MXPA99010017A - Chip card equipped with a counter device - Google Patents

Abstract

In order to render a chip card gratuity counter (6) more flexible, the invention consists in recording in the chip card memory (5) a file architecture to facilitate the management of its counters. Said architecture is characterised in that a counter unit file (7), wherein are located the counters relative to an application, is associated with rules (12) which are applicable thereto. Thus, the simple designation of a counter unit implies the implementation or rules applicable to the counters of this counter unit. This implementation is internal to the chip card and does not require any exchange with the reader. The chip card memory further comprises the rules file (12), the conditions file (13) and the computing file (14) the interaction of which provides greater flexibility of use.

Description

MICROCIRCUIT CARD PROVIDED WITH A COUNTING DEVICE Description of the invention The present invention aims at a microcircuit card provided with a counting device, perfected. This makes it possible to facilitate the use of microcircuit cards, or more generally portable objects with microcircuits, in increasingly diverse fields, making this use both more powerful and faster. In the field of portable objects with microcircuits, the microcircuits are provided with different counters. The unit counters, representative of possible consumption units, including coins, are known in a conventional manner. Also known are bonus counters that count loyalty points awarded by a borrower to a user. This granting can be to the apportionment of the consumption of a service by the user, of the visit of a user to an establishment, in a store, or even a count of his passes in. certain sites.

The counters can be made in different ways. These can be material counters or logical counters. A material counter is a counter in which, in the manner of an abacus, the passage from the counter of an initial state to a final state requested, by the counter, of the intermediary states representative of the intermediate values between this initial value and this final value. A logical counter is constituted mainly by a register, a value, and by an algorithm put into operation by a computer or microprocessor. The principle of modifying a logic counter is to read a value data, reading the record, to modify the data that results from this reading depending on the algorithm (in general it is an addition, or another mathematical operation), and in rewriting the new calculated value in the registry site. The invention will mainly aim at logical counters that would also be applicable to material counters. At the time of counting, for security reasons, the status of the counter is transmitted by the microcircuit card to a microcircuit card reader that reads this card. The programs of the reader put the algorithm into operation and cause the new value in the microcircuit memory of the card to exit the register. This solution presents too much flexibility: the readers are provided with an adequate exploitation system to ensure these functions. However, this way of making present the disadvantage that the transaction is slow, requires numerous verifications between the sender (the reader) and the receiver (the microcircuit card). In the so-called non-contact card domain, where electrical power is provided to the card by a radio broadcast, these numerous changes, besides being slow, are particularly difficult to perform. This problem of limiting the number of changes is remedied by providing the microcircuit card with a record of rules that associate the counters with the instructions for modifying these counters. Preferably, the microcircuit card is provided with a memory containing the same modification instructions, and a microprocessor that puts them into operation. The invention therefore aims at a microcircuit card provided in its microcircuit with a counting device that includes at least one counter, characterized in that the counting device includes a rule file where each record includes at least one chip that associates an identification of a counter to a modification instruction for this counter. The invention will be better understood by reading the following description and by examining the figures that accompany it. These are given only in an indicative and in no way limiting manner of the invention. The figures show: Figure 1: a microcircuit card provided with the counting device according to the invention; Figures 2 to 4: a detailed representation of the structure of the files recorded in the counting devices of the invention; - figures 6 to 12: the particulars of putting the invention into operation in the case of an example.

