Intellectual Property, Information Security (Wireless/ Networked devices), Biometric and Cryptographic measures for data protection and retrieval, Economic effectiveness and entrepreneurial aspects.

 

DUTTA Ankan; JOUIN Romain
Ankan.dutta@int-evry.fr romain.jouin@int-evry.fr
INT-evry: Institute National des Telecommunications, France.

Keywords:

Intellectual Property, Information Security (Wireless/ Networked devices),
Biometric and Cryptographic measures for data protection and retrieval,
Economic effectiveness for entrepreneurial start-up, innovation.

Our mission: the fight to counter the loss of personal mobile devices.

Nos marches :

  • Daily products: hand bags, wallets, keys, etc..
  • Portable telephones
  • Bank cards (credit/debit with smart chips)

Nos innovations :

  • Latest technology using Zigbee and Bluetooth.
  • The utilisation of this technology, a l’encontre des credo actuels
  • New concept of fight against the traffics of telephones and the banking frauds


Our product: Magic Finder, microchip sounding At the time of the loss of objects.

Our markets: Portable telephones bank cards

Our innovations: Latest technology Zigbee and Bluetooth the uses of this technology, against
the creed current Nouveau concept of fight against the traffics of telephones and the banking frauds. Our first requirements in financing: 150 000 €

 

I ) Target Market Segment: consumers who lose Mobile items

We move in a world of objects on which we are dependent and whose flight, loss or the simple lapse of memory can be awkward/ catastrophic (bank cards, wallets, keys, telephones and portable computers, PDA).

The services of police force teach us that 170 000 objects are reported to the police station of Paris in 2004, and that one estimates at the 500 000 lost telephones each year. One thus loses his business, often by carelessness.

One can lose any kind of things, whose estimate of the value varies on three criteria:

1) Exchange value
2) Practical value
3) emotional Value

We leave the following data:

For the private individuals, the loss of these objects constitutes a heavy expenditure for the households, all the more if it involves the payment of a telephone fixed price to which they do not have any more access. The companies also are very sensitive to this problem, because by losing a PDA or a computer, they are their data on industrial projects, commercial contacts, customers, significant information in general which is seen with the range of all. Today they buy various solutions of security: biometrics, cryptography, "dongle usb identifier"... These markets of protection have been in full growth for a few years.

Vis-a-vis this article, we propose a solution, Magic Finder who allows not to lose his objects. On our first target, general public, one will thus avoid to him mislaying its keys, its umbrella, its wallet, or its bank card. On our second target, the companies, one allows them not to diffuse data because of computers, of forgotten telephones or PDA.

Our objective is to propose Magic Finder with less 50€.

 

II ) Our solution : the « Magic Finder »


Magic Finder is a "radio operator receiving transmitter", with a range of about fifteen meters.
The system functions per pair: One (the satellite) will be fixed on an object which one does not want to lose, the other (the base) will be carried by the user.
A radio connection is installation every 10 seconds between the base and the satellite, which test their presence reciprocally.
When they are not detected any more, the base and the satellite sonnent/vibrent/s' light, thus informing the user whom it has just forgotten an object. The user is informed and will seek immediately, at the moment of the lapse of memory, his telephone/wallet/laptops/smartphones.

A contrary of all the current solutions, we do not act after the loss, but at the time even or this one occurs. We thus propose a new solution compared to our competitors, which are:

1) 1) systems based on the good faith of the individuals: service of the found objects, police force, communities Internet

2) The societes of services :

a. YellowTag : sell labels with a single number to stick on the objects, so that the people who find them can return them.
b. LookVoyage set up agreements with hotels so that the forgotten objects are returned to the tourists, even once returned on their premises
c. Companies of taxis: some companies incite their drivers to give to the customers the objects forgotten in their cars.

3) The insurances :

a. There exists little insurances against the loss of objects, and often the required
cumbersome procedures limit the interest of it.
b. For a portable telephone, an insurance against the loss rises with 90€ per annum for the least low, and refund only with one certain ceiling amount, often about 150 €.

