Battery pack for mobile communication terminal and NFC communication method using the same

• US 20070155443A1
• Filed: 12/22/2006
• Published: 07/05/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: SK Telecom Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: SK Telecom Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Lee, Joo-Sik, Kwon, O-Hyon, Jeon, Jae-Sic, Cheon, Sung-Rock
• Application Number:
  US11/643,958
• Publication Number:
  US 20070155443A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/572
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3805 with built-in auxiliary receivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/02 using transceiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/48 Transceivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0262 for a battery compartment
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/04 including near field communication means, e.g. RFID

Abstract

Disclosed herein are a battery pack for a mobile communication terminal, which enables non-contact NFC with the outside through an NFC unit, and an NFC method using the battery pack. The battery -pack for a mobile communication terminal includes an NFC unit, a smart card unit and an antenna. The NFC unit communicates with a mobile communication terminal body and communicates with the outside via non-contact NFC. The smart card unit communicates with the NFC unit. The antenna is configured such that the NFC unit transmits/receives signals via non-contact NFC through the antenna. Accordingly, the characteristics of analog signals transmitted/received through the antenna are prevented from being changed despite the frequent attachment and detachment of the battery pack of the mobile communication terminal.

Claims

1. A battery pack for a mobile communication terminal, comprising:

a Near Field Communication (NFC) unit for communicating with a mobile communication terminal body and communicating with the outside via non-contact NFC;

a smart card unit for communicating with the NFC unit; and

an antenna configured so that the NFC unit transmits/receives signals via non-contact NFC.

2. The battery pack of claim 1, wherein the NFC unit communicates with the mobile communication terminal by transmitting/receiving digital signals based on a digital communication protocol.

3. The battery pack of claim 2, further comprising a protocol matching unit for performing protocol conversion between the NFC unit and the smart card unit.

4. The battery pack of claim 2, wherein:

the smart card unit includes a smart card module having an additional storage device; and

the communication between the NFC unit and the smart card unit is performed via a SigIn-SigOut Connection (S2C) protocol.

5. The battery pack of claim 3, wherein the smart card unit comprises a plug-in socket into which a smart card module is inserted.

6. The battery pack of claim 5, wherein the protocol matching unit performs protocol conversion between a first protocol used for communication with the NFC unit and a second protocol used for communication with the smart card unit, according to the type of smart card module that is inserted into the plug-in socket.

7. The battery pack of claim 6, wherein the first protocol is an S2C protocol and the second protocol is an International Standards Organization (ISO) protocol.

8. The battery pack of claim 6, wherein the protocol matching unit comprises:

a selection unit for selectively bypassing S2C protocol-based signals, which are input to and output from the NFC unit, to the smart card module, or outputting the signals as signals to be protocol-converted; and

a protocol conversion unit for performing protocol conversion so that the S2C protocol-based signals to be protocol-converted, which are output from the selection unit, and signals, which are input to and output from the smart card unit, are compatible with each other.

9. The battery pack of claims 3, wherein the smart card module outputs user information for user identification, authorized. certificate information, copyright information or information about an amount of stored money for use of a services, in response to an input signal.

10. The battery pack of claims 5, wherein the smart card module outputs user information for user identification, authorized certificate information, copyright information. or information about an amount of stored money for use of a services, in response to an input signal.

11. An NFC method, comprising the steps of:

an NFC unit within a battery pack for a mobile communication terminal communicating with a mobile communication terminal body;

the NFC unit communicating with the outside by transmitting/receiving signals through an antenna within the battery pack via non-contact NFC; and

a smart card unit communicating with the NFC unit.

12. The NFC method of claim 11, wherein the communication with the mobile communication terminal body comprises the step of the NFC unit communicating with the mobile communication terminal body by transmitting/receiving digital signals based on a digital communication protocol.

13. The NFC method of claim 11, further comprising the step of performing protocol conversion between the NEC unit and the smart card unit.

14. The NFC method. of claim 13, wherein the protocol conversion comprises the step of performing protocol conversion between a first protocol used for communication with the NFC unit and a second protocol used for communication with the smart card unit according to the type of smart card module that is used in the smart card unit.