WO2008150060A1

WO2008150060A1 - Contactless management using envelope format

Info

Publication number: WO2008150060A1
Application number: PCT/KR2008/000694
Authority: WO
Inventors: Patrick Fischer; Jean-Francois Deprun
Original assignee: Lg Electronics Inc.
Priority date: 2007-06-04
Filing date: 2008-02-04
Publication date: 2008-12-11

Abstract

The mobile terminal provides information to the secure element (smart card, SIM card, IC card, UICC, etc.) to describes its state and/or any modification thereto. Such information is sent as envelope format messages, which complies with the 3GPP standard. Doing so improves contactless management and allows more interactivity between the mobile terminal and the secure element.

Description

Description CONTACTLESS MANAGEMENT USING ENVELOPE FORMAT

Technical Field

[I] The present invention relates performing contactless management using envelope format.

Background Art

[2] The background art technologies related to smart cards do not sufficiently address the issues related to performing contactless management using envelope format, and thus do not offer appropriate solutions. Disclosure of Invention

Technical Solution

[3] The present inventors recognized some drawbacks of the background art. Based upon such recognition, the various features described hereafter have been conceived such that contactless management using envelope format can be performed. [4] The mobile terminal provides information to the secure element (smart card, SIM card, IC card, UICC, etc.) to describes its state and/or any modification thereto. Such information is sent as envelope format messages, which complies with the 3GPP standard. Doing so improves contactless management and allows more interactivity between the mobile terminal and the secure element.

Brief Description of the Drawings [5] Figure 1 shows an example of how a mobile terminal and a contactless reader can cooperate with each other. [6] Figure 2 shows an example of a smart card (UICC) 220 having a particular allocation for eight (8) physical contacts, as indicated by the chart 240. [7] Figure 3 shows the protocol architecture of a mobile terminal and a secure element

(UICC, SIM card, etc.) to support the present invention. [8] Figure 4 shows a signal flow of the general principles related to providing mobile terminal information to a secure element (such as a SIM card, UICC, etc.). [9] Figure 5 shows an exemplary structure of a mobile terminal and a secure element that performs the procedures of the present invention. [10] Figure 6 shows an exemplary procedure when the present invention is implemented.

Mode for the Invention

[I I] The present disclosure claims priority benefit to U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/941,887 (filed June 4, 2007), which contents are all incorporated by reference herein.

[12] The inventive concepts and features described herein that are related to a contactless management will be explained in terms of implementation for a user terminal, such as a mobile phone. However, such details are not meant to limit the various features described herein, which are applicable to other types of devices.

[13] Hereafter, the term "terminal" will be used to refer to various types of user devices, such as mobile communication terminals, user equipment (UE), mobile equipment (ME), and other devices that support various types of wireless communication technologies.

[14] The definitions of some other terms used herein are provided as follows:

[15] CAT: Common Application Toolkit (the generic part of USAT, specified by ETSI).

[16] CLF: ContactLess Function (module).

[17] ICC: Integrated Circuit Card (smart card).

[18] ISO: International Standard Organisation.

[19] ETSI: European Telecommunication Standard Institute (that is in charge of the UICC specification).

[20] MMC: MultiMedia Card as defined by the MMC Association (By extension, the protocol can be defined on the card/reader interface).

[21] UICC: Smart card platform supporting SIM, USIM, and other applications.

[22] USB: Universal Serial Bus as defined by the USB Implementers' Forum (By extension, the protocol can be defined on the card/reader interface).

[23] USIM: Universal SIM, UICC application including parameters and tools to identify and authenticate a 3G/UMTS user and to run its applications, as specified by 3GPP.

[24] SIM: Subscriber Identity Module, UICC application including parameters and tools to identify and authenticate a GSM user and to run its applications, as specified by 3GPP.

[25] SAT: SIM Application Toolkit as specified by 3GPP.

[26] USAT: USIM Application Toolkit as specified by 3GPP.

[27] The present invention relates to contactless management between a storage medium

(such as a UICC or similar smart card) within a terminal and a functional module also within the terminal (such as a contactless function module (CLF) or the like).

