WO2008002260A1

WO2008002260A1 - Method for an identification system of a transaction location.

Info

Publication number: WO2008002260A1
Application number: PCT/SE2007/050451
Authority: WO
Inventors: Mikael Willgert
Original assignee: Tagmaster AB
Current assignee: Tagmaster AB
Priority date: 2006-06-30
Filing date: 2007-06-21
Publication date: 2008-01-03
Anticipated expiration: 2008-12-30
Also published as: SE0601434L; SE531209C2

Abstract

A method for an identification system in which a transponder (1) or a mobile telephone (10) can be read by a communicator (2) or a receiver (12), and in which information transferred from the transponder (1) or the mobile telephone (10) to the communicator (2) or the receiver (12) comprises a unique code (15). The invention is characterised in that the said unique code (15) is caused to change with time, in that the said mobile telephone (10) is caused to receive the said unique code from the service provider (11) to which the SIM card of the mobile telephone is bound, in that the transponder (1) or the mobile telephone (10) is caused to transfer the unique code (15) to a transaction location (16), in that the transaction location is caused to query, directly or indirectly, the said service provider (11) whether the unique code (15) is valid for a mobile telephone number or the IMSI of a SIM card, after which the transaction can be carried out if the code (15) is valid, and in that the unique code (15) is changed in asso¬ ciation with the transaction.

Description

Method for an identification system of a transaction location

The invention concerns a method for an identification system for a transaction location.

The invention relates to a method for an identification sys^¬ tem for a transaction location, such as a cash till for payment, or for a location at which an identification control or authority control takes place, such as companies, authorities, airports, etc., or for door-opening.

Known automatic identification systems normally comprise ID tags to be carried by persons, and equipment to read these tags .

Known automatic identification systems that use radio fre- quencies, known as RFID systems (Radio Frequency Identifica^¬ tion) , contain at least one transponder and at least one communicator. One known type of transponder comprises an aerial, a modulator, a memory and a logic circuit to control the modulator. Such a known transponder has a design such that it can receive a signal sent by the communicator and reflect this signal in a modulated form. The communicator has a design such that it can receive and read the signal that has been reflected and modulated by the transponder.

ID tags that are arranged to transmit information to a commu^¬ nicator are also available.

An ID tag that comprises a transponder can be applied to a person or an object that is to be identified. The information in the transponder can be read by a communicator at a certain limited distance, such as, for example, 5 metres.

One problem with known identification systems is that when a transponder reflects or transmits a signal to a communicator, the information that is transmitted is liable to eavesdrop- ping. The code or the codes that a transponder transmits is or are permanently stored in the transponder. This means that a person can illicitly eavesdrop the information that is transferred to the communicator, and subsequently manufacture a transponder that provides the same information to the com^¬ municator as that provided by the eavesdropped transponder. The information may, alternatively, be used for purposes of violating integrity. The person in this way can obtain unauthorised access to premises or to devices.

Equivalent problems arise when a mobile telephone is used for identification .

The problem described above is solved by means of the present invention.

The present invention relates to a method for identification systems in which a transponder or a mobile telephone can be read by a communicator or receiver, and where information transferred from the transponder or mobile telephone to the communicator or the receiver comprises a unique code, and it is characterised in that the said unique code is caused to be changed with time, in that the said mobile telephone is caused to receive the said unique code from the service pro- vider to which the SIM card of the mobile telephone is bound, in that the transponder or mobile telephone is caused to transfer the unique code to a transaction location, in that the transaction location is caused to query, directly or indirectly, the said service provider whether the unique code is valid for a mobile telephone number or for the IMSI of a SIM card, after which the transaction can be carried out if the code is valid, and in that the unique code is changed in association with the transaction.

Ansokmngst^xtCKO i 6ObE doc The invention will be described in more detail below, partly with reference to an embodiment of the invention shown in the attached drawing, where : - Figure 1 shows a sketch with a transponder and a communicator,

- Figure 2 shows a block diagram in order to illustrate the invention .

Figure 1 shows a communication unit for the identification of objects or persons. The communication unit comprises a trans^¬ ponder 1 and a communicator in the form of a receiver/transmitter unit 2. The communicator 2 is arranged to transmit an enquiry signal 3 to the transponder 1. The trans- ponder is arranged to receive the enquiry signal and thereby to reflect and modulate the enquiry signal. The communicator 2 is arranged to receive the reflected signal 4 and to decode its information content.

The transponder 1 may instead be of a type in which the transponder receives the enquiry signal 3, after which the transponder actively transmits in return a response signal to the communicator 2 with an integral transmitter.

Figure 2 shows a block diagram in order to illustrate the present invention.

The invention concerns a method for an identification system in which a transponder 1 or a mobile telephone 10 can be read by a communicator 2 or a receiver 12, and where information transferred from the transponder 1 or mobile telephone 10 to the communicator 2 or the receiver 12 comprises a unique code 15.

