System and method of associating devices based on actuation of input devices and signal strength

• US 9,510,383 B2
• Filed: 10/02/2014
• Issued: 11/29/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Agrawal, Avneesh, Lee, Chong Uk, Moallemi, Kamran, Julian, David Jonathan, Jaime, Manuel Eduardo, Douglas, Robert Keith, Xiao, Lu, Rose, Gregory Gordon
• Primary Examiner(s): Maung, Nay A
• Assistant Examiner(s): PEREZ, ANGELICA
• Application Number:
  US14/504,595
• Publication Number:
  US 20150017951A1
• Time in Patent Office: 789 Days
• Field of Search: 455/41.3, 455/41.2, 455/41.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0015 characterised by features of the telemetry system
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/332 Portable devices specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/0209 Systems with very large relative bandwidth, i.e. larger than 10 %, e.g. baseband, pulse, carrier-free, ultrawideband
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/284 using coded pulses
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/765 with exchange of information between interrogator and responder
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/72 for local intradevice communication
• 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 67/54 Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/50 Secure pairing of devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/63 Location-dependent; Proximity-dependent
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/027 using movement velocity, acceleration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals

Abstract

Various operations may be performed based on a distance-related function associated with two or more devices. For example, an association procedure for two or more devices may be based on one or more determined distances. Similarly, presence management may be based on one or more determined distances. A distance-related function may take various form including, for example, a distance between devices, two or more distances between devices, a rate of change in a relative distance between devices, relative acceleration between devices, or some combination of two or more of the these distance-related functions.

Claims

1. A method of associating a mobile device with a medical device, comprising:

actuating a first input device of the medical device;

transmitting at least one signal by the medical device to the mobile device;

actuating a second input device of the mobile device at substantially the same time as, or within a defined time interval after or before, the actuation of the first input device of the medical device;

determining, by the mobile device, a plurality of indications of signal strengths of the at least one signal transmitted by the medical device; and

performing an association procedure between the mobile device and the medical device based on the plurality of indications.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising performing an authentication procedure between the mobile device and the medical device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the authentication procedure comprises receiving, by the mobile device, credential information associated with the medical device, wherein performing the authentication procedure between the mobile device and the medical device is further based on the credential information.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the authentication procedure comprises receiving, by the mobile device, biometric information associated with the medical device, wherein performing the authentication procedure between the mobile device and the medical device is further based on the biometric information.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the association procedure comprises establishing application-level communication between the mobile device and the medical device.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the application-level communication comprises biometric information.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the medical device comprises a biometric sensor.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the medical device is configured to monitor a heart rate of a user.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the medical device is configured to generate electrocardiogram (EKG) information associated with a user.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the first input device of the medical device comprises a switch.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the second input device of the mobile device comprises a switch.

12. A communication system, comprising:

a medical device, comprising;

a first input device; and

a transmitter configured to transmit at least one signal in response to an actuation of the first input device; and

a mobile device, comprising;

a second input device configured to be actuated at substantially the same time as, or within a defined time interval after or before, the actuation of the first input device of the medical device;

an indication generator configured to generate a plurality of indications of signal strengths of the at least one signal transmitted by the medical device; and

an association processor configured to perform an association procedure of the mobile device with the medical device based on the plurality of indications.

13. The communication system of claim 12, further comprising an authentication processor configured to perform an authentication procedure between the mobile device and the medical device.

14. The communication system of claim 13, wherein the authentication processor is configured to perform the authentication procedure by at least receiving credential information associated with the medical device, wherein performing the authentication procedure between the mobile device and the medical device is further based on the credential information.

15. The communication system of claim 13, wherein the authentication processor is configured to perform the authentication procedure by at least receiving biometric information associated with the medical device, wherein performing the authentication procedure between the mobile device and the medical device is further based on the biometric information.

16. The communication system of claim 12, wherein the association processor is further configured to perform the association procedure by at least establishing application-level communication between the mobile device and the medical device.

17. The communication system of claim 16, wherein the application-level communication comprises biometric information.

18. The communication system of claim 12, wherein the medical device comprises a biometric sensor.

19. The communication system of claim 12, wherein the medical device comprises a sensor for monitoring a heart rate of a user.

20. The communication system of claim 12, wherein the medical device comprises a sensor configured to generate electrocardiogram (EKG) information associated with a user.

