SPATIALLY AWARE COMMUNICATIONS USING RADIO FREQUENCY (RF) COMMUNICATIONS STANDARDS

• US 20160066185A1
• Filed: 08/31/2015
• Published: 03/03/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Freelinc Holdings, LLC
• Original Assignee: Freelinc Technologies Inc.
• Inventors: Dobyns, Douglas Howard, Abrams, Michael Scott
• Granted Patent: US 9,621,228 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40 Authorisation, e.g. identification of payer or payee, verification of customer or shop credentials; Review and approval of payers, e.g. check credit lines or negative lists
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/24 Inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/72 for local intradevice communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0492 by using a location-limited connection, e.g. near-field communication or limited proximity of entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/107 wherein the security policies are location-dependent, e.g. entities privileges depend on current location or allowing specific operations only from locally connected terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/64 using geofenced areas
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• 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 48/04 based on user or terminal location or mobility data, e.g. moving direction, speed
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/003 locating network equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/16 Involving different core network technologies, e.g. a packet-switched [PS] bearer in combination with a circuit-switched [CS] bearer
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 999/99 : dummy group

Abstract

Technology is described for proximity based communications. A proximity boundary can be defined with dimensions defined, in part, by a communication range of one of a first Short Range Communication (SRC) device and a second SRC device. A security permission can be provided to enable selected data to be communicated from one or more of the first SRC device or the second SRC device. The selected data can be communicated from one or more of the first SRC device or the second SRC device using a radio frequency (RF) communication standard. An RF link can be established between the first SRC device and the second SRC device to enable selected data communications to continue between the first SRC device and the second SRC device even after one or more of the first SRC device or the second SRC device exits the proximity boundary.

Claims

1. A method for proximity based communications, comprising:

defining a proximity boundary with dimensions defined, in part, by a communication range of one of a first Short Range Communication (SRC) device and a second SRC device, wherein the first SRC device and the second SRC device are configured to communicate using near field magnetic induction (NFMI);

communicating a proximity signal in the proximity boundary between the first SRC device and the second SRC device using NFMI, wherein at least one of the first and second SRC devices includes at least two antennas to provide magnetic induction diversity; and

providing a security permission to enable selected data to be communicated from one or more of the first SRC device or the second SRC device when the proximity signal is detected between the first SRC device and the second SRC device, wherein the selected data is communicated from one or more of the first SRC device or the second SRC device using a radio frequency (RF) communication standard, wherein an RF link is established between the first SRC device and the second SRC device to enable selected data communications to continue between the first SRC device and the second SRC device even after one or more of the first SRC device or the second SRC device exits the proximity boundary.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising communicating the selected data using a first multi-Radio Access Technology (MRAT) transceiver associated with the first SRC device and a second MRAT transceiver associated with the second SRC device.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising communicating the selected data using the RF communication standard to achieve increased data rates with respect to typical data rates achieved using NFMI.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the RF communication standard is Bluetooth, Institute of Electronic and Electrical Engineers (IEEE) 802.11-2012, 802.11ac-2013, 802.11ad, 802.11ax, IEEE 802.15, IEEE 802.16, or Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Long Term Evolution (LTE) Release 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 or 13.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising communicating the proximity signal in the proximity boundary as an NFMI signal using a first NFMI transceiver associated with the first SRC device and a second NFMI transceiver associated with the second SRC device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the proximity signal includes information to indicate the security permission for one or more of the first SRC device and the second SRC device to communicate the selected data.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the security permission is provided for one or more of the first SRC device and the second SRC device to communicate the selected data using the RF communication standard for:

a selected time period;

at a selected time period;

or

after receiving the proximity signal irrespective of location of the first SRC device or the second SRC device.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing the security permission in an encrypted format.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing the security permission in an unencrypted format since the proximity signal is communicated substantially only in the proximity boundary.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising defining a size of the proximity boundary based on at least one of:

a transmit power of the first SRC device or the second SRC device, a receive sensitivity of the first SRC device or the second SRC device, or an antenna alignment of the first SRC device or the second SRC device.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the security permission further enables the selected data to be communicated:

from the first SRC device to the second SRC device, wherein at least one of the first SRC device or the second SRC device is outside the proximity boundary;

or

from the second SRC device to the first SRC device, wherein at least one of the second SRC device or the first SRC device is outside the proximity boundary.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the first SRC device and the second SRC device are coupled to mobile computing devices.

