WO2010133469A1

WO2010133469A1 - Device for conventional smart card allowing an electronic transaction through a network

Info

Publication number: WO2010133469A1
Application number: PCT/EP2010/056360
Authority: WO
Inventors: Pierre Gravez; Michel Thill; Jean-Michel Desjardins
Original assignee: Gemalto Sa
Priority date: 2009-05-19
Filing date: 2010-05-10
Publication date: 2010-11-25
Also published as: EP2254077A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a device for adapting a conventional smart card so that it can communicate for example with a subscriber identification module card of a terminal with a proximity contactless communication interface in accordance with the earlier art so as to be able to implement an electronic transaction through a telecommunications network.

Description

Device for conventional smart card allowing an electronic transaction through a network

The invention relates to a method for carrying out transactions through a network using smart cards and terminals. In a preferential manner, the invention relates to a method for carrying out such transactions through a telecommunications network using smart cards and telecommunications terminals.

More particularly, it concerns a device that makes it possible to implement the method. The invention has a number of applications in cash transactions, electronic purses, healthcare, gaming and other transactions.

The telecommunications networks concerned are all the networks liable to be used by telephone subscribers to access another subscriber or services.

These networks include telephony networks, public switched networks or integrated service networks and cell telephony networks.

Some telecommunications terminals are fitted with or are adapted to have two interfaces for reading smart cards, one of which communicates with a subscriber identification smart card dedicated to telephony such as for example a SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) card in the case of cellular telecommunication and the other with a so-called application smart card that is dedicated to one or more applications other than telephony. These may for example relate to electronic purse or debit and/or credit card type applications .

Smart cards dedicated to one or more applications other than telephony may be issued by independent operators. It thus happens that such telecommunications terminals need to support application command sets that are dedicated to different types of application card (for example bank card application, loyalty application) .

That is particularly restrictive for service providers, who consequently have to set up links and agreements with terminal manufacturers to offer their applications to customers .

Further, that imposes a limitation on the choice of application cards that may be used with a given telecommunications terminal to those that were initially intended, if the terminal software is not to be modified.

To make up for that drawback, a solution described particularly by reference to document EP1032925 makes it possible to not excessively complicate the logical communication interfaces of a terminal while at the same time allowing it to accept all application cards by introducing means of communication with all subscriber identification module cards dedicated to telephony so as to allow it to control all application cards through the telecommunications terminal .

However, this type of solution makes it necessary to adapt the terminal so that it can communicate with two cards. The solution may turn out to be expensive. It also makes it necessary to adapt the subscriber identification module card so that it has a command set designed to control the additional card.

To make up for that drawback, subscriber identification module smart cards make it possible to directly host applications other than those dedicated to telephony. Even though this solution makes it possible to avoid the aforementioned drawbacks, it raises other difficulties, particularly relating to the fact that the subscriber identification module card belongs to a mobile telephony operator and that means that there must be an agreement between the said operator and the operator of the specific bank card or other application.

The development of new techniques such as NFC (Near Field Communication) opens the way to many applications using mobile telephones. Some non-limitative examples include payment in stores, payment of transport tickets, entry of information from advertising posters, identification to allow access etc. One of the objectives of a proximity communication protocol is particularly to simplify connectivity for the user while guaranteeing secure transactions. According to the NFC technique, the transmission power is resolutely very low, so that there is no need to use an energy source in the communicating objects. In that way, the exchange of information between two communicating devices can only take place over a maximum distance of a few tens of centimetres. The NFC technique provides for a form of security through the use of encoding and encryption offered by the said protocol . Three modes are defined for the use of NFC technique - the so-called card emulation mode, the reader mode and the Peer-to-Peer mode.

The card emulation mode is used to emulate the working of a contactless smart card, say a credit card for example, particularly to carry out the security function. According to this technique, a subscriber identification module has means to allow it to use a protocol such as SWP (Single Wire Protocol) which is used to set up the physical link between the card and an NFC interface of the communication terminal used for controlling communication.

