Method of transmitting data quickly and securely from a smart card during a remote transaction

• US 5,532,689 A
• Filed: 07/07/1994
• Issued: 07/02/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 07/09/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Compagnie Generale D'Electricite
• Original Assignee: Compagnie Generale D'Electricite
• Inventors: Bueno, Serge
• Primary Examiner(s): SWARTHOUT, BRENT
• Application Number:
  US08/271,664
• Time in Patent Office: 726 Days
• Field of Search: 340/928, 340/932.2, 340/905, 364/401, 235/384, 235/380, 235/382, 380/23, 380/24, 902/26
• US Class Current: 340/928
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07741 comprising a first part operating as a regular record carrier and a second attachable part that changes the functional appearance of said record carrier, e.g. a contact-based smart card with an adapter part which, when attached to the contact card makes the contact card function as a non-contact card
• 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: G06Q 20/341 Active cards, i.e. cards including their own processing means, e.g. including an IC or chip
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/363 with the personal data of a user
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/063 using wireless information transmission between the vehicle and a fixed station identification of vehicles G08G
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/082 Features insuring the integrity of the data on or in the card
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/0866 by active credit-cards adapted therefor G07F7/1008 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/1008 Active credit-cards provided with means to personalise their use, e.g. with PIN-introduction/comparison system

Abstract

A method of transmitting data quickly and securely from a smart card during a remote transaction between a fixed station and a mobile item of equipment containing a smart-card reader, said card reader having a fast memory, wherein, on receiving said card, and in addition to storing the data from the card in said fast memory, said reader also stores a pair of data items in said fast memory, one of which data items identifies the number of the card, and the other data item corresponds to an access count indicating the number of accesses to the card, each access by any reader incrementing the access count in the card by unity, and wherein, during the transaction, the mobile item of equipment, which is interrogated remotely by the fixed station, compares said pair of data items stored in said fast memory of said reader with the pair of data items of the card that is currently inserted in the mobile item of equipment, and transmits the result of the comparison and the data of the card, which data is stored in the fast memory, to the fixed station.

Claims

1. A method of transmitting data quickly and securely from a smart card during a remote transaction between a fixed station and a mobile item of equipment containing a smart-card reader, said card reader having a fast memory, the method comprising the steps of:

inserting said card in said reader;

storing data from the card in the fast memory of said reader, said data comprising a pair of data items including a first data item and a second data item, said first data item identifying the number of the card, and said second data item corresponding to an access count indicating the number of accesses to the card;

incrementing the access count in the card by unity upon each access by the reader, said step of incrementing being performed internally by the card;

comparing said pair of data items stored in said fast memory of said reader with the pair of data items from the card that is currently provided in the mobile item of equipment, said step of comparing being performed by the mobile item of equipment during the remote transaction; and

transmitting the result of the comparison and the data stored in the fast memory to the fixed station.

2. The method defined in claim 1, further comprising the step of initially incrementing said access count in the card by unity when said card is inserted, said step of initially incrementing being performed internally by said card prior to when said access count is incremented upon each access by said reader.

3. The method defined in claim 1, wherein the step of incrementing the access count is performed by a counter in the card.

4. The method defined in claim 2, wherein said step of incrementing the access count upon each access by said reader is performed by a counter in the card.