An IC memory card ( 11 ) has a mode change switch ( 18 ) for switching operation modes of a semiconductor component in the vicinity of an end side opposite the external connection terminals ( 17 a to 17 i ). A controller LSI ( 24 ) detects the status of the mode change switch ( 18 ) and switches operation modes according to the detected status.
1. An IC card comprising:
a semiconductor component having at least two operation modes;
a substrate on which the semiconductor component is mounted;
a housing accommodating the substrate; and
a physical switch for switching the operation modes of the semiconductor component
wherein the physical switch comprises:
a plurality of electric contacts provided on the substrate; and
a movable molded component comprising a contact terminal for switching electric connection of the electric contacts and a holding section, wherein the holding section is partially outside of the housing to permit manipulation thereof,
wherein a part of an inner surface of the housing directly contacts the molded component so as to press the molded component against a surface of the substrate where the electric contact is provided, thereby maintaining contact pressure of the contact terminal against the electric contact.
2. The IC card according to claim 1 , wherein the physical switch can be set to at least two statuses each corresponding to any of one the operation modes, and
wherein the semiconductor component comprises a controller for detecting the status of the physical switch and switching the operation mode according to the detected status of the physical switch.
3. The IC card according to claim 2 , wherein the contact terminal is provided with an elastic piece having a contact section for connecting the electric contact at a proximal side and being fixed to the molded component at a distal side.
4. The IC card according to claim 3 , wherein the molded component of the physical switch is rotatable with respect to the substrate and the inner surface of the housing.
5. The IC card according to claim 4 , wherein the molded component is received in an accommodation concave section, formed in the inner surface of the housing, so that the molded component can rotate inside the accommodation concave section relative to the substrate and the housing.
6. The IC card according to claim 3 , wherein the molded component of the physical switch can move linearly with respect to the substrate and the inner surface of the housing.
7. The IC card according to claim 6 , wherein the molded component is received in an accommodation concave section, formed in the inner surface of the housing, so that the molded component can move linearly inside the accommodation concave section relative to the substrate and the housing.
8. The IC card according to claim 3 , further comprising an external connection terminal for electric connection to an external device disposed on one edge side of the housing,
wherein the physical switch is disposed on the other edge side opposite to the edge of the housing where the external connection terminal is disposed.
9. The IC card according to claim 2 , wherein the semiconductor component comprises at least one semiconductor memory,
wherein the semiconductor memory has a plurality of information storage areas each of which is allocated as a usable area for each of the operation modes, and
wherein the controller designates the information storage area as the usable area according to the detected status of the physical switch.
10. The IC card according to claim 9 , wherein the plurality of information storage areas of the semiconductor memory are formatted to storage capacity corresponding to respective file systems, and each of the information storage areas of the semiconductor memory is allocated as the usable area for any one of the operation modes.
11. The IC card according to claim 2 , wherein the semiconductor component comprises a semiconductor memory and another semiconductor component for executing a function other than information storage, and any one or both of the semiconductor memory and the other semiconductor component is allocated to each of the operation modes, and
wherein the controller activates any one or both of the semiconductor memory and the other component according to the detected status of the physical switch.