JP2000163539A - Ic card - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To efficiently select an application program as an execution object. SOLUTION: Plural application programs are stored in an EEPROM, and an application selection command is given from a reader/writer device side to select an application program as the execution object, and it is executed. Each time the application program is selected, the selection history including the date of selection is recorded in the EEPROM. When a reset signal to a CPU is given from the outside, the selection history of each application program is read (S12) after execution of reset signal reception processing (S11), and the application program having the latest selection history is automatically selected (S13) to update the selection history (S14). The result of automatic selection is transmitted to the reader/writer device together with an ATR (answer to reset) signal as the response to reset (S15) to enter into the command waiting state.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to an IC card,
In particular, the present invention relates to an IC card having a CPU and a memory, and capable of selectively executing a plurality of application programs stored in the memory by the CPU.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Optical cards and IC cards have begun to spread in place of magnetic cards used as cash cards and credit cards. In particular, an IC card with a built-in CPU can secure a high level of security, and thus has an advantage that it can be used for expensive business transactions.

At present, an IC card having a CPU which is generally used includes ROM, EEPROM, and the like as a memory.
M and RAM are built in. Normally, the ROM contains CP
A basic program to be executed by U is stored.
The EPROM stores user data and various application programs, and the RAM is used as a work area of the CPU. Since the EEPROM is a rewritable memory, data and application programs necessary for each user can be stored here.

When data and programs are written to and read from an IC card, an external device called a reader / writer device is used. Data and programs are mutually transmitted between the external device and the IC card via a physical transmission line or a non-contact transmission path. Normally, information transmission from an external device to an IC card is given in the form of a command,
Various instructions and data are transmitted to the IC card as information in the command. On the other hand, information transmission from the IC card to the external device is given in the form of a response, and the processing result and data are transmitted to the external device as one piece of information in the response.

[0005] Since the degree of integration of memories such as EEPROMs has been improving year by year, a plurality of application programs are currently stored in a general IC card using an EEPROM.
Can be stored within. For example, if a plurality of application programs corresponding to the applications, such as a medical diagnosis program, a credit settlement program, and a gasoline payment program, are stored in the EEPROM, by selectively executing them, the same program is executed. Can be used as a consultation card, a credit card, and a gasoline refueling card.

[0006]

It is anticipated that the use of IC cards will be diversified in the future, and a plurality of application programs stored in advance will be used.
It is expected that usage forms in which a necessary application program is selected and executed will be generalized. For this reason, when connecting an IC card to an external device and starting access, it is necessary to first select an application program. Usually, this selection operation is performed by giving an application selection command from the external device side. For example, an IC storing the above three types of application programs
When the card is inserted into an external device (reader / writer device) installed in a hospital, first, an operation of giving an application selection command for selecting a medical diagnosis program from the external device to the IC card is required. . I
On the C card side, based on the application selection command, a process of setting a specified specific application program to a selected state is performed, and a process of transmitting a selection completion response to the external device is performed. After receiving the response, the external device can provide the IC card with an original command (command for the medical diagnosis program).

As described above, in an IC card of a type that selectively executes a plurality of application programs, a series of operations for selecting a specific application program is required when starting access from outside. However, such an application selection procedure is not always efficient. In particular, since a serial transmission method using one signal line is used for signal transmission between the external device and the IC card, command transmission,
The process of selecting and transmitting the response inside the IC card requires a certain amount of time, and a waiting time must be generated until the original work can be started.

[0008] Therefore, the present invention provides an I / O system that can efficiently select an application program to be executed.
The purpose is to provide a C card.

[0009]

Means for Solving the Problems (1) A first aspect of the present invention has a CPU and a memory, and a plurality of application programs stored in the memory can be selectively executed by the CPU. In a possible IC card, a selection history of an application program is left inside, and a function of automatically selecting a specific application program based on the selection history at the time of starting access from an external device is provided. is there.

(2) The second aspect of the present invention is the above-mentioned first aspect.
In the IC card according to the aspect, when a reset signal is given to the CPU, an automatic selection of an application program is performed.

(3) The third aspect of the present invention is the above-mentioned second aspect.
In the IC card according to the above aspect, information specifying the automatically selected application program is supplied to an external device together with a response signal to the reset signal.

(4) The fourth aspect of the present invention is the above-mentioned first aspect.
In the IC card according to the third aspect, the most recently selected application program is automatically selected by referring to the selection history.

