Contactless IC card, responding method, and program therefor

• US 7,016,924 B2
• Filed: 10/15/2001
• Issued: 03/21/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Kawano, Shinji, Nakabe, Futoshi, Masaki, Tadakatsu
• Primary Examiner(s): Chaki, Kakali
• Assistant Examiner(s): Do, Chat C.
• Application Number:
  US09/976,223
• Publication Number:
  US 20020046226A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,618 Days
• Field of Search: 708250-256
• US Class Current: 708/250
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0723 the record carrier comprising an arrangement for non-contact communication, e.g. wireless communication circuits on transponder cards, non-contact smart cards or RFIDs
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/0008 General problems related to the reading of electronic memory record carriers, independent of its reading method, e.g. power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10059 transponder driven

Abstract

A contactless integrated circuit (IC) card for providing a high-grade random number with a simple configuration. A plurality of provisional random numbers are generated according to a part of calculations to be used for generation of a random number. The plurality of provisional random numbers generated are stored. A random number is generated on the basis of one of the provisional random numbers selected in sequential order.

Claims

1. A contactless integrated circuit (IC) card responding to a request sent from a reader/writer by using a response timing calculated on the basis of slot numbers included in the request and a random number, the contactless IC card comprising:

a provisional random number generating unit operable to generate a plurality of provisional random numbers according to a part of calculations to be used for generating a random number;

a provisional random number storage unit operable to store the plurality of provisional random numbers generated by the provisional random number generating unit;

a random number generating unit operable to generate a random number on the basis of one of the stored provisional random numbers selected in sequential order at the time of receiving the request from the reader/writer; and

a self-response timing judging unit operable to judge if there is time needed for generating and storing the plurality of provisional random numbers until timing to respond by the card itself,

wherein the provisional random number generating unit generates the provisional random number if the self-response timing judging unit judges that there is the time needed for generating and storing the plurality of provisional random numbers until the response timing, and

wherein the self-response timing judging unit judges if there is the time needed for generating and storing the plurality of provisional random numbers between receiving the request from the reader/writer and the response to the request.

2. The contactless IC card according to claim 1, wherein the provisional random number storage unit is nonvolatile,

the provisional random number generating unit generates the plurality of provisional random numbers at the end of communication for using in a future response and stores the plurality of provisional random numbers in the nonvolatile provisional random number storage unit, and

the random number generating unit generates a random number on the basis of one of the provisional random numbers stored in the nonvolatile provisional random number storage unit when receiving the request.

3. A contactless integrated circuit (IC) card responding to a request sent from a reader/writer by using a response timing calculated on the basis of slot numbers included in the request and a random number, the contactless IC card comprising:

a provisional random number generating unit operable to generate a provisional random number according to a part of operations to be used for generating a random number;

a provisional random number storage unit operable to store the provisional random number generated by the provisional random number generating unit;

a random number generating unit operable to generate a random number on the basis of the stored provisional random number at the time of receiving the request from the reader/writer;

an interruption flag representing that the processing for generating provisional random numbers should be interrupted when the request from the reader/writer is received in the middle of the provisional random number generation;

a processing flag representing a position from which the provisional random number generation should be restarted after the end of the response to the request; and

a specific slot number storing unit operable to store a specific value,

wherein the provisional random number generation should be interrupted or restarted on the basis of the interruption flag and the processing flag, and

wherein the provisional random number generating unit interrupts the processing for generating provisional random numbers when the request from the reader/writer is received in the middle of the provisional random number generation and then makes a response to that request based on the specific value stored in the specific slot number storing unit.

4. The contactless IC card according to claim 3, wherein a value stored in the specific slot number storing unit is 1.

5. A responding method of contactless integrated circuit (IC) card responding to a request sent from a reader/writer by using a response timing calculated on the basis of slot numbers included in the request and a random number, the method comprising the steps of:

generating a plurality of provisional random numbers according to a part of calculations to be used for generating a random number;

storing the plurality of provisional random numbers generated by the provisional random number generating step;

generating a random number on the basis of one of the stored provisional random numbers selected in sequential order at the time of receiving the request from the reader/writer; and

judging if there is time needed for generating and storing the plurality of provisional random numbers until timing to respond by the card itself,

wherein the provisional random number generating step generates the provisional random number if the judging step judges that there is the time needed for generating and storing the plurality of provisional random numbers until the response timing, and

wherein the judging step judges if there is the time needed for generating and storing the plurality of provisional random numbers between receiving the request from the reader/writer and the response to the request.

