Patent attributes
A method of providing a secure clock in a communication device in contact with a communication system includes detecting a clock event whenever a clock event occurs; initializing a secure clock and setting a secure clock flag to TRUE; and setting the secure clock to a secure clock time. A secure clock mechanism for use in a communication device which is in contact with a communication system includes real-time clock hardware; programmable memory and non-volatile memory; and a back-up battery for powering the secure clock mechanism; a clock event detection mechanism for detecting clock events, which are taken from a group of clock events consisting of user clock events and system clock events; a secure clock initializing mechanism for setting the secure clock and for setting a secure clock flag to TRUE; and a secure clock setting mechainism for setting the secure clock to a secure clock time.
