USOO786,5141B2
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`(12) United States Patent
`Liao et al.
`
`(10) Patent No.:
`(45) Date of Patent:
`
`US 7,865,141 B2
`Jan. 4, 2011
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`(54)
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`(75)
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`(73)
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`CHIPSET FORMOBILE WALLET SYSTEM
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`(56)
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`References Cited
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`Inventors: Dave Ta-Wu Liao, Saratoga, CA (US);
`Steven Donald Edelson, Saratoga, CA
`(US)
`Assignee: Silicon Storage Technology, Inc.,
`Sunnyvale, CA (US)
`
`U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
`
`6,776,339 B2 * 8/2004 Piikivi ........................ 235/451
`7.200.420 B2
`4/2007 Rankin ....................... 455,558
`7,520,438 B2 * 4/2009 Kim et al. ................... 235/492
`2005/0274803 A1* 12/2005 Lee ............................ 235,439
`
`(*)
`
`Notice:
`
`Subject to any disclaimer, the term of this
`patent is extended or adjusted under 35
`U.S.C. 154(b) by 874 days.
`
`(21)
`
`Appl. No.: 11/808,151
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`(22)
`
`Filed:
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`Jun. 7, 2007
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`(65)
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`Prior Publication Data
`US 2007/0293,155A1
`Dec. 20, 2007
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`(60)
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`(51)
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`(52)
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`(58)
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`Related U.S. Application Data
`Provisional application No. 60/813,440, filed on Jun.
`15, 2006.
`
`Int. C.
`(2006.01)
`H04B 700
`U.S. Cl. ................... 455/412:455/558; 455/434.1;
`455/574; 235/439; 235/.441; 235/492
`Field of Classification Search ................ 455/4.1.2,
`455/558,574,343.1
`See application file for complete search history.
`
`* cited by examiner
`Primary Examiner Charles NAppiah
`Assistant Examiner Michael T Vu
`(74) Attorney, Agent, or Firm DLA Piper LLP (US)
`
`(57)
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`ABSTRACT
`
`The invention presents a chipset for a mobile wallet system in
`a communication terminal having a SIM socket and a RFID
`antenna. The chipset includes a wallet module and a control
`ler module. The wallet module has a contactless interface port
`coupled to the RFID antenna and a wallet memory for storing
`wallet applications. The controller module, connected to the
`SIM socket of the communication terminal, has a controller
`memory stored with SIM function software, mobile wallet
`application software and software to control the wallet mod
`ule. The controller module is powered through the SIM
`socket, and the wallet module is powered through the SIM
`socket and the RFID antenna.
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`15 Claims, 7 Drawing Sheets
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`APDU Contactless
`reader
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`memory
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`1.
`CHIPSET FORMOBILE WALLET SYSTEM
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`US 7,865,141 B2
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`CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED
`APPLICATION
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`The present application is related to and claims the benefit
`of priority of the provisional application: application Ser. No.
`60/813,440 filed on Jun. 15, 2006, entitled “Method and
`apparatus for mobile wallet chip set and system”, of which the
`present application is a non-provisional application thereof.
`The disclosure of the foregoing application is hereby incor
`porated by reference in its entirety, including any appendices
`or attachments thereof, for all purposes.
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`FIELD OF THE INVENTION
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`The present invention relates to a chipset for a mobile
`wallet system, and more particularly, to a chipset imple
`mented into a SIM card in a communication terminal, e.g., a
`mobile phone, in communication with a contactless reader.
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`BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
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`The mobile phone industry has been trying to implement
`mobile wallet functions into mobile phones for the last few
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`years. The most well-known is the i-modeR) mobile wallet of
`NTT DoCoMo implemented by a Sony FelicaR) contactless
`IC soldered onto the motherboard of NTT's 3G mobile
`phones. Other approaches include using Philips NFC (Near
`Field Communication) IC or Infra-Red port. All these
`approaches have suffered from high entry cost because a new
`phone must be obtained to acquire the mobile wallet func
`tions. It is more cost effective to implement mobile wallet
`functions on a SIM card which cost much less than purchas
`ing a new phone.
