Patent ID: 8886119

Claim:
A contactless transponder device comprising: a first integrated circuit (IC) that includes a first contactless transponder interface circuit configured and arranged to respond to a contactless field by providing a first identifier of the first IC using near-field wireless communications; a second IC that includes a second contactless transponder circuit configured and arranged to respond to the contactless field by providing a second identifier of the second IC using near-field wireless communications; and a controller circuit, communicatively connected to the first and second IC, and configured and arranged to determine, in response to a first received communication request, that a previous state of the first IC allowed the first IC to respond using near-field wireless communications; in response to the determination, inhibit, the first IC from responding to the contactless field using near-field wireless communications; and allow, in response to a second received communication request, the first IC to respond using near-field wireless communications, wherein the controller circuit is further configured and arranged to, in response to at least one from a group consisting of a local power supply level and a failure of a nonvolatile memory: select one of the first and second ICs using a default selection algorithm; enable the selected one of the first and second ICs to respond using near-field wireless communications; and prevent a non-selected one of the first and second ICs from responding using near-field wireless communications.