Device sharing using virtual Bluetooth classical MAC addresses

Abstract

An electronic device is described that includes interface circuitry that communicates using a Bluetooth classical communication protocol, where the interface circuitry supports a plurality of independent virtual Bluetooth classical MAC addresses associated with a plurality of different users or a plurality of different user profiles. During operation, the interface circuit may communicate a message with a second electronic device, where the message is compatible with the Bluetooth classical communication protocol and includes a virtual Bluetooth classical MAC address associated with a user or user profile. Further, when the user or the user profile logs out of the electronic device and a second user or a second user profile logs in the electronic device, the interface circuitry may communicate subsequent messages using a second (different) virtual Bluetooth classical MAC address associated with the second user or the second user profile.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The described embodiments generally relate to wireless communications between electronic devices, including techniques for sharing electronic devices using virtual Bluetooth (BT) Classic Media Access Control (MAC) addresses. Background Art

[0002] Many electronic devices use wireless communication protocols to communicate with each other. For example, an electronic device may use a WPAN to pair and communicate with a second electronic device according to a wireless personal area network (WPAN) communication protocol, such as those standardized by the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (Kirkland, Washington) and / or those developed by Apple (Cupertino, California) called Apple Wireless Direct Link (AWDL). It should be noted that the WPAN communication protocols standardized by the Bluetooth Special Interest Group include Bluetooth (BT) Classic (which is sometimes referred to as "Bluetooth" or "Bluetooth Basic Rate / Enhanced Data Rate or BR / EDR"). Bluetooth Classic is a WPAN communication protocol that streams data on 79 channels in the 2.4 GHz unlicensed Industrial, Scientific, and Medical (ISM) band.

[0003] However, it is often difficult for multiple users to independently pair with and use an electronic device that communicates using Bluetooth Classic while ensuring their privacy. Notably, allowing multiple users to share a common MAC address of an electronic device when using Bluetooth Classic to communicate packets or frames raises many privacy and security issues. Summary of the invention

[0004] An electronic device that implements multiple independent virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC addresses is described. The electronic device includes an interface circuit that uses the Bluetooth Classic communication protocol to communicate, wherein the interface circuit supports the multiple independent virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC addresses. Two or more of the multiple independent virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC addresses are associated with different multiple users or different multiple user profiles. During operation, the interface circuit communicates a packet or frame (sometimes referred to as a "message") with a second electronic device, wherein the packet or frame is compatible with the Bluetooth Classic communication protocol and includes a virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC address (one of the multiple virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC addresses) associated with a user (one of the multiple users) or a user profile (one of the multiple user profiles).

[0005] It should be noted that when the user or the user profile is logged into the electronic device, the interface circuit may only use the virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC address associated with the user or user profile to communicate packets or frames. Thus, a virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC address may be associated with a specific user or user profile and used when the user or user profile is active on the electronic device.

[0006] In addition, when the user or the user profile logs out of the electronic device, the interface circuit may stop using the virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC address. Then, when a second user or a second user profile logs in to the electronic device, the interface circuit may use a different second virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC address from the plurality of virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC addresses associated with the second user or the second user profile to communicate a second (subsequent) packet or frame. The second virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC address may be associated with the second user or the second user profile.

[0007] In addition, when a new user not included in the multiple users or a new user profile not included in the multiple user profiles logs into the electronic device, the electronic device may associate a new virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC address with the new user or the new user profile; and may provide information addressing a computer (such as a cloud-based computer or computer system) specifying that the new virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC address is associated with the new user or the new user profile. It should be noted that the new virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC address can be assigned by software executed by a processor in the electronic device or by a Bluetooth controller in the electronic device. In some embodiments, the new virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC address can be used with multiple electronic devices associated with the new user or the new user profile.

[0008] Additionally, the interface circuitry may support discovery using virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC addresses. For example, the interface circuitry may support discovery using different virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC addresses at different times, for example using time division multiplexing of supported virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC addresses.

[0009] In some embodiments, the configuration or one or more capabilities of the electronic device may be personalized based at least in part on the user or the user profile. Alternatively, the configuration or one or more capabilities of the electronic device may be common or shared for at least some of the multiple users or at least some of the multiple user profiles.

[0010] In addition, when the user or the user profile logs out of the electronic device, the interface circuit can revert to using the hardware Bluetooth Classic MAC address of the electronic device to communicate subsequent packets or frames. Note that the hardware Bluetooth Classic MAC address can be associated with the electronic device, rather than with the user or user profile.

[0011] In addition, the electronic device may only allow pairing with electronic devices specified in the list of allowed electronic devices.In some implementations, a given user or a given user profile may have an associated list of allowed electronic devices.

[0012] Additionally, when paired with the second electronic device, the interface circuit may use the virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC address associated with the active user or active user profile. Alternatively, when paired with the second electronic device, the interface circuit may use the hardware Bluetooth Classic MAC address of the electronic device.

[0013] In some embodiments, the virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC address may be associated with two or more users among the multiple users or two or more user profiles among the multiple user profiles, and the interface circuit may concurrently pair with electronic devices associated with the two or more users or any one or both of the two or more user profiles and communicate with the electronic devices using the virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC address, and the two or more users or the two or more user profiles concurrently share the electronic device.

[0014] It should be noted that the virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC address may be different from the hardware Bluetooth Classic MAC address of the electronic device.

[0015] Other embodiments provide a second electronic device that performs operations corresponding to at least some of the operations performed by the electronic device.

[0016] Other embodiments provide computers that perform operations corresponding to at least some of the operations performed by the electronic device.

[0017] Other embodiments provide an integrated circuit for use with the electronic device or the second electronic device. The integrated circuit can perform at least some of the aforementioned operations.

[0018] Other embodiments provide a computer-readable storage medium for use with the electronic device, the second electronic device, or the computer. When the program instructions stored in the computer-readable storage medium are executed by the electronic device, the second electronic device, or the computer, the program instructions may cause the electronic device, the second electronic device, or the computer to perform at least some of the aforementioned operations of the electronic device, the second electronic device, or the computer.

[0019] Other embodiments provide a method that includes at least some of the foregoing operations performed by the electronic device, the second electronic device, or the computer.

[0020] The purpose of providing this summary is to illustrate some exemplary embodiments in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the subject matter described herein. It should be understood, then, that the features described above are merely examples and should not be interpreted as narrowing the scope or essence of the subject matter described herein in any way. Other features, aspects, and advantages of the subject matter described herein will become apparent through the following detailed description, drawings, and claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] The included drawings are for illustrative purposes and are only used to provide examples of possible structures and arrangements of the disclosed systems and techniques for intelligently and efficiently managing communications between multiple associated user devices. These drawings in no way limit any changes in form and detail that may be made to the embodiments by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the embodiments. The embodiments will be readily understood by the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals refer to like structural elements.

[0022] Figure 1 An example of communication between electronic devices according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is illustrated.

[0023] Figure 2 An example method for communicating packets or frames using a virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC address according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is illustrated.

[0024] Figure 3 Examples of some embodiments according to the present disclosure include Figure 1 An example of communication between components in an electronic device.

[0025] Figure 4A and Figure 4B Illustrated according to some embodiments of the present disclosure Figure 1 An example of communication between electronic devices.

[0026] Figure 5A and Figure 5B Illustrated according to some embodiments of the present disclosure Figure 1 An example of communication between electronic devices.

[0027] Figure 6 Illustrated according to some embodiments of the present disclosure Figure 1 Examples of electronic devices.

