CONNECTION AND SYNCHRONIZATION WITH A DEVICE IN A NON-ACTIVE STATE BASED ON NEAR FIELD COMMUNICATION

• US 20140220886A1
• Filed: 12/16/2011
• Published: 08/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Adrangi, Farid, Bakshi, Sanjay
• Granted Patent: US 10,135,494 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/41.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/00 Near-field transmission systems, e.g. inductive or capacitive transmission systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/72 for local intradevice communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0229 where the received signal is a wanted signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/20 Transfer of user or subscriber data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/18 between terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Technologies for one-tap connection and synchronization with a device in a non-active state are disclosed. When a user brings a first device enabled for Near Field Communication (NFC) to close proximity of a second NFC-enabled device when the second device is in a non-active state, the second device may be awakened, or placed in an active state, for a period of time to perform one or more operations before returning to the non-active state. These operations include, for example, allowing the first device to access data stored in the second device and synchronizing one or more applications installed on the second device with remote servers.

Claims

1-23. -23. (canceled)

24. A method comprising:

detecting a presence of a first device in close proximity of a second device, the second device being in a non-active state;

receiving information from the first device;

determining whether or not the second device should be in an active state according to the information received from the first device; and

activating the second device, thus putting the second device in an active state.

25. A method as recited claim 24, wherein the activating occurs in response to determining that the second device should be in the active state.

26. A method as recited claim 24, wherein the second device remains in the active state for up to a defined duration before returning to the non-active state.

27. A method as recited claim 24, wherein detecting a presence of the first device in close proximity of the second device includes detecting the presence of the first device in close proximity of the second device based on Near Field Communication (NFC) technology.

28. A method as recited claim 24, wherein detecting a presence of the first device in close proximity of the second device includes recognition of a Near Field Communication (NFC) tap therebetween the devices.

29. A method as recited claim 24, wherein the information received from the first device includes a command that triggers one or more applications installed on the second device to synchronize with one or more respective remote servers upon the second device being in the active state.

30. A method as recited claim 29, wherein the command includes information selected from a group consisting of an indication of a connection profile, a listing of operations for the second device to execute when the second device is in the active state, a shutdown policy indicating whether the second device should shut down or stay in the active state after completing the operations in the list of operations, and a combination thereof.

31. A method as recited claim 30, wherein the connection profile includes parameters relating to connecting to the first device via Wi-Fi, parameters relating to connecting to the first device via Bluetooth, parameters relating to connecting to a public Wi-Fi access point that the first device has already scanned and identified to be legitimate and safe for use, or a combination thereof.

32. A method as recited claim 24, wherein activating the second device includes directing the second device to return to the non-active state upon the one or more applications completing synchronization with the one or more respective remote servers or upon expiration of a defined duration, whichever occurs first.

33. A method as recited claim 24, after the activating and while the second device is the active state, further comprising directing one or more applications to respectively synchronize with one or more remote servers.

34. A method as recited claim 24, wherein the information received from the first device includes a command that triggers the second device to allow the first device to access data stored in the second device while the second device is in the active state.

35. A method as recited claim 24, after the activating and while the second device is the active state, further comprising directing the second device to return to the non-active state upon completion of the first device accessing data stored in the second device or upon expiration of a defined duration, whichever occurs first.

36. A method as recited claim 24, after the activating and while the second device is the active state, further comprising directing the second device to allow the first device to access data stored in the second device.

37. A circuit comprising:

a wireless communication unit that detects a presence of and receives information from a wireless device that is in close proximity of the wireless communication unit; and

a control unit coupled to the wireless communication unit, the control unit being configured to;

verify whether the wireless device is an authorized device according to the information received from the wireless device;

determine whether a computing device in which the circuit is installed should transition from a non-active state to an active state according to a command in the information received from the wireless device; and

activate the computing device so that the computing device remains in the active state for a defined duration, or less, before returning to the non-active state.

38. A circuit as recited in claim 37, wherein the control unit is configured to activate the computing device in response to a determination that the computing device should be transitioned to the active state.

