HK1208115B - Method of pairing mobile devices - Google Patents

Description

How to pair a mobile device

Background technology and technical field

The present invention relates to a method for pairing mobile devices, and is particularly but not exclusively used for data transmission between paired mobile devices.

With the ubiquity of mobile phones and the advancement of mobile technology, there is an increasing demand for mobile phones to exchange information. For example, two mobile phones can exchange data via a Bluetooth ^™ connection, but pairing problems such as "pairing failure" are common. Simpler pairing algorithms with higher success rates have been proposed, but such pairing algorithms may be inaccurate.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a method of pairing mobile devices that overcomes at least one of the deficiencies of the prior art and/or provides the public with a useful choice.

Summary of the Invention

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for pairing mobile devices to transfer data between paired mobile devices, the method comprising: (i) verifying pairing parameters using pairing conditions to determine mobile devices for pairing, at least one of the pairing parameters being received from a mobile device to be paired, the pairing being initiated by a shaking motion of the mobile device, and the at least one pairing parameter including respective orientations of the mobile devices; and (ii) pairing the mobile devices if the pairing conditions are met.

The term "mobile device" is understood to mean any device that is mobile or portable, such as a device that is typically carried by a user. Examples of mobile devices include mobile phones, tablets, portable personal computers, PDAs, and other electronic devices.

The word "pairing" may refer to pairing between two mobile devices or pairing between a mobile device and other mobile devices.

An advantage of the described embodiment is that by utilizing the shaking direction of the mobile device, more accurate and faster pairing of mobile devices is achieved.

At least one of the parameters may be provided by a pairing server for pairing the mobile device.The method further comprises determining whether an orientation of the mobile phone is to be used in the verifying step (i); and if so, verifying the orientation of the mobile device.

Preferably, the method further comprises continuously recording the orientation of the mobile device. This is useful because the orientation of the mobile phone during the shaking action may not be an accurate determination of the orientation of the mobile phone, and thus continuously recording the orientation of the mobile phone enables the method to determine the orientation of the mobile phone at a selected time before the shaking action is detected. As a result, the method may comprise acquiring the orientation of the mobile phone at a predetermined time before initiating the shaking action. The predetermined time may vary depending on the application, and a preferred time is 1 second.

Verifying the pairing parameters may include reversing the orientation of one of the mobile devices to obtain a reversed orientation, and comparing the reversed orientation with the orientations of the other one or more mobile devices. The method may also include obtaining a maximum and a minimum value of the reversed orientation based on an error margin, and comparing the maximum and the minimum value with the orientations of the one or more mobile devices.

Preferably, the pairing parameters include the geographic location of the mobile phone and/or the time at which the pairing request was received. The pairing condition may include a distance threshold, and step (i) includes determining the distance between the two mobile phones based on the geographic location of the mobile phones; and comparing the distance with the distance threshold. The pairing condition may include a time threshold, and step (i) includes determining the difference between the initiation times of the two mobile phones; and comparing the difference with the time threshold.

Preferably, step (ii) comprises generating a connection identifier for identifying the mobile devices to be paired; and sending the connection identifier to the two mobile devices; wherein the connection identifier is sent together with the data to be transferred.

The pairing in step (ii) may include pairing the mobile device with another mobile device, or pairing the mobile device with a plurality of other mobile devices.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for pairing mobile devices to transfer data between the paired mobile devices, the apparatus comprising: a controller for verifying pairing parameters using pairing conditions to determine a mobile device for pairing, at least one of the pairing parameters being received from a mobile device to be paired, the pairing being initiated by a shaking motion of the mobile device, and the pairing parameters including respective orientations of the mobile devices, wherein the controller is further configured to pair the mobile devices based on the verified pairing parameters.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, a method for pairing mobile devices to transfer data between paired mobile devices is provided, the method comprising: (i) shaking the mobile device to initiate a pairing request; (ii) in response to the shaking, sending at least one pairing parameter to a pairing server for verification against a pairing condition, the at least one pairing parameter including an orientation of the mobile device; and (iii) receiving a connection identifier from the pairing server, the connection identifier being used in the data transmission.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, a method for pairing mobile devices to transfer data between paired mobile devices is provided, the method comprising: (i) shaking the mobile device to initiate a pairing request; (ii) verifying pairing parameters using pairing conditions by a pairing server to determine a mobile device for pairing, at least one of the pairing parameters being received from the mobile device to be paired, the at least one pairing parameter including respective orientations of the mobile devices; (iii) generating a connection identifier for identifying the mobile device for pairing if the pairing conditions are met; and (vii) sending the connection identifier to a mobile phone.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for pairing communication devices for data transmission, the method comprising receiving a first pairing request from a first communication device, the first pairing request including information identifying a data transmission associated with a user; generating a unique code for identifying the data transmission; sending the unique code to the first communication device; receiving a pairing verification request from a second communication device; verifying whether the second pairing request includes the unique code; and if so, processing the data transmission.

