Wireless Discovery of Devices

• US 20090262663A1
• Filed: 04/18/2008
• Published: 10/22/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/18/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Harper, Richard, Gosset, Philip
• Application Number:
  US12/105,773
• Publication Number:
  US 20090262663A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/254
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals

Abstract

A method for wireless discovery of devices is described. In an embodiment, a Wireless Personal Area Networking (WPAN) device advertises its presence to other WPAN devices by transmitting a beacon which includes its identity. The beacon may include a header and/or footer. This message is picked up by other WPAN devices in proximity to the transmitting device and these receiving devices store data identifying the transmitting device. In some embodiments, a database of beacons received by WPAN devices is maintained. This database may be used to associate data which is relevant to transmitting WPAN devices (or to a user thereof) with a WPAN identity.

Claims

1. A WPAN device comprising a transmitter arranged to transmit data and a processor arranged to control the transmission of data, wherein the WPAN device is arranged to be placed in a discoverable mode and, when in the discoverable mode, to periodically transmit a beacon comprising a device identifier.

2. A device according to claim 1 wherein the beacon comprises less than 100 bits.

3. A device according to claim 1 wherein the beacon comprises approximately 64 bits.

4. A device according to claim 1 which is a Bluetooth®

device.

5. A device according to claim 1 which comprises a receiver and which is further arranged to be placed in a discovery mode, in which the receiver scans for beacons sent from other devices.

6. A device according to claim 5 which comprises a memory, wherein the processor is arranged to store the identifier contained in any received beacon in the memory.

7. A device according to claim 6 in which the device comprises an output arranged to allow data stored thereon to be transferred to a computing device.

8. A device according to claim 1 which comprises a device which is carried by a user.

9. A computer comprising a WPAN receiver arranged to receive beacons comprising identity data identifying a device from which the beacon originated, a memory arranged to store the identity data in a database in association with further data, a query application arranged to query the database in order to retrieve data of relevance to a particular device identity, and a control application arranged to control at least one environmental factor according to the data retrieved.

10. A computer according to claim 9 which comprises a screen, wherein the control application is arranged to control the display of data on the screen.

11. A computer according to claim 9, which comprises a communication interface arranged to allow apparatus external to the computing device to be controlled.

12. A computer according to claim 9, in which the control application is arranged to control at least one environmental factor at a location which is local to the receiver.

13. A computer according to claim 9 in which the data retrieved comprises data associated with the device identity according to predetermined preferences of a user of the device.

14. A computer according to claim 9 in which the data retrieved comprises data associated with the device identity according to previous interactions between the device and the computer.

15. One or more device-readable media with device-executable instructions for performing steps comprising:

constructing a radio frequency WPAN beacon comprising a device identity;

sending the beacon at random or pseudo-random times within a transmission period.

16. One or more device-readable media with device-executable instructions for performing steps according to claim 15 in which the step of constructing the beacon comprises constructing a beacon which consists of a message header and a device identity.

17. One or more device-readable media with device-executable instructions for performing steps according to claim 15 in which the step of constructing the beacon comprises constructing a beacon which consists of a message header, a device identity and a message footer.

18. One or more device-readable media with device-executable instructions for performing steps according to claim 15 in which the step of constructing the beacon comprises constructing a beacon which comprises a Bluetooth®

identity.

19. One or more device-readable media with device-executable instructions for performing steps according to claim 15 in which the step of constructing the beacon comprises constructing a beacon which can be sent in approximately 0.1 s.

20. One or more device-readable media with device-executable instructions for performing steps according to claim 15 in which the step of sending the beacon comprising sending the beacon at a frequency determined using Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum (FHSS) methods.