[28] It should be noted that mobile terminals under development (or to be developed in the near future) may have multiple card slots to receive more than one removable module (that could be a smart card, s SD card, etc.). Also, the contactless function module (CLF) itself may removable by being implemented on a smart card or the like.

[29] As the concepts and aspects described herein are applicable to smart cards (or other types of storage media and memories), various standards that are related to and support such smart card technologies (such as ISO/IEC, ETSI, GSM, 3GPP, 3GPP2, OMA, IEEE, etc.) are also part of the exemplary embodiments described herein. It can be understood that the above exemplary standards are not intended to be limiting, as other related standards and technologies would also be applicable to the various features and concepts described herein.

[30] For example, a smart card can be considered to have a basic platform and various applications related thereto. The standardization to support the basic platform is handled by the ETSI, while the various applications running on the platform are handled by different standard organizations. For example, the USIM and SIM features are handled by the 3GPP, the R-UIM features is handled by the 3GPP2, certain financial applications are handled by EMV (Europay™, MasterCard™, Visa™), and the like.

[31] A smart card (also referred to as a chip card, an integrated circuit card (ICC) or the like) is defined as any pocket-sized card with embedded integrated circuits that can process information. Various ICC applications can be used to receive inputs, perform processing thereon, and deliver outputs. There are two types of ICCs, namely memory cards and microprocessor cards. Memory cards contain non- volatile memory storage components, and some logic circuitry for security. Microprocessor cards contain volatile memory and microprocessor components. Such cards may be made of plastic or some other appropriate material and may have an embedded hologram or other security device to avoid counterfeiting.

[32] Smart cards may be categorized as having a contact interface, a contactless interface, or both. These smart cards typically do not have their own battery or power source.

[33] A contact- type smart card has a stamp (typically made of gold) that makes physical contact with electrical connectors of a smart card reader upon insertion of the smart card, such that information can be read from and written to the chip.

[34] A contactless-type smart card communicates with a card reader through radio frequency identification (RFID) induction technology. Such contactless-type smart cards may also use near field communication (NFC), which is a short-range wireless communication technology that allows data exchanging between devices over a relatively short distance. NFC technology is based on RFID, which makes it compatible with the existing contactless infrastructure already in use for public transportation and payment applications. Also, in a contactless-type smart card, an inductor element can be used to capture and rectify incident RF signals in order to power the integrated circuits in the smart card.

[35] A dual-interface card, namely, a smart card implemented with contactless and contact interfaces, may use shared storage and processing.

[36] The term "contactless" may be used in reference to certain technologies, such as a contactless smart card, a proximity card, contactless payment, radio-frequency identification (RFID), near field communication (NFC), and the like.

[37] The current standard for contactless smart card communications is ISO/IEC 14443 that defines two types of contactless cards (Types A and B) and allows for contactless communications at a distance of up to about 10 centimeters.

[38] To provide enhanced services and applications, more and more terminals will implement to so-called contactless features. Such enhanced services can support transportation applications (e.g., fare payments for riding the subway, metro, buses, etc.), e- purses (e.g., electronic financial transactions, e-banking, etc.), and the like.

[39] The principle of the contactless feature is that a relatively low range medium is used between the terminal and a reader (for instance, a metro/subway turnstile or gate) to execute a fee transaction, to identify the user, or to perform some other type of function or application.

[40] For security and service management reasons, it is likely that the UICC (the telecommunication smart card supporting SIM/USIM) will manage at least part of the contactless services/applications, therefore implementations must consider a physical or logical interface with the UICC. The applications themselves can be based on the UICC.

[41] For technical reasons (such as, electromagnetic constraints (EMC), antenna implementation, etc.), it is impossible (or at least very difficult) to implement all (or the desired or necessary) contactless features in the smart card (UICC). At least part of such features shall be supported in a contactless function module (i.e., a functional entity implemented in hardware, software, or a combination thereof to support contactless services and/or applications), which is part of the terminal.

