Cloud-based proximity pairing and switching for peer-to-peer devices

Abstract

To provide electronic devices, including establishment of and switching between pairing sessions between an accessory device and two or more electronic devices.SOLUTION: A first wireless communication device associated with a user may establish a first communication link with an accessory device according to a short-range radio access technology, and transmit link information associated with the first communication link to a server, such as a cloud-based server. The server may share the link information with other UE associated with the same user. Link information associated with the other UE devices may equally be shared with the accessory device, and the other UE devices and accessory device may use the first link information and second link information in establishing respective communication links between any of the other UE devices and the accessory device without having to undergo a pairing procedure.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to electronic devices, including the establishment and switching of pairing sessions between an accessory device and two or more electronic devices. [Description of Related Art]

[0002] In recent years, electronic devices have become increasingly sophisticated. Electronic devices, including smartphones, smartwatches, smart glasses, tablet computers, and notebook computers, can often communicate with many types of auxiliary devices or accessory devices, such as keyboards, mice, trackpads, headsets, speakers, remote controls, video game controllers, etc. Such accessory devices can support one or more of various communication technologies, including wired and wireless technologies, for connection or pairing with an electronic device. Specifically, among others, these devices often utilize short-range wireless communication technologies and short-range wireless communication standards such as IEEE 802.11 (WLAN or Wi-Fi), or BLUETOOTH (R) (BT) or BLUETOOTH (R) Low Energy (BTLE).

[0003] Near-field wireless communication technology is often used to establish a wireless personal area network (WPAN). A WPAN can be used for communication between electronic devices (intrapersonal communication), or for connection to a higher-level network and the Internet (uplink), or for connection (pairing) between an accessory device and an electronic device. Other near-field wireless communication technologies used to establish a WPAN include Wireless USB (trademark), INSTEON (registered trademark), IrDA (trademark), etc. The reach of a WPAN can vary from a few centimeters to a few meters. One basic concept of a WPAN is called "plug-in". For example, when any two devices equipped with WPAN functions approach (within a range of a few meters of each other), those devices can establish communication with each other as if they were connected by a cable. Another feature associated with WPAN-compatible devices and / or WPAN-compatible accessories is the ability of each device / accessory to prevent unnecessary interference or unauthorized access to information by selectively locking out other devices / accessories.

[0004] As described above, an electronic device can often pair with one or more accessory devices to enable direct peer-to-peer communication between those paired devices. Pairing an accessory device with an electronic device often requires certain procedures and / or actions to establish a functional connection. Therefore, further improvements in this field are desired. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0005] In this specification, embodiments of an improved system and method for sharing an accessory device among a plurality of electronic devices are presented, in particular, such that an electronic device can efficiently transition to and from a paired state with an accessory device.

[0006] In some scenarios, a user may desire to use one accessory device across multiple other electronic devices as needed. For example, a user may use a BLUETOOTH (R) (BT) headset with a mobile phone, such as an iPhone (R), for a period of time, and then use the same headset with a tablet computer (e.g., an iPad (R)) at another point in time, and possibly also with a wearable electronic device (e.g., an Apple Watch (R)) at yet another point in time. However, transitioning an accessory device from being paired with (and thus usable by) a first electronic device to being paired with a second and third electronic device (etc.) can be inefficient.

[0007] In some embodiments, a first user equipment (UE) device associated with a particular user (or included within a set / group of designated UE devices) can establish a first communication link with an accessory device and transmit link (pairing) information associated with this communication link to a server, such as a cloud server. This server can share this (first) link information with other UEs associated with the same user as the first UE (or belonging to the same group of designated UE devices as the first UE device). The link information associated with these other UE devices (i.e., second link information) can also be similarly shared with the accessory device, and then the first link information and the second link information can be made available for use when establishing corresponding communication links between the accessory device and any of those other UE devices by those other UE devices and the accessory device.

[0008] One embodiment can be implemented in a device that includes at least one antenna, one or more radios that implement one or more wireless access technologies (e.g., Wi-Fi or Bluetooth), and a processing element coupled to the at least one antenna. The device can communicate with one or more other accessory devices. The techniques described herein can be implemented in and / or used with a number of different types of devices, including but not limited to computer systems, access points, cellular telephones, portable media players, tablet computers, wearable devices, and various other computing devices.

[0009] Proximity can be used to trigger pairing of devices through a short-range wireless communication protocol, such as BLUETOOTH (R) (BT) Low Energy (BTLE). When several hosts are in the vicinity, a user interface (UI) for proximity pairing may appear only on the host that the accessory is attempting to pair with. Cloud-based proximity pairing / switching helps limit the pairing options for an accessory to a specified or selected group of devices, such as the user's iCloud (R) registered devices. When an accessory device is paired to one of a set of devices, that accessory, such as a BT stack, can send the pairing and link information associated with the first device to other devices within that set. Link keys and / or other connection information associated with other devices within that set can also be shared with the accessory device by the currently connected device. That is, link keys and / or other connection information associated with other devices within that set can also be provided to the accessory device by the currently connected device. When an accessory device is within a specific proximity range of another user device from its set of user devices, a proximity-based switch of the accessory device to another device in that set of devices can be enabled by sending a disconnection message to the currently connected device, for example, via the cloud.

