Data access in a mobile device with NFC

• US 9,628,146 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2015
• Issued: 04/18/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/28/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: STMicroelectronics International N.V. (STMicroelectronics NV)
• Original Assignee: Proton World International N.V. (STMicroelectronics NV), STMicroelectronics Incorporated (STMicroelectronics NV)
• Inventors: Van Nieuwenhuyze, Olivier, Charles, Alexandre
• Primary Examiner(s): Hanidu, Ganiyu A
• Application Number:
  US14/871,851
• Publication Number:
  US 20160156386A1
• Time in Patent Office: 566 Days
• Field of Search: 455411, 455 411, 455558, 4555521, 4555561, 4555501, 455 413, 455410, 705 39, 705 1417, 705 44, 705 64, 705 18, 705 41, 705 17, 705 76
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10237 the reader and the record carrier being capable of selectively switching between reader and record carrier appearance, e.g. in near field communication [NFC] devices where the NFC device may function as an RFID reader or as an RFID tag
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/72 for local intradevice communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

The disclosure concerns an NFC (near field communications) device having an NFC router. The NFC router includes a memory adapted to store data to be shared with an external device and an NFC antenna circuit. The NFC router is capable of operating in a card emulation mode in which the shared data stored by the memory is accessible via the NFC antenna circuit.

Claims

1. A near field communications (NFC) device, comprising:

an NFC router having a secure memory adapted to store shared data, the shared data accessible to a plurality of devices, wherein at least one of the plurality of devices is an external device;

an NFC antenna circuit, wherein the NFC router is capable of operating in a card emulation mode in which the shared data stored by the secure memory is accessible via the NFC antenna circuit;

an instruction memory different from the secure memory of the NFC router; and

a host processor coupled to the instruction memory and arranged to control the NFC device using instructions retrieved from the instruction memory, the host processor further coupled to the NFC router and capable of accessing the shared data in the secure memory, wherein the NFC router is adapted to;

receive requests to access the shared data in the secure memory from the host processor according to at least some of the instructions retrieved from the instruction memory;

receive requests to access the shared data in the secure memory from the external device via commands passed through the NFC antenna circuit;

detect for each received request to access the shared data whether the host processor or the external device sent the respective request to access the shared data;

selectively verify one or more first access conditions prior to permitting access to the shared data when the external device requested access to the shared data; and

selectively verify one or more second access conditions prior to permitting access to the shared data when the host processor requested access to the shared data,

wherein selectively verifying at least one of the first or second access conditions includes verifying a digital signature associated with the requested access to the shared data.

2. The NFC device of claim 1, wherein the NFC router is adapted to verify, in response to a request from an external device to access the shared data, the one or more first access conditions before transmitting the shared data to the external device via the NFC antenna circuit.

3. The NFC device of claim 1, wherein the processor is adapted to provide the shared data to be stored in said secure memory.

4. The NFC device of claim 1, wherein the NFC router is adapted to apply the one or more first access conditions upon detecting that the external device has requested access to the shared data.

5. The NFC device of claim 1, wherein the NFC device is capable of operating in an NFC-disabled mode in which transmission of NFC communications via the NFC antenna circuit are disabled, wherein if the external device requests access to the shared data while the NFC router is in the NFC-disabled mode, the NFC router is adapted to verify a first of the one or more first access conditions by verifying a charge state of a battery of the NFC device.

6. The NFC device of claim 5, wherein the NFC router is further adapted to re-enable transmission of NFC communications and permit access to the shared data by the external device only if the charge state of the battery is below a threshold level.

7. The NFC device of claim 1, wherein the NFC router is adapted to:

apply the one more first access conditions upon detecting that the external device has requested access to the shared data; and

apply one or more second access conditions, at least one of which is different from the one or more first access conditions, upon detecting that the host processor has requested access to the shared data.

8. The NFC device of claim 1, wherein the one or more first access conditions to be applied are selected based further on one or more of:

an ON/OFF state of the NFC device;

a charge state of a battery of the NFC device; and

whether the requested access to the shared data is a read or write request.

9. The NFC device of claim 1, wherein the shared data stored by the secure memory includes first data and second data, and wherein the NFC router is adapted to permit access to the first data by the external device without any access condition and to prevent access to the second data by the external device until the one or more first access conditions are satisfied.

