Communications device, method and system for establishing wireless communications between communications devices

• US 10,243,618 B2
• Filed: 08/17/2016
• Issued: 03/26/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Griffin, Jason T., Fyke, Steven H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Liao, Hsinchun
• Application Number:
  US15/238,943
• Publication Number:
  US 20160359525A1
• Time in Patent Office: 951 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/38 Transceivers, i.e. devices in which transmitter and receiver form a structural unit and in which at least one part is used for functions of transmitting and receiving
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/72 for local intradevice communication
• 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

Abstract

A device, method, and system are disclosed for establishing wireless communications between communications devices comprising respective magnets and magnetic sensors each located on first and second communications device and aligned such that a magnet on the first communications device is aligned with a magnetic sensor on the second communications device and a magnet on the second communications device is aligned with a magnetic sensor on the first communications device. In response, a Near Field Communications (NFC) circuit contained in each of the first and second communications devices is activated and data exchanged between the first and second communications devices using a NFC communications protocol.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a processor carried by a housing and coupled to a user interface and a cadence sensor in a first communications device, a tapping signal from the cadence sensor;

waking, by the processor, a Near Field Communications (NFC) circuit positioned in the housing and connected to the processor for communicating using an NFC communications protocol, thereby activating the NFC circuit to transmit or receive data with an NFC enabled device using the NFC communications protocol, in response to a tapping signal from the cadence sensor, wherein a profile is generated according to the tapping signal sensed by the cadence sensor, wherein the processor is further configured for comparing the profile to a known tap profile and to wake the NFC circuit if motion parameters in the profile meets or exceed parameters in the known tap profile, wherein the NFC circuit is in a lower power state when not switched on; and

establishing configuration options for controlling a second communications device, wherein the second communications device comprises a vehicle and the configuration options include opening a door and starting the vehicle.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the cadence sensor comprises an accelerometer.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the accelerometer produces an analog signal and the first communications device further comprises an analog-to-digital converter.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein the accelerometer is one of a capacitive, piezoelectric, piezoresistive, or gas-based accelerometer.

5. The method according to claim 2, wherein the accelerometer produces a digital signal.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the accelerometer is a MEMS digital accelerometer.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising establishing a wireless communications connection different than the NFC communications protocol based on data exchanged between the first and second communications devices.

8. A non-transitory, machine-readable storage medium comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a processing system including a processor, facilitate performance of operations, the operations comprising:

receiving a tapping signal from a cadence sensor in a first communications device;

waking a Near Field Communications (NFC) circuit positioned in a housing of the first communications device and connected to the processor for communicating using an NFC communications protocol, thereby activating the NFC circuit to transmit or receive data with an NFC enabled device using the NFC communications protocol, in response to a tapping signal from the cadence sensor, wherein a profile is generated according to the tapping signal sensed by the cadence sensor, wherein the processor is further configured for comparing the profile to a known tap profile and to wake the NFC circuit if motion parameters in the profile meets or exceed parameters in the known tap profile, wherein the NFC circuit is in a lower power state when not switched on; and

establishing configuration options for controlling a second communications device, wherein the second communications device comprises a vehicle and the configuration options include opening a door and starting the vehicle.

9. The non-transitory, machine-readable storage medium according to claim 8, wherein the cadence sensor comprises a MEMS digital accelerometer.

10. The non-transitory, machine-readable storage medium according to claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise establishing a wireless communications connection different than the NFC communications protocol based on data exchanged between the first and second communications devices.