Cloud-Based Proximity Pairing and Switching for Peer-to-Peer Devices

• US 20160360341A1
• Filed: 09/30/2015
• Published: 12/08/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Srivatsa, Akshay Mangalam, Shaw, David John, Batta, Ganesha Adkasthala Ganapathi, Dooley, Craig P., Giles, Michael Jason, Hariharan, Sriram
• Granted Patent: US 9,913,079 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/104 Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
• 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 12/50 Secure pairing of devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/08 User group management
• 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 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

A first wireless communication device (UE device) associated with a certain user (or included in a specified set/group of UE devices) may establish a first communication link with an accessory device according to a short-range radio access technology, and transmit link (pairing) information associated with the first communication link to a server, such as a cloud-based server. The server may share this (first) link information with other UE devices associated with the same user (or belonging to the same specified group of UE devices as the first UE device). Link information associated with the other UE devices (i.e. second link information) may equally be shared with the accessory device, and the other UE devices and accessory device may use the first link information and second link information in establishing respective communication links between any of the other UE devices and the accessory device without having to undergo a pairing procedure.

Claims

1. A wireless communication device configured to communicate according to a short-range wireless communication technology (SRAT), the wireless communication device comprising:

one or more antennas;

a first radio coupled to the one or more antennas for performing communication according to a first SRAT; and

a processing element configured to interoperate with the first radio and the one or more antennas to cause the wireless communication device to;

create a first communication link with a first accessory device using the first SRAT, according to first link information;

share the first link information with an external device that stores second link information associated with other devices comprised in a specified group of devices that also comprises the wireless communication device, wherein the external device shares the first link information with the other devices and shares the second link information with the wireless communication device; and

share the second link information with the first accessory device, wherein the first link information shared with the other devices and the second link information shared with the first accessory device enable any one of the other devices and the first accessory device to establish a second communication link with each other.

2. The wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein the external device is a server.

3. The wireless communication device of claim 2, wherein the server is a cloud-based server storing information regarding the other devices.

4. The wireless communication device of claim 2, wherein to share the first link information, the wireless communication device is configured to transmit the first link information to the server over a third communication link established according to a communication technology different from the first SRAT.

5. The wireless communication device of claim 1,

wherein the first link information shared with the any one of the other devices and the second link information shared with the first accessory device enable the any one of the other devices and the first accessory device to establish the second communication link with each other when the any one of the other devices comes within at least a specified proximity of the first accessory device.

6. The wireless communication device of claim 1,

wherein the wireless communication device is further configured to receive a disconnect message from the external device in response to one of the other devices establishing the second communication link with the first accessory device using the first link information and the second link information.

7. The wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein the first SRAT is BLUETOOTH™

.

8. An apparatus comprising:

a processing element configured to;

cause a wireless communication device to create a first communication link with a first accessory device using a first short-range radio access technology (SRAT), according to first link information;

cause the wireless communication device to share the first link information with an external device that stores second link information associated with other devices comprised in a specified group of devices that also comprises the wireless communication device, wherein the external device shares the first link information with the other devices and shares the second link information with the wireless communication device; and

cause the wireless communication device to share the second link information with the first accessory device, wherein the first link information shared with the other devices and the second link information shared with the first accessory device enable any one of the other devices and the first accessory device to establish a second communication link with each other.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the external device is a server.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the server is a cloud-based server storing information regarding the other devices.

11. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein to share the first link information, the processing element is further configured to cause the wireless communication device to transmit the first link information to the server over a third communication link established according to a communication technology different from the first SRAT.

12. The apparatus of claim 8,

wherein the first link information shared with the any one of the other devices and the second link information shared with the first accessory device enable the any one of the other devices and the first accessory device to establish the second communication link with each other when the any one of the other devices comes within at least a specified proximity of the first accessory device.

13. The apparatus of claim 8,

wherein the processing element is further configured to cause the wireless communication device to receive a disconnect message from the external device in response to one of the other devices establishing the second communication link with the first accessory device using the first link information and the second link information.

14. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the first SRAT is BLUETOOTH™

.

15. A cloud-based server comprising:

a memory element configured to store first link information associated with a set of devices comprised in a specified group of devices that also comprises a wireless communication device; and

a processing element configured to cause the cloud-based server to;

receive and store in the memory element second link information used by the wireless communication device to create a first communication link with a first accessory device through a first short-range radio access technology (SRAT);

share the second link information with the set of devices; and

share the first link information with the wireless communication device;

wherein the second link information shared with the set of devices and the first link information shared by the wireless communication device with the first accessory device enable any one of the set of devices and the first accessory device to establish a second communication link with each other.

16. The cloud-based server of claim 15, wherein processing element is further configured to cause the cloud-based server to:

receive the second link information from the wireless communication device over a third communication link according to a communication technology different from the first SRAT.

17. The cloud-based server of claim 16, wherein the third communication link comprises one or more of the following:

at least one wired internet connection;

at least one wireless internet connection;

at least one universal serial bus (USB) connection;

or

at least one wireless connection via a cellular radio access technology.

18. The cloud-based server of claim 15,

wherein the second link information shared with the any one of the set of devices and the first link information shared by the wireless communication device with the first accessory device enable the any one of the set of devices and the first accessory device to establish the second communication link with each other when the any one of the other devices comes within at least a specified proximity of the first accessory device.

19. The cloud-based server of claim 15, wherein the specified group of devices are associated with a common user account of a specified user.

20. The cloud-based server of claim 15, wherein the first link information and the second link information comprise one or more of the following:

one or more link keys;

one or more long term keys;

or

one or more out of band keys.