Method of debiting an electronic payment means

• US 6,076,073 A
• Filed: 03/01/1999
• Issued: 06/13/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke KPN NV
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke KPN NV
• Inventors: Pieterse, Rob, Rombaut, Willem
• Primary Examiner(s): Kemper, Melanie A.
• Application Number:
  US09/259,584
• Time in Patent Office: 470 Days
• Field of Search: 705/39, 705/50, 380/21, 380/24, 235/380, 235/383
• US Class Current: 705/39
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• 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 20/3674 involving authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3676 Balancing accounts
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/4093 Monitoring of device authentication
• 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

The invention provides a method for protectedly debiting an electronic payment mechanism, such as a telephone card. In the communication protocol between the payment mechanism and a payment station, an authentication is used to identify the payment mechanism during various steps of the protocol. According to the invention, the authentications are mutually related by states of a cryptographic process in order to be capable of detecting an interference in the protocol. The method may be applied to existing payment cards having a dynamic memory, it being guaranteed that the contents of the dynamic memory, in which there is located information related to the authentication, is not lost during the protocol.

Claims

1. A method of performing a transaction between an electronic payment mechanism associated with a first payment institution, and a payment station associated with a second payment institution, comprising:

requesting, by said payment station, payment data from said payment mechanism;

generating a plurality of authentication codes in which each authentication code of said plurality of authentication codes is linked to a preceding authentication code in a same transaction between said payment mechanism and said payment station;

transmitting, by said payment mechanism, said requested payment data including a respective authentication code of said plurality of authentication codes, to said payment station; and

exchanging payment institution data, which is derived from payment data transacted between the payment mechanism and the payment station, between the first payment institution and the second payment institution.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said step of generating said plurality of authentication codes generates at least one authentication code using an initial value derived from a final state of a previously generated authentication code.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein said step of generating said plurality of authentication codes generates at least one authentication code using a key.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein said step of generating said plurality of authentication codes generates at least one authentication code using a random value.

5. A method of performing a transaction between an electronic payment mechanism associated with a first payment institution, and a payment station associated with a second payment institution, comprising:

transferring, by said payment station, a first random value to said payment mechanism;

determining a first authentication code using at least a first value, the first random value, and a first balance of said payment mechanism;

generating a first end value corresponding to said first authentication code;

transferring, by said payment mechanism in response to said first random value transferred by said payment station, said first authentication code to said payment station;

transferring, by said payment station, a debiting command to said payment mechanism;

reducing said first balance of said payment mechanism to a second balance using said debiting command;

transferring, by said payment station, a second random value to said payment mechanism;

determining a second authentication code using at least a second start value, the second random value, and said second balance of said payment mechanism;

transferring, by said payment mechanism in response to said second random value transferred by said payment station, said second authentication code to said payment station; and

exchanging payment institution data, which is derived from payment data transacted between the payment mechanism and the payment station, between the first payment institution and the second payment institution,

wherein in said step of determining said second authentication code, said second start value is based on said first end value.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein in said step of determining said second authentication code, said second start value is identical to said first end value.

7. The method according to claim 5, further comprising:

determining at least one of said first authentication code and said seconded usentication code using a key and an identification code.

8. The method according to claim 5, further comprising:

determining said first end value, said first authentication code, and said second authentication code using a cryptographic function.

9. The method according to claim 5, further comprising:

transferring, by the payment mechanism, said first balance and said second balance to said payment station; and

recording, by the payment station, a difference between said first balance and said second balance.

10. The method according to claim 5, further comprising:

setting said second random value to be identical to said first random value before transferring said second random value.

11. The method according to claim 5, further comprising:

repeatedly writing at least one of said first balance and said second balance to a rewritable memory of said payment mechanism in accordance with predetermined clock pulses such that contents of a dynamic memory of said payment mechanism are maintained, said contents of the dynamic memory including at least one of said first authentication code, said second authentication code, said first random number and said second random number.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein said step of repeatedly writing writes said at least one of said first balance and said second balance to said rewritable memory between 50 and 150 times.

13. The method according to claim 11, further comprising:

increasing a frequency of said predetermined clock pulses.

14. The method according to claim 11, further comprising:

adjusting a shape of said predetermined clock pulses to comprise an asymmetric 1/0. ratio.

15. A smart card, comprising:

means for storing data corresponding to a balance of said smart card;

feedback means for producing at least one authentication code for said smart card;

means for combining, which is connected to said means for storing and said feedback means, data from said means for storing and feedback data from said feedback means, and for inputting said combined data to said feedback means; and

means for generating a clock pulse which controls an operation of said means for storing and said feedback means,

wherein contents of said feedback means are maintained by varying at least one of a frequency and a ratio of said generated clock pulses.

16. A smart card according to claim 15, further comprising:

register means, connected to said means for combining, for storing a random value.

17. A smart card, comprising:

means for storing data corresponding to a balance of said smart card;

feedback means for producing at least one authentication code for said smart card;

means for combining, which is connected to the means for storing and the feedback means, data from said means for storing and feedback data from said feedback means, and for inputting said combined data to said feedback means; and

means for generating a clock pulse which controls an operation of said means for storing and said feedback means,

wherein contents of said feedback means are maintained by repeatedly writing said data corresponding to said balance to said means for storing between 50 and 150 times.

