WO1998057474A1

WO1998057474A1 - Smart card, cordless telephone, system and method for access and communication by internet

Info

Publication number: WO1998057474A1
Application number: PCT/FR1998/001225
Authority: WO
Inventors: Lionel Merrien; Clayton Simmons; Philippe Martineau
Original assignee: Gemplus S.C.A.
Priority date: 1997-06-13
Filing date: 1998-06-12
Publication date: 1998-12-17
Also published as: CN1284230A; EP1050145A1; CA2293546A1; AU8113798A; ZA985151B; TW378308B

Abstract

The invention concerns a method and a system for using a smart card capable of being inserted in a terminal equipped with an explorer, comprising the following steps: storing in the card an Internet provider's address, an IP address and the card user's other personal Internet data; inserting the card in a card reader connected to the terminal; and activating the explorer to use the personal Internet data when the terminal is connected to Internet.

Description

CHIP CARD, WIRELESS TELEPHONE, SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR INTERNET ACCESS AND COMMUNICATION.

The invention generally relates to smart cards, digital communication and, in particular, digital cordless telephones and the Internet and, more particularly, an exchange and storage of data via the Internet by means of smart cards, digital communication. especially digital cordless phones.

A number of standards for wireless telephony are currently in use around the world. One of them, GSM, is widely adopted in Europe and used in various parts of the United States. The GSM system has demonstrated OTA (over the air) access to the Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) in the mobile phone, which often takes the form of a card subscriber chip, which is a way to remotely control the phone subscription. In addition, it is possible with GSM to download data from a network application to a smart card in the telephone handset. Such access to a smart card has not yet been standardized, but it has been added to or plugged into the SMS channel (short message service). The SMS channel is currently the only channel standard directly in contact with the smart card to be used by GSM. The success of this concept, that is, of downloading an application to a smart card in a cordless telephone, has been so great that at present, all suppliers of smart cards have developed their own private protocol using SMS service, and OTA service has become an essential feature for wireless network operators in many countries, including the United States.

The fact that there is no standardization on how to download has many disadvantages. For example, applications must respond to different protocols, each of which offers different possibilities, which results in a reduction in the number of services available because there can be several different protocols. Other restrictions on the implementation of this download are due to the fact that the SMS channel was initially intended for text messages, and is therefore unidirectional. It has a maximum capacity of 140 bytes per message. Obviously, this does not allow a duplex exchange. It can be used to download information to the map "blindly". The SMS channel cannot be used effectively as a remote write and read channel to the card. At present, in the United States, unlike in Europe, where the GSM network and the wireless telephone accept smart cards, very few devices accepting smart cards are used. A single wireless technology provides a smart card interface, and while the existing OTA service meets the current needs of GSM network operators, it does not provide independent developers with an open channel for developing applications and communicating applications wirelessly with microchip.

In addition, in the United States, the Federal

Communications Commission

Telecommunications) sells PCS licenses. There is therefore neither national coverage by a single system, nor standardized technology. The decision regarding the protocol to be used and the material to be used is a decision left to the licensee. As a result, independent developers, for example banks, medical institutions, etc., cannot develop their application for a single wireless technology or standard, but must develop them for several technologies, of which there are seven different in the United States. The differences between these technologies lie mainly in the air interface between the handset and the base station, while other services remain relatively identical when it comes to the implementation of a digital cellular network. The regulatory authorities have currently identified seven aerial interfaces used in the United States. One aspect of the present invention consists in having a means of communication which is independent of these seven technologies, by a fusion between these technologies to form a common base. A recent trend in the industry is to have access to the Internet from manual devices, for example cordless telephones, which is provided in the present invention in the form of a technological gateway which provides a solution to the problem mentioned above. above. The manufacturers of cordless telephones have developed the new Internet protocols, HDML from Uplanet, TTML from Nokia, etc., but these devices both have only reduced or limited CPU power, and poor display possibilities. Several manufacturers of cordless telephones have developed in-house explorers to adapt to the environment of portable cordless devices, for example three-line display of alphanumeric characters, full visible memory, restricted keyboard with scroll keys and full keyboard functions. , etc. Know whether there will be a single explorer implemented on different technologies, or several different explorers among which choose, does not matter, and should not pose any problem for the invention of the applicant. The depositor focused on the implementation of a smart card for use with an explorer. The applicant's card and system are not based on the technology used by the explorer to connect to the Internet, but connect to the Internet with any explorer. To overcome the shortcomings of the prior art, the applicant offers an interface with a telephone explorer, instead of having an interface with the telephone operator system. Thus, we have better technology, which represents an independent communication solution for PCS. On the other hand, explorers as proposed in wireless telephony are still closely linked to an aerial interface, whether it is SMS, CDPD, etc. However, the explorer provides easy access to