In the invention, a set of records annotated in memory will be called a file. A set of data, associated with each other in the manner of a database, will be called a registry. It will be called a record, the data associations of a record that all have the same structure, and the same syntax. Figure 1 shows a microcircuit card 1 provided with a counting device according to the invention. The microcircuit card 1 includes a microprocessor 100, a bus or collective bar 2 for data, addresses and commands, and means 3 for entering into relation with the outside world. In a schematic way, the means 3 represent here a connector that receives a message 4 coming from a reader not represented. The connection to the reader can on the other hand be an electrical, radio, infrared connection: this depends on the nature of the interconnection 3. The microcircuit of the card includes a counting device 5 that includes at least one counter. In the following it will be observed how this counter is performed. In Figure 2, the counting device 5 preferably includes a file 6 of counter blocks. Each of the registers 7, 8, 9 or another of the file 6 associates an identification 10 of a counter block with a list 11 of rules for modifying the counters of this block. Figure 2 shows in a detailed manner the file 6 and the register 7. This can have several counter blocks in the file 6. Not more than three of them have been shown schematically. The register 7 of the counter block, as well as the other registers, essentially include an identifying zone 10 and a zone of applicable rules 11. The rules of the zone 11 are usable on the counter block 7. The objective is to ensure the safety of the counter block 7 authorizing the application of the only rules so designed. The identifier 10 can represent the name of the application (type of use of the microcircuit card) that the counter block uses. This identifier is generally communicated to the card at the time of the connection with the reader. According to the invention, the card 1 includes a rule file 12 in memory (figure 3). Preferably, this can also be a condition file 13 (figure 4) and a calculation file 14 (figure 5). The microcircuit also includes, figure 1, a set of registers 15 to 19 intended to receive information mainly from the information of the access condition. The registers 15 to 19 as well as the files 6 and 12 to 14 are also connected to the microprocessor 100 by the collective bar 2. The files 6, 12 13 and 14 are stored for this purpose in a memory of the microcircuit 1. This memory is here confused with these files in a desire to simplify the explanation. However, it is possible to adopt for this memory, or for the memories that contain the files, varied physical structures: non-volatile memories, safeguarded memories, differentiated memories for each of the files, or single memory. An auxiliary memory 101 can on the other hand contain a programmed memory 102 and a data memory 103. The microprocessor 100 can put the invention into operation by applying programs contained in the program memory 102 on the data of the memory 103. One of these memories 102 or 103, or both, may be located in the reader's circuits. The memory 103, if it is in the microcircuit card, can contain the files 6 and 12 to 14, unless these are not registered in another memory of the card. Registration 7 includes, in addition to zone 10 and zone 11, preferably, an area 20 relative to the access conditions and a zone 21 relative to a label of the counter block (the name of the counter block). This can include for example also four date zones, 22 to 25, mentioning a start date of granting bonus points, an end date of granting these bonus points, a date of commencement of reimbursement of points, and an end date for the reimbursement of the points. Block 7 also includes the designation of a certain number of counters. Here a zone 26, called balance or balance, will include the actual status of bonus counters, once all the points have been added and subtracted. This may include a balance or accumulated balance 27 representative of the number of points received in the counter block 7, without deduction of the refunds. This finally includes a zone 28 for counting visits that makes compatible the number of times where, in practice, the area 26 of balance or balance has had movements. This may include other zones 29 for other types of counting. The essential file of the invention, the file 12 of the rules, includes the registers such as 30 to 32. Each register identified by a rule, designated by an identifier area 33, includes a series 34 of tokens that each associate a counter for an instruction applicable to this counter. Each tab of a register of the rule file 12 thus includes a designation area 36, for designating a counter and an instruction area 37 for reporting on the modifying mode of the counter for agitating or setting in motion. The instruction in zone 37 is generally an addition or subtraction instruction. One could, however, not consider any other simple or complex arithmetic operation. Each record of a file record 12 includes at least one zone, preferably two zones 371, 372, of variables to contain the variables on which the instruction is applied. These variables can be date variables, numerical variables, etc. These can also be references to values contained in the other files. For example, these can be addresses of other values. These addresses can be those of the zones 26, 27 or 28 of the counter block in question, or of another block. When a token does not include indication in zone 371 and 372, or when a token does not include such zones, those, which represent the operands of the instruction, are or may be implicitly contained in the instruction code of the instruction. Preferably, the file registers 12 further include a fifth condition zone 373 that is a condition reference zone. This zone 373 designates a record of file 13 of conditions to be satisfied to authorize the execution of the instruction. Figure 4 shows the conditions file 13. This file 13 essentially includes, in each record, an identifying zone 38 and a list of composite condition tokens. Each condition token includes an operator zone 39 which shows how to compose the conditions of the different tabs of a register, a function zone 40 to represent a logical condition, and at least two zones 41 and 42 to respectively contain a reference value of the condition and a value to be tested in relation to the reference value according to the logical condition of the zone 40. Preferably, the card 1 of the invention even includes a calculation file 14, figure 5, where the records each includes an identifier area 43 and a set of calculation tokens 44. Each calculation record token includes a function area 45 to represent an elementary mathematical function, at least one zone, preferably two zones 46 and 47, to contain one or two operands of this elementary mathematical function, and a zone 48 called a tab operator to indicate the manner in which the result of a calculation sheet 49 must be t o Account in mind for a calculation with a following record 