Abstract:
A device may be configured such that a smartcard may be physically mounted in, on, and/or to the device. The device may comprise one or more circuits that enable communicating over a far-field communication link and that enable communicating with a smartcard when the smartcard is physically mounted in, on, and/or to the device. The far-field communication link may be an ISO 18000-7 link. The device may communicate with a smartcard via contacts and/or via near-field communications. The device may be operable to relay data between a near-field communication link between the device and a smartcard and a far-field communication link between the device and another device. The device may be generally rectangular in shape, less than one centimeter thick, than one centimeter longer than an ISO 7816 compliant smartcard, and less than one centimeter wider than an ISO 7816 compliant smartcard.

Description:
CLAIM OF PRIORITY 
       [0001]    This patent application makes reference to, claims priority to and claims benefit from U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/456,950 filed on Nov. 16, 2011. 
         [0002]    The above-referenced application is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
       INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE 
       [0003]    This patent application also makes reference to:
   U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/464,376 filed on Mar. 2, 2011;   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/270,802 filed on Oct. 11, 2011; and   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/270,959 filed on Oct. 11, 2011;   
 
         [0007]    Each of the above-reference applications is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0008]    Certain embodiments of the invention relate to electronics. More specifically, certain embodiments of the invention relate to a method and apparatus for interfacing with a smartcard. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0009]    Conventional methods and apparatus for interfacing with smartcards are limited in terms of functionality and ability to take advantage of the features and benefits of smartcards. Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional and traditional approaches will become apparent to one of skill in the art, through comparison of such systems with some aspects of the present invention as set forth in the remainder of the present application with reference to the drawings. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0010]    A system and/or method is provided for interfacing with a smartcard, substantially as illustrated by and/or described in connection with at least one of the figures, as set forth more completely in the claims. 
         [0011]    These and other advantages, aspects and novel features of the present invention, as well as details of an illustrated embodiment thereof, will be more fully understood from the following description and drawings. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0012]      FIGS. 1A-1C  each depict a three-dimensional profile view of an exemplary smartcard interface device. 
           [0013]      FIG. 1D  is a plan view of the front of an exemplary smartcard interface device. 
           [0014]      FIG. 1E  is a plan view of the back of an exemplary smartcard interface device. 
           [0015]      FIG. 2  depicts circuitry of an exemplary smartcard interface device. 
           [0016]      FIG. 3A  is a plan view of a front side of an exemplary smartcard. 
           [0017]      FIG. 3B  is a plan view of a back side of an exemplary smartcard. 
           [0018]      FIG. 4A  depicts a smartcard being mounted in, on, and/or to an exemplary side-loading smartcard interface device. 
           [0019]      FIG. 4B  depicts a smartcard being mounted in, on, and/or to an exemplary top-loading smartcard interface device. 
           [0020]      FIG. 5  depicts another exemplary smartcard interface device. 
           [0021]      FIG. 6  is a flowchart illustrating exemplary steps in the operation of a smartcard interface device. 
           [0022]      FIG. 7  is a diagram illustrating communications between a smartcard interface device and a card reader. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0023]    As utilized herein the terms “circuits” and “circuitry” refer to physical electronic components (i.e. hardware) and any software and/or firmware (“code”) which may configure the hardware, be executed by the hardware, and or otherwise be associated with the hardware. As utilized herein, “and/or” means any one or more of the items in the list joined by “and/or”. As an example, “x and/or y” means any element of the three-element set {(x), (y), (x, y)}. As another example, “x, y, and/or z” means any element of the seven-element set {(x), (y), (z), (x, y), (x, z), (y, z), (x, y, z)}. As utilized herein, the terms “block” and “module” refer to functions than can be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination of one or more thereof. As utilized herein, the term “exemplary” means serving as a non-limiting example, instance, or illustration. As utilized herein, each of the terms “e.g.” and “for example” introduces a list of one or more non-limiting examples, instances, or illustrations. 
         [0024]      FIGS. 1A-1C  each depict a three-dimensional profile view of an exemplary smartcard interface device. The view in  FIG. 1A  shows a left side of an exemplary smartcard interface device  100  on which there is a port  102  and a switch  104 , and the back of the device  100  on which there is a conductive surface  106 . The port  102  may, for example, be a USB port or port utilizing any other suitable communication protocol. The switch  104  may be a power switch to turn the device  100  on and off and/or select a mode of operation of the device  100 . 
