TECHNIQUES TO DETERMINE USER PRESENCE

• US 20120250539A1
• Filed: 04/01/2011
• Published: 10/04/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tahoe Research Limited (f/k/a Learndale Limited) (Vector Capital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Lin, Xintian E., Li, Qinghua, Yang, Songnan, Gao, Jie, Guo, Yongfang, Karacaoglu, Ulun, Fleming, Kristoffer D.
• Granted Patent: US 8,774,145 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/252
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/27 for locating or positioning the transmitter
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/54 Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/21 for social networking applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/283 Power depending on the position of the mobile

Abstract

An embodiment of the present invention provides a method of detecting user presence, comprising registering a client associated with the user on a host associated with the user and setting up a wireless communication pairing, wherein while setting up the pairing, the client measures the host wireless communication power and uses it as calibration threshold for distance detection, and wherein the client measures a beacon power of the host radio and when the beacon power is above a threshold, the client is determined to be proximate to the host.

Claims

1. A method of detecting user presence, comprising:

registering a client associated with said user on a host associated with said user and setting up a wireless communication pairing, wherein while setting up said pairing, said client measures said host wireless communication power and uses it as calibration threshold for distance detection; and

wherein said client measures a beacon power of said host radio and when said beacon power is above a threshold, said client is determined to be proximate to said host.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said client is a mobile device and said host is a personal computer (PC) and wherein anytime said PC senses input by said user, said beacon packets indicate that by inserting a Pre-agreed Aid in a TIM field and therefore said the client can always use said beacon power to calibrate said power threshold.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein when said user moves away from said PC, said beacon power received by said client will decrease and said client will receive said beacon packet without said Pre-agreed Aid in said TIM field.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein when said user moves away from said PC and said beacon power received by said client is decreased and when said client receives said beacon packet without said Pre-agreed Aid in said TIM field and beacon power is lower than said threshold, said Client sends a sleep packet to said host to turn off a display associated with said PC.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said wireless communication is according to the Institute for Electronic and Electrical Engineering (IEEE) 802.11 standard and utilizes a WiFi radio on said mobile device carried by said user and a MyWiFi mode on said PC.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein when said user moves away from said PC and said beacon power received by said client is decreased and when said client receives said beacon packet without said Pre-agreed Aid in said TIM field and beacon power is lower than said threshold, said Client sends a sleep packet to said host to put said PC to sleep and wherein when said user is proximate to said PC, said PC is awakened using wake on WLAN by proximity.

7. The method of claim 3, further comprising using said detection of said user presence to facilitate secure login at a distance or phone transfer depending on said user location or providing a longer range NFC (Near Field Communication).

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising using said detection of said user presence to facilitate carrying host information to other PC systems.

9. The method of claim 4, wherein said wireless communication is according to the Institute for Electronic and Electrical Engineering (IEEE) 802.15 standard and utilizes a Bluetooth radio on said mobile device carried by said user and a Bluetooth mode on said PC.

36. The method of claim 1, wherein said client is a smartphone.

10. An apparatus, comprising:

a mobile device adapted for wireless communications with a host and setting up a wireless communication pairing between said host and said mobile client, wherein while setting up said pairing, said mobile device measures said host wireless communication power and uses it as calibration threshold for distance detection; and

wherein said mobile device measures a beacon power of said host radio and when said beacon power is above a threshold, said mobile device is determined to be proximate to said host.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein said host is a personal computer (PC) and anytime said PC senses input, beacon packets transmitted from said PC to said mobile device indicate that by inserting a Pre-agreed Aid in a TIM field and therefore said the mobile device always use said beacon power to calibrate said power threshold.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein when said mobile client moves away from said PC, said beacon power received by said mobile device will decrease and said client will receive said beacon packet without said Pre-agreed Aid in said TIM field.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein when said mobile device moves away from said PC and said beacon power received by said mobile device is decreased and when mobile device receives said beacon packet without said Pre-agreed Aid in said TIM field and beacon power is lower than said threshold, said mobile device sends a sleep packet to said host to turn off a display associated with said PC.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein said wireless communication is according to the Institute for Electronic and Electrical Engineering (IEEE) 802.11 standard and utilizes a WiFi radio on said mobile device carried by said user and a MyWiFi mode on said PC.

15. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein when said mobile client is moved away from said PC and said beacon power received by said mobile is decreased and when said mobile device receives said beacon packet without said Pre-agreed Aid in said TIM field and beacon power is lower than said threshold, said mobile device sends a sleep packet to said host to put said PC to sleep and wherein when said mobile device is proximate to said PC, said PC is awakened using wake on WLAN by proximity.

16. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said mobile device is further adapted to use said detection of said user presence to facilitate secure login at a distance or phone transfer depending on said mobile device location or providing a longer range NFC (Near Field Communication).

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein said mobile device is further adapated to use said detection of said mobile client presence to facilitate carrying host information to other PC systems.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein said wireless communication is according to the Institute for Electronic and Electrical Engineering (IEEE) 802.15 standard and utilizes a Bluetooth radio on said mobile device and a Bluetooth mode on said PC.

37. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein said mobile device is a smartphone.

19. An apparatus, comprising:

a host adapted for wireless communication with a mobile device and capable of setting up a wireless communication pairing between said host and said mobile device, wherein while setting up said pairing, said mobile device measures said host wireless communication power and uses it as calibration threshold for distance detection; and

wherein said mobile device measures a beacon power of said host radio and when said beacon power is above a threshold, said mobile device is determined to be proximate to said host.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein said host is a personal computer (PC) and anytime said PC senses input, beacon packets transmitted from said PC to said mobile device indicate that by inserting a Pre-agreed Aid in a TIM field and therefore said the mobile device always use said beacon power to calibrate said power threshold.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein when said mobile client moves away from said PC, said beacon power received by said mobile device will decrease and said client will receive said beacon packet without said Pre-agreed Aid in said TIM field.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein when said mobile device moves away from said PC and said beacon power received by said mobile device is decreased and when mobile device receives said beacon packet without said Pre-agreed Aid in said TIM field and beacon power is lower than said threshold, said mobile device sends a sleep packet to said host to turn off a display associated with said PC.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein said wireless communication is according to the Institute for Electronic and Electrical Engineering (IEEE) 802.11 standard and utilizes a WiFi radio on said mobile device carried by said user and a MyWiFi mode on said PC.

24. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein when said mobile client is moved away from said PC and said beacon power received by said mobile is decreased and when said mobile device receives said beacon packet without said Pre-agreed Aid in said TIM field and beacon power is lower than said threshold, said mobile device sends a sleep packet to said host to put said PC to sleep and wherein when said mobile device is proximate to said PC, said PC is awakened using wake on WLAN by proximity.

25. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein said mobile device is further adapted to use said detection of said user presence to facilitate secure login at a distance or phone transfer depending on said mobile device location or providing a longer range NFC (Near Field Communication).

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein said mobile device is further adapated to use said detection of said mobile client presence to facilitate carrying host information to other PC systems.

27. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein said wireless communication is according to the Institute for Electronic and Electrical Engineering (IEEE) 802.15 standard and utilizes a Bluetooth radio on said mobile device and a Bluetooth mode on said PC.

38. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein said mobile device is a smartphone.

28. A non-volatile machine-accessible medium that provides instructions, which when accessed, cause a machine to perform operations comprising:

detecting user presence by registering a client associated with said user on a host associated with said user and setting up a wireless communication pairing, wherein while setting up said pairing, said client measures said host wireless communication power and uses it as calibration threshold for distance detection; and

wherein said client measures a beacon power of said host radio and when said beacon power is above a threshold, said client is determined to be proximate to said host.

29. The non-volatile machine-accessible medium that provides instructions, which when accessed, cause a machine to perform operations of claim 28, wherein said client is a mobile device and said host is a personal computer (PC) and wherein anytime said PC senses input by said user, said beacon packets indicate that by inserting a Pre-agreed Aid in a TIM field and therefore said the client can always use said beacon power to calibrate said power threshold.

30. The non-volatile machine-accessible medium that provides instructions, which when accessed, cause a machine to perform operations of claim 29, wherein when said user moves away from said PC, said beacon power received by said client will decrease and said client will receive said beacon packet without said Pre-agreed Aid in said TIM field.

31. The non-volatile machine-accessible medium that provides instructions, which when accessed, cause a machine to perform operations of claim 30, wherein when said user moves away from said PC and said beacon power received by said client is decreased and when said client receives said beacon packet without said Pre-agreed Aid in said TIM field and beacon power is lower than said threshold, said Client sends a sleep packet to said host to turn off a display associated with said PC.

32. The non-volatile machine-accessible medium that provides instructions, which when accessed, cause a machine to perform operations of claim 28, wherein said wireless communication is according to the Institute for Electronic and Electrical Engineering (IEEE) 802.11 standard and utilizes a WiFi radio on said mobile device carried by said user and a MyWiFi mode on said PC.

33. The non-volatile machine-accessible medium that provides instructions, which when accessed, cause a machine to perform operations of claim 30, wherein when said user moves away from said PC and said beacon power received by said client is decreased and when said client receives said beacon packet without said Pre-agreed Aid in said TIM field and beacon power is lower than said threshold, said Client sends a sleep packet to said host to put said PC to sleep and wherein when said user is proximate to said PC, said PC is awakened using wake on WLAN by proximity.

34. The non-volatile machine-accessible medium that provides instructions, which when accessed, cause a machine to perform operations of claim 30, further comprising using said detection of said user presence to facilitate secure login at a distance or phone transfer depending on said user location or providing a longer range NFC (Near Field Communication).

35. The non-volatile machine-accessible medium that provides instructions, which when accessed, cause a machine to perform operations of claim 30, wherein said wireless communication is according to the Institute for Electronic and Electrical Engineering (IEEE) 802.15 standard and utilizes a Bluetooth radio on said mobile device carried by said user and a Bluetooth mode on said PC.