50. The result of the calculation of the record set 44 is intended to replace a value (371 or 372) within a rule record (12), a value (41) inside a condition record (13), or a value (46 or 47) inside a calculation record (14). The files 12, 13 and 14 preferably include, like the file 6, in each register an access condition zone respectively 51 to 53. In addition, the records of the file 12 will preferably include a zone 54 of version of rules that allow to identify the recent nature of the rule put into operation. Figures 6 to 12 show a procedure of arbitrary but complete use of the organization of files 6, 12, 13 and 14 among them. As shown in figure 6, a scenario has been chosen, Rule 1, corresponding to a record of file 12. In this scenario, in a given loyalty program, when a customer makes purchases between 0 and 200 francs, it is attributed to one point of gratification for every 50 francs of purchase. For a customer who purchases more than 200 francs, it is decided to attribute a point for each 25 francs of purchase. In addition, if it is your first visit, you are recognized in your reward points counter, 10 welcome points. It is to be assumed that the supplier is a fuel supplier that identifies his application by means of a PETROL code transmitted in a message area 55. It is also to be assumed that the data, present in a message area 4, represent 180 for a purchase of 180 francs. The message 4 also includes, composed by the owner of the microcircuit card on a reader keyboard, an identification 57 of this owner by his personal identification number: PIN (Personal Identification Number). The message 4 finally includes in the zone 58 the date of the day of the transaction, insofar as this date is useful for the rule, or where the card 1 is not capable of independently producing it. The message 4 includes in a zone 59, the designation of a particular rule applicable * Rule 1", and / or in the variant the designation of a counter block 'Block 1" on which the rules must be applied. As will be noted in the subsequent, this is not necessary. The message 4 arrives by means of the interface 3 and the collective bar or bus 2 in the microprocessor 100. This, from the identification of the Rule 1 present in the area 59, will search according to the invention, in file 12 which are the records that Rule 1 has, in zone 33, as an identifier. It can also be verified that the records found are conditioned, in zone 51, by an access condition such as PETROL. The access condition may be different from PETROL if a different pass word has been chosen for the application. In this case, this pass word must be contained in the message 4 (at least to be able to be deduced by the microprocessor 100 of the identifier of the application itself). The microprocessor 100 will not take in the file 12 more than the record 30 which includes both Rule 1 as identification to zone 33 and the PETROL code in zone 51, under the conditions of access. This is represented in figure 6. In a variant, if the message 4 includes a zone 60 that designates the counter block, Block 1 of file 6, in the microprocessor 100 it will search for the record whose identifier in zone 11 will correspond to 'Block 1"designated in zone 60. In this case, the designation of the counter block can generate, if zone 59 is blank, the application of all applicable rules designated in zone 11 of record 7. Finally, if only the PETROL access condition, the microprocessor 100 will retain all the counter blocks and / or all the rules that correspond to this access condition In practice, it is thus possible to put the invention into operation from the identification 55 of the application alone, from the designation of the rule, zone 59 or from the designation of the counter block, zone 60, or from any combination of these three elements, in the case shown in figure 5, performing the abstraction for the instant of the version of the rule stored in file 13, you see appear five instruction cards 61, 62, 63, 67 and 68. In the first three cases, the counter, counter 1, in question , will be the counter registered in zone 26 of the counter block 7. This may have been the counter registered in zone 27 or zone 28, or even a counter registered in another block. It may be that the designation in zone 36 is sufficient, or that it is completed by zone 60 of message 4. The type of instruction 37 in each of the first three cases will be an addition of type 1. This is an example . The value to be added will be, for each instruction, a function of the arguments given in the following two zones 371 and 372. By way of example, Figure 12 shows the operation of the addition of type 1. This addition operation includes, in the example, a microinstruction 64 by which the data of the zone 56 of the message 4 is divided by n. The value n is the content of zone 372. In the example where the value of the data is 180, and where n is 50, the division of 180 between 50 gives 3 with a remainder of 30. For a subsequent microinstruction 65, it is taken consider only the entire part of the division. The result is then 3. In a subsequent microinstruction 66, multiply this intermediate result 3, by the value m. The value m is the value stored in zone 371 of register 61. Here, m is 1. Then the additional result is worth 3. Consequently, the application of the instruction Addition 1 over counter 1 will consist in adding 3 more points. For the record 62, the n and m values are now 25 and 1 respectively. Taking into account the value of the purchase, less than 200 francs, this rule does not produce additional gratification points. In effect, the two tokens 61 and 62 are conditioned with condition 1 and condition 2 respectively indicated in zone 373. A rule token includes, in zone 373, an identifier of a record of condition file 13 that goes to be used For the tab 61, condition 1 is represented in figure 7. The operand of the composition of the conditions between them is a logical ET •. When there is only one condition, the operand of the composition is always a logical ET. We will see later, in figure 10, how the operands of the logical composition of the conditions are composed. The function of condition 1 is, in the scenario evoked, a comparison with a significance "less than or equal." The result of the comparison is positive if the value designated in zone 42, here the data 180, is less than or equal to value designated or presented in zone 41. Area 41 is the reference area of the condition, which includes here the value 200. Area 42 includes the reference of the value to be tested Here, it is the data entered. 180 francs of purchase In practice, the information in zone 42 is the address of the site where the value of 180 francs is stored in message 4. As condition 1 is carried out, since 180 is less than 200, the execution of the card 61 can be taken to term Figure 8 shows the condition 2 of the application of the card 62 of the Rule 1. Being the purchase inferior to 200 francs, and the condition 2 is that this purchase is superior to 200 francs, the condition is not met, in this case, the fi instruction cha 62 is not executed.

