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

• US 20160278669A1
• Filed: 06/09/2016
• Published: 09/29/2016
• 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 9,730,619 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 are 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 device identification (ID) of the device. The method then automatically links 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, comprising:

broadcasting, by a device, a semi-unique identifier, the semi-unique identifier being provided to enable an activity tracking device to scan for the semi-unique identifier;

connecting the device with the activity tracking device after the scanning by the activity tracking device finds the semi-unique identifier, the device receiving a query by the activity tracking device to obtain a device identification (ID) of the device;

linking the activity tracking device to the device in response to the device ID of the device matching a copy of the device ID stored by the activity tracking device; and

automatically enabling the connecting to then process the linking without requiring user input, the activity tracking device being configured to store additional device IDs associated with devices that have been pre-defined to link with the activity tracking device, the devices being 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 maintaining a current association of the activity tracking device to one or more devices, the method executed by a processor.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the device is one of a plurality of devices having the semi-unique identifier.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising,

upon completing the linking, receiving by the device data captured by the activity tracking device for display on a screen of the device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the user account is associated with a website, the website providing user interfaces for managing a current association of the activity tracking device to the device.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the user account is accessible by one or both of the activity tracking device and the device, the website being executed by a server.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the device ID,

is a unique identifier;

or

is a semi-unique identifier;

or

is an identifier that is part of the device ID;

or

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

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

8. The method of claim 7, 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 radio transmission protocol, or a combination of two or more thereof.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein automatically enabling the connecting and then the linking is a background process for device.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein saved credentials received from a user are stored to enable the automatic connecting and linking without requiring the user input.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the user account is managed by a website server.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the semi-unique identifier is bit data transferred in payload of an advertising packet, the advertising packet being broadcast by the device.

13. A device, comprising:

a processor, the processor configured to receive a connection from a tracking device, the tracking device having a sensor for capturing motion data associated with activity of a user and memory for storing the motion data and a copy of a device identification (ID) of the device to enable the connection and a link therewith, and

the processor of the device configured broadcast a semi-unique identifier to enable scanning of the semi-unique identifier by the tracking device, the processor enabling connection of the tracking device with the device after the semi-unique identifier is found to be of the device, the device is configured to receive a query from the tracking device to obtain the device identification (ID) of the device, the processor enabling linking of the tracking device with the device when the device ID that was obtained from the device matches the copy of the device ID stored in the memory of the tracking device,

the device being 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 devices to the tracking device for enabling respective linking.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein the tracking device has a housing that 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.

15. The device of claim 13, wherein the tracking device further includes wireless communication logic for enabling wireless connections.

16. The device of claim 13, wherein the device is a smartphone, or a tablet computer.

17. The device of claim 13, wherein the copy of device ID of the device is provided to the tracking device in anticipation of the tracking device making connections to the device.

18. The device of claim 13, further comprising,

processing an initial pairing with the tracking device, the initial pairing used to provide the copy of the device ID to the tracking device.

19. The device of claim 18, wherein the initial pairing is performed before the connection and the linking.

20. The device of claim 13, wherein the device ID,

is a unique identifier;

or

is a semi-unique identifier;

or

is an identifier that is part of the device ID;

or

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

21. The device of claim 13, wherein broadcasting of the semi-unique identifier includes transmitting data by a wireless communication device of the device.

22. The device of claim 21, 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 radio transmission protocol, or a combination of two or more thereof.

23. The device of claim 13, wherein the processor automatically processes the connection with the tracking device to then process the linking without requiring user input at the device or the tracking device.

24. A method, comprising:

broadcasting a semi-unique identifier by a device;

receiving a scan from an activity tracking device, the scan being for the semi-unique identifier;

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 device is configured to receive a query from activity tracking 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 by the activity tracking device, the device being 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 activity tracking device is associated, and the user account enabling association of additional devices to enable respective linking by the activity tracking device.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the device is one of a plurality of devices having the semi-unique identifier, and further comprising,

upon completing the linking, receiving by the device data captured by the activity tracking device for display on a screen of the device.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein the user account is associated with a website, the website providing user interfaces for managing a current association of the activity tracking device to the device, and wherein the device ID,

is a unique identifier;

or

is a semi-unique identifier;

or

is an identifier that is part of the device ID;

or

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

27. The method of claim 24, wherein broadcasting of the semi-unique identifier includes transmitting data by a wireless communication device of the device, 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 radio transmission protocol, or a combination of two or more thereof.

28. Computer readable media having non-transitory program instructions, comprising:

program instructions for broadcasting a semi-unique identifier by a device;

program instructions for receiving a scan from an activity tracking device, the scan being for the semi-unique identifier;

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 device is configured to receive a query from activity tracking 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 by the activity tracking device, the device being 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 activity tracking device is associated, and the user account enabling association of additional devices to enable respective linking by the activity tracking device.

29. The computer readable media of claim 28, wherein the device is one of a plurality of devices having the semi-unique identifier, and further comprising,

upon completing the linking, program instructions for receiving by the device data captured by the activity tracking device for display on a screen of the device.

30. The computer readable media of claim 28, wherein the user account is associated with a website, the website providing user interfaces for managing a current association of the activity tracking device to the device, and the device ID,

is a unique identifier;

or

is a semi-unique identifier;

or

is an identifier that is part of the device ID;

or

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