         [0025]    The exemplary smartcard interface device  100  may be made of plastic and/or metal. The exemplary smartcard interface device  100  has a height ‘h’, depth ‘d’, and width ‘w’. The form factor of the device  100  may vary depending on the form factor of the smartcard(s) with which it is intended to interface. For example, for interfacing with an ISO 7816 compliant smartcard, ‘h’ may be less than 1 cm larger than the length of an ISO 7816 compliant smartcard, ‘w’ may be less than 1 cm larger than the width of an ISO 7816 compliant smartcard, and ‘d’ may be less than 1 cm larger than the depth of an ISO 7816 compliant smartcard. In this manner, the device  100  with the smartcard mounted in, on, and/or to it, is not much larger than the smartcard by itself. In some instances, the device  100  may be adjustable and/or adaptable (e.g., via an insert) to accommodate smartcards of varying dimensions. 
         [0026]    In  FIG. 1B , the device  100  has been rotated along a vertical axis such that only the left side of the device is shown. In the exemplary device  100  shown, a smartcard physically mounted in, on, and/or to the device  100  may be retained by the channels  120   a  and  120   b.  While mounted in, on, and/or to the device  100 , the body of the smartcard  300  may be in physical contact with the body of the device  100  and/or may be enclosed or partially enclosed by the device  100 . While mounted in, on, and/or to the device  100 , there may, for example, be one or more latches, doors, retaining clips, or other mechanisms for securing the smartcard in place such that the device  100  can be rotated 360° along any axis without the smartcard becoming unmounted from the device  100 . 
         [0027]    In an exemplary embodiment, a smartcard may be locked in the device  100  such that only a user with a key, which can be a physical key or an electronic key (e.g., a pin or password) can access the smartcard. That is, with the key, the smartcard  300  may be prevented (e.g., through RF shielding or jamming or other security measures) from communicating with other devices while locked inside the device  100 . 
         [0028]    In  FIG. 1C , the device  100  is further rotated along the vertical axis such that the front of the device  100  is shown. On the front, there is a display  108  and an input device  110 . The input device  110  may comprise circuitry operable to receive input from a user of the smartcard  100  and convert the input to digital signals. For example, the input device(s)  110  may comprise one or more hard and/or soft buttons, dials, and/or a touchscreen. The display  108  may comprise circuitry operable to output visual signals to a user of the smartcard. For example, the display  108  may be an OLED or bistable electrophoretic type display. 
         [0029]      FIG. 1D  is a plan view of the front of an exemplary smartcard interface device. Shown are the switch  104 , which is on the left side of the device  100 , and the conductive surface  106 . 
         [0030]      FIG. 1E  is a plan view of a back side of an exemplary smartcard interface device. Shown are the display  108  and the input device  110  which, for the exemplary device  100  depicted, comprises a plurality of buttons. In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, one of the buttons may be a check-in button that enables a user of the device  100  to “check in,” via a near-field or far-field communication link, to a location-based service, such as a location-based social networking site. 
         [0031]      FIG. 2  depicts circuitry of an exemplary smartcard interface device. The exemplary device  100  comprises a variety of modules including: a near-field radio  202 , a far-field radio  208 , a contact-based radio  214 , input device(s)  110 , a display  108 , a central processing unit (CPU)  224 , a memory  226 , a power management module  228 , a battery  230 , one or more sensors  232 , and an antenna  234 . 
         [0032]    The near-field radio  202  may comprise circuitry operable to communicate in accordance with one or more near-field communication protocols. For example, the near-field radio  202  may comprise an analog front-end (AFE)  206  and a processor  204  operable to communicate in accordance with one or more near-field protocols (e.g., protocols specified in ISO 18092, ISO 14443, and/or ISO 18000-3). The processor  204  may comprise circuitry operable to interface with the AFE  206  to receive and transmit data, and to process received and to-be-transmitted data. For transmission, the processor  204  may be operable to receive data via the bus  236 , packetize and/or otherwise process the data to prepare it for transmission in accordance with one or more near-field protocols, and output the data to the AFE  206  for transmission. For reception, the processor  204  may be operable to receive data via the AFE  206 , process the received data and output received data onto the bus  236 . 
