DUAL INTERFACE HERMETICALLY SEALED SECURE CONTACTLESS SMART CARD.

Summary:
The proprietary technology eliminates the metallic contacts and covers the smart card with the defensive plastic, and, therefore, protects completely the direct physical attacks on the card and the terminal.
The technology provides the contactless powering of the smart card adequate to equip the card with microprocessor, cryptocontroller and memory similar to the contact smart card ones and consequently to employ any advanced security algorithms and protocols requiring the microprocessor and cryptocontroller.

Full Description:
Dual Interface Hermetically Sealed Secure Contactless Smart Card that will operate either remotely from the reader/writer terminal or in close coupling when it is attached to the terminal or swiped over the slot as usual magnetic cards do.

The security and data protection will be gained by the following features:

- The impossibility for a direct human access to the metallic contacts of the smart card and to the contacts of the reader/writer that is achieved by the complete elimination of the metallic contacts. As result, the procedure of interception, breaking, fraudulent operations and tampering of the data stream with the widespread instruments like PC notebooks, hand-held and pocket computers and other similar portable computing devices will be impossible.
- The proprietary technology provides the contactless powering of the smart card adequate to equip the card with microprocessor, cryptocontroller and memory similar to the contact smart card ones and consequently to employ any advanced security algorithms and protocols requiring the microprocessor and cryptocontroller.

Additional advantages:
- Clock rate in close coupling mode will be in several times more than the modern contact smart cards may have. As a result, more fast microprocessors may be used along with the elimination of the on-chip phase locked loop (PLL) module. It causes to the cost reduction of the chip integrated into the smart card.
- In close coupling applications the dual interface card may operate in the usual swiping mode over the reader/writer�s slot like a conventional magnetic strip cards do, or operate when it is attached to the host terminal.
- Lifetime and durability are expected to be more in comparison with the contact smart cards.
Compatibility.
- The complete compatibility to modern and future interindustry signals, security protocols and commands according to the conventional modern smart cards standards ISO/IEC-7816, ISO/IEC-14443 and/or ISO/IEC-15693 allows comparatively simple integration into the modern smart card technological environment.

Technical Description.

The patented dual interface contactless smart card incorporates the IC interface chip and the combination of the loop (inductive) antenna and the capacitive pads to perform the dual operation: remote and close coupling. The smart card also comprises the powerful microprocessor, cryptocontroller, large volumes of EEPROM and ROM.

Inductive antenna (further - inductive interface) employs for the remote powering and the data transmission when the smart card is distanced from the host terminal.
The capacitive pads (further- capacitive interface) serve to provide the transferring into the smart card of the electrical energy having the adequate power to run the smart card microprocessor, cryptocontroller, large volumes of EEPROM and ROM when the smart card is attached (close coupling mode) to the host terminal or swiped over the reader/writer� slot. The capacitive interface also provides bidirectional data exchange between the smart card and the host terminal.

Inductive interface operates similar to the modern proximity and vicinity smart cards according to the standards ISO/IEC-14443 and/or ISO/IEC-15693.
Capacitive interface operates in the close coupling mode wherein bidirectional data exchange is provided according to the standard ISO/IEC-7816 (modern contact smart cards).
Patented integrated circuit chip performs the automatic discrimination, selection, control and operation of the interfaces.

Simplified presentation of the Dual Interface Hermetically Sealed Secure Contactless Smart Card is shown on the attached file �Dual Interface Hermetically Sealed Smart Card Presentation.pdf�.

Applications:

Any type of pricing and individual secure access control applications that require high-security personal identification, authentification and payment. Public transport and public phone payment cards. Well suitable for remote and nearby operation. Anti-theft protection system for a motor vehicle. Combination of the RFID and contact (pseudo-contact) applications.


Protection:
Patent Status: United States Patent 6,173,899,
Israel Patent 123,804.

Stage of Development.
Feasibility approved.

Problem this idea/invention addresses:
Present Contact Smart Cards, being used in any type of pricing and individual access remote control secure applications that require very high level of personal identification, authentification and payment, have a small chip with gold-plated contacts about 1/2 inch in diameter on the front.
Because smart cards are often used in security-critical situations, they have undergone a fair amount of scrutiny from security hackers. Two main results are worth considering: physical attacks on the card and the terminal problem. In the case of a stored-value card, this sort of attack may even be carried out by the owner of a card. Using the simple connector it is possible to establish communication between PC and smart card. Then, the physical attacks attempt to reverse engineer the card and determine the secret key(s). Hence, the attacker can learn enough information to deduce the entire encryption key. As a result it may be at least the cash withdrawals or money transfer between bank accounts.
At first glance the contactless smart cards are more protected because their chip is coated by plastic. However, the data being transmitted over the air-communication channel using present primitive modulations methods may be easily eavesdropped, intercepted and deciphered using so-called side channels, because of the lack of microprocessor and cryptocontroller.

Attached files:
Dual Interface Hermetically Sealed Smart Card Presentation.pdf

Asking price: [CONTACT SELLER]
Available for consultation? Yes

Invention #10125
Date posted: 2007-02-24


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