METHOD OF CONDUCTING A TRANSACTION USING AN NFC DEVICE

• US 20110226853A1
• Filed: 03/17/2010
• Published: 09/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verimatrix Incorporated (Verimatrix SA)
• Original Assignee: INSIDE Contactless
• Inventors: SOH, Kian Teck, BLANCHET, Jean-Bernard
• Granted Patent: US 8,342,415 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/380
• 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: H04Q 2213/13095 PIN / Access code, authentication

Abstract

The invention relates to a method of conducting a transaction between an NFC device and a contactless integrated circuit of the passive reader type. The method includes providing, in the contactless integrated circuit, at least one reader application emulation program and, by an intermediary unit of the NFC device, establishing a communication with the contactless integrated circuit, receiving from the contactless integrated circuit reader application commands and transferring the commands to the first host processor, and receiving card application responses supplied by the first host processor and transferring the responses to the contactless integrated circuit.

Claims

1. A method of conducting a transaction between an NFC device and a passive contactless integrated circuit, the NFC device comprising an NFC controller coupled to a contactless communication interface, and at least a first host processor comprising at least one card application program, the method comprising:

providing, in the contactless integrated circuit, at least one reader application emulation program configured to supply first reader application commands and to treat first card application responses; and

by an intermediary unit of the NFC device;

setting the contactless communication interface in an active mode wherein the interface emits a magnetic field and establishes a communication with the contactless integrated circuit,

receiving, from the contactless integrated circuit, first reader application commands and transferring the first reader application commands to the first host processor, and

receiving, from the first host processor, first card application responses and transferring the first card application responses to the contactless integrated circuit.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing, in the intermediary unit, a first protocol inversion program;

providing, in the contactless integrated circuit, a second protocol inversion program configured to cooperate with the reader application emulation program;

establishing, between the first and the second inversion programs, a contactless communication wherein the intermediary unit acts as a reader relative to the contactless integrated circuit; and

by an intermediary of the second and the first inversion programs;

transferring to the first host processor, first reader application commands supplied by the reader application emulation program, and

transferring to the reader application emulation program, first card application responses supplied by the card application of the first host processor.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising, by the intermediary unit:

receiving from the first host processor, first card application responses, encapsulating the first card application responses in second reader application commands, and transferring the second reader application commands to the contactless integrated circuit; and

receiving from the contactless integrated circuit, first reader application commands encapsulated in second card application responses, de-encapsulating the first reader application commands, and transferring the first reader application commands to the first host processor.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first reader application commands emitted by the reader application emulation program and the first card application responses emitted by the card application program are in the APDU ISO 7816 format.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the second reader application commands and the second card application responses are in the APDU ISO 7816 format.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising supplying to the first host processor, by the intermediary unit, HCI interface commands that cause the first host processor to perceive that the first reader application commands received from the contactless integrated circuit are emitted by an NFC reader in the active mode.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising recording in a registry at the disposal of the first host processor, RF channel parameters that cause the first host processor to perceive that the first reader application commands received from the contactless integrated circuit as having been emitted by an NFC reader in the active mode.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the intermediary unit is a host controller of the NFC device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the intermediary unit is a second host processor of the NFC device.

10. A contactless integrated circuit of the passive type arranged or to be arranged on or within a fixed or portable support, the contactless integrated circuit comprising an NFC reader emulation program, and is configured to supply first reader application commands and to treat first card application responses received in response to reader application commands.

11. The contactless integrated circuit of claim 10, further comprising:

a protocol inversion program configured to respond to second reader application commands and to supply second card application responses; and

at least one reader application emulation program configured to supply the first reader application commands and to treat the first card application responses.

12. The contactless integrated circuit of claim 10, configured to:

receive first card application responses encapsulated in second reader application commands; and

encapsulate, in second card application responses, first reader application commands.

13. The contactless integrated circuit of claim 11, configured to:

receive first card application responses and second reader application commands in the APDU ISO 7816 format; and

emit first reader application commands and second card application responses in the APDU ISO 7816 format.

14. An NFC device comprising:

an NFC controller coupled to a contactless communication interface;

a first host processor comprising at least one card application program and configured to treat first reader application commands and to supply first card application responses;

an intermediary unit to coordinate a transaction between the host processor and a passive contactless integrated circuit of the reader type, the intermediary unit being configured to;

set the contactless communication interface in an active mode where the interface emits a magnetic field;

receive, by the intermediary of the contactless communication interface in active mode, first reader application commands emitted by a passive contactless integrated circuit of the reader type and transfer the first reader application commands to the first host processor; and

receive first card application responses supplied by the first host processor and transfer the first card application responses, by the intermediary of the contactless communication interface in active mode, to the passive contactless integrated circuit of the reader type.

15. The NFC device of claim 14, wherein the intermediary unit is also configured to:

emit, by the intermediary of the contactless communication interface, second reader application commands allowing for the management of a communication with a passive contactless integrated circuit of the reader type; and

receive, by the intermediary of the contactless communication interface, second card application responses emitted by a passive contactless integrated circuit of the reader type.

16. The NFC device of claim 14, wherein the intermediary unit is configured to:

encapsulate, in second reader application commands, first card application responses supplied by the first host processor and transmit the second reader application commands by the intermediary of the contactless communication interface; and

receive, by the intermediary of the contactless communication interface, second card application responses within which are encapsulated first reader application commands, de-encapsulate the first reader application commands, and transfer the first reader application commands to the first host processor.

17. The NFC device of claim 15, wherein the intermediary unit is configured to:

transmit, by the intermediary of the contactless communication interface, second reader application commands and first card application responses in the APDU ISO 7816 format; and

receive, by the intermediary of the contactless communication interface, second card application responses and first reader application commands in the APDU ISO 7816 format.

18. The NFC device of claim 14, wherein the intermediary unit is also configured to supply, to the first host processor, HCI interface commands that cause the first host processor to perceive the first reader application commands received from the contactless integrated circuit as having been emitted by an NFC reader in the active mode.

19. The NFC device of claim 14, wherein the intermediary unit is also configured to supply, to the first host processor, RF channel parameters that cause the first host processor to perceive reader application commands received from a contactless integrated circuit as having been emitted by an NFC reader in the active mode.

20. The NFC device of claim 14, wherein the intermediary unit is a host controller of the NFC device.

21. The NFC device of claim 14, wherein the intermediary unit is a second host processor of the NFC device.

22. A portable device, comprising the NFC device of claim 14.

23. A method of establishing a communication with an NFC device having an NFC controller coupled to a contactless communication interface;

and at least a first host processor having at least one card application program, the method comprising;

providing a contactless integrated circuit of the passive type arranged or to be arranged on or within a fixed or portable support; and

configuring the contactless integrated circuit to supply the NFC controller with first reader application commands and treat first card application responses received from the NFC controller in response to reader application commands.

24. The method of claim 23, comprising providing, in the contactless integrated circuit:

a protocol inversion program configured to respond to second reader application commands from the NFC device and to supply the NFC device with second card application responses; and

at least one reader application emulation program configured to supply the first reader application commands and to treat the first card application responses.

25. The method of claim 23, comprising:

with the contactless integrated circuit, receiving first card application responses encapsulated in second reader application commands; and

with the contactless integrated circuit, encapsulating, in second card application responses, first reader application commands.

26. The method of claim 23, wherein first card application responses, second reader application commands, first reader application commands and second card application responses are in the APDU ISO 7816 format.