The unique code may be encoded as part of a QR code. If the data transmission is a payment transaction, the first communication device is associated with a recipient of the payment. The second communication device is associated with a payer of the payment.

Preferably, the method may include the second communication device extracting the unique code from the QR code, wherein the pairing verification request includes the extracted unique code.

It should be understood that features described in relation to one aspect may also be applicable to other aspects.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Examples of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG1 is a schematic diagram of an apparatus for pairing two mobile phones according to a first embodiment;

FIG2 is a block diagram of a pairing circuit of the mobile phone of FIG1 ;

FIG3 shows the shaking directions of the two mobile phones in FIG1 and two other mobile phones;

FIG4 is a flow chart defining a pairing algorithm performed by the apparatus of FIG1 ;

FIG5 is a schematic diagram of an apparatus for pairing two communication devices according to a second embodiment; and

FIG. 6 is a flow chart defining a pairing algorithm performed by the apparatus of FIG. 5 .

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG1 is a schematic diagram of an apparatus 100 for pairing two mobile phones according to a first embodiment. Apparatus 100 includes a first mobile device 102 that desires to transmit data to a second mobile device 104, and first mobile device 102 needs to pair with second mobile device 104 to enable data transmission. Apparatus 100 also includes a shake server 106, GPS satellites 108 and 110, and base stations 112 and 114.

Each of the mobile phones 102, 104 includes a pairing circuit 200, and a block diagram of the pairing circuit is shown in FIG2. The pairing circuit 200 includes an accelerometer 202 for detecting a shaking movement or shaking motion of the mobile phones 102, 104 and a digital compass 204 for detecting the orientation of the mobile phones. The pairing circuit 200 also includes an Assisted Global Positioning System (AGPS) API or module 206 for receiving GPS signals from respective GPS satellites 108, 110 via base stations 112, 114 to determine the geographic location of the mobile phones 102, 104.

The pairing circuit 200 includes a processor or controller 210 for communicating with the digital compass 204, accelerometer 202, and GPS module 206 using an antenna 212 of the mobile phone 102, 104 and controlling the transmission and reception of information. It should be understood that the controller 210 may be the same controller used to handle voice/data for the mobile phone 102, 104.

The mobile phones 102, 104 are arranged to communicate with the shake server 106 via antennas 212 and respective base stations 112, 114, and are also arranged to receive GPS signals. It should be understood that communication between the mobile phones and the shake server 106 can be via any wireless telecommunication transmission technology, such as Wi-Fi, the Internet, 2G, 3G or 4G telecommunication standards. Preferably, the shake server 106 resides on the Internet, and the mobile phones 102, 104 are arranged to access the Internet using such wireless technology, and therefore the shake server 106 includes an Internet port for communicating (receiving/transmitting) with the mobile phones 102, 104.

FIG4 illustrates a pairing algorithm 400. At step 402, to initiate pairing between two mobile phones 102, 104, the users of mobile phones 102, 104 hold the mobile phones 102, 104 in their respective hands and perform a "handshake" gesture. The handshake gesture is shown as arrows A and B in FIG3 . The handshake gestures A and B are detected by the respective accelerometers 202 of the mobile devices 102, 104, thereby initiating pairing between the two mobile phones 102, 104. At step 404, the controllers 210 of the mobile phones 102, 104 receive the respective pairing initiations and subsequently determine the pairing parameters.

Controller 210 queries each digital compass 204 to obtain the orientations AA and BB of each mobile phone 102, 104 as a first pairing parameter. Using the example in FIG3 (where North is shown as "N"), the orientation AA of the first mobile device 102 is 100° east relative to North. It should be understood that in this embodiment, the orientation is the direction in which the top of the phone is pointing. The top of the phone is where the handset is located, which is opposite the receiver located at the bottom of the phone. In the case of the second mobile phone 104, the orientation of the phone during the "handshake gesture" is direction BB, which is 278° west.

