Mobility device assistant

• US 7,493,083 B2
• Filed: 11/30/2004
• Issued: 02/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Symbol Technologies, LLC (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Symbol Technologies, Inc. (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Inventors: Fuccello, James Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): SOBUTKA, PHILIP
• Application Number:
  US11/000,248
• Publication Number:
  US 20060116160A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,540 Days
• Field of Search: 455/41.2, 455/41.3, 455517-520, 455/556.1, 455/557, 455/403, 710/106
• US Class Current: 455/41.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user

Abstract

System(s) and method(s) to automatically locate and/or connect to external devices is provided. A mobile computing device contains a mobility device assistant that is able to communicate with external devices, such as peripheral equipment and other devices. The mobility device assistant automatically searches via a wireless media to locate and communicate with the external device. The external device responds with relevant information about the external device. The external device can also communicate with the mobility device assistant via a proxy communication device or manager. The proxy manager maintains a database of information about those external devices that are unable to communicate. The mobility device assistant is configurable to locate and/or filter for specific external devices. The mobility device assistant can request external device information based upon an inferred state of the user or mobile computing device.

Claims

1. A portable communication device, comprising:

a wireless component that facilitates the portable communication device communicating wirelessly with external devices associated with an access point to which the portable communication device is accessing;

an interface component that interfaces with a mobile device assistant (MDA) component, the MDA component infers an action that a user utilizing the portable communication device desires to perform based upon the current actions of the user, the MDA component automatically locates one or more of the external devices that facilitates performing the inferred action of the user and the MDA component informs the portable communication device of the one or more of the external devices; and

a proxy manager that interfaces with the MDA component and acts as a proxy agent for external devices not able to directly communicate with the MDA component.

2. The portable communication device of claim 1, the MDA component automatically locates the one or more of the external devices.

3. The portable communication device of claim 1, the MDA component is configurable to locate user-specified external devices.

4. The portable device of claim 1, the MDA component identifies a specific device among the external devices.

5. The portable communication device of claim 1, the MDA component informs the portable communication device of newly entered available external devices associated with the access point.

6. The portable communication device of claim 1, the external devices are peripheral devices.

7. The portable communication device of claim 1, the MDA component informs the portable communication device of the location of the external devices.

8. The portable communication device of claim 1, the MDA component maintains a listing of external devices.

9. The portable communication device of claim 8, the MDA component can be configured by the user to maintain the external devices in the listing of external devices only while the portable device is accessing the access point to which the external devices are associated.

10. A communication architecture, comprising:

a network that includes a plurality of external devices;

a mobile device assistant (MDA) component that automatically informs a portable communication device newly entered into the network of a subset of external devices available to the portable communication device, the MDA component infers an action that a user utilizing the portable communication device desires to perform, the MDA component locates one or more of the external devices that facilitates performing the inferred action of the user; and

a proxy manager that communicates on behalf of at least one of the plurality of external devices and provides identifying information about the at least one of the plurality of external devices.

11. The communication architecture of claim 10, the external devices send a continuous wireless signal.

12. The communication architecture of claim 10, the external devices send a wireless signal upon receiving a request from the MDA.

13. The communication architecture of claim 10, the proxy manager contains identifying information about the plurality of external devices.

14. The communication architecture of claim 10, the MDA component dynamically maintains a listing of external devices.

15. A method of using a communication system, comprising:

communicating wirelessly with a plurality of external devices;

interfacing with a portable communication device via a mobility device assistant (MDA);

informing the portable communication device of the existence of one or more of the plurality of external devices based upon an inferred state of a user associated with the portable communication device, wherein the inferred user state comprises an inferred action that the user desires to perform, wherein the one or more of the external devices facilitates performing the inferred user desired action; and

transmitting data to and receiving data from a proxy component that communicates on behalf of at least one of the plurality of devices not able to directly communicate with the MDA.

16. The method of claim 15, communicating wirelessly with the plurality of external devices further comprising:

automatically detecting a signal from the plurality of external devices; and

receiving a response from the plurality of external devices.

17. The method of claim 15, communicating wirelessly with the plurality of external devices further comprises:

registering the plurality of external devices with the proxy component; and

communicating with the plurality of external devices though the proxy component.

18. A computer readable storage medium for allowing a portable communication device to locate a plurality of external devices in a network, comprising:

a wireless component operable to communicate with the plurality of external devices;

an interface component adapted to interface with a mobility device assistant (MDA) component of the portable communication device, wherein the MDA component searches for one or more of the plurality of external devices depending upon an inferred state of a user employing the portable communication device, wherein the inferred user state comprises an inferred action that the user desires to perform, wherein the one or more of the plurality of external devices facilitates performing the inferred user desired action; and

a proxy unit that communicates for the plurality of external devices by transmitting and receiving data with the interface component.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 18, the interface component transmits and receives data from the plurality of external devices via wireless communication.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 18, the MDA informs the portable communication device of the plurality of external devices.

21. A portable communication system, comprising:

means for wireless communication with a plurality of external devices;

means for determining existence of one or more of the plurality of external devices available to a portable communication device based upon an inferred state of a user employing the portable communication device, wherein the inferred user state comprises an inferred action that the user desires to perform, wherein the one or more of the plurality of external devices facilitates performing the inferred user desired action;

means for informing the user about the existence of the one or more of the plurality of external devices; and

means for communicating on behalf of at least one of the plurality of external devices.

22. The portable communication system of claim 21, further comprising:

means for requesting external device information; and

means for receiving the external device information.