Patent ID: 6851614

Claim:
A portable programmable data carrier comprising: a processor and storage integral to the data carrier; a user input interface integral to the data carrier operable to receive manually input configuration data for a programmable processing apparatus including at least data describing a network identity for the programmable processing apparatus and manually inputted security criteria data; a display integral to the data carrier operable to display configuration data; and a communications interface integral to the data carrier and operable to interface with a programmable processing apparatus to transfer system configuration data from the storage to the programmable processing apparatus; wherein the storage is operable to store: operating instructions for the processor; system configuration data including at least one of a network address and a host ID for the programmable processing apparatus; data describing a plurality of different predetermined security criteria; and processor executable instructions to cause the processor to become configured to compare the stored predetermined security criteria with inputted security criteria data inputted via the user input interface and to allow in dependence upon the result of the comparison: further use of the data carrier; access to different configuration data stored in the storage; and the transfer of different configuration data stored in the storage via the communications interface.