[0010] In addition to the above, simple pairing between an accessory device and a user device can be performed according to various different scenarios. In a first embodiment, the user device and the accessory (or the accessory device) can be connected via a secure transport such as Universal Serial Bus (USB) or Secure Wi-Fi, and its existing transport can be used to exchange link information, such as security authentication information. In a second embodiment, when a short-range wireless communication connection, such as a BLUETOOTH (registered trademark) connection, is desired between three or more devices, a device having a connection with the other two devices can act as a relay to transfer link information, such as BLUETOOTH (registered trademark) security authentication information, via the existing BLUETOOTH (registered trademark) connection, so that a third connection can be established without going through the pairing procedure.

[0011] This "Summary of the Invention" is intended to briefly provide an overview of some of the subject matter described in this document. Accordingly, it will be understood that the above features are merely examples and should not be construed in any way as limiting the scope or spirit of the subject matter described herein. Other features, aspects, and advantages of the subject matter described herein will become apparent from the following "Detailed Description of the Invention", drawings, and "Claims".

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0012]

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[0013] The features described herein are subject to various modifications and alternative forms, but specific embodiments thereof are shown by way of example in the drawings and described in detail herein. However, the drawings and the detailed description thereof are not intended to limit the disclosed specific forms, but rather, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the subject matter as defined by the appended "claims".

Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0014] Acronyms

[0015] Throughout this application, various acronyms are used. The definitions of the most prominently used acronyms that may appear throughout this application are presented below. UE: User Equipment RF: Radio Frequency AP: Access Point BT: Bluetooth BTLE: Bluetooth Low Energy BTLEA: Bluetooth Low Energy for Audio TDD: Time Division Duplexing Tx: Transmission / Transmit Rx: reception / Receive LAN: Local Area Network WLAN: Wireless LAN, also known as Wi-Fi RAT: Radio Access Technology RSSI: Received Signal Strength Indicator Wi-Fi: A Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) RAT based on the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standard Terms The following is a glossary of terms that may appear in this application

[0016] Memory medium - Any of various types of memory devices or storage devices. The term "memory medium" is intended to include installation media, such as CD-ROMs, floppy disks 104, or tape devices; computer system memory or random access memory, such as DRAM, DDR RAM, SRAM, EDO RAM, Rambus RAM; non-volatile memory, such as flash, magnetic media, such as hard drives, or optical storage devices; registers, or other similar types of storage elements. This memory medium may also include other types of memory, as well as combinations thereof. Further, this memory medium can be located within a first computer system on which a program is executed, or can be located within a second different computer system that is connected to the first computer system via a network, such as the Internet. In the latter case, the second computer system can provide program instructions for execution to the first computer system. The term "memory medium" can encompass two or more memory media that exist in different locations, such as within different computer systems connected via a network. This memory medium can store program instructions (e.g., those embodied as a computer program) that are executable by one or more processors and / or processing elements.

[0017] Carrier medium - A memory medium as described above, as well as physical transmission media such as buses, networks, and / or other physical transmission media that convey signals such as electrical signals, electromagnetic signals, or digital signals.

[0018] A computer system (or computer) - any of various types of computing systems or processing systems, including a personal computer system (PC), mainframe computer system, workstation, network device, Internet device, personal digital assistant (PDA), television system, grid computing system, or other device, or combination of devices. In general, the term "computer system" can be broadly defined to include any device (or combination of devices) having at least one processor that executes instructions from a storage medium.

[0019] User Equipment (UE) (or, "UE Device") - Any of various types of computer system devices that are mobile or portable and perform wireless communication. Also referred to as a wireless communication device. Examples of UE devices include mobile phones or smartphones (e.g., iPhone (registered trademark), Android (registered trademark)-based phones), and tablet computers such as iPad (registered trademark), Samsung Galaxy (registered trademark), portable game devices (e.g., Nintendo DS (registered trademark), PlayStation Portable (registered trademark), Gameboy Advance (registered trademark), iPod (registered trademark)), laptops, wearable devices (e.g., Apple Watch (registered trademark), Google Glass (registered trademark)), PDAs, portable Internet devices, music players, data storage devices, or other handheld devices, etc. Various other types of devices are also included in this category if they include Wi-Fi communication capabilities, or both cellular communication capabilities and Wi-Fi communication capabilities, and / or other wireless communication capabilities via short-range radio access technologies (SRAT) such as, for example, BLUETOOTH (registered trademark). Generally, the terms "UE" or "UE device" can be broadly defined to include any electronic device, computing device, and / or telecommunication device (or combination of devices) that can be easily carried by a user and is capable of wireless communication.

