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• US 7,474,874 B2
• Filed: 06/28/2002
• Issued: 01/06/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Mustonen, Kai, Lahetkangas, Keijo
• Primary Examiner(s): SHARMA, SUJATHA R
• Application Number:
  US10/185,372
• Publication Number:
  US 20040162022A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,384 Days
• Field of Search: 455 411- 413, 455/456.1, 455/456.3, 455/414.1, 455/414.3, 455/45.1, 455/414.36, 709/201, 709/218, 709/238, 709/249, 342/450, 342/457, 342462-464, 370/310.2, 370/312, 370/313, 370/315, 370/328, 370/338, 370/352, 370/254, 370/390, 370/400, 370/428
• US Class Current: 455/41.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/20 Hop count for routing purposes, e.g. TTL
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/26 Route discovery packet
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/246 Connectivity information discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/248 Connectivity information update
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user

Abstract

There is disclosed a method of transmitting information between a plurality of devices comprising: transmitting information associated with a first terminal from said first terminal; receiving said transmitted information at an at least one second terminal; and selectively transmitting said information from said at least one second terminal.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving fetching information associated with a source user terminal at at least one destination user terminal from said source user terminal utilizing a short-range communication link in an ad hoc network, said fetching information identifying further information stored in the source user terminal;

utilizing the short-range communication link in the ad hoc network such that said at least one destination terminal uses said fetching information to fetch said further information from the source user terminal using said fetching information received from said source terminal; and

transmitting said fetching information from said at least one destination user terminal to at least one further terminal in said ad hoc network, so that said further information is distributed in said ad hoc network between said user terminals.

2. A method according to claim 1 wherein the short-range communication link is one of:

a Bluetooth link;

an infra-red link;

or a WLAN link.

3. A method according to claim 1 wherein said fetching information transmitted from said at least one destination user terminal is received at said at least one further terminal.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein the fetching information received from the source user terminal utilizing the short-range communication link in the ad hoc network is re-transmitted by a limited number of further terminals.

5. A method according to claim 1 wherein the further information is fetched from the source terminal with a hop count.

6. A method according to claim 5 wherein on receipt of the further information the hop count is reduced by one.

7. A method according to claim 6 wherein the fetching information is re-transmitted if the hop count is non-zero.

8. A method according to claim 1 wherein receiving fetching information utilizing the short-range communication link in the ad hoc network comprises receiving at the at least one destination user terminal fetching information that has been broadcast information from the source user terminal to the destination user terminal.

9. A method according to claim 1 wherein each user terminal includes an information index for storing an index of further information stored in the user terminal, wherein on receipt of a transmission, the transmission is accepted in dependence on the further information contained in the transmission not being identified in the information index.

10. A method according to claim 9 wherein said information index comprises identifier and version information for said further information.

11. A method according to claim 1 wherein each user terminal includes an information index for storing an index of further information transmitted by the user terminal, wherein a retransmission of the further information is prevented in dependence on the information index indicating the previous transmission of the further information.

12. A method according to claim 11 wherein said information index comprises identifier and version information for said further information.

13. A method according to claim 1 wherein the fetched further information is stored in the terminal memory.

14. A method according to claim 13 wherein stored further information is removed from the terminal memory in dependence on predefined parameters.

15. A method according to claim 14 wherein the stored further information is removed from the terminal memory in dependence on an elapsed time from being stored;

an elapsed time from being refreshed;

an elapsed time from being accessed;

or an elapsed time set in a stored Proximity Home Page.

16. A method according to claim 1 wherein said further information is a web page associated with said source user terminal.

17. A method according to claim 16 wherein said web page is a Proximity Home Page.

18. A method according to claim 17 wherein additional information associated with a Proximity Home Page is fetched from the associated source user terminal.

19. A method according to claim 17 wherein additional information associated with a Proximity Home Page is fetched from the Internet.

20. A method according to claim 1 wherein the at least one destination user terminal requires the identified further information that the at least one destination user terminal does not have in its own memory.

21. A method according to claim 20 wherein the at least one destination user terminal fetches the required further information from the source user terminal.