The instruction sheet 63 includes a condition 3 shown in Figure 9. This condition 3 consists in comparing the contents of the visit counter of Block 1, zone 28 of record 7, to the value 0 present in zone 41. At the beginning, at At the moment when the visit counter is zero, this condition is performed, and an instruction 63 can be executed. This instruction is an addition of a different type from the addition presented in figure 12. The addition, Addendum 2 is a simple addition . This consists in adding the content of zone 371 of record 63, being here the value 10, to the counter designated in zone 26 of Block 1. According to the types of operation Addition 1 or Adition 2 designated, the operands of calculation or the result itself can be memorized in various places, even in the instruction. Thus at the end of these three operations, the counter 1 in zone 26, for 180 francs of purchase, will include a result 13. In an even more complex application, it is possible for the fuel supplier to associate with another service borrower , for example a chain of fast food restaurants, or a film distribution company. It is possible under these conditions that, for any purchase made with the first, the fuel supplier, a certain number of points will be attributed in a counter of the second, that of the chain of fast food restaurants for example. This is what is shown on the card 67. In this case, the counter in question will be a counter different from the counter indicated in zone 26 of record 7. This may be the main counter of record 8. It can be decided that this other counter, the counter 2 (tab 67) will suffer an addition of type 1, Addition 1, with an increment of 1 (zone 371) for each portion where the value is indicated in zone 372: 30 francs. Under these conditions, the values n and m of Figure 12 are respectively 30 and 1. This means that for each portion of 30 purchase francs, the counter 2 receives a point. For the tab 67, this condition does not exist: it is executed in any way. The designation of the counter, counter 2, is contained in the register of the rule, Rule 1. It is possible, however, that the message, in zone 60, designates the counter block, Block 1, and that the register 7 relative to this block counter returned to zone 11 to the rule, Rule 1, which does nothing more than complete the designation of counter 26 (or some other). In the same way, Rule 1 may even include in a tab 68 the designation of a counter 3. The counter 3 receives the result of an addition of type 2 (simple addition). The arguments of the addition of type 2 are not here definitively designated. This results from the application of a calculation registered in a file of a record of the calculation file 14. The calculation designated in the record is Calculation 1. A calculation record that includes the 'Calculation 1' as an identifier in zone 43, is shown in Figure 11. In this, the type of operation 45, in the example, is a multiplication, Its first operand designated in zone 46 is the contents of the counter of visits of the counter block 1. It is the practice of the state of the zone 28. The second operand of the multiplication designated in zone 47, here 2, can be a fixed number, this could also be a random number, in the example it has been decided, to incite people to return as often as possible, from your accountant so much more than the points that are frequently visited.This discount can be also exponential.For example, anyone who has come 25 times, will have a 28 visit counter in a 25 state The result of calculation 1 will therefore be 50. Like zone 48, the operator of the file includes the designation of an addition, which means here that the result (50) of the calculation of the record with the resulting calculation of the next card. Since there is no next record, the defined result of the calculation will be 50. If there were other cards in the register of figure 11, these would have been composed between them (multiplication, addition, exponentiation, etc.) according to the direction of the card operator. In other words, the register 68 will lead to adding the value 50 in the counter 3. The counter 3 is a counter of the counter block of the register 8. This corresponds to the chain of fast food restaurants. The 50 points could also have been added in the counter 1. In this case, it would have been failed in the case of zone 50 to designate the counter 1. The instruction card 68 is subjected to a condition, condition 4. This is shown in the figure 10. This indicates that definitively this type of increase will not be possible only if the date of the day is included between the dates foreseen for the beginning and the end of the operation of granting bonus points. It is observed with figure 10, which shows condition 4, how the combination operators (of type ET, OU, or exclusive OO, ...) of the conditions can cooperate with each other. Here, it is required that the two condition tokens be satisfied since the combination operators are two ETs. Regarding the record 68, in addition to condition 4, it could have been submitted by an addition of type 1 (Addition 1) the result (50) of the calculation (Calculation 1) to a multiplication by a number of portions of 100 francs. This will allow to avoid that the users dedicate themselves to purchases of ridiculous value. In this case, in zone 372, the value 100 will appear (shown here surrounded by dashes). In this case, the application of instruction 68 will lead it to retain for n the value 100 and for m the value 50, resulting from the application of the Calculation 1. The logical functions 40 that represent the conditions of the file 13 can be the largest functions , larger or equal, smaller, smaller or equal, the same, different, or another. The functions 45 of the calculation operations of the file 14 can preferably be addition, subtraction, division, multiplication, exponentiation, the production of a random number or others. At the moment when message 4 arrives at the microcircuit of card 1, the identification of the PETROL application can be declined to fill registers 15 to 18 that condition the access conditions to files 6 and 13 to 14. These access conditions can Of course, they will be used each time the use of a file is to be used for the presence, in the case of corresponding registers 15 to 18, of information identical to that contained in the records of files 6 and 12 to 14. These access conditions can also be used to allow the modification of the records of files 6 and 12 to 14. In this way, the modification of register 7 may not be undertaken except on the condition that access conditions , in modification, reported in zone 20 of register 7 are identical to the data stored in register 16 (and have been little or much transmitted by message 4). This is the same for the modifications of the registers of files 12, 13 and 14 for which the counters of zones 51, 52, 53 must be respectively identical to the contents of registers 16, 18 and 19. Of course, no it is necessary for the same secret code identification to be registered in each of the registers 16 to 19. Foreseeing the different secret codes, the management of this more flexible and more powerful file architecture is made. It is no longer necessary, of course, for the access condition to be fulfilled in order to put into operation the elements of a file: the use of a condition, putting into operation a calculation, etc. In the practical aspect, it is possible to organize the information in a different way to the four files 6 and 12 to 14. Mainly, the files 12, 13 and 14 can be concatenated, the condition record can, for example, be placed directly in zone 373. This is possible mainly if the access conditions and the identifier are the same.

