Cryptocurrency management system and method with wireless activation

Abstract

A Cryptocurrency Management Device (CMD) may be used to perform a variety of cryptocurrency management functions, such as storing cryptocurrencies, user authentication, and initiating or processing transactions for cryptocurrency transfers. To conserve the CMD's power resources, components of the CMD may be transitioned to a sleep state for extended periods. Such components may be automatically activated when a user touches the CMD or brings a wireless communication device within the CMD's range. The CMD circuitry that triggers the activation can continuously monitor such inputs for extended periods without consuming a significant amount of power, thereby conserving the CMD's power resources.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] [Cross - reference to Prior Applications] This application is a partial continuation application of PCT Application No. PCT / US23 / 29739, entitled "Cryptocurrency Management System and Method", filed on August 8, 2023, and claims the benefit of 35 U.S.C. § 111(a). The entire disclosure of the PCT application is incorporated herein by reference. This application also claims the benefit of Provisional Application No. 63 / 419,619, entitled "Cryptocurrency Management System and Method with Wireless Activation", filed on October 26, 2022. The entire disclosure of the provisional application is incorporated herein by reference.

Background Art

[0002] Cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin are becoming increasingly popular and have many advantages. In this regard, cryptocurrencies provide a digital form of currency that can be transferred from one person to another through a global computer network such as the Internet, thereby facilitating the storage and transfer of financial assets for financial transactions.

[0003] Cryptocurrency users often face a choice between third - party custody and self - custody. With third - party custody, the owner depends on a third party to hold information such as the private keys used in establishing ownership and transferring the cryptocurrency. Such a solution may be attractive to users who do not want the burden associated with much of the complexity of holding, processing, and transferring information related to cryptocurrencies. However, many users may be concerned about the security measures used by third - party custodians to keep the cryptocurrency secure, about the ability to access the cryptocurrency from the third - party custodian in case of a breakdown or other unforeseen events, and further about the loss of the credentials required by the third - party custodian.

[0004] In self-custody, the owner typically has to deal with the technical complexities associated with managing cryptocurrency and address security concerns. Technologies and devices to facilitate and improve cryptocurrency management are generally desired, especially in situations involving self-custody. Furthermore, since many devices assisting users in self-custody applications may be used infrequently, it is desirable to maintain such devices to function over longer periods, such as several years. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0005] This disclosure can be better understood in conjunction with reference to the accompanying drawings. Elements in the drawings are not necessarily isometric; instead, emphasis is used to clearly illustrate the principles of this disclosure. Furthermore, similar reference numbers point to corresponding parts across multiple drawings.

[0006] [Figure 1] Block diagram showing a cryptocurrency management system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] This block diagram shows an exemplary embodiment of a cryptocurrency management device (CMD) as shown in Figure 1. [Figure 3] Figure 2 shows an exemplary embodiment of a CMD input device. [Figure 4A] Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of the CMD input device. [Figure 4B] Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of an alternative embodiment of the CMD input device. [Figure 4C] Figure 4B is a cross-sectional view of an alternative embodiment of the CMD input device. [Figure 5A] Figures 3 and 4 show the upper layer of an ESD protection circuit that can be used with the input devices shown. [Figure 5B] Figures 3 and 4 show the underlying layers of an ESD protection circuit that may be used with the input devices shown. [Figure 6]This figure shows an exploded view of an exemplary embodiment of the CMD as shown in Figure 2. [Figure 7] This disclosure illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a load switching circuit for a CMD according to an exemplary embodiment of this disclosure. [Figure 8] Figure 2 shows an exemplary embodiment of a circuit for CMD. [Figure 9] This is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method for waking a CMD from sleep mode using a wireless signal. [Figure 10] This is a flowchart illustrating an example method for waking a CMD from sleep mode using a fingerprint sensor. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0007] This disclosure relates, in general, to systems and methods for managing and using digital financial assets such as cryptocurrencies. In some embodiments of this disclosure, the cryptocurrency management system assists users in cryptocurrency trading and asset management by having a cryptocurrency management device (CMD) which can be used for the self-custody of cryptocurrency assets. As an example, the CMD may be configured to store cryptocurrencies and at least one private key for use in generating authentication signatures for multi-signature addresses of cryptocurrency networks. During a transaction to transfer cryptocurrencies, the private key may be used, along with one or more private keys from other sources, to generate authentication signatures for the transfer of cryptocurrencies stored in the CMD.

[0008] In some embodiments, the CMD includes a fingerprint sensor for use in authenticating authorized users. The fingerprint sensor is coupled to a touch sensor, which is configured to sense when a user's finger touches or is located near the fingerprint sensor, thereby activating the fingerprint sensor. Thus, the fingerprint sensor and other components of the CMD can be kept in sleep mode for extended periods to conserve power, in which case they may be automatically activated when the user touches the fingerprint sensor, and the user does not need to provide a separate input to turn on the CMD or the fingerprint sensor.

[0009] To provide an alternative means of sensing the user's finger, the CMD may use wireless communication, such as Near Field Communication (NFC), to awaken components of the CMD or authenticate the user. For example, an antenna may be connected to a rectifier circuit, which is configured to convert a signal received by the antenna (e.g., an NFC signal) into an activation signal, and the activation signal is used to activate (e.g., awaken) one or more components of the CMD, such as a processor or a communication circuit used to send and receive signals via the antenna. Thus, bringing a wireless communication device (e.g., an NFC device) within the range of the antenna triggers the activation of one or more components of the CMD. Subsequently, cryptocurrency management operations, such as user authentication or initiating or processing a transaction to transfer cryptocurrency, may be performed based on communication between the CMD and the wireless communication device or other devices.

[0010] Figure 1 is a simplified block diagram of the cryptocurrency management system 102. As shown in the figure, the cryptocurrency management system 102 includes a cryptocurrency management device (CMD) 103, a cryptocurrency management server (CMS) 104, and a mobile communication device (MCD) 105.

[0011] The MCD105 may be any mobile device capable of processing data and transactions as described herein. The MCD105 may have a communication interface, such as a cellular transceiver, enabling it to communicate with networks such as cellular networks, Wi-Fi networks, the Internet, or other networks, or a combination of these networks. The MCD105 may also have a short-range communication interface, such as a near-field communication (NFC) or Bluetooth transceiver, to enable wireless communication with other devices nearby. In some embodiments, the MCD105 is implemented as a smartphone, but it may be other types of mobile devices, such as a laptop or other types of handheld devices.

[0012] CMD103 can be any type of computing device capable of processing the data and transactions described herein. CMD103 may be a standalone mobile device or another type of device, such as a desktop device not designed for mobility. In some embodiments, CMD103 may have a communication interface to enable communication with a network, but in other embodiments, it may be designed to allow only short-range communication such as NFC or Bluetooth, or a direct wired connection, to prevent hackers from accessing CMD103 remotely using a network, thereby improving the security of CMD103 and the data stored therein.

[0013] Figure 1 also shows the cryptocurrency network 106 and the cryptocurrency address 107 associated with the cryptocurrency network 106 (or one or more transactions on it). Generally, the MCD 105 interacts with the CMD 103 and CMS 104, and, among other things, generates and submits valid cryptocurrency transactions. As part of this process, the MCD 105 may also interact with the cryptocurrency network 106.

[0014] Generally, each of devices 103, 104, and 105 also comprises a cryptocurrency account (CA) private key (i.e., CA private keys 108, 110, and 112), as well as control logic (i.e., control logic 109, 111, and 113). As will be further described below, each private key 108, 110, and 112 is a cryptographic key associated with a private key in a public-private key pair for a cryptocurrency address (e.g., cryptocurrency address 107) (one of the private keys in a public-private key pair for a multi-signature address). Furthermore, as will be further described below, the control logic 109, 111, and 113 may include a set of instructions that can be executed by the respective processors or sets of processors of the device to perform various functions of the device.

