Customer Initiated Land-Based Payment Using Secure ElementsMethod and
`apparatus for settling payments using mobile devices
`
`Abstract
`Techniques for mobile devices configured to support settlement of charges in
`electronic invoices or bills are described. A mobile device embedded with a secure
`element generates or is loaded with an electronic invoice. When the mobile device is
`brought to a consumer with an NFC mobile device, the data including the electronic
`invoice and other information regarding the mobile device or an owner thereof is
`read off wirelessly into the NFC mobile device. After the user verifies the amount
`being charged and authorizes the payment, the NFC mobile device communicates
`with a payment gateway or network for payment that is configured to proceed with
`the payment in accordance with a chosen payment methods.
`
`Description
`BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
`1. Field of the Invention
`The present invention is generally related to the area of electronic commerce.
`Particularly, the present invention is related to a mobile device configured to settle
`payments using a mobile device reading electronic bills or invoices off from another
`mobile device in a near field communication range.
`2. The Background of Related Art
`For many land-based credit or debit card transactions, the payment process is started
`by a customer asking for a bill when checking out a purchase. A cashier or service
`staff will bringmember brings a bill to the customer for verification. The customer
`then hands out a credit/debit card to the service staff member. The service
`staffmember brings the card to a Point of Sales (POS) counter to initiate a
`transaction payment. The service staffmember then brings back a receipt to the
`customer for signature to authorize the transaction. It is a lengthy process that
`typically takes a couple of minutes or much longer when the service member has to
`take care of multiple payment transactions at a time. In addition, in the case for the
`debit card transactions, it isthe process may be even more troublesome when thea
`PIN is needed to authorize the transaction at the POS.
`
`According to one aspect of our invention, we provide a Mobile POS solution.
`Instead of bringing a financial card to the POS, the service staff will bring a Mobile
`POS to the customer to start a transaction. However, the customer still needs to trust
`and relay on the POS by the merchant to start the payment process. As more and
`more customers are using personal portable devices such as smart phones, the
`
`GOOG-1027
`Google LLC v. RFCyber Corp. / Page 1 of 53
`
`

`

`traditional payment paradigm assuming only merchant's dedicated POS able to start
`secure payment is challenged. In this invention, we propose a method that uses
`secure elements as an instrument to transport bills to customers so that they can
`initiate transactions with their personal Near Field Communication (NFC) devices.
`Secure elements can be in a form of dedicated contactless smart cards or secure
`element components of merchants' NFC devices. An electronic bill can be either
`• created in a smart card at the store's POS and bring to a customer, or
`• created in a secure element (SE) of the merchant mobile POS at a customer
`
`Our Solution
`Our solution uses a contactless smart card or a secure element in a NFC device to
`transport a bill from a merchant to a customer. The customer then uses his NFC
`portable device to read the signed bill from the smart card and starts the transaction
`using one of the methods that his mobile wallet has enrolled with. This underlying
`payment method can be the traditional payment method such as credit and debit
`card, or new internet payment method such as Paypal, Alipay, or new contactless
`epurse such as PBOC2, CEPS or transportation purse. In addition, while most of the
`mobile payment methods require the customer to give the cell phone number to the
`merchants, our method does not need any contact information to be disclosed. This
`method protects customer privacy.
`
`The following figure shows an architecture according to one embodiment of out
`present invention.
`
`Fig. 1. System components
`
`The following figure shows a flowchart or process of performing a transaction
`according to one embodiment of out present invention.
`
`As an exemplary operation, the above flowchart may be described below:
`
`1. Smart Card Applet Issuing Flow
`Merchants signed up for smart bill payment will be issued with a number of
`contactless smart cards installed with personalized smart bill applet. The applet can
`also be installed on an NFC device with SE.
`
`The following information is personalized in each applet:
`• Assigned merchant id
`• Applet serial number for the merchant
`• Merchant key (either symmetric or asymmetric key). In general, these are
`
`GOOG-1027
`Google LLC v. RFCyber Corp. / Page 2 of 53
`
`

