System and method of device capability signaling

• US 9,325,796 B2
• Filed: 08/31/2015
• Issued: 04/26/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/03/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Wohlert, Randolph, Pratt, James H.
• Primary Examiner(s): ALGIBHAH, HAMZA N
• Application Number:
  US14/841,168
• Publication Number:
  US 20150381745A1
• Time in Patent Office: 239 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1044 Group management mechanisms management of multicast group membership H04L12/185; reconfiguring of node membership in a computing system to eliminate errors G06F11/1425
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/08 User group management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/20 Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel

Abstract

A method includes generating a first schedule at a first electronic device associated with a first user. The first schedule is generated based on a first relationship strength of a relationship of the first user and a second user. The method further includes sending, from the first electronic device to a second electronic device associated with the second user, a first capability request. The first capability request is sent based on the first schedule.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

generating a first schedule at a first electronic device associated with a first user, wherein the first schedule is generated based on a first relationship strength of a relationship of the first user and a second user; and

sending, from the first electronic device to a second electronic device associated with the second user, a first capability request, wherein the first capability request is sent based on the first schedule.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, at the first electronic device, a response from the second electronic device, wherein the response indicates a capability of the second electronic device; and

displaying, at the first electronic device, information descriptive of the capability of the second electronic device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the response indicates a format for communication between the first electronic device and the second electronic device.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the information descriptive of the capability of the second device includes information related to a service that includes text, voice, video, high definition content, group chat, internet browsing, high quality voice, file transfer, thumbnail image display of files, delivery notification, location, global positioning system exchange format, multimedia messaging service, short message service, or a combination thereof.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising updating the first schedule to a second schedule in response to a change of strength of the relationship from the first relationship strength to a second relationship strength, wherein the first schedule indicates that capability requests are to be sent periodically at a first frequency, and wherein the second schedule indicates that capability requests are to be sent periodically at a second frequency.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the first frequency is greater than the second frequency and the first relationship strength is greater than the second relationship strength.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the first frequency is once an hour and the second frequency is once a day.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising updating the first relationship strength based on user input received at the first electronic device, based on a time period between communications between the first electronic device and the second electronic device, based on a location of the second electronic device, based on a geographic proximity of the first electronic device and the second electronic device, based on a family relationship of the first user and the second user, based on activity of the second electronic device, or based on a combination thereof.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a second schedule at the first electronic device, wherein the second schedule is generated based on a second relationship strength of a second relationship of the first user and a third user; and

sending, from the first electronic device to a third electronic device associated with the third user, a second capability request at a time according to the second schedule.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a second schedule at the first electronic device, wherein the second schedule is generated based on a second relationship strength of a second relationship of the first user and a third electronic device associated with the second user; and

sending, from the first electronic device to the third electronic device, a second capability request at a time according to the second schedule.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending, from the first electronic device to a third electronic device associated with the second user, a second capability request, wherein the second capability request is sent at a time according to the first schedule.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the first schedule is further based on activity of the second device, wherein the activity indicates a first period of time during which the second electronic device changed locations more than a threshold number of times, a second period of time during which the second electronic device has changed locations less than the threshold number of times.

13. A computer-readable storage device storing instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

sending, from a first electronic device associated with a first user, a first capability request to a second electronic device based on a first schedule, wherein the second electronic device is associated with a second user, and wherein the first schedule is based on a first relationship strength associated with a relationship of the first user and the second user; and

sending, from the first electronic device, a second capability request to a third electronic device based on a second schedule, wherein the third electronic device is associated with a third user, wherein a second relationship strength is associated with a second relationship of the first user and the third user, wherein the second schedule is based on the second relationship strength, and wherein the second relationship strength is different from the first relationship strength.

14. The computer-readable storage device of claim 13, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving a response from the second electronic device, wherein the response indicates a capability of the second electronic device;

receiving a second response from the third electronic device, wherein the second response indicates a second capability of the third electronic device; and

storing the capability and the second capability in a memory associated with the first electronic device.

15. The computer-readable storage device of claim 14, wherein the second response indicates a device capability for a service, whether a network associated with the second electronic device supports the service, whether the second electronic device is associated with a valid subscription for the service, or a combination thereof.

16. The computer-readable storage device of claim 13, wherein the first schedule indicates that capability requests are to be sent periodically at a first frequency, and wherein the second schedule indicates that capability requests are to be sent periodically at a second frequency.

17. The computer-readable storage device of claim 16, wherein the first frequency is greater than the second frequency and the first relationship strength is greater than the second relationship strength.

18. A device comprising:

a processor configured to generate a schedule, wherein the schedule is generated based on a first relationship strength of a relationship of a first user and a second user; and

a transmitter coupled to the processor and configured to send a capability request to a second device associated with the second user, wherein the capability request is sent based on the schedule.

19. The device of claim 18, wherein the transmitter is configured to send the capability request using a session initiation protocol, an extensible markup language protocol, a hypertext transfer protocol, a universal plug and play protocol, a simple object access protocol, a transmission control protocol, an internet protocol, a wireless fidelity protocol, a simple service discovery protocol, a capability discovery protocol, or a combination thereof.

20. The device of claim 18, wherein the schedule indicates that the capability request is to be sent a first number of times during a first time period, wherein the schedule indicates that the capability request is to be sent a second number of times during a second time period, and wherein the first number of times and the second number of times are different.