It has been found that if the orientation of the mobile phones 102, 104 is determined during a handshake gesture (i.e., when the mobile phones 102, 104 are shaken), the reading may not be accurate. Therefore, it is preferred to obtain the orientation of the mobile phones 102, 104 just before the handshake gesture. To achieve this, the digital compass 204 continuously detects the orientation of the respective mobile phone 102, 104 and updates the value of the orientation in the memory of the respective mobile phone 102, 104.

Thus, when the controllers 210 of the mobile phones 102, 104 receive the respective pairing initiation (instead of capturing the orientation of the mobile phones 102, 104 at this time), the controllers 210 query the memory in the respective mobile phones 102, 104 just before the handshake is initiated (and in this case, 1 second before).

For the purposes of this embodiment, the orientations of mobile phones 102, 104 immediately prior to initiation of a handshake are 100° east and 278° west, respectively. In this embodiment, a 20° margin of error or tolerance is provided, as will be explained below. It should be understood that the margin of error may be modified or varied depending on the application.

At step 404, the controller 210 also initiates downloading of the respective GPS signals from the AGPS module 206 to the controller 210. As will be appreciated, due to the use of AGPS, the AGPS module 206 acquires GPS signals from the GPS satellites 108, 110 via the respective base stations 112, 114. This results in faster reception of GPS signals. If AGPS is weak or to enhance accuracy, the mobile phones 102, 104 can use Wi-Fi (if available) to determine their locations.

The GPS signal uses latitude and longitude coordinates to identify the geographic location of the mobile phones 102, 104, and these are used as the second pairing parameters. Assume that the geographic coordinates of the first mobile phone 102 are ( _x1 , _y1 ) and the geographic coordinates of the second mobile phone 104 are ( _x2 , _y2 ), where _x1 and _x2 are the latitude coordinates of the first and second mobile phones 102, 104, respectively, and _y1 and _y2 are the longitude coordinates of the first and second mobile phones 102, 104, respectively.

The controllers 210 of the mobile phones 102 , 104 then send pairing requests including respective pairing parameters (including the shaking direction) and geographic location to the shaking server 106 via the antenna 212 .

At step 405, upon receiving the pairing request, the shake server 106 assigns a pairing initiation time to each pairing request, and the pairing initiation time is the third pairing parameter. In this case, it is assumed that the pairing initiation time is _t1 for the first mobile phone 102 and _t2 for the second mobile phone 104.

At steps 406 and 408, the shaking server 106 verifies the pairing parameters by comparing them to the pairing conditions. The shaking server 106 checks the geographic locations ( _x1 , _y1 ) and ( _x2 , _y2 ) of the two mobile phones 102, 104 to determine if they are in the same location. In this embodiment, the same location is defined as being within a distance threshold of 300 meters from each other, and thus the distance threshold is one of the pairing conditions. If the mobile phones 102, 104 are not in the same location, the pairing algorithm 400 proceeds to step 410 to generate a pairing error message, terminating the pairing algorithm. For the user to re-initiate pairing, they must shake the mobile devices 102, 104 again.

If the shake server 106 verifies that the two mobile phones 102, 104 are in the same location (i.e., within 300 meters), the shake server 106 verifies the pairing initiation times _t1 , _t2 , which help determine whether both mobile phones 102, 104 are indeed paired to initiate the handshake gesture. In this embodiment, the difference between the initiation times _t1 , _t2 is used, and the difference between the initiation times _t1 , _t2 is based on a time threshold of 50 seconds, which is another pairing condition. By way of illustration, if the difference is less than 50 seconds, the shake server 106 will assume that the mobile phones 102, 104 are intended to be paired. On the other hand, if the difference is 50 seconds or greater, an error message is displayed at step 408.

If the difference between the initiation times t ₁ and t ₂ is less than 50 seconds, the shake server 106 will next check whether the first pairing parameter, i.e., the shake direction, is to be used. If the shake server 106 has not received a pairing request from any other mobile phone (besides the first and second mobile phones 102 and 104), the shake server 106 does not need to use the orientation as part of the pairing algorithm.

