Patent ID: 7464192

Claim:
A smart card programmable serial interface for use in a semiconductor circuit that supports a plurality of protocols, the serial interface comprising: an input/output buffer for use in a smart card and for providing serial communication between the semiconductor circuit and an external device using at least one of the plurality of protocols, the input/output buffer including an electrical connection for coupling to said external device, the input/output buffer being configurable to provide, on the electrical connection, signals having electrical characteristics of each protocol of the plurality of protocols; at least one shared hardware element for use in the smart card and coupled to the input/output buffer, the shared hardware element performing a common task for said plurality of protocols; and a programmable logic array for use in the smart card and coupled to the input/output buffer, the programmable logic array implementing one or more additional tasks for said plurality of protocols; wherein said smart card programmable serial interface is reconfigurable by software to support each protocol of said plurality of protocols.