Information broadcast

• US 10,178,512 B2
• Filed: 12/18/2015
• Issued: 01/08/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.), AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Meredith, Sheldon Kent, Cottrill, William, Fix, Jeremy
• Primary Examiner(s): Renner, Brandon M
• Application Number:
  US14/974,094
• Publication Number:
  US 20170180950A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,117 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5682 Policies or rules for updating, deleting or replacing the stored data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services

Abstract

An apparatus includes a communications interface configured to receive a transmission from a wireless device. The transmission may include a beacon message and a date file. The apparatus may further include a memory device and a processor. The processor may be configured to determine whether a threshold is satisfied based on whether additional transmissions including the data file are received from the wireless device. The processor may be further configured to cause the memory device to store the data file in response to determining that the threshold is satisfied.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a communications interface configured to receive a beacon transmission from a wireless device, the beacon transmission including a beacon message and a data file, wherein the wireless device is configured to periodically broadcast beacon transmissions, each beacon transmission including the beacon message and the data file;

a memory device; and

a processor configured to;

determine whether a value satisfies a threshold, the value based on a number of additional beacon transmissions received from the wireless device; and

in response to the value satisfying the threshold;

cause the memory device to store the data file;

execute an application to display content based on the data file in response to determining that the data file is associated with the application; and

verify, by the application, integrity of the data file, wherein verifying the integrity of the data file includes comparing a first value generated by the application to a second value included in the data file, the first value generated by the application based on a timestamp associated with the data file and a keyword accessible to the application.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

in response to detection of the beacon transmission, initiate a timer; and

in response to no detection of a second beacon transmission from the wireless device for a threshold period of time, reset the timer, wherein the value is a time indicated by the timer.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

in response to detecting the beacon transmission, initialize a counter;

increment the counter each time another beacon transmission is detected; and

in response to no detection of a second beacon transmission from the wireless device for a threshold period of time, reset the counter, wherein the value is a count of the counter.

4. A method comprising:

detecting, at a first wireless device, a beacon transmission from a second wireless device, the beacon transmission including a beacon message and a data file, wherein the second wireless device is configured to periodically broadcast beacon transmissions, each beacon transmission including the beacon message and the data file;

determining whether a value satisfies a threshold, the value based on a number of additional beacon transmissions received from the second wireless device; and

in response to the value satisfying the threshold;

storing the data file at a memory of the first wireless device;

executing, at the first wireless device, an application to display content based on the data file in response to determining that the data file is associated with the application; and

verifying, at the first wireless device by the application, integrity of the data file, wherein verifying the integrity of the data file includes comparing a first value generated by the application to a second value included in the data file, the first value generated by the application based on a timestamp associated with the data file and a keyword accessible to the application.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

in response to detecting the beacon transmission, initializing a counter;

incrementing the counter each time another beacon transmission from the second wireless device is detected; and

in response to not detecting a second beacon transmission for a threshold period of time, resetting the counter, wherein the value is a count of the counter.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

in response to detecting the beacon transmission, initiating a timer; and

in response to not detecting a second beacon transmission from the second wireless device for a threshold period of time, resetting the timer, wherein the value is a time indicated by the timer.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the second wireless device is a wireless access point, and wherein the beacon message includes a service set identifier and a media access control address.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein the data file includes data that corresponds to a map, a coupon, an advertisement, or a combination thereof.

9. The method of claim 4, further comprising deleting the data file in response to determining that no additional beacon transmission is detected for a threshold period of time.

10. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

in response to storing the data file, initiating a timer;

in response to detecting an additional beacon transmission after initiating the timer, resetting the timer; and

in response to the timer indicating a threshold length of time, deleting the data file.

11. The method of claim 4, wherein the data file is stored by the first wireless device without establishing a connection to the second wireless device.

12. The method of claim 4, wherein the second wireless device comprises an access point.

13. The method of claim 4, further comprising determining that the data file is associated with the application based on an identifier included in a portion of the data file.

14. The method of claim 4, wherein the beacon message includes information for establishing a connection to a wireless local area network supported by the second wireless device.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the first wireless device does not include particular information required by the second wireless device to allow access to the wireless local area network.

16. The method of claim 4, wherein the application is configured to receive a new keyword periodically.

17. The method of claim 4, wherein the application is configured to not generate output associated with the data file in response to determining that the first value does not match the second value.

18. The method of claim 4, further comprising displaying, at a display device coupled to the first wireless device, content based on the data file using a user interface functionality of an operating system of the first wireless device.

19. A computer-readable storage device storing instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

detecting a beacon transmission from a wireless device, the beacon transmission including a beacon message and a data file, wherein the wireless device is configured to periodically broadcast beacon transmissions, each beacon transmission including the beacon message and the data file;

determining whether a value satisfies a threshold, the value based on additional beacon transmissions from the wireless device; and

in response to the value satisfying the threshold;

storing the data file;

executing an application to display content based on the data file in response to determining that the data file is associated with the application; and

verifying, by the application, integrity of the data file, wherein verifying the integrity of the data file includes comparing a first value generated by the application to a second value included in the data file, the first value generated by the application based on a timestamp associated with the data file and a keyword accessible to the application.

20. The computer-readable storage device of claim 19, wherein the operations further comprise:

in response to detecting the beacon transmission, initiating a counter;

incrementing the counter each time another beacon transmission from the wireless device is detected; and

in response to not detecting a second beacon transmission including the data file for a period of time, resetting the counter, wherein the value is a count of the counter.