| 摘要 |
<p>This invention relates to a highly reliable IC card which will not lose data or become unreadable unexpectedly, and also to a reliable and efficient apparatus for monitoring the lives of IC cards, which has a technically simplified structure. The IC card is assumed to comprise storage means for storing the date of the first use of its battery, storage means for storing the number of times said IC card is used, storage means for storing the lifetime of a power source for said storage means or said IC card whichever is shorter than the other, and storage means (16) for storing the permissible number of times of use specific to the IC card. In the apparatus for monitoring the life of the IC card, the contents of said storage for the number of times the IC card is used are updated every time when the IC card is used, and the updated number of times of use and the period from the first use are compared with the permissible number of times of use and the lifetime specific to the IC card. If either one of the former values exceeds the corresponding one of the latter values, then the apparatus indicates that information.</p> |
