Method of making an inventory of transponders in a communication station

• US 20060148521A1
• Filed: 06/22/2004
• Published: 07/06/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: NXP B.V. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Original Assignee: NXP B.V. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Inventors: Raggam, Peter, Zettler, Werner, Amtmann, Franz
• Application Number:
  US10/562,244
• Publication Number:
  US 20060148521A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/557
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0723 the record carrier comprising an arrangement for non-contact communication, e.g. wireless communication circuits on transponder cards, non-contact smart cards or RFIDs
• 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: G06K 7/0008 General problems related to the reading of electronic memory record carriers, independent of its reading method, e.g. power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10059 transponder driven

Abstract

In a transponder (1) and its integrated circuit (2), there is provided a processcontrolling circuit (14) for controlling an inventory-making process for making inventories in a communication station, which process-controlling circuit (14) contains transmnissionparameter selecting means (31) that select a transmission parameter, preferably a time slot, by using a hash value (HV) and by using a part (byte x) of a distinguishing dataset (SN), the generation of the hash value (HV) taking place in the transponder (1) or in its integrated circuit (2).

Claims

1. A method of placing a transponder or an integrated circuit contained in the transponder in an inventory in a communication station, wherein an inventory-making process is activated in the transponder or in its integrated circuits, in which inventory-making process a part of a distinguishing dataset of the transponder or its integrated circuit, which distinguishing dataset is stored in storage means of the transponder or its integrated circuit and is characteristic for the transponder or its integrated circuit, is read from the storage means by using a hash value, and in which inventory-making process a transmission parameter is selected from a set of transmission parameters by using the part that was read from the distinguishing dataset, and in which inventory-making process an identifying dataset for the transponder or its integrated circuit, which identifying dataset is characteristic for the transponder or its integrated circuit and is intended for the placing of the transponder or its integrated circuit in an inventory, is transmitted from the transponder or its integrated circuit to the communication station by using the selected transmission parameter, characterized in that the hash value is generated in the transponder or in its integrated circuit by means of hash-value generating means that are provided in the transponder or in its integrated circuit.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that, in the inventory-making process, a time slot is selected from a time-slot sequence by using the part of the distinguishing dataset that has been read out, and in that, in the inventory-making process, the identifying dataset for the transponder or its integrated circuit is transmitted from the transponder or its integrated circuit to the communication station by using the selected time slot.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the hash value is generated by means of a hash-value counting stage provided in the transponder or in its integrated circuit.

4. A method as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that the hash-value counting stage is set to a preset starting hash value after a power-on reset in the transponder or in its integrated circuit.

5. A method as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the hash value is generated by means of a random number generator provided in the transponder or in its integrated circuit.

6. An integrated circuit for a transponder, which integrated circuit contains process-controlling means that are intended for controlling an inventory-making process for placing the integrated circuit or the transponder containing the integrated circuit in an inventory in a communication station, and which integrated circuit contains storage means that are intended firstly to store a distinguishing dataset of the integrated circuit or the transponder containing the integrated circuit, which distinguishing dataset is characteristic for the integrated circuit or the transponder containing the integrated circuit, and secondly to store an identifying dataset of the integrated circuit or the transponder containing the integrated circuit, which identifying dataset is characteristic for the integrated circuit or the transponder containing the integrated circuit and is intended for placing the integrated circuit or the transponder containing the integrated circuit in an inventory, and which integrated circuit includes transmission-parameter selecting means that are intended firstly to receive a part of the distinguishing dataset that is read from the storage means by using the hash value, and secondly to select a transmission parameter from a set of transmission parameters by using the part of the distinguishing dataset that has been received, which selected transmission parameter is suitable for transmitting, from the integrated circuit to the communication station, the identifying dataset that is intended for placing the integrated circuit or the transponder containing the integrated circuit in an inventory, characterized in that hash-value generating means for generating the hash value are provided in the integrated circuit.

7. A circuit as claimed in claim 6, characterized in that the integrated circuit contains, as transmission-parameter selecting means, time-slot selecting means, which time-slot selecting means are designed to select a time slot from a time-slot sequence, which selected time slot is suitable for transmitting, from the integrated circuit to the communication station, the identifying dataset intended for the placing of the integrated circuit or the transponder containing the integrated circuit in an inventory.

8. A circuit as claimed in claim 6, characterized in that the hash-value generating means provided in the integrated circuit are implemented with the help of a hash-value counting staged.

9. A circuit as claimed in claim 8, characterized in that a power-on-rest circuit is provided that is designed to generate a power-on-reset signal at a power-on reset and that cooperates with the hash-value counting stage, and in that the hash-value counting stage can be set to a starting hash value by means of the power-on-reset signal.

10. A circuit as claimed in claim 6, characterized in that the hash-value generating means provided in the integrated circuit are implemented with the help of a random number generator.

11. A transponder, characterized in that the transponder (1) is provided with an integrated circuit as claimed in claim 6.