Docking of short-range wireless communication tags with mobile terminals

• US 7,519,325 B2
• Filed: 12/30/2004
• Issued: 04/14/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Wakim, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham; Tuan A
• Application Number:
  US11/026,108
• Publication Number:
  US 20060148404A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,566 Days
• Field of Search: 455/41.1, 455/41.2, 455/406, 455/407, 455/408, 455/556.1, 455/558, 340/572.4, 340/539.11, 340/505, 340/10.1
• US Class Current: 455/41.2
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/28 Pre-payment schemes, e.g. "pay before"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/327 Short range or proximity payments by means of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/353 Payments by cards read by M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/751 Card based account, e.g. smart card, SIM card or USIM
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 17/00 Prepayment of wireline communication systems, wireless communication systems or telephone systems using a coded card to authorise calls from a telephone set H04M1/675
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 17/20 with provision for recharging the prepaid account or card, or for credit establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2017/255 local at the terminal itself
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7209 Card based, e.g. smart card, SIM card or USIM
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/04 including near field communication means, e.g. RFID
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/14 including a card reading device
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user

Abstract

The invention provides for docking short-range wireless communication tags, which may be Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) or near Field Communication (NFC) smart cards, onto a mobile terminal having a corresponding short-range wireless communication reader device, such as an RFID reader or a NFC reader. Docking of the tag to the mobile terminal may take the form of attaching or otherwise affixing the tag to the mobile terminal via a tag holding mechanism, such that the reader device may periodically read the tag and also provide for interrogation and reading of other external short-range wireless communication tags and devices in the proximity of the mobile terminal when the reader device is not communicating with the docked tag.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising a processor, the processor configured to:

provide for short-range wireless interrogations of a tag in a holding mechanism affixed to the apparatus, the processor being configured to provide for interrogations of the tag periodically based on a frequency cycle, and the interrogations of the tag being radio frequency identification Radio communications while being configured to provide for periodic communications with one or more external short-range wireless communication capable devices based on the frequency cycle at times when no communications with the tag placed in the holding mechanism are occurring.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the short-range wireless interrogations of the tags are further defined as Near Field Communications (NFC).

3. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the holding mechanism is further defined as a tag-holding slot configured in the apparatus.

4. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the holding mechanism is further defined as a smart card holding mechanism.

5. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising memory in communication with the processor, wherein the memory stores information read from a tag placed in the holding mechanism.

29. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

a radio frequency identification reader; and

the holding mechanism;

wherein the processor being configured to provide for short-range wireless interrogation of the tag includes being configured to instruct the radio frequency reader to communicate with the tag placed in the holding mechanism, and wherein the processor being configured to provide for periodic communications with the one or more external short-range wireless communication capable devices includes being configured to provide for periodic communications with one or more external short-range wireless communication capable devices based on the frequency cycle at times when no communications with the tag placed in the holding mechanism are occurring.

30. The apparatus of claim 29 wherein the tag is a smart card.

6. An apparatus comprising a processor, the processor configured to:

provide for short-range wireless interrogations of a tag in a holding mechanism affixed to the apparatus to obtain network service credit information from the tag that enables a user of the tag to access network service via the apparatus, the processor being configured to provide for interrogations of the tag periodically based on a frequency cycle, and the interrogations of the tag being radio frequency identification communications while being configured to provide for periodic communications with one or more external short-range wireless communication capable devices based on the frequency cycle at times when no communications with the tag placed in the holding mechanism are occurring.

7. An apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the apparatus is further defined as a mobile telephone device.

8. An apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the holding mechanism is further defined as a tag-holding slot in the apparatus.

9. An apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the holding mechanism is further defined as a smart card holding mechanism.

10. An apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising a memory unit in communication with the processor, wherein the memory unit stores prepaid network credit information read from the tag placed in the holding mechanism.

11. An apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the processor is further configured to communicate with a cellular network transceiver.

12. An apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the processor is further configured to communicate with a digital broadcast transceiver.