Ansoknmgstext0401o0SE dec The said unique code 15 is, according to the invention, caused to be changed with time. Furthermore, the said mobile telephone 10 is caused to receive the said unique code from the service provider 11 to which the SIM card of the mobile telephone 10 is bound. The transponder 1 or the mobile telephone 10 is caused to transfer the unique code to a transaction location 16. The transaction location 16 is subsequently caused to query, directly or indirectly, the said service provider 11 whether the unique code is valid for a mobile telephone number or for an IMSI of a SIM card, after which the transaction can be carried out if the code is valid. The unique code is changed in association with the transaction.

The number 13 is used to denote a mobile telephone network.

The description "the transaction location 16 queries indirectly the said service provider 11 whether the unique code is valid for a mobile telephone number or the IMSI of a SIM card" is used to denote the situation in which the transac- tion location may be connected to an operator other than a service provider, such as a payment card company or an organisation for the management of transactions such as finan^¬ cial transactions. An example of such an organisation is the BABS organisation in Sweden, which manages payment card pay- ments independently of the particular payment card that is involved.

According to one preferred design, a transponder 1 is caused to transfer the said ID 6 and authentication code 8 to the transaction location. The transponder 1 is integrated in this case into a mobile telephone 10. The mobile telephone 10 is in this case caused to transfer the authentication code 8

^nsokningsrexKMO 63^ςE doc that has been transferred from the service provider 11 to a memory that belongs to the transponder 1.

The unique code is generated at the service provider 11 and it is paired with the telephone number of the mobile telephone 10 or with the IMSI of the SIM card.

The said transaction location may be a cash till at a pur^¬ chasing location. The mobile telephone can in this case be used as a means of payment, if the person has bound a payment card number to his or her telephone number or IMSI, in the database of the service provider. Such a binding may instead be present in the database of the payment card company. If the binding is present in the database of a payment card company, the unique code 15 may contain information concerning which payment card company is currently relevant.

According to one design of the method, a customer transfers the said unique code to the transaction location via his or her mobile telephone or via an RFID circuit built into the mobile telephone. The transaction location subsequently que^¬ ries the service provider whether the unique code is a valid unique code.

The unique code may be constructed with so many positions that the probability that it is possible to guess the code is completely negligible. It is, therefore, not necessary for the validation of the transaction to pair, for example, the telephone number with the unique code. It is sufficient that the service provider confirms that the unique code has been issued and that it is correct for a certain mobile telephone number or IMSI.

Ansokmngs t e\tC 40160SE . doc Pairing can take place, in order to further increase the security.

If it is found that the unique code is valid, payment is carried out, in which the transaction location transmits the amount of the transaction and the unique code to the service provider, for forwarding to the payment card company, or alternatively, only to the payment card company. It must be possible in the latter case for the payment card company to pair the number of the mobile telephone with a person respon^¬ sible for the payment, namely the owner of the mobile telephone .

The transaction location may be, instead of a cash till, a location of authority control or identity control. A sound signal or a light signal can in this case be activated when the unique code has been found to be valid. It is thus possible for the service provider to store the information that a certain person has arrived at the transaction location in question, or the transaction location can store the unique code that has been received in order subsequently to present, if necessary, information about which persons have visited the transaction location.

The present invention is not limited to any one type or any several types of transaction locations.

It is a common property of the present invention, thus, that the transponders or the mobile telephones and the communica- tors or the receivers in the system do not need to be syn^¬ chronised with respect to the authentication code, despite this code being changed with time.

Ansokningstext04016OSE . doc According to one highly preferred embodiment, the information transferred from the transponder 1 or the mobile telephone to the communicator 2 or the receiver comprises an ID code 6 and a further code 8, such as an authentication code, where the ID code and the authentication code are comprised within the said unique code. The authentication code is caused to change with time. The transponder 1 or the mobile telephone 10 is caused to transfer the authentication code 8 and the ID of the transponder 1 or the mobile telephone 10 to a transaction location 16. The transaction location is caused to query, directly or indirectly, the service provider 11 whether the combination of authentication code 8 and the ID of the transponder or mobile telephone is correct, after which the transaction can be carried out. The ID of the mobile tele- phone is the mobile telephone number or the IMSI of the SIM card.

According to one preferred design, the mobile telephone is caused to, after the said unique code has been transferred to the transaction location, receive a new unique code from the service provider, in that also the new code is transferred to the transaction location and that the transaction location is caused to query, directly or indirectly, the service provider whether both the first-named code and the new code are valid.

Thus, an ID 6 and an authentication code 8 are present in the memory of the transponder 1 or the mobile telephone. Further information 9 may, however, be present, and it may be included in the unique code.

Thus the said ID provides, via a register which may be present, for example, at the service provider, unambiguous information about the person in question.

Ansoknings~e\t040160SE.doc According to a first preferred embodiment, the transponder is caused to reflect an enquiry signal from the communicator 2, where the said reflected signal, or a signal transmitted from a transponder to the communicator, has been modulated with information that comprises the said unique code.

According to a further preferred embodiment, the said trans- ferral takes place by means of RFID or NFC (Near Field Commu- nication) .

