May 11, 2011 05:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time
Patent Allows iPhone and Other Mobile Devices to Be Enabled for Mobile Payments
RICHARDSON, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--DeviceFidelity, Inc. the world’s leader in plug and play mobile payment and contactless technologies, announced today that its Near Field Communication (NFC) mobile device accessory patent has been granted by the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). U.S. Patent No. 7,941,197 covers a unique approach for bringing secure NFC functionality to highly coveted mobile devices such as the iPhone.
“This groundbreaking patent reinforces DeviceFidelity’s technology leadership and our commitment to continuously bring new innovations to market, accelerating the universal adoption of NFC,” said Deepak Jain, CEO and Co-Founder for DeviceFidelity. “iPhone consumers are at the forefront of adopting new innovative technologies and our solutions formalized by this patent paves the way for NFC to reach this exciting segment.”DeviceFidelity continues to spearhead the availability of certified NFC mobile devices with implementations globally at top tier financial institutions, payment networks and mobile carriers. DeviceFidelity’s solution is consumer centric and is the only mobile contactless payment technology to be commercial approved by Visa, Inc.
“This groundbreaking patent reinforces DeviceFidelity’s technology leadership and our commitment to continuously bring new innovations to market, accelerating the universal adoption of NFC,” said Deepak Jain, CEO and Co-Founder for DeviceFidelity. “iPhone consumers are at the forefront of adopting new innovative technologies and our solutions formalized by this patent paves the way for NFC to reach this exciting segment.”DeviceFidelity continues to spearhead the availability of certified NFC mobile devices with implementations globally at top tier financial institutions, payment networks and mobile carriers. DeviceFidelity’s solution is consumer centric and is the only mobile contactless payment technology to be commercial approved by Visa, Inc.
The patent describes a framework for mobile devices to be enabled with NFC and Secure Element functionality through an accessory that connects to the device’s expansion port. The design allows for all NFC applications and use cases to be accessible on the mobile device such as mobile wallet, mobile POS, tag reading and peer 2 peer transactions. This flexible approach allows for the use of an embedded or a removable Secure Element. The form factor of the mobile device NFC accessory can be a dongle, a partial cover, or a protective case similar to DeviceFidelity’s In2Pay iCaisse. The user can access all features of the mobile device, including syncing and charging, with the accessory connected.
“DeviceFidelity’s patent will play a crucial role in bringing the benefits of rich NFC applications to the current generation of mobile devices,” said Mohammad Khan, president of ViVOtech, the NFC software and systems company. “The technology included in the patent should significantly accelerate the commercial deployment of mobile NFC services on a worldwide scale.”
About DeviceFidelity, Inc.
DeviceFidelity, Inc. develops plug-and-play technologies that empower a variety of institutions to deploy their services and applications on millions of mobile phones worldwide. Its patented In2Pay™ iCaisse and patent-pending In2Pay™ microSD solution transform popular mobile phones into interactive contactless transaction devices. Committed to bringing contactless innovation to the mobile phone, the company has numerous patents pending in both U.S. and international patent offices. DeviceFidelity is a private corporation with headquarters in Texas and offices in California, New York and London. For more information, visit www.devicefidelity.com.
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