21. The communication system of claim 12, wherein the first input device of the medical device comprises a switch.

22. The communication system of claim 12, wherein the second input device of the mobile device comprises a switch.

23. A communication system for associating a mobile device with a medical device, comprising:

first means for receiving an input from a user of the medical device;

means for transmitting at least one signal from the medical device to the mobile device;

second means for receiving an input from a user of the mobile device at substantially the same time as, or within a defined time interval after or before, the reception of the input by the first input receiving means of the medical device;

means for determining a plurality of indications of signal strengths of the at least one signal transmitted by the transmitting means; and

means for associating the mobile device with the medical device based on the plurality of indications.

24. The communication system of claim 23, further comprising means for authenticating the medical device by the mobile device.

25. The communication system of claim 24, wherein the means for authenticating comprises means for receiving credential information associated with the medical device, the authentication of the medical device being based on the credential information.

26. The communication system of claim 24, wherein the means for authenticating comprises means for receiving biometric information associated with the medical device, the authentication of the medical device being based on the biometric information.

27. The communication system of claim 23, wherein the means for associating comprises means for establishing application-level communication between the mobile device and the medical device.

28. The communication system of claim 27, wherein the application-level communication comprises biometric information.

29. The communication system of claim 23, wherein the medical device comprises means for sensing at least one biometric parameter of a user.

30. The communication system of claim 23, wherein the medical device comprises means for monitoring a heart rate of a user.

31. The communication system of claim 23, wherein the medical device comprises means for generating electrocardiogram (EKG) information associated with a user.

32. The communication system of claim 23, wherein the first input receiving means of the medical device comprises a switch.

33. The communication system of claim 23, wherein the second input receiving means of the mobile device comprises a switch.

34. A mobile device, comprising:

an input device;

a receiver configured to receive at least one signal from a medical device at substantially the same time as, or within a defined time interval after, an actuation of the input device;

an indication generator configured to generate a plurality of indications related to of signal strengths of the at least one signal received from the medical device; and

an association processor configured to associate the mobile device with the medical device based on the plurality of indications.

35. The mobile device of claim 34, further comprising an authentication processor configured to perform an authentication procedure with the medical device.

36. The mobile device of claim 35, wherein the authentication processor is configured to perform the authentication procedure by at least receiving credential information from the medical device by way of the receiver.

37. The mobile device of claim 35, wherein the authentication processor is configured to perform the authentication procedure by at least receiving biometric information from the medical device by way of the receiver.

38. The mobile device of claim 34, wherein the association processor is configured to establish application-level communication between the mobile device and the medical device.

39. The mobile device of claim 38, wherein the application-level communication comprises biometric information.

40. The mobile device of claim 38, wherein the application-level communication comprises information related to a heart rate of a user.

41. The mobile device of claim 38, wherein the application-level communication comprises electrocardiogram (EKG) information associated with a user.

42. The mobile device of claim 34, wherein the input device comprises a switch.

43. A medical device, comprising:

an input device;

a transmitter configured to transmit at least one signal to a mobile device in response to an actuation of the input device, wherein the at least one signal is used for determining a distance between the medical device and the mobile device;

a receiver configured to receive at least one other signal from the mobile device at substantially the same time as, or within a defined time interval after, the actuation of the input device; and

an association processor configured to perform an association procedure to associate the medical device with the mobile device based on the at least one other signal from the mobile device.

44. The medical device of claim 43, further comprising an authentication processor configured to perform an authentication procedure with the mobile device.

45. The medical device of claim 44, wherein the authentication processor is configured to perform the authentication procedure by at least transmitting credential information to the mobile device by way of the transmitter.

46. The medical device of claim 44, wherein the authentication processor is configured to perform the authentication procedure by at least transmitting biometric information to the mobile device by way of the transmitter.

47. The medical device of claim 43, wherein the association processor is configured to establish application-level communication between the mobile device and the medical device.

48. The medical device of claim 47, wherein the application-level communication comprises biometric information.

49. The medical device of claim 43, further comprising a biometric sensor configured to generate biometric information associated with a user, wherein the transmitter is configured to transmit the biometric information to the mobile device.

50. The medical device of claim 43, further comprising a heart rate sensor configured to generate hear rate information associated with a user, wherein the transmitter is configured to transmit the heart rate information to the mobile device.

51. The medical device of claim 43, further comprising an electrocardiogram (EKG) sensor configured to generate EKG information associated with a user, wherein the transmitter is configured to transmit the EKG information to the mobile device.

52. The medical device of claim 43, wherein the input device comprises a switch.