Patents by Inventor John Hillan

John Hillan has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20150133050
    Abstract: Aspects relate to improving reporting NFC RF technology usage in activation and data exchange for NFC devices. For example, with a near field communication (NFC) device, a NFCC may be configured to obtain a first radio frequency (RF) technology and mode value, a second RF technology and mode value, and one or more RF specific parameters associated with a NFC device during an activation phase of a communication link using a first NFC RF technology. The one or more RF specific parameters may be based on the first RF technology and mode value. Further, the NFCC may be configured to configure communications to be supported by a second NFC RF technology for use during a data exchange phase of the communication link. The second NFC RF technology may be based on the second RF technology and mode value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 15, 2015
    Publication date: May 14, 2015
    Inventors: John Hillan, Jeremy R. O'Donoghue
  • Publication number: 20150118964
    Abstract: Aspects disclosed herein relate to improving near field communication (NFC) device positioning for performing a NFC action based on one or more sensory cues. In one example, a NFC device may be equipped to detect that a device is attempting to perform a NFC action to communicate with a remote NFC device and may provide a first sensory cue to indicate a first location on a first surface of the device corresponding to an antenna location on a second surface of the device in response to the determination that the device is attempting to perform the NFC action. The NFC device may be further operable to determine a type of NFC action the device is attempting to perform and provide a second sensory cue indicating a second location on the first surface of the device based on one or more factors associated with the determined type of NFC action.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 5, 2015
    Publication date: April 30, 2015
    Inventors: Stephen Frankland, John Hillan
  • Patent number: 9008574
    Abstract: Exemplary embodiments are directed to a device including a focused antenna. A device may include a minor plane surface and an antenna positioned proximate the minor plane surface. The antenna may be configured for generating a field focused around the minor plane surface. The antenna may further include an element extending from the minor plane surface toward another minor plane surface of the device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2015
    Assignee: QUALCOMM Incorporated
    Inventors: Stephen Frankland, John Hillan
  • Patent number: 8989658
    Abstract: Aspects relate to improved mechanisms for updating parameter values for communications between a DH and a remote NFC endpoint. In one example, a DH associated with a NFC device may be configured to determine that one or more parameter values included in a parameter selection request message are different than one or more corresponding parameter values used during discovery of a remote NFC endpoint using a frame RF interface, and communicate the parameter values to a NFC Controller using a parameter update message. A NFCC associated with a NFC device may be configured to receive, using a NFC-DEP interface, a parameter selection request message including one or more parameters, determine to implement one or more parameter changes based on the received one or more parameters, and communicate an activation message to a DH indicating values to which the NFC Controller changed the one or more parameter values.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2015
    Assignee: QUALCOMM Incorporated
    Inventors: John Hillan, Jeremy R. O'Donoghue
  • Patent number: 8971800
    Abstract: Aspects relate to improving reporting NFC RF technology usage in activation and data exchange for NFC devices. For example, with a near field communication (NFC) device a NFCC may be configured to obtain a first radio frequency (RF) technology and mode value, a second RF technology and mode value, and one or more RF specific parameters associated with a NFC device during an activation phase of a communication link using a first NFC RF technology. The one or more RF specific parameters and the first NFC RF technology may be based on the first RF technology and mode value. Further, the NFCC may be configured to configure communications to be supported by a second NFC RF technology for use during a data exchange phase of the communication link. The second NFC RF technology may be based on the second RF technology and mode value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2015
    Assignee: QUALCOMM Incorporated
    Inventors: John Hillan, Jeremy R. O'Donoghue
  • Publication number: 20150044967
    Abstract: Aspects disclosed herein relate to improving mechanisms for prompting a NFCC to update data exchange parameters for ISO-DEP communications between a DH and a remote NFC endpoint. In an example, with a NFC device a DH may be configured to receive an activation message from a NFCC that is using a Frame RF interface over NFC-B RF technology, determine that one or more data exchange parameters included in the activation message are different from one or more corresponding current relevant data exchange parameters that the NFCC is configured to implement, generate an RF parameter update command including the one or more data exchange parameters corresponding to the one or more current relevant data exchange parameters that are determined to be different, and send the generated RF parameter update command to the NFCC to prompt the NFCC to update the one or more corresponding current relevant data exchange parameters.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 21, 2014
    Publication date: February 12, 2015
    Inventors: John Hillan, Dubai Chingalande
  • Patent number: 8942623
    Abstract: Methods, apparatuses, systems, and computer-readable media for reducing Near Field Communication (NFC) Peer Mode connection times are presented. According to one or more aspects, a mode switching interval associated with an NFC device discovery loop may be defined. A first portion of the mode switching interval may be assigned to polling operations. A second portion of the mode switching interval may be assigned to listening operations. The first portion and the second portion of the mode switching interval respectively may occupy less than all of the mode switching interval, and the second portion of the mode switching interval may be shifted in position within the mode switching interval for respective iterations of the NFC device discovery loop.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 27, 2015
