APPARATUS AND METHODS FOR RECORDATION OF DEVICE HISTORY ACROSS MULTIPLE SOFTWARE EMULATIONS

• US 20120135710A1
• Filed: 11/11/2011
• Published: 05/31/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Schell, Stephan V., Mathias, Arun
• Granted Patent: US 8,660,608 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/411
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0246 in block erasable memory, e.g. flash memory
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/177 Smart card
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/7211 Wear leveling
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0604 Improving or facilitating administration, e.g. storage management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0631 by allocating resources to storage systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0664 at device level, e.g. emulation of a storage device or system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/067 Distributed or networked storage systems, e.g. storage area networks [SAN], network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0679 Non-volatile semiconductor memory device, e.g. flash memory, one time programmable memory [OTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3816 Mechanical arrangements for accommodating identification devices, e.g. cards or chips; with connectors for programming identification devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/60 Subscription-based services using application servers or record carriers, e.g. SIM application toolkits
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/183 Processing at user equipment or user record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

Apparatus and methods for maintaining hardware history profiles for a software-based emulator. In one embodiment, the disclosed software-based emulator monitors the history of the actual hardware device in a secondary device history, the history of the emulated hardware is presented within a primary device history. However, the primary device history is linked to the secondary device history, and receives the device wear history therefrom. In another aspect of the present invention, wear-leveling strategies are disclosed for handling various update sizes. Unlike existing solutions which are optimized for a single SIM that receives small data updates; various embodiments of the present invention are suitable for handling varying data sizes.

Claims

1. A secure element, comprising:

first apparatus configured to load the secure element with a emulation program, wherein the emulation program monitors a wear-leveling history within the secure element;

second apparatus in communication with the first apparatus and configured to store the wear-leveling history to an external memory; and

third apparatus in communication with the external memory and configured to preload wear-leveling history within the secure element from the external memory.

2. The secure element of claim 1, further comprising apparatus configured to perform an Authentication and Key Agreement (AKA) procedure.

3. The secure element of claim 2, where the secure element comprises an Electronic Universal Integrated Circuit Card (eUICC).

4. The secure element of claim 3, where the emulation program comprises an Electronic Subscriber Identity Module (eSIM).

5. A method for tracking hardware specific features, the method comprising:

loading an emulator with a first emulation program, wherein the emulation program monitors at least one hardware specific attribute within a primary device history;

storing the at least one hardware specific attribute in a secondary device history;

responsive to a request to load a subsequent emulation program;

loading the emulator with the subsequent emulation program; and

preloading a corresponding hardware specific attribute with the stored at least one hardware specific attribute from the secondary device history.

6. The method of claim 5, where the emulator comprises an Electronic Universal Integrated Circuit Card (eUICC), that is contained within a secure element;

where the emulation program comprises an Electronic Subscriber Identity Module (eSIM); and

where the at least one hardware specific attribute comprises wear-leveling information.

7. The method of claim 5, where the first and subsequent emulation program comprises one or more Electronic Subscriber Identity Modules (eSIMs) stored within a mobile device.

8. The method of claim 5, where each of the one or more eSIMs is further configured to obtain wireless network services from the eSIM'"'"'s corresponding network operator according to an Authentication and Key Agreement (AKA) procedure.

9. The method of claim 5, where the at least one hardware specific attribute comprises wear-leveling information for a floating-gate transistor based memory.

10. The method of claim 9, where the floating-gate transistor based memory comprises an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory).

11. The method of claim 9, where the floating-gate transistor based memory comprises a flash memory.

12. The method of claim 9, where the wear-leveling information is stored within a primary device history during operation.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising responsive to writing to the primary device history, updating the secondary device history.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the primary device history is securely coupled to the secondary device history.

15. A wireless apparatus, comprising:

one or more wireless interfaces;

a secure element, the secure element comprising an emulator configured to execute one or more emulation programs, the one or more emulation programs further configured to monitor at least one hardware specific attribute in a secondary device history;

a processor; and

a computer readable apparatus having a storage medium with at least one computer program stored thereon, the at least one computer program configured to, when executed on the processor;

responsive to a request to load the emulator with a first emulation program;

preload at least one first hardware specific attribute corresponding to the

first emulation program with at least one hardware specific attribute from the secondary device history; and

update the preloaded at least one first hardware specific attribute corresponding to the first emulation program in the secondary device history.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, where the emulator comprises an Electronic Universal Integrated Circuit Card (eUICC).

17. The apparatus of claim 15, where the one or more emulation program comprises an Electronic Subscriber Identity Module (eSIM).

18. The apparatus of claim 15, where the secure element comprises a floating-gate transistor based memory.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, where the floating-gate transistor based memory comprises an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory).

20. The apparatus of claim 18, where the floating-gate transistor based memory comprises a flash memory.

21. The apparatus of claim 15, where the secure element is further configured to execute a secure bootstrap operating system.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, where the secure element executes from a virtualized address space.