`FIG. 1 shows an implementation of a NFC phone which is
`being adopted in France in 2007 to implement mobile wallet
`functions. A NFC chip 22 resides in a NFC phone 20 provided
`with a contactless interface attached with 13.5 Mhz. RFID
`antenna 23. The NFC chip 22 provides two serial communi
`cation channels. One is to communicate with a SIM card 21 to
`retrieve authorization to enable the contactless interface and
`to work with mobile wallet applets that installed in the SIM
`card 21. The other is a standard asynchronous UART channel
`to a mobile phone CPU chip 24. This NFC chip 22 can not be
`built into the SIM card 21 because it requires many passive
`components and it has many more I/O pins than that are
`available on the SIM card 21 (there is actually only one I/O
`pin available). Mobile wallet users in France usually have to
`purchase a new NFC phone in order to acquire the mobile
`wallet function.
`Recent solution for the mobile wallet functions in the
`industry have been devised by utilizing existing dual interface
`smart card IC chip provided with both contact and contactless
`ports, such as the Philips(R Combi chips. These IC chips have
`two major problems. First, the Combi or dual interface IC
`chips are traditionally employed for banking cards specifying
`small non-volatile memory (typically EEPROM), while the
`SIM cards need a much larger memory capacity which are
`beginning to be built by state-of-art flash memory technology.
`Second, currently available dual interface IC chip can not
`have contact port (CM) and contactless port (CL) operating
`simultaneously. But this concurrent operation is required for
`a mobile wallet to work in SIM socket in mobile phones.
`Besides, the conventional Combi chips are limited to a low
`speed CPU and a small non-volatile memory because it has to
`operate under the low power limit imposed through the CL
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`port. The above-mentioned problems are primary issues for a
`mobile wallet module to work within a SIM socket in mobile
`phones.
`There have been a few patent applications regarding
`mobile wallet applications for payment or ticketing, Such as
`U.S. Pat. No. 7,114,179 entitled “Method and system for
`ordering, loading and using access tickets' describes a ticket
`system wherein tickets are downloaded into SIM card
`memory module and a contactless interface in mobile phone
`is used to send ticket to access controlled device. U.S. Pub.
`No. 2002/01774.07 as illustrated in FIG. 2 is a block diagram
`showing a configuration of a dual interface IC card for a
`portable telephone. This IC card 30 comprises a memory for
`storing information of electronic tickets or service points, a
`CPU (Central Processing Unit) for performing interface con
`trol with respect to the external and access control to the
`memory and the like. Furthermore, the IC card 30 is provided
`with an antenna 31, a contactless type I/F (interface) portion
`32, a physical contact 33 and the like. The antenna 31 per
`forms transmission/reception of data regarding use of an elec
`tronic ticket or the like with an external system, that is, a
`contactless reader (not shown) via a radio link R2 for IC card,
`namely RFID, and is intended to realize a contactless type
`interface. The contactless type I/F portion 32 provides an
`interface of data transmission/reception using the antenna 31.
`On the other hand, the contact 33 is electrically connected
`with a contact (not shown) of a portable telephone set 10, and
`intended to realize a contact type interface. In this way, the IC
`card 30 has both of the function as a contactless type IC card
`and the function as a contact type IC card. In other words, it is
`just like typical dual interface Smart cards that are commonly
`in use these days. U.S. Pub. No. 2002/0177407 basically
`describes the idea of the placement of a dual interface IC card
`into a mobile phone. It failed to address any of the technical
`difficulties that must be solved to make a real world imple
`mentation.