Generally, competition will come very quickly on our basic idea because technologies are already accessible. This is why we should be concentrated on the partnerships and patents related to the two extensions of this project:

1) The recovery of data after the loss: Partnership with equipment suppliers and operators telecoms:
2) The installation of Magic Finder on bank cards: Recognition by the economic lobby of the bank cards.
3) These partnerships and patents will enable us to draw up some barriers at the entry. Today we have an envelope on the idea of Magic Finder.

 

Development of the solution :

II)a) Our innovation lies in the finality of the use of technologies already existing and very recent: Zigbee and Bluetooth. Today, all the studies for these technologies are directed on problems house automations and of increase in the rates of transfer. We propose a completely different and innovative use: high mobility and extremely low flow. We know that technologies exist, are at the point, and we must test them for our products. The feasibility study, the creation of a prototype, and the stages of pre production for the accessories Zigbee and Bluetooth, are estimated at 60 000€. The creation of a bank card will require more research and we cannot per hour current estimate the costs.

For the short run: accessory Zigbee

In the short run: Zigbee accessory initially we will produce simply two accessories starting from the Zigbee technology which one will be able to attach to various objects: wallet, bunch of keys, telephones, etc.


These accessories will have the following characteristics:

• a small size: volume lower than two parts of 2 euros
• a great autonomy: 18 months
• an adjustable range: from 1 to 15 meters
• the possibility of creating networks: several satellites for only one base
• a design which can be varied: show/pendentive bracelet// carries key/button of jacket...

We contacted the Elektrobit company which distributes Zigbee technologies of the Freescale company. This company sent an estimate to us of 60 000€ to develop prototypes and the moulds necessary to the setting in production. The time necessary before the setting in production is evaluated with less than four months. The series production will be lower than 10$ parts, depend on the desired quantities.

The choice of Zigbee technology is explained by:

• a great autonomy
• an immediate availability
• an obstruction minimum
• an operating system open TinyOS Open Source
• This first stage will allow us: To test the market with a minimum investment? To be first to offer products? To educate the public

 

A medium term: accessory Bluetooth

Then we will develop a Bluetooth satellite directly connected on the portable telephones, following the example "current Bluetooth articles". A software that we will develop for the telephones will make it possible us to detect if the telephone is lost. In this case we will be able to act on the data after the loss of the telephone.
The software that we will develop will allow to:

  • To recover the IMEI of the telephone in order to add this identifier in the base of the stolen telephones. That will put except service the telephone on the telephone networks, which will contribute to the fight against the international traffic of the telephones.
  • To recover data contained in the telephone: SMS/list of contacts/photographs and
    documents, management on Internet.


  • To remove the significant data: allows to replace the problems of cryptography, and brings a simple solution in the event of flight.

We contacted the company Giga 5 which distributes the solutions Bluetooth de Asse Innovation. The physical production of the Bluetooth chip does not pose a problem. It is the creation of the software for the various operating systems from the telephones which increase the technical difficulty. Today we developed an example of application in Java Micro Edition, which makes it possible to detect the presence of a Bluetooth accessory, and to carry out an action in the event of distance. The difficulty lies in the establishment of the software in background of the operating system.

We propose this solution in the second time because it confronts us with more problems:

1) Programming the solution in various environment
2) Autonomye of low cost accessory
3) Interoperability with existing mobile phones/ network
4) Management of network and database.


On the other hand it is logical to develop this product, since it answers a keen demand of the governments and companies, that are the reduction in the traffics of telephones, and controls it diffusion of confidential information. Moreover, Bluetooth being under development full, the percentage of telephone having this technology increases with time. We can wait a little because the market improves for us with time.

The Long Term : Bank Cards with Zigbee

In his ratio of 2003, the bank of France estimates at nearly 250 million euros the fraud with the bank card.
Moreover, it estimates that the flight or the loss of chart is at the origin of 46% of this fraud that is to say more than 100 million euros (cf graphs below).