[42] Figure 1 shows an example of how a mobile terminal and a contactless reader can cooperate with each other. The mobile terminal 100 has a contactless module 110 that interacts with a smart card 120 and with various terminal resources 130. When the mobile terminal 100 is placed at or near a contactless reader 140, wireless communications can be performed with the contactless module 110 via a wireless (or contactless) interface 150.

[43] As an example of a smart card 120, the UICC is a smart card platform that supports various telecommunication applications, such as SIM (for GSM) or USIM (for 3G). The UICC can also support other types of applications. The UICC is the evolution of the GSM SIM card that was only able to run a SIM application.

[44] The UICC continues to evolve with respect to two aspects; 1) employing a large memory and high-speed interface, and 2) supporting contactless services.

[45] A large memory and high-speed interface allow the UICC to support more applications, personal data of the user, certificate procedures, etc. without having trouble in transferring large amounts of data within a reasonable timeframe.

[46] Contactless services address the market of integrating access control services, transportation passes, and the like into the mobile terminal. The UICC would be used in such cases to secure information and applications, whereas for reasons detailed below, most of the actual contactless link management (modulation, power control and management, etc.) would be made in the mobile terminal.

[47] Figure 2 shows an example of a smart card (UICC) 220 having a particular allocation for eight (8) physical contacts, as indicated by the chart 240.

[48] Although it can be understood that the features of the present invention can also be adapted and implemented to smart cards with a different number of physical contacts, the exemplary embodiments will focus on an 8 -contact type UICC.

[49] The physical interface between the UICC and mobile terminal can be based on an

8 -contact module. It is currently unlikely that more contacts can be implemented in the future. Therefore, all extensions have to be considered based on the existing contacts, and minimum backward compatibility requirements, such that a session can be always opened on the ISO T=O protocol, as defined in the ISO 7816 series.

[50] Therefore, only 3 contacts are remaining for further development. Currently, 2 contact candidates are considered for a High-Speed interface between the UICC and the terminal. Additionally, MMC can be implemented by using the C4/C6/C8 contacts, and USB can be implemented by using the C4/C8 contacts.

[51] In order to obtain a physical interface for connection with an external contactless module (such as, via a two- wire based connection), there is a need for either adding new contacts (which is unlikely to be adopted) or to multiplex the signals on the existing contacts that would be used for several logical interfaces (which is heavy or burdensome to support and requires much software and probably hardware).

[52] Many trials are being conducted to test various contactless features and applications that allow communication between a mobile terminal (or handset) having a secure element (such as a smart card, a SIM card, and IC card, a UICC, etc.) and a reader (such as a point-of-sale (PoS) terminal) using NFC (near field communication) standards.

[53] A contactless component (such as the aforementioned CLF) is needed to support such contactless features. There may be two types of implementation: (1) the contactless component is only connected to the SIM card, or (2) the contactless component is connected to the SIM card and to the baseband of the handset.

[54] The first case allows a contactless solution without (or very little) modification of the hardware and software of the handset. One type of solution would be to add contactless features into the handset. However, this solution has a drawback in that when a contactless event occurs, the SIM card receives the information but cannot send this information to the handset, because the SIM card can communicate with the handset only after receiving a request from the handset. In other words, when a contactless event occurs, the contactless information is communicated to the handset only after a request from the handset. [55] Therefore, the handset has to poll (or otherwise monitor) the SIM card regularly in order to check whether information regarding NFC is available. Generally, the polling period is set in the order of about 30 seconds, which means that the handset polls the SIM card every 30 seconds. In this case, the contactless event can be delivered to the handset after a delay of about 0 to 30 seconds. This delay is considered to be too long for most applications. The user cannot (and may not wish to) wait 30 seconds to have an answer from the contactless terminal.

[56] To solve this issue, the interval polling can be modified to something in the order of a few seconds. The reduction of the time between 2 interval polling (from 30 seconds to a few seconds) has a very high impact on battery life (i.e., the mobile terminal power consumption is too high). The battery life may last more than 200 hours with an interval polling of 30 seconds, but this is reduced to around 20 hours with an interval polling of 1 second.