`As discussed above, the idea of SIM card added with con
`tactless interface have been described many times, while most
`of the prior efforts are vague conceptual designs. None of
`them reveal practical real world implementation, let alone a
`mass produced solution that is achieved by the chipset in this
`invention. On account of the problem the prior art brought
`about, there is a resulting need for a chipset to cope with the
`above-mentioned problems. The present invention introduces
`an optimized chipset enabling immediate widespread usage
`by implementing the chipset having a wallet module in a SIM
`(Subscriber Identity Module) card that conforms to GSM11
`11 form factor, including a 2G GSM SIM card, a 3G USIM
`(Universal SIM) card, a CDMA (Code Division Multiple
`Access) RUIM (Removable User Identity Module) card, a
`China PHS (Personal Handy-phone System) SIM card, or
`other mobile communication ID cards. Unlike the existing
`phone based solutions, the present chipset provides a simple,
`cost-effective solution, while is applicable to all kinds of
`mobile phones.
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`SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
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`In light of the prior art limited by the above problems, it is
`an object of the present invention to provide a chipset for
`applications in a mobile wallet system which is implemented
`into a SIM card.
`In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, a
`chipset is designed for a mobile wallet system in a commu
`nication terminal having a SIM socket and a RFID antenna in
`communication with a contactless reader. The chipset
`includes a wallet module and a controller module. The wallet
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`module contains a contactless interface port coupled to the
`RFID antenna, a serial port coupled to the controller module,
`and a wallet memory for storing wallet applications, includ
`ing e-purse balances, electronic tickets, and keys, ID's, etc.
`The controller module has a first serial port connected to the
`SIM Socket of the communication terminal, a second serial
`port coupled to the wallet module, and a controller memory
`stored with SIM function software, mobile wallet application
`software and software to control the wallet module. The con
`troller module is powered through the SIM socket, while the
`wallet module is powered through the SIM socket and the
`RFID antenna.
`Preferably, the wallet module further contains a first I/O
`buffer receiving commands from the controller module, a
`second I/O buffer for holding the commands from the con
`tactless reader, a command arbitration module for selecting
`between the first I/O buffer and the second I/O buffer, an
`authentication and encryption module for securing commu
`nication with the contactless reader and the controller mod
`ule, and a command execution module for performing various
`operations in accordance with the commands. All modules
`mentioned above are implemented in hardwired logic to
`achieve Small chip size and low cost.
`Preferably, the wallet module further contains a by-pass
`unit implemented in hardwired logic for decoding the com
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`mands from the contactless reader. The decoding decision is
`to route the commands to the second I/O buffer for execution
`inside the wallet module, or to the serial port of the wallet
`module for transmission to the controller module for com
`mand execution.
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`Typically, the wallet memory of the wallet module has a
`capacity of 1 KB divided into 16 sectors.
`Alternatively, the wallet memory of the wallet module has
`a capacity of 4 KB divided into 64 sectors.
`Preferably, the controller memory has a capacity ranging
`from 64 KB to 1 MB.
`Preferably, the wallet module includes the wallet memory
`having a capacity many times of a standard Milfare R chip
`which is either 1 KB or 4 KB.
`Preferably, the wallet memory is divided into a plurality of
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`banks. Each bank has a capacity of 1 KB or 4KB correspond
`ing to one Milfare R chip.
`Preferably, the wallet module further includes a non-vola
`tile register which can be loaded with a bank index by the
`controller module and used for selecting an active bank. The
`active bank of the wallet memory is accessible by the con
`tactless reader.
`Preferably, the wallet module as well as the controller
`module Support standard contactless protocols. Certainly, the
`mobile wallet system comprises mobile communication ID
`cards that conform to GSM11-11 standard form factor,
`including a GSM SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) card, a
`GSM USIM (Universal SIM) card, a CDMA (Code Division
`Multiple Access) RUIM (Removable User Identity Module)
`card, and a PHS (Personal Handy-phone System)SIM card.
`In accordance with a further aspect of the present inven
`tion, the wallet module is not a dedicated hardwired logic
`implementation. Instead, functions of the wallet module are
`implemented by Software codes executed on a programmable
`controller. In this manner, a standard off the shelf dual inter
`face chip or a Combi chip can be utilized to implement the
`wallet module.