[0020] Base Station (BS) - The term "base station" has its full ordinary meaning and includes at least a wireless communication station that is installed in a fixed location and used to communicate as part of a radio telephone system or a wireless system.

[0021] Processing element - Refers to various elements or combinations of elements that can perform functions within a device, for example, within a user equipment device or within a cellular network device. Examples of processing elements include, for example, a processor and associated memory, parts or circuits of individual processor cores, entire processor cores, arrays of processors, circuits such as ASICs (Application Specific Integrated Circuits), programmable hardware elements such as field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), and any of the various combinations thereof.

[0022] Wireless device (or wireless communication device) - Any of various types of computer system devices that perform wireless communication using, for example, WLAN communication, SRAT communication, Wi-Fi communication, etc. As used herein, the term "wireless device" can refer to a UE device as defined above, or a stationary device such as a stationary wireless client or a wireless base station. For example, a wireless device can be any type of wireless station in an 802.11 system, such as an access point (AP) or a client station (UE), or any type of wireless station in a cellular communication system that communicates according to a cellular wireless access technology (e.g., LTE, CDMA, GSM (registered trademark)), such as a base station or a cellular phone.

[0023] Wi-Fi - The term "Wi-Fi" has its full ordinary meaning and encompasses at least a wireless communication network or RAT that is provided by a wireless LAN (WLAN) access point and provides connectivity to the Internet through these access points. The latest Wi-Fi networks (or WLAN networks) are based on the IEEE 802.11 standard specifications and are commercially available under the name "Wi-Fi". Wi-Fi (WLAN) networks are different from cellular networks.

[0024] BLUETOOTH (registered trademark) - The term "BLUETOOTH (registered trademark)" has its full ordinary meaning and, among other things, includes at least any one of various implementation forms of the Bluetooth standard specification, including Bluetooth Low Energy (BTLE) and Bluetooth Low Energy for Audio (BTLEA), including future implementation forms of the Bluetooth standard specification.

[0025] Personal Area Network - The term "Personal Area Network" has its full ordinary meaning and includes at least any one of various types of computer networks used for data transmission between devices such as computers, telephones, tablets, and / or input / output devices. Bluetooth is an example of a Personal Area Network. PAN is an example of a short-range wireless communication technology.

[0026] Automatically - where user input causes actions or operations to be performed by a computer system (e.g., software executed by a computer system) or a device (e.g., circuitry, programmable hardware elements, ASICs, etc.) without directly specifying or executing those actions or operations. Thus, the term "automatically" is contrasted with actions being manually executed or specified by a user, where the user directly executes an operation by providing input. An automated procedure can be initiated by input provided by a user, but subsequent actions that are "automatically" performed are not specified by the user; that is, they are not performed "manually" where the user specifies each action to be performed. For example, a user filling out an electronic form by selecting each field and providing input that specifies information (e.g., by typing in information, selecting a checkbox, making a radio selection, etc.) is a manual entry of the form even if the computer system must update the form in response to that user action. The form can be filled out automatically by a computer system, in which case the computer system (e.g., software running on the computer system) analyzes the fields of the form and fills out the form without using any user input that specifies an answer for those fields. As described above, the user can initiate the automatic filling of the form but is not involved in the actual filling of the form (e.g., the user does not manually specify answers for the fields; rather, those answers are automatically completed). This specification provides various examples where actions are automatically performed in response to actions taken by a user.

[0027] ~configured to - Various components may be described as "configured to" perform a certain task or group of tasks. In such a context, "configured to" generally means having a "structure" that performs that task or group of tasks during operation, which is a broad description. Therefore, a component can be configured to perform that task even if the component is not currently performing that task (for example, a set of conductors can be configured to electrically connect one module to another even if the two modules are not currently connected). In some contexts, "configured to" can be a broad structural description that generally means having a "circuit mechanism" that performs that task or group of tasks during operation. Therefore, a component can be configured to perform that task even if the component is not currently operating. Generally, the circuit mechanism forming the structure corresponding to "configured to" may include a hardware circuit.

[0028] For the sake of convenience of explanation, various components may be described as performing a certain task or group of tasks. Such an explanation should be interpreted as including the phrase "configured to". Describing a component configured to perform one or more tasks is explicitly intended not to invoke 35 U.S.C. § 112, paragraph 6 in the interpretation of that component. Figure 1 - Exemplary First Device Connected to a BT Device

[0029] FIG. 1 shows an exemplary first device 106 that is owned and / or operable by a first user. The first device 106 can selectively connect with various devices such as tablet computers 114, one or more smartphones 116, computers 118, remote controls 120, keyboards 122, headsets or speakers 124, and / or remote game controllers (GC) 126 and 128 via a wireless connection such as BLUETOOTH® (BT). In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the first device 106 is shown as being connected to several BT devices in some cases, but the first device 106 can connect to any of the various types of devices. In this exemplary embodiment, the first device can be any of various types of devices such as a computer, tablet, smartphone, wearable device, etc.