`

`diversified keys of a set of system master keys.
`
`2. Payment Initiation Flow
`As described in the flowchart, the following are typical Example of
`• Electronic bill
`• Transaction detail information
`• Amount
`• Bill Number
`• Transaction Time
`• Signed electronic bill
`• Append personalized smart bill info: merchant id, serial number
`• Generate a signature (either MAC or digital digest)
`• Payment Information
`• Total payment amount including tips
`• payment method
`• necessary information needed to conduct the payment
`
`As part of the description of the instant application, the Appendix herewith describes
`one exemplary embodiment that may be used to support a payment transaction or
`facilitate a payment process. The transaction may be conducted online or offline,
`with or without a payment server.
`
`The processes, sequences or steps and features discussed above and in the
`appendix (part of the application) are related to each other and each is believed
`independently novel in the art. The disclosed processes and sequences may be
`performed alone or in any combination to provide a novel and unobvious system or a
`portion of a system. It should be understood that the processes and sequences in
`combination yield an equally independently novel combination as well, even if
`combined in their broadest sense; i.e. with less than the specific manner in which
`each of the processes or sequences has been reduced to practice in the disclosure
`herein.
`
`The foregoing and attached are illustrative of various aspects/embodiments of
`the present invention, the disclosure of specific sequence/steps and the inclusion of
`specifics with regard to broader methods and systems are not intended to limit the
`scope of the invention which finds itself in the various permutations of the features
`disclosed and described herein as conveyed to one of skill in the art.
`
`Claim
`A method for conducting a payment transaction, the method comprising:
`
`GOOG-1027
`Google LLC v. RFCyber Corp. / Page 3 of 53
`
`

`

`initiating the payment transaction by transporting an electronic check to an NFC
`device associated with a customer;
`requesting a verification on the check from the customer, wherein the check is being
`displayed on a display of the NFC device and requesting an action from the
`customer;
`receiving a message from the NFC device after the customer authorizes the
`payment transaction;
`clearing the check after receiving a payment from the consumer against the check,
`wherein the payment comes from an institution where the customer has held an
`account or the NFC device directly.
`
`Appendix
`Method and apparatus for performing payment transactions
`
`BACKGROUND
`Technical Field
`[0001] The present invention is generally related to commerce over networks.
`Particularly, the present invention is related to techniques for personalizing a secure
`element and provisioning an application such as an electronic purse that can be
`advantageously used in portable devices configured for both electronic commerce
`(a.k.a., e-commerce) and mobile commerce (a.k.a., m-commerce).
`
`Description of the Related Art
`[0002] Single functional cards have been successfully used in enclosed
`environments such as transportation systems. One example of such single functional
`cards is MIFARE that has been selected as the most successful contactless smart
`card technology. MIFARE is the perfect solution for applications like loyalty and
`vending cards, road tolling, city cards, access control and gaming.
`
`[0003] However, single functional card applications are deployed in enclosed
`systems, which are difficult to be expanded into other areas such as e-commerce and
`m-commerce because stored values and transaction information are stored in data
`storage of each tag that is protected by a set of keys. The nature of the tag is that the
`keys need to be delivered to the card for authentication before any data can be
`accessed during a transaction. This constraint makes systems using such technology
`difficult to be expanded to an open environment such as the Internet for e-commerce
`and/or wireless networks form-commerce as the delivery of keys over a public
`domain network causes security concerns.
`
`[0004] In general, a smart card, chip card, or integrated circuit card (ICC), is any
`
`GOOG-1027
`Google LLC v. RFCyber Corp. / Page 4 of 53
`
`

