METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR COMBINED PEER TO PEER AND WIDE AREA NETWORK BASED DISCOVERY

• US 20100250673A1
• Filed: 03/30/2009
• Published: 09/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Jovicic, Aleksandar, Wang, Ying, Park, Vincent D., Laroia, Rajiv, Li, Junyi
• Granted Patent: US 8,082,303 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/20 Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/21 for social networking applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/22 with access to wired networks
• 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 first wireless communications device includes a wide area network (WAN) interface and a peer to peer interface. The first device discovers the presence of a second wireless communications device via a peer discovery signal, received via its peer to peer interface. The second device has been transmitting, e.g., periodically, certain information, e.g., its location and/or shopping preferences, to a node within the WAN. The detected first signal triggers an application alert in the first device. The first device recovers past information about the second device through a second signal received via its WAN interface. The first device uses information communicated in the first signal, e.g., device identifier information, and information communicated in the second signal, e.g., past location and/or shopping information, to generate a targeted message for the second device. The first device communicates the targeted message via its peer to peer interface in a peer to peer traffic channel.

Claims

1. A method of operating a first communications device, the method comprising:

receiving a first signal from a second communications device;

generating a first application alert if said first signal satisfies an application alert criteria; and

receiving a second signal from an access point said second signal carrying second communications device information based on a previous signal from the second communications device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said second communications device information is location information.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving a first signal includes receiving said first signal via a wireless peer to peer interface.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein receiving the second signal includes receiving the second signal via a wireless wide area network interface.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining an operation to take based on the second communications device information included in the second signal and information included in said first signal.

6. The method of claim 5,

wherein said second communications device information included in the second signal is information on a previous location of said second communications device;

wherein said information included in the first signal is current location information; and

wherein said operation is one of a location based traffic update operation and a location based advertisement update operation.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to the generated first application alert sending an information request signal to the access point requesting information corresponding to the second communications device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the access point is a base station.

9. A first communications device comprising:

means for receiving a first signal from a second communications device;

means for generating a first application alert if said first signal satisfies an application alert criteria; and

means for receiving a second signal from an access point said second signal carrying second communications device information based on a previous signal from the second communications device.

10. The first communications device of claim 9, wherein said means for receiving a first signal includes means for receiving said first signal via a wireless peer to peer interface.

11. The first communications device of claim 10, wherein said means for receiving the second signal includes means for receiving the second signal via a wireless wide area network interface.

12. The first communications device of claim 9, further comprising:

means for determining an operation to take based on the second communications device information included in the second signal and information included in said first signal.

13. The first communications device of claim 12,

wherein said second communications device information included in the second signal is information on a previous location of said second communications device;

wherein said information included in the first signal is current location information; and

wherein said operation is one of a location based traffic update operation and a location based advertisement update operation.

14. The first communications device of claim 9, further comprising:

means for sending an information request signal to the access point requesting information corresponding to the second communications device, in response to the generated first application alert.

15. A computer program product for use in a first communications device, the computer program product comprising:

a computer readable medium comprising;

code for causing at least one computer to receive a first signal from a second communications device;

code for causing said at least one computer to generate a first application alert if said first signal satisfies an application alert criteria; and

code for causing said at least one computer to receive a second signal from an access point said second signal carrying second communications device information based on a previous signal from the second communications device.

16. A first communications device comprising:

at least one processor configured to;

receive a first signal from a second communications device;

generate a first application alert if said first signal satisfies an application alert criteria; and

receive a second signal from an access point said second signal carrying second communications device information based on a previous signal from the second communications device;

and memory coupled to said at least one processor.

17. The first communications device of claim 16, wherein said at least one processor is configured to receive said first signal via a wireless peer to peer interface as part of being configured to receive a first signal.

18. The first communications device of claim 17, wherein said at least one processor is configured to receive the second signal via a wireless wide area network interface as part of being configured to receive the second signal.

19. The first communications device of claim 16, wherein said at least one processor is further configured to:

determine an operation to take based on the second communications device information included in the second signal and information included in said first signal.

20. The first communications device of claim 19,

wherein said second communications device information included in the second signal is information on a previous location of said second communications device;

wherein said information included in the first signal is current location information; and

wherein said operation is one of a location based traffic update operation and a location based advertisement update operation.