Data carrier in the form of a card, with status indicator

Abstract

The invention relates to a data carrier (10) in the form of a card having a card body (11), a card chip (12), and at least one status indicator (13). The at least one status indicator (13) is electrically conductively connected to the card chip (12). The card chip (12) is configured to selectively control the at least one status indicator (13) in order to display a status of the data carrier (10) in the form of a card and / or of a user account associated with the data carrier (10) in the form of a card.

Description

[0001] Card-shaped data carrier with status indicator

[0002] Field of the invention

[0003] The present invention relates to a card-shaped data carrier with a status indicator and a use of such a card-shaped data carrier, in particular as a payment card or identity document.

[0004] Background of the invention

[0005] Card-shaped data storage devices are used in a wide variety of applications today. For example, such data storage devices can be used for cashless payment of goods or services, for personal identification, or for accessing internet-based applications.

[0006] Card-shaped data storage devices in the form of payment cards, such as credit cards and debit cards, are usually associated with an assigned user account, particularly a bank account, and enable contact-based and contactless financial transactions. Systems are also known in which the payment card itself serves as an electronic wallet, enabling offline payments by previously loading a specific amount of money onto the payment card (for example, the "GeldKarte" system known in Germany). Such payment cards have in common that a user can only conduct transactions within the funds available in the assigned user account or on the payment card itself, or within a credit limit (particularly a credit limit).Information about the funds still available or the available credit limit is usually not displayed directly to the user during the payment process, but must be verified, for example, using a software application (e.g., banking app). This can lead to transactions being rejected if the available funds are insufficient for the respective transaction. It would also be desirable for the user to be informed of the current status at all times. In other applications too, such as authentication using a corresponding smart card as a card-shaped data carrier, corresponding direct feedback from the smart card itself would be advantageous, for example to indicate successful or failed authentication / identification.

[0007] In general, such information can currently only be displayed using complex display technologies.

[0008] Description

[0009] Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a card-shaped data carrier which informs a user / holder in a simple manner about a status of the card-shaped data carrier.

[0010] This object is achieved by the subject matter of the independent claims. Exemplary embodiments emerge from the dependent claims and the following description. Further features of the invention emerge from the figures and the description of the figures.

[0011] According to a first aspect, a card-shaped data carrier is provided with a card body, a card chip, and at least one status indicator. The at least one status indicator is electrically conductively connected to the card chip. The card chip is configured to selectively control the at least one status indicator to indicate a status of the card-shaped data carrier and / or a user account associated with the card-shaped data carrier.

[0012] The card-shaped data carrier can comprise a plastic material or a natural material (such as wood), which forms the card body of the card-shaped data carrier. The card body can also be made of recyclable and / or biodegradable materials. Generally, the card body is flat and can also be constructed in multiple layers, which are created in a lamination process during the manufacture of the card body. For example, the card body can have a base structure and a surface layer, i.e., a so-called overlay.

[0013] The card-shaped data carrier can, for example, be a dual-interface card with a contactless and a contact-based interface, a purely contactless card, or a purely contact-based card. The card chip is an internal chip of the card-shaped data carrier that implements the logical functions of the card-shaped data carrier and should not be confused with the contact area present on the surface of, for example, a dual-interface card. Rather, such a contact area serves (in corresponding embodiments) as a contact-based interface connected to the card chip. The card chip can comprise logic circuits and corresponding memory components, as is known in the art.

[0014] Particularly with payment cards, for example, but also with other applications, it is advantageous to display a credit limit such as a top-up amount of money (e.g. with a cash card or a similar electronic wallet), a current account balance (e.g. with a debit card) or an unused credit limit (e.g. with a credit card). Another possible status can be, for example, a sustainability level of a completed transaction, as described below. Such information is to be understood as a status of the card-shaped data carrier and / or a user account associated with the card-shaped data carrier. However, these are only illustrative examples and in principle any other status information assigned to the card-shaped data carrier and / or the user account can be displayed, depending on the application.For example, in the case of an identity card such as an electronic identity card or a smart card for authentication, the status can also be information about whether an identification process was successful or unsuccessful.

