Interactions among mobile devices in a wireless network

• US 10,368,258 B2
• Filed: 06/02/2017
• Issued: 07/30/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/23/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telsync Technologies LLC (Jeffrey M. Gross)
• Original Assignee: Empire Technology Development LLC (Allied Inventors Management, LLC)
• Inventors: Chiang, Mung
• Primary Examiner(s): Chan, Sai Ming
• Application Number:
  US15/612,216
• Publication Number:
  US 20170272967A1
• Time in Patent Office: 788 Days
• Field of Search: 370350
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/147 Communication arrangements, e.g. identifying the communication as a video-communication, intermediate storage of the signals selecting H04Q
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/148 Interfacing a video terminal to a particular transmission medium, e.g. ISDN
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/0045 compensating for timing error by altering transmission time
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/24 Transfer of terminal data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user

Abstract

One embodiment of the disclosure sets for an example method to create a network of devices. The method includes requesting location information from a first mobile device within the wireless range covered by a stationary device, receiving the location information of the first mobile device, determining whether the distance between the first mobile device and a second mobile device is less than a value, and sending an instruction to the first mobile device to become a part of a communication network such that the first mobile device can send data directly to the second mobile device without involving the stationary device.

Claims

1. A method performed under control of a first communication device to synchronize the first communication device with a second communication device, the method comprising:

receiving information of the second communication device, wherein the information indicates an approximate physical distance between the first communication device and the second communication device;

determining, based on the information, a variable round-trip time for data transmission between the first communication device and the second communication device; and

synchronizing the first communication device with the second communication device based on the determined variable round-trip time, wherein synchronizing the first communication device includes inserting a dataset in data to be transmitted from the first communication device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting a request to the second communication device, wherein the request includes a request for a time stamp that corresponds to the second communication device; and

receiving a response that is responsive to the request and that includes the time stamp that corresponds to the second communication device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the time stamp corresponds to a time at which the response is transmitted from the second communication device.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein synchronizing the first communication device with the second communication device comprises synchronizing the first communication device based on the time stamp that corresponds to the second communication device and a time stamp that corresponds to the first communication device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the dataset comprises a delay signal.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein synchronizing the first communication device with the second communication device comprises synchronizing the first communication device with the second communication device that is present within a particular wireless range of the first communication device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first communication device includes a stationary device.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining time offsets between the first communication device and a plurality of communication devices; and

synchronizing the first communication device with the plurality of communication devices based on the time offsets.

9. A first communication device configured to synchronize with a second communication device, the first communication device comprising:

a memory; and

a processor coupled to the memory, wherein the processor is configured to perform operations comprising;

obtain information of the second communication device, wherein the information indicates an approximate physical distance between the first communication device and the second communication device;

determine, based on the information, a variable round-trip time for data transmission between the first communication device and the second communication device; and

synchronize the first communication device with the second communication device based on the determined variable round-trip time, wherein the synchronization includes insertion of a dataset in data to be transmitted from the first communication device.

10. The first communication device of claim 9, wherein the processor is further configured to perform operations comprising:

send a request to the second communication device, wherein the request includes a request for a time stamp that corresponds to the second communication device; and

obtain a response that is responsive to the request and that includes the time stamp that corresponds to the second communication device.

11. The first communication device of claim 10, wherein the time stamp corresponds to a time at which the response is transmitted from the second communication device.

12. The first communication device of claim 10, wherein synchronization of the first communication device with the second communication device comprises synchronization of the first communication device based on the time stamp that corresponds to the second communication device and a time stamp that corresponds to the first communication device.

13. The first communication device of claim 9, wherein the dataset comprises a delay signal.

14. The first communication device of claim 9, wherein synchronization of the first communication device with the second communication device comprises synchronization of the first communication device with the second communication device that is present within a particular wireless range of the first communication device.

15. The first communication device of claim 9, wherein the first communication device includes a stationary device.

16. The first communication device of claim 9, wherein the processor is further configured to perform operations comprising:

determine time offsets between the first communication device and a plurality of communication devices; and

synchronize the first communication device with the plurality of communication devices based on the time offsets.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable medium that stores executable instructions that, in response to execution by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors, of a first communication device, to perform or control performance of operations comprising:

obtaining identification information of a second communication device and information that indicates an approximate physical distance between the first communication device and the second communication device;

determining, based on the approximate physical distance, a variable round-trip time for data transmission between the first communication device and the second communication device; and

synchronizing the first communication device with the second communication device based on the determined variable round-trip time, wherein the synchronization includes insertion of a dataset in data to be transmitted from the first communication device.