Mobile phone

• US 6,766,177 B2
• Filed: 03/14/2001
• Issued: 07/20/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sagem SA (Safran SA)
• Original Assignee: Sagem SA (Safran SA)
• Inventors: Leheup, Jocelyn, Chambon, François
• Primary Examiner(s): Vo, Nguyen T.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Behulu, Alemayehu
• Application Number:
  US09/808,393
• Publication Number:
  US 20020016186A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,224 Days
• Field of Search: 455/550.1, 455/558, 455/575.1, 455/566, 455/573
• US Class Current: 455/550.1
• 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 7/084 Additional components relating to data transfer and storing, e.g. error detection, self-diagnosis
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/0886 the card reader being portable for interacting with a POS or ECR in realizing a payment transaction
• 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: H04B 1/3816 Mechanical arrangements for accommodating identification devices, e.g. cards or chips; with connectors for programming identification devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3883 Arrangements for mounting batteries or battery chargers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/08 between user and terminal device

Abstract

To resolve problems of communication between a mobile telephone provided with a smart-card reader and the circuits of a smart-card reader, it is planned to provide this mobile telephone with a fourth microprocessor designed to manage the communications of the mobile telephone with the smart card only. This fourth microprocessor then becomes, in competition with a SIM security circuit of the mobile telephone, a master of the microprocessor of the mobile telephone. To resolve the problem of competition resulting from the existence of these two master circuits, it is planned that one of the two will be called upon to execute a command and that it will execute this command if it falls within the commands that are executable by it. If this command is not executable by this first microprocessor, then it is transmitted to the microprocessor of the second master circuit so that this second master circuit executes it. By acting in this way, it is shown that it is very easy to update mobile telephones, even old models. To this end, it is enough to place especially the fourth microprocessor in a battery pack and interchange the battery pack with the original battery pack.

Claims

1. A mobile telephone comprising:

a first microprocessor to carry out a physical management of telecommunications circuits of the mobile telephone,

a second microprocessor to manage subscriber signals enabling the use of this mobile telephone on a mobile telephony network,

a chip carrier reader to receive a chip carrier, this chip carrier is provided with a third microprocessor,

wherein the mobile telephone comprises;

a fourth microprocessor to manage the communication between the chip carrier reader and the first microprocessor, and

in a program memory of the first or second microprocessor, a program for the rerouting, to the fourth microprocessor, of the commands whose execution by the second microprocessor has been attempted therein without success.

2. A telephone according to claim 1, comprising a program memory of the fourth microprocessor provided with a program to test whether a command received from the first microprocessor can be executed by this fourth microprocessor.

3. A telephone according to claim 1, comprising a program memory of the first microprocessor provided with a program to send a received or keyed-in command to the second or fourth microprocessor as a function of a busy status of this second or fourth microprocessor.

4. A telephone according to claim 1, comprising a removable chip carrier to contain the fourth microprocessor.

5. A telephone according to claim 1, wherein the fourth microprocessor comprises a data memory provided with a piece of identity information and/or information on the type of chip cater reader.

6. A telephone according to claim 1, comprising;

a fifth circuit, comprising a fifth microprocessor, with an interface between a pack of the mobile telephone and a battery pack to manage an electric power supply of the mobile telephone.

7. A telephone according to claim 1, wherein the program to reroute commands to the fourth microprocessor comprises means to transmit these commands to the chip earner.

8. A telephone according to claim 1, comprising

a third microprocessor in the chip carrier, this third microprocessor comprising a program memory containing an application activatable by the first microprocessor, this application being capable of controlling the first microprocessor.

9. A telephone according to claim 1, comprising means so that the first and fourth microprocessors dialog with each other according to the GSM standard 11 14.

10. A telephone according to claim 1 comprising, in a program memory, a program to store a command received from the network, verify the executable character of the received command and send the network an acknowledgment message if the execution of the command is possible.

11. A telephone according to claim 1 comprising, in program memory, a program to send the network a message providing information on a reader identifier and/or a version of this reader and/or an identifier of the third microprocessor.

12. A telephone according to claim 1, wherein the third microprocessor is contained in a microcard associated in a pair with the chip carrier.

13. A method for the control of a mobile telephone wherein,

a first microprocessor is used to carry oat a physical management of the telecommunications circuits of the mobile telephone;

a second microprocessor is used to manage subscription signals enabling the use of this mobile telephone on a mobile telephony network,

a chip carrier is received in a chip carrier reader, this chip carrier to be provided with a third microprocessor,

the method comprising the following steps;

the communications between the chip carrier reader and the first microprocessor are managed by means of a fourth microprocessor,

it is sought to obtain execution of a command by the second microprocessor, and

commands whose execution by the second microprocessor has been attempted therein without success are rerouted towards the fourth microprocessor.

14. A method according to claim 13, wherein data whose execution by the fourth microprocessor has failed is stored in a memory of the telephone.