Bump validation

• US 20110191823A1
• Filed: 02/03/2010
• Published: 08/04/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/03/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Bump Technologies Incorporated (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Huibers, Andrew G.
• Granted Patent: US 8,577,292 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/3
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/21 for social networking applications

Abstract

A “bump” occurs when two devices at the same place at the same time indicate their intention to establish a connection for transferring information. A process for validating bumps is described.

Claims

1. A method for bump validation comprising:

receiving a first status report from a first device;

receiving a second status report from a second device located at the same place as the first device; and

,

if the reports were sent at the same time,

sending a “

bump valid”

signal to the first device and the second device if the first status report and the second status report are received within a predetermined time from the time that the first status report was sent.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

sending a “

bump not valid”

signal to the first device and the second device if either the first status report or the second status report is received after the predetermined time from the time that the first status report was sent.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the second device is located at the same place as the first device if an estimated distance between the first and second devices, based on device positions included in the first and second status reports and estimated uncertainties in the positions, is less than a predetermined distance.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the second device is located at the same place as the first device if the devices are both within range of the same wireless network node.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the second device is located at the same place as the first device if the devices both receive the same radio signal with received signal strengths differing by no more than a predetermined ratio.

6. A method for bump validation comprising:

receiving a first status report from a first device;

receiving a second status report from a second device located at the same place as the first device;

periodically receiving status reports from one or more other devices; and

,

if the first and second status reports were sent at the same time and,

if none of the one or more other devices is nearby the first device, then, sending a “

bump valid”

signal to the first device and the second device after receiving the second status report.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the second device is located at the same place as the first device if an estimated distance between the first and second devices, based on device positions included in the first and second status reports and estimated uncertainties in the positions, is less than a predetermined distance.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein the second device is located at the same place as the first device if the devices are both within range of the same wireless network node.

9. The method of claim 6 wherein the second device is located at the same place as the first device if the devices both receive the same radio signal with received signal strengths differing by no more than a predetermined ratio.

10. The method of claim 6 wherein the one or more other devices are nearby the first device if an estimated distance between the first device and any of the one or more other devices is less than a predetermined distance.

11. The method of claim 6 wherein the one or more other devices are nearby the first device if the first device and any of the one or more other devices are both within range of the same wireless network node

12. The method of claim 6 wherein the one or more other devices are nearby the first device if the first device and any of the one or more other devices both receive the same radio signal with received signal strengths differing by no more than a predetermined ratio.

13. A method for bump validation comprising:

receiving a first status report from a first device;

receiving a second status report from a second device located at the same place as the first device;

periodically receiving status reports from one or more other devices; and

,

if the first and second status reports were sent at the same time and,

if one or more other devices is nearby the first device, then,

sending a “

bump valid”

signal to the first device and the second device after receiving status report(s) that contain negative requests, and that were sent after the first and second status reports, from each of the one or more other devices that is nearby either the first or second device.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising:

if one or more other devices is nearby the first device, then,

sending a “

bump not valid”

signal to the first device and the second device after receiving a status report that contains a positive request, and that was sent after the first and second status reports, from any of the one or more other devices that is nearby either the first or second device.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein the second device is located at the same place as the first device if an estimated distance between the first and second devices, based on device positions included in the first and second status reports and estimated uncertainties in the positions, is less than a predetermined distance.

16. The method of claim 13 wherein the second device is located at the same place as the first device if the devices are both within range of the same wireless network node.

17. The method of claim 13 wherein the second device is located at the same place as the first device if the devices both receive the same radio signal with received signal strengths differing by no more than a predetermined ratio.

18. The method of claim 13 wherein the one or more other devices are nearby the first device if an estimated distance between the first device and any of the one or more other devices is less than a predetermined distance.

19. The method of claim 13 wherein the one or more other devices are nearby the first device if the first device and any of the one or more other devices are both within range of the same wireless network node.

20. The method of claim 13 wherein the one or more other devices are nearby the first device if the first device and any of the one or more other devices both receive the same radio signal with received signal strengths differing by no more than a predetermined ratio.

21. A method for bump validation comprising:

receiving a first status report from a first device;

periodically receiving status reports from one or more other devices; and

,

if one or more other devices is nearby the first device, then,

sending a “

bump not valid”

signal to the first device after receiving status report(s) that contain negative requests, and that were sent after the first status report, from each of the one or more other devices that is nearby the first device.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein the one or more other devices are nearby the first device if an estimated distance between the first device and any of the one or more other devices is less than a predetermined distance.

23. The method of claim 21 wherein the one or more other devices are nearby the first device if the first device and any of the one or more other devices are both within range of the same wireless network node.

24. The method of claim 21 wherein the one or more other devices are nearby the first device if the first device and any of the one or more other devices both receive the same radio signal with received signal strengths differing by no more than a predetermined ratio.

25. Method for establishing communication between devices comprising:

receiving a first status report from a first device;

receiving a second status report from a second device;

based on the status reports, determining;

if the devices were in the same place,

if the reports were sent at the same time,

if the reports contain positive requests; and

,

if the devices were in the same place at the same time and intended to establish a connection, then,

sending a “

bump valid”

message to the first and second devices.