IC card with secure mass storage memory

• US 4,960,982 A
• Filed: 04/07/1988
• Issued: 10/02/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 04/09/1987
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Inventors: Takahira, Kenichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Levy, Stuart S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Weinhardt, Robert A.
• Application Number:
  US07/178,551
• Time in Patent Office: 908 Days
• Field of Search: 235/375, 235/380, 235/382, 235/487, 235/488, 235/492, 235/462, 369/14, 369/15, 369/59, 369/273, 369/52, 360/69
• US Class Current: 235/382
• 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: G06Q 20/367 involving electronic purses or money safes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40975 using encryption therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/1008 Active credit-cards provided with means to personalise their use, e.g. with PIN-introduction/comparison system

Abstract

An information recording system utilizing an IC card having an onboard microprocessor, an onboard semiconductor memory which can be accessed from outside the card only by way of the microprocessor, and an onboard mass storage device also accessible from outside the card but directly rather than through the microprocessor. The mass storage device can be a mass storage magnetic recording media or preferably an optical storage device, and provides a relatively inexpensive information storage media for large amounts of data. The semiconductor memory stores information which is necessary to properly access the information in the mass storage memory, and outputs that information to an associated interface unit only by way of the microprocessor. Thus, address or encryption information which is stored in the semiconductor memory is secure because of access being limited by the onboard microprocessor, and securing that information makes more secure the information stored in the mass storage device.

Claims

1. An information recording system comprising:

an IC card having an onboard microprocessor, an onboard semiconductor memory controlled by the onboard microprocessor, and an onboard mass storage memory accessible from the surface of the IC card,

interface means having first reader/writer means for interfacing with the semiconductor memory through the microprocessor and second reader/writer means for interfacing directly with the mass storage memory,

the mass storage memory having separately identifiable fields for storing blocks of data, at least some of the fields being non-contiguous but adapted to store blocks of data which are related to each other,

the semiconductor memory having storage locations for storing field identification information needed to selectively identify fields in the mass storage memory storing blocks of related data,

and means in the interface unit for accessing the field identification information from the semiconductor memory through the microprocessor and utilizing said field identification information for accessing blocks of related data in the mass storage memory.

2. The information recording system according to claim 1 wherein said field identification information relates to block addresses within the mass storage memory, at least some of the block addresses identifying non-contiguous fields adapted to store related information, the semiconductor memory serving to relate the block addresses for the fields which store blocks of related information.

3. The information recording system according to claim 1 wherein the field identification information further includes an encryption code for encoding and decoding the information stored in the mass storage memory.

4. An information recording system according to claim 3 wherein the semiconductor memory onboard the IC card has storage locations for storing validity confirming information for confirming the validity of the card possessor as a precondition to allowing access to the security information.

5. An information recording system according to claim 4 wherein the semiconductor memory onboard the IC card has storage locations for storing validity confirming information for confirming the identity of the interface unit as a precondition to allowing access to the security information.

6. The information recording system according to claim 1 wherein the mass storage memory is a magnetic memory and the second reader/writer means is a magnetic reader/writer.

7. The information recording system according to claim 1 wherein the mass storage memory is an optical memory and the second reader/writer means includes laser means for interfacing with the optical recording means.

8. An information recording system comprising:

an IC card having an onboard microprocessor and an onboard semiconductor memory connected to be addressable by the microprocessor but not addressable directly from outside the card,

an onboard mass storage memory having separately identifiable fields for storing blocks of information, at least some of the fields being non-contiguous but adapted to store related blocks of information, the onboard mass storage memory adapted to be accessible by external means when provided an enabling code including address codes identifying particular data blocks,

means associated with the microprocessor for storing enabling codes in the semiconductor memory, the enabling codes allowing access to predetermined blocks of the memory of the mass storage memory containing related information,

interface means having a first reader/writer means for communication with the semiconductor memory via the microprocessor and a second reader/writer means for communication with the mass storage memory,

the interface means having means for accepting an enabling code from the microprocessor means for accessing particular blocks of the mass storage device containing related information,

whereby the mass storage device is available for storage of related information in fields at least some of which are non-contiguous under the control of enabling codes stored in the semiconductor memory via the microprocessor means.

9. A secure mass storage device comprising, in combination:

a thin planar substrate in the form of a wallet sized card,

semiconductor means embedded in said card including a microprocessor and a semiconductor memory,

a mass storage memory accessible from outside the card and having a plurality of separately identifiable fields for reading and writing blocks of information, at least some of the fields being non-contiguous but adapted to store blocks of information which are related to each other,

the semiconductor memory cooperating with the microprocessor to serve as means for causing the microprocessor to identify particular fields within the mass storage memory storing blocks of related information thereby to direct access to the identified fields for reading and writing therein,

whereby access to particular fields in the mass storage memory on the card is identified by the information stored within the semiconductor memory and accessible through the microprocessor.