On the other hand, if the shake server 106 has received pairing requests from two mobile phones 102, 104 and other mobile phones (e.g., third and fourth mobile phones 116, 118, see FIG3) and these mobile phones 102, 104, 116, 118 all meet the distance and time thresholds described above, the shake server 106 will use the orientation to determine which of the two mobile phones is desired to be paired. This is an advantage because it will increase the pairing success rate given so many mobile devices - rather than giving up on pairing, the shake server 106 can use the orientation to identify the correct pair of mobile devices for pairing.

Using the second mobile phone's orientation BB of 278° west and orientation AA of 100° east, the shake server 106 processes the two orientations to determine whether the two mobile devices 102, 104 are pointing towards each other.

First, the shake server 106 takes the first mobile phone 102's orientation of 100° east and reverses the value to arrive at 280°. Next, the shake server 106 uses a 20° margin of error to obtain minimum and maximum orientation values. The minimum orientation value is 280°-10° to give 270°, and the maximum orientation value is then 280°+10° to give 290°. Second, the shake server 106 compares the orientation of the second mobile phone 104 to the minimum and maximum orientation values. If the orientation of the second mobile phone 104 falls within the minimum and maximum orientation values, the shake server 106 will know that both mobile phones 102, 104 are participating in the same "handshake."

In this example, the orientation of the second mobile phone 102 , 104 is 278° west, which falls within the minimum and maximum orientation values of 270° to 290°. Therefore, this pairing condition is met, and the flow continues to step 412 .

Once the two paired mobile phones 102, 104 are verified and identified at the shake server 106, the shake server 106 generates a connection identifier (ID) for the pair of mobile phones 102, 104 at step 412 and sends the connection ID to the pair of mobile phones 102, 104. With the sending of the connection ID, the pairing between the first and second mobile phones is deemed successful, and once the connection ID is received, the first and second mobile phones 102, 104 are ready to transfer or share data.

In this embodiment, the first mobile phone 102 desires to transfer data (which may include images, contact information, e-commerce cards, text annotations, monetary values, etc.) to the second mobile phone 102 and sends the data along with a connection ID to the shake server 106. Upon receiving the data and connection ID, the shake server 106 stores them as tags and waits for the second mobile phone 104 to establish a data transfer connection with the shake server 106 (if a data transfer connection is to be established). The second mobile phone 104 periodically checks the shake server 106, and when data is available to be sent to the second mobile phone 104, the second mobile phone 104 establishes a data transfer connection with the shake server 106.

Using the received connection ID, the second mobile phone 104 establishes a data transmission connection with the shaking server 106 to receive data from the shaking server 106 based on the connection ID. The shaking server 106 obtains a tag based on the connection ID and transmits the tag including the data from the first mobile phone 102 to the second mobile phone 104.

The second mobile phone 104 receives the transmitted data to complete the data transmission and shakes the server to close the connection ID.

As can be appreciated, data transmission between the two mobile devices 102, 104 uses the shake server 106 as a bridge. Utilizing the pairing algorithm 400, the pairing success rate is enhanced.

It should be understood that pairing algorithm 400 can be used with any mobile device, not just mobile phones, and using any operating system, such as Apple's IOS ^™ , Android ^™ , Blackberry ^™ OS, Windows Mobile ^™ 7/8, Symbian ^™ , etc.

The pairing algorithm 400 can also be used in many applications, such as electronic wallets (reloading stored value, point sharing, payment), mobile advertising, banking, ticketing (e.g., airlines), etc. This will enhance mobile application offerings and applications, and make the exchange or transmission of data or information more convenient and fast.

FIG5 shows an apparatus 500 for pairing first and second communication devices 502 and 504 according to a second embodiment, and FIG6 is a flow chart illustrating an overview of a pairing method performed by apparatus 500. Apparatus 500 includes a mobile phone 502 and an electronic terminal 504, which may be a fixed terminal at a store. Mobile phone 502 and electronic terminal 504 are configured to communicate with a pairing server 506 via known means, such as the telecommunications protocols discussed in the first embodiment. Pairing server 506 is operated by a third party, such as a bank, financial institution, or other organization.

