O2Micro issued smart card, IC controller patents

O2Micro International Ltd was issued 12 claims under U.S. patent number 7,076,589 for its smart card system and IC controller invention, a division of the invention issued Oct. 2004 under U.S. patent number 6,807,597.

This patented invention is designed to simplify the integration of smart card technology to a PC Card enabled computer system. The system is applicable to systems that connect smart cards through PC card sockets or by means of a dedicated smart card socket.

"This patent grant allows a PC Card enabled computer system to use PC Card methods for both PC Card and Smart Card connectivity, thereby extending O2Micro's core SmartCardBus invention to the widely adopted security technology," explained Max Huang, executive vice president, O2Micro.