Switching between watches or other accessories

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10708408-B2
Application number	US-201916505345-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 8, 2019
Priority date	Jan 10, 2016
Publication date	Jul 7, 2020
Grant date	Jul 7, 2020

Abstract

Systems, methods and non-transitory computer readable media for allowing a user to switch between wearable items that have been paired or associated with an electronic device, such as a smartphone, are described. In one embodiment, the wearable items automatically detect a removal of a first wearable item from a user's body and an attachment of a second wearable item to the user's body. Messages from the wearable items are transmitted to the electronic device to allow the electronic device to switch the active wearable item from the first wearable item to the second wearable item. The switch can occur while the electronic device is in a locked state, and the electronic device can synchronize the second wearable item with data received from the first wearable item. Other embodiments are also described.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A non-transitory machine-readable medium storing executable program instructions which when executed by a processing system cause the processing system to perform operations on an electronic device that is associated with multiple wearable accessories, the operations comprising:
scanning for one or more on-body states from one or more associated accessories;
determining, based on a difference in on-body states, that a switch between accessories has occurred, the switch being to a second accessory from a first accessory; and
transmitting synchronization data to the second accessory in response to determining that the second accessory has established a communication connection for data exchange with the electronic device.

2. The non-transitory machine-readable medium as in claim 1 , the operations additionally comprising transmitting the synchronization data automatically to the second accessory in response to detecting the switch to the second accessory.

3. The non-transitory machine-readable medium as in claim 1 , the operations additionally comprising:
starting a timer in response to determining that the switch between accessories has occurred;
ceasing, during a period of time before the timer expires, scanning for on-body states of other accessories;
determining, during the period of time before the timer expires, whether the second accessory has established the communication connection for data exchange with the electronic device; and
reverting, in response to expiration of the time, to scanning for one or more on-body states from the one or more associated accessories, wherein the one or more on-body states indicate a state of a position of a wearable accessory relative to a body of a user of the electronic device.

4. The non-transitory machine-readable medium as in claim 3 , wherein the scanning includes scanning for Bluetooth advertisements which include the one or more on-body states.

5. The non-transitory machine-readable medium as in claim 4 , wherein the first accessory and the second accessory use a same advertising identifier.

6. The non-transitory machine-readable medium as in claim 1 , wherein the electronic device transmits synchronization data while the electronic device is locked.

7. The non-transitory machine-readable medium as in claim 1 , wherein the electronic device is one of a smartphone or a tablet computer and the electronic device has a user account associated with the user account of the multiple wearable accessories.

8. The non-transitory machine-readable medium as in claim 7 , wherein the electronic device includes at least one of a cellular telephone transceiver, a Wi-Fi transceiver, or a Bluetooth transceiver, and wherein the electronic device is paired through Bluetooth with the first accessory and the second accessory.

9. The non-transitory machine-readable medium as in claim 1 , wherein the first accessory or the second accessory is one of or a combination of two or more of: a watch; a GPS tracker; a fitness tracker; glasses; a head mounted display; jewelry; shoes; clothing; a heart monitor; a health sensor; a glucose monitor; and an audio accessory.

10. A method performed on an electronic device that is associated with multiple wearable accessories, the method comprising:
scanning for one or more on-body states from one or more associated accessories;
determining, based on a difference in on-body states, that a switch between accessories has occurred, the switch being to a second accessory from a first accessory; and
transmitting synchronization data to the second accessory in response to determining that the second accessory has established a communication connection for data exchange with the electronic device.

11. The method as in claim 10 , additionally comprising transmitting the synchronization data automatically to the second accessory in response to detecting the switch to the second accessory.

12. The method as in claim 10 , additionally comprising:
starting a timer in response to determining that the switch between accessories has occurred;
ceasing, during a period of time before the timer expires, scanning for on-body states of other accessories;
determining, during the period of time before the timer expires, whether the second accessory has established the communication connection for data exchange with the electronic device; and
reverting, in response to expiration of the time, to scanning for one or more on-body states from the one or more associated accessories, wherein the one or more on-body states indicate a state of a position of a wearable accessory relative to a body of a user of the electronic device.

13. The method as in claim 12 , wherein the scanning includes scanning for Bluetooth advertisements which include the one or more on-body states.

14. The method as in claim 13 , wherein the first accessory and the second accessory use a same advertising identifier.

15. The method as in claim 10 , wherein the electronic device transmits synchronization data while the electronic device is locked.

16. The method as in claim 10 , wherein the electronic device is one of a smartphone or a tablet computer and the electronic device has a user account associated with the user account of the multiple wearable accessories.

17. The method as in claim 16 , wherein the electronic device includes at least one of a cellular telephone transceiver, a Wi-Fi transceiver, or a Bluetooth transceiver, and wherein the electronic device is paired through Bluetooth with the first accessory and the second accessory.

18. The method as in claim 10 , wherein the first accessory or the second accessory is one of or a combination of two or more of: a watch; a GPS tracker; a fitness tracker; glasses; a head mounted display; jewelry; shoes; clothing; a heart monitor; a health sensor; a glucose monitor; and an audio accessory.

19. A data processing system comprising:
memory to store instructions;
one or more processors to execute instructions, wherein the instructions cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:
scanning for one or more on-body states from one or more associated accessories;
determining, based on a difference in on-body states, that a switch between accessories has occurred, the switch being to a second accessory from a first accessory;
starting a timer in response to determining that the switch between accessories has occurred;
ceasing, during a period of time before the timer expires, scanning for on-body states of other accessories;
determining, during the period of time before the timer expires, whether the second accessory has established a communication connection for data exchange with an electronic device; and
transmitting synchronization data to the second accessory in response to determining that the second accessory has established the communication connection for data exchange with the electronic device.

20. The data processing system as in claim 19 , the operations additionally comprising:
reverting, in response to expiration of the timer, to scanning for one or more on-body states from the one or more associated accessories, wherein the one or more on-body states indicate a state of a position of a wearable accessory relative to a body of a user of the electronic device.

21. The data processing system as in claim 19 , wherein the electronic device is one of a smartphone or a tablet computer, the electronic device includes at least one of a cellular telephone transceiver, a Wi-Fi

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Donley David C
• Poumailloux Julien A
• De Filippis Pierre J
• Hawkins Tyler D
• Dooley Craig P
• Pollack Daniel B
• Grandy James C
• Novick Gregory B
• Shortlidge Todd A
• Pahwa Aroon
• Wilson David T
• Yang Yan
• Circosta Nicholas Joseph

Classifications

• G06F21/35 Primary

  communicating wirelessly · CPC title

• H04M1/72412 Primary

  using two-way short-range wireless interfaces · CPC title

• G06F21/6245

  Protecting personal data, e.g. for financial or medical purposes · CPC title

• H04M2250/02

  including a Bluetooth® interface · CPC title

• H04L63/08

  for authentication of entities (cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32) · CPC title