Integrated production of smart cards

• US 6,402,028 B1
• Filed: 04/06/1999
• Issued: 06/11/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: GlobalPlatform, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Visa International Service Association (Visa, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kekicheff, Marc B., Haeuser, William W., Nablo, Ricky Jay, Graham, Harry E. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Frech, Karl D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): LE, UYEN CHAU N
• Application Number:
  US09/287,588
• Time in Patent Office: 1,162 Days
• Field of Search: 235/380, 235/382.5, 235/449, 235/492, 235/493, 705/44, 705/41
• US Class Current: 235/380
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/341 Active cards, i.e. cards including their own processing means, e.g. including an IC or chip
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/355 Personalisation of cards for use
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3574 Multiple applications on card
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/1008 Active credit-cards provided with means to personalise their use, e.g. with PIN-introduction/comparison system

Abstract

Automated mass production of smart cards is applicable to either single application or multi-application smart cards, and can be customized. A scripting language combines all of the production aspects of a card into a script. The script is applied to a card production system that automatically produces a custom smart card. To produce a script, a card profile, application profiles, and an issuer profile are used. The card profile describes the resources available on the card and documents the card'"'"'s software infrastructure, the available resources, memory, applications already on place on the card, the life cycle status of all applications, and physical attributes of the card. Application requirements are documented in an application profile. An application profile identifies the application source code and includes the resource requirements of an application such as memory, operating system version, security, and card physical requirements. For a given card product, the selected application profiles are compared for compatibility. These profiles are checked for compatibility with any number of card profiles to find a suitable card profile. A script is built based upon the selected application profiles and card profile. The script is a natural language description of the functions and data required to produce a single- or multi-application smart card. This creation includes initialization and personalization, and the loading of application code when not already in place on the card. An updated card profile is created when a script is produced. The updated profile describes the card and its resources after an application has been loaded, and is used to create a script to load, initialize and personalize applications onto a card post-issuance, or in a multi-step production process.

Claims

1. A method of building a smart card creation script for use in producing a smart card, said method comprising:

receiving an application profile representative of a software application intended for said smart card, said application profile describing requirements of said software application;

selecting a card profile describing resources of said smart card;

receiving issuer data common amongst a plurality of smart cards;

a step for performing the function of building a smart card creation script using said application profile, said card profile, and said issuer data, said smart card creation script being generic to any type of personalization equipment and being arranged to be interpreted by said personalization equipment, whereby said smart card creation script may be used to produce a smart card.

2. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising:

receiving references to said cardholder data; and

building said smart card creation script using said references to said cardholder data, whereby said script may be used to personalize a smart card.

3. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising:

comparing said card profile to said application profile;

determining whether said smart card represented by said card profile can support said software application; and

wherein when it is determined that said smart card cannot support said software application, selecting another card profile describing resources of another smart card.

4. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising:

selecting a plurality of application profiles, each being representative of a software application intended for said smart card, said application profiles describing requirements of said software applications; and

building said smart card creation script using said application profiles, whereby said script may be used to produce a multiple application smart card.

5. A method as recited in claim 4 further comprising:

comparing said application profiles;

determining whether one of said software applications is incompatible with another of said software applications; and

wherein when it is determined that one of said software applications is incompatible with another, selecting a different application profile.

6. A system for building a smart card creation script for use in producing a smart card, said system comprising:

a computer;

a first computer file including application profile data, said application profile data representative of a software application intended for said smart card, said application profile data describing requirements of said software application;

a second computer file including card profile data, said card profile data describing resources of said smart card;

a third computer file including issuer data, said issuer data common amongst a plurality of smart cards; and

software means for performing the function of building a smart card creation script using said first, second and third computer files, said smart card creation script being generic to any type of personalization equipment and being arranged to be interpreted by said personalization equipment, whereby said smart card creation script may be used to produce a smart card.

7. A system as recited in claim 6 further comprising:

a fourth computer file including references to said cardholder data, whereby said software means also uses said fourth computer file and said script may be used to personalize a smart card.

