INDEPENDENT SECURE ELEMENT MANAGEMENT

• US 20120291095A1
• Filed: 05/10/2011
• Published: 11/15/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/10/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Tyfone Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Tyfone Incorporated
• Inventors: Narendra, Siva G., Bloodworth, Donald Allen, Nuzum, Todd Raymond, Tadepalli, Prabhakar
• Application Number:
  US13/104,965
• Publication Number:
  US 20120291095A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/3
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/086 using security domains
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/60 Subscription-based services using application servers or record carriers, e.g. SIM application toolkits

Abstract

An independent secure element manager (ISEM) routes secure payloads without modifying the secure payloads and without knowledge of the encryption keys used to encrypt the secure payloads. Secure payloads from multiple issuers and multiple TSMs can coexist in one or more secure elements because of control by the ISEM.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a secure element;

an independent secure element management router to control access to the secure element based on a router path control value.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the apparatus comprises a microSD memory card.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the apparatus comprises a universal serial bus (USB) device.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the apparatus comprises a mobile phone.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the apparatus comprises a subscriber identity module (SIM).

6. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of secure elements.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the independent secure element management router is operable as a crosspoint switch to route secure payloads from a plurality of trusted service managers to the plurality of secure elements.

8. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the plurality of secure elements comprise a plurality of smart card secure elements.

9. A method comprising:

receiving a secure payload originating from a trusted service manager;

receiving a router path control value originating from an independent secure element manager; and

routing the secure payload to a secure element based on the router path control value.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein routing the secure payload comprises routing the secure payload to one of a plurality of secure elements.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein routing the secure payload comprises routing the secure payload to a secure element in a microSD memory card.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein routing the secure payload comprises routing the secure payload to a secure element in a universal serial bus (USB) device.

13. The method of claim 9 wherein routing the secure payload comprises routing the secure payload to a secure element in a mobile phone.

14. The method of claim 9 wherein routing the secure payload comprises routing the secure payload to a secure element in a tablet computer.

15. The method of claim 9 wherein routing the secure payload comprises routing a secure payload that includes financial information.

16. A method comprising:

receiving a request for a trusted service manager to communicate with a secure element;

verifying the trusted service manager has been validated; and

providing a router path control value that will cause an independent secure element management (ISEM) router to route communications from the trusted service manager to the secure element.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein providing a router path control value comprises providing a router path control value that will cause the ISEM router to route communications to a secure element in a microSD memory card.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein providing a router path control value comprises providing a router path control value that will cause the ISEM router to route communications to a secure element in a mobile device.

19. The method of claim 16 wherein providing a router path control value comprises providing a router path control value that will cause the ISEM router to route communications to a secure element in a subscriber identity module (SIM).

20. The method of claim 16 wherein providing a router path control value comprises providing a router path control value that will cause the ISEM router to route communications to one of a plurality of secure elements in a mobile device.