(5) The fifth aspect of the present invention is the above-mentioned first aspect.
In the IC card according to the third aspect, an application program having the highest selection frequency within a predetermined period is automatically selected by referring to a selection history.

[0014]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below based on an embodiment shown in the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a general IC card 10
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a state in which information is transmitted between the device and an external device (reader / writer device) 20. In this example, an IC card 10 includes a CPU 11 having various arithmetic processing functions, an I / O interface 12 for transmitting and receiving information to and from an external device 20, a ROM 13, an EEPROM, and the like.
The memory includes a ROM 14 and a RAM 15. R
OM13 is a non-rewritable non-volatile memory,
1 executes a predetermined process based on the basic program stored in the ROM 13. EEPROM14
Is a rewritable nonvolatile memory, which stores user data and various application programs. RA
M15 is a rewritable volatile memory used as a work area when the CPU 11 executes various processes.

The IC card 10 and the external device 20 are connected to each other by a method such as a connection using a physical signal line, a connection using an infrared ray, or a non-contact type connection using electromagnetic waves, and the information is transmitted and received. Information is transmitted from the external device 20 to the IC card 10 in the form of a command.
This transmitted command is transmitted to I / O interface 1
2 to the CPU 11. Conversely, information is transmitted from the IC card 10 to the external device 20 in the form of a response to a given command. This response is sent from the CPU 11 to the I / O interface 12.
Is transmitted to the external device 20 via the.

In this embodiment, the application program is stored in an application storage area 140 provided in the EEPROM 14, as shown in FIG. In the illustrated example, the application programs 1, 2, and 3 are stored in the sections 141A, 142A, and 143A in the application storage area 140, respectively.
One of the features of the present invention is that sections 141B and 1 for storing a selection history of each application program are further provided.
42B and 143B to record the selection history. These sections 141B, 142B, 143
B has application programs 1, 2, and 2, respectively.
The selection history of No. 3 is recorded.

Here, as an example, it is assumed that the application programs 1, 2, and 3 are a medical diagnosis program, a credit settlement program, and a gasoline payment program, respectively. In this case, the IC card 10 can be used as a consultation card, a credit card, and a gasoline refueling card, and a specific application program is selected according to the application.

Conventionally, this selection operation is performed based on an instruction from the external device 20 side. For example, when the IC card 10 is inserted into an external device 20 installed in a hospital, an application selection command for selecting a medical diagnosis program is given following a reset signal to the CPU 11. Thereby, IC
Inside the card 10, the medical diagnosis program is activated, and thereafter enters a state of receiving a command for the medical diagnosis program. Also, the same IC card 10 can be stored in an external device 2 installed in a shopping center.
When inserted to 0, an application selection command for selecting a credit settlement program will be given following the reset signal to the CPU 11.
As a result, the credit settlement program is activated inside the IC card 10, and thereafter, the credit card settlement program is accepted.

In the IC card 10 according to the present invention,
Of course, it is possible to select an application to be started by giving the above-described application selection command from the external device 20 side. However, the IC card 10 according to the present invention has a function of automatically selecting an application that is highly likely to be selected before an application selection command is given from the external device 20 side. A specific method for determining which application is likely to be selected will be described later. However, when access to the IC card 10 according to the present invention is started, one application is already automatically selected at that time. It is in a state of being left. IC card 1
0, which application is automatically selected is transmitted to the external device 20 as a response. If the automatically selected application is a correct application to be executed, the external device 20 is automatically selected. Can immediately send a command to the application. That is, there is no need to give an application selection command as in the related art. On the other hand, when the automatically selected application is not the application to be executed, an application selection command may be given and the correct application selection operation may be performed again as in the related art.

In the present invention, a past selection history is used as a criterion for determining an application that is highly likely to be selected. For this reason, in the IC card according to the present invention, every time a specific application is selected, a process of recording the date and time as a selection history is performed. For example, in the case of the example shown in FIG. 2, when the application program 1 is selected, the date and time is recorded in the section 141B as a selection history. If n times have been selected in the past, a total of n dates and times will be recorded. However, since the storage capacity of the section 141B is finite, when the storage space in the section is saturated, processing for deleting the oldest date and time is performed. Similarly, the dates and times when the application programs 2 and 3 are selected are recorded as selection histories in the sections 142B and 143B, respectively.