`

`pocket-sized card with embedded integrated circuits. A smart card or
`microprocessor cards contain volatile memory and microprocessor components.
`Smart cards may also provide strong security authentication for single sign-on
`(SSO) within large organizations. The benefits of smart cards are directly related to
`the volume of information and applications that are programmed for use on a card. A
`single contact/contactless smart card can be programmed with multiple banking
`credentials, medical entitlement, driver's license/public transport entitlement,
`loyalty programs and club memberships to name just a few. Multi-factor and
`proximity authentication can and has been embedded into smart cards to increase the
`security of all services on the card.
`
`[0005] Contactless smart cards that do not require physical contact between
`card and reader are becoming increasingly popular for payment and ticketing
`applications such as mass transit and highway tolls. Such Near Field
`Communication (NFC) between a contactless smart card and a reader presents
`significant business opportunities when used in NFC-enabled mobile phones for
`applications such as payment, transport ticketing, loyalty, physical access control,
`and other exciting new services.
`
`[0006] To support this fast evolving business environment, several entities
`including financial institutions, manufactures of various NFC-enabled mobile
`phones and software developers, in addition to mobile network operators (MNO),
`become involved in the NFC mobile ecosystem. By nature of their individual roles,
`these players need to communicate with each other and exchange messages in a
`reliable and interoperable way.
`
`[0007] One of the concerns in the NFC mobile ecosystem is its security in an
`open network. Thus there is a need to provide techniques to personalize a secure
`element in a contactless smart card or an NFC-enabled mobile device so that such a
`device is so secured and personalized when it comes to financial applications or
`secure transactions. With a personalized secure element in an NFC-enabled mobile
`device, various applications or services, such as electronic purse or payments, can be
`realized. Accordingly, there is another need for techniques to provision or manage
`an application or service in connection with a personalized secure element.
`There is a need to simplify the payment process. With the advancement in mobile
`devices, it is anticipated that many consumers will carry one with them. Thus there is
`an opportunity of using a mobile device to quickly settle the payment at a point of
`sale (POS).
`SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
`[0008] This section is for the purpose of summarizing some aspects of
`
`GOOG-1027
`Google LLC v. RFCyber Corp. / Page 5 of 53
`
`

`

`embodiments of the present invention and to briefly introduce some preferred
`embodiments. Simplifications or omissions in this section as well as the title and the
`abstract of this disclosure may be made to avoid obscuring the purpose of the
`section, the title and the abstract. Such simplifications or omissions are not intended
`to limit the scope of the present invention.
`
`[0010] Broadly speaking, the invention is related to techniques for personalizing
`secure elements in NFC devices to enable various secure transactions over a network
`(wired and/or wireless network). With a personalized secure element (hence secured
`element), techniques for provisioning various applications or services are also
`provided. Interactions among different parties are managed to effectuate a
`personalization or provisioning process flawlessly to enable an NFC device for a
`user thereof to start enjoying the convenience of commerce over a data network with
`minimum effort.
`
`[0011] As an example of application to be provided over a secured element, a
`mechanism is provided to enable devices, especially portable devices, to function as
`an electronic purse (e-purse) to conduct transactions over an open network with a
`payment server without compromising security. According to one embodiment, a
`device is installed with an e-purse manager (i.e., an application). Thee-purse
`manager is configured to manage various transactions and functions as a mechanism
`to access an emulator therein. Secured financial transactions can then be conducted
`over a wired network, a wireless network or a combination of both wired and
`wireless network.
`[0012] According to another aspect of the present invention, security keys
`The present invention is related to techniques for mobile devices configured to
`support settlement of charges in electronic invoices or bills. According to one aspect
`of the present invention, a mobile device embedded with a secure element generates
`or is loaded with an electronic invoice. When the mobile device is brought to a
`consumer with an NFC mobile device, the data including the electronic invoice and
`other information regarding the mobile device or an owner thereof is read off
`wirelessly into the NFC mobile device. After the user verifies the amount being
`charged and authorizes the payment, the NFC mobile device communicates with a
`payment gateway or network for payment that is configured to proceed with the
`payment in accordance with a chosen payment methods.
`According to another aspect of the present invention, the mobile device is a
`contactless card or part of a point of sale (POS) machine used to generate the
`electronic invoice. One embodiment of the present invention provides unanticipated
`benefits and advantages in an application in which a payment process would
`otherwise have to be involved in more than one contacts between a merchant and the
`
`GOOG-1027
`Google LLC v. RFCyber Corp. / Page 6 of 53
`
`

