Keying notches for side contacts on a thin form factor computer card

摘要

An integrated circuit (IC) card and corresponding computer IC card receptacle apparatus is described which provides for enhanced electrical isolation of the IC card's side contacts during insertion, and which provides for enhanced IC card security features. The apparatus includes an IC card containing a side contact located within a recessed keyed notch along a side edge. The apparatus also includes an IC card receptacle containing the corresponding side electrical contact on a keyed control arm. The keyed control arm is keyed for the recessed keyed notch of the IC card, such that the electrical contact on the keyed control arm remains electrically isolated until the IC card is completely inserted into the receptacle. The control arm may be coupled to a locking mechanism so that the IC card is forcibly retained in the IC card receptacle until released. Additional electrical isolation of the IC card receptacle's side contact may provided for by an IC card insertion detector and switch, which keeps the IC card receptacle side contact electrically isolated from the remainder of the computer system until the IC card is detected as being fully inserted.