18. A system of performing a transaction between an electronic payment mechanism and a payment station, comprising:

means for requesting, by said payment station, payment data from said payment mechanism;

means for generating a plurality of authentication codes in which each authentication code of said plurality of authentication codes is linked to a preceding authentication code in a same transaction between said payment mechanism and said payment station; and

means for transmitting, by said payment mechanism, said requested payment data including a respective authentication code of said plurality of authentication codes, to said payment station.

19. The system according to claim 18, wherein said means for generating said plurality of authentication codes generates at least one authentication code using an initial value derived from a final state of a previously generated authentication code.

20. The system according to claim 18, wherein said means for generating said plurality of authentication codes generates at least one authentication code using a key.

21. The system according to claim 18, wherein said means for generating said plurality of authentication codes generates at least one authentication code using a random value.

22. A system of performing a transaction between an electronic payment mechanism and a payment station, comprising:

means for transferring, by said payment station, a first random value to said payment mechanism;

means for determining a first authentication code using at least a first value, the first random value, and a first balance of said payment mechanism;

means for generating a first end value corresponding to said first authentication code;

means for transferring, by said payment mechanism in response to said first random value transferred by said payment station, said first authentication code to said payment station;

means for transferring, by said payment station, a debiting command to said payment mechanism;

means for reducing said first balance of said payment mechanism to a second balance using said debiting command;

means for transferring, by said payment station, a second random value to said payment mechanism;

means for determining a second authentication code using at least a second start value, the second random value, and said second balance of said payment mechanism; and

means for transferring, by said payment mechanism in response to said second random value transferred by said payment station, said second authentication code to said payment station;

wherein in said means for determining said second authentication code, said second start value is based on said first end value.

23. The system according to claim 22, wherein in said means for determining said second authentication code, said second start value is identical to said first end value.

24. The system according to claim 22, further comprising:

means for determining at least one of said first authentication code and said second authentication code using a key and an identification code.

25. The system according to claim 22, further comprising:

means for determining said first end value, said first authentication code, and said second authentication code using a cryptographic function.

26. The system according to claim 22, further comprising:

means for transferring, by the payment mechanism, said first balance and said second balance to said payment station; and

means for recording, by the payment station, a difference between said first balance and said second balance.

27. The system according to claim 22, further comprising:

means for setting said second random value to be identical to said first random value before transferring said second random value.

28. The system according to claim 22, further comprising:

means for repeatedly writing at least one of said first balance and said second balance to a rewritable memory of said payment mechanism in accordance with predetermined clock pulses such that contents of a dynamic memory of said payment mechanism are maintained, said contents of the dynamic memory including at least one of said first authentication code, said second authentication code, said first random number and said second random number.

29. The system according to claim 28, wherein said means for repeatedly writing writes said at least one of said first balance and said second balance to said rewritable memory between 50 and 150 times.

30. The system according to claim 28, further comprising:

means for increasing a frequency of said predetermined clock pulses.

31. The system according to claim 28, further comprising:

means for adjusting a shape of said predetermined clock pulses to comprise an asymmetric 1/0 ratio.

32. A payment station used in a transaction with an electronic payment mechanism, comprising:

a first mechanism configured to generate and transfer a first random value to the payment mechanism; and

a second mechanism configured to determine whether or not an authentication code received from said payment mechanism is linked to a preceding authentication code in a same transaction between the payment mechanism and the payment station.

33. The payment station according to claim 32, further comprising:

a third mechanism configured to transfer a debiting command to the payment mechanism.

34. The payment station according to claim 32, further comprising:

a third mechanism configured to transfer payment data transacted between the payment station and the payment mechanism to a payment institution.

35. An electronic payment mechanism used in a transaction with a payment station, comprising:

a first mechanism configured to generate a plurality of authentication codes in which each authentication code of the plurality of authentication codes is linked to a preceding authentication code in a same transaction between the payment mechanism and the payment station; and

a second mechanism configured to transfer a respective authentication code generated by said first mechanism to said payment station in response to a random value received from the payment station.

36. The payment mechanism according to claim 35, wherein said first mechanism generates at least one authentication code of the plurality of authentication codes using the random value received from the payment station.

37. The payment mechanism according to claim 35, wherein said first mechanism generates at least one authentication code of the plurality of authentication codes using a cryptographic function.

38. The payment mechanism according to claim 35, wherein said first mechanism generates at least one authentication code of the plurality of authentication codes using an initial value derived from a final state of a previously generated authentication code.

39. The payment mechanism according to claim 35, wherein said first mechanism generates at least one authentication code of the plurality of authentication codes using a balance of the payment mechanism.

40. The payment mechanism according to claim 35, where said first mechanism generates at least one authentication code of the plurality of authentication codes using a key and an identification code.

41. The payment mechanism according to claim 35, further comprising:

a third mechanism configured to transfer payment data transacted between the payment station and the payment mechanism to a payment institution.