8. A system as recited in claim 6 further comprising:

a plurality of computer files, each including application profile data representative of a software application intended for said smart card, said application profile data files describing requirements of said software applications, whereby said software means also uses said plurality of computer files and said script may be used to produce a multiple application smart card.

9. A smart card creation script data structure embodied in a computer-readable medium, said script data structure comprising:

a physical section including physical attributes of said smart card;

an initialization section including card common data to be written to said smart card;

a personalization section including unique data to be written to said smart card; and

a data table including values or references for data used by an application of said smart card, said smart card creation script data structure being generic to any type of personalization equipment and being arranged to be interpreted by said personalization equipment, whereby said script data structure may be used to produce a smart card having said application.

10. A smart card creation script data structure as recited in claim 9 further comprising:

an identity section including a plurality of application names identifying applications to be loaded onto said smart card; and

a functions section including functions for loading said applications onto said smart card, whereby said script data structure may be used to produce a smart card having multiple applications.

11. A method of building a smart card creation script for use in producing a smart card, said method comprising:

receiving an application profile representative of a software application of said smart card, said application profile describing requirements of said software application;

receiving a card profile describing resources of said smart card;

comparing said application profile to said card profile;

writing a physical section of said smart card creation script including physical attributes of said smart card; and

writing an initialization section of said smart card creation script including data common amongst a plurality of smart cards;

whereby said smart card creation script may be used to produce a smart card.

12. A method as recited in claim 11 further comprising:

determining whether said smart card represented by said card profile can support said software application; and

wherein when it is determined that said smart card cannot support said software application, selecting another card profile describing resources of another smart card.

13. A method as recited in claim 11 further comprising:

selecting a plurality of application profiles, each being representative of a software application intended for said smart card, said application profiles describing requirements of said software applications; and

writing an identity section of said smart card creation script including a plurality of application names identifying said software applications to be loaded onto said smart card, whereby said script may be used to produce a multiple application smart card.

14. A method as recited in claim 13 further comprising:

comparing said application profiles;

determining whether one of said software applications is incompatible with another of said software applications; and

wherein when it is determined that one of said software applications is incompatible with another, selecting a different application profile.

15. A method as recited in claim 13 further comprising:

creating a combined file structure from file structures of said software applications;

describing said combined file structure in said script;

creating a combined data table from data tables of said software applications; and

writing said combined data table to said script, whereby said script may be used to produce a multi-application smart card.

16. A method of building a smart card creation script for use in producing a multi-application smart card, said method comprising:

receiving a plurality of application profiles each representative of a software application intended for said smart card, each application profile describing requirements of said corresponding software application;

comparing said application profiles to determine compatibility of said software applications;

receiving a card profile describing resources of said smart card;

determining whether said resources of said smart card are sufficient for said software applications; and

writing an identity section of said smart card creation script including names of said software applications of said smart card, whereby said smart card creation script may be used to produce a multi-application smart card.

17. A method as recited in claim 16 further comprising:

wherein when it is determined that said resources of said smart card are not sufficient for said software applications, selecting another card profile describing resources of another smart card.

18. A method as recited in claim 16 further comprising:

determining whether one of said software applications is incompatible with another of said software applications; and

wherein when it is determined that one of said software applications is incompatible with another, selecting a different application profile.

19. A method as recited in claim 16 further comprising:

writing an initialization section of said smart card creation script including data common amongst a plurality of smart cards; and

writing a personalization section of said smart card creation script including unique card data of said smart card, whereby said script may be used to both initialize and to personalize multi-application smart cards.

20. A method as recited in claim 16 further comprising:

creating a combined file structure from file structures of said software applications;

describing said combined file structure in said script;

creating a combined data table from data tables of said software applications; and

writing said combined data table to said script, whereby said script may be used to produce a multi-application smart card.

21. A method of producing an updated card profile for a smart card, said method comprising:

receiving a card profile describing resources of a smart card;

identifying an application to be loaded onto said smart card;

determining an amount of memory to be available on said smart card after loading of said application onto said smart card; and

modifying said card profile to include an identification of said application and an indication of said amount of memory on said smart card, said modification producing an updated card profile reflecting said application and said amount of memory, whereby said updated card profile may be used in a post-issuance load or in a multi-step personalization of said smart card.

