US6535997B1
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Data integrity in smartcard transactions
Assignee: PayPal Inc
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Filing: 1999-05-19
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Granted: 2003-03-18
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Expires: 2019-05-19
Abstract
Abstract The invention relates to data integrity in applications employing smartcards, in particular smartcards in connection with remote stations like personal or desktop card readers or similar inexpensive terminals. Since smartcards today are extensively used particularly in the financial and banking field, the data integrity issue is of particular importance. In such applications, any interrupted data transfer between the smartcard and a terminal can result in making the smartcard unusable and/or corrupt the data, any of which in turn often greatly affects the user. The solution according to the invention is, in brief, to apply an “adapted atomicity approach” to the smartcard environment, i.e. to adapt and use an atomic approach for smartcard transactions. To implement this, two essential features are incorporated, one being the provision and use of an internal trigger mechanism on the smartcard, the other being the provision and use of a failure-resistant recovery scheme on the smartcard, in particular a record index swapping scheme for data handling on the smartcard during the transaction.
Inventors
- 👤 Philippe A. Janson
- 👤 Helmut Scherzer
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-02 19:59
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06Q; G06Q40/00; G06Q40/02; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S707/00; Y10S707/99951; Y10S707/99952; Y10S707/99953
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 27
Claim 1
Independent Claim
81 words
A method of managing a transaction of data between an external system and a smartcard, said transaction using an error correction scheme, said method implementing a data integrity scheme comprising: initiating an atomic transaction to modify an existing data record on said smartcard; processing said atomic transaction; monitoring on said smartcard whether said atomic transaction is successfully completed; providing on the smartcard a failure-resistant recovery scheme, in particular a failure-resistant record index swapping scheme; and using an LRC error correction scheme.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
81 words
A method of managing a transaction of data between an external system and a smartcard, said transaction using an error correction scheme, said method implementing a data integrity scheme comprising: initiating an atomic transaction to modify an existing data record on said smartcard; processing said atomic transaction; monitoring on said smartcard whether said atomic transaction is successfully completed; providing on the smartcard a failure-resistant recovery scheme, in particular a failure-resistant record index swapping scheme; and using an LRC error correction scheme.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
65 words
A transaction managing method according to claim 1 , wherein the monitoring step on the smartcard comprises: determining whether the atomic transaction is successfully completed, and if so, triggering internally on said smartcard, without external interaction, a record commitment and subsequently modifying the existing data record, or if not, recovering lost data internally on said smartcard by exploiting available redundancy of the error correction scheme.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
41 words
A transaction managing method according to claim 1 , further comprising: providing a spare record on the smartcard, first writing modified data into said spare record, and reassigning the spare record as updated record if the atomic transaction is successfully completed.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
118 words
The transaction managing method according to claim 3 , wherein in the case of new data replacing data of an existing record, the new data being written into an existing spare record and the reassignment is carried out by swapping the index bytes of the existing spare record and the existing record thus making the existing spare record the updated record, or in the case of new data being appended to data of the existing record, the new data being written into a newly created spare record and the reassignment is carried out by swapping the index bytes of the newly created spare record and the existing record thus making the newly created spare record the updated record.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
27 words
A transaction managing method according to claim 1 , comprising: using on the smartcard a state-oriented processing scheme, setting said smartcard in either one of two states.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
42 words
A transaction managing method according to claim 5 , wherein the two states are: an old state, which is the state before a command was received, and/or a new state, which is the state envisaged to be achieved by executing said command.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
52 words
A transaction managing method according to claim 1 , comprising: defining an infinite state process on the smartcard, and, depending on the state said process is found to be in upon unsuccessful completion of the atomic transaction, calculating either a LRC of a spare record or a LRC of the existing record.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
71 words
A smartcard for use in a secure transaction system between an external system and said smartcard, the latter comprising: means adapted for atomic processing and/or modification of an existing data record on said smartcard, means for monitoring whether said atomic transaction is successfully completed, means for executing a failure-resistant error recovery scheme, in particular a record index swapping scheme on said smartcard, and means for providing an LRC error correction scheme.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
71 words
A smartcard for use in a secure transaction system between an external system and said smartcard, the latter comprising: means adapted for atomic processing and/or modification of an existing data record on said smartcard, means for monitoring whether said atomic transaction is successfully completed, means for executing a failure-resistant error recovery scheme, in particular a record index swapping scheme on said smartcard, and means for providing an LRC error correction scheme.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
59 words
A smartcard according to claim 8 , further including: means for determining whether said atomic transaction is successfully completed, and means for triggering internally on said smartcard, without external interaction, a record commitment and for modifying said existing record, and means for recovering lost data internally on said smartcard by exploiting available redundancy of said failure-resistant error recovery scheme.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
52 words
A smartcard according to claim 8 , further including: means for storing a spare record on the smartcard, means for writing modified data into said spare record, and means for updating and/or reassigning said spare record, said means for updating and/or reassigning being functionally dependant upon successful completion of the atomic transaction.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
55 words
A smartcard according to claim 8 , further including: means for executing a state-oriented processing scheme and for setting said smartcard into either one of two states, an old state, which is the state before a command was received, or a new state, which is the state envisaged to be achieved by executing a command.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
57 words
