Effitic, a french software engineering company, has set up a working demo that demonstrates how public transportation cards could be reloaded at home thanks to SpringCard’s contactless readers.
In this architecture, all the business logic and the security components (SAM or HSM) are centralised in Effitic’s back-office server. A lightweight Java applet runs in a standard web browser to communicate with the smartcard reader through the PC/SC middleware. The applet installs itself automatically upon first access to the service whatever the system/browser.
The demonstration is typically performed with Calypso cards and a SpringCard Prox’N’Roll PC/SC contactless reader. As Prox’N’Roll PC/SC complies to the CCID standard, a driver is available -and installed automatically in most cases- on current desktop operating systems.
This setup is a cost-effective solution for at-home reloading of public transportation cards. This removes the need for a dual-interface card as the Prox’N’Roll operates contactless (13.56MHz RFID interface, compliant with ISO/IEC 14443 A and B, ISO/IEC 15693, Calypso/Innovatron, and with current disposable contactless tickets).
It also opens new opportunities and a new approach of user’s experience with his/her contactless card or NFC mobile phone. In fact, this web-based contactless smartcard architecture is not limited to transport ticketing but could be the basis of a new generation of innovative projects in various fields such as e-ID/e-gov, loyalty, entertainment and online gaming, events and sport ticketing, etc.