[57] To solve this issue of battery life, the handset can modify the interval polling. For example, when the handset is in a turn on (or active) state, the handset may set the interval polling to equal 1 second, and when the handset is in idle mode (or some other type of power saving mode), the handset may set the interval polling to equal 30 seconds. Of course, other particular polling intervals may be set and used accordingly. By adjusting such polling interval in an appropriate manner, a more satisfying user experience in performing contactless applications and relatively long battery life can be ensured.

[58] But in order to enforce a consistent user experience between different handset types, and in order to allow the polling procedure to be adapted to the requirements of the contactless application, the 3GPP standard (and other related standards) specifies that it is up to the SIM card to determine the interval of the polling. Namely, the SIM card should indicate the desired polling interval and communicate such information to the handset. If the handset overrides the polling interval indicated by the SIM card, the polling interval may not be adapted to the requirements of the application.

[59] The background art techniques do not solve the problems related to the requirements of adapting (or adjusting) the polling interval according to the application (such as a contactless service), and the problem of ensuring maximum battery life. Thus, a consistent user experience between different types of terminals cannot be guaranteed.

[60] The general concept of this invention is to indicate from a handset to an external component (e.g. the SIM card or the NFC component) whether the handset is in a state where the user is expecting quick feedback, or where the handset does not expect a quick feedback. Such indication may be made by providing state information.

[61] Further, such state information could indicate various physical conditions of the mobile terminal. For example, whether a clamshell type handset is opened or closed, whether a slider phone is opened or closed, whether the back light (or other illumination means) of the handset screen is switched on or off, and the like. Alternatively, the handset could indicate a proposed polling period to the external component (SIM card), or the polling period may be informed if the user has not pushed any button for a predefined time.

[62] The external device (SIM card) would then indicate a polling interval to the handset based on the information received from the handset and based on other information, such as the requirements from the application, and the like.

[63] The indication from the mobile handset to the SIM card could be based on the use of a so-called envelope format specified in the related portions of the 3GPP standard.

[64] The basic idea in this invention is that the mobile terminal sends a message (or otherwise provides information) to the SIM card to describes its state. This message uses a so-called envelope format, which complies with the 3GPP standard. The present invention solves the issues related to contactless management, and allows more interactivity between the handset and the SIM card. The state (and/or any modifications thereof) of the handset is informed to the SIM card, as needed by the SIM application.

[65] Figure 3 shows the protocol architecture of a mobile terminal and a secure element

(UICC, SIM card, etc.) to support the present invention.

[66] As shown, the mobile terminal and the UICC have corresponding protocol layers that allow the exchange of information therebetween. In the order of the lowest level protocol layer to the highest level protocol layer, there is a physical layer, a data link layer, a transport layer, a CAT layer, and an application layer. The various characteristics of each layer are described in the corresponding portions of the ETSI standard.

[67] In particular, the application protocol consists of an ordered set of exchanges between the application layer and the transport layer of the terminal. Each step in an application layer exchange consists of a command-response pair, where the application layer of the terminal sends a command to the UICC via the transport layer of the terminal. Then, the UICC processes such and sends a response to the application layer of the terminal using the transport layer of the UICC and the transport layer of the terminal. Each specific command (C-APDU) has a specific response (R-APDU). The commands and responses are called command messages and response messages, respectively. Both the command and response messages may contain data.

[68] Figure 4 shows a signal flow of the general principles related to providing mobile terminal information to a secure element (such as a SIM card, UICC, etc.).

[69] There are 3 different schedules: (1) initialization, (2) the handset informs (or updates) the SIM card about any modification of its state, and (3) the SIM card informs the handset that some SIM applications need more or different information from the handset. [70] The initialization step (S401) allows: (1) sending, to the SIM card from the handset, the type of the handset and some characteristics (such as, number of screens, type of handset, number of different states, etc.), and (2) sending, to the handset from the SIM card, the information needed by the SIM applications.

[71] The second (update) step (S402) allows sending, to the SIM card from the handset, information about the modification of the state of the handset. Some examples of such states may be that a clamshell UE is opened or that the clamshell UE is closed, or that a slider phone is opened or closed, or that the back light of the handset screen is switched on / off. Alternatively, the handset could indicate a proposed polling period to the external component, or the user has not pushed any button for a predefined time.

