Device, system, computer readable medium and method for providing status information of devices in a short distance wireless network

• US 6,957,045 B2
• Filed: 10/26/2001
• Issued: 10/18/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: IXI Mobile (R&D) Ltd. (IXI Mobile, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: IXI Mobile (R&D) Ltd. (IXI Mobile, Inc.)
• Inventors: Haller, Amit, Fornell, Peter, Itzchak, Avraham, Haparnas, Ziv, Glick, Amir
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, LANA N
• Application Number:
  US10/014,721
• Publication Number:
  US 20030083011A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,453 Days
• Field of Search: 455/41.1, 455/41.2, 455/41.3, 455/67.11, 455/67.12, 455/343.1, 455/343.3, 455/566, 455/575.1, 455/575.7, 455/556.2, 455/517
• US Class Current: 455/41.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/23 Indication means, e.g. displays, alarms, audible means
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/318 Received signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/245 from a network towards a terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/10 Small scale networks; Flat hierarchical networks

Abstract

A device, a system, a computer readable medium and a method provide status information of a device and/or devices in a short distance wireless network in an embodiment of the present invention. Status information, such as the quality of the received signal and/or available battery power of each device in the short distance wireless network is provided to a device having a display according to an embodiment of the present invention. Status information may be selectively displayed in an easily viewable and preferable type in an embodiment of the present invention.

Claims

1. A system for providing status information in a short distance wireless network, comprising:

a first moveable device to generate a first short-range radio frequency signal containing status information of the first device;

a second moveable device including;

a display,

a storage device,

a processor, coupled to the storage device,

wherein the storage device stores a first software component to notify a status information of the first moveable device on the display in response to the first short range radio signal,

wherein the status information of the first moveable device is calculated and includes a received signal indication calculated from a bit error rate of a short-range radio signal transferred between the first and second moveable devices;

wherein the first and second moveable devices may be positioned by a user; and

a third moveable device to generate a second short-range radio frequency signal containing a status information of the third moveable device, and wherein the second moveable device receives the second short-range radio frequency signal and notifies the status information of the third moveable device, wherein the second device displays the status information of the first moveable device and the status information of the third moveable device, concurrently, so that the user is able to identify a physical orientation of the first, second and third moveable devices for maximum signal reception.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first, second and third moveable devices form a short distance wireless network coupled to the Internet, and wherein the status information of the first moveable device and the status information of the third moveable device is selectively displayed on the second moveable device responsive to a notify preference value selected by the user.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the status information of the first moveable device further includes a remaining power in the first moveable device.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the status information of the first moveable device further includes a quality of a received signal of the first moveable device.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the status information of the first moveable device further includes calculated status information by the first moveable device.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the status information of the first moveable device further includes a minimum battery status from the first moveable device selected by the user.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the second moveable device includes a software component for polling the first moveable device in order to obtain the status information of the first moveable device.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the first short-range radio frequency signal is generated on a periodic basis from the first moveable device.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein second moveable device obtains the status information of the first moveable device responsive to a user selection.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the status information of the first moveable device is displayed in response to a first moveable device event and a status information threshold value selected by the user, wherein the status information threshold value indicates when the status information is displayed.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the first moveable device event includes a remaining power in the first moveable device falling below the status information threshold value.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the first moveable device event includes a quality of a received signal of the first moveable device falling below the status information threshold value.

13. An article of manufacture, including a computer readable medium, comprising:

a short-range radio software component to process a short-range radio frequency signal in a short distance wireless network;

a notify software component to notify a status information of a first, a second and a third device in the short distance wireless network;

a calculate software component to calculate the status information, using a bit error rate, wherein the notify software component notifies status information of the first, second and third devices such that a user identifies a physical orientation of the first, second and third devices by the first device displaying the status information of the second and third devices, for maximum signal reception.

14. A method for providing status information in a short distance wireless network, comprising:

obtaining status information of a plurality of devices in the short distance wireless network responsive to a short-range radio frequency signal; and

,

notifying the status information responsive to a plurality of status information notify preference values,

wherein the status information is calculated using a bit error rate and responsive to a plurality of status information type values; and

displaying the status information of a first and a second device in the plurality of devices on a third device in the plurality of devices such that a user identifies a physical orientation of the first, second and third devices for maximum signal reception.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

selecting the notify preference responsive to a user selection, wherein the notify preference value indicates which respective status information of a plurality of terminals in the short distance wireless network is displayed.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

selecting a status information threshold value responsive to a user selection, wherein the status information threshold value indicates when the status information is displayed.