`

`consumer. One of such applications is a payment process in a restaurant, where a
`consumer is given a check first for verification and a chance to add a gratitude before
`a final charge is determined and paid. Using the NFC mobile device, the consumer
`can finish the payment using a chosen payment method at the point of sale without
`further contacting the merchant.
`According to still another aspect of the present invention, a consumer uses his/her
`mobile device, per the data received therein, to settle the payment process with a
`payment network, where the payment network may be an existing payment
`infrastructure (e.g., money transfer or credit card/debit). A payment response is sent
`to the merchant once a payment is delivered to a designed account by the merchant.
`According to still another aspect of the present invention, the mobile device being
`used by the consumer is itself an electronic purse. Thus the consumer operates
`his/her mobile device to settle the charge once the electronic invoice is received and
`displayed thereon.
`According to still another aspect of the present invention, the mobile device used by
`the consumer is a near field communication (NFC) device and being part of a mobile
`payment ecosystem in which various parties are work with each other in order for
`the mobile payment ecosystem successful. Via a server (e.g., implemented as a
`manager) configured to provide what is referred to herein as Trusted Service
`Management (TSM), the secure element in the mobile device can be remotely
`personalized and various applications or modules can be downloaded, updated,
`managed or replaced after they are respectively provisioned via the Trusted Service
`Manager (i.e., the TSM server). One of the modules being installed in the POS
`machine or an NFC device used by the merchant is referred to as Smart Bill
`Payment. The module is configured to facilitate the communication between the
`merchant (its device) and the user (his/her mobile device) and the data exchange
`therebetween, where the mobile device being used by the user is installed with a
`corresponding application related to Smart Bill Payment.
`One important features, advantages and benefits in the present invention is to
`facilitate the settlement of charges using an NFC mobile device to read off data
`pertaining to an electronic invoice. The present invention may be implemented as a
`single device, a server, a system or a part of system. It is believed that various
`implementations may lead to results that may not be achieved conventionally.
`According to one embodiment, the present invention is a method for settling a
`payment, the method comprises: providing a software module to be executed in a
`first mobile device embedded with a secure element, wherein the secure element has
`been personalized and the software module is provisioned with the personalized
`secure element, the first mobile device is configured to include data pertaining to an
`electronic invoice; receiving a payment request from a second mobile device after a
`user of the second mobile device authorizes the payment to the electronic invoice
`
`GOOG-1027
`Google LLC v. RFCyber Corp. / Page 7 of 53
`
`

`

`transported wirelessly from the first mobile device, wherein the second mobile
`device is a near-field communication device and is configured to execute an
`application that communicates with the software module in the first mobile device to
`read the data off from the first mobile device; verifying the payment request; and
`sending a payment response to a user of the first mobile device after the payment
`request is processed. In the embodiment, the second mobile device includes a
`display screen and is caused to display the electronic invoice when the data is in the
`second mobile device.
`(either symmetric or asymmetric) are personalized so as to personalize an e-purse
`and perform a secured transaction with a payment server. In one
`According to another embodiment, the
`essential data to be personalized into an e-purse include one or more operation keys
`(e.g., a load key and a purchase key), default PINs, administration keys (e.g., an
`unblock PIN key and a reload PIN key), and passwords (e.g., from Mifare). During a
`transaction, the security keys are used to establish a secured channel between an
`embedded e-purse and an SAM (Security Authentication Module) or a backend
`server.
`
`[0013] The present invention may be implemented in various forms including a
`method, a system, an apparatus, a part of a system or a computer readable medium.
`According to one embodiment, the present invention is a method for personalizing a
`secure element associated with a computing device. The method comprises initiating
`data communication with a server, sending device information of the secure element
`in responding to a request from the server after the server determines that the secure
`element is registered therewith, wherein the device information is a sequence of
`characters uniquely identifying the secure element, and the request is a command
`causing the computing device to retrieve the device information from the secure
`element, receiving at least a set of keys from the server, wherein the keys are
`generated in the server in accordance with the device information of the secure
`element, and storing the set of keys in the secure element to facilitate a subsequent
`transaction by the computing device.
`
`[0014] According to another embodiment, the present invention is a method for
`personalizing a secure element associated with a computing device. The method
`comprises receiving an inquiry to establish data communication between a server
`and the computing device, sending a request from the server to the computing device
`to request device information of the secure element after the server determines that
`the computing device is registered therewith, wherein the device information is a
`sequence of characters uniquely identifying the secure element, and the request is a
`command that subsequently causes the computing device to retrieve the device
`
`GOOG-1027
`Google LLC v. RFCyber Corp. / Page 8 of 53
`
`