    Assignee: QUALCOMM Incorporated
    Inventor: John Hillan
  • Patent number: 8929810
    Abstract: Aspects disclosed herein relate to improving near field communication (NFC) device positioning for performing a NFC action based on one or more sensory cues. In one example, a NFC device may be equipped to detect that a device is attempting to perform a NFC action to communicate with a remote NFC device and may provide a first sensory cue to indicate a first location on a first surface of the device corresponding to an antenna location on a second surface of the device in response to the determination that the device is attempting to perform the NFC action. The NFC device may be further operable to determine a type of NFC action the device is attempting to perform and provide a second sensory cue indicating a second location on the first surface of the device based on one or more factors associated with the determined type of NFC action.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 6, 2015
    Assignee: QUALCOMM Incorporated
    Inventors: Stephen Frankland, John Hillan
  • Patent number: 8923763
    Abstract: The present application presents example data routing methods and apparatuses for reducing the amount of nonvolatile memory required to store secure element application locations associated with a near-field communications device. For example, the present disclosure presents a method of communication routing in a near-field communication device, which can include receiving, at a near-field communications controller (NFCC), a routing request message (e.g. from a requesting device), wherein the routing request message includes an original application identifier (AID) associated with an application. The example method may also include generating a compressed AID by applying a hash function to the original AID, reading an entry corresponding to the compressed AID in a routing data structure, wherein the entry contains one or more secure element pointers associated with one or more secure elements, and querying at least one of the secure elements to determine whether each contains the application.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 30, 2014
    Assignee: QUALCOMM Incorporated
    Inventors: Jeremy R. O'Donoghue, John Hillan, Neeraj Bhatia, Alan Gillespie, Anssi Kaleva Haverinen
  • Patent number: 8923761
    Abstract: Aspects disclosed herein relate to providing improved selection of a near field communication (NFC) radio frequency (RF) discovery loop based on one or more measurements obtained from one or more sensors associated with a NFC device. In the disclosed aspects, a NFC device may be equipped to obtain an informational value for a device based on a measurement obtained from one or more device sensors. The NFC device may be further equipped to select a RF discovery loop based on the obtained informational value. The NFC device may be further operable to perform RF discovery using the selected RF discovery loop.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 30, 2014
    Assignee: QUALCOMM Incorporated
    Inventor: John Hillan
  • Publication number: 20140370805
    Abstract: Techniques for improving re-activation of an NFC-F based remote near field communication (NFC) device are described. A polling NFC device may be configured to determine that an NFC-F based remote NFC device was previously deactivated, and transmit a sense request message to enable the remote NFC device to receive an attribute request message as part of a device activation procedure. A polling NFC device may be configured to set a sleep flag to indicate that a deselected NFC-F based remote NFC device is in a sleep sub-state. The polling NFC device may be configured to determine that the remote NFC device is to be activated as a type 3 tag, as part of a device activation procedure, and reset the sleep flag to indicate that the remote NFC device is no longer in the sleep sub-state based on the determination.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 18, 2013
    Publication date: December 18, 2014
    Applicant: QUALCOMM Incorporated
    Inventors: John HILLAN, Dubai Chingalande
  • Patent number: 8838026
    Abstract: Aspects disclosed herein relate to improving mechanisms for prompting a NFCC to update data exchange parameters for ISO-DEP communications between a DH and a remote NFC endpoint. In an example, with a NFC device a DH may be configured to receive an activation message from a NFCC that is using a Frame RF interface over NFC-B RF technology, determine that one or more data exchange parameters included in the activation message are different from one or more corresponding current relevant data exchange parameters that the NFCC is configured to implement, generate an RF parameter update command including the one or more data exchange parameters corresponding to the one or more current relevant data exchange parameters that are determined to be different, and send the generated RF parameter update command to the NFCC to prompt the NFCC to update the one or more corresponding current relevant data exchange parameters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 16, 2014
    Assignee: QUALCOMM Incorporated
    Inventors: John Hillan, Dubai Chingalande
  • Patent number: 8810194
    Abstract: Exemplary embodiments are directed to retrofitting existing electronic devices for wireless power transfer and near-field communication. Retrofitting circuitry includes an antenna for receiving a signal from an external source, and conversion circuitry for converting the signal to be used by an electronic device. The antenna and conversion circuitry are configured to retrofit to the electronic device, where the electronic device did not originally include the antenna or conversion circuitry. The antenna and conversion circuitry may be configured to receive and convert the signal to generate wireless power for the electronic device. The antenna and the conversion circuitry may also be configured to enable the electronic device to send and receive near-field communication data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2014
    Assignee: Qualcomm Incorporated
    Inventors: Miles A Kirby, Matthew S Grob, Ernest T Ozaki, Stanley S Toncich, Nigel P Cook, Stanley B Kinsey, John Hillan, Stephen Frankland