[72] The third one (update) step (S403) allows sending, to the handset from the SIM card, information needed by the SIM applications. Because the SIM card applications can change over time, and the new application can need different information or some information may no longer be needed.

[73] The information transmitted between the handset and the SIM card can be: (1) the type of handset (bar type, clamshell type, etc.), (2) the number of screens and some characteristics (main screen, second screen, etc.) (3) the mode of the handset (idle mode, ON state, etc.), (4) the state of the battery (full, empty , 50%, etc.), and the like.

[74] In each information, a state can be described. Some example include: (1) the type of the handset (a clamshell, whether the handset can be closed or open, etc.), (2) the number of the screens and the state of each screen (main screen OFF or ON; second screen is OFF or ON), 3) the mode of the handset: (turned ON or in idle mode), 4) the state of the battery (full, empty , 50% of charge), and the like.

[75] The exchange of all this information is done in envelope format, because the sending of envelopes is controlled by the handset, and can be performed in real time. Thus, as soon as there is one modification in the handset, the SIM card is aware about it.

[76] For contactless applications, the interval polling is modified by the handset as a function of its states. In idle mode, the interval polling may be set to 30 seconds, and in the ON mode, the interval polling may be set to 1 second. This modification is done by the handset. The SIM card has no control of it. This solution ensures good battery life and improves user experience when making contactless transactions.

[77] Figure 5 shows an exemplary structure of a mobile terminal and a secure element that performs the procedures of the present invention.

[78] The mobile terminal 601 may have a processor 605 that provides control to various components and processes various types of information, and an interface element 603 that is operatively connected with the processor to facilitate the sending and receiving of information.

[79] The secure element (such as a SIM card) may have an integrated circuit (IC) chip 640, and a processor 620 that provides control to a memory 630 and an interface element 610 that facilitates the sending and receiving of information with components of the mobile terminal 601.

[80] The SIM card may perform a method of performing a SIM application for a handset, the method comprising: receiving an event transmitted to a SIM card; waiting for a status command from the handset based on an internal polling interval based on a function of the SIM application and at least one characteristic of the handset; receiving the status command from the handset based on the internal polling interval; and sending a command or affirmation to the handset if needed.

[81] The mobile terminal may perform a method of performing a SIM application for a handset, the method comprising: checking an internal polling interval that is set by a SIM card based on a function of a SIM application and at least one characteristic of the handset; sending a status command to the SIM card according to the internal polling interval; and receiving a command or affirmation from the SIM card if needed.

[82] Figure 6 shows an exemplary procedure when the present invention is implemented.

[83] When the state of the Handset changes (active → inactive or inactive → active), the

SIM card is made aware and can modify the interval polling. Before or after each modification of the state of the handset, the handset sends an envelope to describe this modification and the contactless SIM application determines the appropriate interval polling based on the requirements of the application and the information received from the handset (e.g. Is or 30s).

[84] First, during initialization, the handset sends information to the SIM card about its state via messages using an envelope format. The SIM card can respond by telling the handset about the types of information needed, such as whether the handset should be active or not (S601).

[85] Next, the handset may send status information and the SIM card can reply with a response message (SW=91XX). The handset can then send fetch instructions, which the SIM card responds with a particular interval polling (such as 1 second). Namely, the handset is active and the SIM card indicates an interval polling (= 1 second) (S603). Thereafter, the interval polling is performed every 1 second. Up to this stage, the handset is in active state.

[86] When the handset later sends its updated state information (such as the handset is inactive) to the SIM card, which can reply with a response message (SW=91XX). The handset can then send fetch instructions, which the SIM card responds with a different interval polling (such as 30 seconds). Namely, the handset is inactive and the SIM card indicates an interval polling (= 30 second) (S605). Thereafter, the interval polling is performed every 30 seconds. At this stage, the handset is in inactive state.

[87] Then, the handset may send again its updated state information (such as the handset is active) to the SIM card, which can reply with a response message (SW=91XX). The handset can then send fetch instructions, which the SIM card responds with yet another interval polling (such as 5 seconds). Namely, the handset is inactive and the SIM card indicates an interval polling (= 5 seconds) (S607). Thereafter, the interval polling is performed every 5 seconds. At this stage, the handset is in active state.