[0028] Note that similar reference numerals refer to corresponding components throughout the drawings. In addition, multiple instances of the same component are referred to by a common prefix that is separated from the instance number by a dash. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] Some embodiments include an electronic device configured with multiple independent virtual Bluetooth classic MAC addresses. The electronic device may include an interface circuit for communicating using the Bluetooth classic communication protocol, wherein the interface circuit supports the multiple independent virtual Bluetooth classic MAC addresses. In addition, the different virtual Bluetooth classic MAC addresses configured on the device may be associated with different multiple users or different multiple user profiles. During operation, the interface circuit may communicate a packet or frame with a second electronic device, wherein the packet or the frame is compatible with the Bluetooth classic communication protocol and includes a virtual Bluetooth classic MAC address (a virtual Bluetooth classic MAC address in the multiple virtual Bluetooth classic MAC addresses) associated with a user (which is one of the multiple users) or a user profile (which is one of the multiple user profiles). It should be noted that the virtual Bluetooth classic MAC address may be different from the hardware Bluetooth classic MAC address of the electronic device. In addition, when the user or the user profile logs out of the electronic device, the interface circuit may stop using the virtual Bluetooth classic MAC address. Then, when a second user or a second user profile logs into the electronic device, the interface circuit may communicate subsequent packets or frames using a different second virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC address associated with the second user or the second user profile. Note that the second virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC address may be retrieved from a stored set of virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC addresses associated with multiple users or multiple user accounts configured on the electronic device.

[0030] By configuring the electronic device to use different independent virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC addresses for different multiple users or user profiles, the different multiple users or user profiles can be allowed to share the electronic device (e.g., share at different times). In addition, the different independent virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC addresses can allow the use experience of the electronic device to be personalized or customized for a given user or user profile. It is worth noting that the communication technology described herein can provide flexible, convenient, private and secure communication for the different multiple users or user profiles using the electronic device. Therefore, when using an electronic device, the communication technology can improve the user experience.

[0031] In the following discussion, a user may include: an individual, an organization, a company, a government agency, a for-profit business entity, a non-profit entity, or a group of one or more individuals.

[0032] It is noted that the communication technology may be used during or in conjunction with wired or wireless communication between electronic devices according to a communication protocol, such as a communication protocol compatible with the Bluetooth Classic standard. However, the communication technology may also be used with a wide variety of other communication protocols and may also be used in electronic devices, such as portable electronic devices or mobile devices, that may incorporate a variety of different radio access technologies (RATs) to provide connectivity through different wireless networks that offer different services and / or capabilities, such as communication standards compatible with the IEEE 802.11 standard (which is sometimes referred to as Wi-Fi).

[0033] Thus, an electronic device may include hardware and software to support a WPAN according to a WPAN communication protocol, such as those standardized by the Bluetooth Special Interest Group and / or those developed by Apple (of Cupertino, California), such as those known as AWDL. More generally, an electronic device may communicate via: a wireless wide area network (WWAN), a wireless metropolitan area network (WMAN), a WLAN, a near field communication (NFC), a cellular telephone or data network (such as using a third generation (3G) communication protocol, a fourth generation (4G) communication protocol (e.g., Long Term Evolution or LTE, Advanced LTE (LTE-A)), a fifth generation (5G) communication protocol, or other currently or future developed advanced cellular communication protocols), and / or another communication protocol. In some embodiments, the communication protocol includes a peer-to-peer communication technology.

[0034] In some embodiments, the electronic device may also operate as part of a wireless communication system, which may include a set of client devices, which may also be referred to as stations or client electronic devices, interconnected to an access point, e.g., as part of a WLAN, and / or to each other, e.g., as part of a WPAN and / or an "ad hoc" wireless network such as Wi-Fi Direct. In some embodiments, a client device may be any electronic device capable of communicating via WLAN technology (e.g., according to a WLAN communication protocol). In addition, in some embodiments, the WLAN technology may include a Wi-Fi (or more generally, a WLAN) wireless communication subsystem or radio component, and the Wi-Fi radio component may implement IEEE 802.11 technology, such as one or more of the following: IEEE 802.11a; IEEE 802.11b; IEEE 802.11g; IEEE 802.11-2007; IEEE 802.11n; IEEE 802.11-2012; IEEE 802.11-2016; IEEE 802.11ac; IEEE802.11ax, IEEE 802.11ba, IEEE 802.11be, or other currently or future developed IEEE 802.11 technologies.

[0035] Note that electronic devices may use multi-user transmission (such as OFDMA) and / or multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO).

[0036] In some embodiments, an electronic device may act as a communication hub that provides access to a WLAN and / or to a WWAN, and therefore provides access to a wide variety of services that may be supported by various applications executed on the electronic device. Thus, an electronic device may include an "access point" that communicates wirelessly with other electronic devices (such as using Wi-Fi) and provides access to another network (such as the Internet) via IEEE802.3 (which is sometimes referred to as "Ethernet"). Note that an access point may be a physical access point or a virtual or "software" access point implemented on a computer or electronic device. However, in other embodiments, an electronic device may not be an access point.

[0037] Additionally, it should be understood that the electronic device described herein can be configured as a multimode wireless communication device that can also communicate via different 3G RATs. In these scenarios, the multimode electronic device or UE can be configured to prefer attaching to an LTE network that gives a faster data rate throughput compared to other 3G traditional networks that give a lower data rate throughput. For example, in some specific implementations, the multimode electronic device is configured to fall back to a 3G traditional network when LTE and LTE-A networks are otherwise unavailable, such as an evolved high speed packet access (HSPA+) network or a code division multiple access (CDMA) 2000 only evolved data (EV-DO) network. More generally, the electronic device described herein can communicate with other current or future developed cellular phone technologies.

[0038] In accordance with various embodiments described herein, the terms "wireless communication device," "electronic device," "mobile device," "mobile station," "wireless station," "wireless access point," "station," "access point," and "user equipment (UE)" may be used herein to describe one or more consumer electronic devices that may be capable of performing processes associated with various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0039] Figure 1A block diagram illustrating an example of electronic devices that communicate using wired and / or wireless communications is presented. Notably, electronic device 110 (such as a smartphone, a laptop, a notebook, a tablet, or another such electronic device) and electronic device 112 (such as another smartphone, another laptop, another notebook, another tablet, one or more speakers, headphones, a keyboard, a mouse, a printer, another type of peripheral device, or another electronic device) can perform discovery (e.g., electronic device 110 can discover electronic device 112) and can perform pairing, for example, by establishing a Bluetooth Classic connection with each other.

[0040] In addition, the electronic device 110 may communicate with one or more electronic devices (such as the electronic device 112) and / or one or more computers (such as the computer 128 in the computer system 126) using wired and / or wireless communications. For example, after pairing, the electronic device 110 may communicate one or more packets or frames with the electronic device 112 using the Bluetooth Classic communication protocol (or a communication protocol compatible with the Bluetooth Classic standard).

[0041] More generally, Figure 1 The communication in may occur directly (such as when the electronic device 110 is within the wireless range of another electronic device (such as the electronic device 112)), or via a network (such as a cellular telephone network 114 (which may include a base station 116)), one or more access points 118 in a WLAN (which may use Wi-Fi for communication), and / or one or more radio nodes 120 in a small-scale network (such as a small cell) (which may use LTE or 5G cellular telephone communication protocols for communication). For example, the one or more radio nodes 120 may include: an evolved Node B (eNodeB), a universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS) Node B and a radio network controller (RNC), a new radio (NR) gNB or gNodeB, etc. It should be noted that one or more base stations (such as the base station 116), access points 118, and / or radio nodes 120 may be included in one or more wireless networks (such as: a WLAN, a small cell, and / or a macro cellular telephone network).

