this purpose, the daisy chain contacts 16 are, as illustrated, not vertically, but rather obliquely connected between the front side 6 and the back side 7 so that, for example, a second connecting line 13 of the additional second element 3 can be contacted on the front side 6 of the second element 3 via a daisy chain contact located next to the second connecting contact 15. As a result, the production of a device 1 for any desired number of debit cards is easily possible using just two different elements 2, 3, the first element 2 and the second element 3, which thus form separating elements with shielding layers.

[0050] FIGS. 7 and 8 show a first element 2 and a second element 3 of a further device 1 according to the invention 1, wherein FIG. 7 shows the first element 2 and FIG. 2 shows the second element 3. It can be seen that both the external antenna 9 and also the internal antenna 10 extend over a large portion of a cross section of the device 1 in order to be able to effectively receive and relay electromagnetic waves. The recess 5 that is also arranged in the second element 3 in this case has dimensions corresponding to a debit card, so that the device 1 can easily be used to store debit cards. The switch is embodied here as a rocker switch, wherein multiple internal antennas 10 could, in principle, also be connected to the external antenna 9 in this embodiment. Here, the first element 2 illustrated and the second element 3 comprise a base piece 20 of plastic on which the additional components such as the shielding layer 4, the external antenna 9, and the selector switch 8 or the internal antenna 10 are arranged.

[0051] FIG. 9 shows a structure of a shielding layer 4 that is arranged both on the first element 2 and also on the second element 3 in order to shield the hollow chamber from electromagnetic waves. The shielding layer 4 comprises in the middle a metal layer 18 which is covered by a lower ferrite layer 17 and an upper ferrite layer 19.

[0052] With a device 1 according to the invention, it is possible, in a particularly simple manner, to activate one of multiple debit cards arranged in the device 1 for a wireless communication or to shield all debit cards arranged in the device 1 from a surrounding environment, namely without a position of the debit cards relative to the device 1 needing to be changed. This results in simple handling and a robust construction of the device 1.