Internet, and is currently the best entry point to support an open "interface" for portable devices.

Currently, companies like Uplanet offer explorers for multiple technologies, CDMA, CDPD, AMPS, etc., and due to the nature of Internet applications, have adopted an "open protocol" so that it can be supported by several explorer suppliers; Nokia for example released TTML, and Uplanet recently released HTML, two protocols that are apparently used freely. These companies actually establish a de facto standard instead of going through the standardization authorities. One aspect of the present invention relates to a technical solution which consists in using a smart card in a wireless handset, which allows the exchange of data between the smart card (in the wireless handset), and the data provided on the Internet. . Data received from the Internet can be stored in the smart card for later use, or can be partially displayed on the screen of the cordless telephone. The smart card carries its own authentication, cryptographic coding and security elements, and thus provides the necessary security for the data transmitted and received, and the necessary security for the stored data. For example, applications such as banking information, electronic wallet, medical information, can be exchanged with cryptographic code, authentication, etc., if necessary by a wireless phone, while using the Internet for fast transfer and efficient data, fast and efficient transfer which is not provided by the telephone network operator channel, and in particular is not provided by the SMS channel. The user can remove the smart card and insert it into any mobile phone equipped a slot and an explorer. It is independent of the local cordless telephone system, and must operate with all of the different local cordless telephone protocols. The user does not have to limit the use of his smart card to cordless telephones, but can use it as a multi-card for other applications, for example bank information, electronic wallet, credit card, information medical devices, etc., and can read or write to the card as a card reader or wired or landline terminal allows.

One of the drawbacks of explorers in wireless phone technology is the management of Internet provider (IP) addresses.

Internet. Wireless phones that currently come with an explorer have only one permanently entered IP address, for example, engraved on the phone. This not only takes time and is difficult to manage, but is also relatively expensive, because IP addresses are engraved in advance without it being known whether the end user will use the Internet service. In the case of the present invention, the IP address is removed from the phone to be on a smart card. This allows better management of IP addresses, in particular the allocation of IP addresses on a database as needed, and can be provided in OTA after the user has purchased the phone. The decision to adapt the Internet service is controlled by the user, and is implemented through the service provider. Also, once the smart card has accessed the Internet, i.e. an IP address is inserted in the card, the next access is independent of the telephone in which the user can insert his card and use it.

Another aspect of the invention consists in that part of the information currently stored in the explorer can be moved in the portable smart card. In other words, the smart card personalizes any explorer to which it is connected in a similar way to the SIM which personalized the handset. The specific user information is then stored in the removable and portable location, namely the smart card, with various data items, e-mail addresses, bookmark lists, cookie files, cache, etc.

The service provider, either the network operator or a freelancer, may also want to control access to the services that are part of the telephone subscription package. The smart card according to the present invention could control the services accessible on the Internet. This would be similar to the FDN control of the GSM system. The smart card, as used according to the present invention, could for example include fixed bookmarks restricting access to the Internet to certain subscribed services. This is an option that could be selected.

The inventor's chip card can support several applications, in addition to access to

Internet. To make these applications accessible from the MMI handset, it is necessary to create an infrastructure for applications based on the smart card, for example screen, keyboard, line data, dial tone, etc. Whether this requires an online connection, or can operate without a connection, does not change anything. The concept in this case is to use the microservers located in the smart card as if each of them was a remote server on the Internet. Microservers can also support an application for use outside the Internet.