22. A communication system comprising a plurality of terminals in an ad hoc network, in which:

a source user terminal is adapted to transmit fetching information associated with said source user terminal utilizing a short-range communication link in the ad hoc network;

said fetching information identifying further information stored in the source user terminal;

a destination user terminal is adapted to receive said transmitted fetching information; and

said destination user terminal is further adapted to utilize the short-range communication link in the ad hoc network to fetch further information from the source user terminal using said fetching information received from said source terminal; and

said destination user terminal is further adapted to further transmit said fetching information to at least one further terminal in said ad hoc network.

23. A user terminal comprising:

a receiver adapted to receive fetching information associated with a source user terminal from said source user terminal utilizing a short-range communication link in the ad hoc network, said fetching information identifying further information stored in the source user terminal; and

a fetcher adapted to utilize the short-range communication link in the ad hoc network to fetch said further information from the source user terminal; and

a transmitter adapted to transmit said fetching information to at least one further terminal in said ad hoc network.

24. A user terminal according to claim 23 wherein the fetching information transmitted by the user terminal utilizing a short-range communication link in the ad hoc network or received at the user terminal includes an identification of the number of times the further information may be retransmitted.

25. A user terminal according to claim 24 wherein the fetcher is adapted to reduce the value of the retransmission identification number on fetching the further information.

26. A user terminal according to claim 25 wherein the user terminal transmits the received fetching information in dependence upon the value of the retransmission identification number.

27. A user terminal according to claim 26 wherein the user terminal transmits the received fetching information if the retransmission identification number is non-zero.

28. A user terminal according to claim 23 wherein the user terminal requires the identified further information that the user terminal does not have in its own memory.

29. A user terminal according to claim 28 wherein the fetcher is adapted to fetch the required further information from the source user terminal.

30. A user terminal comprising:

a receiving means adapted to receive fetching information associated with a source user terminal from said source user terminal utilizing a short-range communication link in an ad hoc network, said fetching information identifying further information stored in the source user terminal;

a fetching means adapted to utilize the short-range communication link in the ad hoc network to fetch said further information from the source user terminal; and

a transmitting means adapted to transmit said fetching information to at least one further terminal in said ad hoc network.

31. A method comprising:

transmitting fetching information associated with a source user terminal from said source user terminal to at least one destination user terminal utilizing a short-range communication link in an ad hoc network, said fetching information identifying further information stored in the source user terminal;

receiving a request at said source user terminal from said at least one destination user terminal utilizing the short-range communication link in the ad hoc network, said request being a request to fetch said further information; and

transmitting said further information from said source user terminal to said at least one destination user terminal in response to receiving said request utilizing the short-range communication link in the ad hoc network;

wherein said further information is transmitted from said source user terminal to said at least one destination user terminal with a hop count.

32. A user terminal comprising:

a transmitter adapted to transmit fetching information associated with said user terminal from said user terminal to at least one destination user terminal utilizing a short-range communication link in an ad hoc network, said fetching information identifying further information stored in said user terminal;

a receiver adapted to receive a request from said at least one destination user terminal utilizing the short-range communication link in the ad hoc network, said request being a request to fetch said further information; and

an information transmitter adapted to transmit said further information from said user terminal to said at least one destination user terminal in response to receiving said request utilizing the short-range communication link in the ad hoc network, wherein said further information is transmitted from said user terminal to said at least one destination user terminal with a hop count.

33. A user terminal comprising:

a transmitting means adapted to transmit fetching information associated with said user terminal from said user terminal to at least one destination user terminal utilizing a short-range communication link in an ad hoc network, said fetching information identifying further information stored in said user terminal;

a receiving means adapted to receive a request from said at least one destination user terminal utilizing the short-range communication link in the ad hoc network, said request being a request to fetch said further information; and

an information transmitting means adapted to transmit said further information from said user terminal to said at least one destination user terminal in response to receiving said request utilizing the short-range comnmnication link in the ad hoc network, wherein said further information is transmitted from said user terminal to said at least one destination user terminal with a hop count.