Secure communications with wearable devices

• US 9,992,683 B2
• Filed: 02/01/2016
• Issued: 06/05/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
• Inventors: Cronin, John
• Primary Examiner(s): Schwartz, Darren B
• Application Number:
  US15/548,327
• Publication Number:
  US 20180035297A1
• Time in Patent Office: 855 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/083 using passwords cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/105 Multiple levels of security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/033 of the user plane, e.g. user's traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/65 Environment-dependent, e.g. using captured environmental data

Abstract

Various embodiments described herein include systems and methods directed towards allowing a wearable device with one or more sensors to communicate with a third-party network or device. The wearable device'"'"'s software may include user interfaces wherein a user may select a data set from a particular sensor and allocate a security level associated with that sensor'"'"'s data and with a particular third-party network. Different security levels may be correlated to different protections, such as encryption or password-protection of data, or ensuring that an agreement has been signed, or ensuring that the third party is identified in a database before transmission. Before sending any sensor data or receiving any third party data, the wearable device may check this user-allocated security level, executes any required security precautions, and allows or denies the data transfer accordingly. Security levels may also govern receipt of data by the wearable device from the third party.

Claims

1. A method for secure connections, the method comprising:

receiving a security level input at an interface of a wearable device, the security level input identifying a sensor set including one or more types of sensor measurements from one or more sensors of the wearable device, the security level input further identifying that data corresponding to the sensor set must be transmitted to a recipient device only according to a predetermined security level setting, the predetermined security level setting indicating at least whether the data corresponding to the sensor set is to be encrypted prior to transmission to the recipient device;

determining, by the wearable device, that a sensor measurement data set is to be transmitted to another device, the sensor measurement data corresponding to the identified sensor set, wherein the sensor measurement data set comprises one or more sensor measurements from one or more sensors of the wearable device;

receiving an edit input through an edit interface of the wearable device, the edit input editing the sensor measurement data prior to transmission of the sensor measurement data set from the wearable device to the recipient device; and

transmitting the sensor measurement data set from the wearable device to the recipient device according to the predetermined security level setting identified by the security level input for the identified sensor set.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the sensor measurement data set from the wearable device to the recipient device according to the security level setting includes:

transmitting the sensor measurement data set from the wearable device to a security device according to the security level setting, wherein the security device is enabled to further transmit the sensor measurement data set to the recipient device according to the security level setting.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined security level setting indicates that the sensor measurement data is to be password-protected prior to transmitting the sensor measurement data from the wearable device to the recipient device, the sensor measurement data un-readable without a correctly entered password.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a sender data set from a sender device identified by the security level input; and

accepting the sender data set according to a second predetermined security level setting of the security level input.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting a security key from the wearable device to the recipient device, wherein the security key can decrypt the sensor measurement data set.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the sensor set includes a trigger data set that indicates alert actions to be performed by the wearable device based on a second one or more types of sensor measurements from the one or more sensors, the alert actions to alert a user of the wearable device that a second one or more sensor measurements are outside a predetermined sensor measurement range.

7. A system for secure connections, the system comprising:

a wearable device with a wearable memory and a wearable processor, wherein executing instructions stored in the wearable memory by the wearable processor;

receive a security level input at an interface of a wearable device, the security level input identifying a sensor set including one or more types of sensor measurements from one or more sensors of the wearable device and a trigger data set that indicates alert actions to be performed by the wearable device based on a second one or more types of sensor measurements from the one or more sensors, the alert actions to alert a user of the wearable device that a second one or more sensor measurements are outside a predetermined sensor measurement range, the security level input further identifying that data corresponding to the sensor set must be transmitted to a recipient device only according to a predetermined security level setting, the predetermined security level setting indicating at least whether the data corresponding to the sensor set is to be encrypted prior to transmission to the recipient device;

determine, by the processor, that a sensor measurement data set is to be transmitted to another device, the sensor measurement data corresponding to the identified sensor set, wherein the sensor measurement data set comprises one or more sensor measurements from one or more sensors of the wearable device; and

transmit the sensor measurement data set from the wearable device to the recipient device according to the predetermined security level setting identified by the security level input for the identified sensor set.

8. The system of claim 7, further comprising:

a security device with a security memory and a security processor, wherein executing instructions stored in the security memory by the security processor;

receives the sensor measurement data set along its path to the recipient device, and

transmits the sensor measurement data set from the wearable device to the recipient device according to the security level setting.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein executing instructions stored in the security memory by the security processor further transmits a security key from the security device to the recipient device, wherein the security key can decrypt the sensor measurement data set.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the predetermined security level setting indicates that the sensor measurement data is to be password-protected prior to transmitting the sensor measurement data from the wearable device to the recipient device, the sensor measurement data un-readable without a correctly entered password.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein executing instructions stored in the wearable memory by the wearable processor further:

receives a sender data set from a sender device identified by the security level input; and

accepts the sender data set according to a second predetermined security level setting of the security level input.

12. The system of claim 7, wherein executing instructions stored in the wearable memory by the wearable processor further transmits a security key from the wearable device to the recipient device, wherein the security key can decrypt the sensor measurement data set.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, having embodied thereon a program executable by a processor to perform a method for providing secure connections, the method comprising:

receiving a security level input at an interface of a wearable device, the security level input identifying a sensor set including one or more types of sensor measurements from one or more sensors of the wearable device, the security level input further identifying that data corresponding to the sensor set must be transmitted to a recipient device only according to a predetermined security level setting, the predetermined security level setting indicating at least whether the data corresponding to the sensor set is to be encrypted prior to transmission to the recipient device;

determining, by the wearable device, that a sensor measurement data set is to be transmitted to another device, the sensor measurement data corresponding to the identified sensor set, wherein the sensor measurement data set comprises one or more sensor measurements from one or more sensors of the wearable device;

receiving an edit input through an edit interface of the wearable device, the edit input editing the sensor measurement data prior to transmission of the sensor measurement data set from the wearable device to the recipient device; and

transmitting the sensor measurement data set from the wearable device to the recipient device according to the predetermined security level setting identified by the security level input for the identified sensor set.