WIRELESS COMMUNICATION SYSTEM, SIM CARD, MOBILE COMMUNICATION TERMINAL, AND DATA GUARANTEEING METHOD

• US 20080300020A1
• Filed: 05/08/2008
• Published: 12/04/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Renesas Technology Corporation (Renesas Electronics Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Renesas Technology Corporation (Renesas Electronics Corporation)
• Inventors: Shinohara, Minoru, Osako, Junichiro, Nishizawa, Hirotaka, Iwasaki, Hironori, Wada, Tamaki, Koike, Hideo
• Application Number:
  US12/116,956
• Publication Number:
  US 20080300020A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/558
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0853 using an additional device, e.g. smartcard, SIM or a different communication terminal cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving additional secure or trusted devices H04L9/3234
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/20 Transfer of user or subscriber data

Abstract

The loss of data stored in a secure memory card, such as a SIM card, due to the physical destruction thereof is prevented. A host unit performs card authentication of a memory card, and transmits update data for the memory card by security communication to update data when the result of the authentication is OK. Then, the host unit outputs a request for mirror-updating the card data to a base station server. When an access is permitted, the card data is transmitted to the base station server via the host unit to mirror-update the card data. When the mirror-updating of the card data is completed, the base station server returns a completion confirmation to the host unit, so that a data backup process is completed. By thus causing the base station server to mirror-update the data in the memory card, the loss of the stored data is prevented.

Claims

1. A wireless communication system comprising:

a mobile communication terminal including;

a SIM card in which data including data for determining whether or not wireless communication is usable is stored;

an RF communication unit for performing high-frequency power amplification to output a high-frequency signal for performing the wireless communication as well as processing of a signal received by the wireless communication; and

a host unit for managing control of the SIM card and the RF communication unit;

a plurality of base stations each for receiving an electric wave from the mobile terminal or transmitting the electric wave to the mobile communication terminal, and securing a wireless communication line between itself and the mobile communication terminal with which the base station is in communication;

a wireless network control unit for intensifying the electric waves transmitted/received by the base stations to perform integrated control; and

a base station server for executing mirror-updating and restoration of the data stored in the SIM card in response to a request from the mobile communication terminal,

wherein the base station server has a data storage unit to which the data stored in the individual SIM card is mirror-updated, and mirror-updates the data in the SIM card to the data storage unit when data is newly stored in the SIM card or the data in the SIM card is updated.

2. A wireless communication system according to claim 1, wherein the data stored in the SIM card includes user data stored in the SIM card individually by a user of the mobile communication terminal.

3. A wireless communication system according to claim 1, wherein the SIM card includes:

a memory card for storing the data stored in the SIM card; and

a SIM card adapter in which a secure unit for performing secure communication is provided and to which the memory card is attached.

4. A wireless communication system according to claim 3,

wherein the memory card comprises:

a nonvolatile semiconductor memory for storing the data; and

a controller for controlling an operation of the nonvolatile semiconductor memory, and

wherein the controller comprises an ID control storage unit which is coupled to each of an external power supply terminal supplied with an external power supply voltage and a read interface terminal used when an ID number is read from an outside and which individually operates independently of the controller with a supply of the power supply voltage via the external power supply terminal when the controller becomes inoperative, to allow the ID number of the memory card to be read via the read interface terminal.

5. A wireless communication system according to claim 4, wherein the ID control storage unit comprises:

a power supply circuit for monitoring the power supply voltage supplied to the controller, and decoupling a wiring line for the power supply voltage when the power supply voltage is not supplied any more;

an ID storage unit for storing the ID number of the memory card; and

a secure unit for performing secure communication when the ID number stored in the ID storage unit is read therefrom.

6. A wireless communication system according to claim 1,

wherein the host unit issues, when data is stored in the SIM card, an update request for requesting mirror-updating of the data to the base station server, and transmits the data to be mirror-updated to the base station server, and

wherein the base station server mirror-updates the data transmitted from the host unit to the data storage unit when there is the request from the host unit.

7. A wireless communication system according to claim 2,

wherein the host unit determines that a restoration process for the memory card is necessary when a new card is attached, issues a restoration request for requesting restoration of the data in the memory card that has been used hitherto to the base station server, and stores the mirror-updated data transmitted from the base station server in the new memory card, and

wherein the base station server transmits the mirror-updated data of the corresponding memory card stored in the data storage unit to the host unit when there is the request from the host unit.

8. A wireless communication system according to claim 2, wherein the base station server mirror-updates, every time file data in the memory card is overwritten, the overwritten latest file data to the data storage unit.

9. A wireless communication system according to claim 2, wherein the base station server updates, every time file data in the memory card is overwritten, a history management file for managing a history of a file data update and mirror-updates, to the data storage unit, the file data in a latest file and in an arbitrary number of files previous to the latest file.

10. A wireless communication system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a network provider server for providing various data such as music data and image data, a service, and the like; and

an Internet connection apparatus connected to the network provider server to achieve a connection to the Internet via an Internet line,

wherein the mobile communication terminal comprises;

a short-range RF communication unit for performing wireless communication with the Internet connection apparatus; and

an external interface for performing wired communication with the Internet connection apparatus, and

wherein the host unit selects a communication path with the base station server from among the wireless communication performed by the RF communication unit, the wireless communication performed by the short-range RF communication unit, and the wired communication performed by the external interface, in performing the mirror-updating of the data or the restoration of the data.

11. A wireless communication system according to claim 10,

wherein the short-range RF communication unit performs the wireless communication with the Internet connection apparatus using wireless LAN, NFC, wireless USB, or the like, and

wherein the external interface performs the wired communication using Ethernet, USB, or the like.