The version of the rule allows the reader in relation to card 1, to determine if a rule has been put into play or if it must previously proceed to this putting into play before the execution of the rule. This putting into play is of the known type. Thus, according to the invention, in order to make the management of the gratification counter of a microcircuit card more flexible, it is decided to register in the memory of the microcircuit card an architecture of files that allow easy management of its counters. According to this architecture, a rules file, where the rules relating to an application are located, is associated with the counter blocks. For this reason, the simple designation of a rule implies the modification of the counters of the counter block or vice versa. This start-up is internal for the microcircuit of the microcircuit card. This one does not need an exchange with the reader.

Claims (9)

1. A microcircuit card provided in its circuit with a counting device that includes at least one modifiable counter with the help of instructions for modifying the counters, characterized in that the counting device includes a rule file where each record includes at least one tab of instruction, which includes: - a designation zone to identify a movement counter; an instruction zone to inform about the mode (instruction 1) of the modification of the movement counter; at least one variable zone to contain a variable on which the instruction is applied.

2. The card according to claim 1, characterized in that the instruction cards that associate with an instruction an application condition of this instruction, include a condition reference zone to designate a record of a conditions file (Conditions 1) containing conditions to be met to authorize the completion of the instruction (Instruction 1).

3. The card according to one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that the counting device includes a file of counter blocks where the registers associate identifications of counters with one or more rules applicable to these counters.

4. The card according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the counting device includes, in order to authorize the execution of an instruction, a condition file where the tabs include: - an operating zone for composing condition cards, - a function area for representing a logical condition, at least two variable zones for respectively containing a reference value of the condition, and a value to be tested in relation to the reference value according to the logical condition.

5. The card according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the counting device includes a calculation file where the cards include: - a function area to designate an elementary mathematical function, - at least one variable area for contain an operand of this elementary mathematical function, and a tab operand zone to indicate the manner in which the result of a record sheet must be taken into account for a calculation with a following record card.

6. The card according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the microcircuit of the card includes a memory for storing the registers and a microprocessor for putting these rules into operation by modifying the counters.

7. The card according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the registers of the counter blocks files, the rules, the conditions or the calculations include an access condition zone to authorize the use or modification.

8. The card according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the records of the rules file include a version area to indicate the recent character.

9. A counting procedure in a microcircuit card, characterized in that: - an identification of a rule is transmitted to the microcircuit card, - in the microcircuit card a record of a file of rules corresponding to the identified rule is extracted, and - the counters of the microcircuit card designated by this register are modified, according to the associated instructions in this register to these designated counters.