Method and apparatus for contactless interface on ICC supporting high speed interface

• US 7,641,123 B2
• Filed: 11/01/2006
• Issued: 01/05/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Deprun, Jean-Francois, Jolivet, Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Paik; Steven S
• Assistant Examiner(s): JOHNSON, SONJI N
• Application Number:
  US11/555,622
• Publication Number:
  US 20070200003A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,161 Days
• Field of Search: 235/492, 235/440, 235/380, 235/441, 235/451, 235/487, 340/932.2, 710/14, 710/301
• US Class Current: 235/492
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07 with integrated circuit chips
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07733 the record carrier containing at least one further contact interface not conform ISO-7816
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07749 the record carrier being capable of non-contact communication, e.g. constructional details of the antenna of a non-contact smart card
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07769 the further communication means being a galvanic interface, e.g. hybrid or mixed smart cards having a contact and a non-contact interface
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/0008 General problems related to the reading of electronic memory record carriers, independent of its reading method, e.g. power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10297 arrangements for handling protocols designed for non-contact record carriers such as RFIDs NFCs, e.g. ISO/IEC 14443 and 18092 cryptographic protocols H04L9/00; network security protocols H04L63/00; real-time communication protocols in data switching networks H04L65/00; network protocols for data switching network services H04L67/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security

Abstract

An integrated circuit card includes a plurality of electrical contacts; and a memory to store information, the memory being allowed to communicate with a processor via the plurality of electrical contacts. One set of electrical contacts are allowed to be allocated by the processor to support an operation in at least one mode depending on a presence of a certain protocol mode detected by the processor. The integrated circuit card is operable in various modes including both contactless and high speed protocols, a contactless only without the high speed protocol and the high speed protocol only without the contactless protocol.

Claims

1. An integrated circuit (IC) card configured to communicate with a mobile terminal having a processor, the IC card comprising:

a plurality of electrical contacts; and

a memory to store information, wherein the memory is in communication with the processor via the plurality of electrical contacts,

wherein the processor allocates the plurality of electrical contacts to concurrently support operation in at least a contactless protocol mode and another mode depending on a presence of a certain protocol mode detected by the processor,

wherein a first set of the plurality of electrical contacts is allocated to support an International Standard Organization (ISO) 7816 protocol in response to an absence of a high speed protocol mode and wherein the first set of the plurality of electrical contacts is allocated to support the another mode in response to a presence of the high speed protocol mode, and

wherein a second set of the plurality of electrical contacts not allocated to support the ISO 7816 protocol is allocated to support at least the high speed protocol mode, the contactless protocol mode, or a combination of the high speed and contactless protocol modes.

2. The IC card of claim 1, wherein at least one electrical contact of the first set is disabled when the high speed protocol mode is present and used.

3. The IC card of claim 1, wherein the certain protocol mode is the International Standard Organization (ISO) 7816 mode supporting the contactless protocol mode enabled on at least three of the plurality of electrical contacts when the high speed protocol mode is not present.

4. The IC card of claim 1, further configured to be compatible with at least a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) function, a Universal Subscriber Identity Module (USIM) function, or an IP based MultiMedia Subsystem SIM (ISIM or IMS SIM) function.

5. The IC card of claim 1, wherein the processor is located in the mobile terminal to implement procedures that are compatible with at least a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) function, a Universal Subscriber Identity Module (USIM) function, or an IP based MultiMedia Subsystem SIM (ISIM or IMS SIM) function.

6. The IC card of claim 1, wherein the processor is located in the mobile terminal to implement procedures that are compatible with a contactless payment scheme.

7. A method for dynamically allocating at least one set of a plurality of electrical contacts of a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) device configured to communicate with a mobile terminal having a processor, the method comprising:

receiving information from the SIM device at an open session;

initiating a negotiation phase for a certain protocol mode;

detecting a presence of the certain protocol mode according to the information from the SIM device; and

allocating the plurality of electrical contacts to concurrently support operation in at least a contactless protocol mode and another mode depending on the detected presence of the certain protocol mode,

wherein a first set of the plurality of electrical contacts is allocated to support an International Standard Organization (ISO) 7816 protocol in response to an absence of a high speed protocol mode and wherein the first set of the plurality of electrical contacts is allocated to support the another mode in response to a presence of the high speed protocol mode,

and wherein a second set of the plurality of electrical contacts not allocated to support the ISO 7816 protocol is allocated to support at least the high speed protocol mode, the contactless protocol mode, or a combination of the high speed and contactless protocol modes.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein detecting the presence of the certain protocol comprises detecting information regarding at least the high speed protocol mode or the contactless protocol mode included in an Answer To Reset (ATR), which is stored in the SIM device, in accordance with the International Standard Organization (ISO) 7816 protocol at power-on of the mobile terminal, and wherein the plurality of electrical contacts comprises eight electrical contacts including C1, C2, C3, C4, C5, C6, C7, and C8 electrical contacts in accordance with the International Standard Organization (ISO) 7816 protocol.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein detecting the presence of the certain protocol mode further comprises detecting a list of enabled protocol modes in a Service Table, which is stored in the SIM device, in accordance with ETSI SCP TS 102 221, the list comprising information regarding the high speed protocol mode at power-on of the mobile terminal.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein detecting the presence of the certain protocol mode further comprises detecting a presence of a physical interface with the high speed protocol mode within the mobile terminal and configuring the SIM device for the operation in the high speed protocol mode depending on the detection.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