[0042] Access points 118 and / or radio nodes 120 may communicate with each other and / or with computer system 126 (which may be a local or cloud-based computer system including one or more computers (such as computer 128)) via networks 122 and / or 124 using a wired communication protocol (such as Ethernet). However, in some embodiments, access points 118 and / or radio nodes 120 may communicate with each other using wireless communications (such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth Classic, and / or another wireless communication protocol), for example, one of access points 118 may be a mesh access point in a mesh network. Note that networks 122 and 124 may be the same or different networks. For example, networks 122 and / or 124 may be a LAN, an intranet, or the Internet.

[0043] As referenced below Figure 6 As further described, the electronic device 108, the electronic device 110, the electronic device 112, and the computer system 126 may include subsystems, such as a networking subsystem, a memory subsystem, and a processor subsystem. In addition, the electronic device 108, the electronic device 110, the electronic device 112, the access point 118, and the radio node 120 may include a radio component 130 in the networking subsystem. More generally, the electronic device 108, the electronic device 110, the electronic device 112, the access point 118, and the radio node 120 may include (or may be included in) any electronic device having a networking subsystem that enables the electronic device 108, the electronic device 110, the electronic device 112, the access point 118, and the radio node 120 to communicate wirelessly with another electronic device, respectively. This may include sending frames or beacons on a wireless channel to enable the electronic devices to make initial contact or detect each other, and then exchanging subsequent data / management frames (such as connection requests) to establish a connection, configure security options (e.g., IPSec), send and receive packets or frames via the connection, etc.

[0044] like Figure 1 As can be seen in FIG. 1 , wireless signals 132 (represented by jagged lines) are communicated by one or more radio components 130-1 and 130-2 in electronic device 110 and electronic device 114, respectively. For example, electronic device 110 and electronic device 114 may exchange packets or frames using the Bluetooth Classic protocol. In addition, as described below with reference to Figures 2 to 5B As further illustrated, the one or more radio components 130-1 may receive a wireless signal 132 transmitted by the one or more radio components 130-2 via one or more connections between the electronic device 110 and the electronic device 112. Alternatively, the one or more radio components 130-1 may transmit a wireless signal 132 that is received by the one or more radio components 130-2. The wireless signal 132 may convey one or more packets or frames.

[0045] exist Figure 1 During communication in, electronic device 108, electronic device 110, electronic device 112, access point 118, and radio node 120 may communicate by wire or wirelessly while: sending access requests and receiving access responses on a wireless channel, detecting each other by scanning the wireless channel, establishing a connection (e.g., by sending a connection request and receiving a connection response), and / or sending and receiving frames or packets (which may include additional information such as data as a payload).

[0046] As previously discussed, it may be difficult for multiple users (such as a user of electronic device 110 and a second user of electronic device 108) to share an electronic device (such as electronic device 112) while maintaining security and privacy. To address these challenges, as described below with reference to Figures 2 to 5B As described, in some embodiments of the disclosed communication technology, the interface circuit in the electronic device 112 may support multiple independent virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC addresses. Two or more of the multiple independent virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC addresses may be associated with different multiple users or different multiple user profiles (such as multiple user profiles associated with the accounts of the different multiple users). It is worth noting that during operation, the interface circuit may communicate one or more packets or frames with the electronic device 110, wherein the one or more packets or frames are compatible with the Bluetooth Classic communication protocol and include a virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC address (a virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC address) associated with a user (which is one of the multiple users) or a user profile (which is one of the multiple user profiles) associated with the multiple virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC addresses. When the user or the user profile is logged into the electronic device 112 (or active), the interface circuit may use the virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC address associated with the user or user profile to communicate packets or frames. Thus, the virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC address may be associated with a particular user or user profile and used when that user or user profile is active on the electronic device 112 .

[0047] In addition, when the user or user profile logs out of the electronic device 112, the interface circuit may stop using the virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC address associated with the user or user profile. The interface circuit may revert to using a different Bluetooth MAC address (such as a hardware Bluetooth Classic MAC address associated with the electronic device 112 or a default virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC address associated with the electronic device 112) to communicate one or more subsequent packets or frames. In addition, the virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC address may be different from a default address (such as the hardware Bluetooth Classic MAC address of the electronic device and the default virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC address associated with the electronic device 112).

[0048] Additionally, when the second user or second user profile (such as the second user or the second user profile associated with the electronic device 108) logs into the electronic device 112, the interface circuitry may communicate subsequent packets or frames using a different second virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC address associated with the second user. The electronic device 112 may maintain a set of virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC addresses associated with a corresponding plurality of users or user profiles configured on the electronic device 112.

[0049] However, when the second user is a new user / user profile that has not yet been associated with a corresponding virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC address, the electronic device 112 may associate the new virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC address with the new user / user profile; and may provide information addressing the computer 128 or computer system 126 specifying that the new virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC address is associated with the new user / new user profile. It should be noted that the new virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC address may be assigned by software executed by a processor in the electronic device 112 (and therefore by a host in the electronic device 112) or by a Bluetooth controller in the electronic device 112. In some embodiments, the new virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC address may be used with multiple electronic devices associated with the new user / new user profile. It is noteworthy that the computer 128 or computer system 126 may propagate the new virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC address to the multiple electronic devices associated with the new user / new user profile via the networks 112 and 114. Then, when the new user / new user profile is used to log into another electronic device in the multiple electronic devices, the other electronic device can communicate using the new virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC address associated with the new user / new user profile. This capability can allow the multiple electronic devices associated with the new user / new user profile to connect to each other more easily.

[0050] In some embodiments, the interface circuit may support discovery using a virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC address. For example, the interface circuit may support discovery of supported virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC addresses using different virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC addresses at different times, for example using time division multiplexing. Thus, the interface circuit may communicate a packet or frame including the virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC address during a time interval (such as 1s to 10s), and may then communicate a second (subsequent) packet or second frame including the second virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC address during a second time interval (such as 1s to 10s, and the second time interval may be the same as or different from the time interval).

[0051] In addition, when pairing with electronic device 110, the interface circuit may use the virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC address associated with the active user or active user profile. This method may be used only when the user or user profile is logged in and using electronic device 112. Alternatively, when pairing with electronic device 110, the interface circuit may use the hardware Bluetooth Classic MAC address associated with electronic device 112. This other method may be used when multiple users or user profiles are used to log in and use electronic device 112.

[0052] In addition, in some embodiments, the configuration or one or more capabilities of the electronic device 112 may be personalized based at least in part on the user or the user profile. For example, after the user or the user profile logs into the electronic device 112, the configuration or the one or more capabilities of the electronic device 112 may be personalized for the preferences, values, settings, etc. of the user or the user profile. In some embodiments, the configuration or the one or more capabilities of the electronic device 112 may include common, shared, or common aspects that are the same for at least some of the multiple users or user profiles configured on the electronic device 112.

[0053] Additionally, in some embodiments, the electronic device 112 may only allow pairing with electronic devices specified in a list of allowed electronic devices, such as a list of allowed electronic devices associated with the active user or user profile (and more generally, with a given user or given user profile). When one of the electronic devices in the list of allowed electronic devices attempts to pair with the electronic device 112, pairing may be allowed. However, pairing attempts involving electronic devices that are not included in the list of allowed electronic devices may not be allowed. The list of allowed electronic devices (e.g., for a particular user or user profile) may be communicated to the electronic device 112 by the computer system 126 or computer 128, for example, via networks 112 and 114. Alternatively or additionally, the list of allowed electronic devices for the particular user or the particular user profile may be communicated by the particular user or the user profile (e.g., by the electronic device 110) when the user or the user profile logs into the electronic device 112.