A smartcard according to claim 8 , further including: means for defining an infinite state process on the smartcard, and means for calculating either a LRC of a spare record or a LRC of the existing record, depending on the state said process is found to be in when unsuccessful completion of the atomic transaction is determined.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
127 words
A transaction processing system with multiple processes, including an error correction process, and having smartcards with an addressable storage accessed by said processes, said system comprising: a user process to initiate an atomic transaction to modify an existing data record at a first storage address on said smartcard, an externally initiated management process to write the data to be modified into a second storage address on said smartcard, a internally initiated monitoring process to correct corrupted data in any of said storage addresses whenever said monitoring process indicates an error and/or other unsuccessful completion, an internally initiated address modification process to modify said addresses according to predefined rules, and a partial process to exploit an LRC error correction scheme by calculating the LRC of any corrupted record.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
127 words
A transaction processing system with multiple processes, including an error correction process, and having smartcards with an addressable storage accessed by said processes, said system comprising: a user process to initiate an atomic transaction to modify an existing data record at a first storage address on said smartcard, an externally initiated management process to write the data to be modified into a second storage address on said smartcard, a internally initiated monitoring process to correct corrupted data in any of said storage addresses whenever said monitoring process indicates an error and/or other unsuccessful completion, an internally initiated address modification process to modify said addresses according to predefined rules, and a partial process to exploit an LRC error correction scheme by calculating the LRC of any corrupted record.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
30 words
A transaction processing system according to claim 13 , wherein the internally initiated address modification process is a process to execute a failure-resistant record index swapping scheme on the smartcard.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
60 words
A transaction processing system according to claim 13 , wherein the internally initiated recovery process is a state-oriented processing scheme, setting said smartcard in either one of two states, in particular: an old state, which is the state before the user process was initiated, and/or a new state, which is the state envisaged to be achieved by the atomic transaction.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
119 words
An article of manufacture comprising a computer usable medium having computer readable program code means embodied therein for causing management of a transaction of data between an external system and a smartcard, said transaction using an error correction scheme, and implementing a data integrity scheme, the computer readable program code means in said article of manufacture comprising computer readable program code means for causing a computer to effect: initiating an atomic transaction to modify an existing data record on said smartcard; processing said atomic transaction; monitoring on said smartcard whether said atomic transaction is successfully completed; providing on the smartcard a failure-resistant recovery scheme, in particular a failure-resistant record index swapping scheme; and using an LRC error correction scheme.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
119 words
An article of manufacture comprising a computer usable medium having computer readable program code means embodied therein for causing management of a transaction of data between an external system and a smartcard, said transaction using an error correction scheme, and implementing a data integrity scheme, the computer readable program code means in said article of manufacture comprising computer readable program code means for causing a computer to effect: initiating an atomic transaction to modify an existing data record on said smartcard; processing said atomic transaction; monitoring on said smartcard whether said atomic transaction is successfully completed; providing on the smartcard a failure-resistant recovery scheme, in particular a failure-resistant record index swapping scheme; and using an LRC error correction scheme.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
64 words
An article of manufacture according to claim 16 , wherein the monitoring on the smartcard comprises: determining whether the atomic transaction is successfully completed, and if so, triggering internally on said smartcard, without external interaction, a record commitment and subsequently modifying the existing data record, or if not, recovering lost data internally on said smartcard by exploiting available redundancy of the error correction scheme.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
66 words
An article of manufacture as recited in claim 16 , the computer readable program code means in said article of manufacture further comprising computer readable program code means for causing a computer to effect: providing a spare record on the smartcard, first writing modified data into said spare record, and reassigning the spare record as an updated record only if the atomic transaction is successfully completed.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
82 words
An article of manufacture according to claim 18 , wherein in the case of new data replacing data of an existing record, the computer readable program code means in said article of manufacture further comprising computer readable program code means for causing a computer to effect: writing the data into an existing spare record and carrying out the reassignment by swapping the index bytes of the existing spare record and the existing record thus making the existing spare record the updated record.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
89 words
An article of manufacture according to claim 18 , wherein in the case of new data replacing data being appended to date of the existing record, the computer readable program code means in said article of manufacture further comprising computer readable program code means for causing a computer to effect: writing the data into a newly created spare record, and carrying out the reassignment by swapping the index bytes of the newly created spare record and the existing record thus making the newly created spare record the updated record.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
51 words
An article of manufacture as recited in claim 16 , the computer readable program code means in said article of manufacture further comprising computer readable program code means for causing a computer to effect using on the smartcard a state-oriented processing scheme setting said smartcard in either one of two states.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
43 words
An article of manufacture as recited in claim 21 , wherein the two states are: an old state, which is the state before a command was received, and/or a new state, which is the state envisaged to be achieved by executing said command.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
75 words
An article of manufacture as recited in claim 16 , the computer readable program code means in said article of manufacture further comprising computer readable program code means for causing a computer to effect: defining an infinite state process on the smartcard, and, depending on the state said process is found to in upon unsuccessful completion of the atomic transaction, calculating either a LRC of a spare record or a LRC of the existing record.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2006-03-17 | 2006-09-16 | 2007-03-18 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2010-03-17 | 2010-09-16 | 2011-03-18 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2014-03-17 | 2014-09-16 | 2015-03-18 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |