Semiconductor memory card enabling continuation of processing when processing execution is interrupted due to interruption of voltage supply

A method for intermittently executing a program in a semiconductor memory card which can execute a program, the semiconductor memory card including a non-volatile memory which stores information and a register which stores information regarding the program being executed, and the program execution method comprises:

• a detection step of detecting a change in supply voltage to the semiconductor memory card;
• a save step of, when predetermined decrease of the supply voltage is detected, associating the information stored in the register with additional information for specifying the program and saving the information stored in the register and the additional information to the non-volatile memory, the additional information including information that is obtainable by a communication performed through an execution of the program between the semiconductor memory card and another device;
• and
• a return step of returning the information stored in the register to the register when a predetermined increase of the supply voltage is detected in the detection step, and when the additional information stored in the non-volatile memory satisfies a predetermined condition.

An execution program recorded on a computer-readable recording medium for intermittently causing a semiconductor memory card to execute the application program stored in a semiconductor memory card which can execute the application program, the semiconductor memory card including a non-volatile memory which stores information and a register which stores information regarding an application program being executed, the execution program is a program causing a computer to execute the following steps:

• a detection step of detecting a change in supply voltage to the semiconductor memory card;
• a save step of, when predetermined decrease of the supply voltage is detected, associating the information stored in the register with additional information for specifying the program and saving the information stored in the register and the additional information to the non-volatile memory, the additional information including information that is obtainable by a communication performed through an execution of the program between the semiconductor memory card and another device;
• and
• a return step of returning the information stored in the register to the register when a predetermined increase of the supply voltage is detected in the detection step, and when the additional information stored in the non-volatile memory satisfies a predetermined condition.

A computer-readable storage medium, in which an execution program for intermittently executing an application program in a semiconductor memory card which can execute the application program, the semiconductor memory card including a non-volatile memory which stores information and a register which stores information regarding application program being executed, the storage medium stores an execution program causing the memory card to execute the following steps:

• a detection step of detecting a change in supply voltage to the semiconductor memory card;
• a save step of, when a the predetermined decrease of the supply voltage is detected, associating the information stored in the register with additional information for specifying the program and saving the information stored in the register and the additional information to the non-volatile memory, the additional information including information that is obtainable by a communication performed through an execution of the program between the semiconductor memory card and another device;
• and
• a return step of returning the information stored in the register to the register when a predetermined increase of the supply voltage is detected in the detection step, and when the additional information stored in the non-volatile memory satisfies a predetermined condition.

An integrated circuit for intermittently executing a program in a semiconductor memory card which can execute a program, the semiconductor memory card including a non-volatile memory which stores information, the integrated circuit includes:

• a register which stores information regarding the program being executed;
• a detection unit operable to detect a change in supply voltage to the semiconductor memory card;
• a save unit operable, when the detection unit detects a predetermined decrease of the supply voltage, to associate the information stored in the register with additional information for specifying the program, and to save the information stored in the register and the additional information to the non-volatile memory, the additional information including information that is obtainable by a communication performed through an execution of the program between the semiconductor memory card and another device;
• and
• a return unit operable to return the information stored in the register to the register when the detection unit detects a predetermined increase of the supply voltage and when the additional information stored in the non-volatile memory satisfies a predetermined condition.

A semiconductor memory card which can execute a program, the memory card comprising:

• a non-volatile memory which stores information;
• a register which stores information regarding the program being executed;
• a detection unit operable to detect a change in supply voltage to the semiconductor memory card;
• a communication unit operable to communicate with another device;
• a communication type obtainment unit operable to obtain information indicating a communication type used for the communication between the communication unit and the other device;
• a save unit operable, when the detection unit detects a predetermined decrease of the supply voltage, to associate the information stored in the register with additional information for specifying the program, and to save the information stored in the register and the additional information to the non-volatile memory;
• and
• a return unit operable to return the information stored in the register to the register when the detection unit detects a predetermined increase of the supply voltage and when the additional information stored in the non-volatile memory includes information indicating the communication type obtained by the communication type obtainment unit.

A semiconductor memory card which can execute a program, the memory card comprising:

• a non-volatile memory which stores information;
• a register which stores information regarding the program being executed;
• a detection unit operable to detect a change in supply voltage to the semiconductor memory card;
• a communication unit operable to communicate with another device;
• a save unit operable, when the detection unit detects a predetermined decrease of the supply voltage, to associate the information stored in the register with additional information for specifying the program, and to save the information stored in the register and the additional information to the non-volatile memory, to associate encryption information with the information stored in the register, and to save the encryption information with the information stored in the register to the non-volatile memory, the associate encryption information indicating a strength of an encryption used by the program;
• a return judgment unit operable to judge whether or not the encryption strength is equal to or higher than a predetermined strength;
• an authentication unit operable to authenticate the other device when the return judgment unit judges that the encryption strength indicated by the encryption information is equal to or higher than the predetermined strength;
• and
• a return unit operable to return the information stored in the register to the register when the detection unit detects a predetermined increase of the supply voltage, and when the additional information stored in the non-volatile memory satisfies a predetermined condition and authentication of the other device by the authentication unit is successful.

A semiconductor memory card which can execute a program, the memory card comprising:

• a non-volatile memory which stores information, the non-volatile memory including a destructive readout region;
• a register which stores information regarding the program being executed;
• a detection unit operable to detect a change in supply voltage to the semiconductor memory card;
• a save judgment unit operable to judge whether or not an encryption strength used by the program being executed is equal to or higher than a predetermined strength;
• a save unit operable, when the detection unit detects a predetermined decrease of the supply voltage and the save judgment unit judges that the encryption strength is equal to or higher than the predetermined strength, to associate the information stored in the register with additional information for specifying the program, and to save the information stored in the register and the additional information to the destructive readout region of the non-volatile memory;
• and
• a return unit operable to return the information stored in the register to the register when the detection unit detects a predetermined increase of the supply voltage and when the additional information stored in the non-volatile memory satisfies a predetermined condition.