Secure electronic entity integrating life span management of an object

• US 20060129849A1
• Filed: 11/21/2003
• Published: 06/15/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/25/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IDEMIA France (Advent International Corporation)
• Original Assignee: IDEMIA France (Advent International Corporation)
• Inventors: Geffrotin, Bernard, Abgrall, Renan
• Granted Patent: US 10,134,217 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/300
• CPC Class Codes: G04F 1/005 using electronic timing, e.g. counting means pulse time delay arrangements H03K5/13; modifications of electronic switches for introducing a time delay before switching H03K17/28
• CPC Class Codes: G04F 10/00 Apparatus for measuring unknown time intervals by electric means
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/073 Special arrangements for circuits, e.g. for protecting identification code in memory protection against unauthorised use of computer memory G06F12/14
• 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 20/4093 Monitoring of device authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 1/10 together with the recording, indicating or registering of other data, e.g. of signs of identity
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/084 Additional components relating to data transfer and storing, e.g. error detection, self-diagnosis
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/1008 Active credit-cards provided with means to personalise their use, e.g. with PIN-introduction/comparison system

Abstract

The invention concerns a secure electronic entity (11), adapted to store at least one object, comprising a unit (18) for measuring the passage of time as from a reference date (Dref) associated with said object. It comprises a unit (19) for storing a life span (V) assigned to said object co-operating with the time measuring unit (18) so as to compare the time elapsed and the life span (V). It further comprises an updating and invalidating unit (21), to update the object life span or to temporarily or permanently disable the object if the comparison shows that the time elapsed exceeds the life span (V). The invention is in particular applicable to smart cards.

Claims

1. Secure electronic entity (11) including

means (23) adapted to store one or more objects, which entity is characterized in that it includes:

measuring means (18) for measuring the time that has elapsed from a reference time of day (Dref) associated with said object,

storage means (19) for storing a lifespan (V) assigned to said object, the storage means (19) co-operating with the time measuring means (18) to compare the elapsed time and said lifespan (V), and

updating and invalidation means (21) for updating said lifespan of the object or to render the object temporarily or permanently unusable if the result of said comparison is that the elapsed time has reached or passed the lifespan (V).

2. Secure electronic entity (11) according to claim 1, characterized in that said lifespan (V) corresponds to the total time of real use of the object.

3. Secure electronic entity (11) according to claim 1, characterized in that said lifespan (V) is a time period independent of the total time of real use of the object.

4. Secure electronic entity (11) according to claim 1, characterized in that the time measuring means (18) are adapted to provide a measurement of the time that has elapsed since the reference time of day (Dref) when the electronic entity (11) is not supplied with power by an external power supply.

5. Secure electronic entity (11) according to claim 1, characterized in that the time measuring means (18) are adapted to supply a measurement of the time that has elapsed since the reference time of day (Dref) when the electronic entity (11) is not supplied with electrical power.

6. Secure electronic entity (11) according to claim 1, characterized in that the time measuring means (18) are adapted to supply a measurement of the time that has elapsed since the reference time of day (Dref) independently of any external clock signal.

7. Secure electronic entity (11) according to claim 1, characterized in that the time measuring means (18) include means for comparing two times of day.

8. Secure electronic entity (11) according to claim 1, characterized in that the means (19) for storing the lifespan (V) include a secure entity and are situated inside or outside said electronic entity (11).

9. Secure electronic entity (11) according to claim 1, characterized in that the object is an operating system, a secret code, a file, a file system, an application or access rights.

10. Secure electronic entity (11) according to claim 1, characterized in that the reference time of day (Dref) is the time of day of creation of the object.

11. Secure electronic entity (11) according to claim 1, characterized in that it includes one or more subsystems (17) comprising:

a capacitive component (20) subject to leakage across its dielectric space, means being provided for coupling said capacitive component to an electrical power supply to be charged by said electrical power supply, and

means (22) for measuring the residual charge in the capacitive component (20), said residual charge being at least in part representative of the time that has elapsed since the capacitive component (20) was decoupled from the electrical power supply.

12. Secure electronic entity (11) according to claim 11, characterized in that said means (22) for measuring the residual charge are included in said time measuring means (18).

13. Secure electronic entity (11) according to claim 11, characterized in that the capacitive component (20) is an MOS capacitor whose dielectric space consists of a silicon oxide.

14. Secure electronic entity (11) according to claim 11, characterized in that the means (22) for measuring the residual charge comprise a field-effect transistor (30) having an insulative layer (34), the capacitive component (20) includes an insulative layer (24), and the thickness of the insulative layer (34) of the field-effect transistor (30) is significantly greater than the thickness of the insulative layer (24) of the capacitive component (20).

15. Secure electronic entity (11) according to claim 14, characterized in that the thickness of the insulative layer (24) of the capacitive component (20) is from 4 to 10 nanometers.

16. Secure electronic entity (11) according to claim 13, characterized in that it includes:

at least two subsystems (17A, 17B) each comprising;

a capacitive component subject to leakage across its dielectric space,

means enabling said capacitive component to be coupled to an electrical power supply in order to be charged by said electrical power supply, and

means for measuring the residual charge in the capacitive component,

said residual charge being at least in part representative of the time which has elapsed after the capacitive component was decoupled from the electrical power supply, said subsystems (17A, 17B) comprising capacitive components having different leaks across their respective dielectric spaces, and said secure electronic entity (11) further including means (14, 15, T) for processing respective measured residual charges in said capacitive components to extract from said measurements information substantially independent of heat input to said entity (11) during the time that has elapsed since the reference time of day (Dref).

17. Secure electronic entity (11) according to claim 16, characterized in that said processing means (14, 15, T) include software for calculating a predetermined function for determining said information as a function of said measurements and substantially independently of heat input.

18. Secure electronic entity (11) according to claim 1, characterized in that it is a microcircuit card.

19. Secure electronic entity (11) according to claim 1, characterized in that it is a PCMCIA card.

20. Secure electronic entity (11) according to claim 12, characterized in that the capacitive component (20) is an MOS capacitor whose dielectric space consists of a silicon oxide.