Capacitive bonding of devices

• US 20040248513A1
• Filed: 06/03/2003
• Published: 12/09/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Holan, Doron J., Aull, Randall E., Dreher, Christopher M., Ranta, Craig S., Sung, Ellick H., Glass, Andrew C.
• Granted Patent: US 7,684,754 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/41.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/24 Connectivity information management, e.g. connectivity discovery or connectivity update

Abstract

The present invention relates to systems and methods that facilitate wireless device communications and configuration. A detection component identifies N devices that are coupled together via a biological medium, N being an integer, wherein the medium includes direct or indirect touching to a device or devices. After biological contact, a configuration component initiates a configuration between a subset of the devices. Although configurations and/or other communications can be conducted through a medium such as the human body, the present invention can employ an initial touch to identify respective devices whereby other electronic configuration sequences commence without further device contact. Other aspects include chain touching between users and/or devices to facilitate contact between the devices. Location detection components can also be provided to identify when users are present near a device, the detected presence to commence further automated procedures, and/or the location detection components can enable devices to identify other devices in a crowded wireless environment.

Claims

1. A system that facilitates communications, comprising:

a detection component that identifies N devices that are coupled together via a biological medium, N being an integer; and

a configuration component that initiates a configuration between a subset of the devices.

2. The system of claim 1, the devices are associated with a wireless network.

3. The system of claim 2, the configuration occurs across at least one of the biological medium and the wireless network.

4. The system of claim 3, the wireless network is adapted to communicate across at least one of an infrared medium, an electromagnetic medium, a broadband medium employing at least one protocol comprising Bluetooth, Wireless Application Protocol, IRIDA, 802.11, and Ultra Wideband technology.

5. The system of claim 1, the configuration component automatically configures at least one of a computer, a laptop, a phone, a pager, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a keyboard, a mouse, and a headphone.

6. The system of claim 1, the detection component is activated from conductive gloves or clothing that facilitate coupling between at least one user and the device.

7. The system of claim 1, the biological medium transmits power, analog signals, digital signals, currents, pulses, waveforms, and files.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising at least one of a touch pad and case material to supply contact points for the biological medium.

9. The system of claim 8, the touch pad or the case material include conductive or semi-conductive media capable of facilitating current flow between devices and through the human body, the media including at least one of copper, gold, silver, conductive plastics, metal, conductive coatings, and laminates.

10. The system of claim 1, the detection component senses electrical activity from at least one of a chained biological medium and a chained device.

11. The system of claim 1, further comprising a pulse generator that sends a device identification pulse derived from current sensed by the detection component.

12. The system of claim 11, the pulse generator transmits an initial identifying sequence derived from the current and follows the identifying sequence by a configuration or other communication sequence.

13. The system of claim 11, the current is momentarily sensed and followed by a wireless exchange of configuration data, the wireless exchange including an identifying sequence having at least one encoded parameter.

14. The system of claim 13, the encoded parameter includes at least one of timestamp information and counter information.

15. The system of claim 1, further comprising a location detection component to facilitate device identification.

16. The system of claim 15, the location detection component enables communications between devices within a predetermined proximity of a fixed location.

17. The system of claim 15, the location detection component identifies a user'"'"'s location to establish further communications with devices within the user'"'"'s proximity.

18. The system of claim 1, the location detection component includes at least one of a Global Positioning System (GPS), an accelerometer, a piezoelectric device, an 802.11 signal strength sensor, an infrared proximity sensor, a microphone, a camera, a touch sensor and an inference model.

19. The system of claim 18, the inference model includes at least one of Bayesian dependency models, Bayesian networks, naive Bayesian classifiers, Support Vector Machines (SVMs), neural networks and Hidden Markov Models.

20. A computer readable medium having computer executable instructions stored thereon for implementing at least one of the detection component and the configuration component of claim 1.

21. A method to facilitate wireless device communications, comprising:

sensing when an electrical current is flowing between at least two wireless devices that are coupled by human contact; and

automatically establishing communications between the wireless devices upon sensing the electrical current flow.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising sensing the electrical current from at least one of chained human contact and chained wireless device contact.

23. The method of claim 21, further comprising automatically configuring the wireless devices via the human contact or a wireless signal.

24. The method of claim 21, further comprising automatically locating at least one of a user and the wireless device in order to automatically establish the communications.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising automatically reinitializing communications by touching respective devices for a predetermined interval or sequence.

26. A method to facilitate wireless device communications, comprising:

means for determining when an electrical signal is active between at least two wireless devices, the electrical is transmitted across a human body; and

means for configuring the wireless devices upon determining activation of the electrical signal.

27. A system to facilitate device communications, comprising:

a profile store to aggregate property keys relating to sensed electrical properties of a user; and

an analyzer component to identify the user based upon the property keys.

28. The system of claim 27, further comprising a processor to launch one or more applications based upon identifying the user.

29. The system of claim 27, further comprising an impedance detector to generate the property keys.

30. The system of claim 29, the impedance detector analyzes capacitance, inductance, and resistance to determine a biological profile for the user.

31. The system of claim 28, the applications include at least one of a touch and bond application, a touch and address application, a touch and pair application, and a touch and identify application.

32. The system of claim 31, the touch and bond application includes at least one of an automatic login procedure and a custom interface procedure.

33. The system of claim 31, further comprising an automated configuration application that employs the property keys for a network configuration.

34. The system of claim 31, the touch and identify application includes one or more security procedures to enable or disable access to a computer or network.

35. The system of claim 34, the security procedures include at least one of an authentication procedure and an authorization procedure.