Smartcard and a method of operating a smartcard

• US 7,913,916 B2
• Filed: 02/14/2006
• Issued: 03/29/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Musial, Pawel, Slikkerveer, Peter Jan
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee; Seung H
• Application Number:
  US11/816,290
• Publication Number:
  US 20080149734A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,869 Days
• Field of Search: 235/492, 235/380, 235/441, 235/476
• US Class Current: 235/492
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0719 at least one of the integrated circuit chips comprising an arrangement for application selection, e.g. an acceleration sensor or a set of radio buttons application selection on smart cards using pure software control, see G07F7/10
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/072 the record carrier comprising a plurality of integrated circuit chips
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07309 Means for preventing undesired reading or writing from or onto record carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/077 Constructional details, e.g. mounting of circuits in the carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10297 arrangements for handling protocols designed for non-contact record carriers such as RFIDs NFCs, e.g. ISO/IEC 14443 and 18092 cryptographic protocols H04L9/00; network security protocols H04L63/00; real-time communication protocols in data switching networks H04L65/00; network protocols for data switching network services H04L67/00

Abstract

A smartcard (200) comprises a processor (202), a read and/or write device interface (213) designed for a communication between the processor (202) and a read and/or write device (208), and a user input and/or output unit (212) designed for initiating a communication between a user and the processor (202) via the read and/or write device interface (213).

Claims

1. A smartcard (200), comprising

a processor (202);

a read/write device interface (213) designed for a communication between the processor (202) and at least one device (208) selected from the group consisting of a read device and a write device; and

at least one user unit (212) selected from the group consisting of an input unit and an output unit designed for initiating a communication between a user and the processor (202) via the read/write device interface (213), wherein the at least one device (208) and the at least one user unit (212) are connected through a same single path to the processor.

2. The smartcard (200) according to claim 1, being designed in such a manner that a communication protocol for a communication between the processor (202) and the at least one device (208) selected from the group consisting of a read device and a write device equals a communication protocol for a communication between the at least one user unit (212) selected from the group consisting of an input unit and an output unit and the processor (202).

3. The smartcard (200) according to claim 1, being designed for a communication between the processor (202) and the at least one user unit (212) according to ISO 7816.

4. The smartcard (200) according to claim 1, being designed for a communication between the processor (202) and the at least one user unit (212) by means of a transmission of at least one Application Protocol Data Unit.

5. The smartcard (200) according to claim 1, divided into a security portion, in which a security functionality is provided, and into a remaining portion, wherein the security portion includes the processor (202), and wherein the remaining portion includes at least part of the at least one user unit (212).

6. The smartcard (200) according to claim 1,

comprising an application unit (402) for providing data to the processor (202) which are related to a corresponding application and which application unit (402) not providing the data in a format being outputable by the at least one user unit (212);

and comprising a user interaction application unit (401) for converting the data provided by the application unit (402) into a format being outputable by the at least one user unit (212).

7. The smartcard (200) according to claim 6, wherein the user interaction application unit (401) is adapted to take the role of master concerning a communication with the application unit (402).

8. The smartcard (200) according to claim 6, wherein a communication between the application unit (402) and the user interaction application unit (401) is mediated by the at least one user unit (212).

9. The smartcard (200) according to claim 8, which is adapted in such a manner that a message transmitted between the application unit (402) and the user interaction application unit (401) is encrypted.

10. The smartcard (200) according to claim 8, wherein the at least one user unit (212) mediating a message transmitted between the application unit (402) and the user interaction application unit (401) does not decrypt the message.

11. The smartcard (200) according to claim 5, wherein the application unit (402) and the user interaction application unit (401) are located in the security portion.

12. The smartcard according to claim 6, wherein a communication between the application unit (402) and the user interaction application unit (401) includes the transmission of at least one Application Protocol Data Unit.

13. A method of operating a smartcard (200), wherein the method comprises the steps of:

operating a processor (202) of the smartcard (203);

enabling a communication between the processor (202) and a device (208) via a read/write device interface (213) of the smartcard (200);

initiating, by means of a user input/output-unit (212), a communication between a user and the processor (202) via the read/write device interface (213), wherein the at least one device (208) and the at least one user unit (212) are connected through a same single path to the processor.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the communication between the user and the processor (202) via the read/write device interface (213) is initiated by means of the user unit (212) being arranged in the smartcard (200).