IP Library Granted Patent US 10,374,707
Granted Patent B2
US 10,374,707 · App. 15/849,400 · Granted Aug 6, 2019

Lighting based authentication of a mobile electronic device

Inventors: Martin Emil Mueller (Fremont, CA); Barry Mark Loveridge (San Jose, CA); Jeffrey P. Hushley (Kailua, HI); Gerard Harbers (Sunnyvale, CA)
Assignee: Xicato, Inc.
H04B10/116H04L63/08H04L63/18H04W12/06H05B33/08H05B33/0869H05B37/0272H05B33/0803
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,374,707
App. No.
15/849,400
Granted
Aug 6, 2019
Kind
B2
Abstract

A Light Emitting Diode (LED) based illumination device authenticates a mobile electronics device on a lighting communications network. The mobile electronic device may request a communications link on the lighting communications network and detect modulated illumination light emitted from the LED based illumination device. The modulated light may include an optical code. The mobile electronic device may determine the optical code from the modulated illumination light and communicate an indication of the optical code to the LED based illumination device. The LED based illumination device may determine if the indication of the optical code is correct and provide, in response, a communication link to the mobile electronics device on the lighting communications network.

Claims (44)

1. A Light Control and Data Interface Module (LCDIM) comprising:

a radio frequency transceiver; and

one or more processors coupled to the radio frequency transceiver and an LED based light engine, the one or more processors configured to:

authenticate a mobile electronics device based on an indication from the mobile electronics device that the mobile electronics device received an optical code transmitted by modulating illumination light emitted by the LED based light engine by being configured to:

cause the LED based light engine to modulate the illumination light emitted by the LED based light engine to provide the optical code; and

receive the indication from the mobile electronics device that the mobile electronics device received the optical code from one or more signals received by the radio frequency transceiver; and

establish a communications link with the mobile electronics device with the radio frequency transceiver in response to the indication from the mobile electronics device that the mobile electronics device received the optical code;

wherein the one or more processors are configured to cause the LED based light engine to modulate the illumination light emitted by the LED based light engine to provide the optical code by being configured to communicate a command signal to an LED driver that is configured to supply electrical power to the LED based light engine, the command signal causes the LED driver to control the electrical power to the LED based light engine such that the LED based light engine emits an amount of modulated illumination light with the optical code.

2. The LCDIM of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to receive the indication from the mobile electronics device that the mobile electronics device received the optical code from the one or more signals received by the radio frequency transceiver by being configured to

receive an indication of a code from the mobile electronics device based on the one or more signals received by the radio frequency transceiver; and

determine that the code matches the optical code.

3. The LCDIM of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to provide an identifier to the mobile electronics device with the radio frequency transceiver.

4. The LCDIM of claim 3 , wherein the identifier is any of a serial number associated with the LCDIM and a network identifier associated with the LCDIM.

5. A Light Control and Data Interface Module (LCDIM) comprising:

a radio frequency transceiver; and

one or more processors coupled to the radio frequency transceiver and an LED based light engine, the one or more processors configured to:

authenticate a mobile electronics device based on an indication from the mobile electronics device that the mobile electronics device received an optical code transmitted by modulating illumination light emitted by the LED based light engine; and

establish a communications link with the mobile electronics device with the radio frequency transceiver in response to the indication from the mobile electronics device that the mobile electronics device received the optical code;

wherein the one or more processors are configured to receive the indication from the mobile electronics device that the mobile electronics device received the optical code from one or more signals received by the radio frequency transceiver by being configured to

receive an indication of a code from the mobile electronics device based on the one or more signals received by the radio frequency transceiver; and

determine that the code matches the optical code;

wherein the code is determined by the mobile electronics device from an amount of modulated illumination light emitted by the LED based light engine and detected by the mobile electronics device.

6. A Light Control and Data Interface Module (LCDIM) comprising:

a radio frequency transceiver; and

one or more processors coupled to the radio frequency transceiver and an LED based light engine, the one or more processors configured to:

authenticate a mobile electronics device based on an indication from the mobile electronics device that the mobile electronics device received an optical code transmitted by modulating illumination light emitted by the LED based light engine; and

establish a communications link with the mobile electronics device with the radio frequency transceiver in response to the indication from the mobile electronics device that the mobile electronics device received the optical code;

wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:

provide an identifier to the mobile electronics device with the radio frequency transceiver;

receive an unlock code from the mobile electronics device based on one or more signals received by the radio frequency transceiver; and

enable additional functionality of the LCDIM based on the unlock code.

7. The LCDIM of claim 6 , wherein the additional functionality includes additional operational functionality, network functionality, application services, or any combination thereof.

8. The LCDIM of claim 6 , wherein the unlock code is obtained from a license server based at least in part on the identifier.

9. A method of establishing a communications link with a mobile electronics device, comprising:

authenticating the mobile electronics device comprising:

modulating illumination light emitted by an LED based light engine to provide an optical code;

receiving an indication from one or more radio signals transmitted by the mobile electronics device that the mobile electronics device received the optical code;

establishing the communications link with the mobile electronics device using radio signals in response to the indication that the mobile electronics device received the optical code;

providing an identifier to the mobile electronics device using one or more radio signals;

receiving an unlock code in one or more radio signals transmitted by the mobile electronics device; and

enabling additional functionality includes additional operational functionality, network functionality, application services, or any combination thereof based on the unlock code.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein receiving the indication from the one or more radio signals transmitted by the mobile electronics device that the mobile electronics device received the optical code comprises

receive an indication of a code from the one or more radio signals transmitted by the mobile electronics device; and

determining that the code matches the optical code.

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jan 23, 2023
From: XICATO, INC.
To: SBC XICATO CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 062459/0458 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 7, 2019
From: MUELLER, MARTIN EMIL; LOVERIDGE, BARRY MARK; HUSHLEY, JEFFREY P.; HARBERS, GERARD
To: XICATO, INC.
Reel/Frame 049410/0735 →
Continuity (4)
Continuation 15055413 · Feb 26, 2016
Provisional Application 62126341 · Feb 27, 2015
Provisional Application 62275115 · Jan 5, 2016
Related Publication 20180198526A1 · Jul 12, 2018