METHOD OF CONFIGURING TWO WIRELESS DEVICES

• US 20150326999A1
• Filed: 09/09/2013
• Published: 11/12/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Thales DIS France SA
• Original Assignee: Gemalto SA (Thales SA)
• Inventors: FOESSER, Christophe, BOTUHA, Stephane, BLANC, Stephane
• Granted Patent: US 9,357,340 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10198 setting parameters for the interrogator, e.g. programming parameters and operating modes
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10227 loading programming parameters or programs into the interrogator, e.g. for configuring the interrogator
• 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 5/77 for interrogation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0809 Plug-and-play configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0886 Fully automatic configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1093 Some peer nodes performing special functions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/24 Negotiation of communication capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

The invention is a method of configuring a device and a wireless unit. The device is able to operate in tag mode and in wireless reader mode. The wireless unit is able to operate in wireless reader mode and in a card emulation mode. The method comprises the steps of:

• • reading a setting data into the device running in tag mode, the setting data corresponding to a first configuration and being read by the wireless unit which operates in wireless reader mode,
  • activating the first configuration in the unit, writing an acknowledgment data into the device and switching the unit to the card emulation mode,
  • switching the device to the wireless reader mode when the presence of the acknowledgment data is detected in the device.

Claims

1. A method for configuring a device and a wireless unit, said device being able to operate in tag mode and in a first communication mode included in the group comprising wireless reader mode and peer-to-peer mode, said wireless unit being able to operate in wireless reader mode and in a second communication mode included in the group comprising card emulation mode and peer-to-peer mode,

wherein the method comprises the following steps:

reading a setting data from said device which runs in tag mode, said setting data corresponding to a first configuration and being read by said wireless unit which operates in wireless reader mode,

activating said first configuration in said wireless unit, writing an acknowledgment data into said device and switching said wireless unit to said second communication mode,

switching said device to said first communication mode when the presence of the acknowledgment data is detected in said device, said device and wireless unit being set to operate either with a combination of wireless reader and card emulation modes or both in peer-to-peer mode.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the acknowledgment data comprises an adjustment data corresponding to a second configuration and wherein said second configuration is activated in said device according to the adjustment data.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein said first configuration specifies specific communication protocol settings.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein said first configuration specifies an application to be activated in the wireless unit.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein said device has a default mode which is the tag mode and wherein the default mode is activated when a preset event occurs.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein said device has a default mode which is said first communication mode and wherein the tag mode is activated if said device does not succeed in communicating with said wireless unit and wherein the default mode is activated when a predefined event occurs.

7. A device able to operate in tag mode and in a first communication mode included in the group comprising wireless reader mode and peer-to-peer mode, said device comprising a memory which may be read and written by a wireless unit when running in tag mode,

wherein the memory comprises a setting data corresponding to a first configuration to be used by the wireless unit for communicating with the device running in said first communication mode and wherein said device comprises a switching means adapted to detect the presence of an acknowledgment data written in the memory and to switch said device to said first communication mode when the presence of the acknowledgment data is detected.

8. The device according to claim 7, wherein the acknowledgment data comprises an adjustment data corresponding to a second configuration and wherein the device comprises a setting means adapted to activate the second configuration in said device according to the adjustment data.

9. A wireless unit able to run in wireless reader mode and in a second communication mode included in the group comprising card emulation mode and peer-to-peer mode, said wireless unit having a default mode,

wherein the default mode is the wireless reader mode and wherein the wireless unit comprises a configuration means adapted to read a setting data from a device running in tag mode, said setting data corresponding to a first configuration, to activate said first configuration in the wireless unit, to write an acknowledgment data into a memory of said device and to switch said wireless unit to said second communication mode.

10. A system comprising a device and a wireless unit,

wherein the wireless unit is the wireless unit of claim 9, and wherein the device comprises a memory which may be read and written by the wireless unit when running in tag mode,

wherein the memory comprises setting data corresponding to a first configuration to be used by the wireless unit for communicating with the device running in a first communication mode included in the group comprising wireless reader mode and peer-to-peer mode, and wherein said device comprises a switching means adapted to detect the presence of acknowledgment data written in the memory, and to switch said device to said first communication mode when the presence of the acknowledgment data is detected.