Enclosure for pairing a plurality of wireless devices

• US 10,028,119 B2
• Filed: 03/27/2017
• Issued: 07/17/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Freelinc Holdings, LLC
• Original Assignee: Freelinc Technologies Inc.
• Inventors: Dobyns, Douglas Howard
• Primary Examiner(s): SANDIFORD, DEVAN A
• Application Number:
  US15/470,228
• Publication Number:
  US 20170303073A1
• Time in Patent Office: 477 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/24 Inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/02 Protecting privacy or anonymity, e.g. protecting personally identifiable information [PII]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/04 Key management, e.g. using generic bootstrapping architecture [GBA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/50 Secure pairing of devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/63 Location-dependent; Proximity-dependent
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic
• 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 76/14 Direct-mode setup

Abstract

Various embodiments of an invention for pairing a plurality of wireless devices using wireless communications is disclosed. A method for pairing a plurality of devices comprises attenuating a pairing signal emitted from a wireless device within a pairing enclosure during a pairing procedure. A power level of the pairing signal that is emitted through the pairing enclosure is received at a pairing signal receiver. The pairing procedure is permitted to continue when the power level of the pairing signal is less than a predetermined power level.

Claims

1. At least one non-transitory machine readable storage medium having instructions embodied thereon, the instructions when executed by a wireless device perform the following:

transmit a pairing signal from a wireless device within a pairing enclosure during a pairing procedure, wherein the pairing signal is attenuated by the pairing enclosure, through the pairing enclosure to a pairing signal receiver, wherein the pairing signal receiver is configured to detect a power level of the pairing signal; and

permit the pairing procedure to continue based on the power level of the pairing signal that is detected by the pairing signal receiver;

or

terminate the pairing procedure based on the power level of the pairing signal that is detected by the pairing signal receiver;

wherein the pairing procedure includes pairing the wireless device in the pairing enclosure to a secondary device inside the pairing enclosure.

2. The at least one non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the pairing signal is attenuated using at least one shielding layer of the pairing enclosure, wherein the shielding layer is comprised of a radio frequency shielding material or a magnetic field shielding material.

3. The at least one non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the instructions further perform the following:

transmit a test pairing signal from a test signal transmitter through the pairing enclosure to enable the pairing signal receiver to determine an amount of attenuation of the test pairing signal.

4. The at least one non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 3, wherein the test signal transmitter is located at one of internal to the pairing enclosure or external to the pairing enclosure and the pairing signal receiver is located at one of external to the pairing enclosure or internal to the pairing enclosure.

5. The at least one non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 3, wherein the test pairing signal is transmitted as at least one of:

a single frequency, a plurality of frequencies, or a modulated signal to determine an amount of attenuation provided by the pairing enclosure.

6. The at least one non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the pairing enclosure includes a pairing transceiver configured to transmit pairing information to the wireless device during the pairing procedure, wherein the pairing information is selected from the group consisting of a public encryption key, a private encryption key, a transmission frequency, a data channel, a pairing identification number, a pseudorandom noise (PN) code, a modulation scheme, a frequency hopping schedule, a software update, and a firmware update.

7. The at least one non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the pairing signal is a radio frequency signal or a near field magnetic induction signal.

8. The at least one non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the pairing enclosure is an enclosure selected from the group consisting of a vehicle holding room, a walkable enclosure, a box, a dome, a sphere, a tent, a teepee, a poncho, and an overcoat.

9. The at least one non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the pairing enclosure is a portable environment configured to enable a person to walk into.

10. The at least one non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the pairing enclosure is an enclosure with a lid that has a sufficient size to contain a plurality of the wireless devices.

11. The at least one non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the pairing enclosure is wearable by a person.

12. The at least one non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the instructions further perform the following:

transmit a noise signal to mask the pairing signal transmitted in the pairing enclosure, wherein the noise source is transmitted when the pairing signal is measured by the pairing signal receiver to be greater than a predetermined power level.

