Non-wireless bidirectional communication between a mobile device and associated secure element using an audio port

• US 8,792,939 B2
• Filed: 12/06/2011
• Issued: 07/29/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/03/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Blaze Mobile, Inc. (iWin, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Michelle Fisher
• Inventors: Fisher, Michelle
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Tuan A
• Application Number:
  US13/312,049
• Publication Number:
  US 20130137367A1
• Time in Patent Office: 966 Days
• Field of Search: 455/41.1, 455/41.2, 455/410, 455/411, 455418-420, 455/557, 455/558, 455/552.1, 455/553.1, 455/556.1, 455/556.2, 340/572.1, 340/10.1, 340/10.3, 340/10.4, 340/10.42, 340/10.5, 340/10.51, 340/10.52, 340 1324- 1326, 340/5.2, 340/5.4, 340/5.41
• US Class Current: 455/557
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3226 Use of secure elements separate from M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3272 using an audio code
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/05 using capacitive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/20 using microwaves or radio frequency waves
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/70 involving the reduction of electric, magnetic or electromagnetic leakage fields
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00034 Charger exchanging data with an electronic device, i.e. telephone, whose internal battery is under charge
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/02 for charging batteries from ac mains by converters
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/72 for local intradevice communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/79 for data transfer in combination with power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72409 by interfacing with external accessories hands-free H04M1/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724092 Interfacing with an external cover providing additional functionalities
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

In some embodiments, a system includes a mobile communication device and a secure element physically coupled to the mobile communication device. The mobile communication device includes a first wireless transceiver, first processor, first memory, first speaker, first microphone, first Audio To Digital conversion (ADC), and audio port. The secure element includes a second wireless transceiver, second processor, second memory, second Audio To Digital conversion (ADC), second Digital To Audio conversion (DAC), and cable with 3.55 mm plug that is inserted into the audio port of the mobile communication device. The mobile communication device is configured to transmit data non-wirelessly via the cable to the secure element using an analog signal. The secure element is configured to transmit data non-wirelessly via the cable inserted into the audio port of the the mobile communication device using an analog signal.

Claims

1. A system, comprising a mobile communication device and a secure element physically coupled to the mobile communication device, wherein:

the mobile communication device comprises a first wireless transceiver, first processor, and first memory, first speaker, first microphone, first audio to digital converter, and first audio port;

the secure element comprises a second, wireless transceiver, second processor, second memory, second speaker, second microphone, audio to digital converter, second digital to audio converter, and audio cable with a 3.5 mm plug that fits in the audio port of the mobile communication device;

a first communication channel in which the secure element receives data via the second wireless transceiver from a POS or POE using a first protocol;

a second communication channel in which the secure element transmits data non-wirelessly via the audio cable connected to the mobile device using a second channel and protocol different than the first channel and protocol;

a third communication channel in which the mobile device transmits data via the first wireless transceiver to a management server using a third channel and third protocol different than the first and second channel and protocol.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the secure element is affixed to the mobile communication device.

3. The system of claim 2 the transaction data transmitted from the secure element to the mobile device and management server are associated with an e-commerce or other transaction.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the first communication channel uses digital radio waves at approximately 300 Mhz to send/receive data wirelessly between the secure element and the POS/POE using near field communication.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the second channel transfers data non-wirelessly between the secure element and the mobile communication device using analog sound waves encoded with sigma delta and transmitted over the cable with a 3.55 mm plug that is attached to the secure element and connects into the audio port of the mobile communication device.

6. The system of claim 5 where the internal battery in the secure element is woken up and exits sleep mode after near field communication induction which occurs when the secure element is held in proximity to a POS/POE and an API in the secure element turns the second microphone on.

7. The system of claim 5 where an API in the mobile communication device transmits a low voltage signal from a battery in the mobile communication device over the cable to activate the secure element via near field communication induction and the power enables data to be transferred between the secure element and the mobile communication device.

8. The system of claim 5 where an API in the mobile communication device initiates analog signal over the cable to generate an electrical signal which will activate the secure element via induction and the power enables data to be transferred between the secure element and the mobile communication device.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the third communications channel wirelessly transmits data between the mobile device and the management server using WIFI, CDMA, or GSM.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the second memory of the secure element stores an identifier associated with the secure element.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the serial number of the NFC chip is the destination address.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the secure element comprises an NFC chip, the NFC chip comprising the second wireless transceiver, second processor, and second memory; and

the identifier comprises a serial number of the NFC chip.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the first memory of the mobile communication device stores an application that, when executed by the first processor, generates sound waves and transmits them via the cable;

and the second memory of the secure element stores an application that, when executed by the second processor, generates the messages and transmits the messages via the cable.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the first memory is configured to store data to be transmitted to the secure element via sound waves and data received from the secure element via sound waves; and

the second memory is configured to store data to be transmitted to the mobile communication device via sound waves and data received from the mobile communication device via sound waves.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the secure element is configured to use power received from a remote terminal to transmit data to the mobile communication device.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the secure element further comprises power harvesting circuitry to harvest power from ambient RF signals.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the secure element further comprises a battery; and

the secure element is configured to transmit data to the mobile communication device without receiving power from a remote terminal, using power from the battery.