[88] With the present invention, the interaction between the handset and the SIM card increases. The SIM card can also adapt its request in function of the type of handset: For example if the handset is a clamshell and has a second screen and is close, the SIM card can display a message only on the second screen with a SIM Tool Kit command.

[89] In summary, 1) the handset sends information to the SIM card to describe its state with a standard solution (using the envelope mechanism); 2) the mechanism to send this information and to update this information with an envelope format; and 3) various types of information are indicated to the SIM card (type of handset, number of screens, mode of the handset (OFF, ON, Idle), level of battery, backlight on or off, etc.).

[90] As described thus far, the concepts and features related to a contactless interface between a smart card and a contactless function module to support various contactless service can also be summed up as follows.

[91] A method of performing a contactless event, the method comprising: (1) receiving a contactless event; (2) sending, by contactless function (CLF),to the SIM card; (3) SIM card waits for status command from handset; (4) handset sends status command to SIM card; and (5) SIM card informs handset about the contactless event.

[92] A method of performing a SIM feature for a handset, comprising: (1) receiving an input event transmitted to a SIM card; (2) informing the SIM card about the reception of the input event; (3) waiting, by the SIM card, for a status command from the handset based on an internal polling interval that is fixed by the SIM card as a function of the SIM application and at least one characteristic of the handset; (4) sending the status command to the SIM card based on the internal polling interval; and (5) receiving SIM card informs handset about the input event (wherein the input invent is not transmitted to the handset).

[93] The present invention provides a method of performing a SIM application for a handset, the method comprising: receiving an event transmitted to a SIM card; waiting for a status command from the handset based on an internal polling interval based on a function of the SIM application and at least one characteristic of the handset; receiving the status command from the handset based on the internal polling interval; and sending a command or affirmation to the handset.

[94] The event relates to an interaction with the handset. The event is an input event. The input event is related to an action within the SIM card. The input event is related to an action outside the SIM card. The internal polling interval is fixed by the SIM card. An envelope command is used to transmit the status command of the handset to the SIM card. The at least one characteristic of the handset relates to at least one of a type of the handset, a mode of the handset, screen characteristics, a battery status, and telecommunication characteristics. The characteristic of the handset optionally requires user interaction.

[95] Also, the present invention provides a method of performing a SIM application for a handset, the method comprising: checking an internal polling interval that is set by a SIM card based on a function of a SIM application and at least one characteristic of the handset; sending a status command to the SIM card according to the internal polling interval; and receiving a command or affirmation from the SIM card.

[96] The method may further comprise: sending an event to the SIM card before performing the checking step. The event relates to an interaction with the handset. The event is an input event. The input event is related to an action within the SIM card. The input event is related to an action outside the SIM card. The internal polling interval is fixed by the SIM card. An envelope command is used to transmit the status command of the handset to the SIM card. The at least one characteristic of the handset relates to at least one of a type of the handset, a mode of the handset, screen characteristics, a battery status, and telecommunication characteristics. The characteristic of the handset optionally requires user interaction.

[97] Also, the present invention provides a secure element for performing a SIM application for a handset, the secure element comprising: an interface element that facilities sending and receiving of information; and a processor operatively connected to and cooperating with the interface element to perform the procedures of, receiving, via the interface element, an event transmitted from mobile terminal, waiting for a status command from the mobile terminal based on an internal polling interval based on a function of the SIM application and at least one characteristic of the handset, receiving, via the interface element, the status command from the mobile terminal based on the internal polling interval, and sending a command or affirmation, via the interface element, to the mobile terminal.

[98] Additionally, the present invention provides a mobile terminal for performing a SIM application, the mobile terminal comprising: an interface element that facilities sending and receiving of information; and a processor operatively connected to and cooperating with the interface element to perform the procedures of, checking an internal polling interval that is set by a SIM card based on a function of a SIM application and at least one characteristic of the handset, sending a status command to the SIM card according to the internal polling interval, and receiving a command or affirmation from the SIM card. Industrial Applicability

[99] The features and concepts herein are applicable to and can be implemented for various types of user devices (e.g., mobile terminals, handsets, wireless communication devices, etc.) and/or entities that can support different types of air interfaces, protocols, and applications used in wireless communications.