13. An apparatus of a pairing signal receiver, the apparatus configured to:

receive, at the pairing signal receiver, a pairing signal from a wireless device through a pairing enclosure during a pairing procedure, wherein the pairing signal is attenuated by the pairing enclosure;

detect a power level of the pairing signal; and

permit the pairing procedure to continue based on the power level of the pairing signal that is detected by the pairing signal receiver;

or

terminate the pairing procedure based on the power level of the pairing signal that is detected by the pairing signal receiver,

wherein the pairing procedure includes pairing the wireless device in the pairing enclosure to a secondary device inside the pairing enclosure.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the pairing signal is attenuated using at least one shielding layer of the pairing enclosure, wherein the shielding layer is comprised of a radio frequency shielding material or a magnetic field shielding material.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the pairing signal receiver is further configured to:

receive a test pairing signal from a test signal transmitter through the pairing enclosure to enable the pairing signal receiver to determine an amount of attenuation of the test pairing signal.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the test signal transmitter is located at one of internal to the pairing enclosure or external to the pairing enclosure and the pairing signal receiver is located at one of external to the pairing enclosure or internal to the pairing enclosure.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the test pairing signal is transmitted as at least one of:

a single frequency, a plurality of frequencies, or a modulated signal to determine an amount of attenuation provided by the pairing enclosure.

18. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the pairing enclosure includes a pairing transceiver configured to transmit pairing information to the wireless device during the pairing procedure, wherein the pairing information is selected from the group consisting of a public encryption key, a private encryption key, a transmission frequency, a data channel, a pairing identification number, a pseudorandom noise (PN) code, a modulation scheme, a frequency hopping schedule, a software update, and a firmware update.

19. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the pairing signal is a radio frequency signal or a near field magnetic induction signal.

20. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the pairing enclosure is an enclosure selected from the group consisting of a vehicle holding room, a walkable enclosure, a box, a dome, a sphere, a tent, a teepee, a poncho, and an overcoat.

21. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the pairing enclosure is a portable environment configured to enable a person to walk into.

22. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the pairing enclosure is an enclosure with a lid that has a sufficient size to contain a plurality of the wireless devices.

23. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the pairing enclosure is wearable by a person.

24. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the pairing signal receiver is further configured to:

receive a noise signal that masks the pairing signal transmitted in the pairing enclosure, wherein the noise source is transmitted when the pairing signal is measured by the pairing signal receiver to be greater than a predetermined power level.

25. At least one non-transitory machine readable storage medium having instructions embodied thereon, the instructions when executed by a wireless device perform the following:

receive, at a pairing signal receiver, a pairing signal from a wireless device through a pairing enclosure during a pairing procedure, wherein the pairing signal is attenuated by the pairing enclosure;

detect a power level of the pairing signal; and

permit the pairing procedure to continue based on the power level of the pairing signal that is detected by the pairing signal receiver;

or

terminate the pairing procedure based on the power level of the pairing signal that is detected by the pairing signal receiver,

wherein the pairing procedure includes pairing the wireless device in the pairing enclosure to a secondary device inside the pairing enclosure.

26. The at least one non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 25, wherein the pairing signal is attenuated using at least one shielding layer of the pairing enclosure, wherein the shielding layer is comprised of a radio frequency shielding material or a magnetic field shielding material.

27. The at least one non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 25, the instructions further perform the following:

receive a test pairing signal from a test signal transmitter through the pairing enclosure to enable the pairing signal receiver to determine an amount of attenuation of the test pairing signal.

28. The at least one non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 27, wherein the test signal transmitter is located at one of internal to the pairing enclosure or external to the pairing enclosure and the pairing signal receiver is located at one of external to the pairing enclosure or internal to the pairing enclosure.

29. The at least one non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 27, wherein the test pairing signal is transmitted as at least one of:

a single frequency, a plurality of frequencies, or a modulated signal to determine an amount of attenuation provided by the pairing enclosure.

30. The at least one non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 25, wherein the pairing enclosure includes a pairing transceiver configured to transmit pairing information to the wireless device during the pairing procedure, wherein the pairing information is selected from the group consisting of a public encryption key, a private encryption key, a transmission frequency, a data channel, a pairing identification number, a pseudorandom noise (PN) code, a modulation scheme, a frequency hopping schedule, a software update, and a firmware update.