Electrical computers and digital processing systems: interprogra – Interprogram communication using message
Reexamination Certificate
2000-06-09
2004-10-26
Courtenay, III, St. John (Department: 2126)
Electrical computers and digital processing systems: interprogra
Interprogram communication using message
C710S011000, C235S380000, C709S230000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06810521
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to make it possible to process information, such as current or smart microprocessor cards, are used in many fields.
2. Description of Related Art
To avoid vastly multiplying the number of these portable objects a user must have, engineers have implemented what is known as multi-application operating systems that achieve management of data that are intended for different uses. By way of example, the same operating system can be used to manage health applications, access to particular premises, or lending books in a library.
In general, these portable objects include various types of memories. The memory that is accessible for reading only, or ROM, contains the operating system, while the programmable memory contains the data processed by the operating system. The memory zones containing these data are quite distinct, and the operating system manages access to these zones as a function of sole conditions of access defined for each application. The functional layout of a portable object made up of a microprocessor or smart card is shown in FIG
1
a.
This kind of operating mode is not possible when the portable object or smart card has to execute complex functions that are reserved solely to a specific application, such as the electronic billfold or PME application, highway toll card, or certain electronic commerce services, such as, for example buying products or merchandise by email.
In such a situation, one solution is to download the application program in the programmable memory of the card. This application program can be developed either in assembly language—in which case it can be executed directly by the microprocessor—or in high-level language, in which case it is written in the memory of the card in compressed form and then executed by an interpreter, which translates the downloaded program into instructions that can be executed by the microprocessor. This solution makes it possible to write programs in a universal language, regardless of the microprocessor with which the card is equipped.
The nonvolatile memory of the card is designed to receive applications programs of different origins. These programs can be executed independently of one another and to that have memory zones reserved to them. In certain specific cases, these programs have to communicate common data among one another. For example, an e-commerce application can use a PME application, which is resident in the memory of the card, to make one or more transactions.
In an implementation mode of the prior art described in European Patent Application filed under number 98 933 716.7 corresponding to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/242,976, filed Feb. 26, 1999, and assigned to the assignee of the present invention, the passage of common data can be done on the basis of a file-link that enables the transfer of common data exchanged. The method that is the subject of the aforementioned patent application describes an irreversible, permanent process that enables the communication of a set of formatted data, constituted as a file, for the relevant application; this set of data is therefore indivisible.
Such data accordingly correspond essentially to working data of a particular application, these working data simply being shared by several applications independently of the implementation of these applications. While such an operative mode is satisfactory, still it does not enable the implementation of a process of dynamic exchange of information between one or more target applications.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Furthermore, the shared files are formatted as a function of these applications and can then be read or used by any external system that is compatible with them. The result is an overall lower level of security, because of the of independence or impermeability among applications.
The object of the present invention is to overcome the disadvantages of the methods in the prior art in order in particular to enable a pinpoint exchange of elementary information, in the form of information messages exchanged between a source application and one or more target applications implanted in the nonvolatile memory of a portable object, such as a microprocessor card.
Another object of the present invention is in particular the implementation of a protocol for internal exchange of information between applications of a portable object, such as a microprocessor card, this dynamic exchange being done in the form of successive messages between the applications contained in this card.
Another object of the present invention is also the implementation of a protocol for internal exchange of information between applications of a microprocessor card, making it possible to assure a high level of security and guaranteeing the confidentiality and authenticity of these messages.
Still another object of the present invention, finally, is the implementation of a protocol for internal exchange of information between applications of a portable multi-application object, such as a microprocessor card, that makes it possible to preserve the independence or impermeability among the applications of this object or card, in particular by reason of the unsuccessful nature of the temporary information conveyed by this message exchanged in pinpoint fashion between applications, unlike the information conveyed by the files exchanged by the applications in the prior art systems.
As a consequence, the present invention furnishes a protocol for internal exchange of information in a portable multi-application object provided with information processing resources, a working memory, and a nonvolatile memory, the memories being connected to these information processing resources, and an operating system being implanted in nonvolatile memory. This nonvolatile memory includes a specific memory zone for each application, each specific memory zone being subdivided into a specific memory zone for data, a specific memory zone for instructions, and a specific memory zone for identification that relate to this application.
This protocol for internal exchange of information among these applications, which given an internal communications interface provided with at least one message sending command and one message reception command that reside in the nonvolatile memory, consists at least of the following: assigning to a first application, via an identification attribute of the this first application, a source application attribute upon request for this first application to send an information message to one or more other applications; and assigning to at least one second application, which is distinct from this first application, via an identification attribute of this second application, a target application attribute upon request for this first application to send an information message to this second application. With the exchange of the information message between the first and the second application is done by sending the information message on the part of the first application and then reception of this message by the second application, by the implementation of the communications interface used as an intermediary.
The protocol that is the subject of the present invention makes it possible to assure an exchange of information between these applications while substantially preventing the risk of interaction between these applications.
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Dave A et al. “Proxies, Application Interfaces, and Distributed Systems” Proceedings International Workshop on Object Orientation in Opera
Gelgon Sébastien
Overt Stéphane
Bull CP8
Courtenay III St. John
Kondracki Edward J.
Miles & Stockbridge P.C.
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