Let’s dwell on microservers. First, they can run applications like any Internet server. These applications would use web page encoding, and provide additional security. The interface between the microserver and the explorer would be standardized. In the detailed description there is a description of a protocol. More sophisticated protocols will probably be developed. The microservers would have an address so as to be accessible from the Internet, for example MS No 1. This would provide a link between an Internet application and the microserver for the exchange of data. For example, if the explorer IP address is IP No 1, the microserver will be identified as MS No 1 @ IP No 1. Security is always a concern. Since the microserver is on the smart card, it can become a secure server by controlling either who accesses the card from the Internet, or the conditions of access to files and functions by application including secure authentication on the Internet. . This could include paid access to use of the service available on the Internet. With this security, Internet applications can download information to the card securely.

Another advantage of the applicant's invention is that it may be desirable to download a new version of the explorer from the Internet. Air interfaces do not provide the ability to download more than one hundred bytes at a time. With a smart card interface to the explorer, and with smart card technology providing 16 K 32 K, etc., there is a vehicle on the chip card to download updates from the explorer to the cordless telephone. The smart card interface of the explorer could be used to download the new explorer from the Internet to the map, where it would be temporarily stored, and then to download it from the map to the explorer. The new explorer would replace or update the old explorer and expand the possibilities.

An additional aspect of the invention resides in the possibility of using the smart card on pay telephones, some of which have a dual line display, a small central unit, a smart card interface keyboard, and a telephone line. This allows access to the Internet via the public pay telephone.

The smart card of the present invention is not limited to use on cordless telephones, but can be used in a card reader for landline fixed terminals.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to one aspect of the invention, a new smart card is proposed, which stores an Internet provider address on the card. The card can be read from a digital telephone equipped with a explorer: the card is inserted in a digital telephone, the explorer reads the address of the Internet provider and connects the user to the Internet. The card can also include additional data for digital telephone and / or Internet entry, including user ID and password, e-mail address, e-mail address book, bookmarks, fixed bookmarks. The card may contain a cache memory and a cookie. One aspect of the invention is that the card can be distributed to a user without an IP address. When the user wishes to access the Internet with his card, the IP address can be entered at this time, and if the user uses a digital mobile phone, it can be entered over the air. The card can also contain one or more microservers, each with an address and a microserver ID for exchanging data with the Internet. On the card can be included an authentication program, a cryptographic code, and other appropriate security programs, for the transfer of confidential information between the card and the Internet, and for the necessary security of the data stored on the card.

Another aspect of the invention resides in a digital cordless telephone system connectable to the Internet, in which a plurality of cordless telephones are each equipped with a Internet explorer and a smart card insertion slot. Chip cards are issued to telephone users, and a user card could be inserted into the slot of any of the telephones. Each card has a memory for storing the user's IP address. Thus, a user can connect a wireless telephone to the Internet by inserting his smart card into the slot of the telephone, making the Internet connection via the network, and activating the IP address.

The system also includes a memory on the card for storing and entering data which is useful on the Internet. For example user ID and password, email address, email address book, bookmarks, fixed bookmarks, cache and cookie. It is envisaged that the user's IP address is initially downloaded to the card from the operator of the cellular network, for example by the SMS channel.

Another aspect of the invention is a method of operating a smart card which is pluggable into a digital telephone. It includes the steps of memorizing on the card an Internet provider address for a card user, inserting the card into a card reader connected to a digital telephone, and activating the telephone for use the address of the Internet provider on the card when the phone is connected to the Internet. One of the characteristics of the process is that the address of the Internet provider is entered on the aerial card, while the card is connected to a digital telephone. Another aspect of the method includes the steps of storing on the card various pieces of information useful for operating the card on the Internet, including user ID and password, e-mail address, e-mail bookmark, fixed bookmark, cache and cookie.

