Method and apparatus for the execution of a program

Abstract

An apparatus and a method is provided for the execution of a program by a program-controlled device, in which the program-controlled device receives instructions and automatically executes the program if it receives an access instruction for accessing a protected memory area. The invention further relates to a programmable transponder containing at least one such program-controlled device.

1 . A method for executing a program by a program-controlled device, in which the program-controlled device receives instructions and automatically executes the program if the program-controlled device receives an access instruction for accessing a protected memory area.  
     
     
         2 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the program executes an authentication sequence between a first communication party and a second communication party.  
     
     
         3 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the program executes a login procedure of a first communication party at a second communication party.  
     
     
         4 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the protected memory area has at least one secret key and the access instruction for accessing the protected memory area includes an address of the at least one secret key.  
     
     
         5 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the protected memory area comprises a predefined address range of a memory, and wherein the access instruction for accessing the protected memory area contains at least one address of the predefined address range.  
     
     
         6 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the access instruction for accessing the protected memory area is a read command and/or a write command.  
     
     
         7 . An apparatus for executing a program by a program-controlled device, which has a receiving device for receiving instructions and which has an instruction processor, which is designed in such a way as to automatically execute the program if the program-controlled device receives an access instruction for accessing a protected memory area.  
     
     
         8 . The apparatus according to  claim 7 , wherein the program of the program-controlled device is designed in such a way so as to execute an authentication sequence between a first communication party and a second communication party.  
     
     
         9 . The apparatus according to  claim 7 , wherein the program of the program-controlled device is designed in such a way so as to execute a login procedure of a first communication party at a second communication party.  
     
     
         10 . The apparatus according to  claim 7 , wherein the protected memory area has at least one secret key, and in that the access instruction for accessing the protected memory area comprises the address of the at least one secret key.  
     
     
         11 . The apparatus according to  claim 7 , wherein the protected memory area comprises a predefined address range of a memory and the access instruction for accessing the protected memory area comprises at least one address of the predefined address range.  
     
     
         12 . The apparatus according to  claim 7 , wherein the access instruction for accessing the protected memory area is a read command and/or a write command.  
     
     
         13 . The apparatus according to  claim 7 , wherein the program-controlled device is a microcontroller or a microprocessor which contains the program.  
     
     
         14 . The apparatus according to  claim 7 , wherein the program-controlled device is a programmable transponder.  
     
     
         15 . The method according to  claim 2 , wherein the first communication party is a transponder, and wherein the second communication party is a base station.  
     
     
         16 . The apparatus according to  claim 8 , wherein the first communication party is a transponder, and wherein the second communication party is a base station.  
     
     
         17 . A transponder comprising: 
 an antenna for receiving an electromagnetic wave that includes instructions from a base station;    a memory area; and    an instruction processor for accessing the memory area,    wherein upon receipt of an access instruction from the base station, the instruction processor, upon verification of the access instruction, enables access to the memory area of the transponder for performing a read/write operation.