Ecebs Limited

Anthony Breslin

Barry Sim Hochfield

Michael Peters

In a value transfer scheme, users are provided with programmable devices, for example, smart cards, capable of carrying data representing at least one available commodity value. Data representing user accounts is held at a remote processing station. Transactions between users are effected by the off-line exchange of data between users'respective smartcards, the exchanged data containing a record of each transaction entered into. The user account data for each user's account held at the remote processing station is updated only subsequently when the user's smartcard is on-line to the remote processing station and data therefrom is uploaded to the remote processing station. The scheme of the invention can, conveniently, be based around the ITSO scheme which is used to govern the secure transfer of data. The scheme is capable of providing a secure multi-commodity value transfer system.

Smartcard-based value transfer

A programmable device carries an on-device file. An interface device is provided to interface with the programmable device, the interface device having an off-device file. Web (Internet) standard language operating software is stored in the programmable device in a compressed format, that software containing at least some of the file system and commands for accessing the file system which enable the on-device file and off-device file to interface with each other. The interface device further includes an upgrade file. The system operates to compare the upgrade file to the on-device file and upgrade the on-device file to the newer upgrade file. The system is further provided with a web (Internet) standard language file containing a configurable Security Environment. The system is further provided with a file including a data model ('virtual card') corresponding to a programmable device and adapted for downloading to the programmable device.

Smartcard system

A smartcard comprises a substrate having a smartcard chip formed on it as well as a secondary memory device, for example, a FLASH ROM, operatively connected to the smartcard chip. The secondary memory device is capable of storing a plurality of pages of data, each having associated with it a unique sequence number, the sequence number being stored separately from the data page so that when the page is to be read, the sequence number retrieved with the page can be compared with the stored sequence number to authenticate the page.

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East Kilbride, United Kingdom

Anthony Breslin