Opportunistic data transfer from a personal digital apparatus

• US 7,055,111 B2
• Filed: 10/24/2001
• Issued: 05/30/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Scheessele, Evan
• Primary Examiner(s): Lim, Krisna
• Application Number:
  US10/027,595
• Publication Number:
  US 20030093547A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,679 Days
• Field of Search: 455/3.01, 455/500, 455/73, 455/91, 455/95, 709217-219, 715/864, 715/853, 715/855
• US Class Current: 715/864
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/62 Establishing a time schedule for servicing the requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

The opportunistic data download method determines a preferred download time to download the accumulated data from a personal digital apparatus, such as a wristwatch-type device with sensors. The personal digital apparatus then polls for the download device at the download time. The personal digital apparatus may be Bluetooth-compliant and use the Bluetooth auto-discovery process as the polling operation. If the polling operation is unsuccessful at the download time, the polling operation is attempted at an updated download time. If the updated download time is a time during which the polling operation is successful, this time is used for downloading the accumulated data to the download device for all subsequent download operations.

Claims

1. A method for opportunistic downloading of accumulated data from a personal digital apparatus to a download device, the method comprising the steps of:

learning an opportunistic download time to attempt a download when a user is likely to be within a transmission range, wherein power is conserved by not attempting to download at learned times when the user will not be within range;

using the download time to download the accumulated data;

polling for the download device at the download time;

if the polling is unsuccessful at the download time, polling for the download device at an updated download time;

if the polling at the updated download time is successful, performing subsequent polling operations at the updated download time; and

if the polling at the updated download time is successful, downloading the accumulated data to the download device.

2. The method of claim 1 and further including the step of determining if the successfully polled download device is a predetermined desired download device.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the personal digital apparatus is a wristwatch-type device and the download device is a printer.

14. The method of claim 1 and further including the step of retrieving and printing a document relevant to the accumulated data.

4. A method for opportunistic downloading of accumulated data from a wristwatch-type electronic apparatus to a printer, both the electronic apparatus and the printer having transceivers, the electronic apparatus configured to collect the accumulated data, the method comprising the steps of:

learning an opportunistic download time to attempt a download when a user is likely to be within a transmission range, wherein power is conserved by not attempting to download at learned times when the user will not be within range;

using the download time to download the accumulated data to the printer such that the download time is substantially equal to a time during which the electronic apparatus is within range of the printer;

polling for the printer at the download time;

if the polling is unsuccessful at the download time, polling for the printer at an updated download time;

if the polling at the updated download time is successful, performing subsequent polling operations at the updated download time; and

if the polling at the updated download time is successful, downloading the accumulated data to the printer.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the printer is is capable of performing the steps:

retrieving a document from the the computer in response to the accumulated data; and

printing the document.

6. A method for opportunistic downloading of accumulated data from a wristwatch-type electronic apparatus to a computer, both the electronic apparatus and the computer having transceivers, the electronic apparatus configured to collect the accumulated data, the method comprising the steps of:

learning an opportunistic download time to attempt a download when a user is likely to be within a transmission range, wherein power is conserved by not attempting to download at learned times when the user will not be within range;

using the download time to download the accumulated data to the computer such that the download time is substantially equal to a time during which the electronic apparatus is within range of the computer;

polling for the computer at the download time;

if the polling is unsuccessful at the download time, polling for the computer at an updated download time;

if the polling at the updated download time is successful, performing subsequent polling operations at the updated download time; and

if the polling at the updated download time is successful, downloading the accumulated data to the computer.

7. The method of claim 6 and further including the step of the computer generating graphics in response to the downloaded accumulated data.

8. The method of claim 6 and further including the step of the computer archiving the downloaded accumulated data on a drive.

9. A method for opportunistic downloading of accumulated data from a wristwatch-type electronic apparatus to a printer, the electronic apparatus comprising a transmitter and and configured to collect the accumulated data, the method comprising the steps of

learning an opportunistic download time to attempt a download when a user is likely to be within a transmission range, wherein power is conserved by not attempting to download at learned times when the user will not be within range;

using the download time to download the accumulated data to the printer such that the download time is substantially equal to a time during which the electronic apparatus is within range of the printer;

polling for the printer at the download time;

if the polling is unsuccessful at the download time, polling for the printer at an updated download time;

if the polling at the updated download time is successful, performing subsequent polling operations at the updated download time; and

if the polling at the updated download time is successful, downloading the accumulated data to the printer.

10. A method for opportunistic downloading of accumulated data from a personal digital apparatus to a download device, both the personal digital apparatus and the download device having transceivers, the personal digital apparatus configured to collect the accumulated data, the method comprising the steps of:

learning an opportunistic download time to attempt a download when a user is likely to be within a transmission range, wherein power is conserved by not attempting to download at learned times when the user will not be within range;

using the download time to download the accumulated data to the download device such that the download time is substantially equal to a time during which the personal digital apparatus is within range of the download device;

polling for the personal digital apparatus at the download time;

if the polling is unsuccessful at the download time, polling for the personal digital apparatus at an updated download time;

if the polling at the updated download time is successful, performing subsequent polling operations at the updated download time; and

if the polling at the updated download time is successful, downloading the accumulated data to the printer.

11. A system for opportunistic downloading of accumulated data comprising:

means for determining a download time to download the accumulated data;

means for learning an opportunistic download time to attempt a download when a user is likely to be within a transmission range, wherein power is conserved by not attempting to download at learned times when the user will not be within range;

means for polling for the download device at the download time;

means for determining an updated download time in response to an unsuccessful polling; and

means for downloading the accumulated data to the download device.

12. A printer that receives opportunistic downloading of data from a personal digital apparatus configured to accumulate the data, the printer comprising:

a software module that communicates with a learning device that learns an opportunistic download time to attempt a download when a user is likely to be within a transmission range, wherein power is conserved by not attempting to download at learned times when the user will not be within range;

a transmitter that polls for the personal digital apparatus at a polling time; and

a controller, coupled to the transmitter, that generates polling operation and the polling time, the controller comprising means for determining if the polling operation is unsuccessful at the polling time and generating an updated polling time in response to a predetermined number of polling operation failures.

13. A personal digital apparatus that performs opportunistic downloading of data to a download device, the personal digital apparatus comprising:

at least one connection between the personal digital apparatus and the download device for accumulating data on the personal digital apparatus;

a software module that communicates with a learning device that learns an opportunistic download time to attempt a download when a user is likely to be within a transmission range, wherein power is conserved by not attempting to download at learned times when the user will not be within range;

memory that stores the accumulated data;

a transmitter that transmits the accumulated data;

a controller coupled to the at least one connection, the memory, and the transmitter, the controller comprising means for generating a polling operation and the polling time, the controller comprising additional means for determining if the polling operation is unsuccessful at the polling time and generating an updated polling time in response to a predetermined number of polling operation failures.