MEMORY CARD AND TERMINAL EQUIPMENT INCORPORATING THE SAME

• US 20070108280A1
• Filed: 10/30/2006
• Published: 05/17/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Yang, Fang, LI, JIN
• Application Number:
  US11/554,416
• Publication Number:
  US 20070108280A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/451
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0723 the record carrier comprising an arrangement for non-contact communication, e.g. wireless communication circuits on transponder cards, non-contact smart cards or RFIDs
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07732 the record carrier having a housing or construction similar to well-known portable memory devices, such as SD cards, USB or memory sticks housings for electrical equipment in general, see H05K5/02
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10297 arrangements for handling protocols designed for non-contact record carriers such as RFIDs NFCs, e.g. ISO/IEC 14443 and 18092 cryptographic protocols H04L9/00; network security protocols H04L63/00; real-time communication protocols in data switching networks H04L65/00; network protocols for data switching network services H04L67/00

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention provide a memory card with RFID function, which includes a memory unit and a memory card interface for exchanging data stored in the memory unit with external equipment, wherein the data stored in the memory unit includes RFID configuration information, the memory card further includes: an RFID function unit, which configures itself with the RFID configuration information stored in the memory unit and identifies received radio frequency signals. Furthermore, the invention provides a terminal equipment incorporating the memory card. Embodiments of the invention can extend a terminal equipment to include RFID function through the memory card at lower cost and better compatibility, so as to meet market demand.

Claims

1. A memory card, comprising a memory unit and a memory card interface for exchanging data stored in the memory unit with external equipment, wherein the data stored in the memory unit comprises RFID configuration information, the memory card further comprises:

an RFID function unit, which configures itself with the RFID configuration information stored in the memory unit and identifies received radio frequency signals.

2. The memory card according to claim 1, wherein the RFID function unit is an RFID card reader unit.

3. The memory card according to claim 2, wherein the RFID card reader unit comprises:

a codec unit for encoding/decoding RFID data in accordance with card reading function as specified in RFID protocol;

a MODEM unit for modulating the RFID data into corresponding RFID signals or demodulating RFID signals into corresponding RFID data;

an RFID signal transceiver unit for sending/receiving the RFID signals to/from the MODEM unit.

4. The memory card according to claim 3, wherein the RFID signal transceiver unit is a coupling antenna.

5. The memory card according to claim 1, wherein the RFID function unit is an RFID inductor unit.

6. The memory card according to claim 5, wherein the RFID inductor unit comprises:

a codec unit for encoding/decoding RFID data in accordance with induction function as specified in RFID protocol;

a MODEM unit for modulating the RFID data into corresponding RFID signals or demodulating RFID signals into corresponding RFID data;

an RFID signal transceiver unit for sending/receiving the RFID signals to/from the MODEM unit.

7. The memory card according to claim 1, wherein the RFID configuration information is RFID configuration information in diverse RFID protocols.

8. A terminal equipment incorporating a memory card which comprises a memory unit and a memory card interface for exchanging data stored in the memory unit with the terminal equipment, wherein the data stored in the memory unit comprises RFID configuration information, the memory card further comprises:

an RFID function unit, which configures itself with the RFID configuration information stored in the memory unit and identifies received radio frequency signals.

9. The terminal equipment incorporating the memory card according to claim 8, wherein the RFID function unit is an RFID card reader unit.

10. The terminal equipment incorporating the memory card according to claim 9, wherein the RFID card reader unit comprises:

a codec unit for encoding/decoding RFID data in accordance with card reading function as specified in RFID protocol;

a MODEM unit for modulating the RFID data into corresponding RFID signals or demodulating RFID signals into corresponding RFID data;

an RFID signal transceiver unit for sending/receiving the RFID signals to/from the MODEM unit.

11. The terminal equipment incorporating the memory card according to claim 10, wherein the RFID transceiver unit is a coupling antenna.

12. The terminal equipment incorporating the memory card according to claim 8, wherein the RFID function unit is an RFID inductor unit.

13. The terminal equipment incorporating the memory card according to claim 12, wherein the RFID inductor unit comprises:

a codec unit for encoding/decoding RFID data in accordance with induction function as specified in RFID protocol;

a MODEM unit for modulating the RFID data into corresponding RFID signals or demodulating RFID signals into corresponding RFID data;

an RFID signal transceiver unit for sending/receiving the RFID signals to/from the MODEM unit.

14. The terminal equipment incorporating the memory card according to claim 8, wherein the terminal equipment is a handheld terminal equipment with an external memory card interface.

15. The terminal equipment incorporating the memory card according to claim 14, wherein the handheld terminal equipment with the external memory card interface is a mobile telephone, digital camera, MP3 device, PDA, or DV.

16. The terminal equipment incorporating the memory card according to claim 8, wherein the RFID configuration information is RFID configuration information in diverse RFID protocols.

17. A terminal equipment for operating a memory card with an RFID function according to RFID configuration information stored in the memory card, the terminal equipment comprising an interface for receiving the memory card, and a controller unit for accessing data stored in the memory card via the interface, and reading or writing the data derived from RFID information.

18. The terminal equipment according to claim 17, wherein, the controller unit holds the memory card as an accessible space mapped to the file system of the terminal equipment, and performs read/write operation for the memory card via the interface.

19. The terminal equipment according to claim 18, wherein, the controller unit reads or writes the data stored in the memory card derived from RFID information as an RFID file.

20. The terminal equipment according to claim 18, wherein, the controller unit updates RFID configuration information in the memory card to update the RFID protocol of the memory card.