Method and apparatus for automatic connection of communication devices

• US 20060046719A1
• Filed: 08/30/2004
• Published: 03/02/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Holtschneider, David James
• Application Number:
  US10/929,829
• Publication Number:
  US 20060046719A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/434
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/56 based on priority criteria
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

A method and apparatus for automatically initiating a long-range wireless connection between two or more communication devices is described herein. According to the present invention, an initiating communication device enters a connection request mode responsive to a connection request input. Once in the connection request mode, the initiating communication device searches for candidate communication devices operating in the connection request mode. Information is collected from the initiating and candidate communication devices. A long-range wireless connection is automatically initiated between the initiating communication device and one of the candidate communication devices based on the exchanged information. In one exemplary embodiment, a correlator compares discriminators associated with the connection request modes of the initiating and candidate communication devices to determine one or more correlation metrics. A long-range wireless connection is automatically initiated between a pair of communication devices having one or more correlation metrics that satisfy threshold criteria.

Claims

1. A method of automatically initiating a long-range wireless connection between two or more communication devices via a long-range wireless network, the method comprising:

placing a first communication device in a connection request mode;

searching for one or more candidate communication device in the connection request mode;

exchanging information between the first communication device and the one or more candidate communication device; and

automatically initiating the long-range wireless connection via the long-range wireless network between the first communication device and one of the candidate communication devices based on the exchanged information.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein exchanging information comprises:

detecting one or more first discriminators associated with the connection request mode of the first communication device;

obtaining one or more candidate discriminators associated with the connection request mode of at least one of the candidate communication devices; and

selecting one of the candidate communication devices as a second communication device based on the first and candidate discriminators.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein selecting one of the candidate communication devices based on the first and second discriminators comprises:

correlating the first discriminators with each of the candidate discriminators to generate a correlation metric for each candidate communication device; and

selecting the second communication device as the candidate communication device corresponding to the correlation metric that meets or exceeds a threshold.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein exchanging information further comprises exchanging identification information between the first communication device and the second communication device.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein exchanging identification information comprises exchanging at least one of phone number information, IP address information, mobile identification information, and configuration information between the first communication device and the second communication device.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein automatically initiating the long-range wireless connection via the long-range wireless network comprises automatically initiating the long-range wireless connection between the first and second communication devices via the long-range wireless network using the identification information.

7. The method of claim 2 wherein detecting one or more first discriminators comprises detecting a location of the first communication device, and wherein obtaining one or more candidate discriminators comprises obtaining a location of at least one of the candidate communication devices.

8. The method of claim 2 wherein detecting one or more first discriminators comprises detecting a first stop time corresponding to stopping a first signal used to enter the first communication device into the connection request mode and wherein obtaining one or more candidate discriminators comprises obtaining one or more candidate stop times corresponding to stopping one or more signals used to enter the one or more candidate communication devices into the connection request mode.

9. The method of claim 2 wherein detecting one or more first discriminators comprises detecting a first start time corresponding to the first communication device entering the connection request mode, and wherein obtaining one or more candidate discriminators comprises obtaining at least one candidate start time corresponding to at least one of the candidate communication devices entering the connection request mode.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising estimating a start time corresponding to at least one of the candidate communication devices entering the connection request mode, wherein the correlating step includes correlating the estimated start time with the obtained candidate start time.

11. The method of claim 2 wherein detecting one or more first discriminators comprises detecting one or more characteristics of a first periodic signal manually generated using the first communication device that serves as an audible or visual indication for requesting a connection with a specific candidate communication device, and wherein obtaining one or more candidate discriminators comprises obtaining one or more characteristics of candidate periodic signals representative of the observed audible or visual request to initiate a connection with the first communication device.