According to another aspect of the invention in terms of structure and method, at least one application is stored in the card in the microserver, and the microserver includes a stored web page, a microserver address, an identification, the authentication and the communication protocol with a digital telephone, and can be extended to include access to the files and functions stored on the card. The method and apparatus according to the invention also include downloading, that is to say in particular modifying the application on the card where the information is exchanged over the Internet in transparency for the protocol layer used by a wireless telephone network operator. Other objects and advantages of the invention will emerge from the detailed description below in connection with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Figure 1 is a diagram illustrating aspects of the invention.

Figure 2 is a block diagram illustrating aspects of the telephone and the card of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 represents a digital cordless telephone 10 comprising a slot 12 for receiving a removable smart card 14. The telephone can include a slot or additional slots not shown, for a mobile SIM and / or removable prepaid cards as shown and described in this applicant's pending US patent applications, Serial No. 08 / 634,188 filed April 19, 1996 and 08 / 738,256 filed October 28, 1996, both assigned to the same assignee as this application, and both incorporated into the this document by reference, and being an integral part thereof.

The telephone 10 comprises an antenna 16 for communicating with a cellular telephone network operator 18, and an internal explorer which allows communication via the operator of telephone on the Internet through an Internet access service company 22.

The smart card 14 preferably conforms to ISO 7816-1 and -2 standards, although any suitable or conventional card can be used.

FIG. 2 represents some of the parts of the telephone 10 and of the card 14. The communication between the telephone and the card is made by the contacts on the card, and the corresponding contacts on the telephone, and if ISO standards are used , there are six or eight contacts and provide serial communication. This is shown schematically in Figure 2 under the reference 24. The phone has an operating system 30, an explorer 32, a screen 34, which can generally display up to

3 lines of text, a keyboard 36, and telephone circuit 38 and connection to antenna 16 required.

Explorer needs an IP address for Internet access. In the embodiment of FIG. 2, the address is stored in the card 14 at the memory location 40. The IP address stored in

40 can be entered into the smart card after the telephone and the card have been manufactured, and when the card is given to a user. The user will insert the card into the handset, dial the service number of the Internet provider, and register with the service from the handset, as is done from a computer terminal. The IP address could also be entered from an extension.

Additional data for the net and / or the telephone can be stored in additional registers. For example, an ID and password can be stored in a register 42, an e-mail address in a register 44, an e-mail address book in a register 46; bookmarks can be stored in a register 48, and fixed bookmarks in a register 50. The fixed bookmarks can come from the card, or be the bookmarks that the telephone network operator inserts into the card when the telephone is used on his system. In addition, there may be a cache memory 54 and a cookie register 56. The various registers 40-56 are assigned to the memory, and are not necessarily a fixed location register. It is important to note that the smart card 14 having in memory the personal data in the registers 40-56 can be separated from the explorer and removed from the handset. The user can take the smart card and insert it into any other telephone handset equipped with a slot and an explorer, and connect to the Internet by means of any explorer in the new handset. . Furthermore, it is envisaged that when terrestrial terminals, for example non-wireless terminals, are equipped with readers smart cards, the card of the present invention can be used for example in pay telephones, personal computers, PDAs, etc.

In addition, there is in the chip card a series of microservers represented here as the address of microserver 1 and the address of microserver 2 under the respective references 61 and 62. It should be understood that the invention is not limited to two microservers, but can have one or more. The size of microservers can also be flexible, and allocated as needed. A conventional microserver includes a web page, an address, for example MS No 1 or MS No 2

(at the IP address), an identification number, an authentication mechanism, a communication protocol with the explorer, and an ability to check the conditions of access to files and functions. The communication protocol with the explorer can be nothing other than data entry and retrieval. According to another solution, a more elaborate language can be developed, for example SCML. Communication between the microserver and the explorer takes place via the card's contacts, in the same way as any communication between the card's components and the explorer and the telephone.

