UICC apparatus and related methods

• US 8,936,199 B2
• Filed: 04/23/2012
• Issued: 01/20/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Lepp, James Randolph Winter, Cormier, Jean-Philippe Paul, Schwandt, Sheldon Terry, Los, Oleg, Braun, Petra
• Primary Examiner(s): Frech, Karl D
• Application Number:
  US13/453,551
• Publication Number:
  US 20130270349A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,002 Days
• Field of Search: 235/487, 235/492, 235/375, 235/380
• US Class Current: 235/492
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0719 at least one of the integrated circuit chips comprising an arrangement for application selection, e.g. an acceleration sensor or a set of radio buttons application selection on smart cards using pure software control, see G07F7/10
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0772 Physical layout of the record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07733 the record carrier containing at least one further contact interface not conform ISO-7816
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07743 External electrical contacts

Abstract

UICC apparatus and related methods are disclosed herein. An example UICC apparatus disclosed herein includes a contact pad having a plurality of electrical contacts positioned or oriented to define a plurality of electrical contact patterns. The plurality of electrical contact patterns defining at least a first electrical contact pattern to communicate with a first input device and a second electrical contact pattern to communicate with a second input device, where the first input device has a dimensional profile that is different than a dimensional profile of the second input device.

Claims

1. A UICC apparatus comprising:

a contact pad having a plurality of electrical contacts positioned or oriented to define a plurality of electrical contact patterns on a common surface, the plurality of electrical contact patterns having a first plurality of electrical contacts providing at least a first electrical contact pattern and a second plurality of electrical contacts providing at least a second electrical contact pattern, the first and second plurality of electrical contacts being positioned on the common surface such that the first electrical contact pattern includes at least one of the second plurality of electrical contacts associated with the second electrical contact pattern.

2. The UICC of claim 1, wherein none of the first plurality of electrical contacts define the second electrical contact pattern.

3. The UICC of claim 1, wherein a first electrical contact from the first plurality of electrical contacts and a second electrical contact from the second plurality of electrical contacts having common electrical contact classifications are electrically coupled by a common surface area.

4. The UICC of claim 1, wherein the UICC further comprises a retention feature positioned along an edge of a body of the UICC.

5. The UICC of claim 1, wherein the first plurality of electrical contacts are positioned on the contact pad in a first row of electrical contacts to define the first electrical contact pattern and the second plurality of electrical contacts are positioned on the contact pad in a second row of electrical contacts.

6. The UICC of claim 5, wherein the plurality of electrical contacts have a third plurality of electrical contacts positioned on the contact pad in a third row of electrical contacts to define at least a portion of the first electrical contact pattern or the second electrical contact pattern.

7. The UICC of claim 6, wherein the second row of electrical contacts is positioned between the first and third rows, the first row of electrical contacts is positioned adjacent a first edge of a body of the UICC, and the third row of electrical contacts is positioned adjacent a second edge of the body of the UICC, the first edge being opposite the second edge.

8. The UICC of claim 7, wherein at least a portion of the first row of electrical contacts and at least a portion of the third row of electrical contacts define the first electrical contact pattern.

9. The UICC of claim 8, wherein the first row of electrical contacts comprises a reset contact C2 positioned between a voltage contact C1 and a clock contact C3, and the third row of electrical contacts comprises a ground contact C5 and an input/output contact C7.

10. The UICC of claim 9, wherein the third row of electrical contacts further comprises a single-wire protocol contact C6 positioned between the ground contact C5and the input/output contact C7, wherein the single-wire protocol contact C6 positioned in the third row of electrical contacts further defines the first electrical contact pattern.

11. The UICC of claim 8, further comprising a fourth row of electrical contacts positioned between the first and third rows of electrical contacts.

12. The UICC of claim 11, wherein at least a portion of the fourth row of electrical contacts further defines the first electrical contact pattern.

13. The UICC of claim 12, wherein the fourth row of electrical contacts comprises a first auxiliary contact C4 positioned adjacent a second auxiliary contact C8.

14. The UICC of claim 7, wherein the second row of electrical contacts defines the second electrical contact pattern.

15. The UICC of claim 14, wherein the second row of electrical contacts defines a single-row electrical contact pattern.

16. The UICC of claim 15, wherein the second row of electrical contacts defines a voltage contact C1 positioned adjacent a third edge of the body of the UICC, a ground contact C5 positioned adjacent the voltage contact C1, a reset contact C2 positioned adjacent the ground contact C5, an input/output contact C7 positioned adjacent the reset contact C2, a clock contact C3 positioned adjacent the input/output contact C7, and the input/output contact C7 is positioned adjacent a fourth edge of the body.

