Device with time limited use auto start application

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9965298-B2
Application number	US-201013380571-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 23, 2010
Priority date	Jun 24, 2009
Publication date	May 8, 2018
Grant date	May 8, 2018

Abstract

(EN) The invention relates to a portable electronic device (SC, TK) comprising electric input means (VCC, GND, ANT) for receiving electric power from an external power supply. The portable electronic device (SC, TK) comprises an application, the application being set to be triggered when power is supplied to said electric input means (VCC, GND, ANT), and to not communicate with entities external to the portable electronic device (SC, TK), or to only notify such entities of an event. The application is further set to configure the portable electronic device (SC, TK), and to be successfully executable at most once. The invention also relate to a manufacturing equipment (M) for configuring a portable electronic device (SC, TK) and to a method for configuring a portable electronic device (SC, TK).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A portable electronic device comprising:
a. electric input means for receiving electric power from a manufacturing equipment,
b. an application loaded into the portable electronic device, by using a personalization machine during a post-manufacturing personalization phase in which the portable electronic device is configured for a specific entity, the application being stored in a memory of the portable electronic device, the application set i. to be triggered when power is supplied to said electric input means by the manufacturing equipment, and ii. to communicate solely with entities internal to the portable electronic device during a personalization phase of the portable electronic device, wherein the application is further set iii. to configure the portable electronic device during the personalization phase of the portable electronic device when said application is triggered, and iv. to be successfully executable not more than one time, said one time occurring during the personalization phase of the portable electronic device.

2. The portable electronic device according to claim 1 , comprising means to detect situations in which the application fails or is interrupted before completion, and to resume or restart the application next time power is supplied to said electric input means.

3. The portable electronic device according to claim 1 , comprising means to detect the successful execution of the application, the portable electronic device being set to remove the application from the memory of the portable electronic device after successful execution is detected.

4. The portable electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein the portable electronic device is a smart card, a memory card, a USB token, an electronic passport, or an electronic driver's license.

5. The portable electronic device according to claim 1 , the portable electronic device comprising non-volatile memory, wherein configuring the portable electronic device comprises generating an asymmetric cryptography key pair and storing at least the private key of the key pair in said non volatile memory.

6. The portable electronic device according to claim 1 , the portable electronic device comprising flash memory, wherein configuring the portable device comprises testing the flash memory.

7. Manufacturing equipment for configuring a set of portable electronic devices having
a. electric input means for receiving electric power from the manufacturing equipment,
b. an application loaded into at least one of the portable electronic devices by using a personalization machine during a post-manufacturing personalization phase in which the portable electronic device is configured for a specific entity and stored in a memory of the at least one portable electronic device, said application being set
i. to be triggered when power is supplied to said electric input means by the manufacturing equipment, and
ii. to communicate solely with entities internal to the portable electronic device during a personalization phase, wherein the application is further set
iii. to configure the portable electronic device during the personalization phase of the at least one portable electronic device, and
iv. to be successfully executable not more than one time, said one time occurring during the personalization phase of the portable electronic device, the manufacturing equipment comprising electric output means designed to supply electric power to electric input means of portable electronic devices, the manufacturing equipment comprising determination means for determining, without communicating with said portable electronic device powered through said electric output means, the completion of the execution of the application of said portable electronic device.

8. The manufacturing equipment according to claim 7 , wherein the electric output means comprise an antenna for providing power to contact-less portable electronic devices.

9. The manufacturing equipment according to claim 7 , wherein the electric output means comprise electric contacts for connecting to the portable electronic devices.

10. The manufacturing equipment according to claim 9 , wherein one set of electric contacts of the electric output means is set to power several portable electronic devices.

11. The manufacturing equipment according to claim 9 , wherein each set of electric contacts of the electric output means is set to power a corresponding portable electronic device.

12. The manufacturing equipment according to claim 7 , wherein the determination means comprise means for measuring the electric power supplied to the portable electronic device through the electric output means.

13. The manufacturing equipment according to claim 7 , wherein the determination means comprise a timer measuring the longest possible time for the execution of the application.

14. The manufacturing equipment according to claim 7 , wherein the manufacturing equipment comprises more than a hundred electric output means.

15. A method for configuring a portable electronic device having electric input means for receiving electric power from a manufacturing equipment, the method comprising: loading an application into the portable electronic device by a personalization machine during a post-manufacturing personalization phase in which the portable electronic device is configured for a specific entity and storing the application in a memory of the portable electronic device, said application being set i. to be triggered when power is supplied to said electric input means by said manufacturing equipment, and ii. to communicate solely with entities internal to the portable electronic device during a personalization phase of the portable electronic device, wherein the application is further set iii. to configure the portable electronic device during the personalization phase, and iv. to be successfully executable not more than one time, said one time occurring during the personalization phase of the portable electronic device; presenting the portable electronic device to the manufacturing equipment having electric output means designed to supply electric power to electric input means of portable electronic devices, the manufacturing equipment comprising determination means for determining, without communicating with said portable electronic device powered through said electric output means, the completion of the execution of the application of said portable electronic device in order to receive electric power from the manufacturing equipment through electric input means, II letting the application in the portable electronic device start automatically and configure the portable electronic device.

16. A method for configuring a chip of a portable electronic device (SC, TK) during a manufacturing phase of said chip, the method comprising the following step:
a. connecting electric input means (VCC, GND, ANT) of the chip of the portable electronic device (SC, TK) to electric output means (M_VCC, M_GND) of the manufacturing equipment in order to receive electric power from the manufacturing equipment,
b. operating an application stored in a memory of the portable electronic device,
i. to be triggered automatically when power is supplied to said electric input means (VCC, GND, ANT) by the electric output means (M_VCC, M_GND) of the manufacturing equipment, and
ii. to not communicate with entities external to the portable electronic device (SC, TK) during a configuration procedure of said portable electronic device during a personalization phase,

wherein the application is further set
c. to auto

Assignees

• Thill Michel
• Leibenguth Joseph
• Joffray Olivier
• Gemalto Sa

Inventors

• Thill Michel
• Leibenguth Joseph
• Joffray Olivier

Classifications

• G06F9/445 Primary

  Program loading or initiating (bootstrapping G06F9/4401; security arrangements for program loading or initiating G06F21/57) · CPC title

• G06Q30/018

  Certifying business or products · CPC title

• H04L63/20

  for managing network security; network security policies in general (filtering policies H04L63/0227) · CPC title

• G06F8/54 Primary

  Link editing before load time · CPC title