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AppleGranted patentSecurity & privacyInterest 6/10

Apple patents secure location checks for crowded doorways

Apple describes a method where phones in crowded areas take turns talking to door sensors to avoid signal interference. The system assigns specific time slots to devices so they can accurately measure their distance from an entryway. This precise location data is then used to unlock doors or grant access without manual input.

Why it mattersThis improves how automatic doors and secure entry systems work in busy places like airports or offices, potentially making hands-free access more reliable.

In the filing’s own words

A mobile device may receive a plurality of polling messages with each polling message including an identifier of a particular access device transmitting the polling message. Each polling message of the plurality of polling messages may be transmitted during a polling phase. The mobile device may select a timeslot of a response phase of a communication session. The mobile device may transmit a response message during the timeslot of the response phase. The mobile device may receive, during a third phase, an assignment message including an assigned timeslot for a response phase of a future session. The mobile device may perform secure ranging with one or more access devices of the plurality of access devices during the future session using the assigned timeslot. The mobile device may provide an access credential to the one or more access devices based on a location determined using the secure ranging.

What exactly they claim (claim 1)

1. A method for communicating with an access device, the method comprising performing, by a mobile device: receiving a plurality of polling messages, each polling message including an identifier of a respective access device of a plurality of access devices that transmit the polling message, wherein each polling message of the plurality of polling messages is transmitted during a polling phase; selecting a portion of a timeslot of a plurality of timeslots in a response phase of a communication session, wherein the selecting is based on criteria associated with the plurality of polling messages; transmitting a response message to a particular access device of the plurality of access devices during the portion of the timeslot of the response phase; receiving, from the particular access device and during a third phase, an assignment message including an assigned timeslot for the response phase of a future session; performing secure ranging with the particular access device during the future session using the assigned timeslot; and providing an access credential to the particular access device responsive to a location determined using the secure ranging, where the location is a position relative to an entryway of the particular access device.

Facts

Company
Apple (APPLE INC.)
Official title
Contention-based discovery and secure ranging techniques for congested environments
Patent number
US12771547B2
Application number
17931072
Filed
Sep 9, 2022
Granted
Oct 20, 2026
Inventors
4
Claims
40

Classified under

H04L 9/3226 Electricity & electronicsH04L 9/0825 Electricity & electronicsH04L 9/3297 Electricity & electronics
Read the full filing (official PDF) ↗ Open in the Patent Tracker

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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.