Data exchange initiated by tapping devices

• US 8,918,050 B2
• Filed: 10/22/2013
• Issued: 12/23/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile USA, Inc. (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: T-Mobile USA, Inc. (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Gormley, Georgiana, Wang, Winston, Buck, Robert, Goulart, Valerie, Gough, Jeff, Brindle, Barb, Carney, Patrick, Chow, Paulo S. T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dao, Minh D
• Application Number:
  US14/060,587
• Publication Number:
  US 20140120834A1
• Time in Patent Office: 427 Days
• Field of Search: 455/41.1, 455/41.2, 455/519, 455/214, 455/224, 455/263, 455/336, 710/16
• US Class Current: 455/41.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1684 Constructional details or arrangements related to integrated I/O peripherals not covered by groups G06F1/1635 - G06F1/1675
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1694 the I/O peripheral being a single or a set of motion sensors for pointer control or gesture input obtained by sensing movements of the portable computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1636 Sensing arrangement for detection of a tap gesture on the housing
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/23 Indication means, e.g. displays, alarms, audible means
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/22 Capacitive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/45 Transponders
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/72 for local intradevice communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2757 by data transmission, e.g. downloading
• 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 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion telephones including GPS signal receivers H04M2250/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/64 file transfer between terminals download of applications H04M1/72406; transfer of messages, e.g. SMS, e-mail or MMS H04M1/7243
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/10 Small scale networks; Flat hierarchical networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/18 between terminal devices

Abstract

A user can initiate the transmission of data on a mobile device by making physical contact with another device. The physical contact can be any type of physical touch that is referred to as a “tap” or “tapping.” When a tap is detected by a device, the device may initiate near field communication (NFC) with the other tapping device. NFC may be used to communicate data between the two devices, or NFC may be used to exchange sufficient information to allow the devices to establish a communication channel via another communication link. In some embodiments, an NFC-enabled mobile device can be used to gather group data relating to users having mobile devices that are within NFC range of one another and which initiate the aggregation of group data by the tapping of three or more devices.

Claims

1. A system for transmitting data from a mobile device to other devices, the system comprising:

means for detecting physical contact between the mobile device and a second device and generating a signal that is indicative of the detected physical contact;

a near field communication transponder; and

means for receiving the signal indicative of physical contact between the mobile device and the second device and, in response, causing the near field communication transponder to transmit a message from the mobile device to the second device, the message enabling a communication channel to be created between the mobile device and the second device and data to be transmitted from the mobile device to the second device via the communication channel.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the means for detecting physical contact includes a capacitive switch.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the means for detecting physical contact includes an accelerometer.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the communication channel is a near field communication channel and the data is transmitted by the near field communication transponder.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising means for communicating with the second device via a short range protocol, wherein the communication channel is created by the means for communicating via the short range protocol.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the short range protocol is Bluetooth.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising means for communicating with the second device via a radio-access network protocol, wherein the communication channel is created by the means for communicating via the radio access protocol.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the physical contact is a plurality of taps, and wherein the data to be transmitted is identified based at least in part on a pattern of the plurality of taps.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the data to be transmitted is selected by a user of the mobile device prior to the physical contact between the mobile device and the second device.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the data to be transmitted is being played on the device at the time of the physical contact.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the data to be transmitted is being displayed on the device at the time of the physical contact.

12. A computer readable storage medium containing instructions for controlling a mobile device, the instructions causing the mobile device to implement a method of transmitting data from the mobile device to another device, the method comprising:

detecting physical contact between the mobile device and a second device;

causing a near field communication transponder to transmit a message from the mobile device to the second device, the message including information for establishing a communication channel between the mobile device and the second device;

establishing a communication channel between the mobile device and the second device; and

transmitting data from the mobile device to the second device via the communication channel.

13. The computer readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the physical contact is detected by measuring a change in capacitance at the mobile device.

14. The computer readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the physical contact is detected by measuring a change in acceleration of the mobile device.

15. The computer readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the physical contact is detected by measuring a change in resistance at the mobile device.

16. The computer readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the communication channel is a near field communication channel.

17. A method performed by a mobile device for transmitting data from the mobile device to another device, the method comprising:

identifying a physical contact between the mobile device and a second device;

causing a near field communication transponder to transmit a message from the mobile device to the second device, the message including information for establishing a communication channel between the mobile device and the second device;

establishing a communication channel with the second device; and

transmitting data from the mobile device to the second device via the communication channel.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the communication channel is a near field communication channel.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the communication channel is a short range communication channel.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the short range communication channel utilizes a Bluetooth protocol.