39. A circuit as recited in claim 37, wherein, according to the information received from the wireless device, the control unit is further configured to:

identify a first operation indicated in the information that can be executed without the computing device being in the active state; and

execute the first operation with the computing device in the non-active state.

40. A circuit as recited in claim 37, wherein, according to the information received from the wireless device, the control unit is further configured to:

transition the computing device from the non-active state to the active state;

cause the wireless communication unit to transmit data stored in the computing device to the wireless device in response to a command in the information received from the wireless device; and

transition the computing device from the active state to the non-active state upon completing transmission of the data to the wireless device, or upon expiration of the defined duration, whichever occurs first.

41. A circuit as recited in claim 37, further comprising:

a synchronization unit configured to launch one or more applications installed on the computing device, the synchronization unit further configured to cause the one or more applications to respectively synchronize with one or more remote servers; and

a connection management unit coupled to the synchronization unit, the connection management unit configured to communicatively establish a network connection with the one or more remote servers.

42. A circuit as recited in claim 37, wherein, according to a command in the information received from the wireless device, the control unit is further configured to:

transition the computing device from the non-active state to the active state;

cause the connection management unit to communicatively establish a first connection with the wireless device;

cause the synchronization unit to launch a first application installed on the computing device and synchronize the first application with a first remote server over the first connection; and

transition the computing device from the active state to the non-active state upon completing synchronizing the first application with the first remote server, or upon expiration of the defined duration, whichever occurs first.

43. A circuit as recited in claim 42, wherein the command includes information indicative of a connection profile based on which the connection management unit establishes the first connection, a list of operations for the computing device to execute when the computing device is in the active state during the defined duration, or a shutdown policy indicating whether the computing device should shut down or stay in the active state after completing the operations in the list of operations.

44. A circuit as recited in claim 43, wherein the connection profile includes parameters relating to connecting to the wireless device via Wi-Fi, parameters relating to connecting to the wireless device via Bluetooth, or parameters relating to connecting to a public Wi-Fi access point, or a combination thereof.

45. A circuit as recited in claim 37, wherein the wireless communication unit employs Near Field Communication (NFC) technology.

46. At least one computer accessible medium having stored thereon a set of instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, direct the one or more processors to execute operations comprising:

detecting a presence of a first device in close proximity of a second device while the second device is in a non-active state;

receiving information from the first device;

determining, according to the information received from the first device, whether or not the first device is an authorized device; and

in an event that it is determined the first device is an authorized device, placing the second device in an active state for at most a predetermined duration before returning the second device to the non-active state.

47. At least one computer accessible medium of claim 46, wherein the operations further comprise:

transmitting data stored in the second device to the first device in response to a command requesting for the data in the information received from the first device; and

returning the second device to the non-active state upon completion of transmitting the data stored in the second device to the first device, or upon expiration of the defined duration, whichever occurs first.

48. At least one computer accessible medium of claim 46, wherein the operations further comprise:

launching one or more applications installed on the second device to respectively synchronize with one or more remote servers in response to a command requesting for the data in the information received from the first device; and

returning the second device to the non-active state upon the one or more applications completing synchronization with the one or more respective remote servers, or upon expiration of the defined duration, whichever occurs first.

49. A computing system comprising:

one or more processors configure to execute instructions;

a memory storing thereon a set of instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, direct the one or more processors to execute operations comprising;

detecting a presence of a wireless device in close proximity of computing system, the computing system being in a non-active state;

receiving information from the wireless device;

determining whether or not the computing system should be in an active state according to the information received from the wireless device; and

activating the computing system, thus putting the computing system in an active state.

50. A computing system as recited in claim 49 further comprising a wireless communication unit configured to detect a presence of and receives information from the wireless device that is in close proximity of the wireless communication unit.

51. A computing system as recited in claim 49, wherein the activating operation occurs in response to determining that the computing system should be in the active state.

52. A computing system as recited in claim 49, wherein the computing system remains in the active state for up to a defined duration before returning to the non-active state.

53. A computing system as recited in claim 49, wherein the detecting operation includes detecting the presence of the wireless device in close proximity of the computing system based on Near Field Communication (NFC) technology.