`

`information from the secure element therein, generating at least a set of keys in
`accordance with the device information received, delivering the set of keys through
`a secured channel over a data network to the computing device, wherein the set of
`keys is caused to be stored in the secure element with the computing device, and
`notifying at least a related party that the secure element is now personalized for
`subsequent trusted transactions.
`
`[0015] According to still another embodiment, the present invention is a method
`for provisioning an application installed in a mobile device, the method comprises
`sending to a server an identifier identifying the application together with device
`information of a secure element associated with a mobile device on which the
`application has been installed, establishing a secured channel between the secure
`element and the server using a set of key set installed in the secure element,
`receiving data prepared by the server to enable the application to function as
`designed on the mobile device; and sending out an acknowledgement to a provider
`of the application about a status of the application now being active with the secure
`element on the mobile device. The data received in the mobile device includes a user
`interface of the application per the mobile device and a generated application key
`set.
`
`[0016] According to still another embodiment, the present invention is a method
`for provisioning an application, the method comprises receiving from a mobile
`device an identifier identifying the application together with device information of a
`secure element associated with the mobile device on which the application has been
`installed, establishing a secured channel between the secure element and the server
`using a set of key set installed on the secure element, preparing data necessary for
`the application to function as designed on the mobile device, transporting the data
`from the server to enable the application via the secured channel; and notifying a
`provider of the application about a status of the application now active with the
`secure element on the mobile device.
`
`[0017] According to yet another embodiment, the present invention is a mobile
`devicegateway provided for conducting a transaction over a network, the mobile
`devicesettling a payment, the gateway may include a server or a collection of
`servers. The gateway comprises a
`network interface, a secure element, a memory space for storing at least portal
`providing a software module and an applicationto be downloaded from the network,
`a processor coupled to the memory space and configured to execute the module to
`cause operations including verifying whether the application has been provisioned.
`When it is verified that the application has not been provisioned, the operations
`
`GOOG-1027
`Google LLC v. RFCyber Corp. / Page 9 of 53
`
`

`

`further comprise sending to a server via the network interface an identifier
`identifying the application together withand executed in a first mobile device
`information ofembedded with a secure element, establishing a secured channel
`betweenwherein the secure element has been personalized and the server using a key
`set installed on thesoftware module is provisioned with the personalized secure
`element, wherein the serverfirst mobile device is configured to prepareinclude data
`necessary for the application to function as designed on the mobile device, receiving
`the data frompertaining to an electronic invoice. The gateway further comprises a
`server that includes: a processor and a store, coupled to the processor, for code to be
`executed in the processor to cause the server to perform operations of:
`
`receiving a payment request from a second mobile device after a user of the second
`mobile device authorizes the serverpayment to associate the application with the
`secure element, and sending out an acknowledgement to a provider of the
`application about a status of theelectronic invoice transported wirelessly from the
`first mobile device, wherein the second mobile device is a near-field communication
`device and is configured to execute an application that is now activecommunicates
`with the secure element. The processor is further configured to determine if the
`secure element has been personalized before performing a provisioning process of
`the application. If the secure element has not been personalized, thesoftware module
`in the first mobile device is caused to personalizeread the secure element with a
`designed server.
`
`[0018] One of the objects, features, and advantages of the present invention is
`to enable a mobile device that can be used to perform a secured transaction with a
`party (e.g., at a point of sale, with a commercial server or accessing remotely) over
`an unsecured network (e.g., the Internet).
`
`[0019] data off from the first mobile device;
`verifying the payment request; and
`sending a payment response to a user of the first mobile device after the payment
`request is processed.
`Other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention, which will become
`apparent upon examining the following detailed description of an embodiment
`thereof, taken in conjunction with the attached drawings.
`BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
`[0020] The invention will be readily understood by the following detailed
`description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference
`numerals designate like structural elements, and in which:
`[0021] FIG. 1A shows a simplified architecture of an NFC-enabled mobile
`
`GOOG-1027
`Google LLC v. RFCyber Corp. / Page 10 of 53
`
`