In this embodiment, when a user of mobile phone 502 desires to purchase merchandise from a store associated with electronic terminal 504, pairing is performed to authenticate the two communication devices 502, 504. At step 602, the clerk enters transaction information (e.g., the quantity of merchandise, store identification, etc.) into electronic terminal 504 and initiates a transaction request to pairing server 506 to request a unique transaction identifier.

Upon receiving the transaction request, the pairing server 506 generates a unique transaction identifier at step 604. In this embodiment, the pairing server 506 also encodes the unique transaction identifier and transaction information as a pairing Quick Response ^™ (QR) code 510. The transaction information may include an account ID identifying the store (or, more generally, the requester of the transaction request), the monetary value of the transaction (e.g., the purchase price of the item), etc. The pairing server 506 then transmits the pairing QR code 510 to the store's electronic terminal 504.

The store then displays the pairing QR code 510 on the electronic terminal 502, and the user of the mobile phone 502 launches the application on the mobile phone 502. The application prompts the user to "log in" with their details, which are then sent to the pairing server 506 for verification, establishing an active session between them. With the active session established between the mobile phone 502 and the pairing server 506, the user uses the mobile phone 502 to capture an image of the pairing QR code 510 at step 606 by scanning or taking a photo of the pairing QR code 510.

From the captured QR code image, mobile phone 502 extracts the unique transaction identifier at step 608 and displays relevant information for the user to verify. In this embodiment, the relevant information displayed includes the product price, product description, and store name, among others. Next, the user is prompted to confirm the transaction by entering a personal identification code (e.g., PIN) into mobile phone 502 to confirm the transaction, and if the displayed relevant information is correct, the user does so. The application running on mobile phone 502 then sends the PIN to pairing server 506 for verification. Pairing server 506 verifies (based on previous login details) that the received PIN is indeed associated with the user, and if the PIN is correct, pairing server 506 signals mobile phone 502 accordingly.

It should be understood that instead of a PIN, the user's biometric information may be used for authentication (via a biometric device integrated with the mobile phone 502 or a separate biometric device coupled to the mobile phone 502).

Next, the application in the mobile phone 502 sends the unique transaction identifier and related information (product price, product description, etc.) as part of the pairing verification request to the pairing server 506 for verification.

At step 610, the pairing server 506 verifies the correctness of the extracted unique transaction identifier, and if the extracted unique transaction identifier is identical to the unique transaction identifier generated by the pairing server 506 and forwarded to the electronic terminal 504, then at step 616, the verification is deemed successful and the mobile phone 502 is deemed paired with the mobile terminal 504 (and vice versa). On the other hand, if the identifiers do not match, then at step 614, the verification is unsuccessful and the pairing server 506 returns an error message to the mobile phone 502 and the electronic terminal 504.

If verification is successful, the matchmaking server 506 will process the transaction by, for example, approving it, allowing payment to be made to the merchant (by transferring the payment amount from the user's account or invoicing the user accordingly). A status message will then be sent to both parties. Processing the transaction may also involve the matchmaking server 506 redirecting or sending transaction details to a third party for further processing before approving the transaction.

Instead of pairing between mobile phone 502 and fixed terminal 504, pairing can be between mobile phone 502 and another mobile device, such as another mobile phone 508 (see FIG5 ). This process is similar to the process shown in FIG6 , and assumes that the user of first mobile phone 502 wishes to make a payment to the user of second mobile phone 508, in which case second mobile phone 508 is considered the recipient. After launching the software application on mobile phones 502 and 508, second mobile phone 508, as the recipient, sends a request to pairing server 506 for a unique transaction identifier. Pairing server 506 generates a unique transaction identifier, embeds it in a QR code, and sends the QR code to second mobile phone 508.

Next, the user of the first mobile phone 502 enters the amount to make the payment and authenticates the payment by entering the correct security PIN. The user of the first mobile phone 502 then uses the mobile phone's camera to scan the QR code displayed on the second mobile phone 508. The software application of the first mobile phone 502 extracts the unique transaction identifier from the QR code and sends it to the pairing server 506 along with the payment amount and the user's (i.e., the payer's) account number.

The pairing server 506 next verifies the received unique transaction identifier by comparing it with the transaction identifier sent by the pairing server 506 to the second mobile phone 508. If the received unique transaction identifier matches the previous one, the pairing is deemed successful and the pairing server 506 processes the transaction and, in this case, transfers money from the account of the payee (i.e., the user of the mobile phone 502) to the account of the user of the second mobile phone 508. A status message is also sent to each of the users via their mobile phones 502, 508.

