Mobile wireless communications system including selectively coupled pair of discontinuous NFC circuit segments and related methods

• US 8,909,139 B2
• Filed: 01/27/2012
• Issued: 12/09/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Aldana, Leonardo, Simoes, Felipe Oliveira
• Primary Examiner(s): Ghebretinsae, Temesgh
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHAKRABORTY, RAJARSHI
• Application Number:
  US13/360,250
• Publication Number:
  US 20130196597A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,047 Days
• Field of Search: 455/41.1, 455/41.2, 307/104, 361/679.01, 361/747
• US Class Current: 455/41.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/26 using coils
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/04 including near field communication means, e.g. RFID

Abstract

A mobile wireless communications system may include a mobile wireless communications device including a portable housing, a wireless transceiver carried by the portable housing, and a processor carried by the portable housing and coupled to the wireless transceiver. The mobile wireless communications device may further include a near-field communication (NFC) device coupled to the processor. The system may include an adjacent NFC device configured to communicate directly with the mobile wireless communications device. The adjacent NFC device may include a plurality of pairs of discontinuous NFC circuit segments, and a respective switch assembly configured to selectively coupled each pair of discontinuous NFC circuit segments to establish NFC communication with the NFC device.

Claims

1. A mobile wireless communications system comprising:

a mobile wireless communications device comprising

a portable housing,

a wireless transceiver carried by said portable housing,

a processor carried by said portable housing and coupled to said wireless transceiver, and

a near-field communication (NFC) device coupled to said processor;

an adjacent NFC device configured to communicate directly with said mobile wireless communications device and comprising

a plurality of pairs of discontinuous NFC circuit segments, and

a plurality of switch assemblies each comprising a respective NFC controller having a different function associated therewith and respectively configured to selectively couple each pair of discontinuous NFC circuit segments to establish NFC communication with said NFC device to perform each different function.

2. The mobile wireless communications system of claim 1, wherein each pair of discontinuous NFC circuit segments comprises a pair of discontinuous conductive traces.

3. The mobile wireless communications system of claim 1, wherein each pair of discontinuous NFC circuit segments comprises a pair of discontinuous NFC antenna segments.

4. The mobile wireless communications system of claim 1, wherein said adjacent NFC device further comprises a substrate carrying said plurality of pairs of discontinuous NFC circuit segments and said plurality of switch assemblies.

5. The mobile wireless communications system of claim 1, wherein said adjacent NFC device comprises a carrying case configured to carry said mobile wireless communications device.

6. The mobile wireless communications system of claim 5, wherein said NFC communications circuitry is embedded within said carrying case, and wherein said plurality of switch assemblies is carried by an exposed surface of said carrying case.

7. An accessory for an adjacent mobile wireless communications device comprising a portable housing, a wireless transceiver carried by the portable housing, a processor carried by the portable housing and coupled to the wireless transceiver, and a near-field communication (NFC) device coupled to the processor, the accessory comprising:

a plurality of pairs of discontinuous NFC circuit segments; and

a plurality of switch assemblies each comprising a respective NFC controller having a different function associated therewith and respectively configured to selectively couple each pair of discontinuous NFC circuit segments to establish direct NFC communication with the NFC device to perform each different function.

8. The accessory of claim 7, wherein each pair of discontinuous NFC circuit segments comprises a pair of discontinuous conductive traces.

9. The accessory of claim 7, wherein each pair of discontinuous NFC circuit segments comprises a pair of discontinuous NFC antenna segments.

10. The accessory of claim 7, further comprising a substrate carrying said plurality of pairs of discontinuous NFC circuit segments and said plurality of switch assemblies.

11. The accessory of claim 7, further comprising a housing defining a carrying case configured to carry the mobile wireless communications device.

12. The accessory of claim 11, wherein said NFC communications circuitry is embedded within the carrying case, and wherein said plurality of switch assemblies is carried by an exposed surface of the carrying case.

13. A method of establishing NFC communication with a mobile wireless communications device comprising a portable housing, a wireless transceiver carried by the portable housing, a processor carried by the portable housing and coupled to the wireless transceiver, and a near-field communication (NFC) device coupled to the processor, the method comprising:

using an adjacent NFC device to communicate directly with the mobile wireless communications device by operating a respective switch assembly from a plurality of switch assemblies each comprising a respective NFC controller having a different function associated therewith to selectively couple each pair of a plurality of pairs of discontinuous NFC circuit segments to establish NFC communication with the NFC device to perform a corresponding one of each different function.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein each pair of discontinuous NFC circuit segments comprises a pair of discontinuous conductive traces.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein each pair of discontinuous NFC circuit segments comprises a pair of discontinuous NFC antenna segments.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the adjacent NFC device comprises a carrying case configured to carry the mobile wireless communications device.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the NFC communications circuitry is embedded within the carrying case, and wherein the plurality of switch assemblies is carried by an exposed surface of the carrying case.