When the external device 20 starts accessing the IC card 10, the CPU 11 refers to the selection history recorded for each application program, and based on the selection history, a specific application program (the probability of being selected). Higher application) is automatically selected. Specifically, in the embodiment shown here, this automatic selection processing is executed when a reset signal is given to the CPU 11. Normally, immediately after the IC card 10 and the external device 20 are connected, the external device 20 sends the IC card 10
A reset signal is transmitted to the CPU 11 within the CPU.
Therefore, it is convenient to execute the automatic selection process subsequent to the process performed in the IC card 10 when the reset signal is received (usually, various initial setting processes are performed).

One of the probable application candidates to be selected is the most recently selected application. For example, if you are shopping at a shopping center, every time you shop, IC
Each time a card is used, a credit settlement program is selected and executed. Therefore,
If the most recently selected application is the credit settlement program, the application to be selected at the next use is likely to be the credit settlement program. Therefore, the approach of always automatically selecting the most recently selected application is a fully meaningful approach.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a procedure of an automatic selection process performed inside the IC card 10 when such an approach is adopted. First, when a reset signal is given from the external device 20, a reset signal receiving process is performed in step S11. This process is a process of setting various data in the RAM 15 or performing a specific setting based on specific data in the EEPROM 14. However, since this process is not directly related to the gist of the present invention, a detailed description thereof will be omitted. Omitted. Subsequently, in step S12, the history of each application is read. Specifically, the selection history (the date and time when the selection was made) in the sections 141B, 142B, and 143B shown in FIG. 2 is read. Then, in step S13, the application having the latest selection history (that is, the latest date and time) is automatically selected, and in the following step S14, the selection history of the selected application is updated (the current date and time are selected. Is newly recorded as history).

Finally, in step S15, the ATR
A signal is transmitted. The ATR (Answer To Reset) signal is a response to the reset signal given from the external device 20 and notifies the external device 20 that the reset signal reception processing has been completed and the preparation for command reception has been completed. Is a signal for In the present embodiment, this A
Along with the TR signal, information specifying which application is automatically selected is transmitted to the external device 20. General I
According to the C card standard, the ATR signal can include an arbitrary data bit in addition to a predetermined data bit. In the present embodiment, as this arbitrary data bit,
A method of transmitting information for specifying the automatically selected application to the external device 20 is adopted. The external device 20 can recognize from the ATR signal that the IC card 10 is in a state of receiving a command and that the specific application is automatically selected. After transmitting this ATR signal,
A normal command execution process described later is performed.

On the other hand, another approach for determining an application that is likely to be selected is a method of automatically selecting an application program that is most frequently selected within a predetermined period. Even for an IC card that can be used for many purposes, these uses are not used uniformly, and usually the usage form is biased toward a specific use for each user. Therefore, it can be said that the application with the highest usage frequency in the past has a high probability of being selected next time. So, for example, in the past week,
Alternatively, an approach of setting a predetermined period in advance, such as the past month, and automatically selecting the application with the highest selection frequency within this predetermined period is a sufficiently meaningful approach.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a procedure of an automatic selection process performed inside the IC card 10 when such an approach is adopted. First, when a reset signal is given from the external device 20, a reset signal receiving process is performed in step S21. Subsequently, in step S22, the history of each application is read. That is, the sections 141B, 142B, 1 shown in FIG.
The selection history (date and time when the selection was made) in 43B is read. Then, in step S23, the number of selections within a predetermined period is counted for each application. For example, the number of times of recording of the date and time within the past week is counted. Then, in step S24, the application having the largest count value is automatically selected, and in the subsequent step S25,
The selection history of the selected application is updated (the current date and time is newly recorded as the selection history). Finally, in step S25, the ATR signal is transmitted. As in the above-described example, information specifying which application is automatically selected is transmitted together with the ATR signal.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a procedure of a normal command execution process performed in the IC card 10 after the procedure shown in FIG. 3 or the procedure shown in FIG. 4 is completed. By the time the four-command execution process is performed, a specific application has already been automatically selected, and the external device 20 is notified of which application has been automatically selected. When the automatically selected application is the application to be executed, the external device 20 transmits a command for the application. When the application is not the application to be executed, the external device 20 should execute the command. Send an application selection command to select an application. In the former case, the procedure for transmitting the application selection command can be omitted. In the latter case,
An operation of transmitting an application selection command is required, which is a normal process performed by a conventional IC card.

