US 7,726,577 B2Granted

Contactless card

AssigneePanasonic Corporation

InventorsFutoshi Nakabe, Eiji Ueda

Life of this patent

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Abstract

The present invention aims at providing a contactless card that enables a reader/writer to identify which card such reader/writer is communicating with in a set of card identification processes and that improves the possibility of protecting the cardholder's privacy. Contactless card (200) includes: power detection unit (203); random number ID generation unit (210) that determines an identifier that identifies card (200), every time power detection unit (203) detects that electric power has been supplied; ID storage unit (2081) that holds the determined identifier; sending/receiving circuit (204) that receives a command requesting that the identifier that identifies card (200) should be sent to reader/writer (100), and sending/receiving circuit (204) sends, to reader/writer (100), the determined identifier in the case where the received command is a first-received command, and the held identifier in the case where the received command is a second- or later-received command.

Claims18

Dependent claims

A contactless card that communicates with a reader/writer after being supplied with electric power, the contactless card having an identifier that identifies the contactless card, the contactless card comprising:

a power detection unit operable to detect that electric power has been supplied for enabling communication to take place between the contactless card and the reader/writer;
an identifier determination unit operable to determine an identifier that identifies the contactless card, every time the power detection unit detects that electric power has been supplied for enabling communication to take place between the contactless card and the reader/writer;
an identifier storage unit operable to hold the identifier determined by the identifier determination unit;
a receiving unit operable to receive, from the reader/writer, a command requesting that the identifier that identifies the contactless card be sent to the reader/writer;
a first request judgment unit operable to judge, based on a first request judgment flag, whether the command received by the receiving unit is a first request command or a second or later request command;
a sending unit operable to send, to the reader/writer, the identifier that identifies the contactless card;
and
a mode judgment unit operable to judge an operation mode included in a contactless mode in which the contactless card operates, by judging whether or not a voltage at a predetermined point in the contactless card is a predetermined voltage,
wherein the identifier determination unit includes:
a random identifier generation unit operable to generate an identifier in a random manner;
and
a specific identifier generation unit operable to generate a specific identifier,
wherein the judged operation mode included in the contactless mode is used to determine, independently of information received by the receiving unit, which one of (i) the random identifier generation unit and (ii) the specific identifier generation unit, is to be used to generate the identifier that identifies the contactless card, and
wherein the sending unit is operable to send, to the reader/writer, (i) a new identifier determined by the identifier determination unit in the case where the first request judgment unit judges that the command received by the receiving unit is the first request command, and (ii) the identifier held in the identifier storage unit in the case where the first request judgment unit judges that the command received by the receiving unit is the second or later request command.

11 more elements

A communication method performed by a contactless card to send an identifier that identifies the contactless card, the contactless card communicating with a reader/writer after being supplied with electric power, the method comprising:

detecting that electric power has been supplied for enabling communication to take place between the contactless card and the reader/writer;
receiving, from the reader/writer, a command requesting that the identifier that identifies the contactless card be sent to the reader/writer;
judging, based on a first request judgment flag, whether the command received in said receiving is a first request command or a second or later request command;
judging an operation mode included in a contactless mode in which the contactless card operates by judging whether or not a voltage at a predetermined point in the contactless card is a predetermined voltage;
determining, depending on said judged operation mode included in the contactless mode in said judging of the operation mode, and independently of information received from the reader/writer in said receiving, whether the identifier that identifies the contactless card is to be a random identifier or a specific identifier, said determining being performed every time said detecting detects that electric power has been supplied for enabling communication to take place between the contactless card and the reader/writer;
generating, based on said determining, the random identifier or the specific identifier, the generated identifier to be used as the identifier that identifies the contactless card;
storing the generated identifier into a storage unit;
and
sending, to the reader/writer, (i) a new identifier generated in said generating in the case where it is judged in said judging, based on the first request judgment flag, that the command received in said receiving is the first request command, and (ii) the generated identifier stored into the storage unit in said storing in the case where it is judged in said judging, based on the first request judgment flag, that the command received in said receiving is the second or later request command.

