Apple Inc.

Christopher B Zimmermann

Philip F Kearney

Jeremy C Franklin

Nathaniel S Sharpe

David C Andrus

Michael Jason Giles

Camille Chen

Peter N Heerboth

Hsin-Yao Chen

Patrick L Coffman

Christiaan A Hartman

Keith Walter Rauenbuehler

Daniel R Borges

Zaka Ur Rehman Ashraf

David B Cheung

Wayne A Lee

Praveen Chegondi

Hung Q Le

Sivaramachandran Ganesan

Keith R Bisset

Ivan Krstic

Lei Li

Shyam S Toprani

Lucia Elena Ballard

Libor Sykora

Robert Bradley

Arnold S Liu

Brian J Dawbin

Carmen A Bovalino, Iii

Loukas Kalenderidis

Filip Stoklas

Pranika Seth

Techniques are provided for updating firmware of an accessory device. An accessory development kit of the accessory device can communicate with an accessory update daemon using a home management daemon of a controller device. Based at least in part on a firmware update policy of the accessory device, the accessory update daemon will check for firmware updates. When firmware updates are available, the accessory update daemon can instruct the home management daemon to stage the update. The home management daemon will notify the accessory development kit to be in a stage mode. The accessory update daemon will download the firmware update and send the firmware update to the accessory development kit of the accessory device using an interface for the secure channel provided by the home management daemon. The accessory device can be a third party accessory device that does not have its own firmware updating application.

Techniques for firmware updates with accessories

Methods, systems and devices for generating an authentication key are provided. Two or more communications devices can generate an authentication key by monitoring a physical stimulus that is experienced by both devices (e.g., a common physical stimulus). Each device can then use an identical, predetermined algorithm to generate a common authentication key based on the stimulus. The devices can use the common authentication key to establish a secure network.

Sensor derived authentication for establishing peer-to-peer networks

Techniques are provided for updating firmware of an accessory device. An accessory development kit of the accessory device can communicate with an accessory update daemon using a home management daemon of a controller device. Based on a firmware update policy of the accessory device, the accessory update daemon will check for firmware updates. When firmware updates are available, the accessory update daemon can instruct the home management daemon to stage the update. The home management daemon will notify the accessory development kit to be in a stage mode. The accessory update daemon will download the firmware update and send the firmware update to the accessory development kit of the accessory device using an interface for the secure channel provided by the home management daemon. The accessory device can be a third party accessory device that does not have its own firmware updating application.

Techniques are disclosed relating to securing an accessory interface on a computing device. In various embodiments, a computing device detects a connection of an accessory device to an accessory interface port and, in response to the detected connection, evaluates a policy defining one or more criteria for restricting unauthorized access to the accessory interface port. Based on the evaluating, the computing device determines whether to disable the accessory interface port to prevent communication with the connected accessory device. In some embodiments, the computing device includes an interconnect coupled between the processor and the accessory interface port, and the interconnect includes a hub circuit configured to facilitate communication between a plurality of devices via the interconnect. In some embodiments, the computing device, in response to determining to disable the accessory interface port, instructs the hub circuit to prevent traffic from being conveyed from the accessory interface port.

Securing accessory interface

Methods and apparatus for dynamic, adaptive scanning of communication channels are provided. A device alternates between scan cycles and rest cycles. A scan cycle includes interleaved intervals of scanning and resting. A scan interval may involve active or passive scanning, and a rest interval may be active or inactive. An active rest interval is spent tending to a communication requirement other than scanning (e.g., an infrastructure connection, a peer-to-peer connection). An inactive rest interval may be spent in a low-power mode of operation. Rest cycles, like rest intervals, may also be active or inactive. Durations of rest cycles and rest intervals increase each time a scan cycle completes without detection of any significant event or signal (e.g., until they reach a maximum). Upon detection of a significant event, they decrease, possibly by being reset to default durations.

Dynamic and adaptive channel scanning

Methods and apparatus for mitigation of radio interference between two or more wireless concurrently operating interfaces in a wireless device having an aggressive form factor. In one embodiment, the interfaces are used for different tasks (e.g., WLAN for data and PAN for human interface devices), and the device includes logic configured to evaluate the priority of the tasks and adjust the operation of one or more of the interfaces accordingly.

Methods and apparatus for mitigating interference in aggressive form factor designs

Methods and apparatus for optimizing wireless network performance by incorporating platform configuration and use case information. In one exemplary scheme, a client device provides the wireless network with an indications of impacted operations based on the client device's platform configuration. The wireless network can adjust the radio link to the client device so as to best accommodate the impacted operation. In one embodiment, a client device that includes a 3&#xd7;3 Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) (or 4&#xd7;4, 2&#xd7;2, etc.) and Bluetooth (BT) module identifies a subset of modulation and coding schemes (MCS) that are preferred for operation. The client device provides the identified subset to the WLAN access point (AP). Responsively, the WLAN AP selects a MCS, such that the client device's overall performance remains at an acceptable level. In another embodiment, the server/client can adjust MCS and/or active antenna chains based on the noise floor (NF) level.

Methods and apparatus for wireless optimization based on platform configuration and use cases

Methods and apparatus that enable solicited access to a secure wireless network having complex security protocols. In one embodiment, such solicited access is performed using a streamlined or reduced number of steps and includes an exemplary active/passive scanning protocol and use of an optimized service discovery protocol (SDP). Furthermore, multiple aspects of the invention are directed to improving and enhancing user experience, including a reduction of 'human' interaction requirements for secure network operation (such as changing settings, entering addresses, etc.), and furthermore, integrated utilization of human readable text.

Methods and apparatus for solicited activation for protected wireless networking

Growing community of inventors

San Jose, CA, United States of America

Christopher B Zimmermann