12. A wireless communication system according to claim 9, wherein the host unit retrieves usable communication line paths from among communication line paths provided by the RF communication unit, the short-range RF communication unit, or the external interface, and preferentially uses the communication line path satisfying a preset condition among the retrieved usable communication line paths.

13. A wireless communication system according to claim 10, wherein the base station server stores only the important data among the mirror-updated data of the SIM card in the data storage unit and stores the other data thereamong in the network provider server.

14. A wireless communication system according to claim 10, wherein the host unit retrieves set data to which an access limit is set and which is stored in the data storage unit when there is a request for an access limit to the SIM card via the wireless communication line, and implements the access limit to the SIM card based on the set data.

15. A SIM card comprising:

a memory card comprising a nonvolatile semiconductor memory for storing data and a controller for controlling an operation of the nonvolatile semiconductor memory; and

a SIM card adapter in which a secure unit for performing secure communication is provided and to which the memory card is attached,

wherein the controller comprises an ID control storage unit which is coupled to each of an external power supply terminal supplied with an external power supply voltage and a read interface terminal used when an ID number is read from an outside and which individually operates independently of the controller with a supply of the power supply voltage via the external power supply terminal when the controller becomes inoperative, to allow the ID number of the memory card to be read via the read interface terminal.

16. A SIM card according to claim 15, wherein the ID control storage unit comprises:

a power supply circuit for monitoring the power supply voltage supplied to the controller, and decoupling a wiring line for the power supply voltage when the power supply voltage is not supplied any more;

an ID storage unit for storing the ID number of the memory card; and

the secure unit for performing secure communication when the ID number stored in the ID storage unit is read therefrom.

17. A mobile communication terminal comprising:

a SIM card in which data including data for determining whether or not wireless communication is usable is stored;

an RF communication unit for performing high-frequency power amplification to output a high-frequency signal for performing the wireless communication as well as processing of a signal received by the wireless communication; and

a host unit for controlling the SIM card and the RF communication unit,

wherein the host unit issues, when data is stored in the SIM card, an update request for requesting mirror-updating of the data to a base station server connected via the wireless communication, and transmits the data to be mirror-updated to the base station server to allow the base station server to mirror-update the data in the SIM card.

18. A mobile communication terminal according to claim 17, wherein the host unit determines that a restoration process for the memory card is necessary when a new memory card is attached, issues a restoration request for requesting restoration of the data in the memory card that has been used hitherto to the base station server, and stores the mirror-updated data transmitted from the base station server in the new memory card.

19. A mobile communication terminal according to claim 17, wherein the data stored in the SIM card includes user data stored individually by a user of the mobile communication terminal in the SIM card.

20. A mobile communication terminal according to claim 17, further comprising:

a short-range RF communication unit for performing wireless communication with an Internet connection apparatus connected to a network provider server to achieve a connection to the Internet via an Internet line; and

an external interface for performing wired communication with the Internet connection apparatus,

wherein the host unit selects a communication path with the base station server from among the wireless communication performed by the RF communication unit, the wireless communication performed by the short-range RF communication unit, and the wired communication performed by the external interface, in performing the mirror-updating of the data or the restoration of the data.

21. A mobile communication terminal according to claim 20,

wherein the short-range RF communication unit achieves the connection to the Internet using wireless LAN, NFC, wireless USB, or the like, and

wherein the external interface achieves the connection to the Internet using Ethernet, USB, or the like.

22. A mobile communication terminal according to claim 20, wherein the host unit retrieves usable communication line paths from among communication line paths provided by the RF communication unit, the short-range RF communication unit, or the external interface, and preferentially uses the preset communication line path which is lowest in communication cost among the retrieved usable communication line paths.

23. A mobile communication terminal according to claim 20, wherein the host unit retrieves usable communication line paths from among communication line paths provided by the RF communication unit, the short-range RF communication unit, or the external interface, and preferentially uses the preset communication line path which is highest in communication speed among the retrieved usable communication line paths.

24. A mobile communication terminal according to claim 17, wherein the host unit retrieves set data to which an access limit is set and which is stored in the data storage unit when there is a request for an access limit to the SIM card, and implements the access limit to the SIM card based on the set data.

25. A method of guaranteeing data using a wireless communication system comprising:

a mobile communication terminal including;

a SIM card in which data including data for determining whether or not wireless communication is usable is stored;

an RF communication unit for performing high-frequency power amplification to output a high-frequency signal for performing the wireless communication as well as processing of a signal received by the wireless communication; and

a host unit for controlling the SIM card and the RF communication unit;

a plurality of base stations each for emitting an electric wave from the mobile communication terminal or transmitting the electric wave to the mobile communication terminal, and securing a wireless communication line between itself and the mobile communication terminal with which the base station is in communication;

a wireless network control unit for intensifying the electric waves transmitted/received by the base stations to perform integrated control; and

a base station server for executing mirror-updating and restoration of the data stored in the SIM card in response to a request from the mobile communication terminal,

the method comprising the steps of;

causing the host unit to perform wireless communication with the base station server when updating of the data in the SIM card is completed, and issue the request for the mirror-updating of the update data stored in the SIM card; and

causing the base station server to mirror-update, to the data storage unit, the data stored in the SIM card and transmitted from the host unit in response to the request from the host unit, and back up the data stored in the SIM card.

26. A method of guaranteeing data according to claim 25, further comprising the steps of:

causing the host unit to perform card authentication when a memory card to be attached to the SIM card is attached, determine that a restoration process for the memory card is necessary when a result of the card authentication of the memory card is discrepant, and issue a request for transmission of the backed-up data to the base station server;

causing the base station server to transmit to-be-restored data backed up in the data storage unit in response to the request; and

causing the host unit to write, in the memory card, the to-be-restored data transmitted from the base station server.