6 more elements

An integrated circuit in a contactless card that communicates with a reader/writer after being supplied with electric power, the contactless card having an identifier that identifies the contactless card, the integrated circuit comprising:

a power detection unit operable to detect that electric power has been supplied for enabling communication to take place between the contactless card and the reader/writer;
an identifier determination unit operable to determine an identifier that identifies the contactless card, every time the power detection unit detects that electric power has been supplied for enabling communication to take place between the contactless card and the reader/writer;
an identifier storage unit operable to hold the identifier determined by the identifier determination unit;
a receiving unit operable to receive, from the reader/writer, a command requesting that the identifier that identifies the contactless card be sent to the reader/writer;
a first request judgment unit operable to judge, based on a first request judgment flag, whether the command received by the receiving unit is a first request command or a second or later request command;
a sending unit operable to send, to the reader/writer, the identifier that identifies the contactless card;
and
a mode judgment unit operable to judge an operation mode included in a contactless mode in which the contactless card operates by judging whether or not a voltage at a predetermined point in the contactless card is a predetermined voltage,
wherein the identifier determination unit includes:
a random identifier generation unit operable to generate an identifier in a random manner;
and
a specific identifier generation unit operable to generate a specific identifier,
wherein the judged operation mode included in the contactless mode is used to determine, independently of information received by the receiving unit, which one of (i) the random identifier generation unit and (ii) the specific identifier generation unit, is to be used to generate the identifier that identifies the contactless card, and
wherein the sending unit is operable to send, to the reader/writer, (i) a new identifier determined by the identifier determination unit in the case where the first request judgment unit judges that the command received by the receiving unit is the first request command, and (ii) the identifier held in the identifier storage unit in the case where the first request judgment unit judges that the command received by the receiving unit is the second or later request command.

11 more elements

A program embodied on a storage medium for sending an identifier that identifies a contactless card, the contactless card being able to communicate with a reader/writer after being supplied with electric power, the program causing a computer to execute a method comprising:

detecting that electric power has been supplied for enabling communication to take place between the contactless card and the reader/writer;
receiving, from the reader/writer, a command requesting that the identifier that identifies the contactless card be sent to the reader/writer;
judging, based on a first request judgment flag, whether the command received in said receiving is a first request command or a second or later request command;
judging an operation mode included in a contactless mode in which the contactless card operates by judging whether or not a voltage at a predetermined point in the contactless card is a predetermined voltage;
determining, depending on said judged operation mode included in the contactless mode in said judging of the operation mode, and independently of information received from the reader/writer in said receiving, whether the identifier that identifies the contactless card is to be a random identifier or a specific identifier, said determining being performed every time said detecting detects that electric power has been supplied for enabling communication to take place between the contactless card and the reader/writer;
generating, based on said determining, the random identifier or the specific identifier, the generated identifier to be used as the identifier that identifies the contactless card;
storing the generated identifier into a storage unit;
and
sending, to the reader/writer, (i) a new identifier generated in said generating in the case where it is judged in said judging, based on the first request judgment flag, that the command received in said receiving is the first request command, and (ii) the generated identifier stored into the storage unit in said storing in the case where it is judged in said judging, based on the first request judgment flag, that the command received in said receiving is the second or later request command.

6 more elements

A storage medium in which a program is stored for sending an identifier that identifies a contactless card, the contactless card being able to communicate with a reader/writer after being supplied with electric power, the program causing a computer to execute a method comprising:

detecting that electric power has been supplied for enabling communication to take place between the contactless card and the reader/writer;
receiving, from the reader/writer, a command requesting that the identifier that identifies the contactless card be sent to the reader/writer;
judging, based on a first request judgment flag, whether the command received in said receiving is a first request command or a second or later request command;
judging an operation mode included in a contactless mode in which the contactless card operates by judging whether or not a voltage at a predetermined point in the contactless card is a predetermined voltage;
determining, depending on said judged operation mode included in the contactless mode in said judging of the operation mode, and independently of information received from the reader/writer in said receiving, whether the identifier that identifies the contactless card is to be a random identifier or a specific identifier, said determining being performed every time said detecting detects that electric power has been supplied for enabling communication to take place between the contactless card and the reader/writer;
generating, based on said determining, the random identifier or the specific identifier, the generated identifier to be used as the identifier that identifies the contactless card;
storing the generated identifier into a storage unit;
and
sending, to the reader/writer, (i) a new identifier generated in said generating in the case where it is judged in said judging, based on the first request judgment flag, that the command received in said receiving is the first request command, and (ii) the generated identifier stored into the storage unit in said storing in the case where it is judged in said judging, based on the first request judgment flag, that the command received in said receiving is the second or later request command.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 10/586,440Filed 7 Apr 2005
Priority: JP 2004-11880714 Apr 2004
Published: US 2008/0230612 A125 Sep 2008
Granted: 1 Jun 2010
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification3 codes

G06K 7/0008
Methods or arrangements for sensing record carriers, e.g. for reading patterns: general problems related to the reading of electronic memory…
G06K 19/0723
With integrated circuit chips: the record carrier comprising an arrangement for non-contact communication, e.g. wireless communication circuits on…
G06K
Graphical data reading