12. The method of claim 2 wherein detecting one or more first discriminators comprises detecting one or more characteristics of a first periodic signal manually generated using the first communication device, and wherein obtaining one or more candidate discriminators comprises obtaining one or more characteristics of candidate periodic signals manually generated by at least one of the candidate communication devices.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the characteristics of the first and candidate periodic signals comprise one or more of a frequency, amplitude, phase, and direction.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein each of the first and candidate periodic signals comprises at least one of a visual periodic signal and an audio periodic signal.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein placing the first communication device in the connection request mode comprises detecting a periodic signal manually generated using the first communication device.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein placing the first communication device in the connection request mode comprises detecting an activation of a control button on the first communication device.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein placing the first communication device in the connection request mode comprises contacting the controller via the long-range wireless network using at least one of a designated phone number, a designated IP address, and a designated packet radio address.

18. The method of claim 1 wherein automatically initiating the long-range wireless connection comprises:

obtaining long-range wireless identification information associated with a second communication device selected from the candidate communication devices based on the exchanged information; and

automatically initiating the long-range wireless connection between the first and second communication devices using the obtained long-range wireless identification information.

19. The method of claim 1 wherein searching for candidate communication devices comprises using a short-range wireless interface to search for the candidate communication devices operating in the connection request mode.

20. The method of claim 1 wherein searching for candidate communication devices comprises using a long-range wireless interface to search for the one or more candidate communication devices, and wherein exchanging information comprises exchanging information between the first communication device and the one or more candidate communication devices operating in the connection request mode via the long-range wireless interface.

21. The method of claim 1 wherein automatically initiating the long-range wireless connection comprises:

obtaining frequency configuration information associated with a second communication device selected from the one or more candidate communication devices based on the exchanged information; and

automatically configuring the first communication device using the obtained frequency configuration information associated with the second candidate communication device.

22. A first communication device that automatically initiates a long-range wireless connection with at least one other communication device in a long-range wireless network, the first communication device comprising:

an input device to place the first communication device in a connection request mode;

a short-range transceiver to search for one or more candidate communication devices operating in the connection request mode, and to exchange information between the first communication device and at least one of the candidate communication devices; and

connection circuitry to initiate the long-range wireless connection based on the exchanged information.

23. The first communication device of claim 22 further comprising detection circuitry to detect one or more first discriminators associated with the connection request mode of the first communication device.

24. The first communication device of claim 23 wherein the first discriminators comprise one or more characteristics of a periodic signal associated with the connection request mode of the first communication device.

25. The first communication device of claim 24 wherein the detection circuitry comprises at least one of a direction detector, a frequency detector, an amplitude detector, and a phase detector.

26. The first communication device of claim 23 wherein the detection circuitry comprises a location detector to determine a location of the first communication device.

27. The first communication device of claim 23 wherein the detection circuitry comprises a timer to determine a start time associated with a beginning of the connection request mode of the first communication device.

28. The first communication device of claim 23 wherein the exchanged information comprises one or more candidate discriminators associated with the connection request mode of the candidate communication devices.

29. The first communication device of claim 28 further comprising a selection circuit to generate a selection metric based on the first and candidate discriminators.

30. The first communication device of claim 29 wherein the selection circuit comprises a correlator, wherein the selection metric comprises a correlation metric generated by correlating the first and candidate discriminators.

31. The first communication device of claim 29 wherein the exchanged information comprises long-range wireless identification information associated with the one or more candidate second communication devices, wherein the second communication device corresponds to the candidate communication device having the selection metric that meets or exceeds a threshold, and wherein the connection circuitry automatically initiates the long-range wireless connection using the long-range wireless identification information associated with the second communication device.

32. The first communication device of claim 22 wherein the input device comprises a control button disposed on the first communication device.

33. The first communication device of claim 22 wherein the input device comprises a periodic signal detector that places the first communication device in the connection request mode responsive to detecting a periodic signal manually generated by the first communication device.

34. The first communication device of claim 33 wherein the periodic signal detector comprises a motion sensor for detecting periodic motion associated with the first communication device.

35. The first communication device of claim 34 wherein the motion detector comprises at least one of an accelerometer, an inertial switch, and a camera.

36. The first communication device of claim 33 wherein the periodic signal detector comprises audio circuitry to detect an audio periodic signal associated with the connection request mode of the first communication device.