Source : Observatoire de la securite des cartes de paiement
http://www.banque-france.fr/observatoire/telechar/rap2003_chap3.pdf

The last version of Zigbee makes it possible to have a emetteur/receptor on a format stamps station. Moreover, there exists out of standard of the piles of 1.6mm height, making it possible to use Zigbee. One can thus study the possibility of integrating a pile and a Zigbee transmitter on bank cards.

The difficulties which arise are in particular the following:

• Choice of installaion of the antenna
• Respecting ISO norms of flexibility of bank cards (VISA, Mastercard).
• Integration within the means of payment.

The creation of a card carrying Magic Finder will make it possible to avoid part of the frauds due to the loss of the cards. This creation will require much research and development, and of work with the actors of the banking structures. We will benefit at this time there from our experiment with Zigbee technology, of our knowledge of the market of the loss, and the behavior of the users to have the best analysis of the problems.

III ) The Team S+ :

The creation of the company is on the initiative of Romain JOUIN and Ankan Dutta. He roped in and also motivated professors of the INT ready to bring him advices, support and their expertise when it is needed for it, in order to be guided, to have fast answers to his questions, and to benefit from their competences. He found in Ankan Dutta a significant ally who will enable him to come into contact with the Indian market, enormous growth potential. The team thus brings together motivated and specialized people benefitting from different points of sights, to give the most open possible analysis on the project.

3 competences indispensable for the success of this united team for the project:

1) The knowledge of the networks (wireless) and its latest technologies
2) Control of the software development, and the data transmission on the networks
3) The marketing of ICT: championing entrepreneurship to provide impeccable service and innovative solutions to customers. (ICT: IT and Communication Technologies)
4) Large scale production implementing the economies of scale to bring down costs to the very affordable level of technology-friendly consumers


Romain Jouin : final year graduate of INT Mgmt, Masters in IT Mgmt
He is 24 years, and has already 1 year and half of experiment in data processing. He is in last year with the INT Management where he gained the contest of project of creation of company of the school in May 2005. It is following this victory that it engaged of any heart in the new speciality entrepreneurship of the INT, in order to develop its project of company, and to make this dream a reality.

Ankan Dutta : Computer Engineer of India, International Mgmt at INT
An Indian computer engineer and Masters of Management (INT-evry FRANCE), Ankan comes from the IIT Bombay. He brings in his international professional experience (3 years in International projects of TATA, HP, Dell) from India. (To have an entrance point to the largest free market democracy). He will take part in the software development, Innovation and Technology Management of the products, Intellectual Property Rights issues.

Dr. Pierre Vincent : Networks Department Head (Softwares), INT.
Pierre is a specialist of development of software. He will be able thus to help with maintains code, with the development of new functionalities, and to check the quality of our software. Currently also a full–time entrepreneur.

 

IV ) Assessment Financial

Each of the three stages requires the financing of the development of the prototypes, the tests, the creation of the moulds for the series, and finally of the mass production. For our first accessory, the estimate of the Elektrobit company shows us that one needs 70 000€ for all the stages before the production. Then, for the production of the microchips, it is necessary to count 10$ parts up to 1500 units, or 6,7$ between 1500 and 4000 units.


Le financement envisage pour le developpement de l’accessoire Zigbee est le suivant :

As we sell Magic Finder in pair, and that we want that the public buys it with less 50€, we need to sell it with the distributor with less 15€. It is manifest that we could be profitable only while benefiting from the scale effects. We will thus need 70 000 € for the development of the product is, and certainly of the same nap to have a production which enables us to reach the dead point. It is thus ready of 150 00€ that it will be necessary for us to find to be viable.

The financing under consideration for the development of the Zigbee accessory is as follows:

Contest of the ministry for Research: 45 000 €
Financing in own capital stock: 15 000 €
Loan or investors: 10 000 €

Once produced and developed, we hope to find investors to finance the mass production. We estimate that we will need an equivalent financing to develop a Bluetooth accessory, without counting the development of the software necessary. When with the Integration of Magic Finder in a bank card, the costs are given according to our control of Zigbee and our industrial partnerships.