[0015] At a high level, the cryptocurrency management system 102 works to manage the cryptocurrency address 107 by controlling the use of cryptocurrency funds associated with the cryptocurrency address 107 in transactions. In this regard, the cryptocurrency management system 102 can be thought of as a federation of devices or systems configured to (1) each be distributed a portion of the authority to control the cryptocurrency address 107, and (2) to cooperate with one another to use a shared authority to control the cryptocurrency address 107 (e.g., to generate and submit the transactions in question). In other words, the ability to manage the cryptocurrency address 107 can be divided among the CMD 103, CMS 104, and MCD 105. In some embodiments, multiple CMD 103, CMS 104, and MCD 105 communicate with each other, agree on the transaction before a signature for the transaction is obtained, and then the authenticated transaction is generated and submitted to the cryptocurrency network 106.

[0016] In some embodiments, the cryptocurrency address 107 is a multi-signature address, and its private keys are used as an authentication key share distributed across CMD103, CMS104, or MCD105. For example, there may be three private keys associated with the cryptocurrency address 107, with each of CMD103, CMS104, and MCD105 storing one of them, and each of CMD103, CMS104, and MCD105 only allowing access to its private key if the user can provide an acceptable certificate of authentication. Furthermore, the cryptocurrency address 107 may be configured so that any two of its private keys can be used to generate a fully authenticated cryptocurrency transaction request for the cryptocurrency asset associated with the cryptocurrency address 107. In other embodiments, a different number of private keys may be used to generate a fully authenticated cryptocurrency transaction request.

[0017] In some embodiments, while CMS104 is maintained by a trusted third party, the owner of the cryptocurrency asset associated with address 107 may retain physical ownership of CMD103 and MCD105. Furthermore, the owner may keep CMD103 in a secure location such as their home. If MCD105 is stolen, an unauthorized user should not be able to use MCD105 to generate fully authenticated cryptocurrency transactions relating to the cryptocurrency asset associated with cryptocurrency address 107, because an unauthorized user would not be able to (1) have physical access to or communicate with CMD103 (which may be designed to allow only short-range communication as described above), and (2) have access to the private key stored in CMS104 without providing valid authentication to CMS104.

[0018] In addition, if the owner wishes to initiate a transaction, the owner may move MCD105 closer to CMD103 or move CMD103 closer to MCD105, whereby_CMD103 and MCD105 may communicate to generate a fully authenticated cryptocurrency transaction. In this regard, after providing a valid authentication proof to CMD103, to generate a fully authenticated request for a cryptocurrency transaction, MCD105 may generate an authentication signature using the private key it stores, which is communicated to CMD103, and CMD103 may generate an authentication signature using the private key it stores, which can be combined with the authentication signature from MCD105. Then, CMD103 may send the request to the cryptocurrency network 106. Thus, the owner can generate a fully authenticated cryptocurrency transaction using devices within the physical ownership of the owner (i.e., CMD103 and MCD105) without using CMS104, so that the owner is given full control over the cryptocurrency transaction if CMD104 becomes unavailable for any reason. However, CMS104 remains available for recovery in case CMD103 and / or MCD105 are lost, stolen, malfunction, or otherwise become unavailable.

[0019] Specifically, if the original MCD105 is lost or otherwise becomes unavailable, the original MCD105 may be replaced with a new MCD105, and the new MCD105 may communicate with CMD103 and CMS104 to obtain two authentication signatures that can be combined to form a fully authenticated cryptocurrency transaction. Also, if CMD103 is lost or otherwise becomes unavailable, MCD105 may communicate with CMS104 (as described above for CMD103) to obtain an authentication signature, and the authentication signature can be combined with the authentication signature from MCD105 to generate a fully authenticated cryptocurrency transaction. Thus, the embodiment shown and described above in FIG. 1 provides flexibility to the owner while maintaining security and also enables recovery in case of the loss of any of CMD103, CMS104, or MCD105.

[0020] Figure 2 shows an embodiment of the CMD103. As shown in Figure 2, the CMD103 includes a circuit 200 configured to control the operation of the CMD103, hereinafter referred to as the "CMD control circuit". The CMD control circuit 200 may be implemented in hardware or in a combination of hardware and software. As an example, as shown in Figure 2, the CMD control circuit 200 may include at least one processor 202, such as a digital signal processor (DSP) or a central processing unit (CPU), programmed with software, which, when executed by the processor 202, causes the processor 202 to perform functions attributed to the CMD103. In other embodiments, other configurations of the CMD control circuit 200 are possible.

[0021] As shown in Figure 2, the CMD103 has an antenna 222 electrically connected to the CMD control circuit 200 (e.g., processor 202) through a communication circuit 225. The antenna 222 is configured to wirelessly communicate with an external device such as the MCD105 shown in Figure 1. In some embodiments, the antenna 222 may be used to communicate short-range signals such as Bluetooth or NFC signals. For purposes of illustration, hereinafter, unless otherwise indicated, the antenna 222 is assumed to be configured to communicate NFC signals, but it should be emphasized that the antenna 222 may be used to communicate other types of wireless signals in other embodiments.

[0022] The communication circuit 225 is configured to process signals to be transmitted by or received by the antenna 222 (for example, to drive the antenna 222). For example, if the antenna 222 is used for NFC, the communication circuit 225 may include an NFC transceiver 227 configured to process NFC signals transmitted to and from the antenna 222. The communication circuit 225 may also include a variety of analog circuits, sometimes referred to as “front-end” circuits, such as filters and amplifiers, for processing the NFC signals communicated by the antenna 222. In some embodiments, the NFC transceiver 227 is implemented as an integrated circuit (IC) or “chip,” but other configurations of the NFC transceiver 227 are also possible.

[0023] As noted above, the CMD103 may be configured to authenticate a user requesting an administrative operation (e.g., a cryptocurrency transfer) before authorizing that administrative operation to be performed. An exemplary embodiment of the CMD103 shown in Figure 2 has an input device 204 for receiving user input which may be used to authenticate the user. In some embodiments, the input device 204 includes a fingerprint sensor 203 for capturing an image of the user's fingerprint, as shown in Figure 3, and the fingerprint image may be used for authentication according to fingerprint matching methods known in the art. In this regard, the sensor 203 may have a surface 207 to which the user touches with their fingertip while the fingerprint is being captured. Such a surface may be transparent so that the user's fingerprint is visible through the surface 207 for imaging by a camera (not shown) of the fingerprint sensor 203. In other embodiments, the input device 204 may include other types of components for receiving other types of user input.

[0024] In some embodiments, the CMD103 circuit may be powered by a battery with a finite amount of available power, and over time, the fingerprint sensor 203 and other components of the CMD103 may utilize a significant amount of available energy stored in the battery. Furthermore, the CMD103 may operate over extended periods (e.g., several months or several years), and for this reason, it is desirable to extend the effective life of the CMD's battery. It is possible to continuously power the fingerprint sensor 203 so that fingerprints can be captured at any time. However, such continuous power supply may unnecessarily draw a considerable amount of power, especially during periods when the CMD103 is used infrequently. In fact, some users may not use the CMD103 to approve transactions or perform other administrative functions for long periods, such as several months or several years.

[0025] In some embodiments, the fingerprint sensor 203 is connected to a touch sensor 205 (Figure 2) configured to detect when a user touches the fingerprint sensor 203. Normally, the fingerprint sensor 203 is in a sleep state where it draws little or no power. When the touch sensor 205 detects a touch, the fingerprint sensor 203 is in an awakened state, and in the awakened state, the components of the fingerprint sensor 203 are powered for at least a certain amount of time so that the fingerprint sensor 203 can capture a fingerprint. Therefore, the fingerprint sensor 203 draws more power in the awakened state than in the sleep state.