The reader mode makes it possible for a user, such as a communication terminal, to read data, for instance from passive electronic tags, by bringing their communication terminal close to posters, parcels or business cards. The Peer-to-Peer mode allows a communication terminal to exchange information with another communication terminal, such as for instance files or contacts using a principle similar to that offered by Bluetooth technology for instance.

To date, the NFC technique offers a speed of 424 kbps in a frequency band of 13.56 MHz at a maximum distance of 10 cm. Unlike RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) technology, NFC communication relies on the reader to transmit power to the chip read by radiofrequency .

In that way, a subscriber identification module card of a telephony terminal can use the SWP communication protocol, and that is known to date. Such a card can read and use an application card that has an antenna to implement contactless communication of the OSI 1443 type in particular. Value can thus be loaded easily into a transport card, for example using contactless communication, by means of the subscriber identification module card. Further, the said transport card does not have means to supply electrical power such as a battery. The power required for communication is supplied by the communication terminal via the radioelectric signals supplied by the terminal.

However, a large number of so-called conventional bank cards of the debit and/or credit type do not to date have the contactless function and necessitate standardised "wired" communication, particularly such as that defined by standard OSI 7816, with a reader using a module and electrical contacts. In that way, to currently implement a payment transaction, for instance through a telecommunication terminal and a conventional debit/credit card, it is necessary for the terminal to have two interfaces in accordance with the requirements of the document EP1032925 in particular .

The invention is aimed at removing the drawbacks mentioned above, by making it possible, with the help of a device, to adapt a conventional smart card so that it can communicate with a subscriber identification module card that is capable of implementing a proximity communication protocol such as the SWP protocol without having to adapt the said conventional card and the communication terminal.

To that end, a card-holding device is used which is capable of being interfaced with a conventional smart card, comprising :

- means for transmitting and/or receiving radioelectric signals to and/or from a terminal according to a contactless proximity communication protocol; - means for controlling communication between the said means for emitting and/or receiving and the terminal, which are capable of translating:

- the radioelectric signals received into orders that are interpretable by the conventional smart card;

- the responses from the said conventional smart card into radioelectric signals.

In one mode of embodiment, the means for controlling communication may further supply the electrical power required for the operating of the conventional smart card from the radioelectric signals received from a terminal so that the said card may respond to the requests from the said terminal .

The invention provides that the device further comprises rectifying means for transforming part of the radioelectric signals received into a continuous signal to charge energy storage means that are capable of supplying the electrical power required for the working of the conventional smart card so that the said card may respond to the requests from a terminal .

In this mode of embodiment, the means for storing energy may further supply the power required for the working of the communication control means. For example, in that regard, the invention provides that the said energy storage means comprise a capacitor.

Such a device may further comprise means to determine the level of energy available to allow the operating of the communication control means and/or the conventional smart card. The means for determining the energy level can thus transmit alert information to the communication control means when the energy level reaches a predetermined minimum limit.

In this mode of embodiment, the communication control means may be capable of interpreting the alert information supplied by the means for determining the energy level available and sending a request to the terminal to time the communication flow and allow the storage means to recover an energy level that is greater than the predetermined minimum limit .

The invention provides that in a preferred embodiment, the communication control means comprise a computer that is capable of implementing the Near Field Communication technique .

Other characteristics and benefits will become clearer in the description below and upon an examination of the accompanying figures where:

- figure 1 shows a conventional smart card of the debit/credit card type;

- figure 2 describes a communication terminal communicating with a passive electronic tag according to a known technique;

- figure 3 shows a mode of embodiment of a device according to the invention;

- figures 4 and 5 illustrate a functional diagram of the embodiment of a device according to the invention in two preferred modes of embodiment respectively.

