Secure application directory

• US 8,313,036 B1
• Filed: 09/16/2011
• Issued: 11/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/16/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Wakerly, Michael John, Wall, Jonathan
• Primary Examiner(s): ST CYR, DANIEL
• Application Number:
  US13/234,849
• Time in Patent Office: 431 Days
• Field of Search: 235/492, 235/487, 235/476
• US Class Current: 235/492
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/77 in smart cards
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07309 Means for preventing undesired reading or writing from or onto record carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/352 Contactless payments by cards
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3574 Multiple applications on card
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3576 Multiple memory zones on card

Abstract

This disclosure relates to storing a secure application directory within a contactless smart card. The contactless smart card include secure memory area for storing software applications and may include a default application directory for listing the software applications stored within the contactless smart card to an external card reader. A second application directory is stored with an access key and a listing of a second set of software applications within the same contactless smart card. The second application directory includes improved application directory entries, where each application directory entry includes an application identifier, a starting memory block byte value, and a size byte value for each of the second set of software applications.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for storing multiple applications in a single sector of a contactless smart card namespace, the method comprising:

storing, for each application stored in the namespace, an application directory entry in a data memory block of an application directory in the contactless smart card namespace, each application directory entry comprising;

an application identifier (AID) for each corresponding software application stored in one or more data memory blocks of the contactless smart card namespace;

a starting memory block number for a starting memory block in a sector of the contactless smart card namespace, wherein the starting memory block holds at least a part of the corresponding software application; and

a size for the corresponding software application, the size defining a number of contiguous data memory blocks including the starting data memory block that store the entire software application.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the contactless smart card comprises a default or existing application directory, different from the secure application directory, and stored in a different data memory block of the contactless smart card.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the starting memory block number is a single byte value comprising an absolute value for an address of the data memory block in the contactless smart card namespace, the absolute value calculated using a zero-based numbering system.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the starting memory block number is a single byte value for an absolute memory address calculated as a sum of a product of the size of the software application stored in the memory block and the reference index of the memory block, and the memory address of the first memory block within the reference index of the memory block.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the size of the software application is in the form of a single byte having a value for the number of contiguous memory blocks assigned to store the software application.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the size of the software application is in the form of a single byte, and wherein the single byte further comprises a lower nibble with a value for the number of contiguous memory blocks assigned to store the software application.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the application directory entry comprising the AID is sorted in an ascending or descending order prior to storing within the data memory block.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising an external card reader for reading the application directory entry stored within the data memory block.

9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising a group of log memory blocks for recording transactions performed by an external card reader and the contactless smart card.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the AID comprises a software code defining the type of software application related to the AID, the type of software application defined as one among a loyalty card software application, a coupon software application, a prepaid gift card software application, and a transit card software application.

11. A contactless smart card with a secure application directory, the contactless smart card, comprising:

a namespace comprising a plurality of sectors, each sector comprising a plurality of data memory blocks;

an application directory in a sector of the namespace, wherein the application directory comprises, for each software application stored in the namespace, an application directory entry, each application directory entry comprising;

an application identifier (AID) for the corresponding software application;

a starting memory block number for a starting memory block in a sector of the contactless smart card namespace, wherein the starting memory block holds at least a part of the software application; and

a size for the corresponding, software application, the size defining a number of contiguous data memory blocks from the starting data memory block that store a remainder of the software application.

12. The contactless smart card according to claim 11, wherein the contactless smart card comprises a default or existing application directory, different from the secure application directory, and stored in a different data memory block of the contactless smart card.

13. The contactless smart card according to claim 11, wherein the starting memory block number is a single byte value comprising an absolute value for an address of the data memory block in the contactless smart card namespace, the absolute value calculated using a zero-based numbering system.

14. The contactless smart card according to claim 11, wherein the starting memory block number is a single byte value for an absolute memory address calculated as a sum of a product of the size of the software application stored in the memory block and the reference index of the memory block, and the memory address of the first memory block within the reference index of the memory block.

15. The contactless smart card according to claim 11, wherein the size of the software application is in the form of a single byte having a value for the number of contiguous memory blocks assigned to store the software application.

16. The contactless smart card according to claim 11, wherein the size of the software application is in the form of a single byte, and wherein the single byte further comprises a lower nibble with a value for the number of contiguous memory blocks assigned to store the software application.

17. The contactless smart card according to claim 11, wherein the application directory entry comprising the AID is sorted in an ascending or descending order prior to storing within the directory memory block.

18. The contactless smart card according to claim 11, further comprising an external card reader for reading the application directory entry stored within the data memory block.

19. The contactless smart card according to claim 11, further comprising a group of log memory blocks for recording transactions performed by an external card reader and the contactless smart card.

20. The contactless smart card according to claim 11, wherein the AID comprises a software code defining the type of software application related to the AID, the type of software application defined as one among a loyalty card software application, a coupon software application, a prepaid gift card software application, and a transit card software application.

21. A computer-program product comprising computer-readable software code for storing multiple applications in a single sector of a contactless smart card namespace, the computer-program product comprising:

computer-readable software code for storing, for each application stored in the namespace, an application directory entry in a data memory block of an application directory in the contactless smart card namespace, each application directory entry comprising;

an application identifier (AID) for each corresponding software application;

a starting memory block number for a starting memory block in the sector of the contactless smart card namespace, wherein the starting memory block holds at least a part of the corresponding software application; and

a size for the corresponding software application, the size defining a number of contiguous data memory blocks from the starting data memory block that store a remainder of the software application.

22. The computer-program product according to claim 21, wherein the contactless smart card comprises a default or existing application directory, different from the secure application directory, and stored in a different data memory block of the contactless smart card.

23. The computer-program product according to claim 21, wherein the starting memory block number is a single byte value comprising an absolute value for an address of the data memory block in the contactless smart card namespace, the absolute value calculated using a zero-based numbering system.

24. The computer-program product according to claim 21, wherein the starting memory block number is a single byte value for an absolute memory address calculated as a sum of a product of the size of the software application stored in the memory block and the reference index of the memory block, and the memory address of the first memory block within the reference index of the memory block.

25. The computer-program product according to claim 21, wherein the size of the software application is in the form of a single byte, and wherein the single byte further comprises a lower nibble with a value for the number of contiguous memory blocks assigned to store the software application.

26. The computer-program product according to claim 21, wherein the application directory entry comprising the AID is sorted in an ascending or descending order prior to storing within the directory memory block.

27. The computer-program product according to claim 21, further comprising an external card reader for reading the application directory entry stored within the data memory block.

28. The computer-program product according to claim 21, further comprising a group of log memory blocks for recording transactions performed by an external card reader and the contactless smart card.

29. The computer-program product according to claim 21, wherein the ID comprises a software code defining the type of software application related to the AID, the type of software application defined as one among a loyalty card software application, a coupon software application, a prepaid gift card software application, and a transit card software application.