Services associated with wearable electronic device

• US 11,157,436 B2
• Filed: 07/29/2015
• Issued: 10/26/2021
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Mistry, Pranav, Sadi, Sajid
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Hiren P
• Application Number:
  US14/813,002
• Publication Number:
  US 20150332031A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,281 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/0208 for combination with other devices having a different main function, e.g. watches, pens
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/316 by observing the pattern of computer usage, e.g. typical user behaviour
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• 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

A wearable computing device includes a device body, a band coupled to the device body, and one or more sensors. The device body includes one or more processors, a memory, and a touch-sensitive display. The processors are operable to authenticate, using the one or more sensors, a user of the device, and communicate with one or more target devices in response to successful authentication of the user. The processors can also authenticate the target devices, and control the target devices in response to successful authentication of the target devices. The sensors may include a camera, and to authenticate the user of the device, the processors may send a request to one or more remote devices requesting display of a pairing visual, receive an image from the camera, determine whether the image comprises valid pairing information, and if so, establish a pairing between the device and the remote devices.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a computing device comprising a device body, and one or more sensors comprising an accelerometer, wherein the device body comprises one or more processors and a memory coupled to the one or more processors, wherein the memory comprises instructions executable by the processors, the processors being operable when executing the instructions to;

initiate transmission of a request, to one or more other devices, requesting the one or more other devices to generate one or more predetermined vibration patterns;

measure, by the accelerometer, one or more vibrations generated by a first one of the one or more other devices;

compare the vibrations measured by the accelerometer with the one or more predetermined vibration patterns;

in response to a determination that the vibrations measured by the accelerometer correspond to the one or more predetermined vibration patterns, establish a pairing between the computing device and the first one of the one or more other devices; and

communicate with the first one of the one or more other devices in response to a successful pairing.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the device body comprises;

a touch-sensitive display; and

a rotatable element about the touch-sensitive display;

the one or more sensors further comprise a rotation detector configured to detect rotation of the rotatable element; and

the processors are further operable when executing the instructions to authenticate a user of the computing device when a predetermined code is received by the rotation detector.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein:

the computing device further comprises a band coupled to the device body; and

the rotation detector comprises an optical sensor in or on the band.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein:

the touch-sensitive display is substantially circular; and

the rotatable element is a substantially circular ring about the touch-sensitive display.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the one or more sensors comprise a camera; and

the processors are further operable when executing the instructions to authenticate, using the one or more sensors, a user of the computing device.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more sensors further comprise a biometric sensor and a Near-Field Communication (NFC) sensor, the processors being further operable when executing the instructions to:

receive a request from a user to make a purchase;

scan, using the biometric sensor, the user in response to the NFC sensor scanning an NFC tag;

receive sensor data generated by the scan from the biometric sensor;

determine whether the received sensor data matches a stored imprint associated with the user, wherein the stored imprint is stored in a secure storage of the computing device; and

notify an NFC payment processor of payment acceptance when the received sensor data matches the stored imprint.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processors are further operable when executing the instructions to:

authenticate, using at least one of the one or more sensors, a user of the computing device;

initiate transmission, to the first one of the one or more other devices, of a communication identifying the user;

receive, from the first one of the one or more other devices, permission to pair the computing device with the first one of the other devices; and

establish the pairing between the computing device and the first one of the one or more other devices when the vibrations measured by the accelerometer correspond to the one or more predetermined vibration patterns and the permission to pair is received.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein:

the one or more sensors further comprise a biometric sensor; and

the processors are further operable when executing the instructions to authenticate, using at least the biometric sensor, the user of the computing device.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processors are further operable when executed to:

receive, from the first one of the one or more other devices, data representing the first device'"'"'s measurement of the vibration pattern generated by that first device;

compare the vibrations measured by the accelerometer with the remote representing the first device'"'"'s measurement of the vibration pattern generated by that first device; and

establish the pairing between the computing device and the first device when the vibrations measured by the accelerometer correspond to the one or more predetermined vibration patterns and correspond to the data representing the first device'"'"'s measurement of the vibration pattern generated by that first device.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processors are further operable when executing the instructions to:

display on a display of the computing device an identification of the first one of the one or more other devices;

receive input from a user indicating an election to pair with the first one of the one or more other devices; and

establish the pairing between the computing device and the first one of the one or more other devices when the vibrations measured by the accelerometer correspond to the one or more predetermined vibration patterns and the election from the user is received.

