INTELLIGENT DEVICE CONNECTION FOR WIRELESS MEDIA ECOSYSTEM

• US 20140273859A1
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Published: 09/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Jawbone Innovations, LLC
• Original Assignee: AliphCom, Inc. (AliphCom Corp.)
• Inventors: Luna, Michael Edward Smith, Donaldson, Thomas Alan
• Granted Patent: US 10,212,534 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/41.3
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72454 according to context-related or environment-related conditions
• 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 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/50 for emergency connections

Abstract

Techniques associated with intelligent device connection for wireless media ecosystem are described, including detecting, using an antenna implemented in a connection awareness device, a radio signal emitted by a wireless device, generating proximity data indicating a proximity of the wireless device to the antenna, providing the proximity data to an intelligent communication facility coupled to the antenna, determining the proximity passes within a threshold proximity, determining the wireless device is compatible with an output device coupled to the connection awareness device, sending to the wireless device data comprising a query associated with an operation, receiving a response indicating the wireless device is performing the operation, sending a first control signal to the output device, synchronizing a performance of the operation by the output device with another performance of the operation by the wireless device, and sending a second control signal to the wireless device to stop performing the operation.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

detecting, using an antenna implemented in a connection awareness device, a radio signal emitted by a wireless device, the antenna configured to send and receive radio signals over a broad spectrum;

generating, based on a strength of the radio signal, proximity data indicating a proximity of the wireless device to the antenna;

providing the proximity data to an intelligent communication facility coupled to the antenna;

determining the proximity passes within a threshold proximity;

determining the wireless device is compatible with an output device coupled to the connection awareness device;

sending to the wireless device data comprising a query associated with an operation;

receiving a response indicating the wireless device is performing the operation;

sending a first control signal to the output device, the first control signal configured to cause the output device to access data associated with the operation and to begin performing the operation;

synchronizing a performance of the operation by the output device with another performance of the operation by the wireless device; and

sending a second control signal to the wireless device to cause the wireless device to stop performing the operation.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining the output device to be suitable for performing the operation.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the wireless device is a compatible device comprises determining the wireless device to be operable to exchange data using a short-range communication protocol.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the operation comprises playing a media content from a playlist stored on wireless device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the operation comprises playing a media content broadcast by a satellite station.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the operation comprises playing a media content streamed over the Internet.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the wireless device to be operable to exchange data using a short-range communication protocol comprises:

sending to the wireless device, by the intelligent communication facility, data to query whether the short-range communication protocol is enabled on the wireless device;

receiving from the wireless device, by the intelligent communication facility, data indicating the short-range communication protocol is enabled on the wireless device.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the short-range communication protocol is configured to transmit data in a band of frequencies in a range between 2.4 GHz and 2.5 GHz.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein short-range communication protocol is associated with a near field communication standard.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the threshold proximity is dynamically determined based on characteristics of the wireless device'"'"'s transmitter.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the threshold proximity is dynamically determined based on environmental data captured by a sensor.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the threshold proximity is less than 100 meters.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the threshold proximity is less than 0.2 meters.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the threshold proximity is associated with a maximum distance at which the wireless device and the connection awareness device can exchange data using a short-range communication protocol.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining the output device to be a preferred device for performing the operation.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the connection awareness device is configured to be used as an intermediary device for exchanging data between the wireless device and the output device.

17. A system, comprising:

an antenna configured to send and receive radio signals over a broad spectrum;

a connection awareness device coupled to the antenna, the connection awareness device configured to detect a radio signal emitted by a wireless device, to generate, based on a strength of the radio signal, proximity data indicating a proximity of the wireless device to the antenna, to provide the proximity data to an intelligent communication facility coupled to the antenna, to determine the proximity passes within a threshold proximity, to determine the wireless device is compatible with an output device coupled to the connection awareness device, to send to the wireless device data comprising a query associated with an operation, to receive a response indicating the wireless device is performing the operation, to send a first control signal to an output device, the first control signal configured to cause the output device to access data associated with the operation and to begin performing the operation, to synchronize a performance of the operation by the output device with another performance of the operation by the wireless device, and to send a second control signal to the wireless device to cause the wireless device to stop performing the operation; and

a memory configured to store the proximity data, the threshold proximity, and the data associated with the operation.

18. The system of claim 17, further comprising the output device, wherein the output device is configured to access data associated with the operation from a remote source.

19. The system of claim 17, further comprising the output device, wherein the output device is configured to access data associated with the operation from the wireless device.

20. A computer program product embodied in a computer readable medium and comprising computer instructions for:

detecting, using an antenna implemented in a connection awareness device, a radio signal emitted by a wireless device, the antenna configured to send and receive radio signals over a broad spectrum;

generating, based on a strength of the radio signal, proximity data indicating a proximity of the wireless device to the antenna;

providing the proximity data to an intelligent communication facility coupled to the antenna;

determining the proximity passes within a threshold proximity;

determining the wireless device is compatible with an output device coupled to the connection awareness device;

sending to the wireless device data comprising a query associated with an operation;

receiving a response indicating the wireless device is performing the operation;

sending a first control signal to an output device, the first control signal configured to cause the output device to access data associated with the operation and to begin performing the operation;

synchronizing a performance of the operation by the output device with another performance of the operation by the wireless device; and

sending a second control signal to the wireless device to cause the wireless device to stop performing the operation.