[0026] Various types of touch sensors 205 may be used to detect user touch. In some embodiments, the touch sensor 205 is capacitive and senses a change in capacitance caused by the presence of the user's finger. In some embodiments, the touch sensor 205 may be implemented as a single-channel capacitive touch sensor, but other configurations of the touch sensor 205 are also possible, such as a multi-channel capacitive touch sensor, a resistive touch sensor, a piezoelectric touch sensor, and / or a triboelectric touch sensor. The use of a single-channel capacitive touch sensor offers several advantages compared to, for example, a multi-channel capacitive touch sensor, such as reduced form factor and reduced complexity. In at least one embodiment, the touch sensor 205 is electrically coupled to the bezel 208 (Figure 3) of a fingerprint sensor 203 located around or near a transparent surface 207, and an image of the fingerprint is captured through the transparent surface 207. That is, when a user places their fingertip on the surface 207 to capture a fingerprint image, the capacitance sensed by the sensor 205 changes as the fingertip comes close enough to or touches the bezel 208. In this regard, the bezel 208 is made of a conductive material and provides touch electrodes used to sense the user's finger. The touch sensor 205 detects a change in capacitance and notifies the CMD control circuit 200 (e.g., processor 202) if the change in capacitance is high enough to indicate the presence of the user's finger (e.g., touch of the fingerprint sensor 203). Accordingly, the CMD control circuit 200 (e.g., processor 202) is configured to wake up the fingerprint sensor 203 so that it can capture a fingerprint image of the user's fingertip. In this way, the fingerprint sensor 203 should remain in a sleep state for an extended period, thereby saving power resources of the CMD, however, when the user places their finger on or near the fingerprint sensor 203 for imaging, the fingerprint sensor 203 automatically transitions from sleep to wake, and the user does not need to provide any separate input to turn on the CMD 103 or the fingerprint sensor 203, such as moving a power switch or providing some other type of input.

[0027] In the sleep state, several components of the CMD103 may be turned off or transition to a "low-power" mode, in which state these components draw very little power (e.g., about 1 watt or less). For example, the processor 202 may transition to a low-power mode in the sleep state. In some embodiments, the sleep state may be configured to allow a user to transition the CMD103 to an awakened state using a touch sensor 205. In this regard, in addition to transitioning the processor 202 to a low-power mode, the antenna 222, the communication circuit 225 (including the NFC transceiver 227), the input device 204 (e.g., the fingerprint sensor 203), and / or the rectifier circuit 233 may transition to a low-power mode or be turned off completely in the sleep state. In some embodiments, the sleep state may be configured to allow a user to transition the CMD103 to an awakened state using an NFC device 241. In this regard, in addition to transitioning the processor 202 to a low-power mode, the input device 204 (e.g., fingerprint sensor 203) and / or touch sensor 205 may also transition to a low-power mode, or may be completely turned off in the sleep state. It should be noted that in various embodiments, the touch sensor 205, antenna 222 and rectifier circuit 233 may remain powered in the sleep state to allow the user to transition the CMD 103 from sleep to wake state using either the NFC device 241 or the touch sensor 205.

[0028] In embodiments where the bezel 208 is used as a touch electrode, the bezel 208 may not need to be grounded when electrically connected to the touch sensor 205 and attempting to detect capacitance changes. In such embodiments, the bezel 208 may be protected from electrostatic discharge (ESD) via various types of ESD protection circuits.

[0029] In this regard, the ESD protection circuit may use one or more diodes (e.g., TVS diodes) that provide an electrical path that is grounded only during an ESD shock. During normal operation, the one or more diodes do not act as transient voltage suppressors (e.g., the one or more diodes are not conducting), and thus the normal operation of the fingerprint sensor 203 and touch sensor 205 is facilitated. On the other hand, if a voltage spike occurs during an ESD shock, this triggers the one or more diodes to switch from a non-conducting state to a conducting state, thereby diverting the voltage spike through the one or more diodes to ground, bypassing the touch sensor 205 and fingerprint sensor 203. Low capacitance diodes may be used for the ESD protection circuit to reduce the effect of the diodes on the performance of the capacitive touch sensor 205. For example, if relatively high capacitance diodes are used, the capacitive touch sensor 205 may not be able to detect the change in capacitance in response to the user touching the fingerprint sensor 203. In other words, while the touch sensor 205 constantly monitors changes in capacitance over time, if the ESD protection circuit contributes to the touch sensor 205 to such an extent that it exceeds a capacitance threshold, the touch sensor 205 may not be able to detect the change in capacitance caused by the device user touching the touch sensor 205. According to some embodiments, the ESD protection circuit may consist of less than about 30 picofarads, including the parasitic capacitance of the bezel, circuit flex board, and adjacent copper components of the ESD protection circuit. In some embodiments, each diode in the ESD protection circuit may contain a capacitance of about 1 to 5 picofarads. Additionally, to improve the effective use of diodes for ESD protection, the diodes may be placed near the bezel 208 as part of reducing parasitic elements that could reduce the effectiveness of the diodes as transient voltage suppression diodes (this avoids undesirable parasitic inductance resulting from longer circuit traces and larger circuit loop area). In some embodiments, the diodes may be placed within about 5 mm of each other or less. In other embodiments, the diodes may be arranged within a range of about 2.5 mm or less from each other.

[0030] Placing diodes within the internal region of the bezel 208 may result in interference with the fingerprint image, at least to some extent. In some fingerprint sensor designs, the outer casing of the bezel 208 may also be an unsuitable location for diodes of the ESD protection circuit because the region is in close contact with the housing of the fingerprint sensor, forming a seal for protection against liquid ingress. In some fingerprint sensor designs, the bottom of the fingerprint bezel 208 has reinforcing material supported by the internal structure, which makes it difficult to use the bottom of the bezel as a location for diodes of the ESD protection circuit. In some embodiments of this disclosure, one or more channels are formed within the bezel 208, and one or more diodes of the ESD protection circuit are located within such channels. Such locations of the diodes allow for reduced parasitism and superior ESD protection.

[0031] Figure 3 shows an exemplary embodiment of the bezel 208, and Figure 4A shows a cross-sectional view of the exemplary embodiment of the bezel 208 shown in Figure 3. As shown in Figure 4A, the bezel 208 has a channel 211 formed in the bottom surface 218B of the bezel 208, and one or more diodes 215 (e.g., TVS diodes) are located within the channel 211. As shown in Figures 4A and 5, each diode 215 can be electrically connected to the bezel 208 and ground 220. In this regard, as in the embodiments shown in Figures 4 and 5A to 5B, the bezel 208 may be mounted on the top surface 218A of a substrate 218 (e.g., a printed circuit board), and each diode 215 may be mounted on the top surface 218A of the substrate 218 within the channel 211. Furthermore, each diode 215 may contact the bezel 208 to form a conductive connection to the bezel 208. In addition, each diode 215 may be electrically connected to a ground plane 220 mounted on the underside of the substrate 218 via conductive vias 219 passing through the substrate 218, thereby connecting the top surface 218A to the bottom surface 218B. When an ESD shock occurs on the bezel 208, the energy from the shock is sufficient to turn on the diode 215, and such energy passes through the diode 215 toward the ground 220. However, at other times when no ESD shock occurs, the diode 215 electrically isolates the bezel 208 from the ground 220, so that the bezel 208 can be used as a touch electrode for the capacitive touch sensor 205 as described above. According to some embodiments, the diode 215 is selected to have a reverse operating voltage of about 5.5V (e.g., the voltage at which the diode begins to conduct) and a breakdown voltage of about 7V (e.g., the voltage at which the diode fully conducts), which can provide protection against air-gap ESD shocks up to 25kV and contact ESD shocks up to 8kV. In some examples, the bottom surface 218B of the substrate 218 may include an insulating material 224 to minimize parasitic capacitance. The insulating material 224 may consist of any suitable nonconductive material, such as, but not limited to, ceramics, glass fibers, polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), and / or glass fiber epoxy laminates.In the particular embodiment best shown in Figures 5A and 5B, the four diodes 215 can be spaced approximately 90 degrees apart along the bezel 208.