[0030] The first device 106 is also shown as being connected to a server computer 110 through a wide area network 108. The server computer 110 can store information regarding other devices associated with a first user, or other devices owned by the first user, such as indicated by, for example, a first user account. For example, the server 110 can be a cloud-based server that stores information regarding other devices owned by the first user. The first device 106 can connect to the server 110 through the network 108 via a Wi-Fi network, for example, through a Wi-Fi access point for Internet connection. Alternatively, or furthermore, the first device 106 can connect to the server 110 through the network 108 via a cellular connection. As further discussed below, the first device 106 can operate to create a pairing with a wireless device (establishing a short-range wireless communication) and, in that process, create and store link information. This link information can include any data, security authentication information (e.g., a security key), a link key, a long-term key, an OOB key, etc., depending on the short-range wireless communication protocol used when the first device 106 is paired with the wireless device.

[0031] As described above, the introduction of proximity pairing also introduces several challenges, including but not limited to host-to-host calibration differences, environmental variations, and the impact of Wi-Fi when associated with a 2.4 GHz network. There are some host systems that are more susceptible to the influence of these factors than other host systems. For example, when several hosts are present in the vicinity, the user interface (UI) for proximity pairing (PP) should be displayed only on the host device for which pairing is intended and not on any other nearby hosts. To mitigate some of these issues, proximity pairing / switching can be based on limiting pairing to a specified or selected set of devices. For example, in some embodiments, cloud-based proximity pairing / switching between devices (e.g., between an accessory device and an electrical device / user device) can help limit access to the user's cloud-based devices. This can provide the user with a seamless experience that helps them use the accessory device with the intended (correct) electronic device / user device at the intended time. The first device 106 can then be configured to provide link information (or other connection information) to the server 110, whereby this link information can be shared with other devices associated with the first user or other devices owned by the user. These other devices can be considered the specified or selected set of devices with which the first device 106 can pair. FIG. 2 - Exemplary first computer system connected to a BT device

[0032] FIG. 2 shows an example in which the first device 106 can be a computer system. Therefore, FIG. 2 shows an example of a first computer system 106A connected to one or more of various types of wireless devices. In this exemplary embodiment, the first computer system 106A can be connected to a wireless mouse 130, a wireless keyboard 122, a wireless trackpad 132, and / or wireless headphones / earphones / speakers 124. Further, the first computer system 106A can establish communication via a wide area network 108 such as the Internet using any of various communication technologies such as Wi-Fi, cellular, or wired connection, and can also communicate with a remote device / server 110 (for example) via the network 108. Further, the computer system 106A can be wirelessly connected to a streaming device 138 (for example, Apple TV (registered trademark)) and can be connected to various mobile devices such as a tablet 114 and a cellular phone 116. Generally, it should be noted that the first device 106 (such as the computer device 106A) can be connected via a WPAN to any one or more of the devices listed above and any other similar devices including, for example, a short-range wireless communication interface such as BT. FIG. 3 - Exemplary Block Diagram of a Device

[0033] FIG. 3 shows an exemplary block diagram of a device 106, such as the first device 106 in FIG. 1 and / or the computer device 106A in FIG. 2. As shown, the device 106 may include one or more processors 302 capable of executing program instructions related to the device 106, and may include a display circuitry 304 capable of performing graphic processing to provide a display signal to a display 340. The processor(s) 302 may also be coupled to a memory management unit (MMU) 340 configured to receive addresses from the processor(s) 302 and translate those addresses to locations within a memory (e.g., memory 306, read only memory (ROM) 350, flash memory 310), and / or may also be coupled to other circuitry or other devices, such as the display circuitry 304, a radio 330, a connector I / F 320, and / or a display 342. The MMU 340 may be configured to perform memory protection and page table translation or setup. In some embodiments, the MMU 340 may be included as part of the processor(s) 302.

[0034] As shown, the processor 302 can be coupled to various other circuits of the device 106. For example, the device 106 can include various types of memory, a connector interface 320 (e.g., for coupling to a computer system), a display 342, and wireless communication circuitry (e.g., related to Wi-Fi, BLUETOOTH®, LTE, LTE-A, GPS, etc.). The device 106 can include at least one antenna (e.g., 335a), and optionally, multiple antennas (e.g., those shown by antenna 335a and antenna 335b) to perform wireless communication with a base station and / or other devices. Antenna 335a and antenna 335b are shown by way of example, and the UE device 106 may include more antennas. Generally, those one or more antennas are collectively referred to as antenna 335. For example, the device 106 can use the antenna 335 to perform wireless communication using the radio 330. As described above, the UE can be configured to wirelessly communicate using multiple wireless communication standards in some embodiments.

