RFID optimized capability negotiation

• US 20070001853A1
• Filed: 06/30/2005
• Published: 01/04/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Otranen, Jari
• Granted Patent: US 7,471,200 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/572.100
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/0008 General problems related to the reading of electronic memory record carriers, independent of its reading method, e.g. power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10237 the reader and the record carrier being capable of selectively switching between reader and record carrier appearance, e.g. in near field communication [NFC] devices where the NFC device may function as an RFID reader or as an RFID tag
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/0062 in RFID [Radio Frequency Identification] Systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/77 for interrogation

Abstract

A near field communication (NFC) device is capable of operating as an NFC initiator device or an NFC target device for exchanging request and response messages with another similar device in order to determine a secondary transport mechanism suitable for communications between the two devices with bandwidth greater than available for NFC and for determining appropriate roles for both devices without excessive communication. Such determination of roles can be determined by rule or by exchanging information indicating a choice of roles.

Claims

1. Method for execution by a target near field communication (NFC) device, comprising:

receiving an NFC request message from an initiator NFC device,

determining a secondary transport mechanism for exchanging information with said initiator NFC device,

determining a role for said target NFC device,

sending a response message to said initiator NFC device indicating said secondary transport mechanism, and

participating with said initiator NFC device in a communication for said exchanging information using said secondary transport mechanism.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying said role for said target NFC device in said response message.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said role is determined according to a rule.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said role is determined according to an indication in said message from said initiator NFC device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of determining comprises the steps of:

comparing one or more candidate secondary transport mechanisms identified by said initiator NFC device in said request message received by said target NFC device, and

determining that one or more of said candidate secondary transport mechanisms is supported in said target NFC device and wherein said step of sending comprises the step of sending said response message to said initiator NFC device indicating said one or more of said candidate secondary transport mechanism supported in said target NFC device.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising the steps of:

identifying said role for said target NFC device in said response message.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said role is determined according to a rule.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein said role is determined according to an indicator in said request message from said initiator NFC device.

17. Computer program stored on a computer readable medium for executing the steps of claim 1 within said target NFC device.

18. Integrated circuit for executing the steps of claim 1 within a target NFC device.

9. Target near field communication (NFC) device, comprising:

means for receiving a NFC request message from an initiator NFC device;

means for determining a secondary transport mechanism for exchanging information with said initiator NFC device;

means for determining a role for said target NFC device;

means for sending a response message to said initiator NFC device indicating said

secondary transport mechanism; and

means for participating with said initiator NFC device in a communication for said exchanging information using said secondary transport mechanism.

10. The target NFC device of claim 9, further comprising means for identifying said role for said target NFC device in said response message.

11. The target NFC device of claim 9, wherein said role is determined according to a rule.

12. The target NFC device of claim 9, wherein said role is determined according to an indication in said request message from said initiator NFC device.

13. The target NFC device of claim 9, wherein said means for determining comprises:

means for comparing one or more candidate secondary transport mechanisms identified by said initiator NFC device in said request message received by said target NFC device; and

means for determining that one or more of said candidate secondary transport mechanisms in supported in said target NFC device and wherein said means for sending said response message to said initiator NFC device is for indicating said one or more of said candidate secondary transport mechanisms supported in said target NFC device.

14. The target NFC device of claim 13, further comprising means for identifying said role for said target NFC device in said response message.

15. The target NFC device of claim 14, wherein said role is determined according to a rule.

16. The target NFC device of claim 14, wherein said role is determined according to an indication in said request message from said initiator NFC device.

19. Method for execution by an initiator near field communication (NFC) device, comprising the steps of:

sending an NFC request message to a target NFC device

identifying one or more candidate secondary transport mechanisms,

receiving a response message from said target NFC device indicating which of said one or more candidate secondary transport mechanisms is supported in said target NFC device,

choosing a secondary transport mechanism according to which is supported in said target NFC device, or according to a rule, or both,

determining a role for said initiator NFC device, and

participating with said target NFC device in a communication for exchanging information using said secondary transport mechanism.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising the step of identifying said role for said initiator NFC device in said request message or determining said role from said response message.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein said role is determined according to a rule.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein said role is determined according to an indication in said response message from said target NFC device.

23. The method of claim 19, wherein said step of choosing a secondary transport mechanism comprises the steps of:

comparing said candidate secondary transport mechanisms supported in said target NFC device with said one or more candidate secondary transport mechanism identified in the request message sent to the target NFC device, and

determining one of said secondary transport mechanisms supported in said target NFC device for use in said step of participating with said target NFC device in a communication for exchanging information using said secondary transport mechanism.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising the step of identifying said role for said initiator NFC device in said request message or determining said role from said response message.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein said role is determined according to a rule.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein said role is determined according to an indication in said response message from said target NFC device.

35. Computer program stored on a computer readable medium for executing the steps of claim 19 within said target NFC device.

