Portable electronic device for use in conjunction with a screen

Claim 1

A portable electronic device, including at least an optical reception means, a microcomputer processing signals received, a display device for displaying signals coming from the microcomputer, an electrical energy source for supplying various circuits, a keyboard permitting a user to enter data into the microcomputer, and a storage means for storing data entered by means of one of the keyboard and the optical reception means, a method of using said microcomputer of said portable electronic device comprising the steps of: receiving by way of the optical reception means, and storing in the storage means, data about a game scenario for participation in a program, said data is transmitted by a program transmitting unit at a beginning of said program and displayed with said program on a display means, said data including a chronological development of said game scenario; authorizing recording, during one or more predetermined periods, of data entered at the keyboard by the user of the device in response to one or more displayed questions output from said program; processing the data entered at the keyboard as a function of downloaded data; and outputting results based on said processing.

Claim 5

The method for the device as set forth in any one of claims 1, 2 or 3, therein the device includes processors suitable to apply self-adaptability to a screen, said processors having a capacitor whose charging and discharging through a resistor are controlled by the microcomputer, and enabling to obtain a comparison threshold based on a level of optical reception.

Claim 7

The method for the device as set forth in claims 1, 2 or 3 further including a real-time clock operating as at least one of a) giving the device a limited lifetime, b) making the device work within a time period and c) allowing the device to data operations, said real-time clock operating especially for uses and transactions effected with said portable device.

Claim 8

The method for the device as set forth in claims 1, 2 or 3, wherein the keyboard is a numerical keyboard associated with function keys and the display device is of an alphanumeric type.

Claim 9

The method for the device as set forth in claims 1, 2 or 3, further comprising the step of connecting inlet/outlet ports to the microcomputer to permit a serial inlet and outlet, and an adapter box is proved with a housing which is exhausted to atmosphere through an opening in which the box of the device can be engaged, a bottom of the housing being provided with means supplementary to the ports, the adapter box being connected to a cable having another end which can be plugged into a socket of a terminal.

Claim 10

The method as set forth in claims 1 or 3, further comprising the step of programming to ensure a money-transfer function.

Claim 11

The method for the device as set forth in claims 1 or 3, further comprising the step of organizing a protected storage memory into two zones, namely, a data zone and a personalization zone.

Claim 13

The method for the device as set forth in claims 1 or 3, wherein the device has a shape of a rectangular parallelepipedal box with a small thickness, particularly of order of 5 mm, and wherein the optical reception means, consisting of phototransistors is placed on an edge of a small side of the box.

Claim 16

The method for the device as set forth in claims 1, 2 or 3, further comprising the step of having the microcomputer disable the device after keying in one after another of a certain number of improper confidential codes, reactivation of the device being assured only by a special procedure or by a special tool.