[0035] As further described herein, device 106 may include hardware components and software components for implementing an improved method for pairing and connecting with accessory devices. For example, a user's device may store and execute a wireless software driver (e.g., a BLUETOOTH® protocol stack) or other software for providing link information associated with an accessory device to a server that is to be shared with other devices associated with that user. Device 106 may be configured to perform some or all of the methods described herein by, for example, executing program instructions stored on a storage medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium) and / or through the operation of hardware or firmware. In other embodiments, the methods described herein may be implemented, at least in part, by programmable hardware elements such as field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) and / or as application specific integrated circuits (ASICs). Accordingly, device 106 may be configured to perform the methods according to any of the various embodiments described herein.

[0036] In some embodiments, radio 330 may include individual controllers specialized for controlling communication with corresponding various RAT standards. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, radio 330 may include a Wi-Fi controller 350 and a BLUETOOTH® controller 354, and may also include a cellular controller (e.g., an LTE controller) 352. In some embodiments, one or more or all of these controllers may be implemented as hardware, software, firmware, or some combination thereof. Although three individual controllers are shown within radio 330, other embodiments may have fewer controllers, more controllers, and / or different controllers for various different RATs that may be implemented in device 106.

[0037] Also, note that any of the accessory devices illustrated in FIG. 2 may include certain components described in FIG. 3 as components of the first device 106. For example, a headset accessory device (e.g., 124 in FIG. 2) may include a wireless circuit mechanism for short-range wireless communication, such as a BLUETOOTH® controller such as controller 354 shown in FIG. 3, in addition to various other components (e.g., speakers, transducers, etc.) specific to the functionality and purpose of that accessory device. FIG. 4 - Sharing of Accessory Devices

[0038] FIG. 4 shows a flowchart relating to an exemplary method by which, in some embodiments, an accessory device can transition from a connection with a first device to a connection with a second device. The first device and the second device can be any of the various devices listed and / or described above, such as device 106, and in some scenarios may belong to different classes of devices. In some embodiments, the first device and the second device can also be included within a specified group of devices, or a set of directed devices, for example, they can be associated with a common user account of a user that can be held by a cloud-based server (e.g., a cloud-based account such as an iCloud® account). In other embodiments, those devices can be grouped and / or directed as belonging to a group of devices based on another criterion. Generally, those devices can be considered part of a group of devices, such as part of a group of trusted devices. The accessory device can be any of the various devices described above in connection with FIGS. 1 and 2, such as a headset, game controller, mouse, keyboard, wearable device, or other similar device, including at least one component that facilitates and enables short-range wireless communication for pairing with the first device and the second device.

[0039] At 402, the first device can pair with an accessory device. In some embodiments, pairing may be initiated by user input on the first device or the accessory device, or pairing may be performed automatically. For example, the first device can exchange pairing requests with the accessory device for the purpose of establishing a connection between those devices. The accessory device may be able to connect to the first device by one or more of various means, including a wired connection or a wireless connection. For example, the accessory device can be a BLUETOOTH (registered trademark) (BT) device that is operable to wirelessly connect to the first device using BT technology. Generally, the accessory device can be operable to wirelessly connect to the first device using any of the various WPAN technologies or short-range wireless communication technologies available.

[0040] In the case of 404, the first device can communicate information associated with this first pairing (or the first pairing request) to a central location, such as a server, for example, a cloud-based server. This cloud-based server can store corresponding information associated with various other devices belonging to a specified group of devices to which the first device also belongs, such as devices that all belong to the user of the first device, or devices designated as being used by the first user. For example, if the user owns a portable computer, a tablet device, and a smartphone, the server (central location) can store the corresponding information associated with each of these three devices. This server may also have the ability to communicate data to each of these three devices, for example, the ability to push data. The information communicated by the first device to the cloud-based server (associated with the first pairing) can include various items related to its accessory device, such as a link key, an address, and / or other information, and / or related to establishing a connection with its accessory device. This information may be automatically communicated as a result of the pairing between the first device and the accessory device, or the communication of this information may be triggered by user input on the first device or by a request for that information by the cloud-based server. When the first device uses BT to connect to the accessory device, the BT software stack can operate to transmit that information to the cloud-based server. The first device can communicate with the cloud-based server by various means, such as a wired or wireless connection to the Internet, for example, using Wi-Fi, LTE, a wired Internet, or related technologies.A cloud-based server can store this information and / or distribute the received information among one or more (or all other) devices associated with (or belonging to) a specified (or instructed) group of devices, e.g., devices associated with the user account of the user of the first device. Therefore, as shown in 406, the information associated with the accessory device (and the first pairing request) can be propagated from the first device to other devices within its specified group, e.g., other devices associated with the same user such as the second device. In some embodiments, the second device can then store the information.