         [0033]    In an exemplary embodiment, the device  100  may comprise a plurality of near-field radios  202  and corresponding antennas  234  such that the device  100  may simultaneously transmit and receive near-field signals. In such an embodiment, the device  100  may operate as a repeater and/or range extender for near-field communications. 
         [0034]    In an exemplary embodiment, the device  100  may be operable to concurrently receive via the near-field radio  202  and transmit via the far-field radio  208 . Similarly, the device  100  may be operable to concurrently transmit via the near-field radio  202  and receive via the far-field radio  208 . In this manner, the device  100  may function as a proxy or repeater translating between near-field and far-field communications. Such functionality may enable, for example, wide-area mobile payments with a smartcard. 
         [0035]    In an exemplary embodiment, “peer-to-peer” communications may be enabled between a plurality of smartcards  300  via a corresponding plurality of devices  100 . 
         [0036]    The far-field radio  208  may comprise circuitry operable to communicate in accordance with one or more near-field communication protocols. For example, the far-field radio  208  may comprise an analog front-end (AFE)  212  and a processor  210  operable to communicate in accordance with one or more far-field protocols (e.g., Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, protocols specified in ISO 18000-7, and/or protocols in the above-incorporated U.S. Provisional Patent Application 61/464,376 filed on Mar. 2, 2011). The processor  210  may comprise circuitry operable to interface with the AFE  212  to receive and transmit data, and to process received and to-be-transmitted data. For transmission, the processor  210  may be operable to receive data via the bus  236 , packetize and/or otherwise process the data to prepare it for transmission in accordance with one or more far-field protocols (e.g., Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, protocols specified in ISO 18000-7, and/or protocols in the above-incorporated U.S. Provisional Patent Application 61/464,376 filed on Mar. 2, 2011), and output the data to the AFE  212  for transmission. For reception, the processor  210  may be operable to receive data via the AFE  212 , process the received data and output received data onto the bus  236 . 
         [0037]    The contact-based radio  214  may comprise circuitry operable to communicate in accordance with one or more near-field communication protocols. For example, the contact-based radio  214  may comprise an analog front-end (AFE)  218  and a processor  216  operable to communicate in accordance with one or more near-field protocols (e.g., protocols specified in ISO 7816). The processor  216  may comprise circuitry operable to interface with the AFE  218  to receive and transmit data, and to process received and to-be-transmitted data. For transmission, the processor  216  may be operable to receive data via the bus  236 , packetize and/or otherwise process the data to prepare it for transmission in accordance with one or more near-field protocols, and output the data to the AFE  218  for transmission. For reception, the processor  216  may be operable to receive data via the AFE  218 , process the received data and output received data onto the bus  236 . 
         [0038]    Although the radios  202 ,  208 , and  214  are depicted as being separate modules, hardware, firmware, and/or software may be shared among the modules. For example, the processors  204 ,  210 , and  216  may be implemented by the same hardware and simply execute different instructions depending on which radio is in use. 
         [0039]    The port  102 , display  108 , and input device  110  may be as described above with respect to  FIGS. 1A-1E . 
         [0040]    The CPU  224  may comprise circuitry operable to control operation of the device  100 . The CPU  224  may, for example, execute an operating system and/or other programs. The CPU  224  may generate one or more control signals for controlling the operation of the device  100 . The CPU  224  may, for example, control a mode of operation of the device  100  in response to a position of the switch  104 . 
         [0041]    The memory  226  may comprise one or more memory cells and may be operable to store data to the memory cell(s) and read data from the memory cell(s). The one or more memory cell may comprise one or more volatile memory cells and/or one or more non-volatile memory cells. 
         [0042]    The power management module  228  may comprise circuitry operable to manage power allocation and/or power consumption in the device  100 . The power management module  228  may be operable to, for example, dim and/or turn off the display  108  when it is not needed, turn off one or more of the sensors  232  when not needed, turn off the input device(s)  110  when not needed, adjust a receive sensitivity of one or more of the radios  202 ,  208 , and  214 , and/or adjust a transmit power of one or more of the radios  202 ,  208 , and  214 . Additionally and/or alternatively, the power management module  228  may control charging of the battery  230 . For example, the power management module  228  may comprise an energy harvesting circuitry (e.g., to harvest solar energy, kinetic energy, and/or energy inductively coupled to the power management module  228 ) for charging the battery  230  and/or powering various components of the device  100 . Additionally and/or alternatively, the power management module  228  may be operable to charge the battery  230  and/or power various components of the device  100  via energy received via the port  102 . In an exemplary embodiment, certain components and/or functions of the device  100  may be disabled when the device  100  is not receiving power via, for example, inductive coupling and/or the surface  106 , and may be enabled when the smartcard is receiving power via, for example, inductive coupling and/or the surface  106 . 
