Methods and apparatus to connect wireless-enabled devices

• US 9,253,812 B2
• Filed: 01/06/2015
• Issued: 02/02/2016
• 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:
  US14/590,673
• Publication Number:
  US 20150126122A1
• Time in Patent Office: 392 Days
• Field of Search: 455/41.2, 455/41.3, 455/39, 455/410, 455/411, 600/300, 600/309, 600/509, 340/539.12
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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

Examples to establish a connection between wireless-enabled devices involve collecting first biophysical signal data via a first wireless-enabled device, using the first biophysical signal data as a key to decrypt encrypted information received from a second wireless-enabled device to recover first information, and establishing a wireless connection between the first wireless-enabled device and the second wireless-enabled device based on a comparison of the first information and second information stored in the first 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-enabled device;

using the first biophysical signal data as a key to decrypt encrypted information received from a second wireless-enabled device to recover first information, wherein the second wireless-enabled device encrypts the first information using second biophysical signal data collected at the second wireless-enabled device as a second key to generate the encrypted information; and

establishing a wireless connection between the first wireless-enabled device and the second wireless-enabled device based on a comparison of the first information and second information stored in the first wireless-enabled device.

2. 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.

3. The method as defined in claim 2, wherein the biophysical signal comprises a heart rate of the person.

4. 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 biophysical signal process.

5. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein collecting the first biophysical signal data at the first wireless-enabled device is performed in response to receiving a user request to establish the wireless connection based on a biophysical signal process.

6. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

when the establishing of the wireless connection requires user confirmation, requesting user confirmation to establish the wireless connection; and

establishing the wireless connection between the first and second wireless-enabled devices upon receipt of user confirmation 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, the apparatus 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;

use the first biophysical signal data as a key to decrypt encrypted information received from a second wireless-enabled device to recover first information;

generate a matching score based on the comparison of the first information and the second information; and

establish a wireless connection between the first and second wireless-enabled devices based on the matching score exceeding a matching score threshold associated with an inexact match.

9. The apparatus as defined in claim 8, wherein the first biophysical signal data is representative of a biophysical signal of a person in contact with the first wireless-enabled device.

10. The apparatus as defined in claim 9, wherein the biophysical signal comprises a heart rate of the person.

11. The apparatus as defined in claim 8, 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.

12. The apparatus as defined in claim 8, wherein the collecting of the first biophysical signal data at the first wireless-enabled device is performed after receiving the encrypted information from the second wireless-enabled device.

13. The apparatus as defined in claim 8, wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the processor to:

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

establishing the wireless connection between the first and second wireless-enabled devices upon receipt of user confirmation to permit the establishing of the wireless connection.

14. The apparatus as defined in claim 13, 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.

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

an encryption codec to use first biophysical signal data collected at a first wireless-enabled device as a key to decrypt encrypted information received from a second wireless-enabled device to recover first information, wherein the second wireless-enabled device encrypts the first information using second biophysical signal data collected at the second wireless-enabled device as a second key to generate the encrypted information;

a comparator to compare the first information to second information stored at the first wireless-enabled device; 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 information and the second information.

16. The apparatus as defined in claim 15, further comprising a biophysical signal data collector to collect the first biophysical signal data at the first wireless-enabled device.

17. The apparatus as defined in claim 16, wherein the biophysical signal data collector is connected to a sensor configured to engage a person to detect biophysical signals of the person.

18. The apparatus as defined in claim 15, wherein the first biophysical signal data corresponds to a heart rate of a person in contact with the first wireless-enabled device.

19. A tangible computer readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed, cause a machine to at least:

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

use the first biophysical signal data as a key to decrypt encrypted information received from a second wireless-enabled device to recover first information;

in response to a configuration data store of the first wireless-enabled device that indicates a requirement of user confirmation for establishing of a wireless connection between the first wireless-enabled device and the second wireless-enabled device, requesting a user to confirm establishing the wireless connection; and

in response to receiving a user confirmation to permit establishing the wireless connection, establish the wireless connection between the first wireless-enabled device and the second wireless-enabled device based on a comparison of the first information and second information stored in the first wireless-enabled device.