Systems, methods, and computer readable media for sharing awareness information

• US 9,107,040 B2
• Filed: 09/29/2010
• Issued: 08/11/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Rottler, Benjamin A., Nadeau, Kyle Patrick, Mincey, Tyler, Nakajima, Taido
• Primary Examiner(s): Walsh, John B
• Application Number:
  US12/893,814
• Publication Number:
  US 20120079018A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,777 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0284 Relative positioning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72409 by interfacing with external accessories hands-free H04M1/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds

Abstract

Systems, methods, and computer readable media for sharing awareness information are provided. A non-aware electronic device can require awareness information including, for example, information about its environment or information about its status within its environment, in order to perform a particular device operation. When the non-aware device lacks an awareness component for detecting the required type of awareness information, the non-aware device can establish a communications path with an aware device that includes such an appropriate awareness component. The aware device can share the required type of awareness information as captured by its awareness component with the non-aware device. The distance between the non-aware device and the aware device can be less than a threshold distance to ensure that the shared awareness information is relevant to the non-aware device.

Claims

1. A method for sharing awareness information, comprising:

assigning, at a first device, a first threshold distance to a first type of awareness information and a second threshold distance to a second type of awareness information;

receiving, at the first device, a request for awareness information, wherein the requested awareness information is indicative of one or more characteristics of;

a surrounding environment of the first device;

or

a status of the first device within the surrounding environment;

determining, by the first device, whether a type of the requested awareness information is the first type of awareness information or the second type of awareness information;

determining, by the first device, that the first device does not comprise an awareness sensor configured to detect the type of the requested awareness information;

identifying, by the first device, that a second device comprises an awareness sensor configured to detect the type of the requested awareness information;

determining, by the first device, whether;

a determined distance between the first device and the second device is within the first threshold distance when the type of the requested awareness information is the first type of awareness information;

or

the determined distance is within the second threshold distance when the type of the requested awareness information is the second type of awareness information; and

receiving, at the first device, the requested awareness information from the second device when the determined distance between the first device and the second device is within a corresponding threshold distance corresponding to the type of the requested awareness information, the corresponding threshold distance being the first threshold distance or the second threshold distance, wherein the requested awareness information is detected by the awareness sensor of the second device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the distance between the first device and the second device comprises:

identifying at least one attribute of a communications path between the first device and the second device; and

determining the distance based on the at least one identified attribute of the communications path.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the at least one identified attribute comprises at least one of:

the type of communications network providing the communications path;

the strength of the communications network providing the communications path; and

available communications networks not providing the communications path.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifying comprises:

broadcasting, by the first device, the received request for the requested awareness information; and

receiving at the first device a response to the broadcasted received request from the second device, wherein the response comprises the requested awareness information.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the broadcasting further comprises:

selecting a communications network associated with the requested awareness information; and

broadcasting the received request for the requested awareness information using the selected communications network.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the communications network is selected based on the corresponding threshold distance.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the requested awareness information comprises one or more of:

a location, motion, orientation, or proximity of the first device, or ambient light, ambient noise, temperature, pressure, or humidity of the surrounding environment of the first device, or a communication signal or image from the surrounding environment of the first device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first threshold distance assigned to the first type of awareness information and the second threshold distance assigned to the second type of awareness information are assigned in response to input received at a user interface of the first device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the distance between the first device and the second device includes determining by the first device that a communications path can be established with the second device over a communications network.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein

determining the distance between the first device and the second device includes determining by the first device a signal strength of the second device in a communications network.

11. A non-transitory computer readable media for accessing awareness information with a non-aware electronic device, comprising computer readable program logic recorded thereon for:

assigning, at the non-aware electronic device, a first threshold distance to a first type of awareness information and a second threshold distance to a second type of awareness information;

receiving, at the non-aware electronic device, a request for the awareness information, wherein the requested awareness information is indicative of one or more characteristics of;

a surrounding environment of the non-aware electronic device;

or

a status of the non-aware electronic device within the surrounding environment;

determining, by the non-aware electronic device, whether a type of the requested awareness information is the first type of awareness information or the second type of awareness information;

determining, by the non-aware electronic device, that the non-aware electronic device does not comprise an awareness sensor configured to detect the type of the requested awareness information;

identifying, by the non-aware electronic device, that an aware electronic device comprises an awareness sensor configured to detect the type of the requested awareness information;

determining, by the non-aware electronic device, whether;

a determined distance between the non-aware electronic device and the aware electronic device is within the first threshold distance when the type of the requested awareness information is the first type of awareness information;

or

the determined distance is within the second threshold distance when the type of the requested awareness information is the second type of awareness information;

receiving, at the non-aware electronic device from the aware electronic device, the requested awareness information when the determined distance between the non-aware electronic device and the aware electronic device is within a corresponding threshold distance corresponding to the type of the requested awareness information, the corresponding threshold distance being the first threshold distance or the second threshold distance, wherein the requested awareness information is detected by the awareness sensor of the aware electronic device.