         [0043]    In an exemplary embodiment, the power management module  228  may power portions of the device  100  on and off in response to wakeup signals detected via one or more of the radios  202 ,  208 , and  214 . For example, upon receiving a wakeup signal, the device  100  may power up, execute a routine such as reading and/or writing to a smartcard, and then go back to sleep. The wake signal may be for example, a low frequency (e.g., 125 kHz) signal, a high frequency (e.g., 13.56 MHz) RFID signal, or an ultra-high frequency (e.g., 433.92 MHz) RFID signal. 
         [0044]    In an exemplary embodiment, the device  100  may wake up upon light hitting an optical sensor (e.g., solar cell) of the device  100  and/or upon a motion sensor of the device  100  detecting movement. 
         [0045]    The battery  230  may be, for example, a thin film and/or coin cell battery. In an exemplary embodiment, the battery may be as described in the above-incorporated U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/270,959 filed on Oct. 12, 2010. 
         [0046]    The sensor(s)  232  may comprise one or more of: an acoustic sensor operable to sense, for example amplitude, phase, polarization, spectrum and/or wave velocity of acoustic waves (e.g., voice recognition); a chemical sensor operable to sense, for example the presence of any one or more elements and/or compounds in solid, gas, and/or liquid form; an electrical sensor operable to detect, for example amplitude, phase, polarization, and/or spectrum of a current and/or voltage, conductivity, and/or permittivity; a magnetic sensor operable to, for example detect flux, permeability, amplitude, phase, and/or polarization of a magnetic field (e.g., a magnetic stripe reader); a mechanical sensor operable to detect, for example position, acceleration, force, stress, pressure, strain, mass, density, moment, torque, shape, roughness, orientation, and/or stiffness; an optical sensor operable to detect, for example amplitude, phase, polarization, and/or spectrum of an optical wave, wave velocity, refractive index, emissivity, reflectivity, and/or absorption (e.g., a camera and/or barcode reader); and/or a thermal sensor operable to detect, for example temperature, flux, specific heat, and/or thermal conductivity. The sensor(s)  232  may, for example, generate an interrupt to the CPU  224  when an alarm condition is present. 
         [0047]    The antenna  234  may be operable to transmit and receive electromagnetic signals in one or more frequency bands. In an exemplary embodiment, the antenna  234  may be operable to transmit and receive signals in the ISM frequency band centered at 433.92 MHz and in the ISM frequency band centered at 13.56 MHz. In one exemplary embodiment, the antenna  234  of the device  100  may be leveraged by a smartcard mounted in, on, and/or to the device  100  to improve transmission and/or reception by the smartcard. In another exemplary embodiment, the antenna  234  may be absent and the device  100  may instead transmit and/or receive via an antenna present on a smartcard mounted in, on, and/or to the device  100 . 
         [0048]      FIG. 3A  is a plan view of a front side of an exemplary smartcard.  FIG. 3B  is a plan view of a back side of an exemplary smartcard. Referring to  FIG. 3A , the exemplary smartcard  300  may comprises a conductive surface  302 , an integrated circuit (IC)  304 , and antenna  306 . The conductive surface  302  may comprise a plurality of contacts coupled to the integrated circuit  304 . The smartcard  300  may be, for example, a credit card, a debit card, a driver&#39;s license, retail loyalty card, or an identification badge. The IC  304  may comprise memory and other circuitry operable to communicate via the conductive surface  302  and/or communicate wirelessly via the antenna  306 . Wireless communications via the antenna  306  may be in accordance with, for example, ISO 14443. The smartcard may be as described, for example, in the above-referenced U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/270,802 filed on Oct. 11, 2011. 