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`in the art after reviewing the following detailed description
`and accompanying drawings, in which:
`FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a NFC phone according to
`the prior art;
`FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an IC
`card for a portable telephone according to the prior art;
`FIG. 3 illustrates a preferred architecture of a chipset
`according to the present invention;
`FIG. 4 illustrates an architecture of an optimized chipset
`according to the present invention, shows detailed block dia
`gram,
`FIG. 5 illustrates a bank switching architecture of a
`memory in the wallet module according to the present inven
`tion;
`FIG. 6 illustrates an alternative implementation of the
`chipset incorporating a programmable controller in a wallet
`module according to the present invention; and
`FIG. 7 illustrates the chipset residing in a SIM card accord
`ing to the present invention.
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`DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED
`EMBODIMENTS
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`The present invention discloses a chipset for a mobile
`wallet system, and the objects and advantages of the present
`invention will become more readily apparent to those ordi
`narily skilled in the art after reviewing the following detailed
`description. The present invention needs not be limited to the
`following embodiments.
`Please refer to FIG. 3. It illustrates a preferred architecture
`of a chipset for a mobile wallet system in a mobile phone
`according to the present invention. As shown in FIG. 3, the
`chipset 20 in communication with a contactless reader 220
`contains a controller module 200 and a wallet module 210 in
`the case of a two-chip chipset solution. Alternatively, the
`controller module 200 and the wallet module 210 can be
`integrated into a single IC chip. The controller module 200
`has a contact (CM) port 201, a serial I/O port (hereinafter
`referred to as “SIO) 202, and a controller memory 203,
`typically in the range of 64 KB to 1 MB for storing SIM
`function software, mobile wallet application software and
`software for controlling the wallet module 210. The CM port
`201, normally a standard ISO-7816 UART interface, which is
`coupled to a SIM socket (not shown) in the mobile phone.
`Likewise, the wallet module 210 has a SIO port 211, a con
`tactless (CL) port 212, and a wallet memory 213 to store
`wallet applications, including account balance, purses, tick
`ets, keys, etc. The interconnection between the controller
`module 200 and the wallet module 210 is accomplished by the
`SIO ports 202 and 211, which can be realized by ISO-7816
`UART or SPI (Serial Peripheral Interface), or other similar
`serial I/O channels; while the CL port 212 is coupled to a
`RFID antenna (not shown) for communication with a con
`tactless reader 220.
`An important aspect of the present invention is how the
`chipset modules are powered. The conventional Combi chip
`controller is powered by both a SIM socket of a mobile phone
`and an RFID antenna attached therewith, while the controller
`module 200 is powered through the SIM socket only, which
`suggests that the controller module 200 operate on the power
`supplied by mobile phone battery. The power supply from the
`phone battery is sufficient to Support the power consumption
`requirement for a large memory (1 MB likely), and a high
`performance controller containing 32 bit CPU needed for
`state of art SIM software. The controller of conventional
`Combi chip must be limited to low speed 8 bit CPU and small
`memory because it has to work under extremely low power
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`BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
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`The above objects and advantages of the present invention
`will become more readily apparent to those ordinarily skilled
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`supplied by the RFID antenna. For better results, the wallet
`module 210 is powered through the SIM socket and the RFID
`antenna. Besides, the wallet module 210 can communicate
`with the contactless reader 220 even when the SIM socket is
`not powered, i.e., the mobile phone is turned off or runs out of
`battery. This is an important usage factor because the mobile
`wallet module must be usable even when the mobile phone
`battery runs out or the controller module doesn't function. A
`further advantage is that the RFID antenna current drain is
`quite low since it only needs to Supply power to the wallet
`module 210. Accordingly, much longer reading distance from
`contactless reader 220 is made possible in contactless appli
`cations.
`The wallet memory 213 of the wallet module 210 may have
`a capacity ranging from 1 KB to 4KB consisting of sectors of
`64 bytes for storing wallet applications. Typically, memory
`capacity and data storage format of each sector is made the
`same as that defined in the Milfare(R) chip which sets the
`industry standard for contactless Smart card applications.