[0041] The information associated with the pairing (request) of the accessory device and the first device can also be referred to as link information associated with the pairing and can therefore include information regarding both the accessory device and the first device as being associated with the first pairing. Thus, this link information can include a first portion regarding the first device and a second portion regarding the accessory device. For example, the first portion of the link information can include the security authentication information of the first device, and the second portion of the link information can include the security authentication information of the accessory device. Furthermore, the first device can also send link information (also referred to as second link information) associated with one or more other user devices to the accessory device. By providing this (second) link information to the accessory device, the accessory device can use the first link information previously stored in the second user device and the second link information previously stored in the accessory device to automatically (optionally with or without user intervention, without the need to go through a pairing procedure) connect to the second user device among those other specified user devices.

[0042] As shown in the flowchart of FIG. 4, the first device connects to a server (or, more generally, an external device capable of receiving, storing, and sharing information including link information about other devices) to verify (404) what information about other devices is stored on that server. However, at any point in time, the first device may already have previously received second link information, and in such cases, note that the first device may already have stored this information and thus may not need to connect to the server. In other words, the first device may already have stored link information associated with (or corresponding to) one or more other user devices, and can use this locally stored history to create connection authentication information about those one or more other devices. Therefore, 404 need not be performed and can be omitted in such scenarios.

[0043] At 410, an instruction for the second user device to pair with the accessory device can be triggered by certain conditions and / or actions. For example, in some embodiments, the second device can determine its proximity to the accessory device. The proximity between the second device and the accessory device can be calculated using various measurement criteria such as signal strength, and can be compared with a threshold for determining whether to initiate proximity-based pairing. In the case of proximity-based pairing, if it is determined that the accessory device is present at least within the specified proximity range of the accessory device, at 412, the second device can automatically connect to the accessory device (without requiring a pairing procedure), or, if necessary, present the user with the option to pair the second device with the accessory device, for example, by prompting the user for input in a pop-up UI that asks whether to connect to the accessory device. The distance used to trigger pairing or connection can be set as any desired distance or a specified distance. In some implementations, this proximity can be set to the distance determined to be the distance at which pairing / connection is expected. For example, user input on the second device, via user interaction with buttons and / or a display, can indicate a desire to pair with the accessory device. Alternatively, the second user device can simply connect to the accessory device using previously stored link information (on both the second user device and the accessory device as described above) without the need for any user interaction and / or without the need for any multi-step pairing procedure.

[0044] As described above, at 412, the second user device can operate to pair with the accessory device in response to the instruction received at 410. Since the accessory device may already be actively paired with the first device, the second device can communicate a disconnection message (e.g., via the Internet or through a cloud-based server) to the first device for the purpose of transitioning that accessory device from the first user device to the second user device. In some implementations, alternatively, the accessory can communicate this disconnection message. The second user device can use the information received at 404 / 406, such as link key information associated with the accessory device, to connect to the accessory device. Similarly, the accessory device can also use the information received at 408, such as link key information associated with the second user device, to connect to the second user device. This enables the second user device and the accessory device to more easily and efficiently connect to each other without requiring a pairing procedure. Therefore, the accessory device can disconnect from the first user device and establish a new connection with the second user device.

[0045] Figures 5 and 6 present diagrams regarding how the pairing process described in FIG. 4 can be used to connect a user device to an accessory device via short-range wireless communication according to a series of embodiments. As shown in FIG. 5, when a user pairs an accessory device 508, shown as a headset in this figure, to any one of the user's registered devices, shown as a computer 504, e.g., an iMac (registered trademark) in this figure, via BLUETOOTH (registered trademark) (BT), the device can be selected to transmit link information associated with the pairing (between user device 504 and accessory device 508) to other devices within the user's registered account via the cloud 502, e.g., through a BT stack. As an example, a second user device 506 is shown in FIG. 5 as a smartphone. If any of those other user devices, e.g., user device 506, intends to use the accessory device 508, the link information, e.g., a link key, can be relayed from the currently connected device 504 to the accessory device 508. Then, as shown in FIG. 6, when the accessory device 508 is moved within the pairing proximity of the second user device 506, a disconnection message can be sent to the currently connected device 504 via the cloud 502 to enable proximity switching. Therefore, using the link information associated with the second user device 506 provided to the accessory device 508 and the link information associated with the accessory device 508 provided to the second user device 506, the accessory device 508 can be connected to the second user device 506. Therefore, this technology eliminates the need for a more redundant pairing process, either automatic or manual, that requires the exchange of link information (e.g., keys) in one or both directions.

