Methods and apparatus to connect wireless-enabled devices

• US 8,934,839 B2
• Filed: 02/22/2011
• Issued: 01/13/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Singh, Jasjit
• Primary Examiner(s): Trinh, Sonny
• Application Number:
  US13/635,326
• Publication Number:
  US 20130005266A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,421 Days
• Field of Search: 455/39, 455/41.2, 340/539.11, 340/539.12, 600/300, 607/60
• US Class Current: 455/41.2
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0022 Monitoring a patient using a global network, e.g. telephone networks, internet
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0024 for multiple sensor units attached to the patient, e.g. using a body or personal area network
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/024 Detecting, measuring or recording pulse rate or heart rate A61B5/0205, A61B5/021 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0442 wherein the sending and receiving network entities apply asymmetric encryption, i.e. different keys for encryption and decryption cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for public-key encryption H04L9/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0492 by using a location-limited connection, e.g. near-field communication or limited proximity of entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0861 using biometrical features, e.g. fingerprint, retina-scan cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using biological data H04L9/3231
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/101 Access control lists [ACL]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0866 involving user or device identifiers, e.g. serial number, physical or biometrical information, DNA, hand-signature or measurable physical characteristics
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/67 by electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion telephones including GPS signal receivers H04M2250/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/04 Key management, e.g. using generic bootstrapping architecture [GBA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/50 Secure pairing of devices
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals

Abstract

Example methods and apparatus to connect wireless-enabled devices are disclosed. A disclosed example method involves collecting first biophysical signal data via a first wireless-enabled device and establishing a wireless connection between the first wireless-enabled device and a second wireless-enabled device based on a comparison of the first biophysical signal data and second biophysical signal data collected at the second wireless-enabled device.

Claims

1. A method of establishing a connection between wireless-enabled devices, comprising:

collecting first biophysical signal data via a first wireless-enable device in response to receiving a user request to establish a wireless connection based on the matching of the first biophysical signal data and second biophysical signal data; and

establishing the wireless connection between the first wireless-enable device and a second wireless-enabled device based on a comparison of the first biophysical signal data and the second biophysical signal data collected at the second wireless-enabled device.

2. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising, prior to establishing the wireless connection, sending the first biophysical signal data to the second wireless-enabled device and comparing the first biophysical signal data and the second biophysical signal data at the second wireless-enabled device.

3. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the first biophysical signal data is representative of a biophysical signal of a person in contact with the first wireless-enabled device.

4. The method as defined in claim 3, wherein the biophysical signal is a heart rate of the person.

5. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising, prior to establishing the wireless connection, confirming that the first wireless-enabled device is eligible to establish the wireless connection with the second wireless-enabled device using a process that compares the first and second biophysical signal data.

6. A method of establishing a wireless connection between wireless-enabled devices, comprising:

determining whether user confirmation is required to permit the establishing of the wireless connection;

when the establishing of the wireless connection requires the user confirmation, requesting a user to confirm acceptance to establish the wireless connection;

collecting first biophysical signal data via a first wireless-enabled device; and

establishing the wireless connection between the first wireless-enabled device and a second wireless-enabled device, based on a comparison of the first biophysical signal data and second biophysical signal data collected at the second wireless-enabled device, when the user confirms acceptance to permit the establishing of the wireless connection.

7. The method as defined in claim 6, wherein a requirement of the user confirmation to establish the wireless connection is indicated in a configuration data store of the first wireless-enabled device.

8. An apparatus for establishing a connection between wireless-enabled devices, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory in communication with the processor having instructions stored thereon that, when executed, cause the processor to;

determine whether user confirmation is required to permit the establishing of the wireless connection;

when the establishing of the wireless connection requires the user confirmation, request a user to confirm acceptance to establish the wireless connection;

collect first biophysical signal data via a first wireless-enabled device; and

compare the first biophysical signal data to second biophysical signal data received from a second wireless-enabled device;

establish the wireless connection between the first wireless-enabled device and the second wireless-enabled device, based on the comparison of the first biophysical signal data to the second biophysical signal data, when the user confirms acceptance to permit the establishing of the wireless connection.

9. The apparatus as defined in claim 8, wherein a requirement of the user confirmation to establish the wireless connection is indicated in a configuration data store of the first wireless-enabled device.

10. An apparatus for establishing a connection between wireless-enabled devices, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory in communication with the processor having instructions stored thereon that, when executed, cause the processor to;

collect first biophysical signal data via a first wireless-enabled device in response to receiving a user request to establish a wireless connection based on the first biophysical signal data matching second biophysical signal data;

compare the first biophysical signal data to the second biophysical signal data received from a second wireless-enabled device; and

establish the wireless connection between the first and second wireless-enabled devices based on the comparison of the first biophysical data to the second biophysical signal data.

11. The apparatus as defined in claim 10, wherein the first biophysical signal data is representative of a biophysical signal of a person in contact with the first wireless-enabled device.

12. The apparatus as defined in claim 11, wherein the biophysical signal is a heart rate of the person.

13. The apparatus as defined in claim 10, wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the processor to generate a matching score based on the comparison of the first and second biophysical signal data, the wireless connection being established when the matching score exceeds a matching score threshold associated with an inexact match.

14. The apparatus as defined in claim 10, wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the processor to, prior to establishing the wireless connection, confirm that the first wireless-enabled device is eligible to establish the wireless connection with the second wireless-enabled device based on the first and second biophysical signal data.

15. The apparatus as defined in claim 10, wherein the collecting of the first biophysical signal data at the first wireless-enabled device is performed after receiving the second biophysical signal data from the second wireless-enabled device.

16. An apparatus for establishing a connection between wireless-enabled devices, comprising:

a comparator to compare first biophysical signal data collected at a first wireless-enabled device to second biophysical signal data collected at a second wireless-enabled device after receiving a user request to establish a wireless connection based on the first biophysical signal data matching the second biophysical signal data; and

a connection arbiter to permit establishing a wireless connection between the first and second wireless-enabled devices based on a comparison of the first biophysical signal data to the second biophysical signal data.

17. The apparatus as defined in claim 16, further comprising a biophysical signal data collector to collect the first biophysical signal data at the first wireless-enabled device.

18. The apparatus as defined in claim 17, wherein the biophysical signal data collector is connected to a sensor configured to engage a person to detect biophysical signals of the person.

19. The apparatus as defined in claim 16, wherein the biophysical signal data corresponds to a heart rate of a person in contact with at least one of the first wireless-enabled device or the second wireless-enabled device.

20. A tangible computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed, cause a machine to at least:

collect first biophysical signal data via a first wireless-enabled device in response to receiving a user request to establish a wireless connection based on the first biophysical signal data matching second biophysical signal data; and

establish the wireless connection between the first wireless-enabled device and a second wireless-enabled device based on a comparison of the first biophysical signal data and the second biophysical signal data collected at the second wireless-enabled device.

21. The tangible computer readable medium as defined in claim 20, wherein the instructions cause the machine to, prior to establishing the wireless connection, send the first biophysical signal data to the second wireless-enabled device to compare the first biophysical signal data and the second biophysical signal data at the second wireless-enabled device.

22. The tangible computer readable medium as defined in claim 20, wherein the first biophysical signal data is representative of a biophysical signal of a person in contact with the first wireless-enabled device.

23. The tangible computer readable medium as defined in claim 22, wherein the biophysical signal is a heart rate of the person.

24. The tangible computer readable medium as defined in claim 20, wherein the instructions cause the machine to, prior to establishing the wireless connection, confirm that the first wireless-enabled device is eligible to establish the wireless connection with the second wireless-enabled device using a process that compares the first and second biophysical signal data.