[0032] Figures 4B to 4C show other embodiments of the bezel 208 with alternative arrangements of one or more diodes 215 (e.g., TVS diodes). In the embodiments shown in Figures 4B to 4C, the touch sensor 205 is placed on an interposer printed circuit board 230 that functions to separate the touch sensor 205 from the substrate 218, and according to some embodiments, this allows the touch sensor 205 to be mounted substantially close to the bezel 208. In particular, the interposer printed circuit board 230 has a smaller relative width to the touch sensor 205. One or more diodes 215 (e.g., TVS diodes) can be placed on either side of the interposer printed circuit board 230. The interposer printed circuit board 230 can be positioned on the substrate 218 in contact with it. As shown in Figures 4B to 4C, one or more diodes 215 are in electrical contact with the touch sensor 205 and ground 220, thereby protecting the touch sensor 205 from ESD impact by diverting the ESD from the touch sensor 205 to ground 220. In some embodiments, the substrate 218 may include a printed circuit board similar in design to the interposer printed circuit board 230. According to some embodiments, reinforcing members 232 may also be provided for the purpose of providing additional structural support to the substrate 218, interposer printed circuit board 230, touch sensor 205 and bezel 208.

[0033] In particular, components of the CMD control circuit 200, such as the processor 200, and other components of the CMD 103, such as the communication circuit 225, can transition to a sleep state and be awakened in response to a touch of the fingerprint sensor 203. That is, the CMD control circuit 200 may be configured to activate (e.g., awaken) at least the processor 202 and at least some of the communication circuit 225, such as the NFC transceiver 227, when it receives a signal from the touch sensor 205 indicating that the touch sensor 205 has detected the user's finger.

[0034] Alternatively, various components of the CMD 103, such as the processor 202 and parts of the communication circuit 225 (e.g., the NFC transceiver 227), may be activated (e.g., awakened) using other techniques. In some embodiments, such components may be activated based on a rectifier circuit 233 electrically connected to the antenna 222 and the CMD control circuit 200, as shown in Figure 2. When an external NFC device 241 (Figure 2), such as a mobile communication device 105 (Figure 1), moves within the communication range of the antenna 222, the rectifier circuit 233 is configured to sense the NFC signal transmitted wirelessly by the NFC device 241 and convert the NFC signal into a signal referred to herein as an "activation signal," which activates one or more components of the CMD control circuit 200. As an example, the CMD control circuit 200 may awaken the processor 202 in response to the activation signal from the rectifier circuit 233. In some embodiments, the rectifier circuit 233 is configured to convert the NFC signal to a digital signal, while in other embodiments, the activation signal transmitted to the CMD control circuit 200 can be analog. In some examples, the rectifier circuit 233 may be implemented as a full-bridge rectifier, although other configurations of the rectifier circuit 233 are also possible. Advantages of a full-bridge rectifier include higher power efficiency than other types of rectifiers, such as half-wave rectifiers. A full-bridge rectifier produces a smoother output than other types of rectifiers, such as half-wave rectifiers. Also, a full-bridge rectifier can process both the positive and negative half-cycles of the input AC signal, whereas a half-wave rectifier is configured to process only half of the AC signal and block the rest. A full-bridge rectifier is also more effective at noise reduction, which can enhance performance for NFC signals. A full-bridge rectifier also benefits from evenly loading the two differential legs of the NFC antenna 222.Finally, the use of a full-bridge rectifier creates an additional "central path" to ground that would otherwise not be available to the CMD103, preventing unwanted current from flowing through components of the communication circuit (e.g., the NFC transceiver 227). After awakening, the processor 202 (or other part of the CMD control circuit 200) may send a signal to the communication circuit 225 to activate (e.g., awaken) one or more components of the communication circuit 225, such as the NFC transceiver 227. It should be understood that the CMD103 can be awakened in response to a touch of the fingerprint sensor 203, reception of a wireless signal via the rectifier circuit 233, or a combination thereof. For example, if the fingerprint sensor 203 malfunctions, the CMD103 can still be activated via a wireless signal received by the rectifier circuit 233, and conversely, if the rectifier circuit 233 malfunctions, the CMD103 can still be activated via a touch of the fingerprint sensor 203.

[0035] Therefore, once the NFC device 241 moves close enough to the CMD 103 for communication between the CMD 103 and the NFC device 241 (for example, the antenna 222 of the CMD 103 is close enough to the NFC device 241 for communication), components of the CMD 103, such as the processor 202 and part of the communication circuit 225, are automatically activated, enabling the NFC device 241 to successfully communicate with the CMD 103. As used herein, "sufficiently close" means the distance at which NFC communication becomes effective between the NFC device 241 and the CMD 103. In some embodiments, the distance may be less than about 10 cm. In other embodiments, the distance may be less than about 5 cm. In yet another embodiment, the distance may be less than about 1 cm. In any case, once communication with the NFC device 241 is enabled, various administrative operations, such as user authentication or initiating or processing a transaction for transferring cryptocurrency stored in the CMD 103, can be performed via communication between the CMD 103 and the NFC device 241 or other devices. For example, the processor 202 may receive authentication credentials from the NFC device 241, such as a username and password, to authenticate the user of the NFC device 241. In some embodiments, the authentication credentials may be transmitted to the CMD 103 using the NFC protocol. For example, the antenna 222 of the CMD 103 may be configured to receive the authentication credentials and transmit them to the NFC transceiver 227 of the communication circuit 225. The NFC transceiver 227 may transmit the authentication credentials to the processor 202 of the CMD control circuit 200. The processor 202 may authenticate the user if the received authentication certificate matches the authentication certificate stored by the CMD 103. If such authentication is successful, the CMD control circuit 200 may then allow the user to perform other management functions as desired.

[0036] Figure 6 shows an exploded view of one embodiment of the CMD103. As shown in Figure 6, the CMD103 has an upper enclosure 271 and a bottom cover 273 that form a housing for the other components of the CMD103. In particular, in some examples, the substrate 218 may be mounted to the inner surface of the enclosure 271 such that its top surface 218A is in contact with the inner surface of the enclosure 271. Furthermore, the upper enclosure 271 has a hole 275 for exposing the fingerprint sensor 203 shown in Figure 3. In addition, the NFC flex circuit forms an antenna 222 that can be used to wirelessly communicate NFC signals. Various circuits such as the CMD control circuit 200, the communication circuit 225, and the rectifier circuit 233 may be mounted on a printed circuit board (PCB) 278, which is electrically connected to a battery 281 located between the PCB 278 and the bottom cover 273. Furthermore, the fingerprint sensor 203 and antenna 283 may be mounted to and electrically connected to the chassis 283 between the upper enclosure 271 and the PCB 278. Specifically, the fingerprint sensor 203 may be electrically connected to the PCB 278 through a hole 286 in the chassis 283, and the antenna 22 may be electrically connected to the PCB 278 through a hole 287 in the chassis 283. In other embodiments, other configurations of the CMD 103 are possible.

