System and method for flexibly loading an IC card

• US 6,742,715 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2002
• Issued: 06/01/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Multos Ltd
• Original Assignee: Mondex International Ltd. (MasterCard Incorporated)
• Inventors: Everett, David Barrington, Richards, Timothy Philip, Miller, Stuart James, Viner, John Charles, Simmons, Ian Stephen, Peacham, Anthony David
• Primary Examiner(s): TREMBLAY, MARK STEPHEN
• Application Number:
  US10/260,858
• Publication Number:
  US 20030024980A1
• Time in Patent Office: 610 Days
• Field of Search: 235/380, 235/492
• US Class Current: 235/492
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0719 at least one of the integrated circuit chips comprising an arrangement for application selection, e.g. an acceleration sensor or a set of radio buttons application selection on smart cards using pure software control, see G07F7/10
• 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 20/355 Personalisation of cards for use
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3552 Downloading or loading of personalisation data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/35765 Access rights to memory zones
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/4097 using mutual authentication between devices and transaction partners
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40975 using encryption therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/084 Additional components relating to data transfer and storing, e.g. error detection, self-diagnosis
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/1008 Active credit-cards provided with means to personalise their use, e.g. with PIN-introduction/comparison system
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/1016 Devices or methods for securing the PIN and other transaction-data, e.g. by encryption arrangements for secret communication, see H04L9/00

Abstract

A system and method of flexibly loading an application and its associated data from an application provider onto an IC card. The application and its associated data is divided into segments which can each fit into the input buffer of an Integrated circuit card. Each segment is transmitted separately and the Integrated circuit card then stores the segment in an available space in the IC card'"'"'s memory. The segments can be placed in non-contiguous memory in order to reduce memory fragmentation.

Claims

1. A method for loading an application onto an integrated circuit card subsequent to its issuance the integrated circuit card comprising a memory containing two or more available different-sized spaces each defined by a contiguous memory space of sequential memory addresses with no skipped addresses, said different-sized spaces resulting from content deletions or additions to said memory and including at least one said space having a smallest-sized available area, the method comprising:

dividing the application into a plurality of segments; and

for at least one of the plurality of segments, determining which of the one or more available spaces has the smallest-sized available area in the memory in which the at least one of the plurality of segments can be stored.

2. An application loading system for loading an application onto an integrated circuit card subsequent to its issuance, comprising:

an application provider for dividing an application into a plurality of segments; and

said integrated circuit card comprising a memory containing two or more available spaces each defined by a continguous memory space of sequential memory addresses with no skipped addresses, said different-sized spaces resulting from content deletions or additions to said memory and including at least one said space having a smallest-sized available area, the integrated circuit card for determining, for at least one of the plurality of segments, which of the one or more available spaces has the smallest available area in the memory in which the at least one of the plurality of segments can be stored.