Smart card patch manager

• US 6,338,435 B1
• Filed: 08/31/1999
• Issued: 01/15/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 01/15/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: Cryptech Systems Incorporated
• Inventors: Carper, Todd
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, THIEN MINH
• Application Number:
  US09/386,289
• Time in Patent Office: 868 Days
• Field of Search: 235/492, 235/380, 235/375, 235/382, 235/441, 235/487, 235/493, 380/23, 380/29
• US Class Current: 235/487
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/60 Software deployment
• 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 20/3552 Downloading or loading of personalisation data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3576 Multiple memory zones on card
• 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 present invention provides a system and method for patching ROM based programming in a smart card. By means of a ROM management record and a ROM management record address indicator, patch code downloaded to and installed in read/write memory may be used to completely replace ROM based programming code.

Claims

1. A smart card comprising:

a microprocessor and a memory;

the memory comprising a ROM and a read/write memory;

wherein

the memory stores a ROM management record,

the ROM stores at least an operating system (OS) and an application, and

the read/write memory stores a ROM management record address indicator identifying the location in memory for the ROM management record.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the ROM management record is stored in ROM.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the ROM management record is stored in read/write memory.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the ROM further stores at least one of an Application Programming Interface (API) and a Hardware Applications Layer (HAL).

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the ROM management record identifies a location in ROM for the at least one API and HAL.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the ROM management record is a vector table identifying respective locations in ROM for the OS, the API, and the HAL.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the ROM management record address indicator is stored in a global data object reserve space in read/write memory.

8. A method of patching ROM based programming in a smart card comprising a microprocessor and a memory, the memory comprising a ROM and read/write memory, the method comprising:

storing an initial ROM management record in memory;

storing a ROM management record address indicator in read/write memory identifying a location in memory for the initial ROM management record;

patching ROM based programming;

after patching ROM based programming, storing a new ROM management record in read/write memory, and updating the ROM management record address indicator to identify a location in read/write memory for the new ROM management record.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein storing an initial ROM management record in memory comprises storing an initial ROM management record in ROM.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the ROM stores an operating system (OS), and wherein the ROM management record identifies a location in ROM for the OS.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the OS implements a plurality of OS functions, and wherein the ROM management record identifies a respective location in ROM for each one of the OS functions.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the ROM further stores an Application Programming Interface (API) indexing at least one of the OS functions, and wherein the ROM management record identifies a location in ROM for the API.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the ROM further stores a Hardware Application Layer (HAL), and wherein the ROM management record identifies a location in ROM for the HAL.

14. A method of patching ROM based programming in a smart card comprising a microprocessor and a memory, the memory comprising a ROM and read/write memory, the memory storing an initial ROM management record, and the read/write memory storing a ROM management record address indicator identifying a location in memory for the initial ROM management record;

downloading an application implementing the patch to the read/write memory;

installing the application in read/write memory;

executing the application to patch ROM based programming.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein executing the application to patch ROM based programming comprises:

creating patch code to modify the ROM based programming;

creating a new ROM management record in read/write memory to replace the initial ROM management record; and

updating the ROM management record address indicator to identify a location in read/write memory for the new ROM management record.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein installing the application in read/write memory comprises authenticating the application.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein authenticating the application comprises confirming a digital security signature associated with the downloaded application.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the ROM stores an operating system (OS), and wherein the ROM management record identifies a location in ROM for the OS.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the OS implements a plurality of OS functions, and wherein the ROM management record identifies a respective location in ROM for each one of the OS functions.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the ROM further stores an Application Programming Interface (API) indexing at least one of the OS functions, and wherein the ROM management record identifies a location in ROM for the API.