`Alternatively, the wallet memory 213 has a capacity of 16 KB
`to 64 KB, so it can be further partitioned into 16 banks, for
`example. Capacity of each bank corresponds to that of one
`Mifare(R) chip. Therefore, the wallet module 210 can keep the
`data of 16 Milfare R chips which may represent transit fare
`cards for 16 different cities. As illustrated, a bank index
`register 214 in the wallet module 210 is stored with bank
`indexes written by the controller module 200 to select an
`active bank out of the 16 banks, and the selected bank can be
`accessed by the contactless reader 220. Values of the bank
`indexes within the bank index register 214 are non-volatile so
`as to persist if the phone power is not available.
`In this embodiment, the serial interconnection as described
`above enables command execution and data flow between the
`controller module 200 and the wallet module 210 to realize
`mobile wallet applications. The wallet memory 213, where
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`the wallet applications data are securely stored, allows com
`mands and data flow from the contactless reader 220, the
`mobile phone, and mobile network through the controller
`module 200. For example, in a transit fare card application, an
`account is stored in the wallet memory 213 of the wallet
`module 210. The contactless reader 220 in a train station
`request access to the wallet module 210 by way of the CL port
`212 to deduct trainfare from the account stored in the wallet
`memory 213. The mobile wallet application software running
`on the controller module 200 displays a set of menus on the
`phone screen. One menu is to display balance of the account
`which is obtained by the controller module 200 by sending a
`command through the SIO ports 202 and 211 to retrieve the
`account balance out of the wallet module 210. Another menu
`may display recharge option wherein the controller module
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`200 first use GSM network communication channel by way of
`the CM port 201 to obtain authorization from a banking server
`to withdraw money from a bank account, and the money is
`credited to the account in the wallet memory 213 by sending
`an “Add command to the wallet module 210.
`Please refer to FIG. 4. It illustrates an optimized chipset in
`communication with a contactless reader according to the
`present invention. The chipset 30 includes a controller mod
`ule 300 and a wallet module 310 in communication with a
`contactless reader 320. The controller module 300 has a CM
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`port 301 coupled to a SIM socket of a mobile phone, a SIO
`302 for communicating with the wallet module 310, and a
`controller memory 303 stored with SIM function software,
`mobile wallet application software and software to control the
`wallet module 310. The wallet module 310 is a dual interface
`module equipped with a SIO port 311 and a CL port 312 that
`Support industry standard contactless protocols transmitted
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`via interfaces like the Milfare R (ISO-14443 type A), Felica,
`ISO-14443 type B, and the like. The protocols are transmitted
`by means of APDU (Application Protocol Data Unit) or data
`command packet. A by-pass unit 313 is provided to route the
`packet-oriented protocols or command packets from the SIO
`311 and the CL port 312. The commands from the SIO port
`311 are always delivered to a CM I/O buffer 314; while
`commands received from the CL port 312 are sent to a CLI/O
`buffer 315 when the commands are intended for execution
`inside the wallet module.
`The core of the wallet module 310 is a WPU (Wallet Pro
`cessing Unit) 316. The WPU 316 includes a command arbi
`trator 3161 to select the commands between the CM I/O
`buffer 314 and the CL I/O buffer 315, an authentication/
`encryption unit 3162 for authenticating and encrypting the
`selected commands to secure communication, a command
`execution unit 3163 that executes a set of commands that
`operate on wallet applications data (purse, ticket, or keys)
`kept in a wallet memory 3164, and a bankindex register 3165
`stored with bank indexes written by the controller module
`300. Typically, a set of commands specific to the standard
`contactless protocols are defined for command execution of
`the WPU 316 or Mifare R chip, including read/write, incre
`ment, decrement, and the like. In this embodiment, hardwired
`logic is utilized to implement operations described above so
`as to achieve a smallest chip size, low cost and low power
`consumption.
