Methods, Systems and Devices for Linking User Devices to Activity Tracking Devices

• US 20140088922A1
• Filed: 11/27/2013
• Published: 03/27/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fitbit, Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Fitbit, Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Messenger, Jayson, Burton, Barry, Park, James
• Granted Patent: US 8,805,646 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/189
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0214 of power generation or supply
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0242 adapted to measure environmental factors, e.g. temperature, pollution
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0271 using a remote monitoring unit
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0219 Inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes, tilt switches
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0022 Monitoring a patient using a global network, e.g. telephone networks, internet
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02055 Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular condition and temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/021 Measuring pressure in heart or blood vessels A61B5/0205 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/024 Detecting, measuring or recording pulse rate or heart rate A61B5/0205, A61B5/021 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1112 Global tracking of patients, e.g. by using GPS
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1118 Determining activity level
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/222 combined with detection or measurement of physiological parameters, e.g. heart rate
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4809 Sleep detection, i.e. determining whether a subject is asleep or not
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4812 Detecting sleep stages or cycles
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4815 Sleep quality
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6838 Clamps or clips
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/73 Altitude
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2230/06 heartbeat rate only
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2230/50 temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2230/70 body fat
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2230/75 calorie expenditure
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 24/0003 : Analysing the course of a movement or motion sequences during an exercise or trainings sequence, e.g. swing for golf or tennis
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 24/0062 : Monitoring athletic performances, e.g. for determining the work of a user on an exercise apparatus, the completed jogging or cycling distance
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/0686 : Timers, rhythm indicators or pacing apparatus using electric or electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 22/00 : Measuring distance traversed on the ground by vehicles, persons, animals or other moving solid bodies, e.g. using odometers, using pedometers
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 22/006 : Pedometers
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 13/00 : Indicating or recording presence, absence, or direction, of movement electric switches H01H; counting moving objects G06M7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/00 : Digital computers in general details G06F1/00 – G06F13/00; Data processing equipment in general
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/30 : relating to physical therapies or activities, e.g. physiotherapy, acupressure or exercising
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/60 : for the operation of medical equipment or devices
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 : for local operation

Abstract

Methods, systems and devices for linking devices to tracking devices is provided. One method includes scanning, by an activity tracking device, for a semi-unique identifier broadcasted by a device. The method connects the device with the activity tracking device after the semi-unique identifier is found to be of the device by the activity tracking device. The activity tracking device is configured to communicate with the device to obtain a device identification (ID) of the device. The method then automatically linking the device to the activity tracking device when the device ID of the device matches a copy of the device ID stored in the activity tracking device. In one example, the tracking devices operate as a master and the devices operate as a slave.

Claims

1. A method,

scanning, by an activity tracking device, for a semi-unique identifier broadcasted by a device;

connecting the device with the activity tracking device after the semi-unique identifier is found to be of the device by the activity tracking device, the activity tracking device configured to query the device to obtain a device identification (ID) of the device; and

linking the device to the activity tracking device when the device ID of the device matches a copy of the device ID stored in the activity tracking device, the method being executed by a processor.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the activity tracking device operates in a master mode to initiate the scanning for the device, and the device operates in a slave mode.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the scanning and connecting is repeated for other devices having the semi-unique identifier until the match is made between the device ID and the copy of the device ID.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the activity tracking device is configured to store additional device IDs associated with devices that have been pre-defined link to the activity tracking device.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein devices are pre-defined to link to the activity tracking device based on initial pairings of the devices to the activity tracking device, as defined in a user account.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the user account maintains a current association of the activity tracking device to one or more devices.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the user account is managed by a website server.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein a user account of a website server maintains,

a current association of the activity tracking device to one or more devices for the user account, and

a current association of additional activity tracking devices for the user account.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the device ID is one of a serial number of the device, or a unique identifier, or a media access controller (MAC) number.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the unique identifier,

is generated from the device ID;

or

is accessed from part of the device ID;

or

is a randomly generated number that is pre-associated to the device ID.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein broadcasting of the semi-unique identifier includes transmitting data over a wireless communication device of the device.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the wireless communication device enables at least part of the broadcasting using a Bluetooth low energy (BT LE) protocol, or a Bluetooth (BT) protocol, or a WiFi protocol, or a cellular protocol, or a combination of two or more thereof.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising,

