NFC-enabled apparatus and method of operation thereof

• US 10,635,377 B2
• Filed: 04/05/2019
• Issued: 04/28/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 01/04/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AQ Corporation
• Original Assignee: AQ Corporation
• Inventors: Lee, Sang Hoon, Kim, Jin Hwa
• Primary Examiner(s): Miller, Alan S
• Application Number:
  US16/377,075
• Publication Number:
  US 20190236587A1
• Time in Patent Office: 389 Days
• Field of Search: 705 711- 742, 705 141- 1473
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1454 involving copying of the display data of a local workstation or window to a remote workstation or window so that an actual copy of the data is displayed simultaneously on two or more displays, e.g. teledisplay
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/204 comprising interface for record bearing medium or carrier for electronic funds transfer or payment credit
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3278 RFID or NFC payments by means of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0267 Wireless devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 90/00 Systems or methods specially adapted for administrative, commercial, financial, managerial or supervisory purposes, not involving significant data processing
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/70 specially adapted for specific purposes
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/72 for local intradevice communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup

Abstract

An NFC-enabled apparatus is disclosed. The apparatus includes a touch screen display and a near field communication (NFC) module comprising an NFC antenna and an NFC controller. In response to tagging between the NFC-enabled apparatus and the external NFC terminal, an NFC communication channel is established between the NFC-enabled apparatus and the external NFC terminal for data communication therebetween.

Claims

1. An NFC-enabled apparatus comprising:

a digital information display;

a camera;

at least one memory configured to store a plurality of selectable pieces of information and a plurality of tag data; and

a near field communication (NFC) module comprising an NFC antenna and an NFC controller,

wherein the NFC-enabled apparatus is configured;

to capture an image using the camera,

to process the camera-captured image to obtain data relating to the camera-captured image,

to send, to at least one server, the data relating to the camera-captured image,

to receive, from the at least one server, a first tag datum corresponding to the data relating to the camera-captured image, and

to store the first tag datum in the at least one memory as part of the plurality of tag data,

wherein the NFC-enabled apparatus is configured to display at least one of the selectable pieces of information on the digital information display,

wherein the NFC-enabled apparatus is configured to have a default setting for selecting a predetermined one of the selectable pieces of information in the absence of a user selection of one of the selectable pieces of information,

wherein, in response to a tagging between the NFC-enabled apparatus and a first external NFC-enabled terminal, and without a user selection of one of the selectable pieces of information, the NFC-enabled apparatus is configured to cause a transfer of a tag datum corresponding to the predetermined one of the selectable pieces of information from the NFC module to the first external NFC-enabled terminal via an NFC communication channel established between the NFC-enabled apparatus and the first external NFC-enabled terminal,

wherein the tag datum corresponding to the predetermined one of the selectable pieces of information comprises the first tag datum that corresponds to the data relating to the camera-captured image.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of the selectable pieces of information corresponds to one of the plurality of tag data.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first tag datum is configured to cause the first external NFC-enabled terminal to communicate with the at least one server using the first tag datum for receiving additional data related to the first tag datum.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, when the NFC-enabled apparatus receives a user selection of one of the selectable pieces of information that is other than the predetermined one of the selectable pieces of information, the NFC-enabled apparatus is configured:

to display on the digital information display an image corresponding to the user-selected one of the selectable pieces of information, and

to make a tag datum corresponding to the selected one of the selectable pieces of information available at the NFC module for NFC communication such that the tag datum is transferred to an external NFC-enabled terminal when an NFC tagging is made between the NFC-enabled apparatus and the external NFC-enabled terminal, wherein the tag datum corresponding to the selected one of the selectable pieces of information comprises one of the plurality of tag data and does not comprise the first tag datum.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of the selectable pieces of information corresponds to an image for displaying on the digital information display, wherein the NFC-enabled apparatus is configured to display the image on the digital information display in response to selection of said each selectable piece of information.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the NFC-enabled apparatus is configured to display a first image corresponding to the predetermined one of the selectable pieces of information on the digital information display while the first tag datum is available at the NFC module.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the camera-captured image contains a management number and an expiration date.

