Multifunction smart card

• US 10,007,873 B2
• Filed: 07/24/2013
• Issued: 06/26/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: KT Corporation
• Original Assignee: KT Corporation
• Inventors: Heo, Kook, Kim, Sung-Chul, Jeung, Youn-Pil
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Thien M
• Assistant Examiner(s): TAYLOR, APRIL ALICIA
• Application Number:
  US13/949,657
• Publication Number:
  US 20140027506A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,798 Days
• Field of Search: 235380, 235381, 235383, 235492, 705 13, 705 35, 705 39, 705 41
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0725 the arrangement being a circuit for emulating a plurality of record carriers, e.g. a single RFID tag capable of representing itself to a reader as a cloud of RFID tags
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 5/00 Methods or arrangements for verifying the correctness of markings on a record carrier; Column detection devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/322 Aspects of commerce using mobile devices [M-devices]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3278 RFID or NFC payments by means of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/352 Contactless payments by cards
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/353 Payments by cards read by M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3576 Multiple memory zones on card

Abstract

The disclosure is related to providing a payment processing service and a near field communication (NFC) tag processing service through the single smart card. The smart card may store identification (ID) information of one of a payment card and a NFC tag at a first memory sector and store associated information for providing a related service as the payment card and the NFC tag at predetermined memory sectors. The smart card may be also implemented with a NFC tag applet providing the ID information and the associated information as the NFC tag to the user terminal. The smart card may be recognized as the NFC tag while storing the ID information for the payment card at the first memory sector in the memory or as the payment card while storing the ID information for the NFC tag at the first memory sector in the memory.

Claims

1. A smart card comprising:

a memory configured to store one of identification (ID) information of a payment card and ID information of a near field communication (NFC) tag at a first memory sector and to store associated information for providing a related service as the payment card and the NFC tag at predetermined memory sectors; and

a control processor configured to operate with a NFC tag applet invoked in response to an associated selection signal from a user terminal when the user terminal operates in a NFC tag processing mode and when the smart card is set as the payment card by storing the ID information of the payment card in the first memory sector of the memory, and to provide the ID information of the NFC tag and the associated information of the NFC tag to the user terminal by the invoked NFC tag applet

wherein the memory has a predetermined classic format and the first memory sector is an Application identifier sector.

2. The smart card of claim 1, wherein the smart card is configured to, while recognized as the NFC tag, store the ID information for the payment card at the first memory sector in the memory.

3. The smart card of claim 1, wherein the smart card is configured to, while recognized as the payment card, store the ID information for the NFC tag at the first memory sector in the memory.

4. The smart card of claim 1, wherein the memory is configured to store both the NFC tag ID information and the payment card ID information as the ID information for the NFC tag and the payment card.

5. The smart card of claim 4, wherein the NFC tag ID information is a NFC data exchange format application identifier (NDEF AID).

6. The smart card of claim 1, wherein the memory is configured to:

store NFC tag ID information at the first memory sector as the ID information for the NFC tag; and

store payment service ID information as the ID information for the payment card and store associated payment information at predetermined memory sectors, other than at the first memory sector.

7. The smart card of claim 6, wherein the predetermined memory sectors are defined and appointed by at least one of a related international smart card organization and a related service provider group.

8. The smart card of claim 1, wherein:

the control processor is configured to invoke the NFC tag applet in response to the selection signal that selects an application identifier of the NFC tag applet; and

the user terminal transmits the selection signal when the memory stores payment service ID information at the first memory sector.

9. The smart card of claim 1, wherein the NFC tag applet provides NFC tag ID information and associated NFC tag contents information to the user terminal.

10. The smart card of claim 1, wherein the NFC tag applet is a program implemented within the control processor based on related international smart card standards including a Global Platform.

11. The smart card of claim 1, wherein the NFC tag applet is implemented based on a NFC forum type 4 tag operation specifications.