17. The UICC of claim 16, wherein the second row further comprises a single-wire protocol contact C6 positioned between the reset contact C2 and the input/output contact C7.

18. The UICC of claim 17, further comprising a fourth row of electrical contacts positioned between the first and third rows of electrical contacts and adjacent the second row of electrical contacts, wherein at least a portion of the fourth row of electrical contacts further defines the second electrical contact pattern.

19. The UICC of claim 1, wherein a first electrical contact from the first plurality of electrical contacts and a second electrical contact from the second plurality of electrical contacts have common electrical contact classifications or properties.

20. The UICC of claim 19, wherein the first electrical contact and the second electrical contact having the common electrical contact classification are electrically coupled via the common surface.

21. The UICC of claim 20, wherein the first electrical contact has a first dimensional profile or shape and the second electrical contact has a second dimensional profile or shape.

22. The UICC of claim 21, wherein the first dimensional profile or shape is different than the second dimensional profile or shape.

23. A UICC apparatus comprising:

a contact pad;

a first plurality of electrical contacts positioned on the contact pad to provide a first electrical contact pattern;

a second plurality of electrical contacts positioned on the contact pad to provide a second electrical contact pattern, the first electrical contact pattern different than the second electrical contact pattern; and

a third plurality of electrical contacts positioned on the contact pad to provide a third electrical contact pattern, the third electrical contact pattern being different than the first and second electrical contact patterns.

24. The UICC of claim 23, wherein the first plurality of electrical contacts includes a first row of electrical contacts, the second plurality of electrical contacts includes a second row of electrical contacts, and the third plurality of electrical contacts includes a third row of electrical contacts.

25. The UICC of claim 24, wherein at least one electrical contact in the first row of electrical contacts has a dimensional profile or shape that is different than a dimensional profile or shape of an electrical contact of the second row of electrical contacts.

26. The UICC of claim 24, wherein the second row of electrical contacts is positioned between the first and third rows of electrical contacts.

27. The UICC of claim 26, wherein the first and third rows of electrical contacts define the first electrical contact pattern and the second row of electrical contacts defines the second electrical contact pattern.

28. The UICC of claim 27, wherein the first and third rows of electrical contacts provide a grid-like pattern and the second row of electrical contacts provides a single-row configuration.

29. The UICC of claim 24, further comprising a fourth row of electrical contacts positioned between the first and third rows of electrical contacts and adjacent the second row of electrical contacts.

30. The UICC of claim 29, wherein the fourth row of electrical contacts further defines the first electrical contact pattern or the second electrical contact pattern.

31. The UICC of claim 24, wherein the first plurality of electrical contacts have a dimensional profile or shape that is different than a dimensional profile or shape of the second plurality of electrical contacts.

32. The UICC of claim 31, wherein a portion of the first plurality of electrical contacts in the second row of electrical contacts and the second plurality of electrical contacts in the second row of electrical contacts define the second electrical contact pattern, wherein the second electrical contact pattern comprises a single-row configuration.

33. The UICC of claim 31, wherein the first row of electrical contacts and the second plurality of electrical contacts in the second row of electrical contacts define a third electrical contact pattern.

34. The UICC of claim 31, wherein at least a portion of the first plurality of electrical contacts in the second row of electrical contacts and the third row of electrical contacts define a fourth electrical contact pattern.

35. The UICC of claim 23, wherein the third plurality of electrical contacts has a dimensional profile or shape that are different than the dimensional profile or shape of the first plurality of electrical contacts or the second plurality of electrical contacts.

36. The UICC of claim 23, wherein an electrical contact from the third plurality of electrical contacts is positioned adjacent to at least two electrical contacts from the second plurality of electrical contacts.

37. The UICC of claim 23, wherein a first electrical contact from the first plurality of electrical contacts and a second electrical contact from the second plurality of electrical contacts have common electrical contact classifications or properties.

38. A UICC apparatus comprising:

a contact pad;

a first plurality of electrical contacts positioned on the contact pad to provide a first electrical contact pattern; and

a second plurality of electrical contacts positioned on the contact pad to provide a second electrical contact pattern, the first electrical contact pattern different than the second electrical contact pattern, and wherein a first electrical contact from the first plurality of electrical contacts and a second electrical contact from the second plurality of electrical contacts have common electrical contact classifications or properties, wherein the first electrical contact pattern provides a grid-like pattern and the second electrical contact pattern provides a single-row pattern.