Supporting a setup of a wireless connection

• US 7,706,749 B2
• Filed: 11/07/2005
• Issued: 04/27/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Ritala, Markus
• Primary Examiner(s): Milord, Marceau
• Application Number:
  US11/269,142
• Publication Number:
  US 20070105497A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,632 Days
• Field of Search: 455/41.2, 455/556.1, 455/435.1, 455/552.1, 455/557, 709/220, 709/227, 370/338, 370/349, 370/328, 370/310.2
• US Class Current: 455/41.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2745 using static electronic memories, e.g. chips
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/27453 Directories allowing storage of additional subscriber data, e.g. metadata
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/02 including a Bluetooth interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

A Bluetooth™ enabled device comprises a contact database arranged for storing Bluetooth™ identifiers identifying other Bluetooth™ enabled devices. This allows setting-up a Bluetooth™ connection to another Bluetooth™ enabled device based on a Bluetooth™ identifier stored in this contact database and identifying the other Bluetooth™ enabled device. New Bluetooth™ identifiers identifying another Bluetooth™ enabled device may be stored in the contact database of said first Bluetooth™ enabled device.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a contact database configured to store Bluetooth™

identifiers identifying Bluetooth™

enabled devices; and

a processor configured to search in said contact database for stored Bluetooth™

identifiers;

configured to present to a user a list of entries associated in said contact database to Bluetooth™

identifiers found in a search;

configured to enable a user to select a presented entry;

configured to present upon a user selection of a presented entry a list of subentries stored in said contact database, at least when a plurality of Bluetooth™

identifiers are associated to said entry;

configured to enable a user to select a presented subentry; and

configured to set up a Bluetooth™

connection to a Bluetooth™

enabled device, which Bluetooth™

enabled device is identified by a stored Bluetooth™

identifier that is associated in said contact database to a subentry selected by a user.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each entry and each subentry comprises at least one of:

a contact person name;

a device type; and

a device name.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each Bluetooth™

identifier and each associated entry in said contact database form parts of a respective contact card.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said processor is further configured to store a Bluetooth™

identifier identifying a Bluetooth™

enabled device in said contact database.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4,

wherein said processor is further configured to perform an inquiry procedure for obtaining Bluetooth™

identifiers of Bluetooth™

enabled devices in the vicinity of said Bluetooth™

enabled device;

wherein said processor is configured present to a user a list of Bluetooth™

enabled devices for which Bluetooth™

identifiers have been obtained; and

wherein said processor is configured to store Bluetooth™

identifiers associated to Bluetooth™

enabled devices selected from a list in said contact database.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said processor is configured to perform an inquiry procedure in case no Bluetooth™

identifier is found in said contact database during a search for Bluetooth™

identifiers.

7. The apparatus according to claim 5,

wherein said processor is configured to perform an inquiry procedure upon an initiation by a user, while said user has called a contact card from said database;

and

wherein said processor is configured to store a Bluetooth™

identifier associated to a selected Bluetooth™

enabled device in said contact database as a part of said contact card.

8. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said processor is further configured to continue automatically with a search in said contact database for stored Bluetooth™

identifiers upon storage of a new Bluetooth™

identifier in said contact database.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said processor is further configured to offer to a user an option to store a Bluetooth™

identifier of a Bluetooth™

enabled device, which Bluetooth™

enabled device is trying to establish a Bluetooth™

connection to said apparatus or has established a Bluetooth™

connection to said apparatus and which Bluetooth™

enabled device has provided in this scope its own Bluetooth™

identifier; and

to store said Bluetooth™

identifier in said contact database upon a user request.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said apparatus is a mobile phone.

11. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said apparatus is a laptop.

12. A contact database for a Bluetooth™

enabled device, said contact database being configured to store Bluetooth™

identifiers identifying other Bluetooth™

enabled devices, to store selectable entries and to store selectable subentries, wherein each stored selectable subentry is associated to a stored selectable entry, and wherein each stored Bluetooth™

identifier is associated at least to a stored selectable entry and, when at least one stored selectable subentry is associated to said entry, in addition to a stored selectable subentry that is associated to said stored selectable entry.

13. A method comprising at a first Bluetooth™

enabled device;

searching in a contact database for stored Bluetooth™

identifiers identifying other Bluetooth™

enabled devices;

presenting to a user a list of entries associated in said contact database to Bluetooth™

identifiers found in a search;

enabling a user to select a presented entry;

presenting upon a user selection of a presented entry a list of subentries stored in said contact database, at least when a plurality of Bluetooth™

identifiers are associated to said entry;

enabling a user to select a presented subentry; and

setting up a Bluetooth™

connection to another Bluetooth™

enabled device, which other Bluetooth™

enabled device is identified by a stored Bluetooth™

identifier that is associated in said contact database to a subentry selected by a user.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein each entry comprises at least one of:

a contact person name;

a device type; and

a device name.

15. The method according to claim 13, wherein each Bluetooth™

identifier and each associated entry in said contact database form parts of a contact card.

