Patent ID: 7871010
Filing Date: 2011-01-18
Classification: G06K,G06Q,G07F,H04L,H04W

Abstract:
1. A smart card reader (SCR) for managing concurrent access to a smart card by a plurality of accessing devices, the SCR comprising: a processor; a channel manager responsive to the processor for interfacing with the smart card; a communication interface responsive to the channel manager for communicating with the plurality of accessing devices; and wherein, when a session is open on a first channel between a first accessing device and the smart card and the channel manager receives a session request from a second accessing device, the channel manager is configured to issue an open channel command to the smart card to cause the smart card to open a second channel between the smart card and the second accessing device in response to the session request such that the first channel and second channel are open concurrently; and wherein the channel manager is configured to: receive data units from the second accessing device intended for transmission to the smart card on the first channel; identify a channel identifier within the data units received from the second accessing device, the channel identifier identifying the first channel; and modify the channel identifier within the data units to identify the second channel, in order to indicate that the data units are intended for transmission to the smart card over the second channel.