Device detection and service discovery system and method for a mobile ad hoc communications network

• US 7,590,097 B2
• Filed: 09/16/2003
• Issued: 09/15/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nordic Interactive Technologies LLC (Tanit Ventures Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Ekberg, Jan-Erik, Lahtinen, Pekka, Lipasti, Jaakko
• Primary Examiner(s): Appiah; Charles N
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ho; Huy C
• Application Number:
  US10/662,407
• Publication Number:
  US 20040087274A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,191 Days
• Field of Search: 707/1, 340/825.38, 709/228, 370/338
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information

Abstract

A computer system, method, and computer program product for performing device detection and service discovery in a mobile ad hoc communications network. The method comprises conducting an inquiry of the mobile ad hoc communications network to discover nearby devices. If the inquiry indicates that the nearby devices may include a middleware layer, the method further comprises creating a connection to each of the nearby devices and confirming whether each of the nearby devices include the middleware layer. For each of the nearby devices that include the middleware layer, the method further comprises executing the middleware layer to perform application and service discovery, and to launch applications and services.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a memory device; and

a processor disposed in communication with the memory device, the processor configured to;

conduct an inquiry to discover nearby devices;

determining, whether a discovered nearby device provides an indication that it may include a middleware software, the middleware software configured for providing application and service discovery;

when the discovered nearby device does not provide an indication that it may include the middleware software;

disconnect communication session establishment with the discovered nearby device;

when the discovered nearby device provides an indication that it may include the middleware software;

create a wireless short-range communication connection to the discovered nearby device;

confirm whether said nearby device includes the middleware software by requesting corresponding information from said nearby device via the wireless short-range communication connection; and

when said nearby device includes the middleware software;

execute the middleware software to perform application and service discovery with said nearby device.

2. The Apparatus of claim 1, wherein the middleware layer includes a service discovery protocol and at least one computer program, each computer program comprising at least one sequence of operational instructions.

3. The Apparatus of claim 1, wherein when said at least one nearby device includes the middleware layer, the processor is further configured to:

execute the middleware layer to launch applications and services.

4. The Apparatus of claim 1, wherein to conduct the inquiry, the processor is further configured to:

send an inquiry request message;

receive an inquiry response message from said at least one nearby device, the inquiry response message including the indication.

5. The Apparatus of claim 4, wherein the inquiry request message is a Bluetooth inquiry command, and the inquiry response message is a Bluetooth inquiry result command.

6. The Apparatus of claim 5, wherein setting at least one bit in the Bluetooth inquiry result command to at least one predetermined value is the indication.

7. The Apparatus of claim 6, wherein said at least one bit includes at least one of the ad hoc networking aware bit, the location information bit, or the telephony capable bit.

8. The Apparatus of claim 5, wherein setting at least two bits in the Bluetooth inquiry result command to at least one predetermined value is the indication.

9. The Apparatus of claim 8, wherein said at least two bits includes at least two of the ad hoc networking aware bit, the location information bit, or the telephony capable bit.

10. The Apparatus of claim 8, wherein said at least two bits includes the ad hoc networking aware bit, and at least one of the location information bit, or the telephony capable bit.

11. The Apparatus of claim 1, wherein to create the connection, the processor is further configured to:

send a paging request message directed to said at least one nearby device; and

receive a paging accept message from said at least one nearby device.

12. The Apparatus of claim 1, wherein to confirm that said at least one nearby device includes the middleware layer, the processor is further configured to:

send a recognition request message to said at least one nearby device; and

receive a recognition response message from said at least one nearby device.

13. The Apparatus of claim 12, wherein receipt of the recognition response message confirms that said at least one nearby device includes the middleware layer.

14. The Apparatus of claim 12, wherein the recognition response message includes a confirmation that said at least one nearby device includes the middleware layer.

15. The Apparatus of claim 14, wherein setting at least one bit in the recognition response message to at least one predetermined value is the confirmation.

16. The Apparatus of claim 12, wherein the recognition request message is a Bluetooth Service Discovery Protocol request and the recognition response message is a Bluetooth Service Discovery Protocol response.

17. The Apparatus of claim 1, wherein to execute the middleware layer to perform application and service discovery, the processor is further configured to:

receive a notification message from said at least one nearby device, the notification message including a local application directory stored in said at least one nearby device;

store an update to a combined application directory, the update based on a comparison of the local application directory and the combined application directory; and

send an update message to said at least one nearby device, the update message including an update portion of the combined application directory for updating the local application directory stored in said at least one nearby device.