[0015] The status indicator is used to display the status. The status indicator can generally be any suitable display element that is configured to display information when supplied with power. However, the status indicator is generally kept simple and does not use complex display technology, although this is not excluded. For example, in the exemplary application of the card-shaped data carrier as a payment card, it is sufficient if the current status (e.g., the unused credit limit) is displayed to the end user in a similar way to a fuel gauge in a car (e.g., as a corresponding bar, as described below). The status indicator can, for example, be integrated into a laminated structure of the card body in such a way that it is visible from a front or back of the card body. The status indicator is electrically conductively connected to the card chip (e.g.,with corresponding pins) so that the card chip can output a signal to the status indicator, for example in the form of a corresponding voltage.

[0016] The card chip, in turn, is configured to selectively control the status indicator accordingly (i.e., to output / apply a corresponding signal to the status indicator) in order to indicate the status. For example, if the card chip is supplied with electrical energy via a reading device (e.g., via a contact-based or contactless interface), it can output the current status by controlling the status indicator accordingly, as described below by way of example. However, it is also conceivable for the card-shaped data carrier to contain an energy source so that the status can be indicated independently of a reading device or another external energy source, for example, after an input element (e.g., a button, a biometric sensor, etc.) has been actuated by a user. If the status is a status of the card-shaped data carrier itself (e.g.,If the status is a credited amount of money in an electronic wallet implemented by the card-shaped data carrier, the status can be provided directly by the card chip (or from corresponding memory components), since the status is always known to the card chip. If the status is a status of an associated user account, this can be transmitted (in the exemplary application of a payment card, e.g., in the form of a credit card) during the payment process, for example, by the reader to the card chip, which in turn can receive the corresponding information (e.g., a remaining credit limit) from a background system such as a bank server.

[0017] According to one embodiment, the card-shaped data carrier further comprises at least one of a contactless interface and a contact-based interface. The corresponding interface is connected to the card chip.

[0018] A contactless interface can, for example, be an NFC (Near Field Communication, NFC) interface, which comprises a transmitter coil and a receiver coil or a combined transmitter / receiver coil that enables contactless communication with a reader. A contact-based interface can, for example, be a corresponding contact surface on the front of the card body, which can be contacted by a reader when the card-shaped data carrier is inserted into the reader. Furthermore, the card-shaped data carrier can also be designed as a dual-interface card, which comprises both a contactless and a contact-based interface. Regardless of the type of interface, it is conductively connected to the card chip.

[0019] According to a further embodiment, the at least one status indicator comprises at least one of the following: a bar indicator having at least two display segments configured to illuminate when selectively supplied with electrical energy by the card chip; a color indicator having at least two color segments configured to illuminate in different colors when selectively supplied with electrical energy by the card chip; and a symbol indicator.

[0020] The bar indicator can, for example, comprise at least two light sources such as LEDs or OLEDs as display segments, which are arranged next to each other and can be controlled independently of each other. This can be used to provide a percentage display, for example, of a credit limit.

[0021] Similar to the bar indicator, the color indicator can be constructed from at least two light sources such as LEDs or OLEDs or any other suitable light source as color segments, which can be arranged next to each other (but also in any other way) and have different operating colors. Alternatively, the light sources of the color segments themselves can also shine white, for example, and be covered with corresponding semi-transparent colored layers, for example as sections of an overlay layer of the card body, to provide different operating colors. The different colors can then be used to indicate a corresponding status. For example, a red color segment could light up when a credit limit (as an example status) is almost exhausted.In addition, the color indicator can also be a combined color and bar indicator, so that, for example, from left to right (or vice versa), first a red, then a yellow, and then a green color segment are arranged next to each other. In this way, the color information can be combined with bar information, as described above, with each color indicating a criticality.

