Device, system, computer readable medium and method for providing status information of devices in a short distance wireless network

• US 20030083011A1
• Filed: 10/26/2001
• Published: 05/01/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IXI Mobile (R&D) Ltd. (IXI Mobile, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: IXI Mobile (R&D) Ltd. (IXI Mobile, Inc.)
• Inventors: Fornell, Peter, Haller, Amit, Haparnas, Ziv, Itzchak, Avraham, Glick, Amir
• Granted Patent: US 6,957,045 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/41.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/23 Indication means, e.g. displays, alarms, audible means
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/318 Received signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/245 from a network towards a terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/10 Small scale networks; Flat hierarchical networks

Abstract

A device, a system, a computer readable medium and a method provide status information of a device and/or devices in a short distance wireless network in an embodiment of the present invention. Status information, such as the quality of the received signal and/or available battery power of each device in the short distance wireless network is provided to a device having a display according to an embodiment of the present invention. Status information may be selectively displayed in an easily viewable and preferable type in an embodiment of the present invention.

Claims

1. ) A processing device, comprising:

(a) a storage device;

(b) a processor coupled to the storage device; and

,

(c) wherein the storage device stores a first software component for notifying status information of a first device responsive to a first short-range radio signal.

2. ) The processing device of claim 1, wherein the processing device is a cellular telephone.

3. ) The processing device of claim 1, wherein the processing device is a cellular modem.

4. ) The processing device of claim 1, wherein the first device is selected from a group consisting of a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a personal digital assistant, a headset, a pager, a printer, a watch, a digital camera and an equivalent.

5. ) The processing device of claim 1, wherein the first device is selected form a group consisting of a thin terminal and a smart terminal.

6. ) The processing device of claim 1, wherein the processing device includes a short-range radio processor and a 2.4 GHZ transceiver.

7. ) The processing device of claim 1, wherein the processing device includes a short-range radio processor and a 5.7 GHZ transceiver.

8. ) The processing device of claim 1, wherein the software component notifies the status of a second device responsive to a second short-range radio signal.

9. ) The processing device of claim 8, wherein the processing device, the first device and second device form a short distance wireless network.

10. ) The processing device of claim 8, wherein the processing device, the first device and the second device form a 802.11 network.

11. ) The processing device of claim 8, wherein the processing device, the first device and second device form a Bluetooth™

network.

12. ) The processing device of claim 8, wherein the processing device, the first device and the second device form a short distance wireless network.

13. ) The processing device of claim 1, wherein the status information regarding the first device includes an available battery power of the first device.

14. ) The processing device of claim 1, wherein the status information regarding the first device includes an available operating time of the first device.

15. ) The processing device of claim 9, wherein the status information regarding the first device includes a quality of a received signal from the short distance wireless network.

16. ) The processing device of claim 1, wherein the status information regarding the first device includes a quality of a received signal from the cellular network.

17. ) The processing device of claim 16, wherein the cellular network generates a cellular protocol signal selected from the group consisting of Global System for Mobile Communications protocol, Code Division Multiple Access protocol, Code Division Multiple Access 2000 protocol, Universal Mobile Telecommunications Systems protocol, Time Division Multiple Access protocol, General Packet Radio Service and an equivalent.

18. ) The processing device of claim 1, wherein the status information is calculated.

19. ) The processing device of claim 18, wherein the calculated status information includes a received signal indication calculated from a bit error rate of the first device.

20. ) The processing device of claim 18, wherein the calculated status information includes a received signal indication calculated from a signal strength of the first device.

21. ) The processing device of claim 1, wherein the status information includes a selected minimum battery level status of the processing device and the first device.

22. ) The processing device of claim 1, wherein the storage device stores a second software component for polling the first device in order to obtain the status information.

23. ) The processing device of claim 1, wherein the first short-range radio signal includes status information generated on a periodic basis from the first device.

24. ) The processing device of claim 1, wherein the storage device stores a second software component for obtain the status information of the first device responsive to a user selection.

25. ) The processing device of claim 1, wherein the first short-range radio signal includes status information generated from the first device in response to a first device event.

26. ) The processing device of claim 25, wherein the first device event includes the remaining power of the first device falling below a predetermined value.

27. ) The processing device of claim 25, wherein the first device event includes a quality of a received signal of the first device falling below a predetermined value.

28. ) A system for providing status information in a short distance wireless network, comprising:

(a) a first device for generating a first short-range radio signal containing status information; and

,

(b) a second device for receiving the short-range radio signal and notifying the status information.

29. ) The system of claim 28, wherein the first device and the second device includes a short-range radio processor and a short-range radio transceiver.

30. ) The system of claim 28, further comprising:

(c) a third device providing a second short-range radio signal containing status information, and wherein the second device receives the second short-range radio signal and notifies the status information of the third device.

31. ) The system of claim 30, wherein the first device, the second device and third device form a short distance wireless network.

32. ) The system of claim 28, wherein the status information includes a remaining power in the first device.

33. ) The system of claim 28, wherein the status information includes a quality of a received signal of the first device.

34. ) The system of claim 28, wherein the status information includes calculated status information regarding of the first device.

35. ) The system of claim 28, wherein the status information includes a selected minimum battery status from the first device and the second device.

36. ) The system of claim 28, wherein the first device includes a software component for polling the second device in order to obtain the status information.

37. ) The system of claim 28, wherein the first short-range radio signal is generated on a periodic basis from the first device.

38. ) The system of claim 28, wherein second device obtains the status information of the first device responsive to a user selection.

39. ) The system of claim 28, wherein the first device, responsive to a first device event, generates the status information.

40. ) The system of claim 39, wherein the first device event includes a remaining power in the first device falling below a predetermined value.

41. ) The system of claim 39, wherein the first device event includes a quality of a received signal of the first device falling below a predetermined value.

42. ) An article of manufacture, including a computer readable medium, comprising:

(a) a short-range radio software component for receiving a short-range radio signal in a short distance wireless network; and

,

(b) a notify software component for notifying status information of a a first device and a second device in the short distance wireless network.

43. ) A method for providing status information in a short distance wireless network, comprising the steps of:

(a) obtaining status information of a device in the short distance wireless I network responsive to a short-range radio signal; and

,

(b) notifying the status information responsive to a status information notify preference.

44. ) The method of claim 43, wherein the status information is calculated responsive to a status information type value.