COMMUNICATIONS DEVICE, METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR ESTABLISHING WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS BETWEEN COMMUNICATIONS DEVICES

• US 20110070825A1
• Filed: 09/24/2009
• Published: 03/24/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Research In Motion Limited (Blackberry Limited)
• Inventors: Fyke, Steven H., Griffin, Jason T.
• Granted Patent: US 9,455,768 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/41.1
• 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 communications device, comprising:

a housing;

radio frequency (RF) circuitry and a processor carried by the housing and operative with each other;

a Near Field Communications (NFC) circuit positioned in the housing and connected to the processor for communicating using an NFC communications protocol; and

a magnetic sensor supported by the housing and connected to the processor for sensing a magnetic field and generating a signal to the processor and in response to the signal, the processor is configured to activate the NFC circuit and transmit or receive data using the NFC communications protocol.

2. The communications device according to claim 1, wherein the magnetic sensor comprises a Hall Effect sensor.

3. The communications device according to claim 2, wherein said processor receives signals indicative of voltage variations within the Hall Effect sensor and activates the NFC circuit based on the voltage variations.

4. The communications device according to claim 2, wherein said Hall Effect sensor is operative in adjacent, non-contact relation to a magnet.

5. The communications device according to claim 1, wherein the RF circuitry is activated after receiving data through the NFC communications protocol related to a wireless communications connection different than the NFC communications protocol.

6. The communications device according to claim 5, wherein said RF circuitry comprises Bluetooth circuitry for establishing a Bluetooth wireless communications connection.

7. The communications device according to claim 5, wherein said RF circuitry comprises WiFi circuitry for establishing a WiFi wireless communications connection.

8. The communications device according to claim 1, and further comprising a magnet carried by the housing that is sensed by a magnetic sensor carried in a separate communications device when in proximity for device-to-device communication.

9. The communications device according to claim 8, and wherein said magnet and magnetic sensor are positioned adjacent to each other on the housing.

10. A method for establishing wireless communications between communications devices, the method comprising:

aligning respective magnets and magnetic sensors each located on first and second communications devices 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;

activating a Near Field Communications (NFC) circuit contained in at least one of the first and second communications devices in response to sensing the magnet on the respective other communications device; and

exchanging data between the first and second communications devices using a NFC communications protocol.

11. The method according to claim 10, further comprising activating the NFC circuits within respective communications devices when the devices are in physical contact.

12. The method according to claim 10, further comprising activating the NFC circuits within respective communications devices when the devices are adjacent to each other.

13. The method according to claim 10, further comprising establishing a wireless communications connection different than the NFC communications protocol based on the data exchanged between the first and second communications devices.

14. The method according to claim 13, further comprising:

transmitting and receiving communications protocol data between first and second communications devices using the NFC communications protocol; and

negotiating and establishing the wireless communications connection based on the communications protocol data exchanged between the first and second communications devices.

15. The method according to claim 14, further comprising exchanging a personal identification number (PIN) and security key between the first and second communications devices using the NFC communications protocol for establishing the wireless communications connection.

16. The method according to claim 15, further comprising establishing a wireless communications connection using a Bluetooth communications protocol.

17. The method according to claim 14, further comprising establishing a wireless communications connection using a WiFi communications protocol.

18. The method according to claim 10, further comprising using a Hall Effect sensor located within a communications device to sense a magnet.

19. The method according to claim 18, further comprising sensing voltage variations from the Hall Effect sensor within a processor of the communications device to determine that the NFC circuit should be activated.

20. A system for communicating, comprising:

first and second communications devices and each having a processor and a Near Field Communications (NFC) circuit connected to the processor for communicating using a NFC communications protocol and a magnet and magnetic sensor connected to the processor for sensing a magnetic field and generating a signal to the processor and in response, the processor configured to activate the NFC circuit for transmitting or receiving data using the NFC communications protocol, wherein respective magnets and magnetic sensors are aligned for activating the NFC circuit to exchange data between the devices using the NFC communications protocol.

21. A computer readable medium having a computer readable program embodied therein, said computer readable program adapted to be executed to implement a method for establishing wireless communications between communications devices after respective magnets and magnetic sensors that are each located on first and second communications devices are aligned wherein the method further comprising activating a Near Field Communications (NFC) circuit contained in a communications device in response to sensing the magnet on the respective other communications device and exchanging data between the first and second communications devices using a NFC communications protocol.