Softpedia >News >Apple >iWorld
Softpedia Homepage   

New Amazing Apple Invention Takes Bumping to the Future

A patent published today explains how Apple is going to use bumps to transfer information

Jul 17, 2014 19:10 GMT  ·  By
Apple patent aplication
   Apple patent aplication
Using bumping is not something new. Apple has published patents related to this five years ago. The new details described in this patent just take it to the next level. 
 
According to Patently Apple, the US Patent & Trademark Office today released an application filled by Apple called "Bump or Close Proximity Triggered Wireless Technology."
 
The tech giant explains that this new invention uses not just WiFi, but also AirDrop and other standards, and it will be useful not only for buying stuff, but also for applications like e-Commerce, CarPlay apps and even phone theft. That means that your phone will know when it was stolen and it will send a message or get apps and sensitive info behind a stronger password. 
 
Apple explains that wireless sensors are the next big thing and using them to transfer information, unlock a door or help an employee connect faster to his company's Wireless Network can be done.

Apple is also thinking about ways to prove that a car is really yours and that the engine can be started only if your smartphone or other device is nearby when you turn the key in the ignition. Many vehicles include wireless sensors like Bluetooth or IEEE 802.11p sensors and transferring data between those sensors and a personal device may be used in order to identify a car that was involved in an accident or theft. 

 
The guys up in Cupertino, California, want to use bumping and proximity to a device as a way to transfer wireless information automatically. You know how your Apple TV can sense the iPhone, and if you touch the two, you can transfer settings such as your Apple ID and password. This is just one of the ways this new patent can evolve. 
 
In a different scenario, a bump can help you lock the settings on a device. Apple believes that transferred information may include identification, advertising info, purchasing or collision information, time information, and others.  
 
Apple explains that a User Equipment can be a computer, phone or other devices and they may not all be Apple. You can even use your iPhone to set your Nintendo DS, PlayStation Portable or any other electronics.  
 
Using this technology in vehicle collision can help investigators a lot too. Imagine that after a car crash the dashboard computer can offer information about time of the collision, the location (using GPS coordinates), speed, weather, road or traffic conditions, and even identify potential witnesses that were close to the accident site. Paramedics may also get important information about the victims, like their names, allergies, diseases and so on. 
 
There are also applications that will detect the bump and will automatically start recording video and audio so that the police can use that footage later.