News
CardSmart Files for Multiple Application Patent
MORRISTOWN,
New Jersey, May 8, 2000 – CardSmart Technologies
announced today that it has filed for a patent that allows
software developers to store and manage multiple applications on the
same smart card chip. This is seen as a key step in the evolution of
smart cards in that issuers can now offer totally independent and unrelated
applications on the same microprocessor chip.
According to
David Fisher, Executive Vice President of CardSmart
and creator of the new software, “ by effectively partitioning the chip,
we can now offer different users applications specific to them. This
greatly enhances the ability of developers to create a more robust range
of applications on the same smart card and not be concerned the possibilities
of one application compromising or infringing on another. This advancement
also provides new opportunities for card issuers to effectively rent
out a portion of the card’s memory. A single card issuer can now extend
considerable flexibility to third party groups while still maintaining
absolute control over who may load applications to the card.”
Mike McClain,
President of the company adds, “This new software design will allow
us to offer on the same card applications from different merchants in
the same shopping center, for example. In the past, they have been
precluded from joining because each merchant has a significantly different
merchandising or promotion strategy. Now, because the integrity of
each application can be effectively maintained, unrelated programs can
ride on the same smart card. We can now develop much more cost effective
solutions for different retailers. The cross promotion opportunities
are endless.”
