Device and method for content searching between peer devices

• US 8,583,038 B2
• Filed: 11/13/2012
• Issued: 11/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Mobile Communications AB (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Liu, Charles, Bloebaum, L. Scott
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Tuan H
• Application Number:
  US13/675,543
• Publication Number:
  US 20130115877A1
• Time in Patent Office: 364 Days
• Field of Search: 455 411- 413, 455/412.1, 455/426.1, 455/426.2, 455/517
• US Class Current: 455/41.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/90335 Query processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/955 using information identifiers, e.g. uniform resource locators [URL]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9574 of access to content, e.g. by caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/72 for local intradevice communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces

Abstract

A portable communication device is equipped to search for content stored on a target electronic device. The portable communication device transfers user-defined content search query to an electronic device via a near-field communications (NFC) module. The portable communication device receives search results from the electronic device via the NFC module and indicates to the user that search results have been received from the electronic device. The portable communication device facilitates content searching and data transfer between two devices.

Claims

1. A method of searching for content stored on a target electronic device, the method carried out by a portable communication device and comprising:

receiving a search query from a user that is input to the portable communication device via an input assembly of the portable communication device;

wirelessly transmitting the search query to the target electronic device;

wirelessly receiving search results from the target electronic device;

wirelessly transmitting a content request to the target electronic device, the content request including at least one item from the received search results, the at least item selected by the user; and

wirelessly receiving data from the target electronic device, the received data being representative of the at least one item included in the content request; and

wherein at least one of the wirelessly transmitting the search query, the wirelessly receiving the search results, the wirelessly transmitting the content request or the wirelessly receiving the data is carried out over a near-field communications (NFC) link established between the target electronic device and the portable communication device.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein wirelessly transmitting the search query includes transmitting the search query to the target electronic device via the near-field communications (NFC) link via an NFC module of the portable communication device.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein wirelessly receiving the search results includes wirelessly receiving the search results from the target electronic device via the near-field communications (NFC) link via an NFC module of the portable communication device.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the wirelessly transmitting the content request and the wirelessly receiving the data are performed via a near-field communications (NFC) module of the portable communication device while the portable communication device is in proximity to the target electronic device.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the wirelessly transmitting the content request and the wirelessly receiving the data are performed via one of Bluetooth or wireless local area network (WLAN).

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the target electronic device is a mobile telephone.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the target electronic device is a media server or a personal computer.

8. A method of sharing stored content with a portable communication device, the method carried out by an electronic device that stores the content and comprising:

wirelessly receiving a search query from the portable communication device;

executing a search for the received search query, the executing step returning search results;

wirelessly transmitting the search results to the portable communication device;

wirelessly receiving a content request from the portable communication device, the content request including at least one item that was included in the transmitted search results and selected by a user of the portable communication device; and

wirelessly transmitting data to the portable communication device, the transmitted data being representative of the at least one item included in the content request; and

wherein at least one of the wirelessly receiving the search query, the wirelessly transmitting the search results, the wirelessly receiving the content request or the wirelessly transmitting the data is carried out over a near-field communications (NFC) link established between the electronic device and the portable communication device.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein wirelessly receiving the search query includes receiving the search query via a near-field communications (NFC) module of the electronic device.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein wirelessly transmitting the search results to the portable communication device includes transmitting the search results via a near-field communications (NFC) module of the electronic device.