Method for transponder access control

• US 20070008070A1
• Filed: 07/07/2006
• Published: 01/11/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Atmel Corporation (Microchip Technology Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Atmel Germany GmbH (Microchip Technology Incorporated)
• Inventors: Friedrich, Ulrich
• Granted Patent: US 7,872,567 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/10.100
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/35 communicating wirelessly
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/77 in smart cards
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07309 Means for preventing undesired reading or writing from or onto record carriers
• 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 20/3576 Multiple memory zones on card
• 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 2209/805 Lightweight hardware, e.g. radio-frequency identification [RFID] or sensor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/06 for supporting key management in a packet data network cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key management H04L9/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3226 using a predetermined code, e.g. password, passphrase or PIN network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using passwords in a packet data network H04L63/083

Abstract

A method for transponder access control is disclosed, in which a first identification is stored in the transponder, which is transmitted to a reader unit upon appropriate request by the unit. At least one second identification and an identification selection criterion are stored in the transponder, during a request by the reader unit depending on the identification selection criterion either the first identification or the at least second identification is transmitted and, when the second identification is transmitted, access to the transponder, particularly to the first identification, is released by the transponder when the reader unit transmits a password assigned to the second identification to the transponder.

Claims

1. A method for access control to a transponder, in which a first identification is stored in the transponder and is transmitted to a reader unit upon a request by the reader unit, the method comprising the steps of:

storing at least one second identification in the transponder;

storing an identification selection criterion in the transponder;

transmitting, during a request by the reader unit based on the identification selection criterion, either the first identification or the at least one second identification; and

releasing access to the transponder when the second identification is transmitted only when the reader unit transmits a first password, which is assigned to the second identification, to the transponder.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first identification identifies a product tagged with the transponder.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the second identification and/or the identification selection criterion is set during operation of the transponder, after the reader unit transmits the first password assigned to the second identification to the transponder.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein a second password is assigned to the first identification, whereby a change in the first identification and/or a release or blocking of the memory areas for read and/or write access of the transponder is made after the second password assigned to the first identification is transmitted to the transponder.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the second password assigned to the first identification and/or the first password assigned to the second identification are each assigned an associated public password, whereby the first and second passwords and the associated public passwords are assigned to one another on the basis of a cryptographic algorithm.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein at least one parameter of the cryptography algorithm is stored in a rewritable, nonvolatile memory of the transponder.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first identification, the second identification, a public password assigned to the first identification, and/or a public password assigned to the second identification are stored in a nonvolatile memory of the transponder.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the second identification is stored with the first identification in a memory area allocated to the first identification.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the public password assigned to the second identification is stored in the memory area allocated to the first identification together with the first identification and the second identification.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the transponder is deactivated, when the reader unit transmits a kill password to the transponder, the kill password being stored in a memory area of the transponder.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the public password assigned to the second identification is stored in the memory area allocated to the kill password when the kill password is deactivated.

12. The method according to any claim 1, wherein the identification selection criterion is stored as a bit value in a nonvolatile memory of the transponder.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein a number of faulty transmissions of the first password assigned to the second identification is counted in the transponder and when a settable counter threshold is reached, a clock supply of the transponder is deactivated.

14. The method according to claim 1, wherein the transponder is a passive and/or backscatter-based transponder.

15. The method according to claim 1, wherein when access to the transponder is released, the first identification is accessible.

16. The method according to claim 10, wherein, upon receipt of the kill password, the transponder is permanently deactivated.

17. A transponder comprising:

a first memory area for storing a first identification, the first identification identifying a product associated with the transponder; and

a second memory area for storing a second identification,

wherein after a request by a reader unit, access to the first identification is provided upon receipt of an encrypted password that is associated with the second identification, and

wherein the association of the encrypted password with the second identification is determined by the transponder.