Secure Chip Virtual Card Management With Reduced Storage Footprint

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing NFC-enabled terminals require multiple card management programs for each virtual electronic card, leading to significant storage space occupation and increased costs due to the need for larger chips to manage multiple virtual cards.

Innovation Solution

Each virtual electronic card on a secure chip corresponds to a unique card management program, with the chip's operating system configuring permissions, allowing management through a single program for each card, reducing storage space requirements.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If multiple card management programs are used for each virtual electronic card, then the virtual electronic card can be managed comprehensively, but the chip storage space is significantly occupied and terminal cost increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvevirtual electronic card management completenessVSAvoidchip storage space
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSVolume of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the card management functionality into two independent parts: a card management program stored in the chip that handles basic card operations, and a card management application stored in the terminal that handles upper-level management tasks. This segmentation allows the chip to use a smaller, more efficient management program while the terminal application handles the comprehensive management requirements, thereby reducing chip storage space occupation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces an intermediary mechanism - the card management application in the terminal - that acts as a mediator between the user and the card management program in the chip. This intermediary handles complex management operations locally in the terminal, allowing the chip's card management program to be simplified and smaller, thus resolving the contradiction between comprehensive management and storage space occupation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If multiple card management programs are used for each virtual electronic card, then comprehensive management is achieved, but the device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvevirtual electronic card management completenessVSAvoidcard management program quantity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the card management system into two distinct components with clearly defined responsibilities: a lightweight card management program in the chip for basic operations and a comprehensive card management application in the terminal for advanced management. This segmentation reduces the number of programs needed in the chip while maintaining comprehensive management capabilities through the terminal application, thereby reducing device complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The card management application in the terminal serves as a universal management tool that can manage multiple virtual electronic cards with different functions and permissions. By consolidating diverse management requirements into a single multi-functional application in the terminal, the system avoids the need for multiple specialized programs in the chip, thus reducing overall device complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentEP4060588B1Virtual electronic card management method and system, security chip, terminal, and storage medium
Publication Date: 2026.03.25 SHENZHEN GOODIX TECH CO LTD
  • EP4060588B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP4060588B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4
  • EP4060588B1 patent drawingFigure 5~6

AI summary

The present disclosure provides a method and system for managing a virtual electronic card, a secure chip, a terminal, and a storage medium, and relates to the field of near field communication technology. The method for managing a virtual electronic card is applicable to a secure chip installed in a first terminal, and the method includes: receiving a management request from a trusted mobile application on the first terminal, the management request being used to manage a target virtual electronic card on the secure chip, and permissions of the virtual electronic card being configured by a chip operating system of the secure chip; determining, from the secure chip, a target card management program corresponding to the target virtual electronic card, the different virtual electronic cards corresponding to the different card management programs; sending the management request to the target card management program; and calling, through the target card management program, a card management command corresponding to the management request in a card management system on the secure chip, to manage the target virtual electronic card. This solution can reduce occupation of chip storage space by the card management program of the virtual electronic card.