INTERFACE

• US 20080075102A1
• Filed: 08/30/2007
• Published: 03/27/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/05/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Lindholm, Rune, Madsen, Jens-Ole
• Granted Patent: US 9,075,922 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/419
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/38 Information transfer, e.g. on bus G06F13/14 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4291 using a clocked protocol
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2213/0042 Universal serial bus [USB]

Abstract

An interface comprising a single data connection, arranged to transfer data between the user equipment and an identity module. The data transferred over the interface may be arranged to be synchronised by at least one clock signal. The data transferred over the interface may comprise universal serial bus protocol data.

Claims

1. An interface, comprising:

a single data connection, arranged to transfer data between user equipment and an identity module,

wherein the data transferred is arranged to be synchronised by at least one clock signal, and wherein the data transferred comprises universal serial bus protocol data.

2. The interface as claimed in claim 1, wherein the data transferred comprises an identification part identifying the data as universal serial bus protocol data.

3. The interface as claimed in claim 1, wherein the data transferred comprises T=1 protocol data.

5. The interface as claimed in claim 1, wherein the identity module is at least one of:

an universal integrated circuit card, and

a subscriber identity module.

6. The interface as claimed in claim 1, wherein the interface comprises a pull up resistor.

7. A user equipment comprising the interface as claimed in claim 1, wherein the interface further comprises a second connection arranged to communicate the at least one clock signal from the user equipment to the identity module.

4. The interface as claimed in claim 4, wherein the data transferred comprises a further identifier identifying the T=1 protocol data as T=1 protocol data.

8. An interface for a user equipment, wherein the interface is arranged to:

permit packet data to be transmitted by a transmitter and received by a receiver; and

transmit at least one data block comprising an identification part,

wherein the receiver, on receipt of the identification part, is arranged to identify a packet protocol determined by the identification part value, and is further arranged to configure itself to receive the at least one data block using the identified protocol.

9. The interface as claimed in claim 8, wherein the identification part comprises a protocol identification byte.

10. The interface as claimed in claim 9, wherein the identification byte comprises a protocol identifier value stored in a first four bits of the identification byte and a complement of the protocol identifier value stored in the second four bits of the identification byte.

11. The interface as claimed in claim 8, wherein the at least one data block is a USB block, and wherein the at least one data block further comprises at least one USB packet and at least one end-of-frame marker.

12. The interface as claimed in claim 11, wherein the USB packet is at least one of:

a Packet identifier (PID) packet;

a Address (ADDR) packet;

an end point (ENDP) packet;

a Frame number packet;

a USB data packet; and

a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) packet.

13. The interface as claimed in claim 8, wherein the at least one data block is a T=1 protocol block, and wherein the T=1 protocol block comprises an information field.

14. The interface as claimed in claim 8, wherein the transmitter is arranged to transmit a further block, and wherein the further block comprises a second identifier identifying the further block as an End-of-Frame block.

15. A user equipment comprising an interface for communicating with an identity module, wherein:

the interface is arranged to permit packet data to be transmitted by a transmitter and received by a receiver;

the transmitter is arranged to transmit at least one data block comprising an identification part, and

the receiver, on receipt of the identification part, is arranged to identify the packet protocol determined by the identification part value, and is arranged to configure itself to receive the at least one data block using the identified protocol.

16. The user equipment as claimed in claim 15, wherein the identification part comprises a protocol identification byte.

17. The user equipment as claimed in claim 16, wherein the identification byte comprises a protocol identifier value stored in a first four bits of the identification byte and a complement of the protocol identifier value stored in the second four bits of the identification byte.

18. The user equipment as claimed in claim 15, wherein the at least one data block is a USB block, and wherein the at least one data block further comprises at least one USB packet and at least one end-of-frame marker.

19. The user equipment as claimed in claim 18, wherein the at least one USB packet is at least one of:

a Packet identifier (PID) packet;

a Address (ADDR) packet;

an end point (ENDP) packet;

a Frame number packet;

a USB data packet; and

a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) packet.

20. The user equipment as claimed in claim 15, wherein the at least one data block is a T=1 protocol block, wherein the T=1 protocol block comprises an information field.

21. A identity module arranged to communicate with a user equipment via an interface, wherein:

the interface is arranged to permit packet data to be transmitted by a transmitter and received by a receiver;

the transmitter is arranged to transmit at least one data block comprising an identification part, and

the receiver, on receipt of the identification part, is arranged to identify the packet protocol determined by the identification part value, and is arranged to configure itself to receive the at least one data block using the identified protocol.

22. The identity module as claimed in claim 21, wherein the identification part comprises a protocol identification byte.

23. The user equipment as claimed in claim 22, wherein the identification byte comprises a protocol identifier value stored in a first four bits of the identification byte and a complement of the protocol identifier value stored in the second four bits of the identification byte.

24. The user equipment as claimed in claims 21, wherein the at least one data block is a USB block, and wherein the at least one data block further comprises at least one USB packet and at least one end-of-frame marker.

25. The user equipment as claimed in claim 24, wherein the at least one USB packet is at least one of:

a Packet identifier (PID) packet;

a Address (ADDR) packet;

an end point (ENDP) packet;

a Frame number packet;

a USB data packet; and

a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) packet.

26. The user equipment as claimed in claim 21, wherein the at least one data block is a T=1 protocol block, and wherein the T=1 protocol block comprises an information field.

27. A method for transferring data between a user equipment and an identity module via an interface comprising a single data connection, the method comprising:

synchronising the data transferred over the interface by at least one clock signal; and

transmitting universal serial bus protocol data.

28. The method as claimed in claim 27, wherein the transmitting of universal serial bus protocol data comprises transmitting an indicator part data identifying the universal serial bus protocol data.

29. The method as claimed in claim 27, further comprising transmitting an end of frame part after a predetermined size of universal serial bus protocol data has been transmitted.

30. The method as claimed in claim 29, wherein the predetermined size is 1500 bytes.

31. The method as claimed in claim 27, further comprising filtering the universal serial bus protocol data to remove SYNC packets prior to transmission.

32. The method as claimed in claim 27, further comprising filtering the universal serial bus protocol data to remove the bit-stuffed logical zero signal values prior to transmission.

33. The method as claimed in claim 27, further comprising further transmitting T=1 protocol data.

34. The method as claimed in claim 33, further comprising further transmitting a further identification part identifying the T=1 protocol data.