NFC routing method

• US 9,838,941 B2
• Filed: 10/15/2014
• Issued: 12/05/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: STMicroelectronics International N.V. (STMicroelectronics NV)
• Original Assignee: Proton World International N.V. (STMicroelectronics NV)
• Inventors: Van Nieuwenhuyze, Olivier
• Primary Examiner(s): WEST, LEWIS G
• Application Number:
  US14/514,868
• Publication Number:
  US 20150111495A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,147 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/45 Transponders
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/72 for local intradevice communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/77 for interrogation
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/02 Communication route or path selection, e.g. power-based or shortest path routing

Abstract

A near field communication (NFC) router of a mobile device receives a first message from an external NFC device and, in accordance with a first active rule, processes the first message as being targeted to a first host processing device of the mobile device. When the NFC router receives a second message from the external NFC device and detects a bit pattern in the second message indicating that the first host processing device is not an intended target of the second message, the NFC router activates a second rule. When the NFC router receives a further first message from the external NFC device, the NFC router processes the further first message as being targeted to a target host processing device in accordance with the second active rule.

Claims

1. A device, comprising:

one or more memories; and

processing circuitry, which, in operation;

responds to a first near field communication (NFC) message from an external NFC device by identifying a first processing device of a plurality of processing devices and processing the first NFC message based on the first identified processing device of the plurality of processing devices;

determines, based on bits of a second NFC message received from the external NFC device, whether the second NFC message was directed to the first identified processing device; and

when it is determined that the second NFC message was not directed to the first identified first processing device of the plurality of processing devices, responds to a third NFC message by identifying a second processing device of the plurality of processing devices and processing the third NFC message received from the external NFC device based on the second identified processing device, wherein the processing circuitry, in operation, responds to the first NFC message received from the external NFC device by applying a first processing rule, and, when it is determined that the second NEC message received from the external NFC device was not directed to the first identified processing device, responds to the third NFC message received from the external NFC device without applying the first processing rule.

2. The device of claim 1, comprising an NFC router including the processing circuitry.

3. The device of claim 1 wherein the memory stores a look-up table and the processing circuitry, in operation, identifies processing devices of the plurality of processing devices and determines whether the second NFC message was directed to the first identified processing device based on the look-up table.

4. The device of claim 1 wherein the first and third NFC messages received from the external NFC device are NFC polling messages.

5. The device of claim 1 wherein the plurality of processing devices comprise a host processor of a mobile device and at least one secure element of the mobile device.

6. The device of claim 1 wherein the processing circuitry, in response to said first NFC message, transmits a response message to said external NFC device.

7. The device of claim 6 wherein said response message comprises an identifier of the first identified processing device, and wherein said bits of the second NFC message comprise a combination in said second message of at least part of the identifier of said first processing device and of one or more bits indicating an NFC application type incompatible with said first processing device.

8. The device of claim 1 wherein the plurality of processing devices include a processing device which emulates a contactless integrated circuit card.

9. The device of claim 1 wherein said first NFC message is a polling messages of NFC RF transmission type F.

10. The device of claim 1 wherein the plurality of processing devices include at least one of a subscriber identification module (SIM) circuit and a universal SIM.

11. A system, comprising:

a plurality of processing devices; and

a near field communication router, which, in operation;

responds to a first near field communication (NFC) message from an external NFC device by identifying a processing device of the plurality of processing devices and processing the first NFC message based on the identified processing device of the plurality of processing devices;

determines, based on bits of a second NFC message received from the external NFC device, whether the second NFC message was directed to the identified processing device; and

responds to a third NFC message received from the external NFC device based on the determination, wherein the NFC router, in operation, responds to the first NFC message received from the external NEC device by applying a first processing rule, and, when it is determined that the second NFC message received from the external NFC device was not directed to the identified processing device, responds to the third NFC message received from the external NFC device without applying the first processing rule.

12. The system of claim 11, comprising a memory storing a look-up table, wherein the NFR router, in operation, determines whether the second NFC message was directed to the identified processing device based on the look-up table.

13. The system of claim 11 wherein the first and third NFC messages received from the external NFC device are NFC polling messages.

14. The system of claim 11 wherein the plurality of processing devices comprise a host processor of a mobile device and at least one secure element of the mobile device.

15. The system of claim 11 wherein,

when it is determined that the second NFC message was not directed to the identified processing device of the plurality of processing devices, the NFC router, in operation, identifies a second processing device of the plurality of processing devices and processes the third NFC message based on second identified processing device of the plurality of processing devices.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable memory medium whose contents cause a near field communication router to perform a method, the method comprising:

responding to a first near field communication (NFC) message from an external NFC device by identifying a processing device of a plurality of processing devices and processing the first NFC message based on the identified processing device of the plurality of processing devices;

determining, based on bits of a second NFC message received from the external NFC device, whether the second NFC message was directed to the identified processing device; and

responding to a third NFC message received from the external NFC device based on the determination, wherein the method comprises responding to the first NFC message received from the external NEC device by applying a first processing rule, and, when it is determined that the second NFC message received from the external NFC device was not directed to the identified processing device, responding to the third NFC message received from the external NEC device without applying the first processing rule.

17. The medium of claim 16 wherein the determining whether the second NFC message was directed to the identified processing device is based on a look-up table.

18. The medium of claim 16 wherein when it is determined that the second NFC message was not directed to the identified processing device of the plurality of processing devices, the method comprises identifying a second processing device of the plurality of processing devices and processing the third NFC message based on second identified processing device of the plurality of processing devices.

19. A method, comprising:

responding, by a near field communication (NFC) router, to a first NFC message from an external NFC device by identifying a first processing device of a plurality of processing devices and processing the first NFC message based on the first identified processing device of the plurality of processing devices;

determining, by the NFC router and based on bits of a second NFC message received from the external NFC device, whether the second NFC message is directed to the first identified processing device; and

when it is determined that the second NFC message was not directed to the first identified processing device of the plurality of processing devices, responding to a third NFC message by identifying a second processing device of the plurality of processing devices and processing the third NFC message received from the external NFC device based on the second identified processing device, wherein the method includes;

responding to the first NFC message received from the NFC device by applying a first processing rule; and

when it is determined that the second NFC message received from the NFC device was not directed to the identified processing device, responding to the third NFC message received from the NFC device without applying the first processing rule.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the determining whether the second NFC message is directed to the first identified processing device comprises accessing a look up table.

21. The method of claim 19 wherein the first and third NFC messages received from the external NFC device are NFC polling messages.

22. The method of claim 19 wherein the plurality of processing devices comprise a host processor of a mobile device and at least one secure element of the mobile device.

23. A method, comprising:

responding, using near field communication (NFC) circuitry, to a first NFC message from an NFC device by identifying a processing device of the plurality of processing devices and processing the first NFC message based on the identified processing device of the plurality of processing devices;

determining, using the NFC circuitry and based on bits of a second NFC message received from the NFC device, whether the second NFC message was directed to the identified processing device; and

responding, using the NFC circuitry, to a third NFC message received from the NFC device based on the determination, wherein the method includes;

responding to the first NEC message received from the NEC device by applying a first processing rule; and

when it is determined that the second NFC message received from the NFC device was not directed to the identified processing device, responding to the third NEC message received from the NFC device without applying the first processing rule.

24. The method of claim 23, comprising determining whether the second NFC message was directed to the identified processing device based on a look-up table.

25. The method of claim 23 wherein the first and third NFC messages received from the NFC device are NFC polling messages.

26. The method of claim 23 wherein the plurality of processing devices comprise a host processor of a mobile device and at least one secure element of the mobile device.