Wearable Authentication Device

摘要

Conventional Near Field Communication (NFC) authentication devices sometimes waste their users' time by requiring users to repeatedly reorient the devices to an NFC reader to complete authentication. To reduce the need for this reorientation, the present inventors, devised, among other things, an authentication assembly including two or more antennas configured for connection to a single NFC-tag circuit. In some embodiments, the assembly is built into an adjustable ring that can authenticate a user to an NFC-equipped electronic device, for example a smart phone, associated with the ring. In this configuration, each of the antennas generate a magnetic field generally perpendicular to an outer surface of the ring when excited with an appropriate signal, providing the ring with multiple options for establishing an inductive coupling to an NFC sensor in the electronic device without requiring the user to reorient the ring.

主权项

1. An assembly for a wearable authentication device, the assembly comprising:
a substrate having a substrate surface; first and second contact nodes for connection to an NFC tag component; and an antenna conductor having first and second terminal nodes coupled to the first and second contact nodes, the antenna conductor including at least first and second inductive coils coupled between the first and second terminal nodes and supported by a corresponding portion of the surface, each coil configured to generate a magnetic field generally transverse to its corresponding portion of the surface in response to a compatible NFC excitation signal.