Data transfer between wireless devices

• US 8,200,265 B2
• Filed: 12/22/2009
• Issued: 06/12/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: InterDigital Patent Holdings, Inc. (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: InterDigital Patent Holdings, Inc. (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Inventors: Carlton, Alan G., Reznik, Alexander
• Primary Examiner(s): MIZRAHI, DIANE D
• Application Number:
  US12/644,948
• Publication Number:
  US 20100165965A1
• Time in Patent Office: 903 Days
• Field of Search: 455/73, 455/75, 455/436, 455/509, 455/522, 370/311, 370/328, 370/330, 370/331, 370/335, 370/338, 375/146
• US Class Current: 455/509
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04808 Several contacts: gestures triggering a specific function, e.g. scrolling, zooming, right-click, when the user establishes several contacts with the surface simultaneously; e.g. using several fingers or a combination of fingers and pen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

A method of data transfer between wireless transmit/receive units (WTRUs) is performed by a sending communication device soliciting environment information relating to active communication devices operating within the local area of the WTRU. The local area of the WTRU may be determined by an environment variable that may be configured to indicate a search radius. Within the local area, information relating to active candidate WTRUs is received through a communication peripheral. User actions on the user interface are converted to electromechanical signals which act as an input along with the environment information to select a target WTRU from the candidate WTRUs to receive the data transfer. The environment information and user input are used to uniquely discriminate the target WTRU as the intended recipient of the data transfer. Transmission instructions are generated based on the solicited information and the user input.

Claims

1. A method for controlling communication of data in wireless communications, implemented in a wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU), the method comprising:

detecting, at the WTRU, environment information relating to at least one candidate WTRU operating in a local area associated with the WTRU;

receiving, at the WTRU, user input that indicates at least a direction and a selection of data for transfer between the WTRU and a target WTRU;

processing, at the WTRU, the user input and the environment information;

identifying, at the WTRU, at least one candidate WTRU as the target WTRU based at least in part on the user input; and

,

transmitting the data to the target WTRU.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting environment information comprises:

detecting, at the WTRU, a service supported by the at least one candidate WTRU;

establishing a radio dialog between the WTRU and the at least one candidate WTRU;

analyzing, at the WTRU, a signal received from the candidate WTRU; and

transmitting or receiving, at the WTRU, detected service information to or from and the at least one candidate WTRU.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the service is detected by a Service Discovery Protocol (SDP).

4. The method of claim 3, wherein analyzing the signal received by the candidate WTRU is based on the power level of the received signal.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein analyzing the signal received by the candidate WTRU is based on the quality of the received signal.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting environment information further comprises:

performing, at the WTRU, a first radius search, wherein a first number of candidate WTRUs are detected;

performing, at the WTRU, a second radius search based on the detected first number of candidate WTRUs; and

selecting, at the WTRU, a subset of the first number of candidate WTRUs, wherein the subset is selected based on service supported by each of the first number of candidate WTRUs.

7. A method of communicating data in wireless communications, implemented in a wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU), the method comprising:

receiving, at the WTRU, user input;

soliciting information, at the WTRU, related to at least one candidate WTRU operating in a local area of the WTRU;

constructing a real-time local map including relative position information for the at least one candidate WTRU;

identifying, at the WTRU, a target WTRU based at least in part on the user input, the real-time local map, and the solicited information from the at least one candidate WTRU;

generating, at the WTRU, environment information based on the target WTRU;

generating, at the WTRU, transmission instructions based on the target WTRU; and

transmitting data to the target WTRU based on the environment information and the transmission instructions.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the real-time local map includes relative location information relating to the at least one candidate determined through a triangulation procedure.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the real-time local map includes relative location information relating to the at least one candidate WTRU established through Global Positioning System (GPS) information.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the real-time local map is determined by a radio dialog defined by a service discovery protocol.

11. A method of transmitting data implemented in a wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU), the method comprising:

receiving, at the WTRU, a gestural user input, wherein the gesture is directed toward a desired receiving WTRU;

analyzing, at the WTRU, an electromagnetic spectrum in a local area of the WTRU;

identifying, at the WTRU, at least one candidate WTRU operating in the electromagnetic spectrum and the local area of the WTRU;

processing, at the WTRU, the user input to select a target WTRU from the identified at least one candidate WTRU; and

transmitting data to the target WTRU.

12. A method of data transfer implemented in a wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU), the method comprising:

soliciting, at the WTRU, environment information relating to active communication devices in a local area of the WTRU;

selecting, at the WTRU, a media element stored in a file system of the WTRU;

receiving, at the WTRU, a physical input from a user

converting, at the WTRU, the physical input to an electromechanical signal;

selecting, at the WTRU, a target WTRU based on the electromechanical signal and the environment information;

generating configuration information and target transmission instructions based on the selected media element; and

transmitting the selected media element to the selected target WTRU based on the generated configuration information and target transmission instructions.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the soliciting information is based on a configuration variable which indicates a search radius defining the local area of the sending communication device.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the soliciting information is obtained periodically and on a condition that the sending communication device enters a send operation.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein soliciting information relating to active communication devices is performed through a mesh network or a sensor network.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein receiving a physical input from the user is performed through a touchscreen.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein receiving a physical input from the user comprises:

detecting the user touching a user interface;

sensing a motion of the user'"'"'s touch;

detecting a release of the user'"'"'s touch.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein detecting the user touching the user interface includes detecting the user touching a visual representation of the identified media element.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein selecting a receiving communication device comprises:

receiving an electromechanical signal, which indicates a direction of the motion of a the user'"'"', touch by the user;

analyzing the solicited information based on active communication devices in the local area of the sending communication device;

identifying a target receiving device located in a direction of the motion of the user'"'"'s touch; and

selecting the target receiving device for transmitting the selected media element.

20. A wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU) comprising:

a processor configured to detect environment information relating to at least one candidate WTRU operating in a local area associated with the WTRU;

a display configured to receive user input that indicates at least a direction and a selection of data for transfer between the WTRU and a target WTRU;

the processor configured to;

process the user input and the environment information; and

identify at least one candidate WTRU as the target WTRU based at least in part on the user input; and

a transmitter configured to transmit the data to the target WTRU.

21. The WTRU of claim 20, wherein the user input is a gestural input.

22. The WTRU of claim 21, wherein the gestural input indicates the at least one direction, and the at least one direction is directed towards the target WTRU.

23. The WTRU of claim 20, wherein the display is a touchscreen.