Wireless communication between an integrated circuit memory device and a wireless controller device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11662918-B2
Application number	US-202117216469-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 29, 2021
Priority date	Dec 12, 2002
Publication date	May 30, 2023
Grant date	May 30, 2023

Abstract

An integrated circuit device that includes a secure or protected memory component is herein disclosed and enabled. The integrated circuit device may be a wireless communication device, a smart phone, or a smart card. Additionally, the integrated circuit device may be part of, or included in, a computing device or a mobile device. The integrated circuit device includes a protected memory section for storing protected data that is not accessible by a user at the protected memory section, but is accessible by a memory controller included in the integrated circuit device. The access and transfer of the protected data is protected using combination security operations that may include encryption, cryptography, and user authentication. The integrated circuit device may further include a wireless component for establishing a wireless connection with wireless computing devices or readers for wirelessly transmitting the protected data accessed by the memory controller.

First claim

We claim:

1. An integrated circuit memory device that is a wireless device for wirelessly transmitting protected encrypted data stored in the integrated circuit memory device, the integrated circuit memory device comprising:
a user interface for interacting with a user;
a memory controller for executing software or firmware stored at the integrated circuit memory device;
memory that includes a protected memory area for storing protected data, the protected data stored in the protected memory area is not accessible, from the protected memory area, by the user of the integrated circuit memory device but is accessible by the memory controller; and
wireless communication circuitry for short range radio frequency wireless communication with wireless controller devices that are within a limited physical distance from the integrated circuit memory device, wherein the integrated circuit memory device is operable to:
(1) wirelessly discover, over the short range radio frequency wireless communication and using the wireless communication circuitry of the integrated circuit memory device, a wireless controller device that is within a limited physical distance from the integrated circuit memory device;
(2) establish, using the wireless communication circuitry of the integrated circuit memory device, a short range wireless communication link between the integrated circuit memory device and the wireless controller device that is wirelessly discovered in (1), the short range wireless communication link being a radio communication link;
(3) wirelessly provide, using the wireless communication circuitry of the integrated circuit memory device and over the short wireless communication link established in (2), from the integrated circuit memory device and to the wireless controller device wirelessly discovered in (1), at least device information for identifying the integrated circuit memory device to the wireless controller device;
(4) access, using the software or firmware executable by the memory controller of the integrated circuit memory device, the protected data that is stored in the protected memory area, the accessing of the protected data from the protected memory area is based on the memory controller implementing a cryptographic algorithm;
(5) encrypt, at the integrated circuit memory device, the protected data into encrypted data, the encrypted data is related, at least in part, to the protected data accessed by the memory controller in (4) from the protected memory area of the integrated circuit memory device, the encryption of the data is for wireless transmission of the encrypted data securely over short-range wireless communication from the integrated circuit memory device to the wireless controller device;
(6) receive, using the user interface of the integrated circuit memory device, and from the user of the integrated circuit memory device, at least a user input for transmitting at least part of the encrypted data encrypted in (5), the user input including at least authentication information related to the user;
(7) implement an authentication procedure, at and by the integrated circuit memory device, for authentication of the user of the integrated circuit memory device, the authentication procedure includes at least authenticating or interpreting the authentication information related to the user that is received in (6) or implementing cryptography techniques, individually or in any combination, the authentication information related to the user includes at least one or more of biometric information, voice information, or a password, individually or in any combination; and
(8) wirelessly transmit, using the wireless communication circuitry of the integrated circuit memory device, directly from the integrated circuit memory device securely over the short range wireless communication link established in (2), and to the wireless controller device wirelessly discovered in (1), at least part of the encrypted data encrypted in (5), the wireless transmission of the encrypted data is subsequent to having wirelessly provided the at least device information from the integrated circuit memory device to the wireless controller device in (3) and is based on successful authentication of the user in (7), which includes at least authenticating or interpreting the authentication information related to the user that is received in (6);
wherein the integrated circuit memory device provides protection of the protected data by storing the protected data in the protected memory area and requiring use of the integrated circuit memory device for wirelessly transmitting the encrypted data securely and directly from the integrated circuit memory device to the wireless controller device in (8).

2. The integrated circuit memory device of claim 1 , wherein subsequent to wirelessly transmitting the encrypted data securely and directly from the integrated circuit memory device to the wireless controller device in (8), the integrated circuit memory device is further operable to receive, at the integrated circuit memory device, over the short range wireless communication link established in (2), and from the wireless controller device, status information related to the wireless transmitting of the encrypted data in (8).

3. The integrated circuit memory device of claim 1 , wherein the integrated circuit memory device is included in at least one of a smart card, a dongle, a USB memory device, or a wireless communication device.

4. The integrated circuit memory device of claim 3 , further comprising a structural interface for connecting the integrated circuit memory device to a reader or a computing device.

5. The integrated circuit memory device of claim 4 , wherein the integrated circuit memory device is further configured for transmitting the encrypted protected data from the integrated circuit memory device, over the structural interface and via a structural connection, to the reader or the computing device.

6. The integrated circuit memory device of claim 1 , wherein the integrated circuit memory device is included in a smart phone.

7. The integrated circuit memory device of claim 6 , wherein the short range radio frequency wireless communication is a local point-to-point wireless communication and the short range wireless communication link established in (2) is a local point-to-point wireless communication connection.

8. A security method for transmitting protected data stored in an integrated circuit memory device to a wireless computing device, the integrated circuit memory device having:
a wireless communication circuitry for establishing a short range wireless communication connection with the wireless computing device, the short range wireless communication connection being a radio communication connection;
a memory controller;
a memory component;
a protected memory section in the memory component storing the protected data that is implemented to be not accessible by a user of the integrated circuit memory device at the protected memory section, but is implemented to be accessible by the memory controller; and
an internal memory area in the memory component storing program or firmware that is implemented to be not accessible by the user of the integrated circuit memory device, but is implemented to be accessible and executable by the memory controller to support at least part of functionalities of the memory controller, the method comprising:
(a) wirelessly discovering, over short range wireless communication and using the wireless communication circuitry of the integrated circuit memory device, the wireless computing device;
(b) establishing, using the wireless communication circuitry of the integrated circuit memory device, a short range wireless communication link between

Assignees

• Flexiworld Tech Inc

Inventors

• Chang William Ho
• Viswanathan Vinaynathan

Classifications

• G06F3/0679

  Non-volatile semiconductor memory device, e.g. flash memory, one time programmable memory [OTP] · CPC title

• H04W12/033

  of the user plane, e.g. user's traffic · CPC title

• G06F13/385 Primary

  for adaptation of a particular data processing system to different peripheral devices · CPC title

• H04M1/72412

  using two-way short-range wireless interfaces · CPC title

• G06F2213/3814

  Wireless link with a computer system port · CPC title