automatically processing the connecting and the linking without requiring user input to complete the linking.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the device ID is one of a serial number of the device, or a unique identifier, or a media access controller (MAC) number, and wherein the unique identifier, is generated from the device ID, or is accessed from part of the device ID, or is a randomly generated number that is pre-associated to the device ID.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the activity tracking device is configured to store additional device IDs associated with devices that have been pre-defined to link to the activity tracking device, and devices are pre-defined to link to the activity tracking device based on pre-made pairings of the devices to the activity tracking device, as defined in a user account, and the user account maintains a current association of the activity tracking device to one or more devices.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the user account is managed by a website server.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the semi-unique identifier is bit data transferred in payload of an advertising packet, the advertising packet being broadcast by the device.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the device executes a client activity application that has access to a website that stores a relationship between the semi-unique identifier and the device;

wherein the scanning for the semi-unique identifier is managed by code of the activity tracking device that operates in a master mode, the device configured to operate in a slave mode.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein the scanning is executed by the activity tracking device in response to user input at the activity tracking device to start the scanning for auto-linking with the device.

20. The method of claim 20, wherein the user input is one of a button press, a tap, a touch input, a voice input, a key input, a user interface selection, or combinations of two or more thereof.

21. A tracking device configured for capture of activity for a user, comprising,

a housing;

a sensor disposed in the housing to capture motion data associated with activity of the user;

memory for storing the captured motion data and a device identification (ID) of a device that the tracking device is able to initiate connection and link therewith; and

a processor configured to scan for a semi-unique identifier broadcasted by the device, the processor enabling connection with the device with the tracking device after the semi-unique identifier is found to be of the device by the tracking device, the tracking device configured to query the device to obtain a device identification (ID) of the device, the processor linking the device to the tracking device when the device ID of the device matches a copy of the device ID stored in the memory of the tracking device.

22. The tracking device of claim 21, wherein the housing is part of a wearable wrist attachable structure, or an attachable structure that can be carried or worn by the user, and the wearable wrist attachable structure is defined at least partially from a plastic material, the housing further including a battery for providing power to the tracking device.

23. The tracking device of claim 21, wherein the housing further includes wireless communication logic for enabling wireless connections.

24. The tracking device of claim 21, the device is a portable computing device, the device configured for access with an activity management server over the Internet, the activity management server having a user account in which the tracking device is associated, and the user account enabling association of additional tracking devices and additional portable computing devices, and their associations for enabling respective links.

25. The tracking device of claim 21, wherein the processor of the tracking device includes circuits, and at least one of said circuits include a firmware circuit having program instructions to enable the linking.

26. A method,

scanning, by an activity tracking device, for a semi-unique identifier advertised by a device, the scanning is executed by the activity tracking device in master mode in response to user input at the activity tracking device to start the scanning for linking with the device;

connecting the device to the activity tracking device after the semi-unique identifier is found to be of the device by the activity tracking device, the activity tracking device configured to query the device to obtain a serial number of the device; and

automatically linking the device to the activity tracking device when the serial number of the device matches a copy of the serial number stored in the activity tracking device, the copy of the serial number of the device being obtained by the activity tracking device during a pre-made pairing of the device to the activity tracking device, the method being executed by a processor.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the processing of the connecting and the automatically linking carried out without requiring user input to complete the linking.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the activity tracking device is configured to store additional serial numbers associated with devices that have been pre-defined to link to the activity tracking device, and devices are pre-defined to link to the activity tracking device based on pre-made pairings of the devices to the activity tracking device, as defined in a user account, and the user account maintains a current association of the activity tracking device to one or more devices.

29. Computer readable medium having program instructions for enabling tracking devices to automatically link with devices, the computer readable medium, comprising,

program instructions for scanning, by an activity tracking device, for a semi-unique identifier broadcasted by a device;

program instructions for connecting the device with the activity tracking device after the semi-unique identifier is found to be of the device by the activity tracking device, the activity tracking device configured to query the device to obtain a device identification (ID) of the device; and

program instructions for linking the device to the activity tracking device when the device ID of the device matches a copy of the device ID stored in the activity tracking device.

30. The computer readable medium of claim 29, wherein the activity tracking device operates in a master mode to initiate the scanning for the device, and the device operates in a slave mode, and wherein the scanning and connecting is repeated for other devices having the semi-unique identifier until the match is made between the device ID and the copy of the device ID.