Smart proximity priority pairing

• US 9,332,587 B2
• Filed: 08/21/2012
• Issued: 05/03/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Salahshoor, Mohamad Reza
• Primary Examiner(s): West, Lewis
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shiue, Dong-Chang
• Application Number:
  US13/590,299
• Publication Number:
  US 20140057563A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,351 Days
• Field of Search: 455/41.1, 455/41.2, 455/41.3, 370/328, 370/338
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/70 specially adapted for specific purposes
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/20 Master-slave selection or change arrangements

Abstract

A method for overriding a pairing priority for a slave device connected to a master device, or for connecting a new slave device to the master device and setting a new pairing priority relative to an existing paired slave device over a short-range wireless connection such as Bluetooth®. The method includes executing an application and setting a connection priority override on either the slave device or the master device. When a connection between the slave device and master device is requested and negotiated, a priority override is communicated to the master device or queried on the master device, and if the priority override is higher than an existing priority, a connection for that device is completed with the master device, and additional slave devices in a list of last paired devices is adjusted by the master device.

Claims

1. A method by a slave device connected to a master device over a short-range wireless connection for overriding a pairing priority at the master device, comprising:

executing an application at the slave device that sets a pairing connection priority override, the pairing connection priority override configuring the slave device to raise a connection priority of the slave device to a highest priority at the master device;

receiving one or more pairing connection priority override parameters from a user of the slave device, the one or more pairing connection priority override parameters identifying at least one condition to be satisfied for performing the pairing connection priority override;

negotiating a connection with the master device and sending the pairing priority override and the one or more pairing connection priority override parameters to the master device, the pairing priority override indicating to the master device that the slave device is requesting to override any pairing priority currently established at the master device;

if the pairing connection priority override is higher than an existing priority, completing the connection with the master device; and

if the pairing connection pairing priority override is not higher than the existing priority, negotiating the connection with the master device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the short-range wireless connection is a Bluetooth®

standard protocol.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the connection pairing priority override is based on at least one of a phone number, user identifier, alert, notification, and message.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the connection pairing priority override is established by setting the priority override on the slave device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the connection pairing priority override is established by setting the priority override on the master device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the master device contains a listing of recently paired slave devices in a priority list and the priority list is dynamically adjusted based on receipt of a priority pairing request from a slave device among the priority of recently paired slave devices.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the highest priority of a slave device is based on a user preference set on the master device.

8. An electronic device, comprising:

at least one processor and communications module configured for establishing short-range wireless communications with a master device, the processor configured to execute an application for overriding a pairing priority established at the master device by;

executing an application at the electronic device that sets a connection pairing priority override, the pairing connection priority override configuring the electronic device to raise a connection priority of the electronic device to a highest priority at the master device;

receiving one or more pairing connection priority override parameters from a user of the electronic device, the one or more pairing connection priority override parameters identifying at least one condition to be satisfied for performing the pairing connection priority override;

negotiating a connection with the master device and sending the pairing priority override and the one or more pairing connection priority override parameters to the master device, the pairing priority override indicating to the master device that the electronic device is requesting to override any pairing priority currently established at the master device;

if the pairing connection pairing priority override is higher than an existing priority, completing the connection with the master device; and

if the pairing connection pairing priority override is not higher than the existing priority, negotiating the connection with the master device.

9. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein the short-range wireless connection is a Bluetooth®

standard protocol.

10. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein the connection pairing priority override is based on at least one of a phone number, user identifier, alert, notification, and message.

11. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein the connection pairing priority override is established by setting the priority override on the electronic device.

12. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein the connection pairing priority override is established by setting the connection pairing priority override on the master device.

13. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein the master device contains a listing of recently paired electronic devices in a priority list and the priority list is dynamically adjusted based on receipt of a priority pairing request from an electronic device among the priority of recently paired electronic devices.

14. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein the highest priority of an electronic device among the recently paired electronic devices is based on a user preference set on the master device.

15. A method by a master device for setting a pairing priority override for a slave device coupled to the master device over a short-range wireless connection, comprising:

negotiating a connection with the slave device;

receiving a pairing override from the slave device, the pairing override comprising one or more pairing override parameters defined by a user of the slave device, the one or more pairing override parameters identifying at least one condition to be satisfied for performing the pairing override, and the pairing override indicating to the master device that the slave device is requesting to override any pairing priority currently established at the master device; and

determining a pairing priority for the slave device in response to the pairing override with the pairing override parameters and further in response to a user identifier of the slave device;

if the determined pairing priority for the slave device is higher than any existing priority in a listing of recently paired slaved devices in a priority list of recently paired slaved devices, dynamically adjusting the priority list dependent upon the determined pairing priority and completing the connection with the slave device; and

if the priority for the slave device is not higher than any existing priority, negotiating the connection with the slave device without dynamic adjusting the priority list.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising adjusting the priority of the at least one other slave device.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising presenting an option to add the new slave device for user selection.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the option includes highlighting the new device.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising a handshake prior to the negotiation.

20. The method of claim 15, further comprising setting priority for the slave device relative to the at least one other slave device when high priority requests are simultaneously received at the master device, the highest priority being assigned based on user defined settings.

21. An electronic device, comprising:

at least one processor and communications module configured for establishing short-range wireless communications with at least one slave device, the processor configured to execute an application for connecting to the at least one slave device by;

negotiating a connection;

receiving a pairing override from the at least one slave device, the pairing override comprising one or more pairing override parameters defined by a user of the slave device, the one or more pairing override parameters identifying at least one condition to be satisfied for performing the pairing override, and the pairing override indicating to the master device that the slave device is requesting to override any pairing priority currently established at the electronic device; and

determining a pairing priority for the at least one slave device in response to the pairing override with the pairing override parameters and further in response to a user identifier of the at least one slave device;

if the determined pairing priority for the at least one slave device is higher than any existing priority in a listing of recently paired slaved devices in a priority list of recently paired slaved devices, dynamically adjusting the priority list dependent upon the determined pairing priority and completing the connection with the at least one slave device; and

if the priority for the at least one slave device is not higher than any existing priority, negotiating the connection with the at least one slave device without dynamic adjusting the priority list.

22. The electronic device of claim 21, further comprising adjusting the priority of the at least one other slave device.

23. The electronic device of claim 21, further comprising presenting an option to add the new slave device for user selection.

24. The electronic device of claim 21, further comprising executing a handshake prior to the negotiation.

25. The electronic device of claim 21, further comprising setting priority for the at least one slave device relative to the at least one other slave device at the electronic device when high priority requests are simultaneously received at the electronic device, the highest priority being assigned based on user defined settings.