Method and system for in-band password management for inductive wireless charging

• US 9,953,174 B2
• Filed: 08/31/2015
• Issued: 04/24/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2015
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NXP B.V. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Original Assignee: NXP B.V. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Inventors: Niessen, Patrick
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, TRONG H
• Application Number:
  US14/841,602
• Publication Number:
  US 20170061142A1
• Time in Patent Office: 967 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/26 Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof for memories G11C
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/604 Tools and structures for managing or administering access control systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/81 by operating on the power supply, e.g. enabling or disabling power-on, sleep or resume operations
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/80 involving the exchange of data, concerning supply or distribution of electric power, between transmitting devices and receiving devices
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00034 Charger exchanging data with an electronic device, i.e. telephone, whose internal battery is under charge

Abstract

A method for authorizing a service is disclosed. In the embodiment, the method involves receiving a packet carried via a first power signal according to an inductive wireless power transfer communications protocol, the packet received at a power receiver within a mobile device, extracting a password from the received packet, storing the extracted password in memory within the mobile device, transmitting the stored password in a packet via a second power signal according to the inductive wireless transfer communications protocol to authorize a service.

Claims

1. A method for authorizing a service, the method comprising:

transmitting a packet having a negotiation bit to a power transmitter, wherein the negotiation bit is set to indicate that negotiation is possible;

receiving, at a power receiver within a mobile device, a packet carried via a first power signal according to an inductive wireless power transfer communications protocol; and

responsive to determining that the negotiation bit is set;

extracting a password from the received packet;

storing the extracted password in memory within the power receiver; and

transmitting the stored password in a packet via a second power signal according to the inductive wireless power transfer communications protocol to authorize the service; and

responsive to determining that the negotiation bit is not set, then the service is authorized at a reduced level;

wherein the power receiver is configured without a pathway by which a user of the mobile device can see the password stored in the memory or see the received packet.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the extracting is performed in response to:

receiving the packet carried via the first power signal; and

recognizing that a packet header of the received packet indicates a presence of the password in the received packet.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the service is a transmission of power for charging the mobile device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the packet having the negotiation bit, the received packet, and the packet transmitted via the second power signal use Qi protocol packet structure.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the password from the received packet corresponds to a service in a plurality of services.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

powering on the power receiver with power received from at least one of the first power signal and a third power signal; and

performing the extracting, the storing, and the transmitting the stored password using the power received from the at least one of the first power signal and the third power signal;

wherein the third power signal is used to affect a power transfer.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein additional components within the mobile device are not powered on to perform the extracting, the storing, and the transmitting the stored password.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the password from the received packet is transmitted in response to a negotiation request from the power receiver.

9. A method for inductive wireless charging of a mobile device, the method comprising:

transmitting a packet having a negotiation bit to a power transmitter, wherein the negotiation bit is set to indicate that negotiation is possible;

receiving, at a power receiver within the mobile device, a packet carried via a first power signal according to an inductive wireless power transfer communications protocol; and

responsive to determining that the negotiation bit is set;

extracting a password from the received packet;

storing the extracted password in memory within the power receiver;

transmitting the stored password in a packet via a second power signal according to the inductive wireless power transfer communications protocol; and

receiving a power transfer at the power receiver of the mobile device in response to the transmitting the stored password; and

responsive to determining that the negotiation bit is not set, then a reduced power transfer is received;

wherein the power receiver is configured without a pathway by which a user of the mobile device can see the password stored in the memory or see the received packet.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the extracting is performed in response to:

receiving the packet carried via the first power signal; and

recognizing that a packet header of the received packet indicates a presence of the password in the received packet.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the packet having the negotiation bit, the received packet, and the packet transmitted via the second power signal use Qi protocol packet structure.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the password from the received packet corresponds to a charging profile in a plurality of charging profiles.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the method further comprises:

powering on the power receiver with power received from at least one of the first power signal and a third power signal; and

performing the extracting, the storing, and the transmitting the stored password using the power received from the at least one of the first power signal and the third power signal;

wherein the third power signal is used to affect a power transfer.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein additional components within the mobile device are not powered on to perform the extracting, the storing, and the transmitting the stored password.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the password from the received packet is transmitted in response to a negotiation request from the power receiver.

16. A mobile device, the mobile device comprising:

a power receiver configured to;

transmit a packet having a negotiation bit to a power transmitter, wherein the negotiation bit is set to indicate that negotiation is possible;

receive a packet carried via a first power signal according to an inductive wireless power transfer communications protocol; and

responsive to determining that the negotiation bit is set;

extract a password from the received packet;

store the extracted password in memory within the power receiver of the mobile device; and

transmit the stored password in a packet via a second power signal according to the inductive wireless power transfer communications protocol to authorize a service; and

responsive to determining that the negotiation bit is not set, then a reduced level of the service is authorized;

wherein the power receiver is configured without a pathway by which a user of the mobile device can see the password stored in the memory or see the received packet.

17. The mobile device of claim 16, wherein the mobile device is further configured to:

power on the power receiver with power received from at least one of the first power signal and a third power signal; and

perform the extracting, the storing, and the transmitting the stored password using the power received from the at least one of the first power signal and the third power signal;

wherein the third power signal is used to affect a power transfer.

18. The mobile device of claim 17, wherein the mobile device further comprises a main processing unit, a main memory, and a user interface and wherein the mobile device is configured such that the main processing unit, the main memory, and the user interface are not powered on to perform the extracting, the storing, and the transmitting the stored password.