22. A method as recited in claim 21 further comprising:

building a script for producing said smart card having said application; and

producing said updated card profile during said building of said script.

23. A method as recited in claim 21 wherein said received card profile is a profile of an issued smart card and reflects applications loaded and memory available of said issued smart card.

24. A method of building a smart card loading script for use in post-issuance loading of an issued smart card, said method comprising:

producing an updated card profile reflecting a status of said issued smart card;

receiving an application profile representative of a software application intended for said issued smart card, said application profile describing requirements of said software application;

selecting said updated card profile identifying an application loaded on and resources of said issued smart card;

comparing said updated card profile to said application profile; and

a step for performing the function of building a smart card loading script using said application profile and said updated card profile, whereby said smart card loading script may be used to load said software application onto said issued smart card.

25. A method as recited in claim 24 further comprising:

receiving cardholder data related to said software application; and

building said smart card loading script using said cardholder data, whereby said script may be used to personalize said software application intended for said smart card.

26. A method as recited in claim 24 further comprising:

determining whether said smart card represented by said updated card profile can support said software application; and

wherein when it is determined that said smart card cannot support said software application, selecting another application profile describing requirements of another software application.

27. A method as recited in claim 24 further comprising:

selecting a plurality of application profiles, each being representative of a software application intended for said issued smart card, said application profiles describing requirements of said software applications; and

building said smart card loading script using said application profiles, whereby said script may be used to load multiple applications onto said issued smart card.

28. A method as recited in claim 27 further comprising:

comparing said application profiles;

determining whether one of said software applications is incompatible with another of said software applications; and

wherein when it is determined that one of said software applications is incompatible with another, selecting a different application profile.

29. A system for building a smart card loading script for use in post-issuance of an issued smart card, said system comprising:

a computer;

a first computer file including application profile data, said application profile data representative of a software application intended for said issued smart card, said application profile at describing requirements of said software application;

a second computer file including updated card profile data which reflects a status of said issued smart card, said updated card profile data identifying application loaded on and resource of said issued smart card;

softwear means for comparing said first computer file to said to said second computer file; and

software means for performing the function of building a smart card loading script using said first and second computer files, whereby said smart card loading script may be used to load said software application onto said issued smart card.

30. A system as recited in claim 29 further comprising:

a third computer file including references to cardholder data related to said software application, whereby said software means also uses said third computer file and said script may be used to personalize said software application intended for said issued smart card.

31. A system as recited in claim 29 further comprising:

a plurality of computer files, each including application profile data representative of a software application intended for said smart card, said application profile data files describing requirements of said software applications, whereby said software means also uses said plurality of computer files and said script may be used to load multiple applications onto said issued smart card.

32. A method of building a smart card loading script for use in loading multiple applications onto an issued smart card, said method comprising:

receiving a plurality of application profiles each representative of a software application intended for said issued smart card, each application profile describing requirements of said corresponding software application;

comparing said application profiles to determine compatibility of said software applications;

receiving an updated card profile identifying an application loaded on and describing resources of said issued smart card;

determining whether said resources of said issued smart card are sufficient for said software applications; and

writing an identity section of said smart card loading script including names of said software applications of said issued smart card, whereby said smart card loading script may be used to load said multiple applications onto said issued smart card.

33. A method as recited in claim 32 further comprising:

wherein when it is determined that said resources of said issued smart card are not sufficient for said software applications, selecting another updated card profile describing resources of another issued smart card.

34. A method as recited in claim 32 further comprising:

determining whether one of said software applications is incompatible with another of said software applications; and

wherein when it is determined that one of said software applications is incompatible with another, selecting a different application profile.

35. A method as recited in claim 32 further comprising:

writing a personalization section of said smart card loading script including unique card data for said issued smart card, whereby said script may be used to personalize one of said software application smart cards.

36. A method as recited in claim 32 further comprising:

creating an expanded file structure from file structures of said software applications;

describing said expanded file structure in said script;

creating a combined data table from data tables of said software applications; and

writing said combined data table to said script, whereby said script may be used to load said software applications onto said issued smart card.