Description

Early Philips smart card development involved experimentation with simple memory chips, and various contact positions and configurations. They range from 8 square grid, to rectangular, and even the Messerkontact (8 contacts) on one end similar to Philips Germany (9 contacts), and the Chip cards of Italy, Torino. Only later was the Dual Chip module developed again, in tandem with Philips/Valvo Germany.
Early specimens for the new Chip Banking prototypes were called “Carte De Paiement” The program name that took over was called “Carte a Memoire” and is common to MANY of the early Smart cards from many programs under development in France.
Philips also used the terms “Carte De Paiement Electronique” and in English “Active Payment card”