[0054] In some embodiments, the electronic device 112 may only allow pairing with the electronic device (and thus allow the provision of Bluetooth services) based at least on the active current user or current user profile. The Bluetooth Classic MAC address, the virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC address, and / or the list of allowed electronic devices (or the list of rejected electronic devices) associated with the current active user or the current active user profile are optional techniques for implementing selective pairing with the electronic device 112. Therefore, in some embodiments, the selective pairing with the electronic device 112 may be implemented using one or more virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC addresses associated with the current active user or the current active user profile, and may not need to be used in combination with the list of allowed electronic devices (or the list of rejected electronic devices). In some embodiments, the selective pairing with the electronic device 112 may be implemented using the list of allowed electronic devices (or the list of rejected electronic devices), which may be associated with the current active user or the current active user profile. It is noted that the list of allowed electronic devices includes a subset of electronic devices associated with the current active user or the current active user profile that are allowed to connect to the electronic device 112, while the list of denied electronic devices is an aggregation of electronic devices of other users that should not be allowed to connect to the electronic device 112 if these electronic devices do not belong to or are not associated with the current active user or the current active user profile. However, it is noted that in pairing mode, the electronic device 112 can be paired with any electronic device, including electronic devices associated with other users other than the current active user or the current active user profile.

[0055] While the foregoing discussion illustrates the use of a particular virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC address by a particular user or user profile at a given time (e.g., sequential sharing of the electronic device 112), in other embodiments, the virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC address may be associated with two or more of the multiple users or two or more of the multiple user profiles, and the interface circuit may concurrently pair with an electronic device associated with any of the two or more users or the two or more user profiles and communicate with the electronic device using the virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC address, and the two or more users or the two or more user profiles concurrently share the electronic device 112 (e.g., at the same time).

[0056] The communication technology can facilitate the safe, private, flexible and convenient sharing of the electronic device 112 by multiple users or user profiles. In addition, the communication technology can allow the configuration or one or more capabilities of the electronic device 112 to be personalized for a specific user or user profile. Therefore, the communication technology can improve the user experience when using the electronic device 112.

[0057] In the described embodiments, processing packets or frames in the electronic device 108, the electronic device 110, the electronic device 112, the access point 118 and / or the radio node 120 may include: receiving a wireless signal 132 having a packet or frame; decoding / extracting the packet or frame from the received wireless signal 132 to obtain the packet or frame; and processing the packet or frame to determine information contained in a payload of the packet or frame (such as data in the payload).

[0058] Generally speaking, communication via one or more connections in a communication technology can be characterized by a variety of communication performance metrics. For example, the communication performance metrics may include any / all of the following: RSSI, data rate, data rate of successful communication (sometimes referred to as "throughput"), latency, error rate (such as retry rate or retransmission rate), mean square error of the equalized signal relative to the equalization target, inter-symbol interference, multipath interference, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), eye width, the ratio of the number of bytes successfully communicated during a time interval (such as, for example, a time interval between 1 second and 10 seconds) to the estimated maximum number of bytes that can be communicated in the time interval (where the latter is sometimes referred to as the "capacity" of the communication channel or link), and / or the ratio of the actual data rate to the estimated data rate (sometimes referred to as "utilization").

[0059] Although we Figure 1 The network environment shown is described as an example, but in alternative embodiments, there may be different numbers and / or types of electronic devices. For example, some embodiments may include more or fewer electronic devices. As another example, in other embodiments, different electronic devices may send and / or receive packets or frames. In some embodiments, multiple connections or links may be used during communication between an electronic device (such as an electronic device 108 or an electronic device 110) and an electronic device 112. In addition, although the electronic device 112 performs operations in the communication technology, in other embodiments, at least some of these operations may be performed by the electronic device 108, the electronic device 110, the computer system 126 and / or the computer 128. Therefore, the electronic device 108, the electronic device 110, the electronic device 112, the computer system 126 and / or the computer 128 may perform operations in the communication technology.

[0060] Furthermore, while the foregoing discussion illustrates communication techniques using Bluetooth Classic, in other embodiments, the communication techniques may be used with another communication protocol, such as a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) communication protocol or a near field communication protocol.

[0061] Figure 2 A flowchart illustrating an example method 200 for communicating packets or frames using a virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC address is presented. The method may be performed by an electronic device such as Figure 1The electronic device 112 in the embodiment of the present invention is executed. For example, the interface circuit in the electronic device may support multiple independent virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC addresses. Two or more independent virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC addresses in the independent virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC addresses may be associated with different multiple users or different multiple user profiles.

[0062] During operation, the electronic device may communicate a packet or frame with (to or from) a second electronic device (operation 210), wherein the packet or frame is compatible with the Bluetooth Classic communication protocol and includes a virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC address (one of the multiple virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC addresses) associated with a user (one of the multiple users) or a user corresponding to the electronic device. Note that the virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC address may be different from the hardware Bluetooth Classic MAC address of the electronic device.

[0063] When the user or the user profile is logged into the electronic device, the electronic device can only use the virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC address associated with the user or user profile to communicate packets or frames. Therefore, the virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC address can be associated with a specific user or user profile and is used when the user or user profile is active on the electronic device. However, when the user or the user profile logs out of the electronic device, the electronic device can stop using the virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC address. When a second user or a second user profile logs into the electronic device, the interface circuit can use a different second virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC address in the virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC address to communicate a second (subsequent) packet or frame (operation 212). The second virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC address can be associated with the second user or the second user profile.

[0064] In some embodiments, the electronic device optionally performs one or more additional operations (operation 214). For example, when a new user or a new user profile logs into the electronic device, the electronic device may associate a new virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC address with the new user / user profile; and may provide information addressing a computer (such as a cloud-based computer or computer system) specifying that the new virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC address is associated with the new user / new user profile. It should be noted that the new virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC address may be assigned by software executed by a processor in the electronic device or by a Bluetooth controller in the electronic device. In some embodiments, the new virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC address may be used with multiple electronic devices associated with the new user or the new user profile.

[0065] In addition, the electronic device may support discovery using a virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC address. For example, the electronic device may support discovery using different virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC addresses at different times, for example using time division multiplexing of a plurality of supported virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC addresses. The time allocated to each of the plurality of virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC addresses in use may be equal or may be unequally allocated.

[0066] In some embodiments, one or more configurations and / or one or more capabilities of the electronic device may be personalized based at least in part on active users or user profiles. In addition, in some embodiments, one or more configurations or one or more capabilities of the electronic device may be common, shared or common to at least some of the multiple users or user profiles.

[0067] In some embodiments, when the user or the user profile logs out of the electronic device, the electronic device may revert to using the hardware Bluetooth Classic MAC address or the default virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC address of the electronic device to communicate subsequent packets or frames. Note that the hardware Bluetooth Classic MAC address may be associated with the electronic device, rather than with the user or user profile.

[0068] Furthermore, in some embodiments, the electronic device may only allow pairing with electronic devices specified in a list of allowed electronic devices. In some implementations, a given user or a given user profile may have an associated list of allowed electronic devices.