13. A proximity based communications system, comprising:

a proximity Short Range Communication (PSRC) device including a first near field magnetic induction (NFMI) transceiver, the PSRC device in a substantially fixed position and coupled to a first computing device;

a SRC device including a second NFMI transceiver, the SRC device coupled to a second computing device, wherein at least one of the PSRC device and the SRC device includes at least two antennas to provide magnetic induction diversity, wherein a proximity boundary with dimensions is defined, in part, by a communication range of one or more of the PSRC device or the SRC device;

a proximity signal module, coupled to the PSRC device, configured to communicate a proximity signal to the SRC device within the proximity boundary using NFMI to indicate that the PSRC device and the SRC device are located within the proximity boundary; and

a security permission module, coupled to the PSRC device, operable to provide a security permission to the SRC device when the proximity signal is detected between the PSRC device and the SRC device, the security permission enabling the SRC device to communicate selected data using a radio frequency (RF) communication standard, wherein the SRC device is configured to continue performing selected data communications even after the SRC device exits the proximity boundary.

14. The proximity based communications system of claim 13, wherein the selected data is communicated using at least one of:

a first multi-Radio Access Technology (MRAT) transceiver associated with the PSRC device and a second MRAT transceiver associated with the SRC device.

15. The proximity based communications system of claim 13, wherein the RF communication standard is Bluetooth, Institute of Electronic and Electrical Engineers (IEEE) 802.11-2012, 802.11ac-2013, 802.11ad, 802.11ax, IEEE 802.15, IEEE 802.16, or Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Long Term Evolution (LTE) Release 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 or 13.

16. The proximity based communications system of claim 13, wherein at least one of the PSRC device or the SRC device is configured to communicate pairing information to allow at least one of the first computing device or the second computing device to pair with another computing device using one of:

NFMI, Bluetooth or the RF communication standard.

17. The proximity based communications system of claim 13, wherein the proximity signal module is configured to broadcast the proximity signal for detection at the SRC device, wherein the proximity signal is broadcasted using the first NFMI transceiver associated with the PSRC device and the proximity signal is detected using the second NFMI transceiver associated with the SRC device.

18. The proximity based communications system of claim 13, wherein the SRC device is configured to:

perform the selected data communications with the PSRC device after the SRC device exits the proximity boundary;

or

perform the selected data communications with another computing device after the SRC device exits the proximity boundary.

19. The proximity based communications system of claim 13, wherein the security permission module is configured to:

provide the security permission in an encrypted format;

or

provide the security permission in an unencrypted format since the proximity signal is communicated substantially only in the proximity boundary.

20. A method for proximity based communications, comprising:

defining a proximity boundary with dimensions defined, in part, by a communication range of one of a proximity Short Range Communication (PSRC) device and a SRC device, wherein the PSRC device and the SRC device are configured to communicate using near field magnetic induction (NFMI), wherein at least one of the PSRC device and the SRC device include at least two antennas to provide magnetic induction diversity; and

broadcasting a proximity signal from the PSRC device to the SRC device using NFMI to indicate that the PSRC device and the SRC device are located within the proximity boundary, wherein the proximity signal includes a security permission for the SRC device to communicate selected data to the PSRC device using a radio frequency (RF) communication standard, wherein an RF link is established between the PSRC device and the SRC device to enable selected data communications to continue between the PSRC device and the SRC device even after the SRC device exits the proximity boundary.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising defining a size of the proximity boundary based on at least one of:

a transmit power of the PSRC device or the SRC device, a receive sensitivity of the PSRC device or the SRC device, or an antenna alignment of the PSRC device or the SRC device.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the selected data is communicated using at least one of:

a first multi-Radio Access Technology (MRAT) transceiver associated with the PSRC device and a second MRAT transceiver associated with the SRC device.

23. The method of claim 20, wherein the RF communication standard is Bluetooth, Institute of Electronic and Electrical Engineers (IEEE) 802.11-2012, 802.11ac-2013, 802.11ad, 802.11ax, IEEE 802.15, IEEE 802.16, or Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Long Term Evolution (LTE) Release 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 or 13.