The access conditions refer to the circuit of the card, which is used as needed, and which is generally involved in cryptographic code and authentication when information is moved out of or to the card, and also when certain information is stored in the card. Any appropriate or conventional cryptographic coding, authentication, and additional security equipment can be incorporated into the card. Several techniques are currently well known and widely used, and reference is made to a number of books on the subject, for example Davies, DW and Price, L Security for Communications Networks 1984, John iley, or Hawkes PL, Davies, DW and Price, WL Integrated Circuit Cards, Tags and Tokens 1990, DSP Professional Books, Blackwell Scientific Publications Ltd., Oxford. The important point is that any suitable or conventional system of cryptographic coding, authentication and security can be used and incorporated into the card. In addition to the list of file IDs and functions, there may be a data compression algorithm (not shown) as well as data management or data allocation files.

A microserver generally stores an application. An example of an application is a program which allows access to a user's bank account. Currently, you can query your bank account on the web, and for example retrieve the five latest payments or the last five checks that have been presented, the balance of different accounts, and other information, all very similar to the type of information currently provided by bank ATMs. A second example of application would be an electronic purse. In the case of an electronic wallet, a certain amount of money is stored electronically in the card. When the user wishes to make a purchase, for example a confectionery bar in a dispenser, instead of paying in cash, the card is inserted into a reader of the dispenser, and the machine "withdraws" the value of the card from the card. purchased item, and the item is returned. It is also envisaged that certain stores, for example of the fast-food type, will be paid with the electronic purse of the smart card. At the time of payment, the card is inserted into a slot in the cash register, and the cash register indicates the amount due, and this amount is withdrawn from the card. Another aspect is the possibility of refilling the wallet with money. Currently, the user brings the card to an ATM, enters a PIN code, and downloads or withdraws money from a bank account and stores it on the card. In one embodiment of the present invention, the card would be inserted into a cordless telephone, the wireless service would connect to the Internet and the microserver would call, or the bookmark would call the user's bank, and after a successful authentication, verification and security exchange, the user could upload a value or "money" to the card's electronic wallet . The details of the electronic wallet are not described in the present application, since they are known, and reference is made, for example, to the experiment currently carried out with the electronic wallet by the Chase Bank of New - York in the western district of Manhattan. Additional information can be obtained from the depositor's assignees, who manufacture smart cards of the electronic purse type. Another example of using the microserver could be updating the explorer in the telephone handset. As the explorers improve and become more sophisticated, it is desirable to update them or to obtain a more elaborate version of an explorer. The OTA (SMS short message service for GSM) channel of the wireless telephone operator is not always suitable for recharging the explorer, because it takes too long and is cumbersome. An effective way is to download the new version of the explorer from the card to replace, update, the explorer in the telephone handset. An important aspect of the depositor's structure is that it allows an easy exchange of data between the user of a cordless telephone and a data source, whether it is a bank, a source of data, or any other application available on the Internet.

As an additional example, new applications can be added to the smart card. For example, if the smart card is also to be used to access an installation protected by a door locking by smart card, the key for unlocking and opening the door of this installation can be downloaded from the Internet. Of course, an appropriate authentication and cryptographic code should be used for any sensitive data, whether it be banking information, money transfer, or opening the door of a protected room. Another example of application, which involves the transfer of a large amount of data, concerns medical records. A user could store his personal medical file in one of the microservers, for example current state of health, treatments, recent consultations, names of doctors, etc. It will be appreciated that the present invention avoids some of the shortcomings of the current system, and offers a universal approach by Internet and card to chip to transfer data efficiently, and if necessary securely, between a cordless telephone and a data source, via the Internet and a smart card. In FIG. 2, the various registers and the list of files and functions of the service can all be contained in a single integrated circuit chip. From a data security standpoint, it's slightly better to have it all in one chip. There is an economic consideration, and with the evolution of the manufacturing of integrated circuits, it is also more and more advantageous to have all the components in a single chip. However, the real choice rests with the IC manufacturer, and he can use any suitable or conventional design. In addition, the connections are presented as made by contacts according to the ISO 8 standard. The connections can be of the contact list type, or any other suitable or conventional contacts which may be used or which may appear during the life of the patent.

The devices and embodiments described illustrate the principles of the invention. In light of this teaching, it is obvious that other devices can be devised by specialists in the art without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention.

