Prevention of inductive coupling between components of a mobile communication device

• US 9,763,033 B1
• Filed: 07/08/2016
• Issued: 09/12/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile Innovations LLC (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Cordes, Kevin R., Loman, Clinton H., Paczkowski, Lyle W., Steele, Kenneth R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Tuan A
• Application Number:
  US15/206,002
• Time in Patent Office: 431 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/72 for local intradevice communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/16 Threshold monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

A method of organizing components of a mobile communication device. The method comprises orienting a radio frequency identity chip of the mobile communication device relative to a general purpose near field communication transceiver of the mobile communication device, locating the radio frequency identity chip in a null region of an electromagnetic field radiated by the general purpose near field communication transceiver, whereby, the null region of the electromagnetic field may be below a threshold required to activate the radio frequency identity chip.

Claims

1. A method of organizing components of a mobile communication device, comprising:

orienting a radio frequency identity (RFID) chip on the mobile communication device relative to a general purpose near field communication (NFC) transceiver on the mobile communication device, wherein the RFID chip comprises an antenna and the general purpose NFC transceiver produces an electromagnetic field that has a null region; and

locating the RFID chip on the mobile communication device such that the antenna of the RFID chip is aligned in the null region of the electromagnetic field radiated by the general purpose NFC transceiver, wherein the null region of the electromagnetic field produced by the general purpose NFC transceiver provides less than a threshold amount of power required to activate the RFID chip via the antenna.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising, in addition to locating the RFID chip in the null region of the electromagnetic field, configuring an antenna geometry of the RFID chip to further attenuate the electromagnetic field.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the RFID chip is operable to transmit a biographical digest to a NFC scanner.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile communication device is one of a mobile phone, a smart phone, a personal digital assistant, a media player, a laptop computer, a notebook computer, or a tablet computer.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the RFID chip is coupled to an internal circuit board of the mobile communication device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein locating the RFID chip in the null region of the electromagnetic field radiated by the general purpose NFC transceiver prevents inductive coupling between the general purpose NFC transceiver and the RFID chip.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the RFID chip transmits a biographical digest to an external NFC scanner while inductive coupling with the general purpose NFC transceiver is prevented by locating the RFID chip in the null region of the electromagnetic field radiated by the general purpose NFC transceiver.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the biographical digest comprises information about the mobile communication device.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the information about the mobile communication device comprises one or more of a manufacturer identity, a device model identity, an initial hardware version identity, an initial software version identity, an initial preferred roaming list identity, a current software version identity, or a current preferred roaming list identity.

10. A mobile communication device, comprising:

a general purpose near field communication (NFC) transceiver configured to produce an electromagnetic field,

a radio frequency identity (RFID) chip, and

an electromagnetic shield that attenuates the strength of the electromagnetic field radiated by the general purpose NFC transceiver that is incident upon the RFID chip, wherein the RFID chip and the electromagnetic shield are disposed within the mobile communication device such that the RFID chip receives less than a threshold amount of power required to activate the RFID chip from the electromagnetic field produced by the general purpose NFC transceiver of the mobile communication device.

11. The mobile communication device of claim 10, wherein the electromagnetic shield comprises conductive or magnetic materials.

12. The mobile communication device of claim 10, wherein the electromagnetic shield is attached to an internal circuit board of the mobile communication device.

13. The mobile communication device of claim 10, wherein the electromagnetic shield is integral to a rear shell or cover of the mobile communication device.

14. The mobile communication device of claim 10, wherein an antenna geometry on the RFID chip is configured to attenuate the electromagnetic field.

15. The mobile communication device of claim 10, wherein the RFID chip transmits a plurality of items of a biographical digest to a NFC scanner.

16. The mobile communication device of claim 10, wherein the mobile communication device is one of a mobile phone, a smart phone, a personal digital assistant, a media player, a laptop computer, a notebook computer, or a tablet computer.

17. The mobile communication device of claim 10, wherein the electromagnetic shield prevents inductive coupling between the general purpose NFC transceiver and the RFID chip.

18. The mobile communication device of claim 17, wherein the RFID chip transmits a biographical digest to an external NFC scanner while inductive coupling with the general purpose NFC transceiver is prevented by the electromagnetic shield.

19. The mobile communication device of claim 18, wherein the biographical digest comprises information about the mobile communication device.

20. The mobile communication device of claim 19, wherein the information about the mobile communication device comprises one or more of a manufacturer identity, a device model identity, an initial hardware version identity, an initial software version identity, an initial preferred roaming list identity, a current software version identity, or a current preferred roaming list identity.