DEVICE AND METHOD FOR SHORT RANGE COMMUNICATION

• US 20100151790A1
• Filed: 12/10/2009
• Published: 06/17/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vodafone Holding GmbH (Vodafone Group PLC)
• Original Assignee: Vodafone Holding GmbH (Vodafone Group PLC)
• Inventors: Hoeksel, Sebastiaan, Koraichi, Najib, Waters, Patrick H.
• Granted Patent: US 9,396,364 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/41.200
• 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 7/10237 the reader and the record carrier being capable of selectively switching between reader and record carrier appearance, e.g. in near field communication [NFC] devices where the NFC device may function as an RFID reader or as an RFID tag
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/00 Radio transmission systems, i.e. using radiation field H04B10/00, H04B15/00 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0853 using an additional device, e.g. smartcard, SIM or a different communication terminal cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving additional secure or trusted devices H04L9/3234

Abstract

There is provided a communication device and method for contactless short range communication between a device and a terminal. An exemplary communication device comprises a communication component for contactless short range communication with a terminal. The exemplary device also comprises a slave element adapted to execute at least one application for executing transactions between the communication component and the terminal, wherein the slave element is coupled to the communication component via a first interface and wherein the slave element can be coupled to a secure master element via a second interface, the master element being adapted to control the slave element before a transaction is executed using the application.

Claims

1. A device, comprising:

a communication component for contactless short range communication with a terminal; and

a slave element adapted to execute at least one application for executing transactions between the communication component and the terminal, wherein the slave element is coupled to the communication component via a first interface and wherein the slave element can be coupled to a secure master element via a second interface, the master element being adapted to control the slave element before a transaction is executed using the application.

2. The device recited in claim 1, wherein the first interface allows a faster data exchange than the second interface.

3. The device recited in claim 1, wherein the slave element is configured so that that the application is not able to execute a transaction without an interaction between the master element and the slave element preceding the transaction.

4. The device recited in claim 1, wherein the master element is adapted to provide the application to the slave element in response to a first event and/or to provide information to slave element in response the first event, the information being necessary for executing the transaction.

5. The system recited in claim 4, wherein the master element is adapted to unblock the slave element for the execution of a transaction in response to a second event.

6. The system recited in claim 4, wherein the master element is adapted to verify an authentication feature allocated to the slave element, the authentication feature being transmitted from the slave element to the master element, and wherein a successful verification of the authentication feature corresponds to the first and/or the second event.

7. The device recited in claim 1, wherein the master element is adapted to restrict an ability of the application to execute a transaction.

8. The device recited in claim 1, wherein the master element is adapted to provide at least one token to the application, the token being validated in the terminal before the transaction is executed.

9. The device recited in claim 8, wherein a validity of the token for the execution of transactions is limited.

10. The device recited in claim 1, wherein the master element is adapted to transmit at least on constraint to the slave element, the constraint restricting the ability of the application to execute transactions and being observed by the slave element and/or the application.

11. The device recited in claim 1, comprising a first device including the master element and a second device including the communication component and the slave element, the second device being removably attachable to the first device.

12. The device recited in claim 11, wherein the first device is a mobile communication device.

13. The device recited in claim 1, wherein the master element is included in a smartcard connected to the first device.

14. The device recited in claim 13, wherein the smartcard comprises a SIM card.

15. The device recited in claim 1, wherein the communication component is configured according to an NFC specification and comprises a antenna and an NFC controller.

16. A method for contactless short range communication between a device and a terminal, the method comprising:

coupling a slave element to a communication component for contactless short range communication via a first interface, the slave element being adapted to execute at least one application for executing transactions between the communication component and the terminal; and

coupling the slave element to a master element via a second interface, the master element being adapted to control the slave element before a transaction is executed using the application.

17. A system for contactless short range communication between a device and a terminal, the system comprising:

means for coupling a slave element to a communication component for contactless short range communication via a first interface, the slave element being adapted to execute at least one application for executing transactions between the communication component and the terminal; and

means for coupling the slave element to a master element via a second interface, the master element being adapted to control the slave element before a transaction is executed using the application.