`Whenever an incoming command from the CL port 312 is
`not included in the defined set of commands for the WPU 316,
`the command is routed to the controller module 300 by the
`by-pass unit 313 through the SIO port 311 for command
`execution. Otherwise, the incoming command is executed in
`the WPU 316. The by-pass unit 313 features allowing new
`applications with new commands to be installed on the con
`tactless reader 320. A corresponding new wallet application
`program can be downloaded into the controller module 300 to
`process these new commands sent from the contactless reader
`320. Therefore, the set of commands is made extensible by
`the by-pass unit 313.
`In practice, the controller module 300 sends the wallet
`module 310 the defined command set specific to the contact
`less protocols coming from the contactless reader 320
`through the CL port 312. These commands provide encryp
`tion and authentication Supports for securing the communi
`cation between the controller module 300 and the wallet
`module 310. Any attack by probing the commands transmis
`sion of these two modules therebetween are made useless. A
`further advantage is that having both the SIO 311 and CL 312
`ports running the same command set allows one circuit in
`WPU 316 to execute commands from both ports and greatly
`reduce the circuit size. Therefore, the controller module 300
`behaves like the contactless reader 320 by communicating to
`the wallet module 310 with the set of commands specific to
`the contactless protocol from the contactless reader 320.
`Namely, the controller module 300 sends the same contact
`less protocol commands via APDU packets to the wallet
`module 310 as the contactless reader 320 sending these
`APDU packets through the air with ISO-14443 physical layer
`modulation protocol. The APDUs are sent from the controller
`module 300 by way of SIO 302 to the SIO port 311. The SIO
`302 can be a standard ISO7816 smart card UART (Universal
`Asynchronous Receiver Transmitter) port or simply a serial
`I/O channel like SPI. Alternatively, the SIO 302 can be sub
`stituted with an on-chip PIO (parallel I/O port) for APDU
`transmission in case that the controller module 300 and the
`wallet module 310 are on one single chip. The novel feature is
`that the contactless protocol APDUs are now transmitted by
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`way of “contact mode” port by the controller module 300. In
`other words, the controller module 300 behaves like the con
`tactless reader 320, and the wallet module 310 actually works
`with two readers: one is the contactless reader 320, and the
`other is the controller module 300.
`Philips Milfare R chip is applied in the majority of today's
`transit fare cards, and has a 1 KB non-volatile memory
`divided into 16 sectors of 64 bytes each for storing wallet
`application associated information. Many applications may
`occupy several sectors, which leads to sector usage conflicts
`between different applications. FIG. 5 illustrates a bank
`switching architecture for keeping multiple wallets with con
`flicting sector usage. A large non-volatile memory is provided
`for the wallet module 310. The large non-volatile memory has
`a capacity capable of holding the wallet applications data of
`multiple standard wallet chips, such as the standard 1 KB or
`4KB Mifare R chip. The large non-volatile memory is divided
`into several banks, 16 banks for instance. A single bank’s
`capacity equals to the entire memory capacity of a standard
`wallet chip. Namely, each bank represents a single transit fare
`card as implemented in a standard Milfare chip. Under control
`of the controller module 300 in FIG. 4, one of the 16 banks is
`selected as an active bank while the others are inactive. The
`active bank receives commands from the command execution
`unit 3163 and the data therein is accessed or updated. The
`bank selection can be accomplished via I/O pins (not shown)
`on the wallet module 310, or the bank index register 3165
`stored with bankindexes. Value of the bankindexes is written
`by the controller module 300 and is non-volatile so as to
`persist whenever the phone is off.
`Many Milfare(R) based applications with conflicting sector
`assignments can co-exist in the present chipset. The multiple
`bank features can be very useful in real life. For example, a
`mobile wallet user may keep several often-visited cities’ tran
`sit fare cards in his mobile phone, which is equipped with the
`present chipset. He can select the fare card for the city which
`he has just arrived. The controller module 300 writes value of
`the bank index corresponding to the selected city fare card
`into the bank index register 3165.
