Wireless portable biometric device syncing

• US 8,738,925 B1
• Filed: 02/15/2013
• Issued: 05/27/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fitbit, Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Fitbit, Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Park, James, Panther, Heiko Gernot Albert, Friedman, Eric Nathan, Burton, Barry Christopher
• Primary Examiner(s): Song, Hosuk
• Application Number:
  US13/769,241
• Time in Patent Office: 466 Days
• Field of Search: 713182-186, 726 2- 6, 726 16- 21, 382115-118, 382/124, 380/270
• US Class Current: 713/186
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0015 characterised by features of the telemetry system
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1118 Determining activity level
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/26 at least one of which is mobile
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 1/00 Secret communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/189 in combination with wireless systems selective distribution or broadcast in wireless communication networks H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/43 using wireless personal area networks [WPAN], e.g. 802.15, 802.15.1, 802.15.4, Bluetooth or ZigBee
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/823 where the data is sent when the measured values exceed a threshold, e.g. sending an alarm
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 9/00 Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0254 detecting a user operation or a tactile contact or a motion of the device
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/001 Synchronization between nodes
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A notification signal, intended to be received by a wireless communication device, is intermittently broadcast by a portable biometric device that generates biometric data corresponding to activity of an individual bearing the portable biometric device. The notification signal conveys information that identifies the portable biometric device and that indicates whether or not the portable biometric device seeks establishment of a wireless communication link to enable transmission of the biometric data to the wireless communication device.

Claims

1. A portable biometric device comprising:

biometric circuitry to generate biometric data corresponding to activity of an individual bearing the portable biometric device; and

wireless circuitry, coupled to the biometric circuitry, to intermittently broadcast a notification signal to be received by a wireless communication device, the notification signal conveying information that identifies the portable biometric device and that indicates whether or not the portable biometric device seeks establishment of a wireless communication link to enable transmission of the biometric data to the wireless communication device, wherein the wireless circuitry to intermittently broadcast the notification signal comprises circuitry to determine whether a change in the biometric data exceeds one or more update thresholds, and wherein the circuitry to determine whether the change in the biometric data exceeds one or more update thresholds comprises circuitry to determine the change in the biometric data between two points in time and to compare the change to the one or more update thresholds.

2. The portable biometric device of claim 1 wherein the earlier of the two points in time corresponds to a state of the biometric data most recently transmitted by the portable biometric device as part of a data synchronization operation.

3. A portable biometric device comprising:

biometric circuitry to generate biometric data corresponding to activity of an individual bearing the portable biometric device; and

wireless circuitry, coupled to the biometric circuitry, to intermittently broadcast a notification signal to be received by a wireless communication device, the notification signal conveying information that identifies the portable biometric device and that indicates whether or not the portable biometric device seeks establishment of a wireless communication link to enable transmission of the biometric data to the wireless communication device, wherein the wireless circuitry to intermittently broadcast the notification signal comprises circuitry to determine whether a change in the biometric data exceeds one or more update thresholds, and wherein the information that indicates whether or not the portable biometric device seeks establishment of a communication link comprises sync information in a first state or a second state according to whether the change in the biometric data exceeds the one or more update thresholds, the sync information in the first state indicating that the portable biometric device seeks establishment of the communication link and the sync information in the second state indicating that the portable biometric device does not seek establishment of the communication link.

4. A portable biometric device comprising:

biometric circuitry to generate biometric data corresponding to activity of an individual bearing the portable biometric device; and

wireless circuitry, coupled to the biometric circuitry, to intermittently broadcast a notification signal to be received by a wireless communication device, the notification signal conveying information that identifies the portable biometric device and that indicates whether or not the portable biometric device seeks establishment of a wireless communication link to enable transmission of the biometric data to the wireless communication device, wherein the information conveyed in the notification signal comprises either a first unique identifier value that identifies the portable biometric device and indicates that the portable biometric device does not seek establishment of the communication link or a second unique identifier that identifies the portable biometric device and indicates that the portable biometric device seeks establishment of the communication link, and wherein each of the first and second unique identifiers comprises a respective Universally Unique Identifier (UUID) according to a service discovery protocol within a Bluetooth protocol stack.

5. A portable biometric device comprising:

biometric circuitry to generate biometric data corresponding to activity of an individual bearing the portable biometric device; and

wireless circuitry, coupled to the biometric circuitry, to intermittently broadcast a notification signal to be received by a wireless communication device, the notification signal conveying information that identifies the portable biometric device and that indicates whether or not the portable biometric device seeks establishment of a wireless communication link to enable transmission of the biometric data to the wireless communication device, wherein, if the information indicates that the portable biometric device does not seek establishment of the wireless communication link, the wireless circuitry is further to establish the wireless communication link with the wireless communication device in response to receiving a communication from the wireless communication device indicating that the wireless communication device seeks establishment of the wireless communication link to enable transmission of information to the portable biometric device, and wherein the wireless circuitry is further to receive the information from the wireless communication device, the information including at least one of the following;

biometric data to be synchronized with the biometric data generated by the biometric circuitry, information to be applied to control an operational aspect of the biometric circuitry, information to be applied to control an operational aspect of the wireless circuitry, information to be applied to control an aspect of biometric data generation within the biometric circuitry, or information to be applied to configure a visual, auditory or haptic output of the portable biometric device.