detecting whether the contactless protocol mode is enabled on the C4, C6, and C8 electrical contacts of the SIM device; and

maintaining the ISO 7816 protocol mode and allocating the C4, C6, and C8 electrical contacts for the contactless protocol mode if the contactless protocol mode is enabled on the C4, C6, and C8 electrical contacts.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

detecting whether the contactless protocol mode is enabled on the C4, C6, and C8 electrical contacts of the SIM device;

determining whether the high speed protocol mode is detected if the contactless protocol mode is not enabled on the C4, C6, and C8 electrical contacts; and

using the high speed protocol mode by disabling the ISO 7816 protocol mode and allocating at least the C3, C5, or C7 electrical contacts for the contactless protocol mode if the high speed protocol mode is detected.

13. The method of claim 7, wherein detecting the presence of the certain protocol mode further comprises detecting a list of enabled protocol modes in a Service Table, which is stored in the SIM device, in accordance with ETSI SCP TS 102 221, the list comprising information regarding the contactless protocol mode at power-on of the mobile terminal, and wherein the plurality of electrical contacts comprises eight electrical contacts including C1, C2, C3, C4, C5, C6, C7, and C8 electrical contacts in accordance with the International Standard Organization (ISO) 7816 protocol.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

detecting whether the contactless protocol mode is enabled on the C4, C6, and C8 electrical contacts of the SIM device; and

maintaining the ISO 7816 protocol mode and allocating the C4, C6, and C8 electrical contacts for the contactless protocol mode if the contactless protocol mode is enabled on the C4, C6, and C8 electrical contacts.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

detecting whether the contactless protocol mode is enabled on the C4, C6, and C8 electrical contacts of the SIM device;

determining whether the high speed protocol mode is detected if the contactless protocol mode is not enabled on the C4, C6, and C8 electrical contacts; and

using the high speed protocol mode by disabling the ISO 7816 protocol mode and allocating at least the C3, C5, or C7 electrical contacts of the SIM device for the contactless protocol mode if the high speed protocol mode is detected.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the physical interface with the high speed protocol mode is compatible with at least a MultiMediaCard (MMC) or a Universal Serial Bus (USB).

17. A mobile communications terminal comprising:

a physical interface coupled to an integrated circuit (IC) card;

a memory to store information;

an open session module accessing the IC card and retrieving information from the IC card at an open session of the terminal;

a protocol initiation module initiating a negotiation phase for a certain protocol mode within the IC card;

a detecting module detecting a presence of the certain protocol mode for the IC card;

an allocating module allocating at least one set of the plurality of electrical contacts of the IC card; and

a processor cooperating with the physical interface, the memory, the open session module, the protocol initiation module, the detecting module and the allocating module to detect the presence of the certain protocol mode according to the information from the IC card,

wherein the at least one set of the plurality of electrical contacts of the IC card is allocated to concurrently support operation in at least a contactless protocol mode and another mode depending on the detected presence of the certain protocol mode,

wherein a first set of the plurality of electrical contacts is allocated to support an International Standard Organization (ISO) 7816 protocol in response to an absence of a high speed protocol mode and wherein the first set of the plurality of electrical contacts is allocated to support the another mode in response to a presence of the high speed protocol mode, and

wherein a second set of the plurality of electrical contacts not allocated to support the ISO 7816 protocol is allocated to support at least the high speed protocol mode, the contactless protocol mode, or a combination of the high speed and contactless protocol modes.

18. The terminal of claim 17, wherein the certain protocol mode comprises at least the high speed protocol mode or the contactless protocol mode, and wherein the processor implements procedures that are compatible with at least a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) function, a Universal Subscriber Identity Module (USIM) function, or an IP based MultiMedia Subsystem SIM (ISIM or IMS SIM) function.

19. The terminal of claim 17, wherein the at least one set of electrical contacts allocated to support the ISO 7816 protocol is disabled when the high speed protocol mode is present and used, and wherein the at least one set of the plurality of electrical contacts allocated to support the ISO 7816 protocol is reallocated for the contactless protocol mode.

20. The terminal of claim 17, wherein the open session module, the protocol initiation module, the detecting module and the allocating module are part of the processor.

21. The terminal of claim 17, wherein the open session module, the protocol initiation module, the detecting module and the allocating module are separate entities and not part of the processor.