Accessing a Vehicle Using Portable Devices

• US 20150147974A1
• Filed: 02/02/2015
• Published: 05/28/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Tucker, Brian J., Schubert, Emily C., Dorogusker, Jesse L., Linde, Joakim, Chick, Stephen
• Granted Patent: US 9,351,102 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/41.2
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/037 for occupant comfort , e.g. for automatic adjustment of appliances according to personal settings, e.g. seats, mirrors, steering wheel
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/01 operating on vehicle systems or fittings, e.g. on doors, seats or windscreens
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/241 whereby access privileges are related to the identifiers
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2209/04 Access control involving a hierarchy in access rights
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00309 operated with bidirectional data transmission between data carrier and locks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/061 for key exchange, e.g. in peer-to-peer networks cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key agreement H04L9/0838
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/108 when the policy decisions are valid for a limited amount of time
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/08 Key distribution or management, e.g. generation, sharing or updating, of cryptographic keys or passwords network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting key management in a packet data network H04L63/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/04 Key management, e.g. using generic bootstrapping architecture [GBA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/61 Time-dependent
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals

Abstract

A primary portable device can access a vehicle by transmitting an activation message including a vehicle access credential to the vehicle. The primary portable device can additionally enable a secondary portable device to access the vehicle by transmitting the vehicle access credential to the secondary portable device. The connections between the primary portable device, secondary portable device, and vehicle can be based on a short-range wireless protocol, such as Bluetooth or Bluetooth LE.

Claims

1. A method for accessing a secured object, the method comprising:

establishing, by a first portable device, a first connection between the first portable device and the secured object;

receiving, by the first portable device, an access credential from the secured object via the first connection, wherein the access credential received from the secured object enables the first portable device to access the secured object;

establishing, by the first portable device, a second connection between the first portable device and a second portable device that is different from the first portable device; and

transmitting, by the first portable device, at least one of the access credential and an additional access credential to the second portable device via the second connection, wherein the second access credential is used by the second portable device to enable access to the secured object by a direct connection.

2. The method defined in claim 1 wherein the direct connection is one of a Bluetooth and Bluetooth LE connection.

3. The method defined in claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting, by the first portable device, a usage parameter to the second portable device, wherein the usage parameter defines an access limitation associated with the secured object for the second portable device.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising transmitting, by the first portable device, a usage parameter to the second portable device, wherein the usage parameter defines an access limitation.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the access limitation includes at least one of:

limiting accessible operations of the secured object to fewer than all the operations that are accessible using the first portable device;

limiting a number of instances an operation can be performed; and

limiting a time period during which the secured object can be accessed.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein upon transmitting the at least one of the access credential and the additional access credential, the first portable device disallows a user from using the first portable device to enable access to the secured object.

7. The method defined in claim 1, wherein the secured object is selected from the group of objects consisting of:

a vehicle, a safe, a vault, a building, workout equipment, and a room.

8. A method for accessing a secured system, the method comprising:

receiving, by a secondary portable device, an access credential from a primary portable device;

establishing, by the secondary portable device, a direct connection between the secondary portable device and the secured system; and

transmitting, by the secondary portable device, the access credential to the secured system via the direct connection, wherein access to the secured system is enabled based on the access credential.

9. The method defined in claim 8 further comprising:

establishing, by the secondary portable device, an additional direct connection between the secondary portable device and the primary portable device, wherein the access credential is received via the additional direct connection.

10. The method defined in claim 9 wherein the direct connection and the additional direct connection are Bluetooth connections.

11. The method defined in claim 8 wherein the access credential is received by the secondary portable device from the primary portable device in an e-mail message.

12. The method defined in claim 8 further comprising:

receiving, by the secondary portable device, a usage parameter from the primary portable device, wherein the usage parameter defines an access limitation for accessing the secured system by the secondary portable device.

13. The method defined in claim 8 wherein enabling access to the secured system permits one or more operations of the secured system to be initiated, the operations comprising at least one of:

automatically adjusting an adjustable seat of the secured system to a predetermined position;

automatically adjusting one or more settings of an entertainment system of the secured system;

starting an engine of the secured system;

locking or unlocking a door of the secured system;

locking or unlocking a storage enclosure of the secured system; and

activating a location reporting function of the secured system.

14. A method for accessing a secured object, the method comprising:

establishing, by the secured object, a connection between the secured object and a primary portable device;

transmitting, by the secured object, a first access credential to the primary portable device over the first connection;

establishing, by the secured object, a direct connection between the secured object and a secondary portable device;

receiving, by the secured object, a second access credential from the secondary portable device over the direct connection; and

enabling, by the secured object, access to the secured object based at least in part on the second access credential.

15. The method defined in claim 14, further comprising:

determining, by the secured object, authenticity of the second access credential; and

enabling, by the secured object, the access to the secured object based at least in part on the authenticity of the second access credential.

16. The method defined in claim 15, wherein determining the authenticity of the second access credential comprises identifying whether the second access credential was obtained by the secondary portable device from the primary portable device.

17. The method defined in claim 14, wherein the direct connection is a Bluetooth or Bluetooth LE connection.

18. The method defined in claim 14, wherein the connection between the secured object and the primary portable device is a Bluetooth or Bluetooth LE connection.

19. The method defined in claim 14 further comprising:

receiving a usage parameter from the secondary portable device, wherein the usage parameter defines an access limitation;

receiving an instruction to perform an operation from the secondary portable device;

determining whether to perform the operation based on whether the usage parameter indicates that the operation should be allowed; and

performing the operation in the event that the usage parameter indicates that the operation should be allowed.

20. The method defined in claim 14, wherein the direct connection is a short-range, point-to-point wireless connection.