[0037] Figure 7 shows an exemplary embodiment of the load switching circuit 243 for the CMD 103. The load switching circuit 243 is configured to receive activation signals from one or both of the rectifier circuit 233 and the touch sensor 205, thus enabling the CMD control circuit 200 to transition from sleep to wake state. Although not shown in Figure 7, it should be understood that in various embodiments, the CMD control circuit 200 may receive activation signals from devices connected to the "I / O" ports of the CMD 103, such as the USB port of the CMD 103. Returning to Figure 7, the activation signal may be passed from the rectifier circuit 233 to the NFC circuit 254. The touch sensor circuit 252 and the NFC circuit 254 are connected to contact 256 so that the activation signal received from either the NFC circuit 254 or the touch sensor circuit 252 passes through the load switch 258 to activate the CMD circuit 200. In some embodiments, contact 256 can be connected to a capacitor 257, which may be used to filter the activation signal from the NFC circuit 254 to ensure that the power level of the activation signal does not intermittently fall below a predetermined threshold, thereby reducing the possibility that the activation signal may drop excessively to the point where it is not detected by the load switch 258. Although not specifically shown in Figure 7, in some embodiments, the load switch 258 can be optionally connected to a diode 260 (e.g., a Zener diode) to prevent the activation signal from the NFC circuit 254 from exceeding a predetermined threshold and overloading the components of the CMD control circuit 200. When the CMD control circuit 200 receives the activation signal, it transitions the processor 202 from a sleep state to an awakened state. It should be noted that once processor 202 transitions from sleep state to wake state, processor 202 activates power maintenance circuit 259, and power maintenance circuit 259 provides instructions to processor 202 to maintain the wake state until it receives a command to transition back to sleep state.For example, firmware running on processor 202 may transition power maintenance circuit 259 from a low-power state to a high-power state in response to the transition of processor 202 from a sleep state to an awakened state. The high-power state of power maintenance circuit 259 instructs processor 202 to remain awakened until power maintenance circuit 259 returns to the low-power state. Because the activation signal is transient within CMD 103, power maintenance circuit 259 provides a steady signal instructing the processor to remain awakened until CMD circuit 200 receives a command instructing CMD 103 to transition back to the sleep state. Power maintenance circuit 259 may be understood as a "power latch" that allows processor 202 to remain awakened (in the high-power state) after the termination of the activation signal.

[0038] Figure 8 shows one embodiment of a circuit that may be used to implement the rectifier circuit 233 shown in Figure 2. As shown in Figure 8, the NFC signal is received by the antenna 222 and rectified from AC current to DC current by the rectifier 237 to become the activation signal. It should be understood that the antenna 222 can be implemented as an NFC coil. In some examples, the rectifier 237 can be implemented as one or more diodes. More specifically, the rectifier 237 can be implemented as one or more Schottky diodes. The activation signal generated by the rectifier circuit 233 can be passed to the NFC circuit 254, as described with respect to Figure 7. According to some embodiments, the rectifier circuit 233 may include a diode 239 that smooths and filters the NFC signal before passing it to the rectifier 237.

[0039] In some embodiments, the user may activate the CMD 103 using either the fingerprint sensor 203 or the NFC device 241. For example, if the user wishes to activate the CMD 103 using the fingerprint sensor 203, the user can simply touch the fingerprint sensor 203 with their finger. Such a touch changes the capacitance of the bevel 208, causing the touch sensor 205 to send an activation signal to the CMD control circuit 200 to awaken components of the CMD control circuit 200, such as the processor 202. Once awakened, the processor 202 may be configured to awaken one or more components of the communication circuit 225, such as the NFC transceiver 227, to enable the CMD 103 to communicate using the antenna 222. At this point, the user may communicate with the CMD 103 via the antenna 222 using the NFC device 241 or another device to perform one or more administrative operations, such as initiating or processing a transaction to transfer cryptocurrency stored in the CMD 103.

[0040] Alternatively, if the user prefers to use the NFC device 241 instead to activate the CMD 103, the user may position the NFC device 241 close enough to the antenna 222 so that the rectifier circuit 233 converts the NFC signal from the NFC device 241 into an activation signal that is sent to the CMD control circuit 200. Components of the CMD control circuit 200, such as the processor 200, and components of the communication circuit 225, such as the NFC transceiver 227, can be awakened using the same techniques as described above for the activation signal received from the touch sensor 205. In other embodiments, yet another method of activating the components of the CMD 103 is possible.

[0041] To provide an activation signal to awaken the components of the CMD103, the rectifier circuit 233 uses energy from the NFC signal received from the external NFC device 241. Therefore, over an extended period, the rectifier circuit 233 can remain on standby to trigger the activation of the components of the CMD103 without consuming power from the CMD's battery. The touch sensor 205 similarly allows for continuous monitoring of the state of the fingerprint sensor 203 so that the activation of the components of the CMD103 can be triggered at any time without requiring significant power from the CMD's battery. Thus, the technique described here for activating the CMD103 can help extend the effective life of the battery by operating over an extended period without consuming a significant amount of power from the CMD's battery.

[0042] Figure 9 is a flowchart of an exemplary method for waking CMD103 from sleep state using a wireless signal. Block 910 may include receiving a first wireless signal from a mobile device (e.g., mobile communication device 105) via the antenna 222 of CMD103. Block 920 may include transmitting the wireless signal from the antenna 222 to a rectifier circuit 233. Block 930 may include converting the wireless signal into an activation signal by the rectifier circuit 233. Block 940 may include transmitting the activation signal to the processor 202 via the rectifier circuit 233. Block 950 may include waking the processor 202 from sleep state.

[0043] In some embodiments, the method may include the processor 202 waking up a communication circuit 225 (e.g., an NFC transceiver 227) connected between at least one processor 202 and the antenna 222 from a sleep state. The CMD 103 may receive a second wireless signal from a mobile device via the antenna 222. The second wireless signal can be transmitted to the communication circuit 225, which then transmits the second wireless signal from the communication circuit 225 to the processor 202.

[0044] In some cases, the second wireless signal may include authentication data, and upon receiving the authentication data, the processor 202 may authenticate the user of the mobile device.

[0045] In some examples, the second wireless signal may be an NFC signal, and the communication circuit 225 may include an NFC transceiver 227.

[0046] In some examples, the processor 202 may be configured to store at least one private key for use in generating authentication signatures for multi-signature addresses of a cryptocurrency network. Depending on user authentication, the processor 202 may cause the at least one private key to be transmitted to a mobile (NFC) device (e.g., a mobile communication device 105).

[0047] In some cases, the first wireless signal may be an NFC signal.

[0048] Figure 10 is a flowchart of an exemplary method for waking CMD 103 from a sleep state using a fingerprint sensor. In block 1010, the method may include CMD 103 receiving a user touch. For example, the user may touch the conductive bezel 208 of the fingerprint sensor 203. In block 1020, the method may include detecting a change in the capacitance of the conductive bezel 208 by a circuit (e.g., CMD control circuit 200) electrically connected to both the conductive bezel 208 and at least one processor (e.g., processor 202). In block 1030, the method may include transmitting an activation signal to processor 202 by the circuit (e.g., CMD control circuit 200). In block 1040, the method may include transitioning processor 202 from a sleep state to an awakened state in response to the activation signal being received from CMD control circuit 200. In some examples, the above method may include the conductive bezel 208 of the fingerprint sensor 203 receiving an electrostatic discharge and dissipating the electrostatic discharge to the ground plane 220 through one or more diodes 215.

[0049] In some examples, one or more diodes 215 may be electrically connected to the conductive bezel and the ground plane 220. The one or more diodes 215 may be configured to allow the CMD control circuit 200 to detect a change in the capacitance of the conductive bezel 208 in the absence of electrostatic discharge. In some examples, at least one processor (e.g., processor 202) may be configured to store at least one private key for use in generating authentication signatures for multi-signature addresses of a cryptocurrency network and to perform operations for managing the cryptocurrency associated with the multi-signature address, including approving at least one transaction for the transfer of the cryptocurrency.

[0050] In some examples, the above method may include the processor 202 transitioning the communication circuit 225 from a sleep state to an awakened state in response to the processor 202 transitioning to an awakened state. The processor 202 may further cause the communication circuit 225 to transmit the at least one secret key via the antenna 222 to a mobile device (e.g., a mobile communication device 105).

[0051] In some examples, the above method may include detecting the user's fingerprint via the touch sensor 205 of the fingerprint sensor 203 in response to the processor 202 transitioning to an awakened state, and authenticating the user based on the detected fingerprint.

