Auto connect in peer-to-peer network

• US 8,775,533 B2
• Filed: 05/20/2011
• Issued: 07/08/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Hassan, Amer A., Desai, Mitesh K., Roychoudhury, Trideepraj, Sankaranarayan, Mukund, Filgueiras, Henrique, Clear, Mark
• Primary Examiner(s): Nawaz, Asad
• Assistant Examiner(s): ALI, SYED
• Application Number:
  US13/112,883
• Publication Number:
  US 20120296986A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,145 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206, 455/411, 455/552.1, 455/41.2, 370/331
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals

Abstract

A wireless device that automatically forms a connection to a remote device in accordance with a peer-to-peer protocol. The remote device may be designated as an auto-connect device for the wireless device such that, when the wireless device determines that it is in the vicinity of the auto-connect device, it can re-form a connection to the remote device based on stored information for re-establishing connections among a persistent group of devices, but without any express user input. When a user requests that the wireless device perform a function that involves interaction with an auto-connect device, that function may be performed with the delay associated with forming a connection. Any of multiple techniques may be employed for identifying devices designated as auto-connect devices and for determining when the wireless device and a remote, auto-connect devices are in close proximity.

Claims

1. A method of operating a wireless computing device, the method comprising:

responsive to a trigger event detected by the wireless computing device, identifying, from pairing information stored on the wireless computing device, a plurality of wireless auto-connect devices that are candidates for auto-connecting with the wireless computing device, the pairing information indicating that the wireless auto-connect devices have been previously paired with the wireless computing device;

obtaining information about the wireless auto-connect devices, the information indicating device types of the auto-connect devices;

based on the information indicating the device types of the wireless auto-connect devices, determining a priority order for scanning for the wireless auto-connect devices;

prioritizing scanning for the wireless auto-connect devices by transmitting, in an order corresponding to the determined priority order, messages to the wireless auto-connect devices, respectively, the messages formatted in accordance with a peer-to-peer protocol to elicit, as part of an auto-connect procedure of the protocol, responses from the wireless auto-connect devices, respectively, in accordance with the protocol, wherein the transmitting is in accordance with a pattern in which times between transmissions of messages increases as time passes until an auto-connect device responds or an event is detected; and

for each response received from the wireless auto-connect devices, forming a direct wireless connection with a corresponding one of the wireless computing devices.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifying the wireless auto-connect devices comprises determining that a wireless auto-connect device is an auto-connect device according to a characteristic thereof that is associated with auto-connect functionality.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifying the wireless auto-connect devices comprises determining that a wireless auto-connect device is an auto-connect device according to having been previously designated as an auto-connect device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the wireless computing device comprises a plurality of ports; and

transmitting the messages comprises transmitting the messages through the plurality of ports, wherein the messages are formatted in accordance with the peer-to-peer protocol to elicit responses from the wireless auto-connect devices in accordance with the protocol.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein:

when there are more wireless auto-connect devices than ports, transmitting through the plurality of ports comprises, in each of a plurality of segments of a scan pattern, transmitting queries for a subset of the plurality of wireless auto-connect devices through the plurality of ports; and

in different ones of the plurality of segments, queries for different subsets are transmitted.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the information about the wireless auto-connect devices comprising information indicating device types of the wireless auto-connect devices.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

reading an identifier of a wireless auto-connect device from a data store, wherein the information about the wireless auto-connect devices comprises the identifier.

8. A method of operating a wireless computing device, the method comprising:

with at least one processor, responsive to a trigger event, obtaining information identifying a plurality of auto-connect devices, the information indicating which auto-connect devices that have previously paired with the wireless computing device are to be automatically reconnected with the wireless computing device when detected;

according to the information, obtaining device information indicating device types or characteristics of the respective auto-connect devices and according to the device information generating an order for scanning for the auto-connect devices;

as part of a wireless auto-connect protocol, according to the order, prioritizing transmitting of, and transmitting, auto-connect queries to the auto-connect devices, the queries formatted in accordance with the wireless auto-connect protocol, the transmitting in accordance with a scan pattern in which times between transmissions of messages increases as time passes until an auto-connect device responds or an event is detected; and

for each response received from the wireless auto-connect devices, forming a direct wireless connection with a corresponding one of the wireless computing devices.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the wireless device comprises a plurality of ports, and the method further comprises transmitting the queries through the plurality of ports.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein:

the scan pattern for each auto-connect device comprises a plurality of segments, each segment comprising a plurality of queries to the auto-connect device; and

transmitting the queries comprises, during each segment of the scan pattern, transmitting a second plurality of queries, the queries within each segment being spaced apart by a uniform time, with the spacing being longer in later segments than in earlier segments.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein:

a spacing between segments is longer for later segments than for earlier segments.

12. A computer storage medium comprising computer executable instructions that, when executed, perform a method of operating a wireless device, wherein the computer storage medium is not a signal, the method comprising:

wirelessly pairing the wireless device with devices and storing information indicating that the devices are to be automatically wirelessly reconnected with the wireless device;

accessing device information representing each of the devices designated for wireless auto-connection with the wireless device, where device types indicated by the device information is used by the wireless device to determine auto-connect scanning priorities for the wireless devices;

performing an auto-connect procedure for each of the devices to reconnect the devices, the auto-connect procedure performed in an order corresponding to the priorities, the auto-connect procedure comprising, for a given device;

scanning for the given device by transmitting messages conformant to a peer-to-peer wireless protocol to elicit responses from the given wireless device, wherein the transmitting is in accordance with a pattern in which times between transmissions of messages increases as time passes until an auto-connect device responds or an event is detected; and

for each response received from the given wireless device, automatically forming a corresponding peer-to-peer connection with the given wireless device.

13. The computer storage medium of claim 12, wherein:

scanning for the given device is performed in accordance with a scan pattern; and

selecting at least one of the plurality of devices based on the priorities comprises ordering in the scan pattern queries to the plurality of devices in accordance with the priorities of the respective devices.

14. The computer storage medium of claim 12, wherein:

the scanning comprises scanning through a plurality of ports; and

forming a peer-to-peer connection comprises allocating a port of the plurality of ports for scanning for the given device.

15. The computer storage medium of claim 12, wherein:

scanning for the given device is performed in accordance with a scanning pattern; and

forming a peer-to-peer connection comprises establishing a frequency with which a query to the given device occurs in the scan pattern based on the priorities.

16. The computer storage medium of claim 15, wherein:

the scanning pattern comprises a plurality of segments, each segment corresponding to a query to a respective device; and

establishing a frequency with which a query to the given device occurs comprises selecting, based on the priorities, a number of queries to the given device in each of a plurality of segments.

17. The computer storage medium of claim 15, wherein:

the scanning pattern comprises a plurality of segments, each segment comprising a plurality of queries to a device; and

establishing a frequency with which a query to the selected device occurs comprises selecting, based on the priorities, a frequency with which a segment comprising queries to the selected device occurs.