Peer-to-peer neighbor detection for proximity-based command execution

• US 20060030263A1
• Filed: 07/15/2004
• Published: 02/09/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Inventors: Seligmann, Doree Duncan, Sammon, Michael J., Brotman, Lynne Shapiro
• Granted Patent: US 8,050,698 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/41.200
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/28 the pass enabling tracking or indicating presence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0492 by using a location-limited connection, e.g. near-field communication or limited proximity of entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/101 Access control lists [ACL]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/18 between terminal devices

Abstract

An apparatus and methods are disclosed for enabling the response to a command at a personal wireless terminal to be based at least partially on the presence or absence of other users nearby, and possibly the identity of those users. In the illustrated embodiment, the personal wireless terminal determines wirelessly (e.g., via Bluetooth, etc.) whether there are any other nearby personal wireless terminals (and inferentially, the users associated with these terminals), and then determines whether the command is authorized in that particular environment of nearby users. In some embodiments, authorization is also at least partially based on one or more additional factors, such as the identity of the user of the personal wireless terminal, the identify of nearby users, the nature of the command, one or more arguments of a command, the value of a datum retrieved by a query, and the date and time (i.e., “calendrical time”).

Claims

1. A method comprising:

(a) receiving a command at a first personal wireless terminal; and

(b) refusing to execute said command when there are k other personal wireless terminals in the same wireless network as said first personal wireless terminal;

wherein k is a positive integer.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said first personal wireless terminal and said k other personal wireless terminals communicate via a wireless peer-to-peer protocol.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein said wireless network is one of a Bluetooth piconet and a Bluetooth scatternet.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein the maximum transmission range of said wireless peer-to-peer protocol is less than 12 meters.

5. The method of claim 2 wherein said wireless peer-to-peer protocol is based on a shared-communications channel.

6. The method of claim 2 wherein said command is independent of said k other personal wireless terminals.

7. A method comprising:

(a) receiving a command at a first personal wireless terminal, wherein said first personal wireless terminal transmits and receives messages in accordance with a wireless peer-to-peer protocol; and

(b) refusing to execute said command when there are k other personal wireless terminals that currently are capable of communicating with said first personal wireless terminal via said wireless peer-to-peer protocol;

wherein k is a positive integer.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein at least one of said k other personal wireless terminals belongs to a different wireless network than said first personal wireless terminal.

9. A method comprising:

(a) receiving a command at a first personal wireless terminal; and

(b) executing said command only when

(i) there are k other personal wireless terminals in the same wireless network as said first personal wireless terminal, and

(ii) said command is independent of said k other personal wireless terminals;

wherein k is a positive integer.

10. A method comprising:

(a) receiving a command at a first personal wireless terminal, wherein said first personal wireless terminal transmits and receives messages in accordance with a wireless peer-to-peer protocol; and

(b) executing said command only when

(i) there are k other personal wireless terminals that currently are capable of communicating with said first personal wireless terminal via said wireless peer-to-peer protocol, and

(ii) said command is independent of said k other personal wireless terminals;

wherein k is a positive integer.

11. A method comprising:

(a) receiving a command at a first personal wireless terminal; and

(b) refusing to execute said command when

(i) there is a second personal wireless terminal in the same wireless network as said first personal wireless terminal, and

(ii) the user of said first personal wireless terminal is unauthorized to execute said command in the presence of the user of said second personal wireless terminal.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein said command is independent of said second personal wireless terminal.

13. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

(c) consulting at least one of a whitelist, a blacklist, and a hierarchy of user groups to determine whether the user of said first personal wireless terminal is unauthorized to execute said command in the presence of the user of said second personal wireless terminal.

14. A method comprising:

(a) receiving a command at a first personal wireless terminal, wherein said first personal wireless terminal transmits and receives messages in accordance with a wireless peer-to-peer protocol; and

(b) refusing to execute said command when

(i) there is a second personal wireless terminal that is capable of communicating with said first personal wireless terminal via said wireless peer-to-peer protocol, and

(ii) the user of said first personal wireless terminal is unauthorized to execute said command in the presence of the user of said second personal wireless terminal.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein said command is independent of said second personal wireless terminal.

16. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

(c) consulting at least one of a whitelist, a blacklist, and a hierarchy of user groups to determine whether the user of said first personal wireless terminal is unauthorized to execute said command in the presence of the user of said second personal wireless terminal.

17. A method comprising:

(a) receiving a command at a first personal wireless terminal; and

(b) executing said command only when

(i) there are k other personal wireless terminals in the same wireless network as said first personal wireless terminal, and

(ii) the user of said first personal wireless terminal is authorized to execute said command in the presence of each of the users of said k other personal wireless terminals;

wherein k is a positive integer.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein said command is independent of said k other personal wireless terminals.

19. The method of claim 17 further comprising:

(c) consulting at least one of a whitelist, a blacklist, and a hierarchy of user groups to determine whether the user of said first personal wireless terminal is authorized to execute said command in the presence of the users of said k other personal wireless terminals.

20. A method comprising:

(a) receiving a command at a first personal wireless terminal, wherein said first personal wireless terminal transmits and receives messages in accordance with a wireless peer-to-peer protocol; and

(b) executing said command only when

(i) there are k other personal wireless terminals that currently are capable of communicating with said first personal wireless terminal via said wireless peer-to-peer protocol, and

(ii) the user of said first personal wireless terminal is authorized to execute said command in the presence of each of the users of said k other personal wireless terminals;

wherein k is a positive integer.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein said command is independent of said k other personal wireless terminals.

22. The method of claim 20 further comprising:

(c) consulting at least one of a whitelist, a blacklist, and a hierarchy of user groups to determine whether the user of said first personal wireless terminal is authorized to execute said command in the presence of the users of said k other personal wireless terminals.

23. A method comprising:

(a) receiving a command at a first personal wireless terminal; and

(b) refusing to execute said command when

(i) there is a second personal wireless terminal in the same wireless network as said first personal wireless terminal, and

(ii) the user of said second personal wireless terminal is unauthorized to execute said command.

24. The method of claim 23 further comprising:

(c) sending to said second personal wireless terminal a message that inquires whether the user of said second personal wireless terminal is authorized to execute said command.

25. A method comprising:

(a) receiving a command at a first personal wireless terminal; and

(b) executing said command only when

(i) there is a second personal wireless terminal in the same wireless network as said first personal wireless terminal, and

(ii) the user of said second personal wireless terminal is authorized to execute said command.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein said command is executed only when, in addition to (i) and (ii):

(iii) the user of said first personal wireless terminal and the user of said second personal wireless terminal are related with respect to a hierarchy of user groups.

27. The method of claim 25 further comprising:

(c) sending to said second personal wireless terminal a message that inquires whether the user of said second personal wireless terminal is authorized to execute said command.

28. The method of claim 27 further comprising:

(d) receiving a response to said message that indicates that the user of said second personal wireless terminal is authorized to execute said command only when;

(i) the user of said second personal wireless terminal authorizes exporting authorization information to the user of said first personal wireless terminal, and

(ii) the user of said second personal wireless terminal is authorized to execute said command.

29. A method comprising:

(a) receiving at a first personal wireless terminal a request to access content; and

(b) outputting at said first personal wireless terminal a first version of said content when there are at least k other personal wireless terminals in the same wireless network as said first personal wireless terminal, and

outputting at said first personal wireless terminal a second version of said content when there are fewer than k other personal wireless terminals in the same wireless network as said first personal wireless terminal;

wherein k is a positive integer.

30. The method of claim 29 wherein said first version of said content is associated with a first authorization category, and wherein said second version of said content is associated with a second authorization category.