Docking of short-range wireless communication tags with mobile terminals
First Claim
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.
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Accused Products
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.
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Citations
33 Claims
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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. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 29, 30)
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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. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 31, 32)
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14. An apparatus comprising:
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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. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 33)
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20. A method comprising:
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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. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23)
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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. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27, 28)
Specification