Claims

1. Smartcard comprising means for storing the address of an Internet provider in a smart card, and means in the card for reading said address from an explorer in a terminal, said explorer reading said address from Internet provider when said card is connected to said terminal.

2. The card of claim 1, wherein said storage means includes the personal Internet data of the card user, including ID and password.

3. The card of claim 2, wherein said storage means includes means for storing data selected from a group comprising an e-mail address @, an e-mail address book, bookmarks, fixed bookmarks, a cache memory and a cookie.

4. The card of claim 1, wherein said means for storing the address of the supplier

The Internet is a programmable read only memory into which an address is entered after the card has been given to a user.

5. Smartcard for use with a terminal, comprising a memory for storing an IP address of the card user, and a route from said memory to said terminal for reading said IP address to said terminal, said user being able to easily connect to the Internet from several terminals equipped with a card reader.

6. The card of claim 5, further comprising a microserver comprising a server address, an ID, an authentication program, and a communication protocol for exchanging data with the Internet.

7. The card of claim 6, said card further comprising a list of ID files and functions, and said microserver including the conditions of access to said files and said functions.

8. The card of claim 5, wherein said card memory further comprises an ID, password, e-mail address, e-mail address book, and bookmarks.

9. Digital cordless telephone system that can be connected to the Internet and includes:

(a) a plurality of cordless telephones equipped with an Internet explorer and a slot for inserting a smart card,

(b) a plurality of smart cards for removably inserting them into the telephone slot, with one card in the slot of any telephone moment, each card having a memory for memorizing the IP address of a user, a user being able to connect one of the cordless telephones to Internet by inserting the smart card of the user in the slot of the telephone, dialing the Internet connection number on the network, and activating the IP address.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein said IP address is downloaded overhead to the card.

11. The system as claimed in claim 9, in which said memory of the card further comprises a memory for memorizing data selected from a group consisting of an ID, a password, a user's e-mail address, a e-mail address book, bookmarks, fixed bookmarks, cache memory and cookie, said data items being stored in the user's card, and being available for use with an explorer on any handset in which the card is inserted.

12. The system of claim 9, further comprising applications of the card stored in said card, and said applications being downloaded to the memory of the card via the Internet.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein one of said applications is stored in a microserver of said card.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein said microserver comprises a web page, an address, an ID, an authentication sequence, and a protocol for communication with the explorer.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein said card further comprises lists of files, IDs and functions, and said microserver has the possibility of checking the conditions of access to said files and said functions.

16. A method of using a plug-in smart card in a terminal equipped with an explorer, comprising the steps consisting in storing in the card the address of an Internet provider for a card user, plugging the card into a card reader connected to the terminal, and activate the browser to use the address of the Internet provider when the terminal is connected to the Internet.

17. The method of claim 16, comprising the step of entering the address of the Internet provider on the card while the card is connected to a terminal.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein said terminal is a cordless telephone.

19. The method of claim 16, comprising the steps of storing in the card a user ID and password, and data selected from a group comprising an e-mail address, an e-mail address book, a bookmark, a fixed bookmark, a cache memory and a cookie, the user's personal data being stored in the card, which card can be connected to the explorer fitted to the terminal.

20. The method of claim 16, further comprising the steps of storing at least one application in the card in at least one microserver, said application comprising a stored web page, an address of the microserver, an identification, an authentication, a protocol of communication with the explorer, and access to the files and functions stored on the card.

21. The method of claim 20, said application being downloaded to the card from the Internet.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising the steps of cryptographic coding of the downloaded application, and of storing at least part of said application in a protected encrypted form.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein said card encrypts at least part of the data transmitted from said microserver to said explorer, the confidentiality and security of said data being improved.

24. The method of claim 20, said terminal being a mobile phone, and further comprising the steps of storing an application in the card, said application being downloaded over the air from the Internet to the card while the card is located in said mobile phone.

25. The method of claim 20, wherein said card can be plugged into different terminals, a user being able to access the Internet without problem from any terminal using his personal Internet data stored on the card.