Patent ID: 8892880

Claim:
A method for obtaining an authorization key to use a smart card integrated circuit (IC), the method comprising: providing a secured smart card IC identification code to the smart card IC by a smart card IC manufacturer, wherein the secured smart card IC identification code comprises a smart card IC serial number and at least one cryptographic code that is derived from the smart card serial number using a cryptographic algorithm, wherein the cryptographic code includes information about the smart card IC manufacturer; extracting the secured smart card IC identification code from the smart card IC by a trusted service provider, the trusted service provider comprising a processor external to the smart card IC and its packaging; transmitting the secured smart card IC identification code from the trusted service provider to the smart card IC manufacturer over a data connection; and authenticating the secured smart card IC identification code using the cryptographic algorithm by the smart card IC manufacturer and transmitting a copy of the authorization key from the smart card IC manufacturer to the trusted service provider over the data connection after the authenticating by the smart card IC manufacturer, wherein transmitting the secured smart card IC identification code to the smart card IC manufacturer over a data connection comprises transmitting the smart card IC serial number from the trusted service provider to the smart card IC manufacturer and where transmitting the smart card IC serial number is independent of transmitting the at least one cryptographic code.