6. A portable biometric device comprising:

biometric circuitry to generate biometric data corresponding to activity of an individual bearing the portable biometric device; and

wireless circuitry, coupled to the biometric circuitry, to intermittently broadcast a notification signal to be received by a wireless communication device, the notification signal conveying information that identifies the portable biometric device and that indicates whether or not the portable biometric device seeks establishment of a wireless communication link to enable transmission of the biometric data to the wireless communication device, wherein the wireless circuitry to intermittently broadcast the notification signal comprises circuitry to broadcast the notification signal at a fixed frequency, and wherein the fixed frequency has a period of less than 10 seconds such that each notification signal is broadcast less than 10 seconds after a previously broadcast notification signal.

7. A method of operation within a portable biometric device, the method comprising:

generating biometric data corresponding to activity of an individual bearing the portable biometric device; and

intermittently broadcasting a notification signal to be received by a wireless communication device, the notification signal conveying information that identifies the portable biometric device and that indicates whether or not the portable biometric device seeks establishment of a wireless communication link to enable transmission of the biometric data to the wireless communication device, wherein intermittently broadcasting the notification signal that indicates whether or not the portable biometric device seeks establishment of a wireless communication link comprises determining whether a change in the biometric data exceeds one or more update thresholds, and wherein determining whether the change in the biometric data exceeds one or more update thresholds comprises determining the change in the biometric data between two points in time and to comparing the change to the one or more update thresholds.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the earlier of the two points in time corresponds to a state of the biometric data most recently transmitted by the portable biometric device as part of a data synchronization operation.

9. A method of operation within a portable biometric device, the method comprising:

generating biometric data corresponding to activity of an individual bearing the portable biometric device; and

intermittently broadcasting a notification signal to be received by a wireless communication device, the notification signal conveying information that identifies the portable biometric device and that indicates whether or not the portable biometric device seeks establishment of a wireless communication link to enable transmission of the biometric data to the wireless communication device, wherein intermittently broadcasting the notification signal that indicates whether or not the portable biometric device seeks establishment of a wireless communication link comprises determining whether a change in the biometric data exceeds one or more update thresholds, and wherein the information that indicates whether or not the portable biometric device seeks establishment of a communication link comprises sync information in a first state or a second state according to whether the change in the biometric data exceeds the one or more update thresholds, the sync information in the first state indicating that the portable biometric device seeks establishment of the communication link and the sync information in the second state indicating that the portable biometric device does not seek establishment of the communication link.

10. A method of operation within a portable biometric device, the method comprising:

generating biometric data corresponding to activity of an individual bearing the portable biometric device; and

intermittently broadcasting a notification signal to be received by a wireless communication device, the notification signal conveying information that identifies the portable biometric device and that indicates whether or not the portable biometric device seeks establishment of a wireless communication link to enable transmission of the biometric data to the wireless communication device, wherein the information conveyed in the notification signal comprises either a first unique identifier value that identifies the portable biometric device and indicates that the portable biometric device does not seek establishment of the communication link or a second unique identifier that identifies the portable biometric device and indicates that the portable biometric device seeks establishment of the communication link, and wherein each of the first and second unique identifiers comprises a respective Universally Unique Identifier (UUID) according to a service discovery protocol within a Bluetooth protocol stack.

11. A method of operation within a portable biometric device, the method comprising:

generating biometric data corresponding to activity of an individual bearing the portable biometric device; and

intermittently broadcasting a notification signal to be received by a wireless communication device, the notification signal conveying information that identifies the portable biometric device and that indicates whether or not the portable biometric device seeks establishment of a wireless communication link to enable transmission of the biometric data to the wireless communication device;

if the information indicates that the portable biometric device does not seek establishment of the wireless communication link, establishing the wireless communication link with the wireless communication device in response to receiving a communication from the wireless communication device indicating that the wireless communication device seeks establishment of the wireless communication link to enable transmission of information to the portable biometric device; and

receiving the information from the wireless communication device, the information including at least one of the following;

biometric data to be synchronized with the biometric data generated by the portable biometric device, information to be applied to control an aspect of generating the biometric data, information to be applied to control an aspect of wireless broadcasting, information to be applied to control an aspect of wireless communication, or information to be applied to configure a visual, auditory or haptic output of the portable biometric device.

12. A method of operation within a portable biometric device, the method comprising:

generating biometric data corresponding to activity of an individual bearing the portable biometric device; and

intermittently broadcasting a notification signal to be received by a wireless communication device, the notification signal conveying information that identifies the portable biometric device and that indicates whether or not the portable biometric device seeks establishment of a wireless communication link to enable transmission of the biometric data to the wireless communication device, wherein intermittently broadcasting the notification signal comprises broadcasting the notification signal at a fixed frequency, and wherein the fixed frequency has a period of less than 10 seconds such that each notification signal is broadcast less than 10 seconds after a previously broadcast notification signal.