Deactivation system

• US 20040019800A1
• Filed: 04/15/2003
• Published: 01/29/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Tatebayashi, Makoto, Matsuzaki, Natsume
• Granted Patent: US 7,503,066 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/200
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/109 by using specially-adapted hardware at the client
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/305 by remotely controlling device operation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/34 involving the use of external additional devices, e.g. dongles or smart cards
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/73 by creating or determining hardware identification, e.g. serial numbers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2129 Authenticate client device independently of the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2143 Clearing memory, e.g. to prevent the data from being stolen
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/341 Active cards, i.e. cards including their own processing means, e.g. including an IC or chip
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/354 Card activation or deactivation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/355 Personalisation of cards for use
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/08 by coded identity card or credit card or other personal identification means without personal verification means G07F7/02
• 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: G07F 7/12 Card verification
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/56 Financial cryptography, e.g. electronic payment or e-cash
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/60 Digital content management, e.g. content distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/80 Wireless network architectures or network communication protocols for wireless network security H04W12/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3271 using challenge-response
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/14 including a card reading device

Abstract

A deactivation method for a system including a communication terminal, a secure device, and a management apparatus. The identification number and communication identification code are notified to the management apparatus while the secure device is attached to the communication terminal. The management apparatus holds the identification number and the communication identification code by correlating them, acquires an identification number of a secure device to be deactivated, when instructed to deactivate the secure device by an authentic owner of a right to use the secure device, extracts the communication identification code in accordance with the identification number, and transmits the deactivation authentication code to an apparatus identified by the extracted communication identification code. If the communication terminal receives the deactivation authentication code while the secure device is attached to it, the secure device is deactivated.

Claims

1. A deactivation method for a system including a communication terminal, a secure device, and a management apparatus, the communication terminal storing a communication identification code assigned there to and operable to communicate with other apparatuses based on the communication identification code, the secure device storing an identification number assigned thereto and being used while being attached to the communication terminal, the management apparatus storing a deactivation authentication code authenticating an instruction to deactivate the secure device, and operable to manage deactivation of the secure device, the deactivation method comprising:

a notification step in which the identification number and the communication identification code are notified to the management apparatus while the secure device is attached to the communication terminal;

a holding step in which the management apparatus holds the identification number and the communication identification code notified in the notification step, by correlating the identification number with the communication identification code;

an acquisition step in which the management apparatus acquires an identification number of a secure device to be deactivated, when instructed to deactivate the secure device by an authentic owner of a right to use the secure device;

a deactivation instructing step in which the management apparatus extracts, in accordance with the identification number received in the reception step, the communication identification code that was held in the holding step, and transmits the deactivation authentication code to an apparatus identified by the extracted communication identification code; and

a deactivation step in which if the communication terminal receives the deactivation authentication code transmitted in the deactivation instructing step while the secure device is attached to the communication terminal, the secure device is deactivated.

2. A deactivation system comprising:

a communication terminal operable to communicate with other apparatuses;

a secure device being used while being attached to the communication terminal; and

a management apparatus operable to manage deactivation of the secure device, wherein

the secure device includes;

an identification number storage unit operable to store an identification number assigned to the secure device;

an identification number notifying unit operable to notify the management apparatus of the identification number via the communication terminal while the secure device is attached to the communication terminal; and

a deactivation unit operable to, if a deactivation instruction instructing to deactivate the secure device is received from the communication terminal while the secure device is attached to the communication terminal, deactivate the secure device,

the communication terminal includes;

a communication identification code storage unit operable to store a communication identification code assigned to the communication terminal;

a communication identification code notifying unit operable to notify the management apparatus of the communication identification code while the secure device is attached to the communication terminal;

a deactivation authentication code receiving unit operable to send the deactivation instruction to the secure device only after a deactivation authentication code which authenticates the deactivation instruction is received from the management apparatus while the secure device is attached to the communication terminal;

the management apparatus includes;

a deactivation authentication code storage unit operable to store the deactivation authentication code;

a holding unit operable to hold (i) the identification number notified from the identification number notifying unit and (ii) the communication identification code notified from the communication identification code notifying unit, by correlating the identification number with the communication identification code;

an acquisition unit operable to acquire an identification number of a secure device to be deactivated, when instructed to deactivate the secure device by an authentic owner of a right to use the secure device; and

a deactivation authentication code transmission unit operable to extract, in accordance with the identification number received by the reception unit, the communication identification code that is held by the holding unit, and transmit the deactivation authentication code to an apparatus identified by the extracted communication identification code.

3. A secure device being used while being attached to a communication terminal that stores beforehand a communication identification code assigned thereto and is operable to communicate with other apparatuses based on the communication identification code, the secure device comprising:

a storage unit operable to store an identification number assigned to the secure device;

a notifying unit operable to notify a management apparatus of the identification number via the communication terminal while the secure device is attached to the communication terminal; and

a deactivation unit operable to, if a deactivation instruction is received via the communication terminal while the secure device is attached to the communication terminal, deactivate the secure device, the deactivation instruction instructing to deactivate the secure device and being transmitted from the management apparatus to the communication terminal based on the communication identification code.