12. A method of a user terminal for providing one of a payment processing service and a near field communication (NFC) tag processing service through single smart card, the method comprising:

recognizing, as a NFC tag, the smart card set as a payment card by invoking a NFC tag applet implemented with the smart card when the user terminal operates in a NFC tag processing mode, wherein the smart card set as the payment card stores identification (ID) information of the payment card at a first memory sector; and

recognizing, as a payment card, the smart card set as a NFC tag by reading information stored in a predetermined memory sector different from the first memory sector when the user terminal operates in a payment processing mode wherein the smart card set as the NFC tag stores ID information of the NFC tag at the first memory sector,

wherein the memory has a predetermined classic format and the first memory sector is an Application identifier sector.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the recognizing the smart card as a NFC tag includes:

determining whether the first memory sector of the memory stores NFC tag ID information or payment service ID information;

initiating the NFC tag applet implemented in the smart card when the first memory sector stores the payment service ID information; and

recognizing the smart card as the NFC tag based on information obtained through the NFC tag applet.

14. The method of claim 13, comprising:

obtaining NFC tag content information stored in the smart card through the NFC tag applet;

determining a content type of the obtained NFC tag content information; and

providing a NFC tag processing service based on the determined content type and the obtained NFC tag content information.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the recognizing the smart card as a payment card includes:

determining whether the first memory sector of the memory stores NFC tag ID information or payment service ID information;

obtaining the payment service ID information and associated payment information from predetermined memory sectors of the memory of the smart card;

recognizing the smart card as the obtained payment service ID information; and

providing the payment processing service based on the obtained payment information in cooperation with a related server.

16. The method of claim 12, comprising;

regularly scanning a surrounding area to sense the smart card;

determining an operation mode of the user terminal between the payment processing mode and the NFC tag processing mode, when the smart card is sensed;

in a payment processing mode, activating a payment card processor for recognizing the smart card as the payment card when ID information of the NFC tag is stored in the first memory sector of the memory in the smart card; and

in a NFC tag processing mode, activating a NFC tag processor for recognizing the smart card as a NFC tag when identification (ID) information of a payment card is stored in the first memory sector of the memory in the smart card.

17. A user terminal of providing a payment processing service and a near field communication (NFC) tag processing service through single smart card, the user terminal comprising:

a sensor configured to regularly scan surrounding area for sensing the smart card and to transmit an activation signal according to an operation mode of the user terminal;

a payment card processor configured to be activated in response to the activation signal from the sensor when the operation mode of the user terminal is a payment processing mode and to recognize, as a payment card, the smart card setup as a NFC tag by reading information stored in a predetermined memory sector of a memory in the smart card when identification (ID) information of the NFC tag is stored in a first memory sector of the memory in the smart card; and

a NFC tag processor configured to be activated in response to the activation signal from the sensor when the operation mode of the user terminal is a NFC tag processing mode and to recognize, as the NFC tag, the smart card setup as the payment card by invoking a NFC tag applet implemented with the smart card when ID information of the payment card is stored in the first memory sector of the memory in the smart card,

wherein the memory has a predetermined classic format and the first memory sector is an Application identifier sector.

18. The user terminal of claim 17, wherein the NFC tag processor is configured to:

determine whether the first memory sector of the memory stores NFC tag ID information or payment service ID information;

initiate the NFC tag applet implemented in the smart card when the first memory sector stores the payment service ID information;

recognize the smart card as the NFC tag based on information obtained through the NFC tag applet;

obtain NFC tag content information stored in the smart card through the NFC tag applet;

determine a content type of the obtained NFC tag content information; and

provide the NFC tag processing service based on the determined content type and the obtained NFC tag content information.

19. The user terminal of claim 17, wherein the payment card processor is configured to:

determine whether the first memory sector of the memory stores NFC tag ID information or payment service ID information;

obtain the payment service ID information and associated payment information from predetermined memory sectors of the memory of the smart card;

recognize the smart card as the obtained payment service ID information; and

provide the payment processing service based on the obtained payment information in cooperation with a related server.