Peer-to-peer host station

• US 8,526,885 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2008
• Issued: 09/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Lin, Gloria, Mikhak, Amir Mahmood, Nakajima, Taido Lantz, Mayo, Sean Anthony, Rosenblatt, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Alam, Fayyaz
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rachedine, Mohammed
• Application Number:
  US12/286,483
• Publication Number:
  US 20100081385A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,799 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 455/41.3
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/04 including near field communication means, e.g. RFID
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/06 including a wireless LAN interface
• 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 76/12 Setup of transport tunnels
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/18 between terminal devices

Abstract

A method and system is disclosed for allowing the sharing of one or more system resources between multiple devices. In one embodiment, a requesting device transmits a resource access request to a target device using a near-field communication (NFC) protocol. The target device responds by using the NFC connection to return a listing of resources available for sharing to the requesting device. The requesting device may select one or more of the available resources and establish an appropriate connection to access the selected resource or resources. In one embodiment, the requesting device may lack external network connectivity capabilities while the target device includes wi-fi connectivity as a shared resource. Accordingly, the requesting device may access external network of the target device via the target as a conduit.

Claims

1. An electronic device, comprising:

a communication interface adapted to provide a plurality of network connections for connecting the electronic device to a plurality of networks;

a storage device to store a connection profile identifying at least a portion of the network connections sharable with other devices;

a near field communication (NFC) interface adapted to communicate with another device over an NFC field; and

a connection manager configured to

receive a host connection request from a secondary device via the NFC interface,

in response to the host connection request, display in a display of the electronic device a list of the plurality of network connections, each of the network connections is associated with a selection button to allow a user of the electronic device to select which of the network connections to be shared with the secondary device, wherein each of the network connections further includes;

a first selectable option to specify that the associated network connection is only for tunneling to allow the secondary device to access an external network through the electronic device, and

a second selectable option to specify that the associated network connection is for both tunneling and file sharing to allow the secondary device to access an external network through the electronic device and to access files stored in the electronic device,

generate a connection profile based on user selections of the network connections and their options,

transmit the connection profile containing identifying information identifying the sharable network connections of the connection profile to the secondary device via the NFC interface,

receive a selection from the secondary device via the NFC interface selecting one of the sharable network connections, and

establish the selected network connection with the secondary device via the NFC interface to allow the secondary device to access a corresponding network via the communication interface based on user selections specified in the connection profile.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the NFC device is adapted to utilize the one of the one or more network connections for file sharing between the electronic device and the secondary device.

3. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the one of the one or more network connections is a wi-fi connection.

4. The electronic device of claim 3, wherein the one of the one or more network connections is an Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE) network connection.

5. The electronic device of claim 3, wherein the one of the one or more network connections is a 3G network connection.

6. A method for wireless communication, comprising:

detecting that a first device has been placed adjacent to a second device;

initiating an NFC communication path between the first and the second devices comprising;

displaying in a display of the first device a list of the plurality of network connections, each of the network connections is associated with a selection button to allow a user of the electronic device to select which of the network connections to be shared with the second device, wherein each of the network connections further includes;

a first selectable option to specify that the associated network connection is only for tunneling to allow the second device to access an external network through the first device, and

a second selectable option to specify that the associated network connection is for both tunneling and file sharing to allow the second device to access an external network through the first device and to access files stored in the first device;

generate a connection profile based on user selections of the network connections and their options;

transmitting the connection profile to the second device to allow a user of the second device to select one of the network connections;

receiving at the first device a network connection from the second device via the NFC communication path, the requested network connection is one of a plurality of sharable network connections offered by the first device;

granting the second device access to an allowed network connection selected from the sharable network connections of the first device via a host connection shared by both the first and second devices via the NFC communication path; and

communicating between the second device and an external network across the allowed network connection via the host connection over the first device based on configuration specified and selected by the user of the second device in the connection profile, wherein the communicating is initiated by the secondary device.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the host connection is a wi-fi connection.

8. The method of claim 6, comprising providing access to data files of the first device to the second device via the host connection.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein initiating an NFC communication path comprises transmitting connection profiles from the first device to the second devices, wherein the connection profiles include information relating to the available network connections of the first device and host connections of the first and second devices.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein requesting a network connection from the first device by the second device comprises choosing one or more of the connection profiles and transmitting the one or more chosen connection profiles from the second device to the first device.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein granting the second device access to an allowed network connection of the first device comprises receiving the one or more chosen connection profiles from the second device and opening the one or more chosen connection profiles to access by the second device as the allowed network connection.

12. The method of claim 6, wherein communicating between the second device and an external network across the allowed network connection comprises the second device accessing the external network while the host connection remains available.

13. A non-transitory machine-readable medium storing instructions, which when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a method for wireless communication, the method comprising:

detecting that a first device has been placed adjacent to a second device;

initiating an NFC communication path between the first and the second devices comprising;

displaying in a display of the first device a list of the plurality of network connections, each of the network connections is associated with a selection button to allow a user of the electronic device to select which of the network connections to be shared with the second device, wherein each of the network connections further includes;

a first selectable option to specify that the associated network connection is only for tunneling to allow the second device to access an external network through the first device, and

a second selectable option to specify that the associated network connection is for both tunneling and file sharing to allow the second device to access an external network through the first device and to access files stored in the first device;

generate a connection profile based on user selections of the network connections and their options;

transmitting the connection profile to the second device to allow a user of the second device to select one of the network connections;

receiving at the first device a network connection from the second device via the NFC communication path, the requested network connection is one of a plurality of sharable network connections offered by the first device;

granting the second device access to an allowed network connection selected from the sharable network connections of the first device via a host connection shared by both the first and second devices via the NFC communication path; and

communicating between the second device and an external network across the allowed network connection via the host connection over the first device based on configuration specified and selected by the user of the second device in the connection profile, wherein the communicating is initiated by the secondary device.

14. The medium of claim 13, wherein the host connection is a wi-fi connection.

15. The medium of claim 13, comprising providing access to data files of the first device to the second device via the host connection.

16. The medium of claim 13, wherein initiating an NFC communication path comprises transmitting connection profiles from the first device to the second devices, wherein the connection profiles include information relating to the available network connections of the first device and host connections of the first and second devices.

17. The medium of claim 16, wherein requesting a network connection from the first device by the second device comprises choosing one or more of the connection profiles and transmitting the one or more chosen connection profiles from the second device to the first device.

18. The medium of claim 17, wherein granting the second device access to an allowed network connection of the first device comprises receiving the one or more chosen connection profiles from the second device and opening the one or more chosen connection profiles to access by the second device as the allowed network connection.

19. The medium of claim 13, wherein communicating between the second device and an external network across the allowed network connection comprises the second device accessing the external network while the host connection remains available.