[0069] In addition, when paired with the second electronic device, the electronic device can use the virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC address associated with the active user or active user profile. Alternatively, the electronic device can use the hardware Bluetooth Classic MAC address of the electronic device when paired with the second electronic device, which can be useful when multiple users or user profiles share the electronic device (e.g., at different times).

[0070] Additionally, in some embodiments, the virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC address may be associated with two or more users among the multiple users or two or more user profiles among the multiple user profiles, and the electronic device may concurrently pair with electronic devices associated with the two or more users or any one or both of the two or more user profiles and communicate with the electronic device using the virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC address, and the two or more users or the two or more user profiles concurrently share the electronic device (e.g., at the same time).

[0071] In some embodiments of method 200, there may be additional or fewer operations. In addition, one or more different operations may be included. In addition, the order of operations may be changed, and / or two or more operations may be combined into a single operation or performed at least partially in parallel.

[0072] exist Figure 3 , which presents a flow chart illustrating an example of communication between components in electronic device 108, electronic device 110, electronic device 112, and computer 128. During operation, electronic device 110 may discover electronic device 112. For example, interface circuit (IC) 310 in electronic device 112 may provide a packet 312 or frame having information about electronic device 112 to interface circuit 314 in electronic device 110. In embodiments where the electronic device is shared (e.g., shared by multiple users or user profiles associated with electronic devices 108 and 110), packet 312 may include a hardware Bluetooth Classic MAC address associated with electronic device 112 (such as a hardware Bluetooth Classic MAC address associated with interface circuit 310). However, in other embodiments where a single user or user profile uses electronic device 112, packet 312 may include a virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC address associated with the user or user profile. Additionally, the interface circuit 314 may provide information 308 about the discovered electronic devices 112 to a processor 320 in the electronic device 110 , which may display the information 308 on a display 306 in the electronic device 110 .

[0073] The user of the electronic device 110 may then interact with a user interface device (UID) 316 (such as a keyboard, mouse, touch-sensitive display, voice interface, etc.) in the electronic device 110 to provide instructions 318 to the processor 320 to establish a pairing 324 with the electronic device 112. In addition, the processor 320 may provide instructions 322 to the interface circuit 314, which establishes a pairing 324 with the interface circuit 310 by exchanging one or more packets or frames.

[0074] Note that during pairing 324, the interface circuit 310 may use a list of allowed devices (LOAD) 326, which may be stored in a memory in the interface circuit 310, to determine whether it is allowed to establish pairing 324 with the electronic device 110. Additionally, when initial communication with the electronic device 110 uses a hardware Bluetooth Classic MAC address associated with the electronic device 112, the interface circuit 310 may use a virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC address associated with a user or user profile during or after pairing 324. For example, after pairing 324, a user of the electronic device 110 may interact with the user interface device 316 to provide a password or PIN 328 to the processor 320, which instructs the interface circuit 314 to provide the PIN 328 to the interface circuit 310. After receiving the PIN 328, the interface circuit 310 may provide the PIN 328 to a processor 330 in the electronic device 112, which may log in or sign in the user or user profile based at least in part on a comparison 336 of the PIN 328 to stored information 334 in a memory 332 in the electronic device 112. Furthermore, after successfully logging in the user or user profile, the processor 330 may instruct 338 the interface circuit 310 to use the virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC address associated with the user or user profile during subsequent communications with the electronic device 112. Notably, the interface circuit 310 may include the virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC address in packets or frames communicated to the interface circuit 314, such as one of the packets 340, and the interface circuit 314 may include the virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC address in packets or frames communicated to the interface circuit 310, such as one of the packets 340.

[0075] Subsequently, the user of the electronic device 110 may interact with the user interface device 316 to instruct 342 the processor 320 to log out and disconnect from the electronic device 112. The processor 320 may provide the instructions 342 to the interface 314, which disconnects 344 from the electronic device 112. After the electronic device 110 is disconnected, the interface circuit 310 may revert to using the hardware Bluetooth Classic MAC address during communications.

[0076] Next, the interface circuit 346 in the electronic device 108 can automatically establish a pairing 348 with the electronic device 112. For example, the interface circuit 346 can exchange one or more packets or frames including the hardware Bluetooth Classic MAC address with the interface circuit 314. Note that during the pairing 348, the interface circuit 310 can use the list 350 of allowed devices to determine whether it is allowed to establish a pairing 348 with the electronic device 108, which list can be stored in a memory in the interface circuit 310.

[0077] Additionally, during or after pairing 348, the interface circuit 346 may automatically provide the second user or second user profile with login or sign-in information, such as a password or PIN 352. Upon receiving the PIN 352, the interface circuit 310 may provide the PIN 352 to a processor 330 in the electronic device 112, which may log in or sign in the second user or second user profile based at least in part on a comparison 356 of the PIN 352 to stored information 354 in the memory 332. Additionally, upon successfully signing in the second user or second user profile, the processor 330 may instruct 358 the interface circuit 310 to use a second virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC address associated with the second user or second user profile (which is different from the virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC address associated with the user or user profile) during subsequent communications with the electronic device 108.

[0078] Although Figure 3 Communication between components in the drawings is illustrated as unidirectional communication or bidirectional communication (eg, lines with single or double arrows), but a given communication operation may generally be unidirectional or bidirectional.

[0079] Now let's discuss this communication technology further. Figure 4A and Figure 4B An example of communication is presented between electronic devices 108, 110, and 112. Notably, when a user or user profile associated with electronic device 110 is paired with and logged into electronic device 112, electronic devices 110 and 112 may use a virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC address associated with the user or user profile when communicating one or more packets or frames.

[0080] Subsequently, when the user or user profile logs out and the electronic device 110 is disconnected from the electronic device 112, the electronic device 112 may revert to using the hardware Bluetooth Classic MAC address when communicating one or more packets or frames.

[0081] In addition, when a second user or second user profile associated with electronic device 108 is paired with and logged into electronic device 112, electronic devices 108 and 112 may use a second virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC address associated with the second user or second user profile when communicating one or more packets or frames.

[0082] When the electronic device 112 is used by different multiple users or user profiles, the electronic device 112's communication of packets or frames including different virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC addresses can separate traffic associated with the different multiple users or user profiles, thereby providing security and privacy to the different multiple users or user profiles while allowing different users or user profiles to share the electronic device 112.

[0083] In some embodiments, communication technology allows the Bluetooth classic pairing of privacy security on the shared electronic device used by multiple users, thereby allowing each user to pair Bluetooth electronic devices independently for themselves. It is worth noting that virtual Bluetooth classic MAC address can be assigned to each user in the login electronic device. When user A logs in to the electronic device, virtual Bluetooth classic MAC address A can be assigned to it, and any Bluetooth classic pairing with user A can use virtual Bluetooth classic MAC address A as the address of the electronic device. In addition, when the logged-in user changes to user B, the virtual Bluetooth classic MAC address can be changed to virtual Bluetooth classic MAC address B, and the electronic device connected to the electronic device can no longer use virtual Bluetooth classic MAC address A. For example, if user A is active and pairs its in-ear wireless headset with a tablet computer, virtual Bluetooth classic MAC address A can be used for pairing. Alternatively, when user B is active and pairs different or identical in-ear wireless headsets with a tablet computer, virtual Bluetooth classic MAC address B can be used for pairing, thus protecting the privacy of user A. This ability can also prevent user A from using malicious Bluetooth electronic devices to try to scout the activities of user B. Therefore, the independent pairing performed by different users in communication technology can help ensure privacy and security.

