Apple patents travel alerts for when your accessories get left behind
This patent describes a system that watches for when your phone or computer moves to a new place, like an airport or hotel. It then checks more frequently to see if a connected accessory, such as an earbud or watch, has lost its wireless link. If the connection drops while you are traveling, the device sends you a warning that you might have left it behind.
In the filing’s own words
Methods to provide separation notifications are described. In an embodiment, movement is detected beyond a threshold distance from a trusted location, in response to the detecting, receiving an indication that at least one accessory device is nearby the electronic device and storing information on a status of a wireless connection with the at least one accessory device, receiving an indication that the electronic device is in transit, monitoring the wireless connection for the at least one accessory device, and upon detection of a lost wireless connection for the at least one accessory device, send a separation notification.
What exactly they claim (claim 1)
1. A computer-implemented method comprising: determining, by an electronic device, that the electronic device has moved beyond a threshold distance from a first location to within a geofence boundary of a second location; in response to determining that the electronic device is within the geofence boundary of the second location for a threshold period of time, increasing, by the electronic device, a rate of a beacon scan for beacon data indicating a status of a wireless connection between at least one accessory device and the electronic device; determining, by the electronic device, that the status is indicative of a lost wireless connection between the electronic device and the at least one accessory device; and sending, by the electronic device based at least in part on the lost wireless connection, a separation notification.
Facts
- Company
- Apple (Apple Inc.)
- Official title
- Separation alerts for notification while traveling
- Patent number
- US12749389B2
- Application number
- 18773257
- Filed
- Jul 15, 2024
- Granted
- Sep 29, 2026
- Inventors
- 7
- Claims
- 20
Classified under
G08B 21/24 Physics & computingH04W 4/023 Electricity & electronicsH04W 4/029 Electricity & electronicsH04W 76/19 Electricity & electronicsH04W 76/14 Electricity & electronicsMore from Apple in Wearables
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Summaries are simplified from the filing’s own abstract and first claim. A patent filing is not a product announcement.
Patent data and drawings: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Nebula is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USPTO.