Adapter for personal electronic devices and methods of use thereof

• US 9,400,756 B2
• Filed: 01/23/2014
• Issued: 07/26/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/23/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: On Track Innovations Limited (Nayax Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: On Track Innovations Limited (Nayax Ltd.)
• Inventors: Kaplun, George, Itay, Nehemya, Gazit, Nir, Haroosh, Yaacov
• Primary Examiner(s): Nam, Hyun
• Application Number:
  US14/162,245
• Publication Number:
  US 20150205734A1
• Time in Patent Office: 915 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/102 where the programme performs an interfacing function, e.g. device driver G06F13/105 takes precedence; scheduling within device drivers G06F9/52; contention policies within device drivers G06F9/4881

Abstract

An adapter for converting signals in a first format to signals in a second format for enabling a personal electronic device such as laptop computer, tablet computer, smartphone and the like, to communicate with a contactless smart card reader via another adapter. Embodiments include an adapter for enabling a personal electronic device to communicate, via communication channel comprising data signals over universal serial bus (USB) channel, with a contactless smart card reader.

Claims

1. A system for enabling a personal electronic device to communicate over near field communication (NFC), the system comprising:

a first adapter configured to convert signals between a universal serial bus (USB) signal format and signals in a format of data modulated over audio signals, the first adapter comprising;

a USB connector configured to communicate with the personal electronic device using signals in the USB signal format;

a headset audio connector configured to communicate with a second adapter using the modulated audio signal format; and

a controller configured to convert signals between the USB signal format received from the USB connector and signals in the modulated audio signal format to be communicated over the headset audio connector of the first adapter to the second adapter;

a second adapter configured to exchange data with the headset audio connector of the first adapter using the signals in the modulated audio signal format and to switch between communicating signals in a contact mode of communication and a contactless mode of communication over near field communication (NFC).

2. The system of claim 1 wherein said controller in the first adapter comprises a non-transitory storage medium storing programs and parameters.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the contact communication of said second adapter is disabled in response to radio frequency (RF) field sensed by said antenna.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein a RF signal received by said antenna is prevented from reaching said combination contact/contactless chip in response to an ANT DIS signal.

5. The system of claim 1, where said second adapter further comprises a power supply unit.

6. The system of claim 5 further comprising a charger unit to charge a battery comprised in said power supply unit.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein said power supply further comprises DC-DC step-down converter for receiving electrical power from said power supply unit and convert its voltage to approximately 1.8V DC.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein said DC-DC step-down converter is enabled only if at least one signal from a list comprising 5V USB signal and MIC signal from said headset audio connector is present.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the first adapter comprises a voltage regulator to regulate DC voltage received from the USB connector and to regulate and provide DC voltage to the headset audio connector.

10. A method for enabling a personal electronic device to communicate over near field communication (NFC), the method comprising:

in a first adapter configured to convert signals between a universal serial bus (USB) signal format and signals in a format of data modulated over audio signals;

communicating with the personal electronic device via a USB connector supporting signals in the USB signal format;

converting signals between the USB signal format received from the USB connector and signals in the modulated audio signal format; and

communicating the signals in the modulated audio signal format with a second adapter via the headset audio connector,

in the second adapter configured to exchange data with the headset audio connector of the first adapter using the signals in the modulated audio signal format;

switching between communicating signals in a contact mode of communication and a contactless mode of communication over near field communication (NFC).