PROXIMITY BASED AND DATA EXCHANGE AND USER AUTHENTICATION BETWEEN SMART WEARABLE DEVICES

• US 20170012972A1
• Filed: 08/14/2016
• Published: 01/12/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Corporation Of America (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Corporation Of America (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Tanaka, Nobuo, Elgort, Vladimir, Danielson, Jacelyn, Kalachev, Anton, Wong, John, DaCosta, Behram, Bhat, Udupi Ramanath, Copere, Ludovic, Kataoka, Masaki
• Granted Patent: US 10,571,999 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1637 Details related to the display arrangement, including those related to the mounting of the display in the housing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1698 the I/O peripheral being a sending/receiving arrangement to establish a cordless communication link, e.g. radio or infrared link, integrated cellular phone details of antennas disposed inside a computer H01Q1/2266
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3206 Monitoring of events, devices or parameters that trigger a change in power modality
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/325 Power saving in peripheral device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3287 by switching off individual functional units in the computer system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/015 Input arrangements based on nervous system activity detection, e.g. brain waves [EEG] detection, electromyograms [EMG] detection, electrodermal response detection
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 7/00 Signalling systems according to more than one of groups G08B3/00 - G08B6/00; Personal calling systems according to more than one of groups G08B3/00 - G08B6/00
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0861 using biometrical features, e.g. fingerprint, retina-scan cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using biological data H04L9/3231
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0869 for achieving mutual authentication cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for mutual authentication H04L9/3273
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/065 Continuous authentication
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

A system and method including a disposable wearable device that provides enhanced capabilities to a non-wearable device for a limited period of time by sensing proximity and securely exchanging permissions with the non-wearable device. In one embodiment, the wearable device is capable of sensing one or more bio-signals that are provided to the non-wearable, tactile feedback, or the like. The wearable device may be disposable and may also provide additional tactile feedback for the extended feature (e.g. game feedback, etc). In another embodiment, the wearable device is capable of sensing one or more bio-signals that are provided to the non-wearable, tactile feedback, or the like.

Claims

1. A wearable device, the device comprising:

(a) a housing;

(b) one or more sensors coupled to the housing, wherein at least one of the one or more sensors is configured for sensing biological or physiological input;

(c) one or more communications interfaces;

(d) a processor; and

(e) programming stored in a non-transitory medium, wherein the programming is readable and executable by the processor, and wherein the programming performs steps comprising;

(i) sensing biological or physiological input of a first user via the one or more sensors;

(ii) identifying a second wearable device worn by a second user in proximity to the wearable device; and

(iii) exchanging data with the second wearable device via the one or more communication interfaces.

2. A wearable device as recited in claim 1, wherein the data comprises data relating to the biological or physiological input of the first user.

3. A wearable device as recited in claim 1, wherein the data comprises data relating to the biological or physiological input of the second user.

4. A wearable device as recited in claim 1, wherein the data comprises data relating to the proximity of the first user with the second user.

5. A wearable device as recited in claim 4, wherein the proximity data is stored for collection from the first or second users.

6. A wearable device as recited in claim 4, the programming further configured for:

sending an output signal to the first user of the second user'"'"'s proximity to the first user;

said output signal being one or more of;

a vibration, an audible sound, or visible emission.

7. A wearable device as recited in claim 2, wherein the biological or physiological input comprises a signal relating to one or more of the first user'"'"'s:

heartbeat, temperature, or blood pressure.

8-20. -20. (canceled)

21. A wearable device, the device comprising:

(a) a housing, wherein the housing encases components of a wearable device;

(b) one or more sensors, wherein at least one sensor is configured for sensing biological or physiological input;

(c) one or more communications interfaces;

(d) a processor; and

(e) programming stored in a non-transitory medium, wherein the programming is readable and executable by the processor, and wherein the programming performs steps comprising;

(i) sensing one or more devices in proximity to the wearable device;

(ii) communicating with the one or more devices; and

(iii) acquiring one or more permissions relating to data associated with the wearable device or the one or more devices.

22. A wearable device as recited in claim 21, wherein the data comprises application programming associated with the one or more devices.

23. A wearable device as recited in claim 22, the programming further configured for downloading the application programming from a remote server to the one or more devices.

24. A wearable device as recited in claim 22, wherein the application programming comprises a subscription service.

25. A wearable device as recited in claim 22, wherein the application programming comprises a game software or a component thereof.

26. A wearable device as recited in claim 21, further comprising:

one or more environmental sensors coupled to the processor;

wherein the one or more environmental sensors are configured to sense a physiological or biological characteristic associated with a user of the wearable device.

27. A wearable device as recited in claim 26, wherein acquiring one or more permissions is a function of the one or more environmental sensors sensing a predetermined physiological or biological characteristic of the user.

28-48. -48. (canceled)

49. A computer implemented method for a smart wearable device user authentication and non-wearable device range notification, the method comprising:

(a) providing a smart wearable device, the device comprising;

(i) a housing, wherein the housing encases components of a wearable smart device;

(ii) one or more sensors, wherein at least one sensor is a biological sensor configured to acquire biological input;

(iii) one or more output devices;

(iv) a memory;

(v) one or more communications interfaces; and

(vi) a processor;

(b) authenticating a user'"'"'s identity;

(c) detecting a non-wearable device that is in range of the smart wearable device'"'"'s one or more communications interfaces;

(d) verifying the authenticated user has access rights to services for use with the non-wearable device; and

(e) if access rights are verified, granting access to the services;

(f) wherein said method is performed by executing programming on at least one computer processor, said programming residing on a non-transitory medium readable by the computer processor.

50. The method of claim 49, further comprising:

notifying the user when the smart wearable device is out of range for communicating with the non-wearable device, wherein notification occurs through the output device on the smart wearable device.

51. The method of claim 49, wherein a user'"'"'s identity is authenticated using biometrics.

52. The method of claim 49, wherein the one or more communications interfaces are selected from the group consisting of a wired communications interface, a wireless communications interface, a cellular communications interface, a WiFi communications interface, a near field communications interface, an infrared communications interface, ZigBee communications interface, a Z-Wave communications interface and a Bluetooth communications interface.

53. The method of claim 49, wherein access rights to services are provided to the user in the form of a token within the smart wearable device.

54. The method of claim 49, wherein access rights to services are provided to the user in the form of multiple smart wearable devices.

55. The method of claim 49, wherein the smart wearable device has a platform selected from the group consisting of hand worn devices, finger worn devices, wrist worn devices, head worn devices, arm worn devices, leg worn devices, ankle worn devices, foot worn devices, toe worn devices, watches, eyeglasses, rings, bracelets, necklaces, articles of jewelry, articles of clothing, shoes, hats, contact lenses, and gloves.

56. The method of claim 49, further comprising:

notifying the authenticated user when their access rights to services have been verified, wherein notification occurs through the output device on the smart wearable device.

57-60. -60. (canceled)