6. A computer program product having a program executed by a contactless integrated circuit (IC) card responding to a request sent from a reader/writer by using a response timing calculated on the basis of slot numbers included in the request and a random number, the program, when executed, causing the contactless IC card to perform the steps of:

generating a plurality of provisional random numbers according to a part of calculations to be used for generating a random number;

storing the plurality of provisional random numbers generated by the provisional random number generating step;

generating a random number on the basis of one of the stored provisional random numbers selected in sequential order at the time of receiving the request from the reader/writer; and

judging if there is time needed for generating and storing the plurality of provisional random numbers until timing to respond by the card itself,

wherein the provisional random number generating step generates the provisional random number if the judging step judges that there is the time needed for generating and storing the plurality of provisional random numbers until the response timing, and

wherein the judging step judges if there is the time needed for generating and storing the plurality of provisional random numbers between receiving the request from the reader/writer and the response to the request.

7. A computer readable medium for storing a program executed by a contactless integrated circuit (IC) card responding to a request sent from a reader/writer by using a response timing calculated on the basis of slot numbers included in the request and a random number, the program, when executed, causing the contactless IC card to perform the steps of:

generating a plurality of provisional random numbers according to a part of calculations to be used for generating a random number;

storing the plurality of provisional random numbers generated by the provisional random number generating step;

generating a random number on the basis of one of the stored provisional random numbers selected in sequential order at the time of receiving the request from the reader/writer; and

judging if there is time needed for generating and storing the plurality of provisional random numbers until timing to respond by the card itself,

wherein the provisional random number generating step generates the provisional random number if the judging step judges that there is the time needed for generating and storing the plurality of provisional random numbers until the response timing, and

wherein the judging step judges if there is the time needed for generating and storing the plurality of provisional random numbers between receiving the request from the reader/writer and the response to the request.

8. A responding method of contactless integrated circuit (IC) card responding to a request sent from a reader/writer by using a response timing calculated on the basis of slot numbers included in the request and a random number, the method comprising the steps of:

generating a provisional random number according to a part of operations to be used for generating a random number;

storing the provisional random number generated by the provisional random number generating step;

generating a random number on the basis of the stored provisional random number at the time of receiving the request from the reader/writer;

setting an interruption flag representing that the processing for generating provisional random numbers should be interrupted when the request from the reader/writer is received in the middle of the provisional random number generation;

setting a processing flag representing a position from which the provisional random number generation should be restarted after the end of the response to the request; and

storing a specific value in a specific slot number storing unit;

wherein the provisional random number generation should be interrupted or restarted on the basis of the interruption flag and the processing flag, and

wherein the provisional random number generating step interrupts the processing for generating provisional random numbers when the request from the reader/writer is received in the middle of the provisional random number generation and then makes a response to that request based on the specific value stored in the specific slot number storing unit.

9. A computer program product having a program executed by a contactless integrated circuit (IC) card responding to a request sent from a reader/writer by using a response timing calculated on the basis of slot numbers included in the request and a random number, the program, when executed, causing the contactless IC card to perform the steps of:

generating a provisional random number according to a part of operations to be used for generating a random number;

storing the provisional random number generated by the provisional random number generating step;

generating a random number on the basis of the stored provisional random number at the time of receiving the request from the reader/writer;

setting an interruption flag representing that the processing for generating provisional random numbers should be interrupted when the request from the reader/writer is received in the middle of the provisional random number generation;

setting a processing flag representing a position from which the provisional random number generation should be restarted after the end of the response to the request; and

storing a specific value in a specific slot number storing unit;

wherein the provisional random number generation should be interrupted or restarted on the basis of the interruption flag and the processing flag, and

wherein the provisional random number generating step interrupts the processing for generating provisional random numbers when the request from the reader/writer is received in the middle of the provisional random number generation and then makes a response to that request based on the specific value stored in the specific slot number storing unit.

10. A computer readable medium for storing a program executed by a contactless integrated circuit (IC) card responding to a request sent from a reader/writer by using a response timing calculated on the basis of slot numbers included in the request and a random number, the program, when executed, causing the contactless IC card to perform the steps of:

generating a provisional random number according to a part of operations to be used for generating a random number;

storing the provisional random number generated by the provisional random number generating step;

generating a random number on the basis of the stored provisional random number at the time of receiving the request from the reader/writer;

setting an interruption flag representing that the processing for generating provisional random numbers should be interrupted when the request from the reader/writer is received in the middle of the provisional random number generation;

setting a processing flag representing a position from which the provisional random number generation should be restarted after the end of the response to the request; and

storing a specific value in a specific slot number storing unit;

wherein the provisional random number generation should be interrupted or restarted on the basis of the interruption flag and the processing flag, and

wherein the provisional random number generating step interrupts the processing for generating provisional random numbers when the request from the reader/writer is received in the middle of the provisional random number generation and then makes a response to that request based on the specific value stored in the specific slot number storing unit.