Modifying a function based on user proximity

• US 9,042,827 B2
• Filed: 11/19/2012
• Issued: 05/26/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lenovo PC International Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Lenovo Singapore Pte Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Roper, Matthew Price, Bowser, Robert A., Kelso, Scott Edwards, Locker, Howard, Nicholson, John Weldon
• Primary Examiner(s): RAMPURIA, SHARAD K
• Application Number:
  US13/680,945
• Publication Number:
  US 20140141759A1
• Time in Patent Office: 918 Days
• Field of Search: 455/410, 455/414.1, 455/456.3, 455 301- 306, 455418-421, 455 411- 413
• US Class Current: 455/41.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds

Abstract

For modifying a function based on user proximity, a proximity module determines a distance between an electronic device and a transported device in wireless communication with the electronic device. The proximity module further modifies a function of the electronic device if the distance is within the specified range.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a memory that stores machine readable code;

a processor executing the machine readable code, the machine readable code comprising;

a proximity module that determines a distance between an electronic device and a transported device in wireless communication with the electronic device and that modifies a wireless data stream function that communicates data to the electronic device if the distance is within a specified range, wherein the wireless data stream is disabled if the distance exceeds an outer boundary of the range.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein modifying the wireless data stream function performs the modifications selected from the group consisting of decreasing a service rate for the wireless data stream function if the distance is within the range and greater than a near range and increasing the service rate for the wireless data stream function if the distance is within the near range.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the distance is calculated from observations selected from the group consisting of a time interval from a signal to a return signal, a loss of the wireless communication, a wireless communication signal strength, a wireless communication fingerprint, a radio direction finding, an inertial navigation location for the electronic device and the transported device, and global positioning system locations for the electronic device and the transported device.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the wireless data stream function is not modified during a critical operation.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the wireless data stream function is not modified during a download.

6. A method comprising:

determining, by use of a processor, a distance between an electronic device and a transported device in wireless communication with the electronic device; and

modifying a wireless data stream function that communicates data to the electronic device if the distance is within a specified range, wherein the wireless data stream is disabled if the distance exceeds an outer boundary of the range.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein modifying the wireless data stream function comprises decreasing a service rate for the wireless data stream function if the distance is within the range and greater than a near range.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein modifying the wireless data stream function comprises increasing a service rate for the wireless data stream function if the distance is within a near range.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein modifying the wireless data stream function performs the modifications selected from the group consisting of enabling the wireless data stream function, disabling the wireless data stream function, unlocking the electronic device, and changing a status.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein the wireless communication is selected from the group consisting of a Bluetooth connection, a WiFi network, a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) communication, a ZigBee connection, a Z-Wave connection, an ANT+ connection, an infrared connection, and a cellular telephone network communication.

11. The method of claim 6, further comprising a plurality of functions that each has at least one corresponding specified range.

12. The method of claim 6, wherein the distance is calculated from a time interval from a signal to a return signal.

13. The method of claim 6, wherein the distance is calculated from observations selected from the group consisting of a time interval from a signal to a return signal, a loss of the wireless communication, a wireless communication signal strength, a wireless communication fingerprint, a radio direction finding, an inertial navigation location for the electronic device and the transported device, and global positioning system locations for the electronic device and the transported device.

14. The method of claim 6, wherein the wireless data stream function is not modified during a critical operation.

15. The method of claim 6, wherein the wireless data stream function is not modified during a download.

16. A program product comprising a tangible computer readable storage medium storing machine readable code executed by a processor to perform the operations of:

determining a distance between an electronic device and a transported device in wireless communication with the electronic device; and

modifying a wireless data stream function that communicates data to the electronic device if the distance is within a specified range, wherein the wireless data stream is disabled if the distance exceeds an outer boundary of the range.

17. The program product of claim 16, wherein modifying the wireless data stream function performs the modifications selected from the group consisting of decreasing a service rate for the wireless data stream function if the distance is within the range and greater than a near range and increasing a service rate for the wireless data stream function if the distance is within the near range.

18. The program product of claim 16, wherein the distance is calculated from observations selected from the group consisting of a time interval from a signal to a return signal, a loss of the wireless communication, a wireless communication signal strength, a wireless communication fingerprint, a radio direction finding, an inertial navigation location for the electronic device and the transported device, and global positioning system locations for the electronic device and the transported device.

19. The program product of claim 16, wherein the wireless data stream function is not modified during a critical operation.

20. The program product of claim 16, wherein the wireless data stream function is not modified during a download.