Method for conveying control commands for SIM card from external apparatus to SIM card

• US 6,092,133 A
• Filed: 10/28/1997
• Issued: 07/18/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nokia Mobile Phones UK Limited (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Mobile Phones UK Limited (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Erola, Mika, Honkanen, Jukka-Pekka, Halminen, Harri
• Primary Examiner(s): Auve, Glenn A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): VO, TIM T
• Application Number:
  US08/959,315
• Time in Patent Office: 994 Days
• Field of Search: 395/282, 455/418, 455/432, 455/445, 455/411, 455/406, 455/456, 455/90, 380/23, 380/25, 380/49, 235/379, 235/492, 235/487, 235/493, 235/380, 235/439, 235/441
• US Class Current: 710/301
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/08 from or to individual record carriers, e.g. punched card , memory card, integrated circuit [IC] card or smart card
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/0013 by galvanic contacts, e.g. card connectors for ISO-7816 compliant smart cards or memory cards, e.g. SD card readers connectors in general H01R13/00; connectors for SIM cards used in mobile phones or the like H04B1/3816
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/0086 the connector comprising a circuit for steering the operations of the card connector
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/229 Hierarchy of users of accounts
• 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: G07F 7/1008 Active credit-cards provided with means to personalise their use, e.g. with PIN-introduction/comparison system

Abstract

The method according to the invention can be used for conveying low-level SIM card commands from an external apparatus (12) of a mobile station (1) to a SIM card (2) connected to the mobile station. The invention is based on locking the SIM card (2) solely for a particular control element (10) for the duration of the exchange of low-level commands. The mobile station according to the invention advantageously includes two SIM card control elements (4, 10) the first of which (4) is intended for executing commands issued by internal blocks of the mobile station and the second of which (10) is intended for conveying low-level commands from an external apparatus (12) connected to the mobile station. Said first control element (4) receives high-level commands from the various blocks (6) of the mobile station and conveys to the SIM card (2) the corresponding low-level command sequences. Said second control element (10) reserves the SIM card (2) for itself, when necessary, whereafter the external apparatus (12) connected to the mobile station can issue low-level commands which are conveyed by said second control element (10) to the SIM card (2). Said second control element (10) frees the SIM card only when the external apparatus (12) indicates that the command sequence has ended. If said first control element (4) receives a command during the command sequence of the external apparatus, the first control element (4) remains waiting and executes the operations required by the command after the SIM card (2) has been released and is no more used by said second control element (10).

Claims

1. An apparatus having means for functionally connecting a smart card to the apparatus, comprising:

a first smart card control element for receiving high-level control commands belonging to a predetermined selection of commands, for controlling a smart card connected to the smart card connection means according to a predetermined low-level command sequence corresponding to the control command in question; and

a second smart card control element for receiving low-level commands and for conveying them to the smart card connected to the smart card connection means;

wherein said smart card control elements are arranged to reserve the smart card connected to the smart card connection means for one smart card control element at a time; and

during operation of the apparatus with an external source of command signal, said second smart card control element is responsive to a command from said external source to reserve a resource, provided that if said resource is reserved by said first smart card control element, said second smart card control element is to wait for a release of said resource.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 comprising

an I/O interface for connection of external apparatuses and for transferring of commands from an external apparatus connected to the I/O interface to said second smart card control element, and

at least one further internal block for sending said high-level control commands to said first smart card control element.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the means for functionally connecting a smart card to the apparatus is adapted to connect to more than one smart card at a time.