4. The secure device of claim 3, wherein the storage unit further stores history information of communication identification codes for each communication terminal to which the secure device was attached at least once.

5. The secure device of claim 3, wherein

the storage unit further stores an electronic mail address of the management apparatus,

the communication identification code of the communication terminal is an electronic mail address,

the notifying unit causes the communication terminal, to which the secure device is attached, to transmit an electronic mail containing the identification number and the communication identification code to the electronic mail address of the management apparatus stored in the storage unit, and

the deactivation unit receives the deactivation instruction from the communication terminal, the deactivation instruction being sent from the communication terminal based on an electronic mail that contains the deactivation instruction and is sent to the electronic mail address of the communication terminal.

6. The secure device of claim 3 further comprising

an activation unit operable to, after the deactivation unit has deactivated the secure device, if an activation instruction is received via the communication terminal, activate the secure device, the activation instruction instructing to activate the secure device and being transmitted from the management apparatus to the communication terminal based on the communication identification code.

7. The secure device of claim 3 further comprising:

a conditional use unit operable to permit the secure device to be used offline within a predetermined limit; and

a condition change unit operable to change online the limit dealt with by the conditional use unit.

8. The secure device of claim 3, wherein

the deactivation unit deactivates the secure device only after a challenge-response authentication performed with the communication terminal terminates successfully.

9. A communication terminal which uses a secure device being attached thereto, the secure device storing an identification number assigned to the secure device, the communication terminal comprising:

a storage unit operable to store a communication identification code assigned to the communication terminal;

a notifying unit operable to notify a management apparatus of the identification number and the communication identification code while the secure device is attached to the communication terminal; and

a deactivation unit operable to deactivate the secure device if an instruction to deactivate the secure device is received from the management apparatus while the secure device is attached to the communication terminal, the deactivation instruction being transmitted to the communication terminal based on the communication identification code.

10. The communication terminal of claim 9 further comprising

a connection detecting unit operable to detect that the secure device has been attached to the communication terminal, wherein

the secure device further stores a communication identification code of a communication terminal to which the secure device was attached most recently, and

the notifying unit includes;

a communication identification code acquiring unit operable to, if the connection detecting unit detects that the secure device has been attached to the communication terminal, acquire from the secure device the communication identification code of the communication terminal to which the secure device was attached most recently;

a comparison unit operable to compare the communication identification code acquired by the communication identification code acquiring unit with the communication identification code stored in the storage unit, and judges whether the two communication identification codes match; and

an update unit operable to inhibit the notification from being executed if the comparison unit judges that the two communication identification codes match, and operable to, if the comparison unit judges that the two communication identification codes do not match, execute the notification and update the communication identification code, stored in the secure device, of the communication terminal to which the secure device was attached most recently, by replacing the communication identification code with the communication identification code stored in the storage unit.

11. A management apparatus that manages deactivation of a secure device which is used while being attached to a communication terminal, the management apparatus comprising:

a deactivation authentication code storage unit operable to store a deactivation authentication code authenticating an instruction to deactivate the secure device;

a communication identification code holding unit operable to receive, from the communication terminal while the secure device is attached to the communication terminal, and hold (i) an identification number assigned to the secure device and (ii) a communication identification code assigned to the communication terminal, by correlating the identification number with the communication identification code;

an acquisition unit operable to acquire an identification number of a secure device to be deactivated, when instructed to deactivate the secure device by an authentic owner of a right to use the secure device; and

a deactivation authentication code transmission unit operable to extract, in accordance with the identification number received by the reception unit, the communication identification code that is held by the holding unit, and transmit the deactivation authentication code to an apparatus identified by the extracted communication identification code.

12. A communication program for a communication terminal which uses a secure device being attached thereto, the secure device storing an identification number assigned to the secure device, the communication terminal storing a communication identification code assigned to the communication terminal, the communication program comprising:

a notifying step for notifying a management apparatus of the identification number and the communication identification code while the secure device is attached to the communication terminal; and

a deactivation step for deactivating the secure device if an instruction to deactivate the secure device is received from the management apparatus while the secure device is attached to the communication terminal, the deactivation instruction being transmitted to the communication terminal based on the communication identification code.

13. A management program for a management apparatus that manages deactivation of a secure device which is used while being attached to a communication terminal, the management apparatus storing a deactivation authentication code authenticating an instruction to deactivate the secure device, the management program comprising:

a communication identification code holding step for receiving, from the communication terminal while the secure device is attached to the communication terminal, and holding (i) an identification number assigned to the secure device and (ii) a communication identification code assigned to the communication terminal, by correlating the identification number with the communication identification code;

an acquisition step in which the management apparatus acquires an identification number of a secure device to be deactivated, when instructed to deactivate the secure device by an authentic owner of a right to use the secure device; and

a deactivation authentication code transmission step for extracting, in accordance with the identification number received in the reception unit, the communication identification code that was held in the holding step, and transmitting the deactivation authentication code to an apparatus identified by the extracted communication identification code.