16. The method according to claim 13, wherein in case no Bluetooth™

identifier is found in said contact database during said search, said method further comprising;

performing an inquiry procedure for obtaining Bluetooth™

identifiers of Bluetooth™

enabled devices in the vicinity of said first Bluetooth™

enabled device;

presenting to a user a Bluetooth™

enabled device for which a Bluetooth™

identifier has been obtained; and

storing a Bluetooth™

identifier identifying a presented Bluetooth™

enabled device in said contact database upon a request by a user.

17. A method comprising in a first Bluetooth™

enabled device;

storing a Bluetooth™

identifier identifying another Bluetooth™

enabled device in a contact database of said first Bluetooth™

enabled device;

storing selectable entries in said contact database;

storing selectable subentries in said contact database;

associating each stored selectable subentry to a stored selectable entry; and

associating each stored Bluetooth™

identifier at least to a stored selectable entry and, when at least one stored selectable subentry is associated to said entry, in addition to a stored selectable subentry that is associated to said stored selectable entry.

18. The method according to claim 17, further comprising:

performing an inquiry procedure for obtaining Bluetooth™

identifiers, which Bluetooth™

identifiers identify Bluetooth™

enabled devices located in the vicinity of said first Bluetooth™

enabled device;

presenting to a user a Bluetooth™

enabled device for which a Bluetooth™

identifier has been obtained; and

storing a Bluetooth™

identifier identifying a presented Bluetooth™

enabled device in said contact database upon a request by a user.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein presenting to a user a Bluetooth™

enabled device comprises presenting to a user a list of all Bluetooth™

enabled devices for which Bluetooth™

identifiers have been obtained, and wherein storing a Bluetooth™

identifier in said contact database comprises storing a Bluetooth™

identifier associated to a Bluetooth™

enabled device selected from said list.

20. The method according to claim 18, wherein said inquiry procedure is initiated by a user while having called a contact card from said database, and wherein a Bluetooth™

identifier associated to a selected Bluetooth™

enabled device is stored in said contact database as a part of said contact card.

21. The method according to claim 18, further comprising:

searching in said contact database for stored Bluetooth™

identifiers identifying other Bluetooth™

enabled devices;

presenting to a user a list of entries associated in said contact database to Bluetooth™

identifiers found in said search; and

enabling a user to select of one of said presented entries for setting-up a Bluetooth™

connection to another Bluetooth™

enabled device identified by a Bluetooth™

identifier that is associated to said selected entry.

22. The method according to claim 17, further comprising:

offering to a user an option to store a Bluetooth™

identifier of another Bluetooth™

enabled device, which other Bluetooth™

enabled device is trying to establish a Bluetooth™

connection to said Bluetooth™

enabled device or has established a Bluetooth™

connection to said Bluetooth™

enabled device and which other Bluetooth™

enabled device has provided in this scope its own Bluetooth™

identifier; and

storing said Bluetooth™

identifier in said contact database upon a user request.

23. A software program product in which a software code is stored in a readable memory, said software code realizing the following when being executed by a processor of a first Bluetooth™

enabled device;

searching in a contact database for stored Bluetooth™

identifiers identifying other Bluetooth™

enabled devices;

presenting to a user a list of entries associated in said contact database to Bluetooth™

identifiers found in a search;

enabling a user to select a presented entry;

presenting upon a user selection of a presented entry a list of subentries stored in said contact database, at least when a plurality of Bluetooth™

identifiers are associated to said entry;

enabling a user to select a presented subentry; and

setting up a Bluetooth™

connection to another Bluetooth™

enabled device, which other Bluetooth™

enabled device is identified by a stored Bluetooth™

identifier that is associated in said database to a subentry selected by a user.

24. The software program product according to claim 23, said software code further realizing the following when being executed by a processor of said first Bluetooth™

enabled device;

performing an inquiry procedure for obtaining Bluetooth™

identifiers of Bluetooth™

enabled devices in the vicinity of said Bluetooth™

enabled device;

presenting to a user a list of Bluetooth™

enabled devices for which Bluetooth™

identifiers have been obtained; and

storing Bluetooth™

identifiers associated to Bluetooth™

enabled devices selected from a list in said contact database.

25. The software program product according to claim 24, wherein said inquiry procedure is performed in case no Bluetooth™

identifier is found in said contact database during a search for Bluetooth™

identifiers.

26. An apparatus comprising:

means for searching in a contact database for stored Bluetooth™

identifiers identifying other Bluetooth™

enabled devices;

means for presenting to a user a list of entries associated in said contact database to Bluetooth™

identifiers found in a search;

means for enabling a user to select a presented entry;

means for presenting upon a user selection of a presented entry a list of subentries stored in said contact database, at least when a plurality of Bluetooth™

identifiers are associated to said entry;

means for enabling a user to select a presented subentry; and

means for setting up a Bluetooth™

connection to another Bluetooth™

enabled device, which other Bluetooth™

enabled device is identified by a stored Bluetooth™

identifier that is associated in said contact database to a subentry selected by a user.