On the IC card 10 side, step S
At 31, the apparatus enters a standby state for receiving a command.
When a command is received from the external device 20, it is determined in step S32 whether the command is an application selection command. As described above, if the automatically selected application is the application that should be executed, the external device 20 transmits a command for the application, so the process proceeds from step S32 to step S33. , The given command is executed. on the other hand,
If the automatically selected application is not the application to be executed, the external device 20 transmits an application selection command for selecting the application to be executed. Therefore, the external device 20 executes steps S32 to S34. The process proceeds to and performs the process of selecting the application (the process of switching from the automatically selected application to the newly selected application) based on the given application selection command, and further updates the selection history in step S35. That is, a process of recording the selection history of the newly selected application is performed. At this time, if necessary, a process of correcting the selection history of the application automatically selected earlier (because the automatic selection performed earlier was an incorrect selection,
In order to correct this, for example, a process of deleting the date and time of the selection history may be performed.

In any case, a predetermined response is transmitted to the external device 20 in step S36. Similar processing is performed through step S37.
When a command that is repeatedly executed and terminates the execution of the application is given, this procedure ends through step S37.

As described above, since the function of automatically selecting an application performed in the present invention is a function of predicting and selecting an application likely to be selected, this automatic selection is not necessarily a correct selection. Not exclusively. However, if automatic selection is performed based on the above-described approach, there is a high possibility that correct automatic selection will be performed, and there is a high possibility that the application selection command can be omitted. Also, even if the automatic selection is an erroneous selection, by giving an application selection command, a correct application can be selected in a conventional manner, so that in practice,
There are no disadvantages.

Although the present invention has been described based on the illustrated embodiment, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment, and can be implemented in various other forms. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the application program is stored in the EEPROM 14, but the present invention is also applicable to an IC card in which the ROM 13 stores the application program.
However, in this case, it is necessary to record the selection history in the rewritable EEPROM 14.

In the above-described embodiment, the processing operation has been described on the premise that the selection history has already been recorded. However, when the IC card is used for the first time, it is necessary to perform automatic selection by another method. is there. That is, at the first use when no past selection history is recorded, automatic selection based on the selection history is not possible. For example, a method of automatically selecting an application stored at the youngest address in the memory is used. You can take it. Alternatively, a method of waiting for an application selection command given from the external device 20 side without executing the automatic selection process may be adopted.

Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, an approach of selecting the most recently selected application program as an application candidate to be automatically selected, and an application program with the highest selection frequency within a predetermined period are selected. Although the approach has been exemplified, the approach of automatic selection may be a technique combining the two, or another approach may be used.

[0034]

As described above, according to the IC card according to the present invention, at the start of access, an application is automatically selected based on a past selection history, so that an application program to be executed is efficiently selected. It becomes possible.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a state in which information is transmitted between a general IC card 10 and an external device (reader / writer device) 20.

FIG. 2 shows an EEPROM in an IC card according to the present invention.
14 is a memory map showing a state of an application storage area 140 in the storage 14.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a procedure of an automatic selection process based on an approach of selecting an application most recently selected.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a procedure of an automatic selection process based on an approach of selecting an application with the highest selection frequency.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a procedure of a normal command execution process after automatic selection is performed.

[Explanation of symbols]

Reference Signs List 10 IC card 11 CPU 12 I / O interface 13 ROM 14 EEPROM 15 RAM 20 External device (reader / writer device) 140 Application storage area 141A, 142A, 143A Partition for storing application program 141B 142B, 143B... Section for storing application selection history

Claims (5)

[Claims] A plurality of application programs stored in the memory, the plurality of application programs being stored in the memory;
In an IC card that can be selectively executed by a user, a selection history of an application program is left inside, and when an access from an external device is started, a specific application program is automatically selected based on the selection history. An IC card having a function. 2. The IC card according to claim 1, wherein an automatic selection of an application program is performed when a reset signal is given to the CPU. 3. The IC card according to claim 2, wherein information specifying an automatically selected application program is supplied to an external device together with a response signal to the reset signal.
C card. 4. The IC card according to claim 1, wherein an application program most recently selected is automatically selected by referring to a selection history. 5. The IC card according to claim 1, wherein an application program having the highest selection frequency within a predetermined period is automatically selected by referring to a selection history. .