  • Patent number: 8803474
    Abstract: Exemplary embodiments are directed to wireless power. A chargeable device may comprise receive circuitry for coupling to a receive antenna. The receive circuitry may comprise at least one sensor to sense one or more parameters associated with the chargeable device. Further, the receive circuitry may comprise a tuning controller operably coupled to the at least one sensor to generate one or more tuning values in response to the one or more sensed parameters. Additionally, the receive circuitry may comprise a matching circuit operably coupled to the tuning controller for tuning the receive antenna according to the one or more tuning values.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2014
    Assignee: QUALCOMM Incorporated
    Inventors: John Hillan, Stephen Frankland
  • Publication number: 20140120833
    Abstract: A method, an apparatus, and a computer program product for wireless communication are provided in connection with enabling a NFC-enabled device to discover and/or communicate with a TTF device. In one example, a NFC enabled device is equipped to initiate a RF field that is not modulated by the NFC-enabled device as part of a technology detection process, monitor the RF field for at least a portion of a wait duration, determine whether, during the wait duration, the RF field is modulated in a manner consistent with modulation characteristics of a NFC technology, and terminate the technology detection process upon the determination that the RF field is modulated a manner consistent with modulation characteristics of the NFC technology.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 6, 2013
    Publication date: May 1, 2014
    Applicant: QUALCOMM Incorporated
    Inventor: John Hillan
  • Publication number: 20140106671
    Abstract: A method, an apparatus, and a computer program product for wireless communication are provided in connection with improving NDEF message processing. In one example, a communications device is equipped to determine, based on one or more contextual factors, that data received at a NFC device is missing at least a portion of a NDEF header, and generate a complete NDEF message by adding the missing portion of the NDEF header. In another example, a communications device is equipped to receive a complete NDEF message that includes a NDEF header and data and is intended to be written on a remote NFC device, determine, based on one or more contextual factors, that the remote NFC device is configured to receive a modified version of the complete NDEF message, and generate the modified version of the complete NDEF message by removing at least a portion of the NDEF header.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 12, 2013
    Publication date: April 17, 2014
    Applicant: QUALCOMM Incorporated
    Inventor: John Hillan
  • Publication number: 20130324036
    Abstract: Aspects disclosed herein relate to improving NFC RF discovery through monitoring RF activity associated with one or more RATs. In one example, a first NFC device may be configured to use both a first RAT and NFC. The first NFC device may monitor RF activity on a first RAT to determine whether there is at least a greater probability that a second NFC device is within a threshold. The NFC device may be also configured to modify at least an interval between polling modes in a NFC RF discovery loop based on the determination.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 4, 2012
    Publication date: December 5, 2013
    Applicant: Qualcomm Incorporated
    Inventors: John Hillan, Joel Benjamin Linsky
  • Publication number: 20130309967
    Abstract: Aspects disclosed herein relate to providing an improved collision resolution mechanism for handling multiple NFC-A devices where one or more of the NFC-A devices may not support SDD. In one example, a communications device is equipped to determine that a remote NFC device of two or more remote NFC devices supports SDD, resolve the remote NFC device of the two or more remote NFC devices using SDD, and determine whether a remaining remote NFC device of the two or more remote NFC devices supports SDD. In an aspect in which the remaining remote NFC device does not support SDD, the communications device may be equipped to set a flag indicating that unresolved remote NFC devices are present and/or send a read identifier (RID) message to the remaining remote NFC device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 18, 2013
    Publication date: November 21, 2013
    Applicant: QUALCOMM Incorporated
    Inventors: John Hillan, Dubai Chingalande
  • Publication number: 20130309965
    Abstract: Aspects disclosed herein relate to providing improved selection of a near field communication (NFC) radio frequency (RF) discovery loop based on one or more measurements obtained from one or more sensors associated with a NFC device. In the disclosed aspects, a NFC device may be equipped to obtain an informational value for a device based on a measurement obtained from one or more device sensors. The NFC device may be further equipped to select a RF discovery loop based on the obtained informational value. The NFC device may be further operable to perform RF discovery using the selected RF discovery loop.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 17, 2012
    Publication date: November 21, 2013
    Applicant: QUALCOMM Incorporated
    Inventor: John Hillan
  • Publication number: 20130281014
    Abstract: Aspects disclosed herein relate to improving near field communication (NFC) device positioning for performing a NFC action based on one or more sensory cues. In one example, a NFC device may be equipped to detect that a device is attempting to perform a NFC action to communicate with a remote NFC device and may provide a first sensory cue to indicate a first location on a first surface of the device corresponding to an antenna location on a second surface of the device in response to the determination that the device is attempting to perform the NFC action. The NFC device may be further operable to determine a type of NFC action the device is attempting to perform and provide a second sensory cue indicating a second location on the first surface of the device based on one or more factors associated with the determined type of NFC action.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 23, 2012
    Publication date: October 24, 2013
    Applicant: QUALCOMM Imcorporated
    Inventors: Stephen Frankland, John Hillan