Device pairing with optical codes

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12388647-B2
Application number	US-202418768151-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 10, 2024
Priority date	Sep 26, 2016
Publication date	Aug 12, 2025
Grant date	Aug 12, 2025

Abstract

Embodiments for device pairing using optical codes are described. One embodiment is a wearable device with an image sensor configured to capture an image including a first optical code from a first host device. The wearable device decodes the first optical code, and in response to the first optical code, initiates broadcast of a pairing advertisement. The host device displays a second optical code in response to the pairing advertisement, and the wearable device captures and processes the second optical code to determine a host pairing advertisement code. The wearable device then, in response to the second optical code, initiate broadcast of a second pairing advertisement including the host pairing advertisement code. In various embodiments, a secure wireless channel is then established and used for further secure communications.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus of a wearable device comprising:
at least one processor; and
at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, configure the at least one processor to perform operations comprising:
causing an indication of an optical code to be displayed on a display of the wearable device, the optical code indicating a pairing code;
accessing a pairing message, the pairing message received from a wireless device in response to the optical code, the pairing message comprising an indication of the pairing code;
performing an application-level exchange to establish a shared secret and establish an encrypted connection between the wearable device and the wireless device; and
transmitting a wireless communication to the wireless device soliciting transmission of content from the wireless device to the wearable device via the encrypted connection.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise:
in response to a determination that the pairing message comprises the indication of the optical code, transmitting wirelessly to the wireless device, a first key, the first key based on the optical code; and
receiving a second key from the wireless device, the second key based on the optical code and the first key.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the optical code is a first optical code, and wherein before the causing, the operations further comprise:
causing an indication of a second optical code to be displayed on the display of the wearable device; and
accessing, an advertising message, the advertising message received from the wireless device in response to the second optical code, the advertising message indicating the wireless device is available for pairing.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the causing the indication of the second optical code further comprises:
in response to receiving a user input to initiate pairing with the wireless device, causing the indication of the second optical code to be displayed on the display of the wearable device.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise:
exchanging keys to establish an encrypted connection.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise:
exchanging keys to establish an encrypted connection based on a shared secret, the shared secret based on the optical code.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the encrypted connection is established using an elliptic curve Diffie-Hellman (ECDH) exchange to establish a shared secret.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the operations further comprise:
generating a first keyed-hash message authentication code (HMAC) based on the shared secret, wherein the shared secret comprises a Diffie-Hellman Key (DHKey);
transmitting the first HMAC to the wireless device; and
processing a second HMAC based on the DHKey received from the wireless device.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
an antenna coupled to the at least one memory, and wherein the accessing further comprises:
receiving, via the antenna, the pairing message.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the optical code comprises a custom reference shape associated with a shape feature rule.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the wireless device is a first mobile device and the pairing message is a first pairing message, and wherein the operations further comprise:
receiving a second pairing message from a second wireless device; and
in response to a determination that the second pairing message does not indicate pairing code, refraining from initiating a secure communication with the second wireless device.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the optical code is a first optical code, and wherein the apparatus further comprises:
an image sensor coupled to the at least one memory and configured to capture images, and wherein the pairing message is received from the wireless device as a second optical code by the image sensor.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium including instructions that, when processed by an apparatus of a wearable device, configure the apparatus to perform operations comprising:
causing an indication of an optical code to be displayed on a display of the wearable device, the optical code indicating a pairing code;
accessing a pairing message, the pairing message received from a wireless device in response to the optical code, the pairing message comprising an indication of the pairing code;
performing an application-level exchange to establish a shared secret and establish an encrypted connection between the wearable device and the wireless device; and
transmitting a wireless communication to the wireless device soliciting transmission of content from the wireless device to the wearable device via the encrypted connection.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13 , wherein the operations further comprise:
in response to a determination that the pairing message comprises the indication of the optical code, transmitting wirelessly to the wireless device, a first key, the first key based on the optical code; and
receiving a second key from the wireless device, the second key based on the optical code and the first key.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13 , wherein the optical code is a first optical code, and wherein before the causing the operations further comprise:
causing an indication of a second optical code to be displayed on the display of the wearable device; and
accessing, an advertising message, the advertising message received from the wireless device in response to the second optical code, the advertising message indicating the wireless device is available for pairing.

16. A method performed on an apparatus of a wearable device, the method comprising:
causing an indication of an optical code to be displayed on a display of the wearable device, the optical code indicating a pairing code;
accessing a pairing message, the pairing message received from a wireless device in response to the optical code, the pairing message comprising an indication of the pairing code;
performing an application-level exchange to establish a shared secret and establish an encrypted connection between the wearable device and the wireless device; and
transmitting a wireless communication to the wireless device soliciting transmission of content from the wireless device to the wearable device via the encrypted connection.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the method further comprises:
in response to a determination that the pairing message comprises the indication of the optical code, transmitting wirelessly to the wireless device, a first key, the first key based on the optical code; and
receiving a second key from the wireless device, the second key based on the optical code and the first key.

18. The method of claim 16 , wherein the optical code is a first optical code, and wherein before the causing the method further comprises:
causing an indication of a second optical code to be displayed on the display of the wearable device; and
accessing, an advertising message, the advertising message received from the wireless device in response to the second optical code, the advertising message indicating the wireless device is available for pairing.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage of claim 13 , wherein the optical code comprises a custom reference shape associated with a shape feature rule

Assignees

• Snap Inc

Inventors

• Brook Peter
• Dahlquist Nicolas
• Hanover Matthew

Classifications

• H04W12/06

  Authentication · CPC title

• H04W12/04

  Key management, e.g. using generic bootstrapping architecture [GBA] · CPC title

• H04L2209/80

  Wireless · CPC title

• H04L9/3066

  involving algebraic varieties, e.g. elliptic or hyper-elliptic curves · CPC title

• H04L9/14

  using a plurality of keys or algorithms · CPC title