37. The first communication device of claim 22 further comprising an accessory device operatively connected to the first communication device, wherein the input device is disposed in the accessory device.

38. The first communication device of claim 37 wherein the accessory device comprises a motion detector.

39. The first communication device of claim 22 further comprising a long-range transceiver for searching for one or more candidate communication devices operating in the connection request mode.

40. The first communication device of claim 39 wherein the long-range transceiver further exchanges information between the first communication device and at least one of the candidate communication devices.

41. A first wireless communication device that automatically initiates a long-range wireless connection with at least one other wireless communication device in a long-range wireless network, the first wireless communication device comprising:

an input device to receive an input signal to place the first wireless communication device in a connection request mode;

a long-range wireless transceiver to detect one or more candidate wireless communication devices operating in the connection request mode, and to receive information from at least one of the candidate wireless communication devices operating in the connection request mode; and

connection circuitry to initiate the long-range wireless connection based on the received information.

42. The first wireless communication device of claim 41 further comprising detection circuitry to detect one or more first discriminators associated with the connection request mode of the first wireless communication device.

43. The first wireless communication device of claim 42 wherein the information received by the transceiver comprises one or more candidate discriminators associated with the connection request mode of at least one of the candidate wireless communication devices.

44. The first wireless communication device of claim 43 further comprising a selector circuit to generate a selection metric for each of the candidate wireless communication devices based on the one or more first discriminators and the one or more candidate discriminators.

45. The first wireless communication device of claim 44 wherein the selector circuit comprises a correlator, and wherein the selection metric comprises a correlation metric generated for each of the candidate wireless communication devices by correlating the one or more candidate discriminators associated with each candidate wireless communication device with one or more first discriminators.

46. The first wireless communication device of claim 44 wherein the received information comprises identification information associated with at least one of the candidate wireless communication devices, wherein a second wireless communication device corresponds to the candidate wireless communication device having the selection metric that meets or exceeds a threshold, and wherein the connection circuitry initiates the long-range wireless connection using the received identification information associated with the second wireless communication device.

47. A method of automatically initiating a long-range wireless connection between two or more communication devices via a long-range wireless network, the method comprising:

detecting that a first communication device is operating in a connection request mode;

detecting that one or more candidate communication devices are operating in the connection request mode;

receiving information from the first communication device and at least one of the candidate communication devices; and

automatically initiating the long-range wireless connection between the first communication device and one of the candidate communication devices based on the received information.

48. The method of claim 47 wherein receiving information comprises:

receiving from at least one of the candidate communication devices one or more candidate discriminators associated with the connection request modes of the candidate communication devices; and

transmitting the candidate discriminators to the first communication device;

receiving from the first communication device an indication of which candidate communication device was selected by the first communication device as a second communication device based on the candidate discriminators.

49. The method of claim 48 wherein receiving information further comprises receiving long-range wireless identification information from at least one of the first communication device and the second communication device, and wherein automatically initiating the long-range wireless connection between the first communication device and one of the candidate communication devices comprises automatically initiating the long-range wireless connection between the first and second communication devices using the received long-range wireless identification information.

50. The method of claim 47 further comprising:

detecting one or more candidate discriminators associated with the connection request mode of at least one of the candidate communication devices;

transmitting the candidate discriminators to the first communication device; and

receiving from the first communication device an indication of which candidate communication devices was selected by the first communication device as a second communication device based on the candidate discriminators.

51. The method of claim 50 wherein receiving information further comprises receiving long-range wireless identification information from at least one of the first communication device and the second communication device, and wherein automatically initiating the long-range wireless connection between the first communication device and one of the candidate communication devices comprises automatically initiating the long-range wireless connection between the first and second communication devices using the received long-range wireless identification information.

52. The method of claim 47 further comprising:

receiving from the first communication device one or more first discriminators associated with the connection request mode of the first communication device;

receiving from at least one of the candidate communication devices one or more candidate discriminators associated with the connection request modes of the candidate communication devices;

generating a correlation metric for each candidate communication device, the correlation metric representing a correlation between the first and candidate discriminators; and

selecting the candidate communication device having a correlation metric that meets or exceeds a threshold as a second communication device.