[0022] A symbol indicator is an indicator that presents information using multiple symbols. For example, the symbol indicator could consist of several illuminated leaves or other symbols that indicate a criterion (e.g., a sustainability level) that is visually represented by a process performed with the storage medium. If several of the symbols are illuminated, the criterion is more clearly met. This is illustrated below using a sustainability level as an example.

[0023] According to a further embodiment, the card-shaped data carrier is a payment card. The status comprises at least one of the following: an account balance of a payment account linked to the card as the associated user account; and a remaining spending limit that can still be used with the payment card.

[0024] According to a further embodiment, the card-shaped data carrier further comprises a power source connected to the card chip and configured to supply power for displaying a last status of the card-shaped data carrier and / or a user account associated with the card-shaped data carrier when the card-shaped data carrier is not externally powered.

[0025] The energy source can, for example, be a small battery or another suitable energy storage device for electrical energy. Such an energy source can be permanently integrated into the card-shaped data carrier and be rechargeable, or it can be externally accessible and replaceable (e.g., a small button cell). If the energy storage device is rechargeable, it can, for example, be recharged by a user inductively (similar to, for example, a smartphone) or in another suitable manner. Furthermore, it is also conceivable that, instead of an energy storage device, a small solar cell, for example, is attached to the surface of the card body. The card-shaped data carrier can also, for example, comprise a button or other device (e.g., a fingerprint sensor or other biometric sensor when used for sensitive data) that can be actuated to trigger the display of the status.The last status (for example a remaining credit limit, account balance, or a topped-up amount of money, but also any other status) can, for example, have been determined during the last action with the data carrier either by the card chip itself or transmitted via a data connection from outside, for example from a reader, and stored in a memory of the card-shaped data carrier.

[0026] According to a further embodiment, the card chip is configured to control the at least one status indicator to indicate the status when the card-shaped data carrier is connected to an external power source or an external reader.

[0027] For example, when the card-shaped data carrier is inserted into a reader or held to the reader using a contactless interface (e.g. NFC), the card chip can be supplied with electrical energy via the respective interface and then trigger the display of the status automatically or on request (e.g. with a button or via the reader).

[0028] According to a further embodiment, the card chip is configured to retrieve the status from a background system via a data connection when the card-shaped data carrier is connected to an external reader.

[0029] For example, if the status is a status of a user account associated with the card-shaped data carrier, such as, without limitation, a bank account balance or a remaining credit limit, the reader can retrieve the relevant information from a backend system such as a bank server (for example, via a network connection such as the Internet or a local network) when the card-shaped data carrier is read. The card chip can then, in turn, receive the corresponding data from the reader.

[0030] According to a further embodiment, the status is a sustainability level of a transaction performed with the card-shaped data carrier and / or a status of the user account associated with the card-shaped data carrier. For example, the sustainability level could be associated with a CO2 emission associated with a purchase or other transaction performed with the data carrier, thereby indicating to the user how sustainable the purchase or other action was.

[0031] According to a further embodiment, the at least one status indicator uses at least one of the following display technologies: a bi-stable display; a light-emitting diode-based display; and a backlit, at least partially transparent colored or non-colored substrate layer of the card body.

[0032] Bistable display technologies are characterized by the fact that they have two stable states. These states can be, for example, light or dark, or absorbent or reflective, and can be maintained without a voltage supply until they are changed by a voltage application. Such displays therefore retain their charge image once entered without energy supply. With bistable displays, the status can be displayed even when neither an internal nor an external power source is available. A display based on light-emitting diodes can use LEDs or OLEDs, for example. If colored status indicators are desired, these can also be provided by a backlight behind a correspondingly colored and at least partially transparent substrate layer or a corresponding section of this substrate layer.

[0033] According to a second aspect, the use of a card-shaped data carrier according to one of the embodiments described herein as a payment card or as an electronic identity document is disclosed.

