Secure application directory

• US 8,814,055 B2
• Filed: 08/19/2013
• Issued: 08/26/2014
• 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:
  US13/970,548
• Publication Number:
  US 20130334318A1
• Time in Patent Office: 372 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 single sectors of mobile device memory namespaces, comprising:

storing, for each application stored in a mobile device memory namespace, an application directory entry in a data memory block of an application directory in the mobile device memory namespace, each application directory entry comprising;

an application identifier (AID) for each corresponding software application stored in one or more data memory blocks of a sector of the mobile device memory namespace;

a starting memory block number for a starting memory block in the sector of the mobile device memory namespace, wherein the starting memory block holds at least a part of a 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 corresponding software application.

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

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 mobile device memory 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 in the mobile device memory namespace address, calculated as a sum of a product of the size of the software application stored in the memory block and a reference index of the memory block, and a 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, further comprising a group of log memory blocks for recording transactions performed by an external card reader and the mobile device memory namespace.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the AID comprises a software code defining a 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.

9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising storing, for each application stored in the mobile device memory namespace, an access key for read access to the application directory in an access memory block of the application directory.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein a second access key is stored in the access memory block for access to edit the application directory entry stored in the data memory block of the application directory.

11. A mobile device with a secure application directory, comprising:

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

an application directory in a sector of the mobile device memory namespace, wherein the application directory comprises, for each software application stored in the mobile device memory namespace, an application directory entry stored in a data memory block of the application directory, each application directory entry comprising;

an application identifier (AID) for each corresponding software application stored in one or more data memory blocks of a sector of the mobile device memory namespace;

a starting memory block number for a starting memory block in the sector of the mobile device memory namespace, wherein the starting memory block holds at least a part of a 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 corresponding software application.

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

13. The 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 mobile device memory namespace, the absolute value calculated using a zero-based numbering system.

14. The mobile device 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 a reference index of the memory block, and a memory address of the first memory block within the reference index of the memory block.

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

18. The mobile device according to claim 11, wherein the AID comprises a software code defining a 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.

19. The mobile device according to claim 18, wherein a second access key is stored in the access memory block for access to edit the application directory entry stored in the data memory block of the application directory.

20. The mobile device according to claim 11, wherein the application directory comprises an access memory block for storing, for each software application stored in the mobile device memory namespace, an access memory key for read access to the application directory, and an application directory entry stored in the data memory blocks of the application directory.

21. A computer-program product, comprising:

a non-transitory computer-executable storage device having computer-executable program instructions embodied thereon that when executed by a computer cause the computer to store multiple applications in a single sector of a mobile device memory namespace, the computer-executable program instructions comprising;

computer-executable program instructions for storing, for each application stored in the mobile device memory namespace, an application directory entry in a data memory block of an application directory in the mobile device memory namespace, each application directory entry comprising;

an application identifier (AID) for each application stored in one or more data memory blocks of a sector of the mobile device memory namespace,

a starting memory block number for a starting memory block in the sector of the mobile device memory namespace, wherein the starting memory block holds at least a part of a 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 corresponding software application.

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

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 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 a reference index of the memory block, and a 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, further comprising a group of log memory blocks for recording transactions performed by an external card reader and the mobile device memory namespace.

27. The computer-program product according to claim 21, wherein the AID comprises a software code defining a 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.

28. The computer-program product according to claim 21, further comprising computer readable software code for storing, for each application stored in the mobile device memory namespace, an access key for read access to the application directory in an access memory block of the application directory.

29. The computer-program product according to claim 28, wherein a second access key is stored in the access memory block for access to edit the application directory entry stored in the data memory block of the application directory.