Figure 1 describes a so-called conventional smart card 1 comprising a card body 3 that is generally made of plastic bearing graphics indications specific to a bank card operator, for example, and a user. Thus, in figure 1, the body 3 bears the words "General Bank" on the one hand to show that this is a bank card issued by "General Bank" and the words "John Smith" specific to the user of card 1. In the example illustrated by reference to figure 1, the body 3 comprises a unique card number, "1231 4567 8967 1326" and a date of validity "08/12". The body of a conventional smart card may comprise a cut 3a which can if necessary reduce the surface of the body of the card so as to insert it in smaller readers. The conventional card 1 has a module 2 protecting a microcontroller that is not shown. The said module 2 further comprises a series of electrical contacts 2a. Each contact is connected to the microcontroller in order to transmit electrical signals such as the power voltage required for the working of the card, a clock, data signals etc. A conventional smart card can thus be differentiated from a so- called contactless smart card by the presence of the said electrical contacts instead of an antenna.

A conventional smart card 1 generally communicates with a reader by means of a communication protocol defined by a standard such as standard OSI 7816. The reader comprises an interface with electrical contacts that are capable of setting up direct physical communication with the contacts 2a of a conventional smart card.

Figure 2 is used to illustrate an example of known communication between a communication terminal of the mobile telephone type 10 and a communicating electronic object 20 such as a passive electric tag or a contactless smart card. In this example, a mobile telephone 10 comprises a subscriber identification module 11 in the form of a conventional smart card dedicated to a subscriber, generally known by the term SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) . The said smart card 11 is connected to an input/output interface of terminal 10 that is not represented. The smart card 11 chiefly contains a microcontroller, a memory of the ROM (Read Only Memory) type including an operating system and special communication, application and authentication algorithms. The said microcontroller further comprises a non-volatile memory, for example of the EEPROM (Electrically-Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory) type, which contains all the characteristics relating to the subscriber, particularly the international identity of the subscriber or IMSI (International Mobile Subscriber Identity).

The communication terminal 10 further comprises a communication interface 12 to control communication with the world outside the said terminal according to a proximity contactless communication protocol. For example, the said interface 12 is an NFC interface implementing the reader mode. The terminal may thus enter into communication with a communicating object 20 in the form of a passive electronic tag or a contactless smart card. The object 20 thus comprises an antenna 21 connected to a microcontroller 22 that makes it possible to emit or even receive radioelectric messages that comply for example with international standard OSI 14443.

To allow the card 11 to exchange information with the object 20, the subscriber identification module card 11 supports the SWP communication protocol that is used to set up the physical link between the card 11 and the NFC interface NFC 12 of the communication terminal 10. In that way, requests to the object 20 coming from the card 11 according to the SWP protocol 13 are translated into radioelectric signals 30 by the NFC interface 12. Reciprocally, the responses 30 from the object 20 in the form of radioelectric signals 30 are translated by the NFC interface 12 of the terminal into messages compliant with the SWP protocol that are directly interpretable by the subscriber identification module 11.

To be able to dialogue with a remote application server (not represented) , the subscriber identification module card 11 is said to be proactive meaning that it is capable of triggering action in the communication terminal 10 with for example commands that are preformatted according to a communication protocol of the "T=O" type defined by the standard OSI 7816-3 and encapsulated according to the recommendations of standard GSM 11.14 generally known under the name "SIM - Toolkit".

In that way, the subscriber identification module card 10 can for example control a transport transaction that makes it possible to load transport tickets from a remote server into a contactless transport card 20 through a communication terminal 10.

Today, there are very few smart cards of the debit and/or credit type that support the contactless communication function. The great majority of such cards are conventional cards that require physical connection with a communication interface through electrical contacts as shown in relation to figure 1. To make up for that, the invention provides, as in figure 3, a device 40 capable of being interfaced with a conventional smart card 1. The main function of the said device is to allow the said card 1 to communicate with a subscriber identification module card 11 such as that described in relation with figure 2.