13. An apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the digital broadcast receiver module is further defined as a Digital Video Broadcast (DVB) receiver.

31. The apparatus of claim 6 further comprising:

a radio frequency identification reader; and

the holding mechanism;

wherein the processor being configured to provide for short-range wireless interrogations of the tag includes being configured to instruct the radio frequency reader to communicate with the tag placed in the holding mechanism, and wherein the processor being configured to provide for periodic communications with the one or more external short-range wireless communication capable devices includes being configured to provide for periodic communications with one or more external short-range wireless communication capable devices based on the frequency cycle at times when no communications with the tag placed in the holding mechanism are occurring.

32. The apparatus of claim 31 wherein the tag is a smart card.

14. An apparatus comprising:

a radio frequency identification reader;

a holding mechanism; and

a processor, the processor configured to;

instruct the radio frequency identification reader to communicate with a short-range wireless communication tag placed in the holding mechanism periodically based on a predefined frequency cycle through radio frequency identification communications while being configured to instruct the radio frequency reader to periodically transmit short-range wireless interrogations based on the predefined frequency cycle to communicate with external short-range wireless communication capable devices at times when no communication with the tag placed in the holding mechanism are occurring.

15. The apparatus system of claim 14, wherein the short-range wireless communication tag is further defined as a near field communication (NFC) smart card tag.

16. The apparatus system of claim 14, wherein the processor is further configured to provide for communications with a cellular network transceiver.

17. The apparatus system of claim 14, wherein the processor is further configured to provide for communications with a digital broadcast receiver.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the digital broadcast receiver module is further defined as a Digital Video Broadcast (DVB) receiver.

19. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the processor is further configured to provide for decrementing prepaid credit information of the tag if the apparatus is provided access to a network based on prepaid credit information provided by the tag.

33. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the processor is further configured to provide for accessing a network based on prepaid network credit information provided by the tag.

20. A method comprising:

periodically interrogating a tag in a holding mechanism, based on a frequency cycle, to communicate at least prepaid network service credit information from the tag, the tag storing at least prepaid network credit information and network service provider identification, and the interrogating being Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) communications;

while providing for periodic communications with external short-range wireless communication capable devices based on the frequency cycle at times when no communications with the tag placed in the holding mechanism are occurring; and

providing access to a network based on the prepaid network credit information.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising decrementing the prepaid network credit information stored on the tag if access to the network is provided.

22. The method of claim 20, further comprising reading a tag identification that distinguishes the tag from the one or more external short-range wireless communication devices.

23. The method of claim 20, further comprising discarding short-range responses from the one or more short-range wireless communication devices while the at least prepaid network service credit information is being communicated from the tag.

24. A computer program product comprising at least one computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program instructions embodied in the medium, the computer-readable program instructions comprising:

instructions configured to provide for periodic short-range wireless interrogations of a short-range wireless communication tag that is docked at an apparatus, the instructions being configured to provide for the interrogations based on a frequency cycle and the interrogations being Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) communications while being configured to provide for periodic short-range wireless communication reading of external short-range wireless communication devices based on the frequency cycle at times when no communications with the tag docked at the apparatus are occurring.

25. The computer program product of claim 24, wherein the instructions being configured to provide for interrogations of the tag include being configured to provide for communication of pre-paid network service access credit to allow access to a network service.

26. The computer program product of claim 25, wherein the instructions being configured to provide for interrogations of the tag include being configured to discard responses from the external short-range wireless communication devices during communication of the at least pre-paid network service access credit information from the short-range wireless communication tag that is docked at the apparatus.

27. The computer program product of claim 24, wherein the instructions being configured to provide for interrogations of the tag include being configured to determine the frequency cycle based on the billing terms of a pre-paid network service associated with the short-range wireless communication tag.

28. The computer program product of claim 24, wherein the instructions being configured to provide for interrogations of the tag include being configured to read a tag identification that distinguishes the tag from external short-range wireless communication devices.