30. A system for NFC communication, the system comprising:

the NFC-enabled apparatus of claim 1; and

the external NFC-enabled terminal configured for NFC communication with the NFC-enabled apparatus.

8. An NFC-enabled apparatus comprising:

a digital information display;

a camera;

at least one memory configured to store a plurality of selectable pieces of information and a plurality of tag data; and

a near field communication (NFC) module comprising an NFC antenna and an NFC controller,

wherein the NFC-enabled apparatus is configured;

to capture an image using the camera,

to process the camera-captured image to obtain data relating to the camera-captured image,

to send, to at least one server, the data relating to the camera-captured image,

to receive, from the at least one server, a first tag datum corresponding to the data relating to the camera-captured image, and

to store the first tag datum in the at least one memory as part of the plurality of tag data,

wherein the NFC-enabled apparatus is further configured;

to display at least one of the selectable pieces of information on the digital information display,

to receive a user selection of a first one of the selectable pieces of information while the first selectable piece is displayed on the digital information display, and

to make a tag datum corresponding to the first selectable piece of information available at the NFC module for NFC communication such that the tag datum is transferred to an external NFC-enabled terminal in response to an NFC tagging made between the NFC-enabled apparatus and the external NFC-enabled terminal,

wherein the tag datum corresponding to the first selectable piece of information comprises the first tag datum that corresponds to the data relating to the camera-captured image.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the at least one memory is further configured to store a default setting configured for selecting a predetermined one of the selectable pieces of information in the absence of a user selection of one of the selectable pieces of information.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the first tag datum corresponding to the first selectable piece of information is configured to cause the first external NFC-enabled terminal to communicate with at least one server using the first tag datum for receiving additional data related to the first tag datum.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the at least one memory is further configured to store a default setting configured for selecting a predetermined one of the selectable pieces of information in the absence of a user selection of one of the selectable pieces of information,

wherein, when operating in a default mode according to the default setting, in response to a tagging between the NFC-enabled apparatus and a first external NFC-enabled terminal, and without a user selection of one of the selectable pieces of information, the NFC-enabled apparatus is configured to cause a tag datum corresponding to the predetermined one of the selectable pieces of information to be transferred from the NFC module of the NFC-enabled apparatus to the first external NFC-enabled terminal.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the NFC-enabled apparatus is configured to display a first image corresponding to the first selectable piece of information on the digital information display in response to receiving the user selection of the first selectable piece of information.

13. A method of operating the NFC-enabled apparatus of claim 8, the method comprising:

detecting an NFC tagging made between the NFC-enabled apparatus and a first external NFC-enabled terminal without involving a selection of one of the selectable pieces of information; and

subsequent to detecting the NFC tagging, causing the first tag datum to be transferred from the NFC module to the first external NFC-enabled terminal via an NFC communication channel established in response to the NFC tagging between the NFC- enabled apparatus and the first external NFC-enabled terminal.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

displaying two or more of the selectable pieces of information including a first selectable piece of information and a second selectable piece of information on the digital information display;

receiving a user selection of the second selectable piece of information while the second selectable piece of information is displayed on the digital information display;

in response to the user selection of the second selectable piece of information, displaying an image corresponding to the second selectable piece of information on the digital information display to confirm the selection of the second selectable piece of information; and

subsequent to the user selection of the second selectable piece of information, making a second tag datum corresponding to the second selectable piece of information available at the NFC module for NFC transmission.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the at least one memory is further configured to store a default setting configured for selecting a predetermined one of the selectable pieces of information in the absence of a user selection of one of the selectable pieces of information.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the first tag datum corresponding to the data relating to the camera-captured image is configured to cause the first external NFC-enabled terminal to communicate with at least one server using the first tag datum for receiving additional data related to the first tag datum.