`

`device with a secure element (SE);
`[0022] FIG. 1 B shows a flowchart or process of personalizing an SEsystem
`configuration according to one embodiment of the present invention, where the
`payment network represents a collection of services or networks provided to settle
`payments via a financial institution;
`
`[0023] FIG. 1 C shows relationships among an SE manufacturer, a TSM ad min
`and the TSM system for both offline and online modes;
`
`[0024] FIG. 1 D illustrates data flows among a user for an NFC device (e.g., an
`NFC mobile phone), the NFC device itself, a TSM server, a corresponding SE
`manufacturer and an SE issuer;
`[0025]
`FIG. 1 EB shows a data flowchart or process of personalizing data flow
`among three entities: a land-based SAM or a network e-purse server, an e-purse
`acting as a gatekeeper, and a single function tag,settling a payment according to one
`embodiment, where the process may be implemented in software or a combination
`of software and hardware;
`[0026] FIG. 2A shows a mobile payment ecosystem in which related parties are
`shown in order for the mobile payment ecosystem successful;
`[0027] FIG. 2B shows a flowchart or process of provisioning one or more
`applications according to one embodiment;
`[0028] FIG. 2C shows a data flow illustrating various interactions among different
`parties when an application is being provisioned in one embodiment;
`[0029] FIG. 2D shows a data flow among different entities when preparing the
`application data in provisioning an application;
`[0030] FIG. 2E shows a flowchart or process for locking or disabling an installed
`application;
`[0031] FIG. 2F shows an exemplary architecture diagram of a portable device
`enabled as an e-purse conducting e-commerce and m-commerce, according to one
`embodiment of the present invention;
`[0032] FIG. 3A is a block diagram of related modules interacting with each other to
`achieve what is referred to herein as e-purse personalization by an authorized
`personnel (a.k.a., personalizing a mobile device or a secure element therein while
`provisioning an application);
`[0033] FIG. 3B shows a block diagram of related modules interacting with each
`other to achieve what is referred to herein as e-purse personalization by a user of the
`e-purse;
`[0034] FIG. 3C shows a flowchart or process of personalizing an e-purse according
`to one embodiment of the present invention;
`
`GOOG-1027
`Google LLC v. RFCyber Corp. / Page 11 of 53
`
`

`

`[0035] FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B show together a flowchart or process of financing,
`funding, load or top-up an e-purse according to one embodiment of the present
`invention;
`[0036] FIG. 4C shows an exemplary block diagram of related blocks interacting
`with each other to achieve the process FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B;
`[0037] FIG. 5A is a diagram showing a first exemplary architecture of a portable
`device for enabling e-commerce and m-commerce functionalities over a cellular
`communications network (i.e., 3G, L TELTE or GPRS network), according an
`embodiment of the present invention;
`[0038] FIG. 5B is a diagram showing a second exemplary architecture of a portable
`device for enabling e-commerce and m-commerce functionalities over a wired
`and/or wireless data network (e.g., Internet), according another embodiment of the
`present invention;
`[0039] FIG. 5C is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary process of enabling the
`portable device of FIG. 5A for services/applications provided by one or more service
`providers in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;
`[0040] FIG. 6A is a diagram showing an exemplary architecture, in which a portable
`device is enabled as a mobile POS conducting e-commerce and m-commerce,
`according to one embodiment of the present invention;
`[0041] FIG. 6B is a diagram showing an exemplary architecture, in which a portable
`device is enabled as a mobile POS conducting a transaction upload operation over a
`network, according to an embodiment of the present invention;
`[0042] FIG. 6C is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary process of conducting
`m-commerce using the portable device enabled as a mobile POS with an e-token
`enabled device as a single functional card in accordance with one embodiment of the
`present invention;
`[0043] FIG. 6D is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary process of conducting
`m-commerce using the portable device enabled as a mobile POS against a an e-token
`enabled device as a multi-functional card; and
`[0044] FIG. 7 is a diagram depicting an exemplary configuration in which a portable
`device used for an e-ticking application.
`DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
`[0045] In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth to
`provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. The present invention
`may be practiced without these specific details. The description and representation
`herein are the means used by those experienced or skilled in the art to effectively
`convey the substance of their work to others skilled in the art. In other instances,
`well-known methods, procedures, components, and circuitry have not been
`described in detail since they are already well understood and to avoid unnecessarily
`obscuring aspects of the present invention.
`
`GOOG-1027
`Google LLC v. RFCyber Corp. / Page 12 of 53
`
`

`

`[0046] Reference herein to "“one embodiment"” or "“an embodiment"” means that a
`particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the
`embodiment can be included in at least one implementation of the invention. The
`appearances of the phrase "“in one embodiment"” or “in the embodiment” in various
`places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment,
`nor are separate or alternative embodiments mutually exclusive of other
`embodiments. Further, the order of blocks in process, flowcharts or functional
`diagrams representing one or more embodiments do not inherently indicate any
`particular order nor imply limitations in the invention.
`[0047] As used in this specification and the appended claims, the singular forms “a,”
`“an,