[0084] Figure 5A and Figure 5B An example of communication between electronic devices 108, 110, and 112 is presented. Notably, when electronic device 110 is paired with electronic device 112 and a user or user profile is logged into electronic device 112, a list of allowed electronic devices associated with the user or user profile may be communicated to electronic device 112. Based at least in part on the list of allowed electronic devices, electronic device 112 may not allow electronic device 108 to connect with electronic device 112 because electronic device 108 is not included in the list of allowed electronic devices associated with the user or user profile.

[0085] However, when electronic device 108 is paired with electronic device 112 and a second user or second user profile logs into electronic device 112, a second list of allowed electronic devices associated with the second user or second user profile may be communicated to electronic device 112. Based at least in part on the second list of allowed electronic devices, electronic device 112 may not allow electronic device 110 to connect with electronic device 112 because electronic device 110 is not included in the second list of allowed electronic devices associated with the second user or second user profile.

[0086] exist Figure 5A and Figure 5BIn some embodiments, electronic devices 108, 110, and 112 may each use the same virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC address, such as virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC address A. However, in some embodiments, the ability to pair or connect with electronic device 112 may optionally be gated or limited by a current list of allowed electronic devices associated with a particular user or user profile.

[0087] These capabilities of the electronic device 112 may allow different users to log in and share a common electronic device, such as a Bluetooth keyboard. In addition, the Bluetooth controller in the electronic device 112 may determine whether a particular electronic device is shared (and therefore may have a common or universal or shared configuration or capability) or user-specific (and therefore may have a personalized configuration or capability). In some embodiments, the discoverability MAC address of the electronic device 112 may, for example, use time division multiplexing to rotate between a virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC address associated with the logged-in user and a shared virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC address. In addition, the capabilities of the electronic device 112 may allow concurrent sharing of the electronic device 112, such as multiple users logging in and using the electronic device during a public session.

[0088] It should be noted that the format of the packets or frames communicated during the communication technology may include more or fewer bits or fields. Alternatively or additionally, the position of the information in these packets or frames may be changed. Therefore, the order of the fields may be changed.

[0089] While the foregoing embodiments illustrate implementations of communication techniques using channels or sub-bands, in other embodiments, communication techniques may involve concurrent use of different time slots, and / or a combination of different sub-bands, different frequency bands, and / or different time slots.

[0090] In addition, although the aforementioned embodiments illustrate the use of Bluetooth Classic, cellular telephone communication protocol and / or Ethernet in the communication technology, in other embodiments of the communication technology, another communication protocol (such as Wi-Fi or Bluetooth low energy) is used to convey at least a portion of the information in these communication technologies. In addition, the information conveyed in the communication technology can be conveyed in one or more frequency bands, including: 900MHz frequency band, 2.4GHz frequency band, 5GHz frequency band, 6GHz frequency band, 7GHz frequency band, 60GHz frequency band, Citizen Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) frequency band, frequency bands used by LTE, etc.

[0091] As described above, various aspects of the present technology may include collecting and using data available from various sources, for example, to improve or enhance functionality. The present disclosure contemplates that, in some instances, these collected data may include personal information data that uniquely identifies or can be used to contact or locate a specific person. Such personal information data may include demographic data, location-based data, phone numbers, email addresses, Twitter IDs, home addresses, data or records related to the user's health or fitness level (e.g., vital sign measurements, medication information, exercise information), date of birth, or any other identifying information or personal information. The present disclosure recognizes that the use of such personal information data in the present technology can be used to benefit users.

[0092] The disclosure anticipates that entities responsible for the collection, analysis, disclosure, transmission, storage or other purposes of such personal information data will comply with sound privacy policies and / or privacy measures. Specifically, such entities should implement and adhere to the use of privacy policies and measures that are recognized as meeting or exceeding the industry or government requirements for maintaining the privacy and security of personal information data. Such policies should be easy for users to access and should be updated as changes in the collection and / or use of data occur. Personal information from users should be collected for legal and reasonable entity purposes and should not be shared or sold outside these legal purposes. In addition, such collection / sharing should only be after receiving the user's informed consent. Additionally, such entities should consider taking any necessary steps to protect and safeguard access to such personal information data, and ensure that other entities with access to personal information data comply with the privacy policies and procedures of other entities. In addition, such entities can subject themselves to third-party assessments to prove that they comply with widely accepted privacy policies and practices. In addition, policies and practices should be adapted to specific types of personal information data collected and / or accessed, and to applicable laws and standards including considerations of special jurisdictions. For example, in the United States, the collection or acquisition of certain health data may be governed by federal and / or state laws, such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA); while health data in other countries may be subject to other regulations and policies and should be handled accordingly. Therefore, different privacy measures should be advocated for different types of personal data in each country.

[0093] Regardless of the foregoing, the present disclosure also contemplates implementation schemes in which users selectively block the use or access of personal information data. That is, the present disclosure contemplates providing hardware elements and / or software elements to hinder or block access to such personal information data. For example, the present technology may be configured to allow users to selectively participate in "opt-in" or "opt-out" of collecting personal information data at any time during (for example) registration for a service or thereafter. In addition to providing "opt-in" and "opt-out" options, the present disclosure also contemplates providing notifications related to access or use of personal information. For example, a user may be notified that their personal information data will be accessed when downloading an application, and then reminded again just before the personal information data is accessed by the application.

[0094] In addition, it is the intention of the present disclosure that personal information data should be managed and processed in a manner that minimizes the risk of unintentional or unauthorized access or use. Once the data is no longer needed, the risk can be minimized by limiting the collection of data and deleting the data. In addition, and when applicable, including in certain health-related applications, data de-identification can be used to protect the privacy of users. De-identification can be facilitated by removing specific identifiers (e.g., date of birth, etc.), controlling the amount or specificity of stored data (e.g., collecting location data at the city level rather than at the address level), controlling how the data is stored (e.g., aggregating data between users), and / or other methods when appropriate.

[0095] Thus, while the present disclosure may broadly cover the use of personal information data to implement one or more of the various disclosed embodiments, the present disclosure also contemplates that various embodiments may also be implemented without access to such personal information data. That is, various embodiments of the present technology will not fail to function properly due to the lack of all or part of such personal information data.

[0096] Embodiments of electronic devices are now described. Figure 6 A block diagram of an electronic device 600 (which may be a cellular phone, a smart watch, a speaker, a keyboard, a mouse, a headset, one or more speakers, a printer, another type of peripheral device, a computer, an access point, an IoT device, another electronic device, etc.) according to some embodiments is presented. The electronic device includes a processing subsystem 610, a memory subsystem 612, and a networking subsystem 614. The processing subsystem 610 includes one or more devices configured to perform computing operations. For example, the processing subsystem 610 may include one or more microprocessors, application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), microcontrollers, graphics processing units (GPUs), programmable logic devices, and / or one or more digital signal processors (DSPs).

[0097] The memory subsystem 612 includes one or more devices for storing data and / or instructions for the processing subsystem 610 and / or the networking subsystem 614. For example, the memory subsystem 612 may include dynamic random access memory (DRAM), static random access memory (SRAM), read-only memory (ROM), flash memory, and / or other types of memory. In some embodiments, the instructions for the processing subsystem 610 in the memory subsystem 612 include: program instructions or instruction sets (such as program instructions 622 or operating system 624) that can be executed by the processing subsystem 610. For example, ROM can store programs, utilities, or processes to be executed in a non-volatile manner, and DRAM can provide volatile data storage and can store instructions related to the operation of the electronic device 600. It should be noted that one or more computer programs can constitute a computer program mechanism, a computer-readable storage medium, or software. In addition, the instructions in the various modules in the memory subsystem 612 can be implemented in the following languages: a high-level programming language, an object-oriented programming language, and / or an assembly language or a machine language. Furthermore, the programming language may be compiled or interpreted, e.g., configurable or configured (the two may be used interchangeably in this discussion) to be executed by the processing subsystem 610. In some embodiments, one or more computer programs are distributed over a network-coupled computer system so that the one or more computer programs are stored and executed in a distributed fashion.

