Mobile communications device providing secure element data management features and related methods

• US 9,197,293 B2
• Filed: 09/12/2012
• Issued: 11/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Singh, Ravi, Takacs, Kristof, MacGillivray, Geoffrey Wendell, Marcovecchio, Vincenzo Kazimierz
• Primary Examiner(s): Gelagay, Shewaye
• Assistant Examiner(s): LE, KHOI V
• Application Number:
  US13/611,886
• Publication Number:
  US 20130109308A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,168 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/72 for local intradevice communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72406 by software upgrading or downloading
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/04 including near field communication means, e.g. RFID
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/082 using revocation of authorisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring
• 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

A mobile communications device may include a near field communications (NFC) device, an input device configured to generate a memory wipe command, a memory, and a memory controller coupled with the NFC device, the input device, and the memory. The memory controller may be capable of receiving secure data from a provisioning server to the memory, receiving wiping instruction data from the provisioning server to the memory for wiping the secure data from the memory, and wiping the secure data from the memory based upon the memory wipe command and the received wiping instruction data.

Claims

1. A mobile communications device comprising:

a near field communications (NFC) device;

an input device configured to generate a memory wipe command;

a memory; and

a memory controller coupled with the NFC device, the input device, and the memory, the memory controller being configured to;

provide a plurality of sequence count values,

receive secure data from a provisioning server to the memory,

receive wiping instruction data from the provisioning server to the memory for wiping the secure data from the memory, the wiping instruction data including a plurality of wiping instruction scripts each having a different sequence count value associated therewith, and

wipe the secure data from the memory without an over-the-air (OTA) connection to the provisioning server, based upon the memory wipe command and the received wiping instruction data, in response to receiving the memory wipe command from the input device.

2. The mobile communications device of claim 1 wherein the memory comprises a secure element;

and wherein the memory controller comprises a secure element controller.

3. The mobile communications device of claim 1 wherein the provisioning server comprises a trusted service manager (TSM) server.

4. The mobile communications device of claim 1 wherein the memory comprises a SIM card.

5. The mobile communications device of claim 1 wherein the memory comprises a eUICC.

6. The mobile communications device of claim 1 wherein the memory comprises a removable memory.

7. The mobile communications device of claim 1 wherein the memory comprises a SD card.

8. The mobile communications device of claim 1 wherein the memory comprises an embedded memory.

9. The mobile communications device of claim 1 wherein the memory controller is further configured to increment a current sequence count value.

10. A communications method for a mobile wireless communications device comprising a memory, a near field communications (NFC) device, and an input device configured to generate a memory wipe command, the method comprising:

providing a plurality of sequence count values;

receiving secure data from a provisioning server to the memory;

receiving wiping instruction data from the provisioning server to the memory for wiping the secure data from the memory, the wiping instruction data including a plurality of wiping instruction scripts each having a different sequence count value associated therewith;

responsive to receiving the memory wipe command from the input device, wiping the secure data from the memory without an over-the-air (OTA) connection to the provisioning server, based upon the memory wipe command and the received wiping instruction data.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the memory comprises a secure element.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein the provisioning server comprises a trusted service manager (TSM) server.

13. The method of claim 10 wherein the memory comprises a SIM card.

14. The method of claim 10 wherein the memory comprises a eUICC.

15. The method of claim 10 wherein the memory comprises a removable memory.

16. The method of claim 10 wherein the memory comprises a SD card.

17. The method of claim 10 wherein the memory comprises an embedded memory.

18. The method of claim 10 further comprising incrementing a current sequence count value.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable medium for a mobile communications device comprising a memory, a near field communications (NFC) device, and an input device configured to generate a memory wipe command, the non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for causing the mobile communications device to perform steps comprising:

providing a plurality of sequence count values;

receiving secure data from a provisioning server to the memory;

receiving wiping instruction data from the provisioning server to the memory for wiping the secure data from the memory, the wiping instruction data including a plurality of wiping instruction scripts each having a different sequence count value associated therewith; and

responsive to receiving the memory wipe command from the input device, wiping the secure data from the memory without an over-the-air (OTA) connection to the provisioning server, based upon the memory wipe command and the received wiping instruction data.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19 wherein the memory comprises a secure element.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19 wherein the provisioning server comprises a trusted service manager (TSM) server.

22. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19 wherein the memory comprises a SIM card.

23. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19 wherein the memory comprises a eUICC.

24. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19 wherein the memory comprises a removable memory.

25. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19 wherein the memory comprises a SD card.

26. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19 wherein the memory comprises an embedded memory.

27. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19 further comprising computer-executable instructions for causing the mobile communications device to incrementing a current sequence count value.