IP Library › Granted Patent US 11,540,136
Granted Patent B2
US 11,540,136 · App. 16/808,735 · Granted Dec 27, 2022

Device pairing

Inventors: Irvin Owens (Alameda, CA); Ryan Matthew Krems (San Francisco, CA); Gilles Luc Jean François Boccon-Gibod (San Francisco, CA)
Assignee: FITBIT, INC.
H04W12/50G06F1/163G06F21/43H04W4/80H04W12/06
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,540,136
App. No.
16/808,735
Granted
Dec 27, 2022
Kind
B2
Abstract

Alternative pairing is used to enable communication between devices, but without conventional processes required for pairing. Moreover, multiple wireless bonds may be enabled, where both a device is linked to another device and an account is associated with the device and also a backend server. Once an appropriate bond is established, a streaming app (or partial or lightweight version of an application including a selected subset of application functionality) can be streamed to a device such that the user can enter information that can be transmitted to a paired device over the wireless connection. This can enable the association of the device to be performed with respect to the backend servers of the relevant provider. Such an approach can also establish a mechanism for the user to create an account while downloading the full application, or remainder of the application in some embodiments, in the background.

Claims (67)

1. A method comprising:

detecting, by a first device, a second device sending a code over a wireless channel;

determining, based at least in part upon the code, a type of the second device;

pairing, by the first device, with the second device via the wireless channel;

subsequent to pairing with the second device via the wireless channel and while downloading a full version of an application to the first device, receiving a request to register, with a server, a user account to be associated with the second device;

in response to receiving the request to register the user account and while downloading the full version of the application to the first device, causing a lightweight version of the application to be displayed on the first device to enable registration of the user account, the lightweight version including a subset of functionality of the full version of the application; and

causing the full version of the application to be downloaded to the first device while the lightweight version of the application is displayed on the first device.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

causing an interface for the lightweight version to be displayed as a modal over an interface for an application executing on the first device.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

determining the user account to be associated with the second device; and

enabling the second device to utilize functionality of the full version of the application executing on the first device.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first device is a smartphone and the second device is a wearable computing device.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

requesting, from a user of the first device, authorization to allow the second device to connect to the first device; and

receiving, from the user, permission to connect the first device and the second device.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

in response to receiving the request to register the user account and while the full version of the application is being downloaded to the first device, receiving the lightweight version of the application;

receiving device information regarding the second device to link the user account to the second device, via the lightweight version of the application, to register the user account; and

in response to the user account being registered with the server and a user logging into the user account, receiving, from the server, a firmware update to be delivered to the second device while the full version of the application is being downloaded to the first device.

7. A method, comprising:

detecting, by a first device, a second device sending a code over a wireless channel;

receiving, from a user of the first device, authorization to connect to the second device;

pairing, by the first device, with the second device, via the wireless channel;

determining, based at least in part on the second device, an application for execution on the first device, the application providing one or more features associated with the second device;

subsequent to pairing with the second device via the wireless channel and while downloading a full version of the application to the first device, receiving a request to register, with a server, a user account to be associated with the second device;

subsequent to pairing the first device with the second device, receiving, from the server, a lightweight version of the application, the lightweight version of the application providing a subset of functionality of the full version of the application; and

in response to receiving the request to register the user account, executing, on the first device, the lightweight version of the application to enable the user account to be registered with the server while downloading the full version of the application to the first device.

8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising:

causing an interface for the lightweight version to be displayed as a modal over an interface for an application executing on the first device.

9. The method of claim 7 , further comprising:

determining the user account to be associated with the second device; and

enabling the second device to utilize functionality of the second version of the application executing on the first device.

10. The method of claim 7 , further comprising:

receiving device information regarding the second device to link the user account to the second device, via the lightweight version of the application, to register the user account; and

in response to the user account being registered with the server and a user logging into the user account, receiving, from the server, a firmware update to be delivered to the second device while downloading the full version of the application to the first device,

wherein the lightweight version of the application is received from the server in response to receiving the request to register the user account and while downloading the full version of the application to the first device.

11. The method of claim 7 , further comprising:

determining the application is not installed on the first device.

12. The method of claim 7 , further comprising:

receiving, from the user of the first device, one or more permissions associated with the connection between the first device and the second device, the one or more permissions enabling access to specified resources of the first device.

13. The method of claim 7 , further comprising:

providing, to the server, a serial number associated with the second device, the serial number being provided via the wireless channel; and

receiving, from the server, provisional account information for the second device, the provisional account information based, at least in part, on the serial number and providing access to the application.

14. The method of claim 7 , wherein the first device is a smartphone and the second device is a wearable computing device.

15. The method of claim 7 , wherein the wireless channel is a Bluetooth® connection.

16. A system comprising:

a first device comprising at least one processor and a memory device, the memory device including instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the first device to:

detect a second device sending a code over a wireless channel;

determine, based at least in part upon the code, a type of the second device;

pair with the second device via the wireless channel;

receive a lightweight version of an application subsequent to the first device pairing with the second device, the lightweight version including a subset of functionality of a full version of the application;

subsequent to pairing with the second device via the wireless channel and while downloading the full version of the application to the first device, receive a request to register, with a server, a user account to be associated with the second device;

in response to receiving the request to register the user account and while downloading the full version of the application to the first device, execute the lightweight version of the application to enable the user account to be registered with the server while downloading the full version of the application to the first device; and

receive the full version of the application while executing the lightweight version of the application.

17. The system of claim 16 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the system to:

cause an interface for the lightweight version to be displayed as a modal over an interface for an executing application.

18. The system of claim 16 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the system to:

determine a user account to be associated with the second device, and

enable the second device to utilize functionality of the full version of the application.

19. The system of claim 16 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the system to:

receive device information regarding the second device to link the user account to the second device, via the lightweight version of the application, to register the user account; and

in response to the user account being registered with the server and a user logging into the user account, receive, from the server, a firmware update to be delivered to the second device while downloading the full version of the application to the first device,

wherein the lightweight version of the application is received from the server in response to receiving the request to register the user account and while downloading the full version of the application to the first device.

20. The system of claim 16 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the system to:

request, from a user, authorization to allow connection to the second device; and

receive, from the user, permission to connect to the second device.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 4, 2020
From: OWENS, IRVIN; KREMS, RYAN MATTHEW; BOCCON-GIBOD, GILLES LUC JEAN FRANÇOIS
To: FITBIT, INC.
Reel/Frame 052011/0286 →
Continuity (2)
Provisional Application 62814158 · Mar 5, 2019
Related Publication 20200288303A1 · Sep 10, 2020