Message handover for networked beacons
First Claim
1. A method for enabling the user of a mobile data processing device to perform a service interaction with a cluster of beacon devices containing a first and plural second beacon devices capable of wireless message transmission, wherein:
- a first beacon broadcasts a series of inquiry messages according to a first communications protocol;
the users mobile device, on detecting such inquiry messages, replies with an identifier for the mobile device;
the first beacon device transmits a received identifier to a selected second beacon device;
the selected second beacon and mobile device establish a communications link for performance of said service interaction when triggered by the second beacon receiving the mobile device identifier; and
on the occurrence of a handover trigger event, as determined by at least one of the selected second beacon and mobile device, a further second beacon device is selected and the communications link to the mobile device is transferred to it from the originally selected second device.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A data transmission system comprises a first (12) and two or more second (13, 14, 15) beacon devices interconnected (11) as a cluster capable of wireless message transmission, and at least one mobile device (10) capable of receiving such message transmissions. The first beacon (12) is arranged to broadcast a series of inquiry messages (INQ) according to a first communications protocol, such as Bluetooth. The mobile device (10) detects such inquiry messages and replies with an identifier for itself. The link (A) from the first beacon device is then re-established between a selected one (14) of the second beacon devices. When a handover trigger event occurs, paging and page response messages are used to select a further second beacon device (13) and transfer the communications link (C) thereto.
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Citations
17 Claims
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1. A method for enabling the user of a mobile data processing device to perform a service interaction with a cluster of beacon devices containing a first and plural second beacon devices capable of wireless message transmission, wherein:
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a first beacon broadcasts a series of inquiry messages according to a first communications protocol;
the users mobile device, on detecting such inquiry messages, replies with an identifier for the mobile device;
the first beacon device transmits a received identifier to a selected second beacon device;
the selected second beacon and mobile device establish a communications link for performance of said service interaction when triggered by the second beacon receiving the mobile device identifier; and
on the occurrence of a handover trigger event, as determined by at least one of the selected second beacon and mobile device, a further second beacon device is selected and the communications link to the mobile device is transferred to it from the originally selected second device. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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- 9. A data transmission system comprising a first and two or more second beacon devices interconnected as a cluster capable of wireless message transmission, and at least one mobile device capable of receiving such message transmissions, wherein said first beacon is arranged to broadcast a series of inquiry messages according to a first communications protocol, wherein said at least one mobile device is arranged to detect such inquiry messages and reply with an identifier for the mobile device, wherein said first beacon device is arranged to transmit a received identifier to a selected one of said two or more second beacon devices, wherein said selected second beacon and mobile device are configured to perform a service interaction when triggered by said selected second beacon receiving the portable device identifier, at least one of the selected second beacon device and mobile device is configured to identify when a handover trigger event occurs and, on detection, to select a further second beacon device and transfer the communications link thereto from the originally selected second beacon device.
Specification