METHOD FOR ACCESSING AFTER-OPERATION INFORMATION OF SECURE ELEMENT APPLICATIONS

• US 20080011833A1
• Filed: 07/12/2006
• Published: 01/17/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Saarisalo, Mikko
• Granted Patent: US 7,775,442 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/382
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/326 Payment applications installed on the mobile devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/327 Short range or proximity payments by means of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3278 RFID or NFC payments by means of M-devices
• 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 7/0886 the card reader being portable for interacting with a POS or ECR in realizing a payment transaction
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/1008 Active credit-cards provided with means to personalise their use, e.g. with PIN-introduction/comparison system

Abstract

In a mobile terminal device a Secure Element, a main controlling unit, and near-field-comunication Module form a communication triangle. A method is disclosed for providing an interface communication in said mobile terminal device comprising a means and/or an operation for detecting by said main control unit that a communication between a secure element and external device has ceased.

Claims

1. Method for accessing after-operation information, comprising:

passing radio frequency communication from an external device to a secure element in response to detecting that an interaction with one or more secure applications residing at the secure element is requested;

switching to an internal communication connection for accessing information regarding applications involved in said radio frequency communication substantially immediately upon detecting that the radio frequency communication between the secure element and the external device has terminated; and

processing information of applications involved in said radio frequency communication.

2. Method according to claim 1, further comprising:

performing one or more predefined functions based on the accessed information.

3. Method according to claim 2, wherein said internal communication connection comprises an internal connection, and wherein said internal communication excludes said secure element from an external communication.

4. Method according to claim 2, wherein said one or more of predefined functions include/s alerts, branding functions, playing a musical tune and a displaying of a graphical element.

5. Method according to claim 2, further comprising an operation of accessing an identifier of last accessed applications (AID) in said secure element providing said information.

6. Method according to claim 2, further comprising sensing power consumption of the secure element and/or potentials on several address lines for recognizing said communication as traffic.

7. Method according to claim 2, further comprising the operations of:

detecting an external radio frequency field by a front-end suitable for radio frequency identification and near-field communication;

passing information received by the front-end to a terminal main controlling unit;

switching connection to said main controlling unit off and switching connection to said secure element;

responding by said secure element to said smartcard application, conducting a communication to said external device and storing information regarding accessed applications using and analysing information of a registry;

closing said communication by said secure element and/or said external element;

detecting that said communication between secure element and external device has ceased by said main controlling unit;

switching to an internal communication connection by said terminal main controlling unit; and

contacting a dedicated application program interface of said secure element and reading information out of said registry.

8. Method according to claim 7, wherein said operation of using and analysing information of said registry comprises the information of last accessed application identifiers (AID).

9. Method according to claim 8, wherein said last accessed application identifiers (AID) are associated with a counting means which is incremented or decremented depending on a state of a transaction.

10. Method according to claim 7, wherein said Secure Element and/or an application therein analyse/s an AID, adds and/or modifies a timestamp to the registry after said transaction.

11. Method according to claim 7, wherein said Secure Element and/or an application store/s details regarding the transaction which may be accessed by the main control unit, wherein said details comprise an indication and/or an exit code of the status of a transaction.

12. Method according to claim 7, wherein said Secure Element and/or an application stores a data structure regarding said details of said transaction suitable for to be accessed by the main control unit later or concurrently, said data structure comprises:

a data record of details of the actual transaction;

a serial number;

the amount of money;

the kind of good, the location of purchase;

date, time, a financial institution which performed the transaction or which debited user'"'"'s credit card and a musical tune and/or company logo characteristic of the payment instrument.

13. Method according to claim 7, wherein the terminal main controlling unit (MCU) evaluates the information passed over the interface and instructs specific functions like displaying a summary of the transaction or branding using a sound and/or a graphical element.

14. Method according to claim 7, wherein the main controlling unit (MCU) instructs or recommends a visibility of certain applications suitable for a transaction between said Secure element and said external device.

15. Method according to claim 14, wherein the main controlling unit (MCU) instructs the visibility by a visibility matrix which may be mapped to interest groups having assigned levels of rights or insight in view of privacy, security and personalisation.

