Device-to-device communications based on capacitive sensing and coupling via human body or direct device-to-device coupling

A device for device-to-device communication through capacitive coupling, the device including:

• a capacitive sensing touch screen having capacitive sensors to establish a capacitive coupled device-to-device communication with another device having at least one capacitive sensor including:
• transmitting an initiation signal to initiate the capacitive coupled device-to-device communication with the other device having at least one capacitive sensor, wherein the initiation signal is multiplexed in time with a touch screen signal associated with a touch-based interface through the capacitive sensing touch screen, and wherein the initiation signal is transmitted to the other device having at least one capacitive sensor using capacitive coupling between the capacitive sensors of the capacitive sensing touch screen in the device and the at least one capacitive sensor of the other device;
• receiving an acknowledgement to the transmitted initiation signal, the acknowledgement received from the other device that includes at least one capacitive sensor;
• and
• communicating through the established capacitive coupled device-to-device communication between the device that includes the capacitive sensing touch screen having capacitive sensors and the other device that includes at least one capacitive sensor, the communicating including:
• transmitting a device-to-device communication signal to the other device that includes at least one capacitive sensor, wherein the device-to-device communication signal is multiplexed in time with the touch screen signal associated with a touch-based interface through the capacitive sensing touch screen.

A device for device-to-device communication through capacitive coupling, the device including:

• at least one capacitive sensor to establish a capacitive coupled device-to-device communication with another device that includes a capacitive sensing touch screen having capacitive sensors including:
• receiving an initiation signal from the other device that includes the capacitive sensing touch screen having capacitive sensors to initiate the capacitive coupled device-to-device communication, wherein the initiation signal is received from the other device that includes the capacitive sensing touch screen using capacitive coupling between the at least one capacitive sensor of the device and the capacitive sensors of the capacitive sensing touch screen in the other device;
• transmitting an acknowledgement to the received initiation signal, the acknowledgement transmitted to the other device that includes the capacitive sensing touch screen;
• and
• communicating through the established capacitive coupled device-to-device communication with the other device that includes the capacitive sensing touch screen having capacitive sensors including:
• transmitting a device-to-device communication signal to the other device that includes the capacitive sensing touch screen having capacitive sensors.