10. The NFC device of claim 1, further comprising:

one or more sensors to detect one or more environmental parameters, wherein the NFC router is adapted to store the shared data in said secure memory if a reading from at least one of the one or more sensors exceeds a threshold.

11. The NFC device of claim 10, wherein said one or more sensors comprise at least one of:

a humidity sensor;

an accelerometer;

a positioning device; and

a temperature sensor.

12. A method, comprising:

providing a secure memory of a near field communications (NFC) router of an NFC device;

providing an instruction memory of the NFC device, the instruction memory different from the secure memory of the NFC router;

coupling a host processor of the NFC device to the instruction memory, the host processor further coupled to the NFC router;

storing shared data in the secure memory, the shared data accessible to the host processor and to an external device;

controlling the NFC device with the host processor by executing instructions retrieved from the instruction memory;

during a card emulation mode, providing by the NFC router to the external device access to the shared data via an NFC antenna circuit;

receiving a request from the host processor to access the shared data in the secure memory;

detecting, by the NFC router, whether a device requesting to access the shared data is the host processor of the NFC device or the external device;

selectively verifying one or more first access conditions prior to permitting access to the shared data when the external device requested access to the shared data; and

selectively verifying one or more second access conditions prior to permitting access to the shared data when the host processor requested access to the shared data,

wherein selectively verifying at least one of the first or second access conditions includes verifying a digital signature associated with the requested access to the shared data.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

transmitting the shared data to the external device if the one or more first access conditions are satisfied.

14. The method of claim 12, comprising:

verifying, by the NFC router, the one or more first access conditions upon detecting that the device requesting access to the shared data is the external device.

15. The method of claim 12, comprising:

operating the NEC device in an NFC-disabled mode in which transmission of NEC communications via the NEC antenna circuit are disabled; and

when the external device requests access to the shared data while the NFC router is in the NFC-disabled mode, applying a first of the one or more first access conditions, wherein the applying includes verifying, by the NFC router, a charge state of a battery of the NFC device.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

re-enabling transmission of NFC communications; and

permitting access to the shared data by the external device only if the charge state of the battery is below a threshold level.

17. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

detecting, via one or more sensors, one or more environmental parameters, wherein storing data in the secure memory is triggered by a reading from at least one of the one or more sensors exceeding a threshold.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein said one or more environmental parameters comprise at least one of:

a humidity level;

an acceleration reading;

a geographic position of the NFC device; and

a temperature level.

19. A mobile device, comprising:

a host processor arranged to direct operations of the mobile device;

a near field communications (NFC) router, the NFC router coupled to the host processor and configured to operate in a card emulation mode;

a secure memory integrated with the NFC router;

an instruction memory, the instruction memory different from the secure memory of the NFC router, wherein the instruction memory is arranged to store instructions executable by the host process to direct the operations of the mobile device;

an NFC antenna circuit coupled to the NFC router; and

an NFC processing device arranged to selective provide access to shared data stored in the secure memory integrated with the NFC router, wherein the shared data stored in the secure memory is accessible to the external device via the NFC antenna circuit when the NFC router is operating in the card emulation mode only after verifying one or more first access conditions, wherein the shared data stored in the secure memory is accessible by the host processor only after verifying one or more second access conditions,

wherein selectively verifying at least one of the first or second access conditions includes verifying a digital signature associated with the requested access to the shared data.

20. The mobile device of claim 19, further comprising:

a sensor input coupled to the host processor and coupled to at least one of a humidity sensor, an accelerometer, a positioning device, and a temperature sensor, wherein the host processor is configured to direct the NFC router to store the shared data in the secure memory when a reading passed via the sensor input exceeds a threshold.

21. The mobile device of claim 19, wherein the one or more first access conditions includes verification of an ON/OFF state of the mobile device, verification of a charge state of a battery coupled to the mobile device, verification of a request to read from the secure memory, and verification of a request to write to the secure memory.

22. The mobile device of claim 19, wherein the access to the shared data from the external device only includes read access.

23. The mobile device of claim 19, further comprising:

a secure element, the secure element arranged to store a digital signature, wherein access to the shared data is granted to the external device via the NFC antenna circuit after the NFC router verifies that data in an access request from the external device corresponds to the digital signature.