[0034] Brief description of the drawings

[0035] Embodiments of the invention are explained in more detail below with reference to schematic drawings.

[0036] The figures show: Fig. 1 a schematic representation of a card-shaped data carrier with three status indicators in the form of a bar indicator, a color indicator and a symbol indicator; and

[0037] Fig. 2 is a schematic representation of a scenario in which the card-shaped data carrier is inserted into a reader, which optionally receives data from a background system.

[0038] In the figures, identical or functionally equivalent elements are provided with the same reference numerals. The representations in the figures are schematic and not to scale.

[0039] Detailed description

[0040] Fig. 1 shows an exemplary card-shaped data carrier 10 according to the present disclosure, which includes three status indicators 13. The illustrated card-shaped data carrier 10 is configured as a dual-interface chip card and includes a card body 11, a card chip 12, a power source 19, a contact-based interface 18, and a contactless interface 17. The power source 19 is optional and may be omitted in certain embodiments. The contactless interface 17 and the contact-based interface 18 are each connected to the card chip 12. The card chip 12 is configured to implement the functions of the card-shaped data carrier 10 and includes corresponding logic and memory components.

[0041] The contact-based interface 18 is a contact surface of a chip card. The contactless interface 17 can be, for example, an NFC interface, which, as shown, can have a transmitter coil and a receiver coil, or even a combined transmitter / receiver coil.

[0042] A first of the three status indicators 13 is a symbol indicator 16, a second of the three status indicators 13 is a bar indicator 14, and a third of the three status indicators 13 is a color indicator 15. It should be noted that the data carrier 10 can comprise any number of status indicators 13 and that these status indicators can be arranged at any location on the illustrated front and back of the card-shaped data carrier 10. The status indicators 13 are each connected to the card chip (indicated by dashed lines) and can be selectively controlled by the card chip 12.

[0043] The symbol indicator 14 in the illustrated configuration comprises three leaves that can illuminate selectively. However, the symbol indicator 16 can also have any other symbol in any other number. The bar indicator 14 shown comprises three display segments 24 that can be controlled individually. However, the bar indicator 14 can also comprise any other number of display segments 24. The color indicator 15 comprises three color segments 25, which can also be controlled individually. The three color segments 25 each have a different color to indicate criticality. For example, the leftmost color segment 25 can be red, the middle color segment 25 can be yellow, and the rightmost color segment 25 can be green. However, it should be noted that the color indicator 15 can also have a different number of color segments 25. In principle, just one color segment 25, which can illuminate in different colors, is also conceivable.The bar indicator 14, the color indicator 15, and the symbol indicator 16 may each be configured as described hereinabove.

[0044] Each of the status indicators 13 can be selectively controlled by the card chip 12 to indicate a status of the card-shaped data carrier 10 itself and / or a user account associated with the card-shaped data carrier 10 (for payment cards, for example, a bank account or a credit card clearing account, and for identity cards, for example, a user account), as described further above. If the card-shaped data carrier 10 is a payment card, the bar indicator 14 and the color indicator 15 can, for example, indicate a still available amount of money loaded onto the card-shaped data carrier 10 (e.g., in the case of electronic wallets) or a still available amount of a spending limit (e.g., in the case of a credit card). The symbol indicator 16 can, for example, indicate a sustainability level, as described further above.The color indicator 15 can, for example, light up red when the spending limit is almost used up, light up green when the full spending limit is available, and light up yellow when a certain amount has already been used up but the card is not yet critically close to the spending limit. The corresponding data regarding the status can, in some cases, be determined by the card chip 12 itself (e.g., in electronic wallets) or can be received from a reader, for example, during a process performed with the data carrier 10, such as a payment process or an authentication process. If a power source 19 is provided, the status can also be displayed without a connection to an external reader or an external power source.If no energy source 19 is provided, the data carrier 10 can receive the necessary electrical energy from the reader via one of the interfaces 17, 18 while the data carrier 10 is in use (e.g., during a payment transaction). Furthermore, any energy source 19 that may be present can be recharged, for example, via a contactless charger using the contactless interface 17.