[0052] As will be apparent from the above discussion, any of the methods discussed herein may be implemented by a computer. In other words, a data processing device, device, or system may include means for performing any set of steps of the methods disclosed herein. A computer program may include a set of instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform any set of steps of the methods disclosed herein. Finally, a computer-readable medium may include a set of instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform any set of steps of the methods disclosed herein.

[0053] The disclosed embodiments may be implemented in accordance with at least the following terms:

[0054] Clause 1: Cryptocurrency management device comprising: an antenna for receiving wireless signals from a mobile near-field communication (NFC) device; at least one processor configured to store at least one private key for use in generating authentication signatures for multi-signature addresses of a cryptocurrency network and to perform operations for managing the cryptocurrencies associated with the multi-signature addresses, including approving at least one transaction for the transfer of cryptocurrencies; and a rectifier circuit electrically coupled to the antenna and the at least one processor, configured to receive energy from the antenna for the wireless signals and to convert the received energy into an activation signal for activating the at least one processor, wherein the rectifier circuit is configured to wake the at least one processor from a sleep state by transmitting the activation signal to the at least one processor.

[0055] Clause 2: A cryptocurrency management device as described in Clause 1, wherein the received signal is a near-field communication (NFC) signal transmitted wirelessly from an NFC device to the antenna.

[0056] Clause 3: A cryptocurrency management device as described in Clause 2, further comprising a communication circuit connecting the at least one processor and the antenna, wherein the at least one processor is configured to enable communication between the cryptocurrency management device and the NFC device by waking up at least one component of the communication circuit from a sleep state after waking up from a sleep state.

[0057] Clause 4: A cryptocurrency management device as described in Clause 3, wherein the at least one component of the communication circuit includes an NFC transceiver.

[0058] Clause 5: A cryptocurrency management device as described in Clause 4, wherein the NFC transceiver is implemented as an integrated circuit.

[0059] Clause 6: A device comprising: an antenna for receiving wireless signals from a mobile device; at least one processor; and a rectifier circuit electrically connected to the antenna and the at least one processor, the rectifier circuit configured to receive energy from the antenna for the wireless signals and to convert the received energy into an activation signal for activating the at least one processor, wherein the rectifier circuit is configured to wake the at least one processor from a sleep state by transmitting the activation signal to the at least one processor.

[0060] Clause 7: A device as described in Clause 6, wherein the received signal is a Bluetooth signal transmitted wirelessly from the mobile device to the antenna.

[0061] Clause 8: A device as described in Clause 6, further comprising a communication circuit connecting the at least one processor and the antenna, wherein the at least one processor is configured to enable communication between the device and the mobile device by waking up at least one component of the communication circuit from a sleep state after waking up from a sleep state.

[0062] Clause 9: A device as described in Clause 8, wherein the received signal is an NFC signal transmitted wirelessly from the mobile device to the antenna.

[0063] Clause 10: A cryptocurrency management device as described in Clause 9, wherein the at least one component of the communication circuit includes an NFC transceiver.

[0064] Clause 11: A device as described in Clause 6, wherein the rectifier circuit includes a full-bridge rectifier.

[0065] Clause 12: A device as described in Clause 6, wherein the processor is configured to store at least one private key for use in generating authentication signatures for multi-signature addresses of a cryptocurrency network, and to perform operations for managing the cryptocurrency associated with the multi-signature address, including approving at least one transaction for the transfer of the cryptocurrency.

[0066] Clause 13: A device as described in Clause 6, wherein the activation signal is a digital signal.

[0067] Clause 14: The device described in Clause 10, wherein the antenna is configured to receive an NFC signal including an authentication certificate from the mobile device, and after awakening from sleep, the NFC transceiver is configured to receive the NFC signal from the antenna, the NFC transceiver transmits the NFC signal to the processor, and the processor authenticates the user of the mobile device based on the received authentication certificate.

[0068] Clause 15: A method for waking a cryptocurrency management device, comprising: receiving a first wireless signal from a mobile near-field communication (NFC) device via an antenna of the cryptocurrency management device; transmitting the wireless signal from the antenna to a rectifier circuit electrically connected to the antenna; converting the wireless signal into an activation signal via the rectifier circuit; transmitting the activation signal via the rectifier circuit to a processor electrically connected to the antenna and the rectifier circuit; and waking the processor from a sleep state in response to the processor receiving the activation signal.

[0069] Clause 16: A method according to Clause 15, further comprising: the processor waking up a communication circuit connecting the at least one processor and the antenna from a sleep state; the antenna receiving a second wireless signal from the NFC device; the communication circuit receiving the second wireless signal from the antenna; and the communication circuit transmitting the second wireless signal to the processor.

[0070] Clause 17: A method according to Clause 16, wherein the second wireless signal includes authentication data, and in response to the receipt of the authentication data, the processor authenticates the user of the NFC device.

[0071] Clause 18: A method according to any one of Clauses 16 or 17, wherein the second wireless signal includes an NFC signal and the communication circuit includes an NFC transceiver.

[0072] Clause 19: A method according to any one of Clauses 15 to 18, wherein the processor is configured to store at least one private key for use in generating an authentication signature for a multi-signature address of a cryptocurrency network, and in response to authentication of the user, the processor causes the at least one private key to be transmitted to the NFC device.

[0073] Clause 20: A method according to any one of Clauses 15 to 19, wherein the first wireless signal includes an NFC signal.

[0074] Clause 21: A computer program which, when executed by a computer, includes a set of instructions that cause the computer to perform the actions described in any one of Clauses 15 to 20.

[0075] Clause 22: A computer-readable medium containing a set of instructions, when executed by a computer, that cause the computer to perform the actions described in any one of Clauses 15 to 20.

[0076] Clause 23: Cryptocurrency management device comprising: a fingerprint sensor having a transparent surface through which an image of a fingerprint is captured by the fingerprint sensor, the fingerprint sensor having a conductive bezel positioned around the transparent surface; at least one processor configured to store at least one private key for use in generating an authentication signature for a multi-signature address of a cryptocurrency network and to perform operations for managing the cryptocurrency associated with the multi-signature address, including approving at least one transaction for the transfer of the cryptocurrency, and the at least one processor configured to authenticate a user based on at least one of the images of a fingerprint captured by the fingerprint sensor; and a circuit electrically connected to the conductive bezel and the at least one processor, configured to detect a change in the capacitance of the conductive bezel indicating a user touch, and further configured to transmit an activation signal for activating the at least one processor in response to the detection of the change in capacitance, wherein the at least one processor is configured to transition from a sleep state to an awaken state in response to the activation signal.

[0077] Clause 24: A cryptocurrency management device as described in Clause 23, further comprising a ground plane and one or more diodes electrically connected to the conductive bezel and the ground plane, wherein the one or more diodes are configured to ground the conductive bezel by providing an electrical path between the ground plane and the conductive bezel in response to electrostatic discharge.

[0078] Clause 25: A cryptocurrency management device as described in Clause 24, wherein one or more diodes include TVS diodes.

[0079] Clause 26: A cryptocurrency management device according to either Clause 24 or 25, wherein one or more diodes are configured to enable detection of the change in capacitance of the conductive bezel when there is no electrostatic discharge in the circuit electrically connected to the conductive bezel.

[0080] Clause 27: A cryptocurrency management device as described in any of the preceding Clauses, further comprising: an antenna for receiving wireless signals from a mobile device; and a communication circuit connecting the at least one processor and the antenna, wherein the at least one processor is configured to enable communication between the cryptocurrency management device and the mobile device by causing at least one component of the communication circuit to transition from the sleep state to the wake state after the transition to the wake state.