[0098] In addition, the memory subsystem 612 may include mechanisms for controlling access to the memory. In some embodiments, the memory subsystem 612 includes a memory hierarchy including one or more caches coupled to memory in the electronic device 600. In some of these embodiments, one or more of the caches are located in the processing subsystem 610.

[0099] In some embodiments, the memory subsystem 612 is coupled to one or more high-capacity mass storage devices (not shown). For example, the memory subsystem 612 may be coupled to a magnetic disk drive or optical disk drive, a solid-state drive, or another type of mass storage device. In these embodiments, the memory subsystem 612 may be used by the electronic device 600 as a fast access storage device for frequently used data, while the mass storage device is used to store less frequently used data.

[0100] The networking subsystem 614 includes one or more devices configured to couple to and communicate on a wired and / or wireless network (i.e., perform network operations), such as: a control logic component 616, one or more interface circuits 618, and a set of antennas 620 (or antenna elements) in an adaptive array that can be selectively turned on and / or off by the control logic component 616 to produce a variety of optional antenna patterns or "beam patterns." Alternatively, instead of the set of antennas, in some embodiments, the electronic device 600 includes one or more nodes 608, such as pads or connectors, which can be coupled to the set of antennas 620. Thus, the electronic device 600 may or may not include the set of antennas 620. For example, the networking subsystem 614 may include a Bluetooth Classic networking system, a cellular networking system (e.g., 3G / 4G / 5G networks such as UMTS, LTE, etc.), a Universal Serial Bus (USB) networking system, a networking system based on the standards described in IEEE 802.12 (e.g., networking system), an Ethernet networking system, and / or another networking system.

[0101] In some embodiments, the networking subsystem 614 includes one or more radio components, such as a wake-up radio component for receiving wake-up frames and wake-up beacons, and a main radio component for sending and / or receiving frames or packets during normal operating mode. The wake-up radio component and the main radio component can be implemented separately (such as using discrete components or separate integrated circuits) or in a common integrated circuit.

[0102] The networking subsystem 614 includes a processor, a controller, a radio component / antenna, a socket / plug, and / or other devices for coupling to each supported networking system, communicating on each supported networking system, and processing data and events of each supported networking system. It should be noted that the mechanism for coupling to the network of each network system, communicating on the network of each network system, and processing data and events on the network of each network system is sometimes collectively referred to as a "network interface" for the network system. In addition, in some embodiments, the "network" or "connection" between electronic devices does not yet exist. Thus, the electronic device 600 can use the mechanism in the networking subsystem 614 to perform simple wireless communications between electronic devices, such as sending notification frames and / or scanning notification frames sent by other electronic devices.

[0103] Within the electronic device 600, the processing subsystem 610, the memory subsystem 612, and the networking subsystem 614 are coupled together using a bus 628, which facilitates data transfer between these components. The bus 628 may include electrical, optical, and / or optoelectronic connections that the subsystems can use to communicate commands and data between each other. Although only one bus 628 is shown for clarity, different embodiments may include different numbers or configurations of electrical, optical, and / or optoelectronic connections between the subsystems.

[0104] In some embodiments, the electronic device 600 includes a display subsystem 626 for displaying information on a display, which may include a display driver and a display, such as a liquid crystal display, a multi-touch touch screen, etc. The display subsystem 626 may be controlled by the processing subsystem 610 to display information to a user (e.g., information related to an incoming, outgoing, or active communication session).

[0105] The electronic device 600 may also include a user input subsystem 630 that allows a user of the electronic device 600 to interact with the electronic device 600. For example, the user input subsystem 630 may take a variety of forms, such as: buttons, keypads, dials, touch screens, audio input interfaces, visual / image capture input interfaces, input in the form of sensor data, etc.

[0106] The electronic device 600 may be any electronic device having at least one network interface (or may be included in any electronic device having at least one network interface). For example, the electronic device 600 may include: a cellular phone or smart phone, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a notebook computer, a personal or desktop computer, a netbook computer, a media player device, a wireless speaker, a headset, a keyboard, a mouse, a printer, another type of peripheral device, an IoT device, an e-book device, Devices, smart watches, wearable computing devices, portable computing devices, consumer electronic devices, vehicles, doors, windows, portals, access points, routers, switches, communication equipment, test equipment, and any other type of electronic computing device with wireless communication capabilities that may include communicating via one or more wireless communication protocols.

[0107] Although specific components are used to describe the electronic device 600, in alternative embodiments, different components and / or subsystems may be present in the electronic device 600. For example, the electronic device 600 may include one or more additional processing subsystems, memory subsystems, networking subsystems, and / or display subsystems. Additionally, one or more of the subsystems may not be present in the electronic device 600. Furthermore, in some embodiments, the electronic device 600 may include Figure 6In some embodiments, the electronic device may include an analysis subsystem that performs at least some of the operations in the communication technology. Figure 6 600, some or all of a given subsystem or component may be integrated into one or more of the other subsystems or components in the electronic device 600. For example, in some embodiments, the program instructions 622 are included in the operating system 624, and / or the control logic component 616 is included in one or more interface circuits 618.

[0108] In addition, the circuits and components in the electronic device 600 can be implemented using any combination of analog circuits and / or digital circuits, including: bipolar, PMOS and / or NMOS gates or transistors. In addition, the signals in these embodiments can include digital signals with approximately discrete values ​​and / or analog signals with continuous values. Additionally, the components and circuits can be single-ended or differential, and the power supply can be unipolar or bipolar.

[0109] The integrated circuit may implement some or all of the functions of the networking subsystem 614. The integrated circuit may include hardware mechanisms and / or software mechanisms for sending wireless signals from the electronic device 600 and receiving signals from other electronic devices at the electronic device 600. Except for the mechanisms described herein, radio components are well known in the art and are not described in detail. In general, the networking subsystem 614 and / or the integrated circuit may include any number of radio components. It should be noted that the radio components in the multiple radio component embodiments function in a manner similar to the single radio component embodiments described.

[0110] In some embodiments, the networking subsystem 614 and / or the integrated circuit includes a configuration mechanism (such as one or more hardware mechanisms and / or software mechanisms) that configures the radio component to transmit and / or receive on a given communication channel (e.g., a given carrier frequency). For example, in some embodiments, the configuration mechanism can be used to switch the radio component from monitoring and / or transmitting on a given communication channel to monitoring and / or transmitting on a different communication channel. (Note that "monitoring" as used herein includes receiving signals from other electronic devices and possibly performing one or more processing operations on the received signals)

[0111] In some embodiments, the output of the process for designing an integrated circuit or a part of an integrated circuit including one or more of the circuits described herein may be a computer-readable medium, such as, for example, a tape or an optical disk or a disk. The computer-readable medium may be encoded with a data structure or other information describing a circuit that can be physically instantiated as an integrated circuit or a part of an integrated circuit. Although various formats can be used for such encoding, these data structures are usually written in the following formats: Caltech Intermediate Format (CIF), Calma GDS II Data Stream Format (GDSII), Electronic Design Interchange Format (EDIF), Open Access (OA) or Open Source System Interchange Standard (OASIS). A person skilled in the art of integrated circuit design may develop such data structures from the schematic diagrams and corresponding descriptions of the types described in detail above, and encode the data structures on a computer-readable medium. A person skilled in the art of integrated circuit manufacturing may use such encoded data to manufacture an integrated circuit including one or more of the circuits described herein.

