Smart card reader and transaction system

A smart card transaction system that uses a voice path through a switched telephone network to perform smart card transactions, comprising:

• an application server connected to the switched telephone network;
• a telephone terminal connected to the switched telephone network by a telephone line, the telephone terminal having a keypad;
• and
• a portable smart card reader adapted to communicate with the application server, comprising:
• a smart card reader/writer unit for reading information from and writing information to a smart card;
• a front-end connected to the telephone line and linked to the smart card reader/writer unit, the front-end being adapted to selectively connect the smart card reader/writer unit to the telephone line for communication with the application server and selectively disconnect the smart card reader/writer unit from the telephone line to permit a keypad of the telephone terminal to be used as a user interface for input of information during a smart card transaction session;
• and
• a micro-controller adapted to control operation of the smart card reader/writer unit and the front-end.

A method of using a voice path through a switched telephone network for a smart card transaction comprising the steps of:

• a) connecting a smart card reader to a telephone line that provides telephone service to a telephone terminal;
• b) receiving, at an application server which is connected to the switched telephone network, a call for the smart card transaction from the telephone terminal connected to the telephone line;
• c) verifying from the application server that a smart card reader is connected to the telephone line of the switched telephone network and a smart card is properly associated therewith;
• d) receiving at the application server smart card user ID information which is input using a keypad of the telephone terminal in a user input mode;
• e) verifying at the application server the smart card user ID information by retrieving smart card user ID information from the smart card in a card communication mode and comparing the retrieved information with the input information;
• f) receiving at the application server transaction information which is input from the keypad in the user input mode;
• g) exchanging transaction data between the smart card and the application server in the card communication mode;
• whereby the application server is adapted to prompt the smart card reader to switch selectively between the user input mode that permits input through the keypad of the telephone terminal and the card communication mode that permits information exchange between the smart card and the application server.