Secure element as a digital pocket

• US 9,892,250 B2
• Filed: 06/28/2016
• Issued: 02/13/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/10/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Proxense, LLC
• Original Assignee: Proxense, LLC
• Inventors: Giobbi, John Joseph
• Primary Examiner(s): Song, Hosuk
• Application Number:
  US15/195,889
• Publication Number:
  US 20160306956A1
• Time in Patent Office: 595 Days
• Field of Search: 713168, 713182, 713185, 713186, 713193, 726 2- 5, 726 9, 380270
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/34 involving the use of external additional devices, e.g. dongles or smart cards
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/35 communicating wirelessly
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/44 Program or device authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0861 using biometrical features, e.g. fingerprint, retina-scan cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using biological data H04L9/3231
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/61 Time-dependent
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/63 Location-dependent; Proximity-dependent

Abstract

The disclosure includes a system and method in which one or more virtual resources are presented to a secure element; and the one or more virtual resources are mapped to available resources based on a model architecture for the secure element in order to provide hardware abstraction, the available physical resources varying based on the model architecture and an associated host device, the virtual resources allowing consistent interaction with the virtual resources regardless of variation in the physical resources available and their location. The hardware abstraction increases the versatility of the secure element and may contribute to the secure element'"'"'s functionality. The secure element providing functionality to replace most items carried in an individual'"'"'s pockets, e.g., logical and physical keys, a thumb drive, identification, credit and debit cards, etc.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a secure element configured to wirelessly communicate with an associated host device, the secure element including a set of consistent virtual resources used to map a set of available resources based on a model architecture, the set of available resources variable based on one or more of the model architecture and resources associated with a host device, the set of consistent virtual resources allowing consistent interaction with the set of consistent virtual resources independent of variation in the set of available resources and independent of whether a resource within the set of available resources is located at the secure element, at the host device, or both; and

the associated host device including a link module executable by a processor, the link module of the associated host device cooperating with the secure element to make a first resource available to the secure element.

2. The system of claim 1, the system comprising:

a biometric sensor configured to obtain physical or behavioral characteristics from a user; and

an identification module executable by the processor of the secure element to authenticate the user as an owner of the secure element based on obtained physical or behavioral characteristic.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the biometric sensor is the first resource and is thus included in the associated host device, but available to the secure element as a virtual biometric sensor via an abstraction layer.

4. A method comprising:

presenting, to a secure element, a set of consistent virtual resources; and

mapping the set of consistent virtual resources to a set of available resources based on a model architecture, the set of available resources variable based on one or more of the model architecture and resources associated with a host device, the set of consistent virtual resources allowing consistent interaction with the set of consistent virtual resources independent of variation in the set of available resources and independent of whether a resource within the available resources is located at the secure element, at the host device, or both.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the available resources are physical resources and hardware abstraction is provided.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the model architecture is a proxy model architecture, the method comprising:

mapping a first virtual resource to a first resource on the host device, and

wherein the mapping allows the secure element to interact with the first virtual resource as if the first virtual resource is a local resource of the secure element, wherein the secure element and the host device are physically separate devices.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the model architecture is a proxy model architecture, the method comprising:

performing, at the secure element, a functionality of the secure element, the host device wirelessly controlling the performance of the functionality, the secure element performing the functionality on behalf of the host device, wherein the host device is physically separate from the secure element.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the functionality of the secure element performed is one or more of an authentication and an execution of a financial transaction.

9. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

determining whether the security element is in proximity to the host device; and

responsive to determining the secure element is in proximity to the host device, permitting access to the host device.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the access to the host device is permitted subsequent to a biometric authentication of a user.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the biometric authentication of the user utilizes a biometric sensor included in the available resources to capture biometric data of the user and compares the captured biometric data to biometric data of an authorized user stored at the secure element, the biometric sensor located at the host device.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the biometric authentication of the user utilizes a biometric sensor included in the available resources to capture biometric data of the user and compares the captured biometric data to biometric data of an authorized user stored at the secure element, the biometric sensor located at the secure element.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the secure element may associated with one or more additional host devices and permit access to the one or more additional host devices when in proximity to the one or more additional host devices.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the host device and the one or more additional host devices are different types of devices.

15. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

determining whether the security element is in proximity to the host device; and

responsive to determining the secure element is in proximity to the host device, wirelessly mounting at least a portion of a memory of the secure element on the host device, the mounted portion of the memory appearing as a physically connected storage device at the host device.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the wireless mounting is based on one or more of a user configurable proximity and a user configurable duration of time for the secure element to be in proximity to the host device.

17. The method of claim 4, wherein the model architecture is a stand-alone model architecture, and the set of consistent virtual resources is mapped to resources available on the secure element.

18. The method of claim 4, wherein the model architecture is a virtual model architecture, and at least a portion of the set of consistent virtual resources is mapped to one or more resources available on the host device, wherein the secure element is a virtual secure element operating on the host device, but appearing to other devices as a separate device.

19. The method of claim 4, wherein the secure element is platform agnostic and operates independent of a platform the host device is operating.

20. The method of claim 4, wherein the secure element is a device that performs functionality of one or more of a physical key, a logical key, a proximity based lock controlling access to a physical resource or logical resource, and user authentication.