Peer-to-peer neighbor detection for proximity-based command execution

• US 8,050,698 B2
• Filed: 07/15/2004
• Issued: 11/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Inventors: Brotman, Lynne Shapiro, Sammon, Michael J., Seligmann, Doree Duncan
• Primary Examiner(s): Alam, Fayyaz
• Application Number:
  US10/891,804
• Publication Number:
  US 20060030263A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,665 Days
• Field of Search: 455/517, 455/41.2, 455/410, 455/411, 340/5.81, 340/5.8, 340/539.12, 726/2, 726/3, 726/5, 726/7, 726 27- 29, 726/31
• US Class Current: 455/517
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/28 the pass enabling tracking or indicating presence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0492 by using a location-limited connection, e.g. near-field communication or limited proximity of entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/101 Access control lists [ACL]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/18 between terminal devices

Abstract

An apparatus and methods are disclosed for enabling the response to a command at a personal wireless terminal to be based at least partially on the presence or absence of other users nearby, and possibly the identity of those users. In the illustrated embodiment, the personal wireless terminal determines wirelessly (e.g., via Bluetooth, etc.) whether there are any other nearby personal wireless terminals (and inferentially, the users associated with these terminals), and then determines whether the command is authorized in that particular environment of nearby users. In some embodiments, authorization is also at least partially based on one or more additional factors, such as the identity of the user of the personal wireless terminal, the identify of nearby users, the nature of the command, one or more arguments of a command, the value of a datum retrieved by a query, and the date and time (i.e., “calendrical time”).

Claims

1. A method comprising:

(a) receiving by a first personal wireless terminal a request to access content; and

(b) outputting by said first personal wireless terminal a first version of said content when there are at least k other personal wireless terminals in the same wireless network as said first personal wireless terminal, and

outputting by said first personal wireless terminal a second version of said content when there are fewer than k other personal wireless terminals in the same wireless network as said first personal wireless terminal;

wherein k is a positive integer.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said first version of said content is associated with a first authorization category, and wherein said second version of said content is associated with a second authorization category.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said first version of said content is associated with a first medium, and wherein said second version of said content is associated with a second medium.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein k=1.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein k>

1.

6. A method comprising:

(a) receiving by a first personal wireless terminal a request to access content;

(b) selecting one of a plurality of versions of said content based on whether or not there is at least one other personal wireless terminal in the same wireless network as said first personal wireless terminal; and

(c) outputting by said first personal wireless terminal the selected version of said content.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the selection is also based on the identity of the user of said first personal wireless terminal.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein there is a second personal wireless terminal in the same wireless network as said first personal wireless terminal, and wherein the selection is also based on the identity of the user of said second personal wireless terminal.

9. The method of claim 6 wherein the selection is also based on the calendrical time at said first personal wireless terminal.

10. The method of claim 6 wherein there is a first version of said content that is associated with a first authorization category, and wherein there is a second version of said content that is associated with a second authorization category.

11. The method of claim 6 wherein there is a first version of said content that is associated with a first medium, and wherein there is a second version of said content that is associated with a second medium.