16. Method according to claim 7, wherein said interface in connection with said main controlling unit (MCU) and/or said Secure Element may permanently keeps track of last accessed application identifiers (AID) and may pass or concurrently maintain a data structure or set of selected parameters.

17. Method according to claim 7, wherein said interface may be updated in cyclic manner and/or, scanned or activated using a timing which may be independent, incremental, selective, rhythmic, cyclic, planed or statistical.

27. A computer program product containing program code, in the form of a machine-readable medium with a program code stored on it, wherein said program code is arranged to carry out a method according to claim 1, when executed on a micro or embedded controller, computer system, notebook, personal data assistant, smart phone, particularly after a loading operation of a data structure in a working or main memory of a computer or a plurality of computers of a computer network or operating a client in a client-server network.

28. A software tool, comprising program portions for carrying out the operations of claim 1, when said program is implemented in a computer program for being executed on a processor-based device, a terminal device, a network device, a portable terminal, a consumer electronic device, or a mobile communication enabled terminal.

29. A data structure providing an instruction according to the method of claim 2.

30. A computer readable medium on which a data structure is stored, said data structure executing said method according to claim 2 after a loading operation of said data structure in a main memory of a computer or a plurality of computers of a computer network.

31. A computer data signal, embodied in a carrier wave which comprises executable instructions for executing a method according to claim 2 on a computer system of a computer network or a plurality of computers of a computer network according to anyone of the preceding method claims.

18. Mobile terminal device enabled for performing wireless data transactions, comprising:

a smartcard module;

a Near Field Communication (NFC) module;

a memory module;

a central processing unit (CPU) for interconnecting said smartcard module, said NFC module and said memory module, wherein said CPU is adapted for controlling operation of said mobile device;

means for starting a smartcard application on said mobile terminal device resulting in activating of said smartcard module;

means for detecting if said started smartcard application is an application for performing data transactions with external entities; and

means for switching on a connection between said smartcard module and said NFC-module in case of an affirmative determination.

19. Mobile terminal device according to claim 18, further comprising a Secure Element.

20. Mobile terminal device according to claim 19, wherein said Secure Element is an integrated, a detachable or an accessory part of said mobile terminal device, said smart card module, said Near Field Communication (NFC) module, and/or said memory module.

21. Mobile terminal device enabled for performing wireless data transactions according to claim 18, further comprising:

means for detecting an external radio frequency field by a front-end suitable for radio frequency identification and near-field communication;

means for passing received information by the front-end to a terminal main controlling unit which cuts of link to a secure element;

means for notifying said main controlling unit that an external device tries to discover a smartcard application and switches a connection to said secure element and switching connection to said main controlling unit off;

means for responding by said secure element to said smartcard application and conducting a communication to said external device and storing information regarding accessed applications using and analysing information of a registry;

means for closing said communication by said secure element and/or said external element;

means for detecting that said communication between secure element and external device has ceased by said main controlling unit;

means for switching a internal communication connection by said terminal main controlling unit; and

means for contacting a dedicated application program interface of said secure element and reading information out of said registry.

22. Mobile device according to claim 20, further comprising

means for passing radio frequency communication from an external device to a secure element in response of detecting that interaction with one or more secure applications residing at the secure element is requested;

means for switching to internal communication connection for accessing information regarding applications involved in said radio frequency communication substantially immediately detecting that the radio frequency communication between the secure element and the external device has terminated; and

means performing one or more predefined functions based on the accessed information.

23. Mobile terminal device according to claim 18, further comprising a clock module for controlling time oriented events within said device.

24. Mobile terminal device according to claims 18, further comprising a telecommunications module for connecting to a cellular radio network for receiving the overall digital receipt from a service providing party.

25. Mobile terminal device according to claim 18, further comprising a receipt storage embedded within said smartcard module for storing transaction related data.

26. Mobile terminal device according to claim 18, wherein said Secure Element and/or an application store/s details regarding the transaction which may be accessed by the main control unit, wherein said details may comprise an indication of the status of a transaction.