4. A system having a host device which has

means for functionally connecting a smart card to the system, and

at least one smart card functionally connected to the means, the system comprising;

a first smart card control element in the host device for receiving high-level control commands belonging to a predetermined selection of commands, for controlling a smart card connected to the smart card connection means according to a predetermined low-level command sequence corresponding to the control command in question;

a second smart card control element in the host device for receiving low-level commands and for conveying them to the smart card connected to the smart card connection means, said smart card control elements being arranged to reserve the smart card connected to the smart card connection means for one smart card control element at a time;

at least one further internal block in the host device for sending said high-level control commands to said first smart card control element;

an I/O interface in the host device for connecting external apparatuses and for transferring commands from an external apparatus to said second smart card control element; and

an external apparatus connected to said I/O interface;

wherein during operation of the system with said external apparatus, said second smart card control element is responsive to a command from said external apparatus to reserve a resource, provided that if said resource is reserved by said first smart card control element, said second smart card control element is to wait for a release of said resource.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein at least one smart card is an active smart card provided having a processor.

6. The system of claim 4, comprising a memory in the smart card for storing at least one received command for recovery from an error situation.

7. A method for conveying commands from a unit to a smart card,

which smart card can be controlled at least via a first smart card control element and a second smart card control element, and which commands from the unit to the smart card are conveyed via the second smart card control element,

comprising steps in which

said unit sends a first command to the second smart card control element,

in response to said command the second smart card control element attempts to reserve the smart card for itself,

when the reservation succeeds, the second smart card control element informs the unit of the reservation,

whereafter the unit sends commands to the second smart card control element which passes them on to the smart card and returns the responses from the smart card to the unit,

the unit sends an end command to said second smart card control element, and

in response to the end command the second control smart card element releases the smart card for use by other smart card control elements.

8. The method of claim 7, comprising steps in which

the second smart card control element remains waiting for the smart card to be freed, if the smart card is in use by the first smart card control element when the second smart card control element tries to reserve it;

and

the first smart card control element remains waiting for the smart card to be freed, if the first smart card element tries to use the smart card when the smart card is being used by the second smart card control element.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein

the conveyed commands form command sequences, each of which is terminated with an end command,

the method further having steps in which

the second smart card control element monitors the time used by the unit to send the commands of a command sequence,

the second smart card control element compares the time to a predetermined time limit and if the time exceeds said time limit, the second smart card control element releases the smart card for use by other smart card control elements.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein said first command sent by said unit is a smart card reservation command.

11. A mobile communication device having means for functionally connecting a smart card to the device, comprising:

a first smart card control element for receiving high-level control commands belonging to a predetermined selection of commands, for controlling a smart card connected to the smart card connection means according to a predetermined low-level command sequence corresponding to a control command in question;

a second smart card control element for receiving low-level commands and for conveying them to the smart card connected to the smart card connection means;

an input/output interface for connection of external apparatuses and for transferring of commands from an external apparatus connected to the input/output interface to said second smart card control element;

at least one further internal block for sending high-level control commands to said first smart card control element; and

wherein said first and said second smart card control elements are arranged to reserve the smart card connected to the smart card connection means for one of said smart card control elements at a time; and

during operation of the communication device with said external apparatus, said second smart card control element is responsive to a command from said external apparatus to reserve a resource, provided that if said resource is reserved by said first smart card control element, said second smart card control element is to wait for a release of said resource.

12. A system having a portable computer and a mobile communication device, said mobile communication device having means for functionally connecting a smart card to the device, the system comprising:

a first smart card control element in the mobile communication device for receiving high-level control commands belonging to a predetermined selection of commands, and for controlling a smart card connected to the smart card connection means according to a predetermined low-level command sequence corresponding to a control command in question;

a second smart card control element in the mobile communication device for receiving low-level commands and for conveying them to the smart card connected to the smart card connection means;

an input/output interface in the mobile communication device for connection of the portable computer to the mobile communication device and for transferring of commands from the portable computer connected to the input/output interface to said second smart card control element;

at least one further internal block in the mobile communication device for sending said high-level control commands to said first smart card control element; and

wherein said first and said smart card control elements in the mobile communication device are arranged to reserve the smart card connected to the smart card connection means for one of said smart card control elements at a time; and

during operation of the system with said computer, said second smart card control element is responsive to a command from said computer to reserve a resource, provided that if said resource is reserved by said first smart card control element, said second smart card control element is to wait for a release of said resource.