According to a second embodiment, described above, the said mobile telephone 10 is caused to transfer the said unique code to the transaction location 16.

It is in this case preferred that the transferral take place by means of bluetooth or W-Lan technology.

According to this embodiment, it is preferred that the said unique code comprises the mobile telephone number of the mobile telephone.

It is also preferred that the said unique code comprises the IMSI of the SIM card.

As has been described above, it is preferred that the service provider is caused to transmit to the mobile telephone a new unique code 15 that replaces the previous unique code, when a transaction location has transferred an ID and an authentica- tion code to the service provider.

A further preferred embodiment is that in which the service provider is caused, during the transferral of a unique code

αoc to the mobile telephone, to transmit a number of unique codes to the mobile telephone, which codes are stored in a memory that belongs to the mobile telephone or to the transponder, and that the unique codes that have been received are caused to be used consecutively.

This embodiment means that the mobile telephone can be used for transactions when the mobile telephone lacks the radio coverage that is required to receive a unique code.

Thus, the problem described in the introduction has been solved.

A number of embodiments have been described above. It is obvious that the further code may be any suitable code.

Thus, the present invention is not to be considered to be limited to the embodiments specified above, since it can be varied within the scope of the attached patent claims.

Ansoλninqstext040160SE . αoc

Claims

1. A method for an identification system in which a transponder (1) or a mobile telephone (10) can be read by a commu-

5 nicator (2) or a receiver (12), and where information transferred from the transponder (1) or the mobile telephone (10) to the communicator (2) or the receiver (12) comprise a unique code (15) , characterised in that the said unique code (15) is caused to be changed with time, in that

W the said mobile telephone (10) is caused to receive the said unique code from the service provider (11) to which the SIM card of the mobile telephone is bound, in that the transponder (1) or the mobile telephone (10) is caused to transfer the unique code (15) to a transaction location (16) , in that

15 the transaction location is caused to query, directly or indirectly, the said service provider (11) whether the unique code (15) is valid for a mobile telephone number or the IMSI of a SIM card, after which the transaction can be carried out if the code (15) is valid, and in that the unique code (15)

20 is changed in association with the transaction.

2. A method according to claim 1, characterised in that information transferred from the transponder (1) or the mobile telephone (10) to the communicator (2) or the receiver

25 (12) comprises an ID code (6), in that the said information comprises a further code (8) , such as an authentication code (8), where the ID code and the authentication code are comprised within the said unique code (15), in that the authentication code is caused to be changed with time, in that the

30 transponder (1) or the mobile telephone (10) is caused to transfer the authentication code and the ID of the trans^¬ ponder (1) or the mobile telephone (10) to a transaction location (16), and in that the transaction location is caused

Arso}mnqsteΛt04 OloOSE dec to query, directly or indirectly, the service provider (11) whether the combination of the authentication code (8) and the ID of the transponder (1) or the mobile telephone (10) is correct, after which the transaction can be carried out.

5

3. A method according to claim 1 or 2, characterised i n that the mobile telephone is caused to receive a new unique code from the service provider once the said code has been transferred to the transaction location, in that also w the new code is transferred to the transaction location, and that the transaction location is caused to query, directly or indirectly, the service provider whether both the first-named code and the new code are valid.

15 4. A method according to claim 2 or 3, characterised in that a transponder (1) is caused to transfer the said ID (6) and authentication code (8) to the transaction location (16), in that the transponder (1) is integrated into a mobile telephone (10) , and in that the mobile telephone is caused to

20 transfer the authentication code (8) that has been transferred from the service provider (11) to a memory that be^¬ longs to the transponder (1) .

5. A method according to claim 1, 2, 3 or 4, c h a r a c - 25 terised in that the transponder (1) is caused to re^¬ flect an enquiry signal from a communicator (2), where the said reflected signal, or a signal transmitted from a trans^¬ ponder to the communicator, has been modulated with information that comprises the said unique code (15) .

30

6. A method according to claim 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5, charac^¬ teri s ed in that the said transferral takes place by RFID or NFC technology.

Ansokniπgstext040150SE.doc

7. A method according to claim 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5, characteri sed in that the said mobile telephone (10) is caused to transfer the said unique code to the transaction location.

8. A method according to claim 7, characteri s ed in that the transferral takes place by means of bluetooth tech^¬ nology.

9. A method according to claim 7 or 8, characterised in that the said unique code (15) comprises the mobile telephone number of the mobile telephone (10) .

10. A method according to claim 7 or 8, characterised i n that the said unique code (15) comprises the IMSI of a SIM card.

11. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the service provider is caused to transmit a new unique code (15) to the mobile telephone that replaces the previous unique code, once a transaction location (16) has transmitted ID (6) and authentication code (8) to the service provider (11) .

12. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the service provider (11) is caused to transmit a number of unique codes to the mobile telephone (10) during the transfer of a unique code (15) to the mobile telephone, which unique codes are stored in a memory that belongs to the mobile telephone or the transponder (1), and in that the unique codes (15) received are caused to be used consecutively.

Ar.sokningsteΛt040160SE. doc