Apple Researching Camera-Based Digital Handshakes for Sharing Data Between Devices

apple device digital handshake
Patently Apple points to a patent application from Apple published today that discloses the company's investigation of new methods for establishing communication between nearby devices for the purposes of exchanging data. In its application, Apple proposes the use of camera systems and identifying marks such as barcodes or even invisible ink to allow devices to recognize each other.

For example, each device can display a seed to be identified from an image taken by the other device. Using the extracted keys or seeds, each device can generate, using a same process, an identical digital handshake key. The digital handshake key can then be used to define a secure communications path between the two devices and share information securely.

Apple describes a number of settings in which users might wish to quickly establish secure connections between devices, from social networking to gaming to retail transactions. Apple also describes how a user could quickly log into a device such as a computer by using a digital handshake initiated from another device such as an iPhone.

The patent application was filed in May 2010 and is credited to Apple user interface designers Marcel Van Os and Caroline Cranfill.

Tag: Patent

Top Rated Comments

Intell Avatar
157 months ago
Volume buttons in the opposite side....is that an iPhone 5?

The camera is on the wrong side as well. And the Apple logo is reversed. Meaning, its just a mirrored image of a publicly available iPhone.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DirtySocks85 Avatar
157 months ago
I don't think some of you guys get this. The visual data is not for the main part of the communications. It is for public/private key negotiation, much like SSL only safer. After all the keys are generated, communications will take place by 802.11, blue tooth or whatever.

Exactly, clearly people don't read anymore. 802.11 and BT will still be used for file transfers, but this could pair BT and authenticate the session. Could be much smoother than the other methods of authenticating a data transfer like this.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
R0bert Avatar
157 months ago
Why not have two Siris talk to each other?
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jbrown Avatar
157 months ago
For pity's sake just make Bluetooth work!!!!
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
NightFox Avatar
157 months ago
Surely Bluetooth already offers a more versatile means of implementing this?
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
chainprayer Avatar
157 months ago
Volume buttons in the opposite side....is that an iPhone 5?

Image flipped horizontally? Apple logo is backwards too.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)