If the verification fails, an error message is sent to the mobile phone 502,508.

As can be appreciated, pairing of mobile phones 502, 508 (or pairing between mobile phone 502 and terminal 504) using a unique transaction identifier helps pairing server 506 authenticate the transaction and provide a secure exchange of information or data. Since the user intending to transfer funds to another user has accessed the QR code generated by the pairing server and sent to the other user, this provides good evidence that the two communication devices (between the two mobile phones 502, 508 or between mobile phone 502 and terminal 504) are intended to be paired.

It should be understood that the second embodiment can be applied to various applications, such as loyalty programs. Using the example of FIG. 5 , and assuming that the user of first mobile device 502 has rebates to redeem for merchandise at a store on electronic terminal 504, the user requests and downloads a QR code embedded with a unique transaction identifier and information related to a loyalty reward (e.g., a free cup of coffee) to first mobile phone 502. The user then takes mobile phone 502 to the store and presents the QR code to a store clerk, who may be the operator of the coffee machine. The clerk then invokes a software program in electronic terminal 504 (if not already running) to capture an image of the QR code. Similarly, a unique transaction code is extracted from the captured QR code and sent to pairing server 506 for verification. If verification of the unique transaction code is successful, this indicates that the QR code is authentic, and pairing server 506 sends a confirmation message to electronic terminal 504.

With the pairing successful, the authenticity of the QR code is assured to the clerk, and the clerk can offer the user a free cup of coffee (ie, the transaction) in accordance with the terms of the loyalty reward.

The described embodiments should not be construed as limiting. For example, instead of mobile phones, other mobile/communication devices (e.g., tablets and PDAs) can also utilize the proposed method for transmitting data. Furthermore, in the first embodiment, AGPS is used to determine the geographic location of mobile phones 102, 104, but it is contemplated that the mobile phones could communicate directly with GPS satellites 108, 110 to receive GPS signals (although this may not be preferred). It is also contemplated that the locations of mobile phones 102, 104 could be determined using other methods (e.g., Wi-Fi positioning systems). The first embodiment uses data transmission from a first mobile phone 102 and a second mobile phone 104 as an example, but it should be understood that pairing algorithm 400 can also be used to exchange data between two mobile phones 102, 104. Furthermore, apparatus 100 can utilize pairing algorithm 400 to pair devices simultaneously or sequentially, depending on the configuration of shake server 106 and other components. Furthermore, instead of pairing one mobile phone with another, the pairing algorithm can be used to pair one mobile phone (or device) with multiple mobile phones (or devices). Similarly, for the second embodiment, pairing can be between one device and multiple devices.

Needless to say, it should be understood that the error margin of orientation, distance, and time thresholds in the first embodiment may be varied accordingly.

Furthermore, in the first embodiment, the orientation of the mobile phones 102, 104 may or may not be used depending on the other two pairing parameters (location information and pairing initiation time). However, it is contemplated that the orientation of the mobile phones 102, 104 may be used by default to enhance pairing accuracy.

In the second embodiment, although the use of a PIN adds another layer of security, it is not necessary to enter a PIN as explained above. Other encoding technologies (such as barcodes) can be used instead of QR codes. Although not preferred, a unique transaction identifier can also be sent in the clear along with other information.

Having fully described the present invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that many modifications can be made thereto without departing from the scope of the claims.

Claims (16)