[0081] Clause 28: Cryptocurrency management device comprising: a fingerprint sensor having a transparent surface through which an image of a fingerprint is captured by the fingerprint sensor, the fingerprint sensor having a conductive bezel located around the transparent surface; at least one processor configured to authenticate a user based on at least one of the images of a fingerprint captured by the fingerprint sensor; and a circuit electrically connected to the conductive bezel and the at least one processor, configured to detect a change in the capacitance of the conductive bezel indicating a user touch, and further configured to transmit an activation signal to activate the at least one processor in response to the detection of the change in capacitance, wherein the at least one processor is configured to transition from a sleep state to an awakened state in response to the activation signal.

[0082] Clause 29: A cryptocurrency management device according to Clause 28, further comprising a ground plane and one or more diodes electrically connected to the conductive bezel and the ground plane, wherein the one or more diodes are configured to ground the conductive bezel by providing an electrical path between the ground plane and the conductive bezel in response to electrostatic discharge.

[0083] Clause 30: A cryptocurrency management device as described in Clause 29, wherein one or more diodes include TVS diodes.

[0084] Clause 31: A cryptocurrency management device according to either Clause 29 or 30, wherein one or more diodes are configured to enable detection of the change in capacitance of the conductive bezel when there is no electrostatic discharge in the circuit electrically connected to the conductive bezel.

[0085] Clause 32: A cryptocurrency management device according to any one of Clauses 28 to 31, further comprising: an antenna for receiving wireless signals from a mobile device; and a communication circuit connecting the at least one processor and the antenna, wherein the at least one processor is configured to enable communication between the cryptocurrency management device and the mobile device by causing at least one component of the communication circuit to transition from a sleep state to an awakened state after the transition to the awakened state.

[0086] Clause 33: A cryptocurrency management device as described in any one of Clauses 28 to 32, wherein the at least one processor is configured to store at least one private key for use in generating authentication signatures for multi-signature addresses of a cryptocurrency network, and to perform operations for managing the cryptocurrency associated with the multi-signature address, including approving at least one transaction for the transfer of the cryptocurrency.

[0087] Clause 34: A cryptocurrency management device as described in Clause 33, wherein, in response to user authentication, the at least one processor is configured to cause the at least one private key to be transmitted to the mobile device.

[0088] Clause 35: A device as described in Clause 29, or any one of Clauses 30-34 as dependent on Clause 7, wherein the ground plane includes an insulating material configured to minimize the parasitic capacitance of the one or more diodes.

[0089] Clause 36: A device as described in any one of Clauses 28 to 35, wherein the fingerprint sensor includes a capacitive touch sensor configured to sense a change in capacity caused by the presence of a user's finger.

[0090] Clause 37: A method for waking a cryptocurrency management device, comprising: receiving a user touch by a conductive bezel of a fingerprint sensor; detecting a change in the capacitance of the conductive bezel by a circuit electrically connected to the conductive bezel and at least one processor; transmitting an activation signal to the at least one processor in response to the detection of the change in capacitance by the circuit; and transitioning the at least one processor from a sleep state to an awakened state in response to the activation signal.

[0091] Clause 38: A method according to Clause 37, further comprising: receiving an electrostatic discharge by the conductive bezel of the fingerprint sensor; and dissipating the electrostatic discharge to a ground plane through one or more diodes.

[0092] Clause 39: A method according to either Clause 37 or 38, wherein one or more diodes are electrically connected to the conductive bezel and the ground plane, and the one or more diodes are configured to enable detection of the change in capacitance of the conductive bezel when there is no electrostatic discharge in the circuit electrically connected to the conductive bezel.

[0093] Clause 40: A method according to any one of Clauses 37-39, wherein the at least one processor is configured to store at least one private key for use in generating authentication signatures for multi-signature addresses of a cryptocurrency network, and to perform operations for managing the cryptocurrency associated with the multi-signature address, including approving at least one transaction for the transfer of the cryptocurrency.

[0094] Clause 41: A method according to any one of Clauses 37 to 40, wherein, in response to the transition of the at least one processor to the wake state, the at least one processor causes a communication circuit connecting the at least one processor and an antenna to transition from a sleep state to a wake state, and the at least one processor causes the communication circuit to transmit the at least one secret key to a mobile device via the antenna.

[0095] Clause 42: A method according to any one of Clauses 37 to 41, further comprising detecting the user's fingerprint via the touch sensor of the fingerprint sensor in response to the transition of the at least one processor to the awakened state, and authenticating the user based on the detected fingerprint.

[0096] Clause 43: A computer program comprising, when the program is executed by a computer, a set of instructions that causes the computer to perform the method described in any one of claims 37 to 42.

[0097] Clause 44: A computer-readable medium comprising a set of instructions, when executed by a computer, causing the computer to perform the method described in any one of claims 37 to 42.

Claims

1. It is a cryptocurrency management device, An antenna for receiving wireless signals from a mobile near-field communication (NFC) device, A system comprising at least one processor configured to store at least one private key for use in generating authentication signatures for multi-signature addresses of a cryptocurrency network, and to perform operations for managing the cryptocurrency associated with the multi-signature address, including approving at least one transaction for the transfer of the cryptocurrency, A cryptocurrency management device comprising: a rectifier circuit electrically connected to the antenna and the at least one processor, the rectifier circuit configured to receive energy of the wireless signal from the antenna and convert the received energy into an activation signal for activating the at least one processor, wherein the rectifier circuit is configured to wake the at least one processor from a sleep state by transmitting the activation signal to the at least one processor.

2. A cryptocurrency management device according to claim 1, wherein the received signal is a near-field communication (NFC) signal transmitted wirelessly from an NFC device to the antenna.

3. A cryptocurrency management device according to claim 2, further comprising a communication circuit connecting the at least one processor and the antenna, wherein the at least one processor is configured to enable communication between the cryptocurrency management device and the NFC device by waking up at least one component of the communication circuit from a sleep state after waking up from a sleep state.

4. A cryptocurrency management device according to claim 3, wherein the at least one component of the communication circuit includes an NFC transceiver.

5. A cryptocurrency management device according to claim 4, wherein the NFC transceiver is implemented as an integrated circuit.

6. It is a device, An antenna for receiving wireless signals from a mobile device, At least one processor, A device comprising: a rectifier circuit electrically connected to the antenna and the at least one processor, the rectifier circuit configured to receive energy of the wireless signal from the antenna and convert the received energy into an activation signal for activating the at least one processor, wherein the rectifier circuit is configured to wake the at least one processor from a sleep state by transmitting the activation signal to the at least one processor.

7. The device according to claim 6, wherein the received signal is a Bluetooth signal transmitted wirelessly from the mobile device to the antenna.

8. A device according to claim 6, further comprising a communication circuit connecting the at least one processor and the antenna, wherein the at least one processor is configured to enable communication between the device and the mobile device by waking up at least one component of the communication circuit from a sleep state after waking up from a sleep state.

9. The device according to claim 8, wherein the received signal is an NFC signal transmitted wirelessly from the mobile device to the antenna.

10. The device according to claim 9, wherein the at least one component of the communication circuit includes an NFC transceiver.

11. A device according to claim 6, wherein the rectifier circuit includes a full-bridge rectifier.

12. A device according to claim 6, wherein the processor is configured to store at least one private key for use in generating authentication signatures for multi-signature addresses of a cryptocurrency network, and to perform operations for managing the cryptocurrency associated with the multi-signature address, including approving at least one transaction for the transfer of the cryptocurrency.

13. A device according to claim 6, wherein the activation signal is a digital signal.

14. The device according to claim 10, The antenna is configured to receive NFC signals, including authentication certificates, from the mobile device. After waking from the sleep state, the NFC transceiver is configured to receive the NFC signal from the antenna. The NFC transceiver transmits the NFC signal to the processor. The processor authenticates the user of the mobile device based on the authentication certificate received. device.