[0112] Although the aforementioned discussion uses the Bluetooth Classic communication protocol as an illustrative example, in other embodiments, various communication protocols can be used, and more generally, wireless communication technology can be used. Therefore, communication technology can be used in a variety of network interfaces. In addition, although some of the operations in the aforementioned embodiments are implemented in hardware or software, generally speaking, the operations in the aforementioned embodiments can be implemented in a variety of configurations and architectures. Thus, some or all of the operations in the aforementioned embodiments can be performed in hardware, software, or in both hardware and software. For example, at least some of the operations in the communication technology can be implemented using program instructions 622, operating system 624 (such as a driver for an interface circuit in a networking subsystem 614) or in firmware in an interface circuit in a networking subsystem 614. Alternatively or additionally, at least some of the operations in the communication technology can be implemented in a physical layer (such as hardware in an interface circuit in a networking subsystem 614). In some embodiments, communication technology is implemented at least partially in a MAC layer and / or a physical layer in an interface circuit in a networking subsystem 614.

[0113] Note that in one or more embodiments, the use of the phrases "can", "operable as", or "configured to" refers to designing some device, logic component, hardware, and / or element so that the device, logic component, hardware, and / or element can be used in a specified manner.

[0114] Although examples of numerical values ​​are provided in the foregoing discussion, different numerical values ​​are used in other embodiments. Therefore, the numerical values ​​provided are not intended to be limiting.

[0115] Reference has been made in the foregoing description to “some embodiments.” Note that “some embodiments” describes a subset of all possible embodiments, but does not always specify the same subset of embodiments.

[0116] The foregoing description is intended to enable any person skilled in the art to implement and use the present disclosure, and is provided in the context of a specific application and its requirements. In addition, for the purpose of illustration and description only, the foregoing description of the embodiments of the present disclosure has been presented. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the present disclosure to the disclosed form. Thus, many modifications and variations will be apparent to practitioners skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein can be applied to other embodiments and applications without departing from the essence and scope of the present disclosure. Additionally, the discussion of the foregoing embodiments is not intended to limit the present disclosure. Therefore, the present disclosure is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown, but will be given the widest scope consistent with the principles and features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. An interface circuit, comprising: A circuit configured to communicate using a Bluetooth communication protocol, wherein the circuit is configured to support multiple independent virtual Bluetooth Classic media access control (MAC) addresses, and wherein the circuit is configured to: identifying an active session corresponding to a user or user profile; determining a virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC address to be used for the active session, wherein the virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC address is associated with the user or the user profile and is different from a hardware MAC address associated with the circuit; and A message is communicated to a second interface circuit, wherein the message includes the virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC address.

2. The interface circuit according to claim 1, wherein: When the user or the user profile logs out of the interface circuit, the circuit does not use the virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC address for subsequent messages.

3. The interface circuit according to claim 2, wherein: When a second active session corresponding to a second user or a second user profile is initiated, the interface circuit communicates subsequent messages using a second virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC address associated with the second active session.

4. The interface circuit according to claim 1, wherein: When the active session is terminated, the circuitry is configured to revert to using a hardware Bluetooth Classic MAC address corresponding to the interface circuitry to communicate subsequent messages.

5. An electronic device, comprising: an antenna node configured to be communicatively coupled to an antenna; and an interface circuit communicatively coupled to the antenna node, the interface circuit being configured to communicate using a Bluetooth communication protocol, wherein the interface circuit is configured to support a plurality of independent virtual Bluetooth Classic media access control (MAC) addresses associated with different pluralities of users or different pluralities of user profiles, and wherein the interface circuit is configured to: A message is communicated with a second electronic device, wherein the message is compatible with the Bluetooth communication protocol and includes a virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC address of a plurality of virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC addresses associated with a user of the plurality of users or a user profile of the plurality of user profiles.

6. The electronic device according to claim 5, wherein: When the user or the user profile is logged into the electronic device, the interface circuit is configured to communicate messages using only the virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC address.

7. The electronic device according to claim 5, wherein: When the user or the user profile logs out of the electronic device and a second user or a second user profile logs into the electronic device, the interface circuit is configured to communicate subsequent messages using a second virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC address from the multiple virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC addresses that is associated with the second user from the multiple users or the second user profile from the multiple user profiles.

8. The electronic device according to claim 5, wherein: When a new user not included in the plurality of users or a new user profile not included in the plurality of user profiles logs into the electronic device, the electronic device is configured to: associating a new virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC address with the new user or the new user profile; and Information is provided addressed to a computer specifying the new virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC address associated with the new user or the new user profile. 9 . The electronic device of claim 8 , wherein program instructions executed by a processor in the electronic device or a Bluetooth controller in the electronic device are configured to assign the new virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC address.

10. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein the new virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC address is used with a plurality of electronic devices associated with the new user or the new user profile.

11. The electronic device of claim 5, wherein the interface circuit is configured to support discovery using the plurality of virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC addresses.

12. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the interface circuit is configured to support time division multiplexing of the supported plurality of virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC addresses to perform the discovery using different plurality of virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC addresses at different times.

13. The electronic device of claim 5, wherein the electronic device is configured to personalize a configuration or one or more capabilities of the electronic device based at least in part on the user or the user profile.

14. The electronic device of claim 5, wherein the electronic device is configured to use a common configuration or one or more common capabilities of the electronic device for at least some of the plurality of users or at least some of the plurality of user profiles.

15. The electronic device according to claim 5, wherein: When the user or the user profile logs out of the electronic device, the interface circuit is configured to revert to using the hardware Bluetooth Classic MAC address of the electronic device to communicate subsequent messages.

16. The electronic device of claim 5, wherein the electronic device is configured to allow pairing only with electronic devices specified in a list of allowed electronic devices; and The list of allowed electronic devices is associated with the user or the user profile. 17 . The electronic device of claim 5 , wherein the interface circuit is configured to use the virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC address when pairing with the second electronic device.

18. The electronic device of claim 5, wherein the interface circuit is configured to use a hardware Bluetooth Classic MAC address of the electronic device when pairing with the second electronic device.

19. An electronic device according to claim 5, wherein the virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC address is associated with two or more users among the multiple users or two or more user profiles among the multiple user profiles, and the interface circuit is configured to concurrently pair with electronic devices associated with the two or more users among the multiple users or the two or more user profiles among the multiple user profiles and communicate with the electronic devices associated with the two or more users among the multiple users or the two or more user profiles among the multiple user profiles using the virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC address.

20. The electronic device of claim 5, wherein the virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC address is different from a hardware Bluetooth Classic MAC address of the electronic device.

21. A method for communicating a message, the method comprising: The following operations are performed by an interface circuit, wherein the interface circuit supports multiple independent virtual Bluetooth Classic media access control (MAC) addresses associated with different multiple users or different multiple user profiles: communicating a message with a second electronic device, wherein the message is compatible with the Bluetooth communication protocol and includes a virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC address of a plurality of virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC addresses associated with a user of the plurality of users or a user profile of the plurality of user profiles; as well as When the user or the user profile logs out of the electronic device and a second user or a second user profile logs into the electronic device, a second virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC address associated with the second user or the second user profile is used to communicate subsequent messages, wherein the second virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC address is different from the virtual Bluetooth Classic MAC address.

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