1. A method for pairing mobile devices to transfer data between paired mobile devices, the method comprising: (i) Verifying pairing parameters using pairing conditions to determine mobile devices for pairing, at least one of the pairing parameters being received from the mobile devices to be paired, the pairing being initiated by a shaking action of the mobile devices, the mobile devices not touching each other, and the at least one pairing parameter including the respective orientation of the mobile devices, the orientation of the mobile devices being the direction the top of the mobile devices is pointing, and, if the orientation of the mobile devices is to be used for verification, verifying the pairing parameters to determine the mobile devices for pairing includes: determining that the mobile devices are pointing towards each other based on the respective orientation of the mobile devices acquired at a predetermined time before initiating the shaking action, the mobile devices pointing towards each other meaning the tops of the mobile devices are facing each other; and (iii) If the pairing conditions are met, the mobile device is paired. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one parameter is provided by a pairing server for pairing the mobile device. 3. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining whether to use the orientation of the mobile device in the verification step (i); and if so, verifying the orientation of the mobile device. 4. The method of claim 1, further comprising: The orientation of the mobile device is continuously recorded. 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined time is 1 second. 6. The method of any of the preceding claims, wherein verifying the pairing parameters using the pairing conditions includes reversing the orientation of one of the mobile devices to obtain the reversed orientation, and comparing the reversed orientation with the orientations of one or more other mobile devices. 7. The method of claim 6, further comprising obtaining the maximum and minimum values of the reversed orientation based on an error margin, and comparing the maximum and minimum values with the orientation of the other one or more mobile devices. 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the pairing parameters include the geographic location of the mobile device and/or the pairing initiation time when the pairing request is received. 9. The method of claim 8, wherein the pairing condition includes a distance threshold, and step (i) includes determining the distance between two mobile phones based on the geographic location of the mobile phones; and comparing the distance with the distance threshold. 10. The method of claim 8 or 9, wherein the pairing condition includes a time threshold, and step (i) includes determining a difference between the initiation times of the two mobile phones; and comparing the difference with the time threshold. 11. The method of claim 1, wherein step (iii) comprises generating a connection identifier for identifying the paired mobile devices; and sending the connection identifier to both mobile devices; wherein the connection identifier is sent together with data to be transmitted. 12. The method of claim 1, wherein step (iii) includes pairing the mobile device with another mobile device. 13. The method of claim 1, wherein step (iii) includes pairing the mobile device with a plurality of other mobile devices. 14. An apparatus for pairing mobile devices to transfer data between paired mobile devices, the apparatus comprising: A controller is configured to verify pairing parameters using pairing conditions to determine mobile devices for pairing, at least one of the pairing parameters being received from a mobile device to be paired, the pairing being initiated by a shaking action of the mobile devices, the mobile devices not touching each other, and the pairing parameters including the respective orientation of the mobile devices, the orientation of the mobile devices being the direction the top of the mobile devices is pointing, and, if the orientation of the mobile devices is to be used for verification, verifying the pairing parameters to determine the mobile devices for pairing includes: determining that the mobile devices are pointing towards each other based on the respective orientation of the mobile devices acquired at a predetermined time before initiating the shaking action, the mobile devices pointing towards each other meaning the tops of the mobile devices are facing each other; wherein the controller is further configured to pair the mobile devices based on the verified pairing parameters. 15. A method for pairing mobile devices to transfer data between paired mobile devices, the method comprising: (i) Shaking a mobile device to initiate a pairing request with another mobile device, wherein the mobile device is not in contact with the other mobile device; (ii) In response to the shaking, at least one pairing parameter is sent to a pairing server for verification of pairing conditions, the at least one pairing parameter including the orientation of the mobile device, the orientation of the mobile device being the direction the top of the mobile device points, such that, if the orientation of the mobile device is to be used for verification, verifying the pairing parameter to determine the mobile device for pairing includes: determining whether the shaken mobile device is pointing towards another mobile device to be paired based on the orientation of the mobile device obtained at a predetermined time before initiating the shaking action, wherein the shaken mobile device pointing towards the other mobile device means the top of the shaken mobile device is facing the top of the other mobile device; and (iii) Receive a connection identifier from the pairing server, the connection identifier being used in data transmission. 16. A method for pairing mobile devices to transfer data between paired mobile devices, the method comprising: (i) Shake the mobile devices to initiate a pairing request, wherein the mobile devices are not in contact with each other; (ii) Verifying pairing parameters using pairing conditions via a pairing server to determine the mobile devices to be paired, wherein at least one pairing parameter is received from the mobile device to be paired, the at least one pairing parameter including the respective orientation of the mobile devices, the orientation of the mobile devices being the direction the top of the mobile devices points, such that, if the orientation of the mobile devices is to be used for verification, verifying the pairing parameters to determine the mobile devices to be paired includes: determining whether the mobile devices are pointing at each other based on the respective orientation of the mobile devices obtained at a predetermined time before initiating the shaking action, wherein the mobile devices pointing at each other means the tops of the mobile devices are facing each other; (iii) If the pairing conditions are met, a connection identifier is generated to identify the paired mobile devices; and (iv) Send the connection identifier to the mobile phone.