15. A method to activate cryptocurrency management devices, The antenna of the cryptocurrency management device receives a first wireless signal from a mobile near-field communication (NFC) device, Transmitting the wireless signal from the antenna to a rectifier circuit electrically connected to the antenna, The rectifier circuit converts the wireless signal into an activation signal, The rectifier circuit transmits the activation signal to the antenna and the processor electrically connected to the rectifier circuit. In response to the processor receiving the activation signal, the processor is awakened from sleep mode. A method that includes this.

16. The method according to claim 15, further, The processor awakens the communication circuit connecting the at least one processor and the antenna from a sleep state. The antenna receives a second wireless signal from the NFC device, The communication circuit receives the second wireless signal from the antenna, The communication circuit transmits the second wireless signal to the processor, A method that includes this.

17. A method according to claim 16, wherein the second wireless signal includes authentication data, and in response to receiving the authentication data, the processor authenticates the user of the NFC device.

18. A method according to any one of claims 16 or 17, wherein the second wireless signal includes an NFC signal, and the communication circuit includes an NFC transceiver.

19. A method according to any one of claims 15 to 18, wherein the processor is configured to store at least one private key for use in generating an authentication signature for a multi-signature address of a cryptocurrency network, and in response to authentication of the user, the processor causes the at least one private key to transmit to the NFC device.

20. A method according to any one of claims 15 to 19, wherein the first wireless signal includes an NFC signal.

21. A computer program comprising a set of instructions that, when the program is executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform the method described in any one of claims 15 to 20.

22. A computer-readable medium comprising a set of instructions, when executed by a computer, that cause the computer to perform the method according to any one of claims 15 to 20.

23. It is a cryptocurrency management device, A fingerprint sensor having a transparent surface, wherein an image of a fingerprint is captured by the fingerprint sensor through the transparent surface, and the fingerprint sensor has a conductive bezel located around the transparent surface, At least one processor configured to store at least one private key for use in generating authentication signatures for multi-signature addresses of a cryptocurrency network, and to perform operations for managing the cryptocurrency associated with the multi-signature address, including approving at least one transaction for the transfer of the cryptocurrency, wherein the at least one processor is configured to authenticate a user based on at least one of the images of a fingerprint captured by the fingerprint sensor, A cryptocurrency management device comprising: a conductive bezel and a circuit electrically connected to the at least one processor, the circuit being configured to detect a change in capacitance of the conductive bezel indicating a user touch, and further configured to transmit an activation signal for activating the at least one processor in response to the detection of the change in capacitance, wherein the at least one processor is configured to transition from a sleep state to an awakened state in response to the activation signal.

24. A cryptocurrency management device according to claim 23, further, The ground surface and, A cryptocurrency management device comprising a conductive bezel and one or more diodes electrically connected to the ground plane, wherein the one or more diodes are configured to ground the conductive bezel by providing an electrical path between the ground plane and the conductive bezel in response to electrostatic discharge.

25. A cryptocurrency management device according to claim 24, wherein the one or more diodes include a TVS diode.

26. A cryptocurrency management device according to claim 24 or 25, wherein one or more diodes are configured to enable detection of the change in capacitance of the conductive bezel when there is no electrostatic discharge in the circuit electrically connected to the conductive bezel.

27. A cryptocurrency management device according to any of the prior claims, further, A cryptocurrency management device comprising an antenna for receiving wireless signals from a mobile device, and a communication circuit connecting the at least one processor and the antenna, wherein the at least one processor is configured to enable communication between the cryptocurrency management device and the mobile device by causing at least one component of the communication circuit to transition from the sleep state to the wake state after the transition to the wake state.

28. It is a cryptocurrency management device, A fingerprint sensor having a transparent surface, wherein an image of a fingerprint is captured by the fingerprint sensor through the transparent surface, and the fingerprint sensor has a conductive bezel located around the transparent surface, A processor configured to authenticate a user based on at least one of the images of a fingerprint captured by the fingerprint sensor, A cryptocurrency management device comprising: a conductive bezel and a circuit electrically connected to the at least one processor, the circuit being configured to detect a change in capacitance of the conductive bezel indicating a user touch, and further configured to transmit an activation signal for activating the at least one processor in response to the detection of the change in capacitance, wherein the at least one processor is configured to transition from a sleep state to an awakened state in response to the activation signal.

29. A cryptocurrency management device according to claim 28, further, A cryptocurrency management device comprising a ground plane, a conductive bezel, and one or more diodes electrically connected to the ground plane, wherein the one or more diodes are configured to ground the conductive bezel by providing an electrical path between the ground plane and the conductive bezel in response to electrostatic discharge.

30. A cryptocurrency management device according to claim 29, wherein the one or more diodes include a TVS diode.

31. A cryptocurrency management device according to claim 29 or 30, wherein one or more diodes are configured to enable detection of the change in capacitance of the conductive bezel when there is no electrostatic discharge in the circuit electrically connected to the conductive bezel.

32. A cryptocurrency management device according to any one of claims 28 to 31, further, A cryptocurrency management device comprising an antenna for receiving wireless signals from a mobile device, and a communication circuit connecting the at least one processor and the antenna, wherein the at least one processor is configured to enable communication between the cryptocurrency management device and the mobile device by causing at least one component of the communication circuit to transition from a sleep state to an awakened state after the transition to the awakened state.

33. A cryptocurrency management device according to any one of claims 28 to 32, wherein the at least one processor is configured to store at least one private key for use in generating authentication signatures for multi-signature addresses of a cryptocurrency network, and to perform operations for managing the cryptocurrency associated with the multi-signature address, including approving at least one transaction for the transfer of the cryptocurrency.

34. A cryptocurrency management device according to claim 33, wherein, in response to user authentication, the at least one processor is configured to cause the at least one secret key to be transmitted to the mobile device.

35. A device according to claim 29, or any one of claims 30 to 34 as dependent on claim 7, wherein the ground plane includes an insulating material configured to minimize the parasitic capacitance of the one or more diodes.

36. A device according to any one of claims 28 to 35, wherein the fingerprint sensor includes a capacitive touch sensor configured to sense a change in capacity caused by the presence of a user's finger.

37. A method to activate cryptocurrency management devices, The conductive bezel of the fingerprint sensor allows it to receive user touches, The conductive bezel and the circuit electrically connected to at least one processor are used to detect changes in the capacitance of the conductive bezel, The circuit transmits an activation signal to at least one processor in response to the detection of the change in capacitance. In response to the activation signal, the at least one processor is transitioned from a sleep state to an awakened state, A method that includes this.

38. The method according to claim 37, further, The conductive bezel of the fingerprint sensor is designed to receive electrostatic discharge, The electrostatic discharge is dissipated to the ground surface through one or more diodes, Methods that include...

39. A method according to either claim 37 or 38, wherein one or more diodes are electrically connected to the conductive bezel and the ground plane, and the one or more diodes are configured to enable detection of the change in capacitance of the conductive bezel when there is no electrostatic discharge in the circuit electrically connected to the conductive bezel.

40. A method according to any one of claims 37 to 39, wherein the at least one processor is configured to store at least one private key for use in generating authentication signatures for multi-signature addresses of a cryptocurrency network, and to perform operations for managing the cryptocurrency associated with the multi-signature address, including approving at least one transaction for the transfer of the cryptocurrency.

41. A method according to any one of claims 37 to 40, wherein the at least one processor transitions to the awakened state, The at least one processor causes the communication circuit connecting the at least one processor and the antenna to transition from a sleep state to an awakened state. The at least one processor causes the communication circuit to transmit the at least one secret key to the mobile device via the antenna. method.

42. A method according to any one of claims 37 to 41, further, In response to the transition of at least one processor to the awakened state, the user's fingerprint is detected via the touch sensor of the fingerprint sensor. Authenticating the user based on the detected fingerprint, Methods that include...

43. A computer program comprising a set of instructions that, when the program is executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform the method described in any one of claims 37 to 42.

44. A computer-readable medium comprising a set of instructions, when executed by a computer, that cause the computer to perform the method according to any one of claims 37 to 42.

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