53. The method of claim 52 wherein receiving information further comprises receiving long-range wireless identification information from at least one of the first communication device and the second communication device, and wherein automatically initiating the long-range wireless connection between the first communication device and one of the candidate communication devices comprises automatically initiating the long-range wireless connection between the first and second communication devices using the received long-range wireless identification information.

54. The method of claim 47 further comprising:

receiving from the first communication device one or more first discriminators associated with the connection request mode of the first communication device;

detecting one or more candidate discriminators associated with the connection request mode of at least one of the candidate communication devices;

generating a correlation metric for each candidate communication device, the correlation metrics representing a correlation between the first and candidate discriminators; and

selecting the candidate communication device having a correlation metric that meets or exceeds a threshold as a second communication device.

55. The method of claim 54 wherein receiving information further comprises receiving long-range wireless identification information from at least one of the first communication device and the second communication device, and wherein automatically initiating the long-range wireless connection between the first communication device and one of the candidate communication devices comprises automatically initiating the long-range wireless connection between the first and second communication devices using the received long-range wireless identification information.

56. The method of claim 47 further comprising:

detecting one or more first discriminators associated with the connection request mode of the first communication device;

detecting one or more candidate discriminators associated with the connection request mode of at least one of the candidate communication devices;

generating a correlation metric for each candidate communication device, the correlation metrics representing a correlation between the first and candidate discriminators; and

selecting the candidate communication device having a correlation metric that meets or exceeds a threshold as a second communication device.

57. The method of claim 56 wherein receiving information further comprises receiving long-range wireless identification information from at least one of the first communication device and the second communication device, and wherein automatically initiating the long-range wireless connection between the first communication device and one of the candidate communication devices comprises automatically initiating the long-range wireless connection between the first and second communication devices using the received long-range wireless identification information.

58. A wireless network for initiating a long-range wireless connection between two or more communication devices comprising:

a long-range wireless interface to detect a first communication device and one or more candidate communication devices operating in a connection request mode, and to receive information from the first communication device and at least one of the candidate communication devices; and

a connection server to automatically initiating the long-range wireless connection between the first and second communication devices based on the received information.

59. The wireless network of claim 58 further comprising a correlator to generate a correlation metric for each candidate communication device by correlating one or more discriminators associated with the connection request mode of the first communication device with each of one or more discriminators associated with the connection request mode of the candidate communication devices.

60. The wireless network of claim 58 further comprising detection circuitry to detect one or more discriminators associated with the connection request mode of at least one of the first and candidate communication devices.

61. The wireless network of claim 60 wherein the detection circuitry includes at least one of a direction detector, a frequency detector, an amplitude detector, and a phase detector to detect at least one of a direction, a frequency, an amplitude, and a phase associated with the connection request mode of at least one of the first and candidate communication devices.

62. The wireless network of claim 60 wherein the detection circuitry includes at least one of a direction detector, a frequency detector, an amplitude detector, and a phase detector to detect at least one of a direction, a frequency, an amplitude, and a phase of an audible or visual signal relative to a real-time timer used respectively by the first and candidate communication devices to mutually request initiating a long-range wireless connection between the first communication device and at least one of the candidate communication devices.

63. The wireless network of claim 58 wherein the connection server receives discrimination information from the first communication device operating in the connection request mode and at least one of the candidate communication devices operating in the connection request mode.

64. The wireless network of claim 58 wherein the connection server receives identification information from the first communication device operating in the connection request mode and at least one of the candidate communication devices operating in the connection request mode.

65. A method of automatically initiating a long-range wireless connection between two or more communication devices via a long-range wireless network, the method comprising:

placing a first communication device in a connection request mode;

searching for candidate communication devices in the connection request mode;

receiving discriminators from the candidate communication devices;

selecting a second communication device from the candidate communication devices based on the discriminators;

exchanging identification information between the first and second communication devices; and

automatically initiating the long-range wireless connection using the exchanged identification information.