Case of portable terminal and method for controlling smart key of portable terminal

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016227013-A1
Application number	US-201615001314-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jan 20, 2016
Priority date	Feb 3, 2015
Publication date	Aug 4, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A portable terminal case and a method for controlling a smart key of a portable terminal are provided. The portable terminal case may include a cover unit for covering and protecting a rear side of a portable terminal and a coupling unit for connecting with a connector exposed on a rear side of the portable terminal. A seating surface for receiving a smart key may be formed in an inner side of the cover unit and the coupling unit may include a communication port for communicating with the portable terminal and a power port for receiving power, which are electrically connected to the smart key received in the seating surface.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A portable terminal case comprising:
a cover unit for covering and protecting a rear side of a portable terminal; a coupling unit provided on the rear side of the portable terminal, the coupling unit including a connector exposed on a rear side of the portable terminal, the connector configured to electrically couple a smart key to the portable terminal; and a seating surface for receiving the smart key, the seating surface being formed in an inner side of the cover unit, wherein, when the smart key is received within the seating surface, the coupling unit comprises a communication port configured to provide communication between the smart key and the portable terminal and a power port configured to electrically connect to the smart key.

2 . The portable terminal case of claim 1 , wherein the smart key comprises a communication module for wirelessly communicating with a vehicle, and wherein the cover unit comprises an antenna for wireless communication.

3 . The portable terminal case of claim 1 , wherein the smart key receives the power from the portable terminal through the power port of the coupling unit and communicates with the portable terminal through the communication port of the coupling unit.

4 . The portable terminal case of claim 1 , wherein the smart key is fabricated as a card-type printed circuit board comprising a Radio Frequency Integrated Circuit (RFIC), and is securely received in the seating surface.

5 . The portable terminal case of claim 1 , wherein the seating surface is a space formed in the inner side of the cover unit for receiving the smart key.

6 . The portable terminal case of claim 1 , wherein the smart key received in the seating surface is electrically connected to the power port and the communication port of the coupling unit via a flexible printed circuit board.

7 . The portable terminal case of claim 1 , wherein an outer side of the cover unit comprises:
at least one hardware key button for controlling a vehicle.

8 . The portable terminal case of claim 7 , wherein, when the hardware key button is pressed, the smart key wirelessly sends a vehicle control signal directly without interworking with the portable terminal.

9 . The portable terminal case of claim 8 , wherein, after wirelessly sending the vehicle control signal directly, when receiving a response signal from the vehicle, the smart key forwards the response signal to the portable terminal.

10 . The portable terminal case of claim 9 , wherein, when receiving the response signal, the portable terminal displays a vehicle control state on a display screen based on the response signal.

11 . A method for controlling a smart key of a portable terminal, comprising:
when coupling with a portable terminal case, supplying, at the portable terminal, power to the smart key of the portable terminal case; executing, at the portable terminal, a remote control application of a particular vehicle by communicating with the smart key; and receiving, at the portable terminal, unique information for the remote control of the particular vehicle from the smart key, and identifying and remotely controlling the particular vehicle.

12 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the unique information comprises one or more of vehicle identification information assigned to the particular vehicle and vehicle control information assigned for the remote control of the particular vehicle.

13 . The method of claim 11 , wherein, when wirelessly communicating with the particular vehicle and detecting the particular vehicle within a preset reference distance, the smart key automatically executes the application through an interface with the portable terminal.

14 . The method of claim 12 , further comprising:
when the application is automatically executed, displaying, at the portable terminal, a current state of the particular vehicle on a user interface screen.

15 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the user interface screen comprises the current state of the particular vehicle and one or more software key buttons for remotely controlling the particular vehicle.

16 . The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
when wirelessly communicating with the particular vehicle and not detecting the particular vehicle within a preset reference distance, automatically aborting, at the smart key, the application through an interface with the portable terminal.

17 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the portable terminal case comprises at least one hardware key button for controlling a vehicle, and further comprising:
wirelessly sending a vehicle control signal directly without interworking with the portable terminal.

18 . The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
after wirelessly sending a vehicle control signal directly, when receiving a response signal from the vehicle, forwarding, at the smart key, the response signal to the portable terminal.

19 . The method of claim 18 , further comprising:
when receiving the response signal, displaying, at the portable terminal, a vehicle control state on a display screen based on the response signal.

20 . A computer-readable storage medium storing one or more programs comprising instructions which, when executed by an electronic device, cause the device to execute a plurality of operations, wherein the plurality of operation comprise:
when coupling with a portable terminal case, supplying, at the portable terminal, power to a smart key of the portable terminal case; executing, at the portable terminal, a remote control application of a particular vehicle by communicating with the smart key; and receiving, at the portable terminal, unique information for the remote control of the particular vehicle from the smart key, and identifying and remotely controlling the particular vehicle.

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Na Ga-Young
• Lee Heon-Tak

Classifications

• H04M1/724092

  Interfacing with an external cover providing additional functionalities · CPC title

• H04M1/72412

  using two-way short-range wireless interfaces · CPC title

• G07C9/00309 Primary

  operated with bidirectional data transmission between data carrier and locks · CPC title

• A45C11/002

  for storing portable handheld communication devices, e.g. pagers or smart phones · CPC title

• G07C9/00174

  Electronically operated locks; Circuits therefor; Nonmechanical keys therefor, e.g. passive or active electrical keys or other data carriers without mechanical keys (mechanical locks with electric permutation E05B49/00; arrangements for sensing or reading record carriers G06K7/00; electronic switching H03K17/00) · CPC title