[0046] FIG. 7 shows a communication system in a state where devices are connected and paired according to some other embodiments. More specifically, FIG. 7 presents diagrams of types of wired connections and types of wireless connections that can be established to enable easy connection and / or pairing of a user device and an accessory device with each other. The user device 702 and the accessory device 708 can be connected via a secure transport such as USB 714 (illustrated) or secure Wi-Fi (more generally, a secure wired or wireless connection), and existing transport can be used to exchange Bluetooth security authentication information (more generally, link information corresponding to the establishment of pairing between devices according to an insecure and / or short-range wireless communication protocol) between the device 702 and the device 708. If a BLUETOOTH (registered trademark) connection (or more generally, a connection or pairing according to an insecure and / or short-range wireless communication protocol) is desired between three or more devices, the device 702 having connections with the devices 704 and 706 can act as a relay to transfer BLUETOOTH (registered trademark) security authentication information (more generally, link information corresponding to the establishment of pairing between devices according to an insecure and / or short-range wireless communication protocol) via an existing BLUETOOTH (registered trademark) (or more generally, an insecure and / or short-range wireless communication protocol) connection, so that a third connection between the device 704 and the device 706 can be achieved without the device 704 and the device 706 having to go through a pairing procedure.

[0047] Some embodiments of the system shown in FIG. 7 may include a handheld device 702 connected to both a first type of accessory device 704 and a second type of device 706, such as a wearable device 706. Using existing BLUETOOTH® (BT) connections 710 and 712, the BT security authentication information of the first type of accessory device 704 and the wearable device 706 can be exchanged between the first type of accessory device 704 and the wearable device 706. The devices 704 and 706 can then be connected to each other under certain conditions without requiring a pairing procedure. In another example, the handheld device 702 can be connected to a display device 708 (e.g., a CarPlay® device) via USB using the iAP™ protocol. Using this existing USB connection, the BT security authentication information can be exchanged and the handheld device 702 and the display device 708 can be automatically connected. In yet another example, the handheld device can be connected to a second type of accessory device via a secure Wi-Fi connection. Using this existing Wi-Fi connection, the BT security authentication information can be exchanged and the handheld device and the second type of accessory device can be automatically connected. Simple pairing procedure

[0048] In accordance with the above, in order to facilitate pairing as described in, for example, FIGS. 4, 5, 6, and 7, the following can be performed. First, the type of pairing can be determined. Based on the type and use of the device, one of several different types of pairing can be selected / specified. The first type of pairing can be pairing using a link key. This pairing method can be used for classic pairing between BR / EDR (Basic Rate / Enhanced Data Rate) devices or dual-mode devices, in which case the link key is generated on one device and sent to the other device for simple pairing. The second type of pairing can be pairing using a long-term key. This pairing method can be used for LE (Low Energy) pairing between two dual-mode devices or LE devices, in which case the LTK (Long Term Key) and other LE pairing-related keys are generated on both devices and then exchanged with each other. The third type of pairing can be pairing using OOB (Out of Band) data. This pairing method can be used when for reasons specific to the use, it is not possible to select any of the above methods. When this type of pairing is selected, an OOB key (e.g., as defined by the OOB association model in the BLUETOOTH (registered trademark) Core Specification since version 2.1) can be generated and exchanged via the OOB transport.

[0049] Second, device information discovery can be performed. Using the OOB transport, device-specific information regarding the device for which BT pairing is desired can be read. Thus, the following data can be obtained via the OOB transport: the BT address of the device, the BT device name of the device, and (if the device is a BR / EDR device or a dual-mode device) the COD (class of device) of the device. Third, link keys can be generated. An application running on the user device side can provide the remote device information and the type of pairing to the BT stack and can request that a security key for that particular type of pairing be generated. Fourth, those link keys can be exchanged. The generated security keys can be exchanged via an existing non-BT transport and stored in their respective security databases.

[0050] Embodiments of the present invention can be realized in any of various forms. For example, in some embodiments, the present invention can be realized as a method executed by a computer, a computer-readable storage medium, or a computer system. In other embodiments, the present invention can be realized using one or more custom-designed hardware devices such as an ASIC. In other embodiments, the present invention can be realized using one or more programmable hardware elements such as an FPGA.

[0051] In some embodiments, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium (e.g., a non-transitory memory element) can be configured to store program instructions and / or data, and when the program instructions are executed by a computer system, the computer system is caused to execute a method, for example, any of the method embodiments described herein, or any combination of the method embodiments described herein, or any subset of any of the method embodiments described herein, or any combination of such subsets.

[0052] In some embodiments, a device (e.g., a UE) can be configured to include a processor (or a set of processors) and a storage medium (or a memory element), the storage medium stores program instructions, and the processor is configured to read and execute the program instructions from the storage medium, and the program instructions are executable to implement any of the various method embodiments described herein (or any combination of the method embodiments described herein, or any subset of any of the method embodiments described herein, or any combination of such subsets). This device can be realized in any of various forms.

