Method of establishing communications

• US 10,015,668 B2
• Filed: 01/16/2018
• Issued: 07/03/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/02/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Hawkins, Tyler, Wilson, Christopher, Sauerwald, Conrad, Novick, Gregory, Crane, Neil G., Van Der Merwe, Rudolph, Noble, Samuel, Chinn, Paul William
• Primary Examiner(s): Bolourchi, Nader
• Application Number:
  US15/872,801
• Publication Number:
  US 20180146366A1
• Time in Patent Office: 168 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1447 extracting optical codes from image or text carrying said optical code
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/04 Key management, e.g. using generic bootstrapping architecture [GBA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/35 Protecting application or service provisioning, e.g. securing SIM application provisioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/50 Secure pairing of devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/265 for initial activation of new user

Abstract

A method of establishing communications with a first device is disclosed. The method includes: the first device presenting connection information to a second device; receiving a response from a second device; establishing an association with the second device; transmitting, in response to a determination that the first device and the second device are connected for data, first data to the second device, the first data comprising addressing information for a server; receiving second data from the second device, the second data comprising second information for establishing communications with the first device; and configuring the first device to receive third data from a location remote to the first device using the second information from the second data.

Claims

1. A method of establishing communications with a first device, the method comprising, at the first device:

connecting to a second device;

in response to a determination that the first device and the second device are connected, transmitting first data to the second device, the first data comprising addressing information for a server;

receiving an activation payload from the second device, the activation payload comprising information from the server; and

in response to receiving the activation payload from the second device;

entering an activated state, and

configuring, using the information from the server, the first device to receive data from a location remote to the first device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the first device is not able to connect to the server directly, and

the second device is able to connect to the server directly.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the first device and the second device have network capabilities,

the network capabilities of the first device are more limited than the network capabilities of the second device, and

receiving data from a location remote to the first device comprises receiving the data using the network capabilities of the second device.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein:

the network capabilities of the first device include access to a LAN,

the network capabilities of the second device include access to one or more of a WAN, the Internet, a Wi-Fi network, and a cellular network, and

the network capabilities of the first device do not include access to the one or more of a WAN, the Internet, a Wi-Fi network, and a cellular network.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

receiving data from a location remote to the first device comprises receiving the data via one or more of a WAN, the Internet, a Wi-Fi network, and a cellular network, and

the network capabilities of the first device do not include access to the one or more of a WAN, the Internet, a Wi-Fi network, and a cellular network.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein connecting to the second device comprises:

pairing with the second device; and

establishing a communication channel with the second device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first data comprises an activation package.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the activation payload comprises authentication information.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the second device comprises the server.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the location remote to the first device corresponds to the location of a cloud server.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the location remote to the first device corresponds to the location of the second device.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the first device and the second device are connected to a network, and the remote location corresponds to the location of a third device connected to the network.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the second device comprises a network gateway.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the second device is one of a tablet PC, a smartphone, a cellular phone, a digital media player, an electronic reader, an electronic wearable device, a smart TV, a video game console, a desktop computer, and a laptop computer.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving data from a location remote to the first device comprises synchronizing the data between the first device and the location remote to the first device.

16. A method of establishing communications with a first device, the method comprising, at a second device:

connecting to the first device;

in response to a determination that the first device and the second device are connected, receiving first data from the first device, the first data comprising addressing information for a server;

connecting to the server using the first data;

sending an activation payload to the first device, the activation payload comprising information from the server, the activation payload configured to allow the first device to enter an activated state; and

in response to the first device being configured to receive data from a location remote to the first device using the information from the server, sending the data to the first device.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein:

the first device is not able to connect to the server directly, and

the second device is able to connect to the server directly.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein:

the first device and the second device have network capabilities,

the network capabilities of the first device are more limited than the network capabilities of the second device, and

the first device receiving data from a location remote to the first device comprises the first device receiving the data using the network capabilities of the second device.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein:

the network capabilities of the first device include access to a LAN,

the network capabilities of the second device include access to one or more of a WAN, the Internet, a Wi-Fi network, and a cellular network, and

the network capabilities of the first device do not include access to the one or more of a WAN, the Internet, a Wi-Fi network, and a cellular network.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein:

the first device receiving data from a location remote to the first device comprises the first device receiving the data via one or more of a WAN, the Internet, a Wi-Fi network, and a cellular network, and

the network capabilities of the first device do not include access to the one or more of a WAN, the Internet, a Wi-Fi network, and a cellular network.

21. The method of claim 16, wherein connecting to the first device comprises:

pairing with the first device; and

establishing a communication channel with the first device.

22. The method of claim 16, wherein the second device comprises the server.

23. The method of claim 16, wherein the second device comprises a network gateway.

24. The method of claim 16, wherein the location remote to the first device corresponds to the location of the second device.

25. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions which, when executed by a processor of a first device, perform a method comprising, at the first device:

connecting to a second device;

in response to a determination that the first device and the second device are connected, transmitting first data to the second device, the first data comprising addressing information for a server;

receiving an activation payload from the second device, the activation payload comprising information from the server; and

in response to receiving the activation payload from the second device;

entering an activated state, and

configuring, using the information from the server, the first device to receive data from a location remote to the first device.

26. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions which, when executed by a processor of a second device, perform a method comprising, at the second device:

connecting to the first device;

in response to a determination that the first device and the second device are connected, receiving first data from the first device, the first data comprising addressing information for a server;

connecting to the server using the first data;

sending an activation payload to the first device, the activation payload comprising information from the server, the activation payload configured to allow the first device to enter an activated state; and

in response to the first device being configured to receive data from a location remote to the first device using the information from the server, sending the data to the first device.