BLUETOOTH DEVICE AND METHOD OF SEARCHING FOR PERIPHERAL BLUETOOTH DEVICE

• US 20100062711A1
• Filed: 08/24/2009
• Published: 03/11/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Park, Sang Wook
• Granted Patent: US 8,897,703 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/41.200
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals

Abstract

A Bluetooth device and a method of searching for a peripheral Bluetooth device using a previous search results are provided. The method of searching for a peripheral Bluetooth device includes: acquiring, if input instructing the start of an initial search is received, initial search address information and initial search device information about at least one peripheral Bluetooth device in a preset period; storing the acquired initial search address information and initial search device information in a storage unit; acquiring, if a request for searching for a peripheral device for performing Bluetooth communication is input, address information of a found peripheral Bluetooth device; determining whether address information corresponding to the acquired address information of the found peripheral Bluetooth device exists in the storage unit; and notifying a user, if address information corresponding to the acquired address information of the found peripheral Bluetooth device exists in the storage unit, of the stored initial search device information of the found peripheral device corresponding to the address information.

Claims

1. A method, operable in a Bluetooth device, for searching for a peripheral Bluetooth device, comprising:

acquiring, if input instructing the start of an initial search is received, initial search address information and initial search device information about at least one peripheral Bluetooth device in a preset period;

storing the acquired initial search address information and initial search device information in a storage unit;

acquiring, if a request for searching for a peripheral device for performing Bluetooth communication is input, address information of a found peripheral Bluetooth device;

determining whether address information corresponding to the acquired address information of the found peripheral Bluetooth device exists in the storage unit; and

notifying a user, if address information corresponding to the acquired address information of the found peripheral Bluetooth device exists in the storage unit, of the stored initial search device information of the found peripheral device corresponding to the address information.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

acquiring device information of the found peripheral Bluetooth device corresponding to address information among the acquired address information that does not exist in the storage unit; and

notifying a user of the acquired device information of the peripheral device corresponding to address information that does not exist in the storage unit.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein acquiring initial search address information and initial search device information comprises:

determining, if an input instructing a start of an initial search is received, a present position of the Bluetooth device using received information;

comparing the determined present position of the Bluetooth device with a previous position of the Bluetooth device that was previously determined and stored; and

acquiring, if the difference between the present position and the previous position of the Bluetooth device is equal to or greater than a critical value, initial search address information and initial search device information about at least one peripheral Bluetooth device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein acquiring initial search address information comprises:

broadcasting an inquiry message while frequency hopping among a plurality of preset channels; and

receiving a response message including the initial search address information in response to the inquiry message.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein acquiring address information comprises:

broadcasting an inquiry message while frequency hopping among a plurality of preset channels; and

receiving a response message including the address information in response to the inquiry message.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein acquiring initial search device information comprises:

transmitting a remote name request to the at least one peripheral device corresponding to the acquired initial search address information; and

receiving a response message including the initial search device information in response to the remote name request.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein acquiring device information comprises:

transmitting a remote name request to the peripheral device corresponding to the acquired address information; and

receiving a response message including the device information in response to the remote name request.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the initial search device information and the device information comprise at least one of:

name information and support service information of the corresponding peripheral device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the input instructing the start of an initial search comprises at least one of:

input for turning on a power source to the Bluetooth device and input for activating an initial search function of the Bluetooth device.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein storing the acquired initial search address information and initial search device information in a storage unit comprises:

updating previously stored initial search address information and initial search device information of the corresponding peripheral device with the search address information and initial search device information acquired in the preset period.

11. A Bluetooth device, comprising:

a Bluetooth module for transmitting and receiving signals for acquiring address information and device information of at least one peripheral device according to a Bluetooth communication protocol;

a storage unit for storing the acquired address information and device information; and

a controller for acquiring, if an input instructing the start of an initial search is received, initial search address information and initial search device information of at least one peripheral device in a preset period, acquiring, if a request for searching for a peripheral device for performing Bluetooth communication is input, address information of a found peripheral device, determining whether address information corresponding to acquired address information associated with said found peripheral devices exists in the storage unit, and notifying a user, if said address information corresponding to the acquired address information of said found peripheral devices exists in the storage unit, of device information of the at least one peripheral device corresponding to the address information.

12. The Bluetooth device of claim 11, wherein the controller acquires device information of a found peripheral device corresponding to address information among the acquired address information that does not exist in the storage unit, and notifies a user of the acquired device information.

13. The Bluetooth device of claim 11, further comprising a position information module for receiving information, said information comprising one of:

position information and information from which position information may be determined.

14. The Bluetooth device of claim 13, wherein the controller determines, if an input instructing the start of an initial search is received, a present position of the Bluetooth device using information received through the position information module, compares the determined present position with a previous position that was previously determined and stored, and acquires, if the difference between the present position and the previous position is equal to or greater than a critical value, initial search address information and initial search device information about at least one peripheral Bluetooth device through the Bluetooth communication protocol.

15. The Bluetooth device of claim 11, wherein the Bluetooth module broadcasts an inquiry message while frequency hopping among a plurality of preset channels associated with the Bluetooth communication protocol and receives a response message including the address information in response to the inquiry message.

16. The Bluetooth device of claim 11, wherein the Bluetooth module transmits a remote name request to the at least one peripheral device corresponding to the acquired address information and receives a response message including the device information in response to the remote name request.

17. The Bluetooth device of claim 11, wherein the device information comprises at least one of:

name information and support service information of the corresponding peripheral device.

18. The Bluetooth device of claim 11, wherein the input instructing the start of an initial search comprises at least one of input for turning on a power source of the Bluetooth device and input for activating an initial search function of the Bluetooth device.

19. The Bluetooth device of claim 11, further comprising:

an input unit for receiving input instructing the start of an initial search and for receiving input of a request for searching for the peripheral device.

20. The Bluetooth device of claim 11, wherein the storage unit updates previously stored address information and device information of the corresponding peripheral device with the address information and device information acquired in the preset period.

21. The Bluetooth device of claim 11, further comprising:

a display unit for displaying device information of a found peripheral device corresponding to the acquired address information in order to notify a user.