Method for loading a piece of software in a smart card, in particular applet

• US 20020174071A1
• Filed: 10/10/2001
• Published: 11/21/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: CP8 Technologies (Thales SA)
• Original Assignee: CP8 Technologies (Thales SA)
• Inventors: Siegelin, Christoph, Boudou, Alain, Urien, Pascal
• Application Number:
  US09/958,726
• Publication Number:
  US 20020174071A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/41
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44526 Plug-ins; Add-ons
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/105 involving programming of a portable memory device, e.g. IC cards, "electronic purses"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3552 Downloading or loading of personalisation data
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/1008 Active credit-cards provided with means to personalise their use, e.g. with PIN-introduction/comparison system
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

The invention relates to the loading of an applet in a smart card (2a), with the aid of two loading programs, an in-loader (IL) stored in the card and an off-loader (OL), respectively. According to the invention, two specific communication protocol layers are provided, one in a terminal (1) that houses the card reader, and the other in the card. These layers include in particular intelligent agents that enable the card to offer a client/webserver and gateway or CGI function. The method includes at least one step during which an http request is sent to the card in order to address an HTML page, one step of retrieving parametrizing data carried by an HTML form, and one step of executing the second loading program (IL), by implementation of the CGI function, in order to load the applet.

Claims

1. A method for loading a piece of software into a smart card from a terminal connected to said smart card by way of a smart card reader enabling communications by a first predetermined protocol, said loading being effected by the implementation and cooperation of first and second loading programs, said second loading program being stored in said smart card, characterized in that it includes at least the following phases:

a) a first preliminary phase, consisting of implanting, in said smart card (2a), a first piece of software (23a), forming a specific communication protocol layer;

b) a second preliminary phase, consisting of implanting, in said terminal (1), a second piece of software (13), forming a specific communication protocol layer;

that said first and second pieces of software (13, 23a) further include at least one pair of first autonomous software entities (132, 232a), each of said entities (132, 232a) cooperating with one another in such a way as to enable the establishment of a session of bidirectional data exchanges between at least said terminal (1) and said smart card (2a), in such a manner that said smart card (2a) offers the function of a client/webserver;

that it includes a third preliminary phase, consisting of implanting in said smart card (2a) at least one second software entity (STA₁, STA_n) capable of interpreting a set of instructions and translating it into a set of orders, in such a way as to cooperate with said second specific piece of software (23a) so that said smart card offers a gateway interface function CGI, said smart card including at least one of said sets of instructions associated with said loading program (IL);

and that it includes at least the following steps;

1) opening a first data exchange session between at least said terminal (1) and said smart card (2a), for the transmission of a request so that said first loading program (OL) will retrieve loading parametrizing data furnished by said second loading program (IL);

2) opening a second data exchange session between said smart card (2a) and at least said terminal (1), to transmit said loading parametrizing data to said first loading program (OL), said parametrizing data including a reference to said instructions that are associated with said second loading program (IL); and

3) opening a second data exchange session between said smart card (2a) and at least said terminal (1), and for submitting a loading file (7) taking said loading parametrizing data into account, said file including data (70, 71, 72) associated with said piece of software to be loaded (Da);

interpretation of said set of instructions associated with said second loading program (IL), by implementation of said CGI function, in such a way as to generate a set of orders transmitted to said second loading program (IL) to execute this program (IL) and obtain said unloading of said piece of software (Da).

2. The method of claim 1, characterized in that said smart card reader (3) and said smart card (2a) include first and second protocol stacks for said data transmissions by said first predetermined protocol, which are defined by ISO Standard

7816, each including at least software communication protocol layers (101, 200a), called lower layers, in such a way as to enable said data exchanges between said smart card (2a) and said terminal (1), these layers forming an interface with said first (13) and second (23a) specific pieces of software that form said specific communication protocol layers, respectively, and that these pieces of software (13, 23a) each include two additional entities, comprising a data transfer module (130, 230a) forming an interface with said lower layers (101, 200a) of the first and second protocol stacks, and a management module (131, 231a), and that said first entities of each pair comprise software modules called intelligent agents (132, 232a1) that establish said sessions.

3. The method of claim 2, characterized in that said set of instructions to be interpreted, associated with said second unloading program (IL) comprises a script, and that said second software entity comprises a software module, called an intelligent script translator agent (STA₁-STA_n) that furnishes orders that can be understood by said second loading program (OL).

4. The method of claim 3, characterized in that said first step includes the sending of a request of the http type by an internet-type protocol by addressing a predetermined page in HTML language containing said parametrizing data, said address being an address of the URL feedback type on said smart card (2a).

5. The method of claim 4, characterized in that said second step including sending a form (8, 8′

) in HTML language to said smart card (2a), and that said form (8, 8′

) includes at least one URL feedback address on said smart card (2a) and a path leading to a predetermined directory containing said script associated with said second loading program (IL), in such a way that said first loading program (OL) retrieves the said parametrizing data.

6. The method of claim 5, characterized in that said third step includes sending a request of the http type to said URL address designating said directory containing said script associated with said second loading program (IL), said request including said data representing said piece of software to be loaded (Da), the interpretation of said script and the execution of said second loading program (OL), in such a way as to obtain said loading of said piece of software (Da).

7. The method of claim 6, characterized in that said piece of software (Da) is an applet written in JAVA language (registered trademark).

8. The method of claim 7, characterized in that said loading file (7) is incorporated into said form (8, 8′

) and includes a header (70) identifying said applet, data (71), and at least one electronic signature (72) obtained on the basis of the encryption of said data.

9. The method of claim 8, characterized in that it includes at least a first additional step, performed after said third step, and that this first additional step consists of opening a first additional session of data exchange between said smart card (2a) and at least said terminal (1) in order to transmit a predetermined code received by said first loading program (OL).

10. The method of claim 9, characterized in that said predetermined code consists of an acknowledgement when said three first steps have taken place correctly, or an error code if not.

11. The method of claim 10, characterized in that it includes at least two additional steps, performed after said third step, including the opening of bidirectional data exchange sessions between said smart card (2a) and at least said terminal (1) for the transmission of an additional form requesting the submission of additional data.

12. The method of claim 11, characterized in that said additional data include an additional electronic signature.

13. The method of claim 12, characterized in that once said terminal is connected to at least one remote server (4) via a network (RI) of the internet type and by the implementation of internet-type protocol, one of said intelligent agents (132) is associated with an attribute called “

network”

enabling communications between said internet network (RI), and that said first loading program (OL) is stored in one of said remote servers (4, 4a).

14. The method of claim 13, characterized in that, since said terminal (1) includes a web-type navigator (10), said first loading program (OL′

) comprises a software component of said web navigator (10).

15. The method of claim 14, characterized in that said software component (OL″

) is obtained by an initial step (OL) of dynamic loading of an applet written in JAVA language and stored in said smart card (2a), said loading being obtained by sending an http request, with a URL address, to said smart card (2a).

16. The method of claim 15, characterized in that said software component (OL″

) is obtained by an initial step (OL) of dynamic loading of an applet written in JAVA language and stored in one of said remote servers (4), said loading being obtained by the sending of an http request, with a URL-type address of said remote server (4).