Handheld device association via shared vibration

• US 9,467,850 B2
• Filed: 12/31/2007
• Issued: 10/11/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Deisher, Michael E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Zele, Krista
• Assistant Examiner(s): FABBRI, ANTHONY E
• Application Number:
  US11/967,894
• Publication Number:
  US 20090169018A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,207 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/805 Lightweight hardware, e.g. radio-frequency identification [RFID] or sensor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0869 for achieving mutual authentication cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for mutual authentication H04L9/3273
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0838 Key agreement, i.e. key establishment technique in which a shared key is derived by parties as a function of information contributed by, or associated with, each of these network architectures or network communication protocols for key exchange in a packet data network H04L63/061
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/50 Secure pairing of devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/68 Gesture-dependent or behaviour-dependent

Abstract

In some embodiments an accelerometer is mechanically coupled to a first device. The accelerometer obtains a vibration profile in response to a relative movement of the first device and a second device. A radio transmits an encrypted version of the vibration profile to the second device and receives an encrypted version of a vibration profile from the second device. A processor sets up a secure channel between the radio and the second device in which to exchange keys with the second device in order to decrypt the received encrypted vibration profile. The processor also decrypts the received encrypted vibration profile in response to at least one of the exchanged keys, compares the transmitted vibration profile with the received vibration profile and allows a sharing of resources with the second device if a match occurs between the transmitted vibration profile and the received vibration profile. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a first device;

an accelerometer mechanically coupled to the first device to obtain a first vibration profile in response to a relative movement of the first device and a second device, wherein the relative movement comprises a swiping of a first pairing pad of the first device across a second pairing pad of the second device;

a radio to transmit an encrypted version of the first vibration profile to the second device and to securely receive an encrypted version of a second vibration profile from the second device;

a processor to set up a secure channel between the radio and the second device in which to exchange keys with the second device to decrypt the received encrypted second vibration profile, to decrypt the received encrypted second vibration profile in response to at least one of the exchanged keys, to compare the transmitted first vibration profile with the received decrypted second vibration profile using vibration comparison logic, and to allow a sharing of resources with the second device if a match occurs between the transmitted first vibration profile and the received second vibration profile.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second device is a handheld device.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second device is a stationary device.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first pairing pad is configured to enable receipt of the vibration profile by the accelerometer.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first pairing pad includes a flat surface with irregular bumps and/or ridges, and wherein the second pairing pad includes a flat surface with irregular bumps and/or ridges.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a contact sensor to control a sampling rate of the accelerometer in response to the relative movement of the first device and the second device.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a contact sensor to control a sampling rate of the accelerometer in response to the swiping of the first pairing pad across the second pairing pad.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the radio transmits an encryption key that is encrypted along with the vibration profile, the transmitted encryption key used for secure communication and/or sharing of resources between the first device and the second device.

9. A method comprising:

obtaining, at a first device, a first vibration profile in response to a relative mechanical movement of the first device and a second device, wherein the relative mechanical movement comprises a swiping of a first pairing pad of the first device across a second pairing pad of the second device;

transmitting an encrypted version of the first vibration profile to the second device;

receiving an encrypted version of a second vibration profile from the second device;

setting up a secure channel with the second device;

exchanging keys with the second device that are used to decrypt the encrypted second vibration profiles;

decrypting the received second encrypted vibration profile in response to at least one of the exchanged keys;

comparing the transmitted first vibration profile with the encrypted received second vibration profile using vibration comparison logic; and

allowing a sharing of resources with the second device if a match occurs between the transmitted first vibration profile and the received second vibration profile.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the second device is a handheld device.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the second device is a stationary device.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising transmitting an encryption key that is encrypted along with the vibration profile, the transmitted encryption key to be used for secure communication and/or sharing of resources between the first device and the second device.

13. A system comprising:

a first device; and

a second device;

wherein the first device includes;

a first accelerometer mechanically coupled to the first device to obtain a first vibration profile in response to a relative mechanical movement of the first device and the second device, wherein the relative mechanical movement comprises a swiping of a first pairing pad of the first device across a second pairing pad of the second device;

a first radio to transmit an encrypted version of the first vibration profile to the second device and to receive an encrypted version of a second vibration profile from the second device; and

a first processor to set up a secure channel between the first radio and the second device in which to exchange keys with the second device to decrypt the received second encrypted vibration profile, to decrypt the received second encrypted vibration profile in response to at least one of the exchanged keys, to compare the transmitted first vibration profile with the received second vibration profile using vibration comparison logic and to allow a sharing of resources with the second device if a match occurs between the transmitted first vibration profile and the received second vibration profile; and

wherein the second device includes;

a second accelerometer mechanically coupled to the second device to obtain the second vibration profile in response to the relative mechanical movement of the first device and the second device;

a second radio to transmit the encrypted version of the second vibration profile to the first device and to receive the encrypted version of the first vibration profile from the first device; and

a second processor to set up the secure channel between the first radio and the second radio in which to exchange keys with the first device to decrypt the received first encrypted vibration profile, to decrypt the received first encrypted vibration profile in response to at least one of the exchanged keys, to compare the transmitted second vibration profile with the received first vibration profile using vibration comparison logic, and to allow a sharing of resources with the first device if a match occurs between the transmitted second vibration profile and the received first vibration profile.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the first device is a stationary device and the second device is a handheld device.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the first device is a handheld device and the second device is a handheld device.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the first pairing pad enables receipt of the first vibration profile by the first accelerometer, and wherein the second pairing pad enables receipt of the second vibration profile by the second accelerometer.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the first pairing pad includes a flat surface with irregular bumps and/or ridges and wherein the second pairing pad includes a flat surface with irregular bumps and/or ridges.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the first device further includes a first contact sensor to control a sampling rate of the first accelerometer in response to the swiping of the first pairing pad across the second pairing pad, and wherein the second device further includes a second contact sensor to control a sampling rate of the second accelerometer in response to the swiping of the first pairing pad across the second pairing pad.

19. The system of claim 13, wherein the first device further includes a first contact sensor to control a sampling rate of the first accelerometer in response to the relative movement of the first device and the second device, and wherein the second device further includes a second contact sensor to control a sampling rate of the second accelerometer in response to the relative movement of the first device and the second device.

20. The system of claim 13, wherein the first radio transmits a first encryption key that is encrypted with the first vibration profile, the transmitted first encryption key used for secure communication and/or sharing of resources between the first device and the second device, and wherein the second radio transmits a second encryption key that is encrypted with the second vibration profile, the transmitted second encryption key used for secure communication and/or sharing of resources between the first device and the second device.