[0053] Although the above embodiments have been described in considerable detail, many variations and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon a complete understanding of the above disclosure. The following "claims" are intended to be construed to encompass all such variations and modifications.

Claims

1. A wireless communication device configured to communicate according to a short-range wireless communication technology (SRAT), comprising: one or more antennas; a first radio coupled to the one or more antennas for performing communication according to a first SRAT; a processing element that, by interoperating with the first radio and the one or more antennas, causes the wireless communication device to: create a first communication link with a first accessory device using the first SRAT according to first link information; share the first link information with an external device that stores second link information associated with other devices included in a specified group of devices that also includes the wireless communication device, the external device sharing the first link information with the other devices and sharing the second link information with the wireless communication device; share the second link information with the first accessory device, such that the first link information shared with the other devices and the second link information shared with the first accessory device enable any one of the other devices and the first accessory device to establish a second communication link with each other; a processing element configured as such; A wireless communication device comprising the above.

2. The wireless communication device according to claim 1, wherein the external device is a server.

3. The wireless communication device according to claim 2, wherein the server is a cloud-based server that stores information about the other devices.

4. The wireless communication device according to claim 2, wherein the wireless communication device is configured to transmit the first link information to the server via a third communication link established according to a communication technology different from the first SRAT for sharing the first link information.

5. The wireless communication device according to claim 1, wherein the first link information shared with any one of the other devices and the second link information shared with the first accessory device enable any one of the other devices and the first accessory device to establish the second communication link with each other when any one of the other devices is within at least a specified proximity range of the first accessory device. The wireless communication device according to claim 1.

6. In response to one of the other devices establishing the second communication link with the first accessory device using the first link information and the second link information, the wireless communication device is further configured to receive a disconnection message from the external device. The wireless communication device according to claim 1.

7. The wireless communication device according to claim 1, wherein the first SRAT is BLUETOOTH (registered trademark).

8. An apparatus comprising a processing element, wherein the processing element causes the wireless communication device to create a first communication link with a first accessory device using a first short-range radio access technology (SRAT) according to first link information; causes the wireless communication device to share the first link information with an external device that stores second link information associated with other devices included in a specified group of devices including the wireless communication device, the external device sharing the first link information with the other devices and sharing the second link information with the wireless communication device; causes the wireless communication device to share the second link information with the first accessory device, such that any one of the other devices and the first accessory device can establish a second communication link with each other based on the first link information shared with the other devices and the second link information shared with the first accessory device. configured as such apparatus

9. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the external device is a server.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the server is a cloud-based server that stores information about the other devices.

11. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein, in order to share the first link information, the processing element is further configured to cause the wireless communication device to transmit the first link information to the server via a third communication link established according to a communication technology different from the first SRAT.

12. When any one of the other devices enters at least a specified proximity range of the first accessory device by virtue of the first link information shared with any one of the other devices and the second link information shared with the first accessory device, any one of the other devices and the first accessory device can establish the second communication link with each other. The apparatus according to claim 8.

13. In response to one of the other devices using the first link information and the second link information to establish the second communication link with the first accessory device, the processing element is further configured to cause the wireless communication device to receive a disconnection message from the external device. The apparatus according to claim 8.

14. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the first SRAT is BLUETOOTH (registered trademark).

15. A cloud-based server, a storage element configured to store first link information associated with a set of devices included in a specified group of devices that also includes a wireless communication device; a processing element, in the cloud-based server, receiving, by the wireless communication device, second link information used to create a first communication link with a first accessory device through a first short-range wireless access technology (SRAT), and storing the second link information in the storage element; sharing the second link information with the set of devices; sharing the first link information with the wireless communication device; such that any one of the set of devices and the first accessory device can establish a second communication link with each other by virtue of the second link information shared with the set of devices and the first link information shared by the wireless communication device with the first accessory device. a processing element configured as such; A cloud-based server comprising.

16. The processing element, in the cloud-based server, The cloud-based server according to claim 15, further configured to receive the second link information from the wireless communication device via a third communication link according to a communication technology different from the first SRAT.

17. the third communication link being at least one wired Internet connection, at least one wireless Internet connection, at least one Universal Serial Bus (USB) connection, or at least one wireless connection via a cellular wireless access technology, a cloud-based server according to claim 16, comprising one or more of the foregoing. **Claim 18** When any one of the other devices enters at least a specified proximity range of the first accessory device by virtue of the second link information shared with any one of the set of devices and the first link information shared by the wireless communication device with the first accessory device, any one of the set of devices and the first accessory device can establish the second communication link with each other. A cloud-based server according to claim 15. **Claim 19** A cloud-based server according to claim 15, wherein the specified group of devices is associated with a common user account of a specified user. **Claim 20** The first link information and the second link information are one or more link keys, one or more long-term keys, or one or more out-of-band keys, a cloud-based server according to claim 15, comprising one or more of the foregoing.

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