18. The Apparatus of claim 17, wherein the processor is further configured to:

launch a local application based on a reference in the combined application directory; and

connect the local application to a counterpart application executing on said at least one nearby device.

19. A method for performing device detection and service discovery in a mobile ad hoc communications network, comprising:

conducting an inquiry to discover nearby devices,

determining, whether a discovered nearby device provides an indication that it may include a middleware software, the middleware software configured for providing application and service discovery;

when the discovered nearby device does not provide an indication that it may include the middleware software;

disconnect communication session establishment with the discovered nearby device;

when the discovered nearby device provides an indication that it may include the middleware software;

creating a wireless short-range communication connection to discovered nearby device;

confirming whether said nearby device includes the middleware software by requesting corresponding information from said nearby device via the wireless short-range communication connection;

and

when said nearby device includes the middleware software;

executing the middleware software to perform application and service discovery with said nearby device.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the middleware layer includes a service discovery protocol and at least one computer program, each computer program comprising at least one sequence of operational instructions.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein when said at least one nearby device includes the middleware layer, the method further comprises:

executing the middleware layer to launch applications and services.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein the conducting of the inquiry further comprises:

sending an inquiry request message; and

receiving an inquiry response message from said at least one nearby device, the inquiry response message including the indication.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the inquiry request message is a Bluetooth inquiry command, and the inquiry response message is a Bluetooth inquiry result command.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein setting at least one bit in the Bluetooth inquiry result command to at least one predetermined value is the indication.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein said at least one bit includes at least one of the ad hoc networking aware bit, the location information bit, or the telephony capable bit.

26. The method of claim 23, wherein setting at least two bits in the Bluetooth inquiry result command to at least one predetermined value is the indication.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein said at least two bits includes at least two of the ad hoc networking aware bit, the location information bit, or the telephony capable bit.

28. The method of claim 26, wherein said at least two bits includes the ad hoc networking aware bit, and at least one of the location information bit, or the telephony capable bit.

29. The method of claim 19, wherein the creating of the wireless short-range connection further comprises:

sending a paging request message to said at least one nearby device; and

receiving a paging accept message from said at least one nearby device.

30. The method of claim 19, wherein the confirming further comprises:

sending a recognition request message to said at least one nearby device; and

receiving a recognition response message from said at least one nearby device.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the receiving of the recognition response message confirms that said at least one nearby device includes the middleware layer.

32. The method of claim 30, wherein the recognition response message includes a confirmation that said at least one nearby device includes the middleware layer.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein setting at least one bit in the recognition response message to at least one predetermined value is the confirmation.

34. The method of claim 30, wherein the recognition request message is a Bluetooth Service Discovery Protocol request and the recognition response message is a Bluetooth Service Discovery Protocol response.

35. The method of claim 19, wherein the executing of the middleware layer to perform application and service discovery further comprises:

receiving a notification message from said at least one nearby device, the notification message including a local application directory stored in said at least one nearby device;

storing an update to a combined application directory, the update based on a comparison of the local application directory and the combined application directory; and

sending an update message to said at least one nearby device, the update message including an update portion of the combined application directory for updating the local application directory stored in said at least one nearby device.

36. The method of claim 35, further comprising:

launching a local application based on a reference in the combined application directory; and

connecting the local application to a counterpart application executing on said at least one nearby device.

37. A computer program product comprising a computer readable medium storing a program code executable in a computer system, said program code comprising:

program code for conducting an inquiry to discover nearby devices;

program code for determining, whether a discovered nearby device provides an indication that it may include a middleware software, the middleware software configured for providing application and service discovery;

when the discovered nearby device does not provide an indication that it may include the middleware software;

disconnect communication session establishment with the discovered nearby device;

program code for-when the discovered nearby device provides an indication that it may include a middleware software , creating a wireless short-range communication connection to the discovered nearby device;

program code for confirming whether said-nearby device includes the middleware software by requesting corresponding information from said nearby device via the wireless short-range communication connection when said nearby device includes the middleware software; and

program code for executing the middleware software to perform application and service discovery with said nearby device.

38. The computer program product of claim 37, wherein the middleware layer includes a service discovery protocol and at least one computer program, each computer program comprising at least one sequence of operational instructions.

39. The computer program product of claim 37, the computer recordable and readable medium further storing:

program code for executing the middleware layer to launch applications and services when said at least one nearby device includes the middleware layer.

