Multiple processor communication circuit cards and communication devices that employ such cards

• US 20070026894A1
• Filed: 07/29/2005
• Published: 02/01/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Varia Holdings LLC
• Original Assignee: Varia Holdings LLC
• Inventors: Zatloukal, Peter, Engstrom, G., Nash, Paul
• Granted Patent: US 7,711,391 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/558
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0727 the arrangement being a circuit facilitating integration of the record carrier with a hand-held device such as a smart phone of PDA
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3816 Mechanical arrangements for accommodating identification devices, e.g. cards or chips; with connectors for programming identification devices

Abstract

Multiprocessor circuit cards and communication devices that employ such cards are described herein. In some instances, the multiprocessor circuit cards may be subscriber identity module (SIM) cards and the communication devices may be wireless mobile telephones that are compliant with a communication standard such as ISO/IEC, 3GPP, GSM consortium or other standards.

Claims

1. A circuit card, comprising:

a substrate;

an interface disposed on the substrate having a plurality of input/output (I/O) terminals;

a first processor disposed on the substrate and adapted to implement communication functions in accordance with a communication standard;

a second processor disposed on the substrate and adapted to implement additional functions beyond said communication functions specified by the communication standard; and

a switch disposed on the substrate and coupled to the interface, the first processor, and the second processor, to selectively route signals between selected ones of the I/O terminals and the first and second processors.

2. The circuit card of claim 1, wherein the first processor is adapted to implement communication functions in accordance with a standard selected from the group consisting of International Organization for Standardization and the International ElectroTechnical Commission (ISO/IEC) standard, 3^rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) standard, and GSM Consortium standard, and the second processor is adapted to implement the additional functions beyond the standard of the first processor.

3. The circuit card of claim 1, wherein said switch is adapted to determine which of the first and second processors is to be routed signals received at the I/O terminals.

4. The circuit card of claim 3, wherein said switch is adapted to determine said routing based at least in part on whether the signals are received through I/O terminals used or unused by the communication standard.

5. The circuit card of claim 4, wherein the switch is further adapted to route the received signals to the first processor if the signals are received exclusively through the I/O terminals used by the communication standard, and route the received signals to the second processor if one or more of the signals are received through a group of I/O terminals that includes at least I/O terminals unused by the communication standard.

6. The circuit card of claim 3, wherein said switch is further adapted to determine said routing based at least in part on whether the signals received through the I/O terminals include a signal pattern denoted by a subset of the receiving I/O terminals, the switch being further adapted to recognize the signal pattern.

7. The circuit card of claim 6, wherein said switch is adapted to route the received signals to the second processor if the signals received through the I/O terminals include the signal pattern denoted by the subset of the receiving I/O terminals.

8. The circuit card of claim 3, wherein said switch is adapted to determine said routing based at least in part on whether the signals are received through the I/O terminals after receipt of a first signal pattern, but before receipt of a second signal pattern, the switch being further adapted to recognize the first and second signal patterns.

9. The circuit card of claim 8, wherein said switch is adapted to route the received signals to the second processor if the signals are received after receipt of the first signal pattern but before receipt of the second signal pattern.

10. The circuit card of claim 1, wherein the circuit card further comprises a non-volatile memory coupled to the second processor, having data and/or instructions designed to personalize, customize, and/or enhance functions of a communication device receiving the circuit card.

11. The circuit card of claim 1, wherein the substrate is adapted with a form factor in accordance with the communication standard.

12. A method, comprising:

receiving signals through selected ones of a plurality of input/output (I/O) terminals of a circuit card; and

selectively routing the signals by a switch coupled to the I/O terminals to either a first or a second processor of the circuit card, the first processor adapted to implement communication functions in accordance with a communication standard, and the second processor adapted to implement additional functions beyond said communication functions specified by the communication standard.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein said routing comprises routing the signals either to a first processor adapted to implement communication functions in accordance with a standard selected from the group consisting of International Organization for Standardization and the International ElectroTechnical Commission (ISO/IEC) standard, 3^rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) standard, and GSM Consortium standard, or to a second processor adapted to implement the additional functions beyond the standard of the first processor.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein said routing comprises determining by the switch which of the first processor and the second processor is to be routed signals received at the I/O terminals.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein said determining is based at least in part on whether the signals are received through I/O terminals used or unused by the communication standard.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein said routing comprises routing the received signals to the first processor if the signals are received exclusively through the I/O terminals used by the communication standard, and routing the received signals to the second processor if one or more of the signals are received through a group of I/O terminals that includes at least I/O terminals unused by the communication.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein said switch determining said routing based at least in part on whether the signals received through the I/O terminals include a signal pattern denoted by a subset of the receiving I/O terminals, the switch being further adapted to recognize the signal pattern.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein said switch routing the received signals to the second processor if the signals received through the I/O terminals include the signal pattern denoted by the subset of the receiving I/O terminals.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein said switch determining said routing based at least in part on whether the signals are received through the I/O terminals after receipt of a first signal pattern, but before receipt of a second signal pattern, the switch being further adapted to recognize the first and second signal pattern.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein said switch routing the received signals to the second processor if the signals are received after receipt of the first signal pattern but before receipt of the second signal pattern.

