TECHNIQUES FOR DETERMINING ACTUAL AND/OR NEAR STATES OF PROXIMITY BETWEEN MOBILE DEVICES

• US 20140162688A1
• Filed: 12/05/2013
• Published: 06/12/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Edge, Steven William
• Granted Patent: US 9,496,971 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/10 Position of receiver fixed by co-ordinating a plurality of position lines defined by path-difference measurements , e.g. omega or decca systemsG01S5/12 takes precedence ; beacons and receivers cooperating therewith G01S1/306, G01S1/308
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/14 Determining absolute distances from a plurality of spaced points of known location
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/08 among terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1845 broadcast or multicast in a specific location, e.g. geocast protocols for adapting network applications to user terminal location H04L67/52; services specially adapted for wireless communication networks making use of the location of users or terminals H04W4/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1868 Measures taken after transmission, e.g. acknowledgments
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/06 Optimizing the usage of the radio link, e.g. header compression, information sizing , discarding information system modifying transmission characteristic according to link quality by modifying frame length H04L1/0007; dynamic adaptation of the packet size for flow control or congestion control H04L47/365
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• 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 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/246 Connectivity information discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/10 Small scale networks; Flat hierarchical networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user

Abstract

Techniques are provided that may be implemented in various methods, apparatuses and articles of manufacture for use by one or more electronic devices to support proximity services for a mobile device. In an example implementation, a computing device may determine whether a first mobile device and a second mobile device are each operatively provisioned to make use of a common proximity service, use a first procedure to determine whether a state of near proximity exists between at least two mobile devices, use a second procedure to determine whether a state of proximity exists between the at least two mobile devices, and initiate notification of a user and/or an application of at least one of the mobile devices in response to one or more of such determinations.

Claims

1. A method of supporting proximity services for a mobile device comprising, with a computing device:

determining whether a first mobile device and a second mobile device are each operatively provisioned to make use of a common proximity service;

determining using a first procedure that a state of near proximity exists between the first mobile device and the second mobile device, wherein the first mobile device and the second mobile device are not in proximity;

determining at a subsequent time and using a second procedure that a state of proximity exists between the first mobile device and the second mobile device, wherein the second procedure differs from the first procedure; and

initiating notification of a user and/or an application of at least one of the first mobile device or the second mobile device that the state of proximity has occurred.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein a distance threshold between the first mobile device and the second mobile device for determining the state of near proximity exceeds a distance threshold for determining the state of proximity.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first procedure uses fewer resources than the second procedure.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the second procedure determines proximity more accurately than the first procedure.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first procedure uses at least one of a coarser location accuracy and/or a lower scan frequency than the second procedure.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first procedure is based, at least in part, on one or more of a serving cell, a location area, a tracking area, a previous location estimate, or a visible WiFi Access Point corresponding to at least one of the first mobile device and/or the second mobile device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the second procedure uses one or more of a geographic location estimate, a measured round trip propagation time, and/or a direct radio contact corresponding to at least one of the first mobile device and/or the second mobile device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first procedure uses a geographic location area common to two or more networks.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first mobile device is served by a different network than the second mobile device.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the second procedure is performed more frequently than the first procedure.

11. An apparatus for use in supporting proximity services for a mobile device, the apparatus comprising:

means for determining whether a first mobile device and a second mobile device are each operatively provisioned to make use of a common proximity service;

means for determining using a first procedure that a state of near proximity exists between the first mobile device and the second mobile device, wherein the first mobile device and the second mobile device are not in proximity;

means for determining at a subsequent time and using a second procedure that a state of proximity exists between the first mobile device and the second mobile device, wherein the second procedure differs from the first procedure; and

means for initiating notification of a user and/or an application of at least one of the first mobile device or the second mobile device that the state of proximity has occurred.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein a distance threshold between the first mobile device and the second mobile device for determining the state of near proximity exceeds a distance threshold for determining the state of proximity.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein at least one of:

the first procedure uses fewer resources than the second procedure,

the second procedure determines proximity more accurately than the first procedure,

the first procedure uses at least one of a coarser location accuracy and/or a lower scan frequency than the second procedure, and/or

the second procedure is performed more frequently than the first procedure.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the first procedure uses a geographic location area common to two or more networks.

15. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the first mobile device is served by a different network than the second mobile device.

16. A computing device to support proximity services for a mobile device, the computing device comprising:

memory; and

a processor to;

determine whether a first mobile device and a second mobile device are each operatively provisioned to make use of a common proximity service;

determine using a first procedure that a state of near proximity exists between the first mobile device and the second mobile device, wherein the first mobile device and the second mobile device are not in proximity;

determine at a subsequent time and using a second procedure that a state of proximity exists between the first mobile device and the second mobile device, wherein the second procedure differs from the first procedure; and

initiate notification of a user and/or an application of at least one of the first mobile device or the second mobile device that the state of proximity has occurred.

17. The computing device of claim 16, wherein a distance threshold between the first mobile device and the second mobile device for determining the state of near proximity exceeds a distance threshold for determining the state of proximity.

18. The computing device of claim 16, wherein the first procedure uses fewer resources than the second procedure.

19. The computing device of claim 16, wherein the second procedure determines proximity more accurately than the first procedure.

20. The computing device of claim 16, wherein the first procedure uses at least one of a coarser location accuracy and/or a lower scan frequency than the second procedure.

21. The computing device of claim 16, wherein the first procedure is based, at least in part, on one or more of a serving cell, a location area, a tracking area, a previous location estimate, or a visible WiFi Access Point corresponding to at least one of the first mobile device and/or the second mobile device.

22. The computing device of claim 16, wherein the second procedure uses one or more of a geographic location estimate, a measured round trip propagation time, and/or a direct radio contact corresponding to at least one of the first mobile device and/or the second mobile device.

23. The computing device of claim 16, wherein the first procedure uses a geographic location area common to two or more networks.

24. The computing device of claim 16, wherein the first mobile device is served by a different network than the second mobile device.

25. The computing device of claim 16, wherein the second procedure is performed more frequently than the first procedure.

26. An article comprising:

a non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon computer implementable instructions executable by a processor in a computing device to;

determine whether a first mobile device and a second mobile device are each operatively provisioned to make use of a common proximity service;

determine using a first procedure that a state of near proximity exists between the first mobile device and the second mobile device, wherein the first mobile device and the second mobile device are not in proximity;

determine at a subsequent time and using a second procedure that a state of proximity exists between the first mobile device and the second mobile device, wherein the second procedure differs from the first procedure; and

initiate notification of a user and/or an application of at least one of the first mobile device or the second mobile device that the state of proximity has occurred.

27. The article of claim 26, wherein a distance threshold between the first mobile device and the second mobile device for determining the state of near proximity exceeds a distance threshold for determining the state of proximity.

28. The article of claim 26, wherein at least one of:

the first procedure uses fewer resources than the second procedure,

the second procedure determines proximity more accurately than the first procedure,

the first procedure uses at least one of a coarser location accuracy and/or a lower scan frequency than the second procedure, and/or

the second procedure is performed more frequently than the first procedure.

29. The article of claim 26, wherein the first procedure uses a geographic location area common to two or more networks.

30. The article of claim 26, wherein the first mobile device is served by a different network than the second mobile device.