40. The computer program product of claim 37, wherein the program code for conducting the inquiry further comprises:

program code for sending an inquiry request message; and

program code for receiving an inquiry response message from said at least one nearby device, the inquiry response message including the indication.

41. The computer program product of claim 37, wherein the program code for creating the wireless short-range connection further comprises:

program code for sending a paging request message directed to said at least one nearby device; and

program code for receiving a paging accept message from said at least one nearby device.

42. The computer program product of claim 37, wherein the program code for confirming that said at least one nearby device includes the middleware layer further comprises:

program code for sending a recognition request message to said at least one nearby device; and

program code for receiving a recognition response message from said at least one nearby device.

43. The computer program product of claim 37, wherein the program code for executing the middleware layer to perform application and service discovery further comprises:

program code for receiving a notification message from said at least one nearby device, the notification message including a local application directory stored in said at least one nearby device;

program code for storing an update to a combined application directory, the update based on a comparison of the local application directory and the combined application directory; and

program code for sending an update message to said at least one nearby device, the update message including an update portion of the combined application directory for updating the local application directory stored in said at least one nearby device.

44. The computer program product of claim 43, wherein the program code for executing the middleware layer to perform application and service discovery further comprises:

program code for launching a local application based on a reference in the combined application directory; and

program code for connecting the local application to a counterpart application executing on said at least one nearby device.

45. Apparatus, comprising:

means for conducting an inquiry to discover nearby devices,

means for determining, whether a discovered nearby device provides an indication that it may include a middleware software, the middleware software configured for providing application and service discovery;

when the discovered nearby device does not provide an indication that it may include the middleware software;

disconnect communication session establishment with the discovered nearby device;

when the discovered nearby device provides an indication that it may include the middleware software layer

means for creating a wireless short-range communication connection to discovered nearby device;

means for confirming that said nearby device includes the middleware software by requesting corresponding information from said-nearby device via the wireless short-range communication connection; and

means for executing the middleware software to perform application and service discovery with said nearby device.

46. The Apparatus of claim 45, wherein the middleware layer includes a service discovery protocol and at least one computer program, each computer program comprising at least one sequence of operational instructions.

47. The Apparatus of claim 45, further comprising:

means for executing the middleware layer to launch applications and services when said at least one nearby device includes the middleware layer.

48. The Apparatus of claim 45, wherein the means for conducting the inquiry further comprises:

means for sending an inquiry request message; and

means for receiving an inquiry response message from said at least one nearby device, the inquiry response message including the indication.

49. The Apparatus of claim 45, wherein the means for creating the wireless short-range connection further comprises:

means for sending a paging request message directed to said at least one nearby device; and

means for receiving a paging accept message from said at least one nearby device.

50. The Apparatus of claim 45, wherein the means for confirming that said at least one nearby device includes the middleware layer further comprises:

means for sending a recognition request message to said at least one nearby device; and

means for receiving a recognition response message from said at least one nearby device.

51. The Apparatus of claim 45, wherein the means for executing the middleware layer to perform application and service discovery further comprises:

means for receiving a notification message from said at least one nearby device, the notification message including a local application directory stored in said at least one nearby device;

means for storing an update to a combined application directory, the update based on a comparison of the local application directory and the combined application directory; and

means for sending an update message to said at least one nearby device, the update message including an update portion of the combined application directory for updating the local application directory stored in said at least one nearby device.

52. The Apparatus of claim 51, wherein the means for executing the middleware layer to perform application and service discovery further comprises:

means for launching a local application based on a reference in the combined application directory; and

means for connecting the local application to a counterpart application executing on said at least one nearby device.

53. A wireless device, comprising:

a wireless short range transceiver;

a memory device; and

a processor disposed in communication with the memory device, the processor configured to;

conduct with the transceiver an inquiry to discover nearby devices,

determine whether a discovered nearby device provides an indication that it may include a middleware software, the middleware software configured for providing application and service discovery;

when the discovered nearby device does not provide an indication that it may include the middleware software;

disconnect communication session establishment with the discovered nearby device;

when the discovered nearby device provides an indication that it may include a middleware software;

create with the transceiver a wireless short-range communication connection to the discovered nearby device;

confirm whether said nearby device includes the middleware software by requesting corresponding information from said nearby device via the wireless short-range communication connection; and

when said nearby device includes the middleware software;

execute the middleware software to perform application and service discovery with said nearby device.