MOBILE TERMINAL, DATA COMMUNICATION METHOD, AND COMPUTER PROGRAM

• US 20070116292A1
• Filed: 11/16/2006
• Published: 05/24/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: FeliCa Networks, Inc
• Original Assignee: FeliCa Networks, Inc
• Inventors: Kurita, Taro, Takemura, Toshiharu
• Granted Patent: US 7,797,537 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 380/270
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/34 involving the use of external additional devices, e.g. dongles or smart cards
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/35 communicating wirelessly
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/45 Structures or tools for the administration of authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2211/003 Mutual Authentication Bi-Directional Authentication, Dialogue, Handshake
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3229 Use of the SIM of a M-device as secure element
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/34 using cards, e.g. integrated circuit [IC] cards or magnetic cards
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/4093 Monitoring of device authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/805 Lightweight hardware, e.g. radio-frequency identification [RFID] or sensor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/04 for providing a confidential data exchange among entities communicating through data packet networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0844 with user authentication or key authentication, e.g. ElGamal, MTI, MQV-Menezes-Qu-Vanstone protocol or Diffie-Hellman protocols using implicitly-certified keys
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0894 Escrow, recovery or storing of secret information, e.g. secret key escrow or cryptographic key storage
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3273 for mutual authentication network architectures or network communication protocols for achieving mutual authentication in a packet data network H04L63/0869

Abstract

A mobile terminal includes a near-field communication device capable of performing near-field wireless communication with an external device, and a controller configured to instruct the external device or the near-field communication device to execute a command. The near-field communication device has a storage unit, a first mutual authentication unit for authenticating the controller and for requesting the controller to authenticate the near-field communication device, a first communication key setting unit for setting a first communication key, a second mutual authentication unit for authenticating the external device and for requesting the external device to authenticate the near-field communication device, and a second communication key setting unit for setting a second communication key. The controller and the near-field communication device perform secure communication using the first communication key, and the near-field communication device and the external device perform secure communication using the second communication key.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal comprising:

a near-field communication device capable of performing near-field wireless communication with an external device; and

a controller configured to instruct the external device or the near-field communication device to execute a command, wherein

the near-field communication device has

a storage unit in which a controller authentication key storage area for storing a controller authentication key used for mutual authentication with the controller and an external device access key storage area for storing an external device access key used for accessing the external device are allocated,

a first mutual authentication unit for authenticating, in response to a mutual authentication request given by the controller, the controller as being valid on the basis of the controller authentication key and for requesting the controller to authenticate the near-field communication device as being valid,

a first communication key setting unit for setting a first communication key used between the controller and the near-field communication device on the basis of a result of the authentication operation performed by the first mutual authentication unit,

a second mutual authentication unit for authenticating, in response to a mutual authentication request applied between the near-field communication device and the external device given by the controller, the external device as being valid on the basis of the external device access key and for requesting the external device to authenticate the near-field communication device as being valid, and

a second communication key setting unit for setting a second communication key used between the near-field communication device and the external device on the basis of a result of the authentication operation performed by the second mutual authentication unit, and wherein

the controller and the near-field communication device, which have authenticated each other, perform secure communication using the first communication key, and the near-field communication device and the external device, which have authenticated each other, perform secure communication using the second communication key.

2. The mobile terminal according to claim 1, wherein a value information storage area for storing value information is further allocated in the storage unit included in the near-field communication device, and the value information stored in the value information storage area is accessible with the first communication key.

3. The mobile terminal according to claim 1, wherein, instead of the mutual authentication performed by the first and second mutual authentication units, the mutual authentication is performed between the controller and the external device, and the secure communication is performed between the controller and the external device.

4. The mobile terminal according to claim 1, wherein the near-field communication device decrypts, upon receiving predetermined data from the controller, the data with the first communication key, processes the decrypted data, encrypts the processed data with the second communication key, and transmits the encrypted data to the external device.

5. The mobile terminal according to claim 1, wherein whether or not the secure communication is executable between controller and the external device, between the controller and the near-field communication device, or between the near-field communication device and the external device is determined on the basis of statuses regarding completion of the mutual authentication performed on the near-field communication device.

6. A data communication method for a mobile terminal having a near-field communication device capable of performing near-field wireless communication with an external device and a controller configured to instruct the external device or the near-field communication device to execute a command, the method comprising:

a step of allocating a controller authentication key storage area for storing a controller authentication key used for mutual authentication with the controller and an external device access key storage area for storing an external device access key used for accessing the external device in a storage unit included in the near-field communication device;

a first mutual authentication step of authenticating, in response to a mutual authentication request given by the controller, the controller as being valid on the basis of the controller authentication key and of requesting the controller to authenticate the near-field communication device as being valid;

a first communication key setting step of setting a first communication key used between the controller and the near-field communication device on the basis of a result of the authentication operation performed at the first mutual authentication step;

a second mutual authentication step of authenticating, in response to a mutual authentication request applied between the near-field communication device and the external device given by the controller, the external device as being valid on the basis of the external device access key and of requesting the external device to authenticate the near-field communication device as being valid; and

a second communication key setting step of setting a second communication key used between the near-field communication device and the external device on the basis of a result of the authentication operation performed at the second mutual authentication step, and wherein

the controller and the near-field communication device, which have authenticated each other, perform secure communication using the first communication key, and the near-field communication device and the external device, which have authenticated each other, perform secure communication using the second communication key.

7. A computer program causing a mobile terminal to execute a data communication process, the mobile terminal having a near-field communication device capable of performing near-field wireless communication with an external device and a controller configured to instruct the external device or the near-field communication device to execute a command, the process comprising:

a step of allocating a controller authentication key storage area for storing a controller authentication key used for mutual authentication with the controller and an external device access key storage area for storing an external device access key used for accessing the external device in a storage unit included in the near-field communication device;

a first mutual authentication step of authenticating, in response to a mutual authentication request given by the controller, the controller as being valid on the basis of the controller authentication key and of requesting the controller to authenticate the near-field communication device as being valid;

a first communication key setting step of setting a first communication key used between the controller and the near-field communication device on the basis of a result of the authentication operation performed at the first mutual authentication step;

a second mutual authentication step of authenticating, in response to a mutual authentication request applied between the near-field communication device and the external device given by the controller, the external device as being valid on the basis of the external device access key and of requesting the external device to authenticate the near-field communication device as being valid; and

a second communication key setting step of setting a second communication key used between the near-field communication device and the external device on the basis of a result of the authentication operation performed at the second mutual authentication step, and wherein

the controller and the near-field communication device, which have authenticated each other, perform secure communication using the first communication key, and the near-field communication device and the external device, which have authenticated each other, perform secure communication using the second communication key.