SERVICES ASSOCIATED WITH WEARABLE ELECTRONIC DEVICE

• US 20150332031A1
• Filed: 07/29/2015
• Published: 11/19/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Mistry, Pranav, Sadi, Sajid
• Granted Patent: US 11,157,436 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/0208 for combination with other devices having a different main function, e.g. watches, pens
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/316 by observing the pattern of computer usage, e.g. typical user behaviour
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• 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 wearable computing device includes a device body, a band coupled to the device body, and one or more sensors. The device body includes one or more processors, a memory, and a touch-sensitive display. The processors are operable to authenticate, using the one or more sensors, a user of the device, and communicate with one or more target devices in response to successful authentication of the user. The processors can also authenticate the target devices, and control the target devices in response to successful authentication of the target devices. The sensors may include a camera, and to authenticate the user of the device, the processors may send a request to one or more remote devices requesting display of a pairing visual, receive an image from the camera, determine whether the image comprises valid pairing information, and if so, establish a pairing between the device and the remote devices.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a wearable computing device comprising a device body, a band coupled to the device body, and one or more sensors, wherein the device body comprises one or more processors, a memory, and a touch-sensitive display, and

the memory is coupled to the one or more processors and comprises instructions executable by the processors, the processors being operable when executing the instructions to;

authenticate, using the one or more sensors, a user of the device; and

communicate with one or more target devices in response to successful authentication of the user.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the device body comprises:

a rotatable element about the touch-sensitive display; and

the one or more sensors comprise a rotation detector configured to detect rotation of the rotatable element, wherein authentication is successful when a predetermined code is received by the rotation sensor.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the rotation detector comprises an optical sensor in or on the band.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein:

the touch-sensitive display is substantially circular; and

the rotatable element is a substantially circular ring about the touch-sensitive display.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more sensors comprise a camera, and to authenticate the user of the device, the processors are operable when executing the instructions to:

send a request to one or more remote devices requesting display of a pairing visual;

receive an image from the camera;

determine whether the image comprises valid pairing information; and

establish a pairing between the device and the one or more remote devices when the image comprises valid pairing information.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more sensors comprise an accelerometer, and to authenticate the user of the device, the processors are operable when executing the instructions to:

send a request to one or more remote devices requesting the devices to generate a vibration pattern;

receive acceleration data from the accelerometer;

determine whether the acceleration data comprises valid pairing information; and

establish a pairing between the device and the one or more remote devices when the acceleration data comprises valid pairing information.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more sensors comprise a biometric sensor and a Near-Field Communication (NFC) sensor, the processors being further operable when executing the instructions to:

receive a request from the user to make a purchase;

scan, using the biometric scanner, the user wearing the device in response to the NFC sensor scanning an NFC tag;

receive sensor data generated by the scan from the biometric scanner;

determine whether the received sensor data matches a stored imprint associated with the user, wherein the stored imprint is stored in secure storage of the device; and

notify an NFC payment processor of payment acceptance when the received sensor data matches the stored imprint.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processors are further operable when executing the instructions to:

authenticate the one or more target devices; and

control the one or more target devices in response to successful authentication of the one or more target devices.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the one or more sensors comprise a camera, and to authenticate the one or more target devices, the processors are operable when executing the instructions to:

send a request to the one or more target devices requesting display of a pairing visual;

receive an image from the camera;

determine whether the image comprises valid pairing information; and

establish a pairing between the device and the one or more target devices when the image comprises valid pairing information.

10. A method comprising:

authenticating, using one or more sensors of a wearable computing device, a user of the wearable device; and

communicating with one or more target devices in response to successful authentication of the user.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

detecting rotation of a rotatable element about a touch-sensitive display of the wearable computing device, wherein authentication is successful when the rotation corresponds to a predetermined code.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the one or more sensors comprise a camera, and authenticating the user of the device comprises:

sending a request to one or more remote devices requesting display of a pairing visual;

receiving an image from the camera;

determining whether the image comprises valid pairing information; and

establishing a pairing between the device and the one or more remote devices when the image comprises valid pairing information.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the one or more sensors comprise an accelerometer, and authenticating the user of the device comprises:

sending a request to one or more remote devices requesting the devices to generate a vibration pattern;

receiving acceleration data from the accelerometer;

determining whether the acceleration data comprises valid pairing information; and

establishing a pairing between the device and the one or more remote devices when the acceleration data comprises valid pairing information.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the one or more sensors comprise a biometric sensor and a Near-Field Communication (NFC) sensor, the method further comprising:

receiving a request from the user to make a purchase;

scanning, using the biometric scanner, the user wearing the device in response to the NFC sensor scanning an NFC tag;

receiving sensor data generated by the scan from the biometric scanner;

determining whether the received sensor data matches a stored imprint associated with the user, wherein the stored imprint is stored in secure storage of the device; and

notifying an NFC payment processor of payment acceptance when the received sensor data matches the stored imprint.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

authenticating the one or more target devices; and

controlling the one or more target devices in response to successful authentication of the one or more target devices.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the one or more sensors comprise a camera, and authenticating the one or more target devices comprises:

sending a request to the one or more target devices requesting display of a pairing visual;

receiving an image from the camera;

determining whether the image comprises valid pairing information; and

establishing a pairing between the device and the one or more target devices when the image comprises valid pairing information.

17. A computer-readable non-transitory storage medium embodying logic that is operable when executed to:

authenticate, using one or more sensors of a wearable computing device, a user of the wearable device, the wearable device comprising the storage medium; and

communicate with one or more target devices in response to successful authentication of the user.

18. The medium of claim 17, wherein the one or more sensors comprise a camera, and to authenticate the user of the device, the logic is further operable when executed to:

send a request to one or more remote devices requesting display of a pairing visual;

receive an image from the camera;

determine whether the image comprises valid pairing information; and

establish a pairing between the device and the one or more remote devices when the image comprises valid pairing information.

19. The medium of claim 17, wherein the one or more sensors comprise a biometric sensor and a Near-Field Communication (NFC) sensor, and the logic is further operable when executed to:

receive a request from the user to make a purchase;

scan, using the biometric scanner, the user wearing the device in response to the NFC sensor scanning an NFC tag;

receive sensor data generated by the scan from the biometric scanner;

determine whether the received sensor data matches a stored imprint associated with the user, wherein the stored imprint is stored in secure storage of the device; and

notify an NFC payment processor of payment acceptance when the received sensor data matches the stored imprint.

20. The medium of claim 17, wherein the logic is further operable when executed to:

authenticate the one or more target devices; and

control the one or more target devices in response to successful authentication of the one or more target devices.