# US 9,439,220 B2 · Multiple NFC card applications in multiple execution environments > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 9,439,220 B2 - Document ID: US9439220B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 14/641,520 - Filed: 2015-03-09 - Published: 2015-06-25 - Granted: 2016-09-06 - Earliest claimed: 2011-01-06 - Assignees: Texas Instruments Incorporated - Applicants: Texas Instruments Incorporated - Inventors: Koby Levy; Ran Katz; Tally Mane; Rachel Stahl - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9439220B2 ## CPC - H04W 74/06: using polling - G06K 7/10237: {the reader and the record carrier being capable of selectively switching between reader and record carrier appearance, e.g. in near field communication [NFC] devices where the NFC device may function as an RFID reader or as an RFID tag} - H04B 5/26: using coils - H04W 76/25: Maintenance of established connections - H04B 5/45: Transponders - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) - G06K: GRAPHICAL DATA READING (image or video recognition or understanding G06V); PRESENTATION OF DATA; RECORD CARRIERS; HANDLING RECORD CARRIERS - H04B: TRANSMISSION ## Abstract A contactless system is described in which multiple execution environments may be coupled to a near field communication (NFC) controller, wherein each execution environment is configured to communicate with remote readers via the NFC controller using an assigned one of a plurality of communication protocols. During a polling session from a proximate reader, responding to a request command using a requested communication protocol and activating one of the plurality of execution environments assigned to the requested communication protocol to use the NFC controller. An arbitration is performed in response to each polling session such that a same combination of communication protocol and execution environment is not activated for adjacent polling sessions. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method performed by a communications device for granting access to a plurality of near field communication execution environments, the method comprising: receiving periodic polling sessions, wherein each polling session includes one or more request commands to use a respective one or more of a plurality of communication protocols; granting access, in response to a request command during one of the polling sessions, to one type of the plurality of near field communication execution environments assigned to the requested communication protocol; and performing an arbitration in response to each polling session such that a same combination of communication protocol and execution environment is not activated for adjacent polling sessions. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising granting more than one grant during a polling session when directed to do so by an arbitration weighting. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising activating a single wire protocol based security element and wired interface based security element at the same time. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the arbitration is performed in a round robin manner on the plurality of requested communication protocols. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the arbitration is performed in a round robin manner on the plurality of execution environments. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the arbitration is influenced by a priority value associated with each of the plurality of execution environments. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein when only one communication protocol is requested by a set of polling session, the arbitration forces a non-response to at least one polling session before a same combination of communication protocol and execution environment is activated again. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising sniffing a data stream produced by the requested communication protocol to determine when a next polling session starts. ### Claim 9 A contactless communication system comprising: a near field communication (NFC) controller comprising circuitry for: receiving periodic polling sessions, wherein each polling session includes one or more request commands to use a respective one or more of the plurality of communication protocols; responding to only one of the request commands using a requested communication protocol and granting access to one type of execution environment assigned to the requested communication protocol to use the NFC controller; and performing an arbitration in response to each polling session such that a same combination of communication protocol and execution environment is not activated for adjacent polling sessions. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The contactless system of claim 9, further comprising two or more secure elements coupled to the NFC controller, wherein each of the secure elements contains a plurality of card emulation applications that are each associated with one of a plurality of communication protocols, and at least one execution environment. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The contactless system of claim 9, further comprising a host processor and memory coupled to the NFC controller, wherein the host processor is configured to execute software instructions stored in the memory to provide a plurality of card emulation applications that are each associated with one of a plurality of communication protocols, and at least one execution environment. ### Claim 12 (depends on 9) The contactless system of claim 9 being a mobile handset, further comprising a radio frequency modem coupled to an application processor, the radio frequency modem configured to send and receive data streams from a cellular phone network. ### Claim 13 (depends on 9) The contactless system of claim 9, further comprising a secure element coupled to the NFC controller, wherein the secure element contains a plurality of card emulation applications that are each associated with one or more of a plurality of communication protocols, and at least one execution environment, wherein the secure element comprises an embedded processor and memory, wherein the embedded processor is configured to execute software instructions stored in the memory to provide the plurality of card emulation applications that are each associated with one of a plurality of communication protocols, and the at least one execution environment. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The contactless system of claim 13, wherein the secure element is a universal integrated circuit card. ### Claim 15 An apparatus, comprising: circuitry for receiving periodic polling sessions, wherein each polling session includes one or more request commands to use a respective one or more of a plurality of communication protocols; circuitry for granting access, in response to a request command during one of the polling sessions, to one type of a plurality of near field communication execution environments assigned to the requested communication protocol; and circuitry for performing an arbitration in response to each polling session such that a same combination of communication protocol and execution environment is not activated for adjacent polling sessions. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising circuitry for granting more than one grant during a polling session when directed to do so by an arbitration weighting. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising circuitry for activating a single wire protocol based security element and wired interface based security element at the same time. ### Claim 18 (depends on 15) The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the arbitration is performed in a round robin manner on the plurality of requested communication protocols. ### Claim 19 (depends on 15) The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the arbitration is performed in a round robin manner on the plurality of execution environments. ### Claim 20 (depends on 15) The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the arbitration is influenced by a priority value associated with each of the plurality of execution environments. ### Claim 21 (depends on 15) The apparatus of claim 15, wherein when only one communication protocol is requested by a set of polling session, the arbitration forces a non-response to at least one polling session before a same combination of communication protocol and execution environment is activated again. ### Claim 22 (depends on 15) The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising circuitry for sniffing a data stream produced by the requested communication protocol to determine when a next polling session starts. ### Claim 23 A method performed by a communications device for granting access to a near field communication execution environment, the method comprising: receiving periodic polling sessions, wherein each polling session includes a request command to use a respective communication protocol; granting access, in response to a request command during one of the polling sessions, to a near field communication execution environment assigned to the requested communication protocol; and performing an arbitration in response to each polling session such that a same combination of communication protocol and execution environment is not activated for adjacent polling sessions.