17. A method of operating an NFC-enabled apparatus, the method comprising:

providing an NFC-enabled apparatus comprising;

a digital information display,

a camera,

a near field communication (NFC) module comprising an NFC antenna and an NFC controller, and

at least one memory configured to store a plurality of selectable pieces of information, wherein the NFC-enabled apparatus is configured to display at least part of the selectable pieces of information on the digital information display,

capturing an image using the camera of the NFC-enabled apparatus;

processing the camera-captured image to obtain data relating to the camera-captured image;

sending the data relating to the camera-captured image to at least one server;

receiving, from the at least one server, a first tag datum corresponding to the data relating to the camera-captured image;

storing the first tag datum in the at least one memory;

subsequently, detecting an NFC tagging made between the NFC-enabled apparatus and a first external NFC-enabled terminal without a user selection of one of the selectable pieces of information; and

subsequent to detecting the NFC tagging, causing the first tag datum corresponding to the data relating to the camera-captured image to be transferred from the NFC antenna to the first external NFC-enabled terminal via an NFC communication channel established in response to the NFC tagging between the NFC-enabled apparatus and the first external NFC-enabled terminal.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the at least one memory is further configured to store a default setting for selecting a predetermined one of the selectable pieces of information in the absence of a user selection of one of the selectable pieces of information, wherein detecting the NFC tagging without a user selection causes the predetermined one of the selectable pieces of information to be selected in accordance with the default setting.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the at least one memory is further configured to store a plurality of tag data, wherein each of the selectable pieces of information corresponds to one of the plurality of tag data.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein each of the selectable pieces of information corresponds to an image for displaying on the digital information display in response to selection of said each selectable piece of information.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein the first tag datum corresponding to the data relating to the camera-captured image is configured to cause the first external NFC-enabled terminal to communicate with at least one server using the first tag datum for receiving additional data related to the first tag datum.

22. The method of claim 17, wherein the at least one memory is further configured to store a default setting for selecting a predetermined one of the selectable pieces of information in the absence of a user selection of one of the selectable pieces of information,

wherein the first tag datum corresponding to the data relating to the camera-captured image further corresponds to the predetermined one of the selectable pieces of information.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the method further comprises receiving acknowledgement of the first external NFC-enabled terminal'"'"'s receipt of the first tag datum,

wherein the first external NFC-enabled terminal communicates with the at least one server using the first tag datum for receiving additional data related to the first tag datum from the at least one server.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein, subsequent to the NFC tagging between NFC-enabled apparatus and the first external NFC-enabled terminal, and without a user selection of one of the selectable pieces of information, the digital information display displays an image corresponding to the predetermined one of the selectable pieces of information.

25. The method of claim 22, wherein the camera-captured image contains a management number and an expiration date.

26. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

displaying at least two of the selectable pieces of information including a first selectable piece of information and a second selectable piece of information on the digital information display;

receiving a user selection of the second selectable piece of information while the second selectable piece of information is displayed on the digital information display;

in response to the user selection of the second selectable piece of information, displaying an image corresponding to the second selectable piece of information on the digital information display to confirm the selection of the second selectable piece of information; and

subsequent to the user selection of the second selectable piece of information, making a second tag datum corresponding to the second selectable piece of information available at the NFC module for NFC transmission.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the at least one memory is further configured to store a default setting configured for selecting a predetermined one of the selectable pieces of information in the absence of a user selection of one of the selectable pieces of information.

28. The method of claim 17, wherein the at least one memory is further configured to store a default setting for selecting a predetermined one of the selectable pieces of information in the absence of a user selection of one of the selectable pieces of information, wherein the first tag datum corresponding to the data relating to the camera-captured image further corresponds to the predetermined one of the selectable pieces of information, wherein the first tag datum is configured to cause the first external NFC-enabled terminal to communicate with at least one server using the first tag datum for receiving additional data related to the first tag datum.

29. A method of operating an NFC-enabled apparatus, the method comprising:

providing an NFC-enabled apparatus comprising;

a digital information display,

a camera,

a near field communication (NFC) module comprising an NFC antenna and an NFC controller, and

at least one memory configured to store a plurality of selectable pieces of information, wherein the NFC-enabled apparatus is configured to display at least part of the selectable pieces of information on the digital information display,

capturing an image using the camera;

processing the camera-captured image to obtain data relating to the camera- captured image;

sending, to at least one server, the data relating to the camera-captured image;

receiving, from the at least one server, a first tag datum corresponding to the data relating to the camera-captured image;

