Terminal of supporting enhanced near field communication and its processing method

• US 8,532,704 B2
• Filed: 08/25/2009
• Issued: 09/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ZTE Corporation
• Original Assignee: ZTE Corporation
• Inventors: Ma, Jingwang, Jia, Qian
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Duc M
• Application Number:
  US13/201,269
• Publication Number:
  US 20110312271A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,477 Days
• Field of Search: 455/41.1, 455/41.2, 455/557, 455/558, 455/552.1, 455/553.1, 455/574, 4553431-3435, 340/505, 340/539.3, 340/854.8
• US Class Current: 455/557
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0723 the record carrier comprising an arrangement for non-contact communication, e.g. wireless communication circuits on transponder cards, non-contact smart cards or RFIDs
• 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: G06K 7/10247 issues specific to the use of single wire protocol [SWP] in NFC like devices
• 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: G06Q 20/3278 RFID or NFC payments by means of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3816 Mechanical arrangements for accommodating identification devices, e.g. cards or chips; with connectors for programming identification devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/00 Near-field transmission systems, e.g. inductive or capacitive transmission systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

The present invention provides a terminal supporting eNFC and its processing method, in which a card emulation mode is disabled when a user card does not support SWP, and NFC in non card emulation modes can further be supported. A mobile terminal disabling/enabling the NFC function is implemented by the interaction of the mobile terminal with a NFC emulation front end chip therein. When the terminal determines that the user card does not support the SWP interface, it disables the NFC function. If the terminal is required to work in a non card emulation mode, the terminal starts a NFC application in the non card emulation, mode, and enables the NFC function when determining that the NFC function is in a disabled state; after the NFC ends, the terminal disables the NFC function when determining that the user card does not support the SWP interface.

Claims

1. A processing method in a terminal supporting enhanced Near Field Communication (eNFC), comprising:

when the terminal determines that a user card does not support a Single Wire Protocol (SWP) interface, disabling a Near Field Communication (NFC) function.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said terminal determines that said user card does not support said SWP interface through interface support information provided by said user card or a stored SWP interface flag.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein after disabling the NFC function, the method further comprises:

when said terminal is required to start a NFC application in a non card emulation mode and determines that said NFC function is in a disabled state, enabling said NFC function, and said terminal switching to a corresponding working mode according to said non card emulation mode and carrying out the NFC.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of disabling the NFC function is implemented by disabling a NFC emulation front end chip.

5. The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein after disabling the NFC function, the method further comprises:

when said terminal is required to start a NFC application in a non card emulation mode and determines that said NFC function is in a disabled state, enabling said NFC function, and said terminal switching to a corresponding working mode according to said non card emulation mode and carrying out the NFC.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein before the step of disabling the NFC function, the method further comprises:

said terminal inquiring a current state of said NFC function.

7. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein after disabling the NFC function, the method further comprises:

when said terminal is required to start a NFC application in a non card emulation mode and determines that said NFC function is in a disabled state, enabling said NFC function, and said terminal switching to a corresponding working mode according to said non card emulation mode and carrying out the NFC.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein

before the step of disabling the NFC function, the method further comprises:

said terminal determining that a user confirms the disabling through a human machine interaction interface; and

/or

after the step of disabling the NFC function, the method further comprises;

said terminal displaying a current state of said NFC function to the user in a form of text or icon on a screen.

9. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein after disabling the NFC function, the method further comprises:

when said terminal is required to start a NFC application in a non card emulation mode and determines that said NFC function is in a disabled state, enabling said NFC function, and said terminal switching to a corresponding working mode according to said non card emulation mode and carrying out the NFC.

10. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein after disabling the NFC function, the method further comprises:

when said terminal is required to start a NFC application in a non card emulation mode and determines that said NFC function is in a disabled state, enabling said NFC function, and said terminal switching to a corresponding working mode according to said non card emulation mode and carrying out the NFC.

11. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein after the NFC ends, the method further comprises:

disabling said NFC function.

12. A processing method in a terminal supporting enhanced Near Field Communication (eNFC), comprising:

when the terminal is required to start a NFC application in a non card emulation mode, determining that a user card does not support a Single Wire Protocol (SWP) interface and a Near Field Communication (NFC) function is in a disabled state, and enabling the NFC function.

13. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein

before said terminal starts the NFC application in the non card emulation mode, said method further comprises:

said terminal determining whether a user card supports a Single Wire Protocol (SWP) interface;

further, said terminal determines whether the user card supports the SWP interface through interface support information provided by said user card or a stored SWP interface flag.

14. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein said step of enabling the NFC function is implemented by enabling a NFC emulation front end chip.

15. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein

before the step of enabling the NFC function, said method further comprises:

said terminal inquiring a current state of said NFC function.

16. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein

before the step of enabling the NFC function, said method further comprises:

said terminal determining that a user confirms the enabling through a human machine interaction interface; and

/or

after the step of enabling the NFC function, said method further comprises;

said terminal displaying a current state of said NFC function to the user in a form of text or icon on a screen.

17. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein after enabling the NFC function, said method further comprises:

said terminal switching to a corresponding working state according to said non card emulation mode, and carrying out the NFC.

18. The method as claimed in claim 17, wherein after the NFC ends, said method further comprises:

when said terminal determines that a user card does not support a Single Wire Protocol (SWP) interface, disabling the NFC function.

19. A terminal supporting enhanced Near Field Communication (eNFC), comprising a Near Field Communication (NFC) control unit and a NFC emulation front end chip, wherein

said NFC control unit is configured to instruct the NFC emulation front end chip to be disabled when determining that a user card does not support a Single Wire Protocol (SWP) interface;

said NFC emulation front end chip is configured to disable a NFC function according to the instruction of said NFC control unit.

20. The terminal as claimed in claim 19, wherein

said NFC control unit is further configured to send a NFC state inquiry instruction to said NFC emulation front end chip;

said NFC emulation front end chip is further configured to return a current working state thereof to said NFC control unit according to said NFC state inquiry instruction.

21. The terminal as claimed in claim 20, wherein when a NFC application in a non card emulation mode is run,

said NFC control unit is configured to instruct said NFC emulation front end chip to be enabled when determining that said NFC emulation front end chip is in a disabled state;

said NFC emulation front end chip is configured to enable said NFC function according to the instruction of said NFC control unit.

22. The terminal as claimed in claim 19, wherein when a NFC application in a non card emulation mode is run,

said NFC control unit is configured to instruct said NFC emulation front end chip to be enabled when determining that said NFC emulation front end chip is in a disabled state;

said NFC emulation front end chip is configured to enable said NFC function according to the instruction of said NFC control unit.

23. A terminal supporting enhanced Near Field Communication (eNFC), comprising a Near Field Communication (NFC) control unit and a NFC emulation front end chip,

said NFC control unit is configured to, when said NFC emulation front end chip disables a NFC function and runs a NFC application a non card emulation mode, instruct said NFC emulation front end chip to be enabled when determining that a user card does not support a Single Wire Protocol (SWP) interface and said NFC emulation front end chip is in a disabled state;

said NFC emulation front end chip is configured to enable the NFC function according to the instruction of said NFC control unit.

24. The terminal as claimed in claim 23, wherein

said NFC control unit is further configured to send a NFC state inquiry instruction to said NFC emulation front end chip;

said NFC emulation front end chip is further configured to return a current working state thereof to said NFC control unit according to said NFC state inquiry instruction.