BLUETOOTH DEVICE AS SECURITY ACCESS KEY

• US 20180041902A1
• Filed: 07/17/2017
• Published: 02/08/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: ROSENBLATT, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 10,362,484 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/35 communicating wirelessly
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0876 based on the identity of the terminal or configuration, e.g. MAC address, hardware or software configuration or device fingerprint
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security

Abstract

This application is directed to a system for remotely directing a host device to perform an operation using a key. The key may include a communications circuitry for transmitting data, for example a key identifier or an instruction to perform an operation, within a personal area network created by the communications circuitry. When a host device is within the personal area network, the key may transmit data received by a transceiver on the host device. In response to receiving the data, the host device may perform an operation (e.g., an authentication operation). In some embodiments, the key may transmit data identifying an operation for the host device to perform. In some embodiments, the host device may store in memory key identification information and an associated operation which may be retrieved when the key is brought in proximity of the host device.

Claims

1. (canceled)

2. A method for directing a remote computing device to execute a first operation, the method comprising, at an electronic key:

initiating a communication channel with the remote computing device;

establishing an identity of the remote computing device;

retrieving, from a set of preference data stored on the electronic key, a first subset of preference data based at least in part on the identity, wherein the set of preference data comprises different subsets of preference data for a plurality of different remote computing devices; and

communicating, to the remote computing device over the communication channel, the first subset, wherein the remote computing device executes the first operation based at least in part on the first subset.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

establishing a different identity associated with a different remote computing device from the plurality of different remote computing devices;

retrieving a second subset of preference data, from the set of preference data, based at least in part on the different identity; and

communicating, to the different remote computing device over a different communication channel, the second subset, wherein the different remote computing device executes a second operation based at least in part on the second subset, and the first and second operations are different.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the first subset comprises music preference data and the second subset comprises television preference data.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein communicating the first subset further comprises:

communicating a set of instructions associated with the first subset for executing the first operation on the remote computing device.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein a first instruction from the set of instructions activates the remote computing device and a second instruction from the set of instructions loads the first subset of preference data.

7. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

ceasing to perform the first operation based at least in part on the electronic key being beyond a threshold distance range from the remote computing device.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein the communication channel is one of Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Nordic, high frequency transmission, short-range radio circuitry, and infrared.

9. An electronic key, comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory configured to store instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the electronic key to;

initiate a communication channel with a remote computing device;

establish an identity of the remote computing device;

retrieve, from a set of preference data stored on the electronic key, a first subset of preference data based at least in part on the identity, wherein the set of preference data comprises different subsets of preference data for a plurality of different remote computing devices; and

communicate, to the remote computing device over the communication channel, the first subset, wherein the remote computing device executes a first operation based at least in part on the first subset.

10. The electronic key of claim 9, wherein the at least one processor further causes the electronic key to:

establish a different identity associated with a different remote computing device from the plurality of different remote computing devices;

retrieve a second subset of preference data, from the set of preference data, based at least in part on the different identity; and

communicate, to the different remote computing device over a different communication channel, the second subset, wherein the different remote computing device executes a second operation based at least in part on the second subset, and the first and second operations are different.

11. The electronic key of claim 10, wherein the first subset comprises music preference data and the second subset comprises television preference data.

12. The electronic key of claim 9, wherein the at least one processor further causes the electronic key to:

communicate a set of instructions associated with the first subset for executing the first operation on the remote computing device.

13. The electronic key of claim 12, wherein a first instruction from the set of instructions activates the remote computing device and a second instruction from the set of instructions loads the first subset of preference data.

14. The electronic key of claim 9, wherein the at least one processor further causes the electronic key to:

cease performance of the first operation based at least in part on the electronic key being beyond a threshold distance range from the remote computing device.

15. The electronic key of claim 9, wherein the communication channel is one of Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Nordic, high frequency transmission, short-range radio circuitry, and infrared.

16. At least one non-transitory machine-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by at least one processor included in an electronic key, cause the electronic key to carry out steps that include:

initiating a communication channel with a remote computing device;

establishing an identity of the remote computing device;

retrieving, from a set of preference data stored on the electronic key, a first subset of preference data based at least in part on the identity, wherein the set of preference data comprises different subsets of preference data for a plurality of different remote computing devices; and

communicating, to the remote computing device over the communication channel, the first subset, wherein the remote computing device executes a first operation based at least in part on the first subset.

17. The at least one non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the steps further include:

establishing a different identity associated with a different remote computing device from the plurality of different remote computing devices;

retrieving a second subset of preference data, from the set of preference data, based at least in part on the different identity; and

communicating, to the different remote computing device over a different communication channel, the second subset, wherein the different remote computing device executes a second operation based at least in part on the second subset, and the first and second operations are different.

18. The at least one non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the first subset comprises music preference data and the second subset comprises television preference data.

19. The at least one non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the steps further include:

communicating a set of instructions associated with the first subset for executing the first operation on the remote computing device.

20. The at least one non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein a first instruction from the set of instructions activates the remote computing device and a second instruction from the set of instructions loads the first subset of preference data.

21. The at least one non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the steps further include:

ceasing to perform the first operation based at least in part on the electronic key being beyond a threshold distance range from the remote computing device.