The device 40 comprises a slot 41 capable of receiving all or part of a conventional smart card so as to keep it in communication particularly in accordance with two variants of embodiment shown in figures 4 and 5 respectively. In that way, in figure 3, the device 40 may be likened with a card holder where the body comprises an opening 42 for inserting a conventional card 1 in a slot 41. The device 40 can be in any format that allows it to be interfaced with a conventional card 1 regardless of its format and size.

Figure 4 presents a first mode of embodiment of a device 40 according to the invention.

The device 40 thus comprises a communication interface that takes the form of a series of electrical contacts 45 that are capable of providing an electrical connection with the electrical contacts 2a of a conventional smart card 1 such as that described in figure 1. The card may thus communicate using a communication protocol 43b of the OSI 7816 type with a microcontroller 43. The latter is further connected to means 44 of the antenna or coil type to transmit and/or receive radioelectric signals 43a to and/or from a communication terminal 10 using a proximity contactless communication protocol. The microcontroller 43 thus controls communication between the said means for transmitting and/or receiving 44 and the communication terminal 10.

The said microcontroller 43 thus translates:

- received radioelectric signals 43a into commands 43b interpretable by the conventional smart card 1 ;

- responses 43b from the said conventional smart card 1 into radioelectric signals 43a. In one example of application, a communication terminal 10 such as that described in relation with figure 2 comes close to a conventional smart card 1 such as that described in relation with figure 1, the said smart card being inserted in a device 40 according to the invention as shown in figure 3. The field 30 generated by the communication terminal 10 wakes the microcontroller 43 of the device 40 under the effect of antenna 44. The field 30 allows the said microcontroller 43 to meet its electric power needs to allow it to operate. According to figure 4, the said field 30 supplies enough energy to the microcontroller 43 so that the latter may also supply sufficient power to the card 1 through the electrical contacts 2a and 45. In that way, the smart card 1 can also be woken and can send a response 43b intended for the microcontroller 43, which translates the said response into radioelectric signals 43a sent by the field 30 to the NFC interface of the terminal. For example, to carry out that translation operation, the microcontroller 43 is capable of implementing the card emulation mode of the NFC technique. In its turn, the interface 12 of the communication terminal transmits the message of the presentation of smart card 1 to the subscriber identification module card 11 using the SWP protocol. At this point, the card 11 may trigger application processing through proactive commands to a remote applications server or the smart card 1 through the SWP protocol. In that way, thanks to the invention, the smart card 1 can, even though it is conventional, communicate with a terminal and/or a subscriber identification module card according to the earlier art and be at the centre of an electronic transaction with a remote application server.

Communication between the conventional card 1 and the microcontroller, the operating of the said card may sometimes necessitate electrical energy greater than that supplied by the microcontroller 43. Thus, figure 5 contains an illustration of a preferred mode of embodiment in which the device 40 further comprises means capable of supplying electrical power required for the operation of the conventional smart card 1 so that the said card may respond to the requests of a communication terminal 10.

In that way, a device 40 further comprises rectifying means 46 to transform a part 50 of the radioelectric signals received through the field 30 into a continuous signal 51 to charge means for storing energy 47. For example, the said means to store energy comprise one or more storage capacitors. The means 47 are thus capable of supplying power voltage to the conventional smart card 1 or even the microcontroller 43. The example of application described in relation with figure 4 is thus sustained by adding means 46 and 47.

In one variant of embodiment, a device 40 according to the invention may further comprise means 48 for determining the level of energy available that may be supplied particularly by the means for storing energy 47. The said means 48 for determining the energy level may transmit alert information 54 to the microcontroller 43 when the energy level reaches a predetermined minimum limit. In that way, the microcontroller 43 responsible for controlling communication may interpret the alert information 54 supplied and transmit a request to the communication terminal 10 to time the flow of communication and allow the storage means 47 to recover an energy level greater than the predetermined minimum limit. During the time when the storage means are being "recharged", the conventional card 1 may be put in sleep mode. According to the invention, several limits may be used, one for the needs of the conventional smart card, another for the microcontroller etc.

