Portable Electronic Entity Component Pairing Verification

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current systems lack the ability for a host station to automatically or autonomously connect and recognize electronic components with complementary functionalities within a portable electronic entity, particularly when ensuring the authenticity of components and preventing illicit replacements.

Innovation Solution

Implementing a verification process based on predetermined rules, such as arithmetic equality of unique identifier parts, to confirm the pairing of electronic components, using standards like USB, and executing dependent applications only when the components match, ensuring secure and complementary functionality.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If manual verification of component pairing is implemented, then security against illicit replacements is improved, but operational complexity and time consumption increase

Engineering Contradiction:
ImprovesecurityVSAvoidoperational complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs automatic self-verification of component pairing through the verification application, which autonomously checks whether electronic components have complementary functionalities without requiring manual intervention. The host station automatically detects components, retrieves their identifiers, and determines pairing status, enabling the system to serve itself in verifying security conditions.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The patent replaces manual verification processes with automated electronic verification. Instead of mechanical or manual checking of component pairings, the system uses software-based automatic detection and verification through the verification application, which electronically identifies components and checks their pairing status based on identifier comparison.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

2Productivity

If automatic component recognition is implemented, then productivity is improved, but reliability against illicit replacements deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveoperational efficiencyVSAvoidsecurity
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The verification application implements a feedback mechanism that automatically checks whether detected components are properly paired by comparing their identifiers. The system retrieves identifiers from detected components, compares them against expected pairing relationships, and provides feedback on verification status. This automated feedback loop ensures both productivity through speed and reliability through continuous security validation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

3Measurement precision

If detailed verification of component identifiers is performed, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveidentifier verification accuracyVSAvoidverification process complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The verification process is segmented into distinct operational stages: component detection, identifier retrieval, identifier comparison, and verification result determination. The verification application divides the complex verification task into manageable segments, where each stage handles a specific aspect of the verification process, reducing overall complexity while maintaining precision through systematic progression through each verification step.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentEP2058746B1Portable electronic entity, host station and associated method
Publication Date: 2015.11.18 OBERTHUR TECH SA
  • EP2058746B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2058746B1 patent drawingFigure 2

AI summary

The station (100) has a communication unit communicated with an electronic component including an identifier, where the identifier responds to a preset convention. The component is an assembly of a flash memory (230) and a flash memory controller (220). Another communication unit is communicated with another electronic component i.e. chip card (250), including another identifier, where the latter identifier conforms to the convention. A verification unit verifies the match of a unique part of the former identifier with a unique part of the latter identifier, according to a preset rule. The identifier is obtained by an application program interface (API) window(RTM: software operating system) controls. An independent claim is also included for a method for verifying a match of a unique part of an identifier with another unique part of another identifier, according to a preset rule.