         [0049]      FIG. 4A  depicts a smartcard being mounted in, on, and/or to an exemplary side-loading smartcard interface device. In  FIG. 4A , the smartcard  300  slides into the device  100  from the left or right side of the device  100 . As the smartcard  300  slides in, it may latch or click into place when the conductive surface  302  is aligned and in conductive contact with the conductive surface  106 . 
         [0050]      FIG. 4B  depicts a smartcard being mounted in, on, and/or to an exemplary top-loading smartcard interface device. In  FIG. 4B , the smartcard  300  slides into the device  100  from the top side of the device  100 . As the smartcard  300  slides in, it may latch or click into place when the conductive surface  302  is aligned and in conductive contact with the conductive surface  106 . 
         [0051]      FIG. 5  depicts another exemplary smartcard interface device. Shown in  FIG. 5 , the smartcard interface device  500  has a form factor suitable for placement on a desktop, similar to other computer peripherals. The device  500  comprises a slot  502  into which a smartcard can be inserted. The device  500  may also comprise a chord  504  for powering the device  500  and/or communicating with a computer. The cord may, for example, be a USB chord. 
         [0052]      FIG. 6  is a flowchart illustrating exemplary steps in the operation of a smartcard interface device. The exemplary steps begin with step  602  in which the smartcard  300  is physically mounted in, on, and/or to the device  100  (e.g., slid, inserted, or placed into a slot, cavity, or other receptacle of the device). In step  604 , the device  100  is powered on (e.g., in response to detecting the mounting of the smartcard  300  and/or in response to a user flipping the switch  104 ). In step  606 , the device  100  may establish a wired (via the surfaces  106  and  302 ) and/or a wireless (via the near-field radio  202 ) communication link with the smartcard  300 . In step  608 , a user may enter a request to read data from the smartcard  300 . The request may be input via the input device  110  and/or via a computing device coupled to the device  100  via the port  102 . In step  610 , in response to the user input, the device  100  may read data from the smartcard  300 . In step  612 , the data read from the smartcard  300  may be presented on the display  108 . In step  614 , the user may input, via the input device  110  and/or the port  102 , a request to update contents of the smartcard  300 . In step  616 , the device  100  may connect to a remote device utilizing the far-field radio  208 , and download data from the remote device. In step  618 , the device  100  may write the downloaded data to the smartcard  300 . 
         [0053]      FIG. 7  is a diagram illustrating communications between a smartcard interface device and a card reader. Shown in  FIG. 7  is a device  100  with smartcard  300  mounted in, on, and/or to the device  100 , and a card reader  700 . The card reader  700  may be, for example, a payment terminal or an ID badge reader that controls access to a location. 
         [0054]    The device  100  may communicate, via a near-field communication link and/or a far-field communication link, with the card reader  700 . Such communications may enable the device  100  to configure the card reader  700  and/or allow the card reader  700  to configure the device  100 . This may comprise, for example, configuring permissions and/or other information associated with the smartcard  300  in the device  100  and/or in the card reader  700 . 
         [0055]    Other embodiments of the invention may provide a non-transitory computer readable medium and/or storage medium, and/or a non-transitory machine readable medium and/or storage medium, having stored thereon, a machine code and/or a computer program having at least one code section executable by a machine and/or a computer, thereby causing the machine and/or computer to perform the steps as described herein for interfacing with a smartcard. 
         [0056]    Accordingly, the present invention may be realized in hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software. The present invention may be realized in a centralized fashion in at least one computing system, or in a distributed fashion where different elements are spread across several interconnected computing systems. Any kind of computing system or other apparatus adapted for carrying out the methods described herein is suited. A typical combination of hardware and software may be a general-purpose computing system with a program or other code that, when being loaded and executed, controls the computing system such that it carries out the methods described herein. Another typical implementation may comprise an application specific integrated circuit or chip. 
         [0057]    The present invention may also be embedded in a computer program product, which comprises all the features enabling the implementation of the methods described herein, and which when loaded in a computer system is able to carry out these methods. Computer program in the present context means any expression, in any language, code or notation, of a set of instructions intended to cause a system having an information processing capability to perform a particular function either directly or after either or both of the following: a) conversion to another language, code or notation; b) reproduction in a different material form. 
         [0058]    While the present invention has been described with reference to certain embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted without departing from the scope of the present invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the present invention without departing from its scope. Therefore, it is intended that the present invention not be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed, but that the present invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.