# US 12,222,794 B2 · Management of near field communications using a low power express mode of an electronic device > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,222,794 B2 - Document ID: US12222794B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/399,031 - Filed: 2021-08-10 - Published: 2022-02-03 - Granted: 2025-02-11 - Earliest claimed: 2018-06-03 - Assignees: Apple Inc. - Applicants: Apple Inc. - Inventors: Yong Wang; Gordon Y. Scott; Andrew C. Chang; Scott A. Williams - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12222794B2 ## CPC - G06F 1/3287: by switching off individual functional units in the computer system - H04W 52/0251: {using monitoring of local events, e.g. events related to user activity} - G06F 1/3212: Monitoring battery levels, e.g. power saving mode being initiated when battery voltage goes below a certain level - H04L 43/062: related to network traffic - H04L 43/0829: Packet loss - H04L 43/087: Jitter - H04L 65/61: for supporting one-way streaming services, e.g. Internet radio - H04L 65/65: Network streaming protocols, e.g. real-time transport protocol [RTP] or real-time control protocol [RTCP] - H04L 65/762: {at the source (reformatting of additional data in video distribution servers H04N21/2355)} - H04L 65/80: Responding to QoS - H04M 1/72412: using two-way short-range wireless interfaces - H04W 4/50: Service provisioning or reconfiguring - H04W 4/80: Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication - H04W 24/02: Arrangements for optimising operational condition - H04W 24/08: Testing, {supervising or monitoring} using real traffic - H04W 52/028: {switching on or off only a part of the equipment circuit blocks} - H04M 2250/04: including near field communication means, e.g. RFID - Y02D 30/70: in wireless communication networks - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) - H04M: TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION (circuits for controlling other apparatus via a telephone cable and not involving telephone switching apparatus G08) - Y02D: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES [ICT], I.E. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES AIMING AT THE REDUCTION OF THEIR OWN ENERGY USE ## Abstract Systems, methods, and computer-readable media for managing near field communications during a low power express mode of an electronic device are provided that may make credentials of a near field communication (“NFC”) component appropriately secure and appropriately accessible while also limiting the power consumption of the NFC component and of other components of the electronic device. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method comprising: designating a credential on an electronic device as an initial credential for use in a low power mode of the electronic device; in response to the designating, setting a status of a low power mode flag of a power management unit of the electronic device to a first status; and after the setting the status of the low power mode flag, detecting a low power mode initiation event; in response to detecting the low power mode initiation event: determining the status of the low power mode flag of the power management unit of the electronic device to be the first status or a second status; and responsive to determining that the status of the low power mode flag is set to the first status, transitioning a near field communication component from operating in a full power mode to operating in a low power mode, or responsive to determining that the status of the low power mode flag is set to the second status, transitioning the near field communication component from operating in the full power mode to operating in an off mode. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: undesignating the credential on the electronic device as the initial credential for use in the low power mode of the electronic device; and in response to the undesignating, setting the status of the low power mode flag of the power management unit of the electronic device to the second status. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein: the near field communication component is configured to actively communicate data from at least one credential on the electronic device to a remote terminal while the near field communication component is operating in the low power mode; and the near field communication component is not configured to actively communicate any data from any credential on the electronic device to the remote terminal while the near field communication component is operating in the off mode. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the detecting the low power mode initiation event comprises receiving a particular user input via at least one input component of the electronic device. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the detecting the low power mode initiation event comprises determining that a charge of a power supply of the electronic device is below a predetermined threshold. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5, wherein the predetermined threshold is a minimum battery charge value for executing a device operating system of the electronic device. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the low power mode flag is a register in at least one of the power management unit of the electronic device or a non-volatile memory of the electronic device. ### Claim 8 An electronic device comprising: a memory; a power management unit; a near field communication component; and at least one processor configured to: designate a credential on the electronic device as an initial credential for use in a low power mode of the electronic device; in response to the designate, set a status of a low power mode flag of the power management unit of the electronic device to a first status; and after the status of the low power mode flag is set, in response to detection of a low power mode initiation event: determine the status of the low power mode flag of the power management unit of the electronic device; and responsive a determination that the status of the low power mode flag is set to the first status, transition the near field communication component from operating in a full power mode to operating in a low power mode. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The electronic device of claim 8, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: responsive to a determination that the status of the low power mode flag is set to a second status, transition the near field communication component from operating in the full power mode to operating in an off mode. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The electronic device of claim 9, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: undesignate the credential on the electronic device as the initial credential for use in the low power mode of the electronic device; and in response to the undesignation, set the status of the low power mode flag of the power management unit of the electronic device to the second status. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The electronic device of claim 9, wherein: the near field communication component is configured to actively communicate data from at least one credential on the electronic device to a remote terminal while the near field communication component is operating in the low power mode; and the near field communication component is not configured to actively communicate any data from any credential on the electronic device to the remote terminal while the near field communication component is operating in the off mode. ### Claim 12 (depends on 8) The electronic device of claim 8, wherein the at least one processor is configured to detect the low power mode initiation event by receiving a particular user input via at least one input component of the electronic device. ### Claim 13 (depends on 8) The electronic device of claim 8, wherein the at least one processor is configured to detect the low power mode initiation event by determining that a charge of a power supply of the electronic device is below a predetermined threshold. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The electronic device of claim 13, wherein the predetermined threshold is a minimum battery charge value for executing a device operating system of the electronic device. ### Claim 15 (depends on 8) The electronic device of claim 8, wherein the low power mode flag is a register in at least one of the power management unit of the electronic device or a non-volatile memory of the electronic device. ### Claim 16 A non-transitory machine-readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform operations comprising: designating a credential on an electronic device as an initial credential for use in a low power mode of the electronic device; in response to the designating, setting a status of a low power mode flag of a power management unit of the electronic device to a first status; and after the setting the status of the low power mode flag, in response to detecting a low power mode initiation event: determining the status of the low power mode flag of the power management unit of the electronic device; and responsive to determining that the status of the low power mode flag is set to the first status, transitioning a near field communication component from operating in a full power mode to operating in the low power mode. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the instructions further comprise: responsive to determining that the status of the low power mode flag is set to a second status, transitioning the near field communication component from operating in the full power mode to operating in an off mode. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 17, wherein: the near field communication component is configured to actively communicate data from at least one credential on the electronic device to a remote terminal while the near field communication component is operating in the low power mode; and the near field communication component is not configured to actively communicate any data from any credential on the electronic device to the remote terminal while the near field communication component is operating in the off mode. ### Claim 19 (depends on 16) The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the detecting the low power mode initiation event comprises at least one of: receiving a particular user input via at least one input component of the electronic device; or determining that a charge of a power supply of the electronic device is below a predetermined threshold. ### Claim 20 (depends on 16) The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the detecting the low power mode initiation event comprises receiving a particular user input via at least one input component of the electronic device.