Portable network device for the discovery of nearby devices and services
First Claim
1. A method comprising:
- discovering communication resources within a desired physical proximity range of a user carried service discovery device, the user carried service discovery device associated with a user identifier corresponding to a particular user, where the user carried service discovery device is operable in a user-centric mobile network, the communication resources including unique resource identifiers;
associating the unique resource identifiers with the user identifier; and
transmitting the unique resource identifiers to an entity that is external to the user-centric mobile network to indicate to the entity to communicate with the user using a discovered communication resource within the desired physical proximity range of the user carried service discovery device, wherein the unique resource identifiers permit the entity to communicate with the user via the communication resources without requiring the communication resources to be members of the user-centric mobile network.
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Abstract
A method of determining communication resource availability within range of a user-centric mobile network is disclosed. In one embodiment the method comprises discovering communication resources within range of the user-centric mobile network, the communication resources including unique resource identifiers, and transmitting the unique resource identifiers and a user identifier to a server that is accessible from outside the user-centric mobile network. The communication resources may have associated therewith an available service and a current status and the method may further comprise transmitting available service information and current status information to the server. Also disclosed is a service discovery device for use in implementing the method.
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Citations
25 Claims
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1. A method comprising:
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discovering communication resources within a desired physical proximity range of a user carried service discovery device, the user carried service discovery device associated with a user identifier corresponding to a particular user, where the user carried service discovery device is operable in a user-centric mobile network, the communication resources including unique resource identifiers; associating the unique resource identifiers with the user identifier; and transmitting the unique resource identifiers to an entity that is external to the user-centric mobile network to indicate to the entity to communicate with the user using a discovered communication resource within the desired physical proximity range of the user carried service discovery device, wherein the unique resource identifiers permit the entity to communicate with the user via the communication resources without requiring the communication resources to be members of the user-centric mobile network. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A portable communications service discovery device for determining communication resource availability within range of a user-centric mobile network, comprising:
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a resource discovery module for discovering communication resources within a desired physical proximity range of the portable communications service discovery device, the portable communications service discovery device to be carried by a user of the user-centric mobile network, the communication resources having unique resource identifiers, the unique resource identifiers permitting an entity that is external to the user-centric mobile network to communicate with the user via the communication resources without requiring the communication resources to be members of the user-centric mobile network; and a reporting module for providing the unique resource identifiers and a user identifier to a server that is accessible from outside the user-centric mobile network, thereby to permit the entity that is external to the user-centric mobile network to communicate with the user via a discovered communication resource within the desired physical proximity range of the portable communications service discovery device without the discovered communication resource becoming a member of the user-centric mobile network. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A method comprising:
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discovering a communication resource within a desired local proximity to a service discovery device carried by a user that is operable in a user-centric mobile network, the communication resource including a unique resource identifier; and transmitting the unique resource identifier of the communication resource from the service discovery device to a remote entity, the unique resource identifier operable to indicate an availability of the user of the service discovery device to receive a communication at the communication resource, wherein the unique resource identifier permits the remote entity to communicate with the user via the communication resource without requiring the communication resource to be a member of the user-centric network. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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Specification