[100] The described mobile status detection contactless module to support various con- tactless services can be used in a wide variety of fields, such as financial applications (e.g., credit cards, ATM cards, fuel cards, etc.) service subscriptions (SIM cards for mobile phones, public transportation passes, etc.), identification applications (e.g., personal electronic ID cards, healthcare cards, etc.), security applications (e.g., biometric passports, cryptographic pass cards, employee badges, etc.), and the like.

[101] As the various concepts and features described herein may be embodied in several forms without departing from the characteristics thereof, it should also be understood that the above-described embodiments are not limited by any of the details of the foregoing description, unless otherwise specified, but rather should be construed broadly within its scope as defined in the appended claims. Therefore, all changes and modifications that fall within such scope or equivalents thereof are therefore intended to be embraced by the appended claims.

Claims

[I] A method of performing a SIM application for a handset, the method comprising: receiving an event transmitted to a SIM card; waiting for a status command from the handset based on an internal polling interval based on a function of the SIM application and at least one characteristic of the handset; receiving the status command from the handset based on the internal polling interval; and sending a command or affirmation to the handset. [2] The method of claim 1 , wherein the event relates to an interaction with the handset.

[3] The method of claim 1, wherein the event is an input event.

[4] The method of claim 3, wherein the input event is related to an action within the

SIM card. [5] The method of claim 3, wherein the input event is related to an action outside the

SIM card. [6] The method of claim 1 , wherein the internal polling interval is fixed by the SIM card. [7] The method of claim 1, wherein an envelope command is used to transmit the status command of the handset to the SIM card. [8] The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one characteristic of the handset relates to at least one of a type of the handset, a mode of the handset, screen characteristics, a battery status, and telecommunication characteristics. [9] The method of claim 8, wherein the characteristic of the handset optionally requires user interaction. [10] A method of performing a SIM application for a handset, the method comprising: checking an internal polling interval that is set by a SIM card based on a function of a SIM application and at least one characteristic of the handset; sending a status command to the SIM card according to the internal polling interval; and receiving a command or affirmation from the SIM card.

[I I] The method of claim 10, further comprising: sending an event to the SIM card before performing the checking step. [12] The method of claim 11, wherein the event relates to an interaction with the handset.

[13] The method of claim 11, wherein the event is an input event.

[14] The method of claim 13, wherein the input event is related to an action within the SIM card.

[15] The method of claim 13, wherein the input event is related to an action outside the SIM card.

[16] The method of claim 10, wherein the internal polling interval is fixed by the SIM card.

[17] The method of claim 10, wherein an envelope command is used to transmit the status command of the handset to the SIM card.

[18] The method of claim 10, wherein the at least one characteristic of the handset relates to at least one of a type of the handset, a mode of the handset, screen characteristics, a battery status, and telecommunication characteristics.

[19] The method of claim 18, wherein the characteristic of the handset optionally requires user interaction.

[20] A secure element for performing a SIM application for a handset, the secure element comprising: an interface element that facilities sending and receiving of information; and a processor operatively connected to and cooperating with the interface element to perform the procedures of, receiving, via the interface element, an event transmitted from mobile terminal, waiting for a status command from the mobile terminal based on an internal polling interval based on a function of the SIM application and at least one characteristic of the handset, receiving, via the interface element, the status command from the mobile terminal based on the internal polling interval, and sending a command or affirmation, via the interface element, to the mobile terminal.

[21] A mobile terminal for performing a SIM application, the mobile terminal comprising: an interface element that facilities sending and receiving of information; and a processor operatively connected to and cooperating with the interface element to perform the procedures of, checking an internal polling interval that is set by a SIM card based on a function of a SIM application and at least one characteristic of the handset, sending a status command to the SIM card according to the internal polling interval, and receiving a command or affirmation from the SEVI card.