Method and device for establishing network communication compatibility of terminal, for example to enable dialogue with a smart card application

• US 20050021600A1
• Filed: 07/11/2002
• Published: 01/27/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/02/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gemalto SA (Thales SA)
• Original Assignee: Gemalto SA (Thales SA)
• Inventors: Vandewalle, Jean-Jacques, Lagosanto, Laurent
• Granted Patent: US 8,799,350 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0853 using an additional device, e.g. smartcard, SIM or a different communication terminal cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving additional secure or trusted devices H04L9/3234
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

In order to set up a communication channel on a link connecting a client application on a client machine and a service application present on a device dependent on a terminal, the client machine includes a representative of the service application. A formatting module is located at the client machine, downstream of the representative, for formatting the client application messages in a form readable by the service application. A gateway is located at the terminal, for receiving the messages readable by the card and transmitting them to the service application. Typically, the communicating device is a smart card, and the service application is a card application. The link is typically a network, for example of the Internet type.

Claims

1. A system establishing a communication channel on a connection between a client machine and a service application present on a communicating device dependent on a terminal comprising

a representative of the service application on the client machine,

a formatting module situated at the client machine, downstream of said representative, for formatting the messages of the client application in a form understandable by the service application;

and

a gateway situated at the terminal for taking delivery of said messages understandable by the communicating device and transmitting them to the service application.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein the communicating device is a smart card, and the service application is a card application (12) resident on the smart card.

3. A system according to claim 1, further including means for making the messages secure at least by the level of the formatting module in order to enable secure messages issuing from the formatting module to pass in secure form through the gateway and as far as the communicating device.

4. A system according to claim 1, wherein said connection comprises a network connecting the client machine and the terminal, and said gateway is a gateway of the network/communicating device type.

5. A system according to claim 4, wherein the formatting module is connected to the network via a concatenation of modules successively comprising:

a representative of said gateway, for receiving the formatting commands from the formatting module and in response producing formatting commands from these commands according to a format understandable by said gateway;

a network formatting module for formatting said commands from the gateway representative as messages in the network format; and

a transport module for adapting said messages to the standards of the network;

and wherein said gateway is connected to the network via a concatenation of modules successively comprising;

a module complementary with the transport module, and connected to the network for retrieving said messages issuing from the network;

a module complementary with the network formatting module for retrieving the commands as issuing from the representative of said gateway; and

a network command driver for transmitting the messages coming from the preceding module to said gateway.

6. A system according to claim 4, wherein:

the formatting module is connected to the network via a transport module to directly receive said messages from the formatting module and format them to the standards of the network,

and the network/communicating device gateway is connected to the network via a module complementary with the transport module for directly retrieving therefrom said messages and retransmitting them directly to said gateway.

7. A system according to claim 1, wherein said client machine and said terminal are combined in the same physical medium and connected by an internal connection, and wherein the formatting module directly transmits on said internal connection the formatted client application messages to said gateway.

8. A terminal for the system of claim 1, comprising a gateway of the network/communicating device type, for receiving and processing messages from a client application in network format delivered by internal connection or by network.

9. A method of establishing a communication channel on a connection between a client application on a client machine and a service application, present on a communicating device that is dependent on a terminal, the client machine comprising a representative of the service application, comprising the following steps:

a formatting messages from the client application at the client machine, downstream of said representative in a form understandable by the service application; and

receiving said messages understandable by the card at a gateway and transmitting them to the service application.

10. A method according to claim 9, wherein the communicating device is of the smart card type, and the service application is a card application.

11. A method according to claim 9, further including the step of encrypting the messages during or before the formatting to enable encrypted messages issuing from the formatting module to pass in encrypted form through the gateway and as far as the communicating device.

12. A method according to claim 9, wherein the client machine is connected to the terminal by a network, and the formatting step is followed, at the client machine, successively by the steps of:

receiving formatting commands from the formatting step at a representative of said gateway and in response producing formatting commands from these commands according to a format understandable by said gateway;

formatting the messages issuing from said representative of the gateway as messages in the network format; and

adapting said messages to the standards of the network (R);

and wherein the messages received from the network at the terminal are processed successively by steps of;

retrieving said messages from the messages issuing from the network;

retrieving the commands as issuing from the representative of said gateway; and

transmitting the messages coming from the preceding step to said gateway.

13. A method according to claim 9, wherein:

the formatting step is followed directly by a step of adapting said messages to the standards of the network, and

processing the adapted messages at the terminal to retrieve said messages issuing from the formatting step and retransmit them directly to said gateway.

14. Use of a gateway of the network/communicating device type for receiving messages issuing from a client application and transmitting said messages directly to said gateway by an internal connection, said messages being formatted as network messages.