`Please refer to FIG. 6. It illustrates an alternative embodi
`ment of the present invention if the optimized wallet module
`310 illustrated in FIG. 4 is not available. In this embodiment,
`a controller module 510 and a conventional Combi chip (or a
`dual interface smart card chip) 520 that executes functions of
`the wallet module 310 by means of software are incorporated
`45
`to implement the present invention. Similarly, the controller
`module 510 has a CM port 511 coupled to a SIM socket (not
`shown) in a mobile phone, a SIO 512 communicating with the
`Combi chip 520, and a controller memory 513. The Combi
`chip 520 includes a SIO port 521 and a CL port 522 coupled
`to a contactless reader 530, a programmable controller 523
`for running controller software codes to operate the Combi
`chip 520, and a non-volatile memory 524 divided into a first
`area 5241 for storing wallet applications that is equivalent to
`the wallet memory 3164 in the wallet module 310 and a
`second area 5242 for storing the controller software codes.
`However, the programmable controller 523 built in the Combi
`chip 520 is rather high in both power consumption and IC
`cost. The controller module 510 connects to the Combi chip
`520 by the SIO 512 which is typically a ISO-7816 UART. All
`units in the wallet module 310 of FIG. 4, such as the authen
`tication/encryption unit 3162 and the command execution
`unit 3163 are now implemented by the controller software
`codes running on the programmable controller 523. Mean
`while, the controller module 510 now communicates with the
`65
`Combi chip 520 using an API (Application Programming
`Interface) that is layered on top of ISO14443 or Mifare(R)
`
`55
`
`8
`APDU processing software running within the program
`mable controller 523. The APDUs transmitted on the SIO port
`521 through the SIO 512 are designed for the API and are no
`longer in accordance with standard contactless protocols like
`ISO14443 or Mifare R chip.
`Please refer to FIG. 7. It illustrates the chipset of FIG. 3
`residing on a SIM card according to the present invention. The
`controller module 200 serves as a GSM (U)SIM controller,
`and thus resides withina SIM card 250, including a GSM SIM
`(Subscriber Identity Module) card, a GSM USIM (Universal
`SIM) card, a CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) RUIM
`(Removable User Identity Module) card, a PHS (Personal
`Handy-phone System) SIM card, or other mobile communi
`cation ID cards that conform to GSM 11-11 standard form
`factor. The wallet module 210 resides on the same SIM card
`250 as illustrated. The CL port 212 of the wallet module 210
`connects to a connector 260 on the SIM card 250 where an
`RFID antenna 270 is attached. The antenna 270 constructed
`by a FPC (Flexible Printed Circuit Board) is preferred. The
`advantage is the low entry-cost for a mobile phone user to use
`mobile wallet functions by replacing a SIM card instead of
`obtaining a new mobile phone. It is to be noted that the SIM
`card shown in FIG. 7 represents a new kind of SIM card
`construction that contains 2 chips and connects to the antenna
`270 constructed by FPC.
`In conclusion, the present invention has great advantages
`over the prior arts. The concept of SIM card added with
`contactless interface that are vaguely described in quite many
`prior arts is now fully realized by the present invention. The
`chipset allows a practical implementation of mobile wallet
`system into a low cost SIM card. To enjoy the convenience
`brought by the mobile wallet system, users only need to pay
`for a new mobile wallet SIM card instead of a costly new
`mobile phone.
`While the invention has been described in terms of what is
`presently considered to be the most practical and preferred
`embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention needs
`not be limited to the disclosed embodiments. On the contrary,
`it is intended to cover various modifications and similar
`arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the
`appended claims, which are to be accorded with the broadest
`interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and
`similar structures.
`
`What is claimed is:
`1. A chipset for a mobile wallet system in a communication
`terminal having a SIM socket and a RFID antenna in com
`munication with a contactless reader, comprising:
`a wallet module, coupled to the RFID antenna, having a
`contactless port and a first serial port for commands
`transmission, and a wallet memory for storing wallet
`applications; and
`a controller module, coupled to the SIM socket of the
`communication terminal, having a co