36. Integrated circuit for executing the steps of claim 19 within a target NFC device.

27. Initiator near field communication (NFC) device, comprising:

means for sending an NFC request message to a target NFC device identifying one or more candidate secondary transport mechanisms;

means for receiving a response message from said target NFC device indicating which of said one or more candidate secondary transport mechanisms is supported in said target NFC device;

means for choosing a secondary transport mechanism according to which is supported in said target NFC device, or according to a rule, or both;

means for determining a role for said initiator NFC device; and

means for participating with said target NFC device in a communication for exchanging information using said secondary transport mechanism.

28. The initiator NFC device of claim 27, further comprising means for identifying a role for said initiator NFC device in said request message or for determining said role from said response message.

29. The initiator NFC device of claim 27, wherein said role is determined according to a rule.

30. The initiator NFC device of claim 27, wherein said role is determined according to an indication in said response message from said target NFC device.

31. The initiator NFC device of claim 27, wherein said means for choosing a secondary transport mechanism comprises:

means for comparing said candidate secondary transport mechanisms supported in said target NFC device with said one or more candidate secondary transport mechanism identified in the request message sent to the target NFC device, and

means for determining one of said secondary transport mechanisms supported in said target NFC device for use in said step of participating with said target NFC device in a communication for exchanging information using said secondary transport mechanism.

32. The method of claim 31, further comprising means for identifying said role for said initiator NFC device in said request message or determining said role from said response message.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein said role is determined according to a rule.

34. The method of claim 32, wherein said role is determined according to an indication in said response message from said target NFC device.

37. Method for operating a device as (a) a near field communication (NFC) initiator device or as (b) an NFC target device, comprising the steps of:

(a) operating said device as an NFC initiator device by;

(i) sending an NFC request message to a target NFC device identifying one or more candidate secondary transport mechanisms,

(ii) receiving a response message from said target NFC device indicating which of said one or more candidate secondary transport mechanisms is supported in said target NFC device,

(iii) choosing a secondary transport mechanism according to which is supported in said target NFC device, or according to a rule, or both,

(iv) determining a role for said NFC initiator device, and

(v) participating with said target NFC device in a communication for exchanging information using said secondary transport mechanism, or

(b) operating said device as an NFC target device by;

(i) receiving a response message from an initiator NFC device;

(ii) determining a secondary transport mechanism for exchanging information with said initiator NFC device;

(iii) sending a response message reply to said initiator NFC device indicating said secondary transfer mechanism;

(iv) determining a role for said target NFC device, and

(v) participating with said initiator NFC device in a communication for said exchanging information using said secondary transport mechanism.

38. The method of claim 37, wherein when operating said device either as an NFC initiator device or as an NFC target device, said method further comprises the steps of identifying said role for said initiator NFC device or for said NFC target device in (a) said request message or in (b) said response message.

39. The method of claim 37, wherein when operating said device as an NFC initiator device or as an NFC target device, said role is determined according to a rule.

40. The method of claim 38, wherein when operating said device as an NFC initiator device or as an NFC target device, said role is determined according to an indication in response message from said target NFC device or from said request message from said initiator NFC device, respectively.

41. The method of claim 37, wherein when operating said device as an NFC initiator device said step of choosing a secondary transport mechanism comprises the steps of

comparing said candidate secondary transport mechanisms supported in said target NFC device with said one or more candidate secondary transport mechanisms identified in the request message sent to the target NFC device, and

determining one of said secondary transport mechanisms supported in said target NFC device for use in said step of participating with said target NFC device in establishing a communication for exchanging information using said secondary transport mechanism.

42. The method of claim 41, wherein when operating said device as an NFC target device, said step of determining comprises the steps of:

comparing one or more candidate secondary transport mechanisms identified by said initiator NFC device in said request message received by said target NFC device, and

determining that one or more of said candidate secondary transport mechanisms is supported in said target NFC device and wherein said step of sending comprises the step of sending said response message to said initiator NFC device indicating said one or more of said candidate secondary transport mechanisms supported in said target NFC device.

43. The method of claim 37, wherein when operating said device as an NFC target device, said step of determining comprises the steps of:

comparing one or more candidate secondary transport mechanisms identified by said initiator NFC device in said request message received by said target NFC device, and

determining that one or more of said candidate secondary transport mechanisms is supported in said target NFC device and wherein said step of sending comprises the step of sending said response message to said initiator NFC device indicating said one or more of said candidate secondary transport mechanisms supported in said target NFC device.

44. The method of claim 42, wherein when operating said device either as an NFC initiator device or as an NFC target device, said method further comprises the steps of indicating said role for said initiator NFC device or said NFC target device in (a) said request message or in (b) said response message.

45. The method of claim 44, wherein said role is determined according to a rule.

46. The method of claim 44, wherein when operating said device as an NFC initiator device or as an NFC target device, said role is determined according to an indication in said response message from said target NFC device or from said request message from said initiator NFC device, respectively.