Methods and apparatus to support GlobalPlatform™ usage on an embedded UICC (eUICC)

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10015165-B2
Application number	US-201615384145-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 19, 2016
Priority date	May 15, 2014
Publication date	Jul 3, 2018
Grant date	Jul 3, 2018

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a technique for managing one or more electronic Subscriber Identity Modules (eSIMs) on an embedded UICC (eUICC). In particular, the technique involves leveraging the GlobalPlatform™ Specification and/or other telecommunication standards to support the eSIMs on the eUICC. Each eUICC can include an Issuer Security Domain (ISD) owned by a device manufacturer and an eSIM manager that manages the plurality of eSIMs on the eUICC. Notably, binaries of one or more applications shared between different eSIMs can be standardized and stored in a manner that enables each eSIM to utilize the one or more applications (via the eSIM manager) without needing to individually store the binaries. Using this approach, the overall size and complexity of each eSIM can be reduced, which can increase the amount of available memory within the eUICC as well as the overall performance of the eUICC.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A mobile device, comprising:
wireless circuitry; and
a secure element, configured to store:
an electronic subscriber identity module (eSIM), wherein: i) the eSIM comprises a first instance of a standardized application, and ii) the eSIM is associated with a mobile network operator (MNO),
a standardized binary package associated with the standardized application, and
a software entity configured to manage a plurality of eSIMs,

wherein the secure element comprises a processor that causes the software entity to:
receive a request to activate the eSIM,
trigger an activation of the eSIM, and
enable the eSIM, subsequent to the activation, to access the standardized binary package, wherein the standardized binary package is stored separately from the eSIM.

2. The mobile device of claim 1 , wherein: i) the secure element is further configured to store an issuer security domain (ISD) associated with an issuer, wherein the issuer is a mobile device manufacturer, and ii) the eSIM comprises one or more applications associated with the issuer.

3. The mobile device of claim 1 , wherein the eSIM comprises a standardized remote application management (RAM) application and a standardized remote file management (RFM) application.

4. The mobile device of claim 1 , wherein the eSIM comprises a proprietary application and a binary package associated with the proprietary application.

5. The mobile device of claim 1 , wherein the standardized binary package comprises files, directories, and/or scripts necessary for instantiation of a first application on the secure element.

6. The mobile device of claim 1 , wherein: i) the standardized binary package is a remote application management (RAM) binary package, and ii) the standardized application is a RAM application.

7. The mobile device of claim 1 , wherein: i) the standardized binary package is a network access (NA) binary package, and ii) the standardized application is an NA application.

8. The mobile device of claim 1 , wherein the eSIM comprises a supplemental security domain (SSD), and wherein the SSD comprises a set of cryptographic keys.

9. The mobile device of claim 8 , wherein the set of cryptographic keys is associated with a service provider, and the set of cryptographic keys facilitates communication with a server of the service provider.

10. The mobile device of claim 9 , wherein the service provider is associated with a payment application.

11. A secure element, comprising:
a first storage portion storing an electronic subscriber identity module (eSIM), wherein the eSIM is associated with a mobile network operator (MNO);
a second storage portion storing a standardized binary package associated with a standardized application, wherein the first storage portion is logically separated from the second storage portion; and
a software entity configured to manage the eSIM, wherein the secure element comprises a processor that causes the software entity to:
receive a request to activate the eSIM,
trigger an activation of the eSIM, and
enable the eSIM, subsequent to the activation, to access the standardized binary package.

12. The secure element of claim 11 , wherein the standardized binary package is associated with a standardized remote application management (RAM) application, a standardized remote file management (RFM) application, or a standardized network access (NA) application.

13. The secure element of claim 11 , wherein the eSIM comprises a proprietary application and stores a binary package associated with the proprietary application.

14. The secure element of claim 11 , wherein the standardized binary package comprises files, directories, and/or scripts necessary for instantiation of a first application on the secure element.

15. The secure element of claim 11 , wherein: i) the standardized binary package is a remote application management (RAM) binary package, and ii) the standardized application is a RAM application.

16. The secure element of claim 11 , wherein: the standardized binary package is a network access (NA) binary package.

17. The secure element of claim 11 , wherein: i) the secure element further comprises an issuer security domain (ISD) associated with an issuer, and ii) the issuer is a device manufacturer.

18. The secure element of claim 17 , wherein the second storage portion is associated with the ISD.

19. A method for managing an electronic subscriber identity module (eSIM) stored on a secure element, wherein the eSIM is associated with a mobile network operator (MNO), the method comprising:
receiving a request to activate the eSIM;
determining whether a standardized binary package exists on the secure element, wherein the standardized binary package is stored separately from the eSIM;
in response to a determination that the standardized binary package exists on the secure element:
triggering an activation of the eSIM, and
enabling the eSIM, subsequent to the activation, to access the standardized binary package.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein the standardized binary package is associated with a standardized remote application management (RAM) application, a standardized remote file management (RFM) application, or a standardized network access (NA) application.

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Ziat Mehdi

Classifications

• H04L63/0853 Primary

  using an additional device, e.g. smartcard, SIM or a different communication terminal (cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving additional secure or trusted devices H04L9/3234) · CPC title

• H04L63/06

  for supporting key management in a packet data network (cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key management H04L9/08) · CPC title

• H04W8/183 Primary

  Processing at user equipment or user record carrier · CPC title

• H04W12/06

  Authentication · CPC title

• H04W12/08

  Access security · CPC title