[0045] Fig. 2 shows an exemplary scenario in which the card-shaped data carrier 10 of Fig. 1 is read with an external reader 40, which can also serve as an external power source 40. In some embodiments, the external reader 40 can optionally be connected to a background system 30 (e.g., via an Internet connection) that provides, for example, information about the status of an associated user account (such as a bank account or credit card account), which is then in turn provided to the card-shaped data carrier 10 via the reader 40.

[0046] Additionally, it should be noted that "comprising" or "having" does not exclude other elements or steps, and "a" or "an" does not exclude a plurality. Furthermore, it should be noted that features or steps described with reference to one of the above embodiments may also be used in combination with other features or steps of other embodiments described above. Reference symbols in the claims are not to be considered as limitations. List of reference symbols

[0047] 10 Card-shaped data carrier

[0048] 11 Card body

[0049] 12 card chips

[0050] 13 Status indicator

[0051] 14 bar indicator

[0052] 15 Color indicator

[0053] 16 Symbol indicator

[0054] 17 contactless interface

[0055] 18 contact-based interface

[0056] 19 Energy source

[0057] 24 display segments

[0058] 25 color segments

[0059] 30 background system

[0060] 40 external reader or power source

[0061] 50 data connection

Claims

Patent claims 1. A card-shaped data carrier (10), comprising: a card body (11); a card chip (12); and at least one status indicator (13); wherein the at least one status indicator (13) is electrically conductively connected to the card chip (12); and wherein the card chip (12) is configured to selectively control the at least one status indicator (13) to display a status of the card-shaped data carrier (10) and / or a user account associated with the card-shaped data carrier (10).

2. Card-shaped data carrier (10) according to claim 1, wherein the card-shaped data carrier (10) further comprises at least one of a contactless interface (17) and a contact-based interface (18); and wherein the corresponding interface (17, 18) is electrically conductively connected to the card chip (12).

3. Card-shaped data carrier (10) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the at least one status indicator (13) comprises at least one of the following: a bar indicator (14) having at least two display segments (24) configured to illuminate when selectively supplied with electrical energy by the card chip (12); a color indicator (15) having at least two color segments (25) configured to illuminate in different colors when selectively supplied with electrical energy by the card chip (12); and a symbol indicator (16).

4. Card-shaped data carrier (10) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the card-shaped data carrier (10) is a payment card; and wherein the status comprises at least one of the following: an account balance of a payment account linked to the card as the associated user account; and a remaining spending limit that can still be used with the payment card.

5. Card-shaped data carrier (10) according to one of the preceding claims, further comprising a power source (19) which is electrically conductively connected to the card chip (12) and is configured to supply power for displaying a last status of the card-shaped data carrier (10) and / or a user account associated with the card-shaped data carrier (10) when the card-shaped data carrier (10) is not externally supplied with power.

6. Card-shaped data carrier (10) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the card chip (12) is configured to control the at least one status indicator (13) to indicate the status when the card-shaped data carrier (10) is connected to an external power source or an external reader.

7. Card-shaped data carrier (10) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the card chip (12) is configured to retrieve the status via a data connection from a background system (30) when the card-shaped data carrier (10) is connected to an external reader (40).

8. Card-shaped data carrier (10) according to claim 7, wherein the status is a sustainability level of an operation performed with the card-shaped data carrier (10) and / or a status of the user account associated with the card-shaped data carrier (10).

9. Card-shaped data carrier (10) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the at least one status indicator (13) uses at least one of the following display technologies: a bi-stable display; a light-emitting diode-based display; and an at least partially transparent colored or non-colored substrate layer of the card body (11) provided with a backlight.

10. Use of a card-shaped data carrier (10) according to one of the preceding claims as a payment card or as an electronic identity document.

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