subsequent to receiving the first tag datum, in response to an NFC tagging between the NFC-enabled apparatus and an external NFC-enabled terminal, causing the first tag datum corresponding to the data relating to the camera-captured image to be transmitted from the NFC module of the NFC-enabled apparatus to the external NFC-enabled terminal;

further subsequent to receiving the first tag datum, displaying, on the digital information display, at least two selectable pieces of information including a first selectable piece of information and a second selectable piece of information;

receiving a user selection of the second selectable piece of information while the second selectable piece of information is displayed on the digital information display;

in response to the user selection of the second selectable piece of information, displaying an image corresponding to the second selectable piece of information on the digital information display to confirm the selection of the second selectable piece of information; and

subsequent to the user selection of the second selectable piece of information, making a second tag datum corresponding to the second selectable piece of information available at the NFC module for NFC transmission.

31. An NFC-enabled system comprising:

a camera;

at least one memory configured to store a plurality of selectable pieces of information and a plurality of tag data;

a plurality of information displays comprising a first information display and a second information display, each of which is configured to display at least one of the selectable pieces of information;

a plurality of NFC antenna comprising a first NFC antenna and a second NFC antenna, each of which is configured to transmit tag data;

wherein the NFC-enabled system is configured;

to capture an image using the camera,

to process the camera-captured image to obtain data relating to the camera-captured image,

to send, to at least one server, the data relating to the camera- captured image,

to receive, from the at least one server, a first tag datum corresponding to the data relating to the camera-captured image, and

to store the first tag datum in the at least one memory as part of the plurality of tag data,

wherein the NFC-enabled system is further configured;

to display at least one of the selectable pieces of information on at least one of the plurality of information displays, and

to make available at least one of the plurality of tag data corresponding to the at least one selectable piece of information displayed on the at least one information display such that the at least one tag datum is transmitted to an external NFC-enabled terminal in response to an NFC tagging made between the NFC-enabled system and the external NFC- enabled terminal,

wherein the first information display and the first NFC antenna are configured to be paired for synchronized operation as a first pair of hardware such that the first pair of hardware is configured to make the first tag datum made available at the first NFC antenna while a first one of the selectable pieces of information corresponding to the first tag datum is displayed on the first information display in response to a user selection of the first selectable piece of information and further such that the first pair of hardware is configured to transmit the first tag datum from the first NFC antenna to an external NFC-enabled terminal in response to an NFC tagging made between the first pair of hardware and the external NFC-enabled terminal while the first tag datum is available at the first NFC antenna,

wherein the second information display and the second NFC antenna are configured to be paired for synchronized operation as a second pair of hardware such that the second pair of hardware is configured to make a second tag datum available at the second NFC antenna while a second one of the selectable pieces of information corresponding to the second tag datum is displayed on the second information display in response to a user selection of the second selectable piece of information and further such that the second pair of hardware is configured to transmit the second tag datum from the second NFC antenna to an external NFC-enabled terminal in response to an NFC tagging made between the second pair of hardware and the external NFC-enabled terminal while the second tag datum is available at the second NFC antenna,

wherein the NFC-enabled system is configured to have at least one default setting for selecting a predetermined one of the selectable pieces of information without a user selection of any of the selectable pieces of information,

wherein, in response to a tagging between the first pair of hardware and an external NFC-enabled terminal, and without a user selection of any of the selectable pieces of information, the NFC-enabled system is configured to select one of the plurality of tag data corresponding to the predetermined one of the selectable pieces of information according to the at least one default setting for transmission from the first NFC antenna to the external NFC-enabled terminal.

32. The system of claim 31 wherein each of plurality of tag data corresponds to one of the selectable pieces of information.

33. The system of claim 31, wherein the first tag datum is configured to cause the external NFC-enabled terminal receiving the first tag datum to communicate with the at least one server using the first tag datum for receiving additional data related to the first tag datum.

34. The system of claim 31, wherein the second tag datum comprises a tag datum received from the at least one server and corresponding to data relating to another image captured by the camera.

35. The system of claim 31, wherein each of the selectable pieces of information is for selection while being displayed on one of the plurality of information displays.

36. The system of claim 31, wherein the camera-captured image contains a management number and an expiration date.