Simplified mobile communication device

• US 9,131,370 B2
• Filed: 12/29/2011
• Issued: 09/08/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: McAfee, LLC
• Original Assignee: McAfee, Inc. (McAfee, LLC)
• Inventors: Schrecker, Sven
• Primary Examiner(s): Lai, Daniel
• Application Number:
  US13/340,631
• Publication Number:
  US 20130171965A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,349 Days
• Field of Search: 455/410, 455/411, 455 411- 413, 455/569.1, 455/569.2, 455/570, 455/552.1, 704/273, 726 16- 20, 726 26- 30, 381/74, 381/370, 379/428.02
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/00 Near-field transmission systems, e.g. inductive or capacitive transmission systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/72 for local intradevice communication
• 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: H04M 1/0258 for a headset device
• 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 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/50 Secure pairing of devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user

Abstract

A first communication device is detected as being substantially collocated with a second communication device using a short-range wireless network. A connection is established between the first and second communication devices over the short-range wireless network. In some instances, authentication data can be sent from the second communication device to the first communication device to authenticate a user to the first communication device. Further, input is received from the first communication device over the short-range wireless network specifying a telephone number for a telephone call using the second communication device. A connection is established between the second communication device and a cellular base station to initiate the telephone call with a third communication device associated with the telephone number. In some instances, the second communication device is a wireless headset device.

Claims

1. At least one non-transitory, machine-accessible storage medium having instructions stored thereon, the instructions when executed on a machine, cause the machine to:

detect a first communication device as substantially collocated with a wireless headset device using a short-range wireless network;

establish a connection between the first communication device and the wireless headset device over the short-range wireless network;

send authentication data corresponding to the wireless headset device from the wireless headset device to the first communication device over the short-range wireless network, wherein the authentication data corresponds to a private, unique user identifier data value stored in memory of the wireless headset device, the unique user identifier data value is bound to a particular user, and the authentication data is to authenticate the particular user to the first communication device and authorize access by the wireless headset device to the first communication device;

cause the first communication device to, based on the authentication data, retrieve user profile data corresponding to the particular user from a remote data store and to at least temporarily cause the first communication device to mirror at least one personal setting and at least a subset of data present on a personal computer of the particular user based on the user profile data;

receive input data from the first communication device over the short-range wireless network specifying, a telephone number for a telephone call using the wireless headset device wherein the telephone number is selected via a touchscreen interface of the first communication device; and

establish a connection between the wireless headset device and a cellular base station to initiate the telephone call with a second communication device associated with the telephone number, wherein the wireless headset device is to use the telephone number to establish the connection with the cellular base station.

2. The storage medium of claim 1, wherein the wireless headset device is to capture voice inputs and output audio.

3. The storage medium of claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the machine to:

receive voice inputs at the wireless headset device; and

send voice data corresponding to the received voice inputs to the cellular base station in connection with the telephone call.

4. The storage medium of claim 3, wherein the voice data is sent by the wireless headset device.

5. The storage medium of claim 3, wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the machine to:

receive communications from the second communication device forwarded by a cellular base station in connection with the telephone call; and

present audio outputs at the wireless headset device corresponding to the received communications.

6. The storage medium of claim 1, wherein the authentication data includes an encryption key and content accessible through the first communication device is decrypted based at least in part on the received encryption key.

7. The storage medium of claim 1, wherein the authentication data is sent over the short-range wireless network.

8. The storage medium of claim 1, wherein the authentication data includes at least one of a digital certificate, digital signature, and an encryption key.

9. The storage medium of claim 1, wherein authentication of the user to the first communication device includes receiving second authentication data from the user at the first communication device.

10. The storage medium of claim 9, wherein the second authentication data includes a personal identification number (PIN) entered by the user at an interface of the first communication device.

11. The storage medium of claim 1, wherein use of the first communication device is locked pending authentication to the first communication device using the wireless headset device.

12. The storage medium of claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the machine to:

detect a third communication device as substantially collocated with the wireless headset device using a short-range wireless network;

establish a connection between the third communication device and the wireless headset device over a short-range wireless network;

receive second input data from the third communication device over a short-range wireless network specifying a telephone number for a second telephone call using the wireless headset device; and

establish a connection between the wireless headset device and a cellular base station to initiate the second telephone call.

13. The storage medium of claim 1, wherein the short-range wireless network is at least one of a BLUETOOTH piconet and a WiFi local area network.