In order to time the communication flow, the invention provides that the microcontroller 43 can transmit electrical signals 43a dedicated to a request for the temporary suspension of communication to the communication terminal 10. Is a variant, such a request may be reflected in communication parameters sent through the field 30 making it possible to slow down or even speed up the flow. Besides, these may also involve control codes carried by the field 30 that comply with the protocol OSI 14443 and designed for that purpose. In that way, the microcontroller 43 entirely fulfils its task of controlling communication: by controlling the communication flow in order to have energy that is sufficient for the operating of the conventional smart card, and; by translating the messages and responses of a conventional smart card that dialogues with a first protocol, called a "wired" protocol of the OSI 7816 type, into radioelectric signals as defined for example in the standard OSI 14443.

The invention has been described in a preferred mode of embodiment using the NFC technique that allows proximity contactless communication. However, the invention is not limited by the said technique.

Further, the invention has also been described in relation with a preferred application that puts into situation a communication terminal of the mobile telephone type that is capable of implementing an electronic transaction through a telecommunications network.

In another application, the terminal is a terminal of the bank card type with which it is possible to carry out electronic transactions through a network for example operated by a bank card operator. In that case, such a terminal is capable of implementing commands to be sent to a bank server, for example, and to a conventional smart debit and/or credit card as described in relation with figure 1, the said card being first inserted in a card-holding device according to the invention as represented in figure 3. The latter communicates with the terminal in a mode that is analogous with that described in relation with the figures 4 and 5.

In this other application, a bank card terminal replaces the mobile telephone 10 represented in the said figures 4 and 5. The bank card terminal may be located in a bank branch or directly in the premises of a merchant, for example.

In a third application, the bank card terminal may be replaced by a portable computer or any other electronic device such as those of the PDA type, capable of playing the part of a terminal communicating with a card-holding device according to the invention.

Claims

1. A card-holding device (40) capable of interfacing (45) with a conventional smart card (1) characterised in that it comprises:

- means for transmitting and/or receiving (44) radioelectric signals (43a) to and/or from a terminal (10) according to a proximity contactless communication protocol;

- means (43) for controlling communication between the said means for transmitting and/or receiving and the terminal, capable of translating: radioelectric signals received (43a) into commands (43b) interpretable by the conventional smart card; responses from the said conventional smart card into radioelectric signals.

2. A device according to claim 1 characterised in that the means (43) for controlling communication further supply the electric power supply required for the working of the conventional smart card (1) from radioelectric signals (43a) received from a terminal (10) so that the said card (1) can respond to requests from the said terminal .

3. A device according to claims 1 or 2 characterised in that it further comprises rectifying means (46) for transforming part (50) of the radioelectric signals received into a continuous signal (51) to charge energy storage means (47) capable of supplying the electric power (54) required for the operating of the conventional smart card (1) so that the said card (1) can respond to requests from a terminal (10) .

4. A device according to claim 3 characterised in that the energy storage means (47) further provide the power supply (53) required for the operating of the means (43) for controlling communication.

5. A device according to claims 3 or 4 characterised in that the energy storage means (47) comprise a capacitor.

6. A device according to any of claims 2 to 5 characterised in that it further comprises means (48) for determining the available energy level that allows the operating of the means for controlling communication and/or the conventional smart card (1) and in that the said means (48) for determining the energy level transmit alert information (54) to the means for controlling communication (43) when the energy level reaches a predetermined minimum limit.

7. A device according to claim 6 characterised in that the means for controlling communication interpret the alert information (54) supplied by the means (48) for determining the available energy level and are capable of transmitting a request to the terminal for timing the flow of communication to allow the storage means (47) to recover an energy level above the predetermined minimum limit .

8. A device according to any of the previous claims characterised in that the means for controlling communication comprise a computer that is capable of implementing the Near Field Communication technique.