Methods, secure element, server, computer programs and computer program products for improved application management

• US 9,456,027 B2
• Filed: 10/13/2014
• Issued: 09/27/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Arvidsson, Petter, Eld, Mattias
• Primary Examiner(s): TURCHEN, JAMES R
• Application Number:
  US14/512,673
• Publication Number:
  US 20150032865A1
• Time in Patent Office: 715 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/77 in smart cards
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3278 RFID or NFC payments by means of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/56 Financial cryptography, e.g. electronic payment or e-cash
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0492 by using a location-limited connection, e.g. near-field communication or limited proximity of entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/35 Protecting application or service provisioning, e.g. securing SIM application provisioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/60 Subscription-based services using application servers or record carriers, e.g. SIM application toolkits

Abstract

It presented a method, performed in a secure element, the secure element being arranged to enable user applications of the secure element to verify authenticity of incoming user application commands. The method comprises the steps of: receiving a command from a secure element reader for a user application on the secure element, the command comprising an application identifier of the user application; determining whether there is a matching user application in the secure element; invoking the matching user application; and establishing, when there is an absence of any matching user applications, a communication channel with a remote application manager server and sending an absent user application message to the application manager server indicating that the user application has been requested on the secure element. A corresponding secure element, method for an application manager server and application manager server are also presented.

Claims

1. A method, performed in an application manager server, comprising:

receiving a message indicating an absent user application from a secure element, the secure element configured to enable user applications of the secure element to verify authenticity of incoming user application commands, the secure element comprised in a mobile communication terminal, the absent user application message indicating that a command was sent from a secure element reader to the secure element to access a user application that is determined to be absent on the secure element;

reading a configuration to determine how to handle the absent user application for the user application;

retrieving, in response to the configuration for the user application indicating user application retrieval, the user application and an application instance state comprising state data of the user application from when the user application was most recently executed from being stored in the secure element, from a storage of the application manager server;

sending the user application and the application instance state to the secure element,

sending, in response to the configuration for the user application indicating that a service provider server should be informed, the absent user application message to the service provider server, wherein the service provider server is connected to the secure element reader which has requested access to the user application on the secure element; and

receiving a configuration message from the service provider server indicating how the absent user application message is to be handled by the application manager server.

2. An application manager server comprising:

a receiver configured to receive an absent user application message from a secure element, the secure element configured to enable user applications of the secure element to verify authenticity of incoming user application commands, the secure element comprised in a mobile communication terminal, the absent user application message indicating that a command was sent from a secure element reader to the secure element to access a user application that is determined to be absent on the secure element;

a transmitter;

a controller configured to read a configuration to determine how to handle the absent user application for the user application;

wherein the controller is configured to retrieve, in response to the configuration for the user application indicating user application retrieval, the user application and an application instance state comprising state data of the user application from when the user application was most recently executed from being stored in the secure element from a storage of the application manager server and send the user application and the application instance state to the secure element using the transmitter,

wherein the transmitter is configured to, in response to the configuration for the user application indicating that a service provider server should be informed, send the absent user application message to the service provider server, wherein the service provider server is connected to the secure element reader which has requested access to the user application on the secure element,

wherein the receiver is further configured to receive a configuration message from the service provider server indicating how the absent user application message is to be handled by the application manager server.

3. A computer program product comprising software code instructions which, when run on an application manager server, causes the application manager server to:

receive an absent user application message from a secure element, the secure element configured to enable user applications of the secure element to verify authenticity of incoming user application commands, the secure element comprised in a mobile communication terminal, the absent user application message indicating that a command was sent from a secure element reader to the secure element to access a user application that is determined to be absent on the secure element;

read a configuration to determine how to handle the absent user application for the user application;

retrieve, in response to the configuration for the user application indicating user application retrieval, the user application and an application instance state comprising state data of the user application from when the user application was most recently executed from being stored in the secure element, from storage of the application manager server;

send the user application and the application instance state to the secure element;

send, in response to the configuration for the user application indicating that a service provider server should be informed, the absent user application message to the service provider server, wherein the service provider server is connected to the secure element reader which has requested access to the user application on the secure element; and

receive a configuration message from the service provider server indicating how the absent user application message is to be handled by the application manager server.