# US 12,191,933 B2 · NFC antenna > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,191,933 B2 - Document ID: US12191933B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/453,425 - Filed: 2021-11-03 - Published: 2022-02-24 - Granted: 2025-01-07 - Earliest claimed: 2019-04-30 - Assignees: STMicroelectronics Austria GmbH - Applicants: STMicroelectronics Austria GmbH - Inventors: Francesco Antonetti - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12191933B2 ## CPC - G06Q 20/20: Point-of-sale [POS] network systems - H04B 5/43: Antennas - H01Q 1/243: {with built-in antennas} - H01Q 1/38: formed by a conductive layer on an insulating support {(patch antennas H01Q9/0407; microstrip dipole antennas H01Q9/065; microstrip slot antennas H01Q13/106; transmission line microstrip antennas H01Q13/206; manufacturing reflecting surfaces using insulating material for supporting the reflecting surface H01Q15/142)} - H01Q 7/00: Loop antennas with a substantially uniform current distribution around the loop and having a directional radiation pattern in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the loop - H04B 5/24: Inductive coupling - H04B 5/26: using coils - H04B 5/70: specially adapted for specific purposes - H04B 5/45: Transponders - G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR - H04B: TRANSMISSION - H01Q: ANTENNAS, i.e. RADIO AERIALS (radiators or antennas for microwave heating H05B6/72) ## Abstract A near-field communication antenna includes a conductive plane; and four slots in the conductive plane. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A near-field communication (NFC) payment terminal comprising: a slot antenna configured for operating in an NFC frequency range; a matching circuit coupled to the slot antenna; a controller coupled to the matching circuit; and a host circuit coupled to the controller, wherein the slot antenna comprises a rectangular conductive plane, wherein the rectangular conductive plane comprises four slots joined together in a first cross pattern, wherein one of the four slots is parallel to and is open to an edge of a narrow side of the rectangular conductive plane in a second cross pattern, and wherein the one of the four slots forms an intersecting element of the second cross pattern. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The NFC payment terminal of claim 1, wherein the NFC payment terminal comprises a mobile phone. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The NFC payment terminal of claim 1, wherein the matching circuit is configured for filtering electromagnetic interference (EMI). ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The NFC payment terminal of claim 1, wherein the slot antenna is configured for meeting an EMVCo standard. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The NFC payment terminal of claim 1, wherein the four slots comprise a square whose sides are non-contiguous. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The NFC payment terminal of claim 5, wherein the four slots are joined together by two additional internal slots, the additional internal slots being perpendicular to each other and forming arms of a cross centered on a middle of the square comprising the first cross pattern. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The NFC payment terminal of claim 1, wherein the four slots are joined to a central hole. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The NFC payment terminal of claim 7, wherein the four slots are joined to the central hole by four additional internal slots. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The NFC payment terminal of claim 8, wherein one of the four additional internal slots extends to an edge of a conductive plane of the slot antenna. ### Claim 10 (depends on 7) The NFC payment terminal of claim 7, wherein the NFC payment terminal comprises a mobile phone, wherein the central hole faces a wireless charging module of the mobile phone. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The NFC payment terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller comprises a routing table. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The NFC payment terminal of claim 11, wherein the routing table is configured for routing communications to a plurality of elements of the NFC payment terminal. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The NFC payment terminal of claim 12, wherein the controller is configured for directly communicating with secure elements of the NFC payment terminal without passing through the host circuit. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The NFC payment terminal of claim 1, wherein one of the four slots is parallel to and is open to a bottom edge of the narrow side of the rectangular conductive plane. ### Claim 15 A method of near-field communications (NFC) of a NFC payment terminal, the method comprising: receiving NFC communications at the NFC payment terminal through a slotted antenna; processing NFC communications in the NFC payment terminal received by the slotted antenna; and transmitting the processed NFC communications at the NFC terminal through the slotted antenna, wherein the slotted antenna comprises a rectangular conductive plane and four slots in the rectangular conductive plane joined together in a first cross pattern, wherein one of the four slots is parallel to and open to an edge of a narrow side of the rectangular conductive plane in a second cross pattern, and wherein the one of the four slots forms an intersecting element of the second cross pattern. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, further comprising configuring the slotted antenna to meet an EMVCo standard. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, further comprising forming the four slots to form a square whose sides are non-contiguous. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17, further comprising joining the four slots together by two additional internal slots in the rectangular conductive plane, the two additional internal slots being perpendicular to each other and forming arms of a cross centered on a middle of the square comprising the first cross pattern. ### Claim 19 (depends on 15) The NFC payment terminal of claim 15, wherein one of the four slots is parallel to and is open to a bottom edge of the narrow side of the rectangular conductive plane. ### Claim 20 A near-field communication (NFC) payment terminal comprising: a slot antenna configured for operating in an NFC frequency range, wherein the slot antenna comprises a plurality of perpendicular slots joined together in a first cross pattern, and wherein one of the plurality of perpendicular slots is parallel to and open to a bottom edge of a narrow side of a rectangular conductive plane in a second cross pattern, and wherein the one of the plurality of perpendicular slots forms an intersecting element of the second cross pattern; a matching circuit coupled to the slot antenna, wherein the matching circuit is configured for filtering electromagnetic interference (EMI); and a controller or router coupled to the matching circuit, wherein the controller or the router is configured for directly communicating with secure elements of the NFC payment terminal.