18. A system, comprising a mobile communication device and a secure element physically coupled to the mobile communication device, wherein:

the mobile communication device comprises a first wireless transceiver, first processor, first memory, first microphone, first speaker, first analog to digital (ADC) converter, and first audio port;

the secure element comprises a second wireless transceiver, second processor, second memory, second speaker, second microphone, second analog to digital conversion (ADC), second digital to analog conversion (DAC), and an audio cable with 3.5 mm plug that can be inserted into the audio port of mobile communication device;

the mobile communication device is configured to transmit data via the cable to the secure element using sound waves, and

the secure element is configured to transmit sound waves via the cable to the mobile communication.

19. A method, comprising a mobile communication device and a secure element physically coupled to the mobile communication device, wherein;

the mobile communication device comprises a first wireless transceiver, first processor, and first memory, first speaker, first microphone, first audio to digital converter, and first audio port;

wirelessly receiving data at the secure element from a POS terminal via a second wireless transceiver using a first communication channel and a first protocol, wherein the secure element comprises the second wireless transceiver, second processor, second memory, second speaker, second microphone, second digital to analog conversion (DAC) and an audio cable with a 3.5 mm plug that fits in the audio port of the mobile communication device;

non wirelessly transmitting data from the secure element via the audio cable to the mobile device using a second channel and a second protocol different than the first channel and the first protocol;

wirelessly transmitting data from the mobile device via the first wireless transceiver to a management server using a third channel and a third protocol different than the first channel and the first protocol and the second channel and the second protocol.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the secure element is adhesively attached to the mobile communication device.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein:

the secure element comprises an NFC chip, the NFC chip comprising the second wireless transceiver, second processor, and second memory; and

the identifier comprises a serial number of the NFC chip.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein:

the first memory of the mobile communication device stores an application that, when executed by the first processor, generates sound waves and transmits them via the cable; and

the second memory of the secure element stores an application that, when executed by the second processor, generates the messages and transmits the messages via the cable.

23. The method of claim 20, wherein the secure element is configured to use power received from a remote terminal to transmit data to the mobile communication device.

24. The method of claim 20, wherein the secure element further comprises power harvesting circuitry to harvest power from ambient RF signals.

25. The method of claim 20, wherein:

the secure element further comprises a battery; and

the secure element is configured to transmit data to the mobile communication device without receiving power from a remote terminal, using power from the battery.

26. The method of claim 19, wherein the first communication channel uses digital radio waves at approximately 13 Mhz to send/receive data wirelessly between the secure element and the POS/POE using contactless protocols including NFC, ISO 1443, or Pay pass.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein:

the first memory is configured to store data to be transmitted to the secure element via sound waves and data received from the secure element via sound waves; and

the second memory is configured to store data to be transmitted to the mobile communication device via sound waves and data received from the mobile communication device via sound waves.

28. The method of claim 19, wherein the second channel transfers data non-wirelessly between the secure element and the mobile communication device using analog sound waves encoded with sigma delta and transmitted over a cable with a 3.55 mm plug that is attached to the secure element and connects into the audio port of the mobile communication device.

29. The method of claim 28 the transaction data transmitted from the secure element to the mobile device and management server are associated with an e-commerce or other transaction.

30. The method of claim 19, wherein the third communications channel wirelessly transmits data between the mobile device and the management server using conventional wireless including WIFI, CDMA, or GSM.

31. The method of claim 19 where an internal battery in the secure element is woken up and exits sleep mode after induction which occurs when the secure element is held in proximity to a POS/POE and an API in the secure element turns the second microphone on.

32. The method of claim 31 wherein the API in the mobile communication device initiates analog signal over the cable to generate an electrical signal which will activate the secure element via induction and the power enables data to be transferred between the secure element and the mobile communication device.

33. The method of claim 19 where an API (i.e. mobile wallet) in the mobile communication device transmits a low voltage signal from the battery in the mobile communication device over the cable to activate the secure element via induction and the power enables data to be transferred between the secure element and the mobile communication device.

34. The method of claim 19, wherein:

the second memory of the secure element comprises a memory element to store an identifier associated with the secure element.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein the the serial number of the NFC chip is the destination address.

36. A system, comprising a mobile communication device and a secure element physically coupled to the mobile communication device, wherein:

the mobile communication device comprises a first wireless transceiver, first processor, first memory, first microphone, first speaker, first analog to digital (ADC) converter, and first audio port;

the secure element comprises a second wireless transceiver, second processor, second memory, second speaker, second microphone, second analog to digital conversion (ADC), and audio cable with a 3.5 mm plug that can be inserted into the audio port of mobile communication device;

the mobile communication device is configured to transmit data via the cable to the secure element using sound waves, and

the secure element is configured to transmit sound waves via the cable to the mobile communication.