14. The storage medium of claim 1, further comprising:

receive voice input from a user;

compare the voice input to a voice profile for the user; and

authenticate the user on the wireless headset device based on the comparison.

15. An apparatus comprising:

a processor device;

a memory element to store user authentication data and user identifier data;

a short-range wireless network adapter;

a telephone module to communicate with a cellular base station to establish a phone call with a second communication device; and

a device coordinator to;

detect a first communication device as substantially collocated with the apparatus using a short-range wireless network;

establish a connection with the first communication device over the short-range wireless network;

send the user authentication data to the first communication device over the short-range wireless network following the establishing of the connection to authenticate a particular user of the apparatus to the first communication device, wherein the user identifier data is private, bound to the particular user, and the user authentication data is based on the user identifier;

cause the first communication device to, based on the authentication data, retrieve user profile data corresponding to the particular user from a remote data store and to at least temporarily cause the first communication device to mirror at least one personal setting and at least a subset of data present on a personal computer of the particular user based on the user profile data; and

receive a telephone number over the short-range wireless network, wherein the telephone number is input at the first communication device following the authentication of the particular user, wherein the telephone number is selected via a touchscreen interface of the first communication device;

wherein the telephone module is to use the received telephone number to establish the phone call.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the apparatus further comprises:

a microphone; and

a speaker;

and the telephone module comprises a cellular adapter including an antenna to communicate with cellular base stations.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, further comprising a voice recognition module adapted to authenticate a user based on voice inputs received at the microphone.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the apparatus lacks a tactile input interface.

19. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the apparatus lacks a graphical user display.

20. A method comprising:

detecting a first communication device as substantially collocated with a second communication device using a short-range wireless network;

establishing a connection between the first communication device and the second communication device over the short-range wireless network;

receiving authentication data at the second communication device from the first communication device over the short-range wireless network, wherein the authentication data is based on a private, unique user identifier data value stored at the first communication device and the unique user identifier data value is bound to a particular user;

determining that the authentication data corresponds to authentication data for one of a set of authorized users of the second communication device to authenticate the particular user at the second communication device;

causing the first communication device to, based on the authentication data, retrieve user profile data corresponding to the particular user from a remote data store;

at least temporarily causing the first communication device to mirror at least one personal setting and at least a subset of data present on a personal computer of the particular user based on the user profile data;

receiving a telephone number dialed via a touchscreen interface of the second communication device; and

sending the telephone number to the first communication device for use by the first communication device in establishing a telephone call with another device associated with the telephone number, wherein the first communication device comprises a wireless headset device.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

receiving a user-entered authentication input in addition to the authentication data, wherein both the received authentication data and user-entered authentication input are used to authenticate the particular user to the second communication device.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the user-entered authentication input is a voice sample for comparison with a voice recognition sample for the particular user.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the user-entered authentication input is a passkey.

24. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

identifying the user profile data corresponding to the particular user based on the received authentication data;

providing access to the user profile data through a user interface of the second communication device.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the user profile data is identified from a set of profile data associated with a plurality of user profiles including a user profile of the particular user.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein the user profile data is hosted by the remote data store remote from the second communication device and providing access to the user profile data includes authenticating access to the remote data store.

27. A method comprising:

detecting a first communication device as substantially collocated with a second communication device using a short-range wireless network;

establishing a connection between the first communication device and the second communication device over the short-range wireless network;

receiving authentication data from the first communication device over the short-range wireless network, wherein the authentication data is based on a private, unique user identifier stored at the first communication device and bound to a particular user;

determining that the authentication data corresponds to authentication data for one of a set of authorized users of the second communication device to authenticate the particular user at the second communication device;

based on the authentication data, retrieving user profile data corresponding to the particular user by the second communication device from a remote data store; and

at least temporarily causing the second communication device to minor at least one personal setting and at least a subset of data present on a personal computer of the particular user based on the user profile data;

receiving a telephone number selected via a touchscreen interface of the second communication device; and

sending the telephone number to the first communication device for use by the first communication device in establishing a telephone call with another device associated with the telephone number, wherein the first communication device comprises a wireless headset device.

28. The method of claim 27 further comprising restricting access to a user of another communication device collocated with the device associated with the telephone number based on a failure of the other communication device to provide authentication data corresponding to one or more users in the set of authorized users of the second communication device.