Methods and apparatus to facilitate device-to-device communication

• US 9,094,050 B2
• Filed: 01/25/2013
• Issued: 07/28/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Blankenship, Yufei Wu, Furbeck, David Stuart
• Primary Examiner(s): TAYLOR, BARRY W
• Application Number:
  US13/750,777
• Publication Number:
  US 20140213306A1
• Time in Patent Office: 914 Days
• Field of Search: 455/457, 455/41.1, 455/456.1, 455/41.2, 455/456.3, 370/329
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/72 for local intradevice communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/54 Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/24 Negotiation of communication capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/21 for social networking applications

Abstract

Methods and apparatus to facilitate device-to-device communication with a remote device registered with a communication network are described. One example method may include obtaining an identity information of the second device from an address book, submitting the identity information of the second device to a communication network, estimating device-to-device (D2D) proximity of the second device, generating an indication of the proximity of the second device relative to the first device, and initiating a device-to-device communication session with the second device when the indication is that the second device is proximate.

Claims

1. A method to facilitate device-to-device communication between a first device and a second device, the method comprising:

obtaining an identity information of the second device from an address book;

submitting the identity information of the second device to a communication network;

estimating device-to-device (D2D) proximity of the second device;

generating an indication of the D2D proximity of the second device relative to the first device;

initiating a device-to-device communication session with the second device when the indication is that the second device is proximate; and

sending Session Description Protocol (SDP) information to the second device containing SDP extensions for a Session Initiation (SIP) preconditions framework, wherein the SDP extensions indicate a precondition that a D2D link be established between the first and the second device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein estimating D2D proximity of the second device is based on received location information of the second device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the location information of the second device is received from the second device in response to a Geolocation Pull request.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the location information of the second device is received in a Geolocation Push message.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the location information of the second device is received from a presence server.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein estimating D2D proximity of the second device comprises determining a tracking area of the second device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein estimating D2D proximity of the second device comprises determining a registration status of the second device.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprises displaying the indication of the proximity.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein displaying the indication comprises displaying the indication in an address book.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the proximity of the second device is included in presence information of the first device and sent to a presence server.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising testing a device-to-device connection prior to initiating the device-to-device communication session.

12. The method as defined in claim 11, further comprising generating a proximity information element based on testing the device-to-device connection, and including the proximity information element in a presence information of the first device.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising utilizing an alternate communication technology to communicate with the second device when the second device is not proximate.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising

evaluating a link quality of the device-to-device communication session;

modifying the device-to-device communication session based on the link quality.

15. A mobile device configured to facilitate device-to-device communication between a first device and a second device, the mobile device comprising a processor configured to:

obtain an identity information of the second device from an address book;

submit the identity information of the second device to a communication network;

estimate device-to-device (D2D) proximity of the second device;

generate an indication of the proximity of the second device relative to the first device;

initiate a device-to-device communication session with the second device when the indication is that the second device is proximate; and

send Session Description Protocol (SDP) information to the second device containing SDP extensions for a Session Initiation (SIP) preconditions framework, wherein the SDP extensions indicate a precondition that a D2D link be established between the first and the second device.

16. The mobile device of claim 15, wherein the processor is configured to send a Session Initiation (SIP) INVITE message to the second device.

17. The mobile device of claim 15, wherein the processor is configured to estimate D2D proximity of the second device based on received location information of the second device.

18. The mobile device of claim 17, wherein the location information of the second device is received from a presence server.

19. The mobile device of claim 15, wherein the processor is configured to display the indication of the proximity in an address book.

20. The mobile device of claim 15, wherein the proximity of the second device is included in presence information of the first device and sent to a presence server.

21. A tangible, non-transitory, computer readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed, cause a machine to:

obtain an identity information of the second device from an address book;

submit the identity information of the second device to a communication network;

estimate device-to-device (D2D) proximity of the second device;

generate an indication of the proximity of the second device relative to the first device;

initiate a device-to-device communication session with the second device when the indication is that the second device is proximate; and

send Session Description Protocol (SDP) information to the second device containing SDP extensions for a Session Initiation (SIP) preconditions framework, wherein the SDP extensions indicate a precondition that a D2D link be established between the first and the second device.

22. The tangible, non-transitory, computer readable storage medium of claim 21, further comprising instructions that, when executed, cause a machine to send a Session Initiation (SIP) INVITE message to the second device.

23. The tangible, non-transitory, computer readable storage medium of claim 21, further comprising instructions that, when executed, cause a machine to estimate D2D proximity of the second device based on received location information of the second device.

24. The tangible, non-transitory, computer readable storage medium of claim 23, wherein the location information of the second device is received from a presence server.

25. The tangible, non-transitory, computer readable storage medium of claim 21, further comprising instructions that, when executed, cause a machine to display the indication of the proximity in an address book.

26. The tangible, non-transitory, computer readable storage medium of claim 21, wherein the proximity of the second device is included in presence information of the first device and sent to a presence server.