21. A communication device, comprising:

a slot adapted to receive a circuit card, the slot including a plurality of contacts; and

circuitry coupled to the plurality of contacts, and adapted to direct or receive signals, or both, to and from selected ones of the plurality of contacts, the plurality of contacts adapted to correspondingly couple with a plurality of input/output (I/O) terminals of the received circuit card, to selectively communicate with a first processor of the received circuit card, and with a second processor of the received circuit card if the received circuit card further has the second processor in addition to the first processor, the first processor adapted to implement communication functions in accordance with a communication standard, and the second processor adapted to implement additional functions beyond the communication functions specified by the communication standard.

22. The communication device of claim 21, wherein said circuitry is further adapted to determine whether the received circuit card comprises the second processor in addition to the first processor.

23. The communication device of claim 21, wherein said circuitry is adapted to direct or receive signals, or both, to and from the first processor of the received circuit card to implement communication functions in accordance with a standard selected from the group consisting of International Organization for Standardization and the International ElectroTechnical Commission (ISO/IEC) standard, 3^rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) standard, and GSM Consortium standard, and to direct or receive signals, or both, to and from the second processor of the received circuit card to implement functions beyond the communication functions specified by the standard of the first processor.

24. The communication device of claim 21, wherein the circuitry is adapted to direct or receive signals, or both, to and from the second processor of the received circuit card by directing or receiving signals to and from a plurality of contacts corresponding to a plurality of I/O terminals of the received circuit card not used by the communication standard.

25. The communication device of claim 21, wherein said circuitry is further adapted to direct signals to the second processor of the received circuit card, by directing signals to selected ones of the contacts, including directing signals to a subset of the contacts depicting a signal pattern, the signal pattern denoting to the received circuit card to route the signals to the second processor of the received circuit card.

26. The communication device of claim 21, wherein said circuitry is further adapted to determine whether signals received from the received circuit card is received from the second processor of the received circuit card by determining whether the received signals includes signals received through a subset of the contacts depicting a signal pattern.

27. The communication device of claim 21, wherein said circuitry is further adapted to direct signals to the second processor of the received circuit card, by first directing signals to selected one(s) of the contacts to depict a first signal pattern, and terminate said directing of signals to the second processor of the received circuit card by directing signals to selected one(s) of the contacts to depict a second signal pattern.

28. The communication device of claim 21, wherein said circuitry is further adapted to determine whether signals received from the received circuit card are received from the second processor of the received circuit card, by determining whether the received signals denotes a first or a second signal pattern, the first signal pattern denoting signals following the first signal pattern are from the second processor of the received circuit card, and the second signal pattern denoting end of signals from the second processor of the received circuit card.

29. The communication device of claim 21, wherein said additional functions comprise personalization, customization, and/or enhanced functions of the communication device.

30. The communication device of claim 21, wherein the communication device comprises a wireless mobile phone.

31. A method, comprising:

receiving a circuit card in a slot of a communication device, the slot including a plurality of contacts; and

circuitry coupled to the plurality of contacts directing or receiving signals, or both, to and from selected ones of the plurality of contacts, the plurality of contacts adapted to correspondingly couple with a plurality of input/output (I/O) terminals of the received circuit card, to selectively communicate with a first processor of the received circuit card, and with a second processor of the received circuit card if the received circuit card further has the second processor in addition to the first processor, the first processor adapted to implement communication functions in accordance with a communication standard, and the second processor adapted to implement additional functions beyond the communication functions specified by the communication standard.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein said circuitry further determining whether the received circuit card comprises the second processor in addition to the first processor.

33. The method of claim 31, wherein said circuitry directing or receiving signals, or both, to and from the first processor of the received circuit card to implement communication functions in accordance with a standard selected from the group consisting of International Organization for Standardization and the International ElectroTechnical Commission (ISO/IEC) standard, 3^rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) standard, and GSM Consortium standard, and to directing or receiving signals, or both, to and from the second processor of the received circuit card to implement functions beyond the communication functions specified by the standard of the first processor.

34. The method of claim 31, wherein said circuitry directing or receiving signals, or both, to and from the second processor of the received circuit card by directing or receiving signals to and from a plurality of contacts corresponding to a plurality of I/O terminals of the received circuit card not used by the communication standard.

35. The method of claim 31, wherein said circuitry directing signals to the second processor of the received circuit card, by directing signals to selected ones of the contacts, including directing signals to a subset of the contacts depicting a signal pattern, the signal pattern denoting to the received circuit card to route the signals to the second processor of the received circuit card.

36. The method of claim 31, wherein said circuitry determining whether signals received from the received circuit card is received from the second processor of the received circuit card by determining whether the received signals includes signals received through a subset of the contacts depicting a signal pattern.

37. The method of claim 31, wherein said circuitry directing signals to the second processor of the received circuit card, by first directing signals to selected one(s) of the contacts to depict a first signal pattern, and terminate said directing of signals to the second processor of the received circuit card by directing signals to selected one(s) of the contacts to depict a second signal pattern.

38. The communication device of claim 31, wherein said circuitry determining whether signals received from the received circuit card are received from the second processor of the received circuit card, by determining whether the received signals denotes a first or a second signal pattern, the first signal pattern denoting signals following the first signal pattern are from the second processor of the received circuit card, and the second signal pattern denoting end of signals from the second processor of the received circuit card.