Bump or close proximity triggered wireless technology

• US 9,445,267 B2
• Filed: 01/16/2013
• Issued: 09/13/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Varoglu, Devrim, Cili, Gencer, Parupudi, Ravisastry R.
• Primary Examiner(s): HUYNH, NAM TRUNG
• Application Number:
  US13/742,425
• Publication Number:
  US 20140199967A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,336 Days
• Field of Search: 455/41.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/065 Continuous authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/069 using certificates or pre-shared keys
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/084 using delegated authorisation, e.g. open authorisation [OAuth] protocol
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/21 for social networking applications
• 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

Abstract

Techniques for performing various communications functionality based on detecting a bump condition and/or close proximity between wireless devices. A wireless access point may be configured to automatically initiate an authentication procedure with a User Equipment (UE) device in response to detecting a bump condition and/or detecting a particular proximity between the UE device and the wireless access point. The particular proximity may be detected based on a signal strength of a radio frequency signal. The wireless access point may also be configured to disable a security protocol. A UE device may be configured to participate in an authentication procedure and/or automatically transfer data to the wireless access point in response to detecting a bump condition and/or detecting a particular proximity.

Claims

1. A wireless access point, comprising:

an antenna for wireless communications;

a processing element; and

a motion sensor configured to detect a bump condition involving the wireless access point and a first User Equipment (UE) device;

wherein the processing element is configured to;

automatically initiate an authentication procedure with the first UE device in response to detection of the bump condition; and

automatically initiate an authentication procedure with a second UE device in response to receiving information indicating a second bump condition between the first UE device and the second UE device subsequent to authenticating the first UE device, wherein the information is transmitted by the first UE device;

waiting for a random time interval to elapse after detecting the second bump condition;

requesting a timestamp associated with the second bump condition after the waiting;

receiving a timestamp from the second UE device; and

determining that the timestamp corresponds to the second bump condition prior to transmitting the information to the wireless access point.

2. The wireless access point of claim 1,

wherein the processing element is configured to automatically initiate the authentication procedure with the second UE device in response to a selection by a user of the first UE device to authenticate the second UE device based on the second bump condition.

3. The wireless access point of claim 1,

wherein the wireless access point is configured to request information from the first UE device about the bump condition;

and

wherein the wireless access point is configured to automatically initiate the authentication procedure with the first UE device in response to receiving information indicating that the first UE device experienced the bump condition; and

wherein the wireless access point is configured to automatically initiate the authentication procedure with the second UE in response to receiving information indicating that the first UE device and the second UE device experienced the same second bump condition.

4. The wireless access point of claim 3, wherein the information includes a timestamp associated with the bump condition and a magnitude of the bump condition.

5. The wireless access point of claim 1, further comprising:

a wireless sensor configured to detect a particular proximity between the first UE device and the wireless access point;

wherein the processing element is configured to automatically initiate the authentication procedure only in response to both the detected bump condition and the detected particular proximity.

6. A method, comprising:

performing, by a wireless access point;

monitoring for nearby wireless User Equipment (UE) devices;

detecting a bump condition; and

authenticating a first UE device associated with the bump condition in

response to the detecting; and

subsequent to authenticating the first UE device, authenticating a second UE device in response to receiving information indicating a second bump condition between the first UE device and the second UE device, wherein the information is transmitted by the first UE device;

waiting for a random time interval to elapse after detecting the second bump condition;

requesting a timestamp associated with the second bump condition after the waiting;

receiving a timestamp from the second UE device; and

determining that the timestamp corresponds to the second bump condition prior to transmitting the information to the wireless access point.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

receiving information from the first UE device in response to the bump condition;

comparing the received information with information about the detected bump condition; and

determining that the received information corresponds to the detected bump condition.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

receiving a communications packet from the first UE device;

determining a difference between a transmit signal strength and received signal strength of the packet; and

determining a proximity of the first UE device based on the determining the difference;

wherein the authenticating is performed in response to the detecting and the determined proximity.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

sending first information to the first UE device based on a first proximity of the UE device to the wireless access point; and

sending second information to the first UE device based on a second, different proximity of the UE device to the wireless access point.

10. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

waiting for a random time interval to elapse after detecting the bump condition;

requesting a timestamp associated with the bump condition after the waiting;

receiving a timestamp from the first UE device; and

determining that the timestamp corresponds to the bump condition.

11. A User Equipment (UE) device, comprising

an antenna for wireless communications;

a processing element; and

a motion sensor configured to detect a bump condition involving the UE device and a wireless access point;

wherein the UE device is configured to automatically participate in an authentication procedure with the wireless access point in response to the detected bump condition; and

wherein the UE device is configured to, in response to detecting a second bump condition involving the UE device and a second UE device, transmit information to the wireless access point to cause the wireless access point to automatically participate in an authentication procedure with the second UE device, including to;

wait for a random time interval to elapse after detecting the second bump condition;

request a timestamp associated with the second bump condition after the waiting;

receive a timestamp from the second UE device; and

determine that the timestamp corresponds to the second bump condition prior to transmitting the information to the wireless access point.

12. The UE device of claim 11, further comprising:

a wireless sensor configured to detect a particular proximity between the UE device and the wireless access point;

wherein the UE device is configured to automatically participate in the authentication procedure with the wireless access point only in response to both the detected bump condition and the detected particular proximity.

13. The UE device of claim 11, wherein the UE device is configured to send information associated with the bump condition to the wireless access point before participating in the authentication procedure.

14. The UE device of claim 11, wherein the UE device is configured to:

receive bump information from the second UE device; and

transmit the information to the wireless access point only in response to determining that the bump information corresponds to the detected second bump condition.