11. A method comprising:

transmitting, from a computing device comprising an accelerometer, a request, to one or more other devices, requesting the one or more other devices to generate one or more predetermined vibration patterns;

measuring, by the accelerometer, one or more vibrations generated by a first one of the one or more other devices

comparing the vibrations measured by the accelerometer with the one or more predetermined vibration patterns;

in response to a determination that the vibrations measured by the accelerometer correspond to the one or more predetermined vibration patterns, establishing a pairing between the computing device and the first one of the one or more other devices; and

communicating with the first one of the one or more remote devices other devices in response to a successful pairing.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

detecting rotation of a rotatable element about a touch-sensitive display of the computing device; and

authenticating a user of the computing device when the rotation corresponds to a predetermined code.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising authenticating, using one or more sensors of the computing device, a user of the computing device.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the computing device further comprises a biometric sensor and a Near-Field Communication (NFC) sensor, the method further comprising:

receiving a request from a user to make a purchase;

scanning, using the biometric sensor, the user in response to the NFC sensor scanning an NFC tag;

receiving sensor data generated by the scan from the biometric sensor;

determining whether the received sensor data matches a stored imprint associated with the user, wherein the stored imprint is stored in a secure storage of the computing device; and

notifying an NFC payment processor of payment acceptance when the received sensor data matches the stored imprint.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

authenticating, using one or more sensors of the computing device, a user of the computing device;

transmitting, to the first one of the one or more other devices, the identity of the user;

receiving, from the first one of the one or more other devices, permission to pair the computing device with the first one of the other devices; and

establishing the pairing between the computing device and the first one of the one or more other devices when the vibrations measured by the accelerometer correspond to the one or more predetermined vibration patterns and the permission to pair is received.

16. A computer-readable non-transitory storage medium embodying logic that is operable when executed to:

initiate transmission, from a computing device comprising an accelerometer, a request, to one or more other devices, requesting the one or more other devices to generate one or more predetermined vibration patterns;

compare one or more vibrations measured by the accelerometer with the one or more predetermined vibration patterns, wherein the vibrations measured by the accelerometer are generated by a first one of the one or more other devices;

in response to a determination that the vibrations measured by the accelerometer correspond to the one or more predetermined vibration patterns, initiate a pairing between the computing device and the first one of the one or more other devices; and

initiate a communication with the first one of the one or more other devices in response to a successful pairing.

17. The medium of claim 16, wherein the logic is further operable when executed to authenticate, using one or more sensors of the computing device, a user of the computing device.

18. The medium of claim 16, wherein the computing device further comprises a biometric sensor and a Near-Field Communication (NFC) sensor, and the logic is further operable when executed to:

receive a request from a user to make a purchase;

scan, using the biometric sensor, the user in response to the NFC sensor scanning an NFC tag;

receive sensor data generated by the scan from the biometric sensor;

determine whether the received sensor data matches a stored imprint associated with the user, wherein the stored imprint is stored in a secure storage of the computing device; and

notify an NFC payment processor of payment acceptance when the received sensor data matches the stored imprint.

19. The medium of claim 16, wherein the logic is further operable when executed to:

authenticate, using one or more sensors of the computing device, a user of the computing device;

initiate transmission, to the first one of the one or more other devices, of a communication identifying the user;

receive, from the first one of the one or more other devices, permission to pair the computing device with the first one of the other devices; and

establish the pairing between the computing device and the first one of the one or more other devices when the vibrations measured by the accelerometer correspond to the one or more predetermined vibration patterns and the permission to pair is received.