Sensing proximity utilizing a wireless radio subsystem

• US 9,369,891 B2
• Filed: 10/09/2015
• Issued: 06/14/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Inventors: Maguire, Yael
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Hai V
• Application Number:
  US14/879,460
• Publication Number:
  US 20160037361A1
• Time in Patent Office: 249 Days
• Field of Search: 455/85, 455/73, 455/24, 455/414.1, 455/23, 455/505, 455/506, 342/113, 342/28, 340/471
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/1257 using the received signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2216 used in interrogator/reader equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2291 used in bluetooth or WI-FI devices of Wireless Local Area Networks [WLAN] H01Q1/241 takes precedence; WLAN in general H04W
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/243 with built-in antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/245 with means for shaping the antenna pattern, e.g. in order to protect user against rf exposure
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/50 Structural association of antennas with earthing switches, lead-in devices or lightning protectors
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/065 Patch antenna array
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/24 varying the orientation by switching energy from one active radiating element to another, e.g. for beam switching
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/11 for calibration
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/309 Measuring or estimating channel quality parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/48 Transceivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0608 Antenna selection according to transmission parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0691 using subgroups of transmit antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• 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 52/0254 detecting a user operation or a tactile contact or a motion of the device
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

In one embodiment, a method includes, by an RF transceiver of a wireless communications device associated with a first user of an online system, transmitting an RF reference signal to each antenna of multiple antennas coupled to the transceiver. The method also includes, by a processor of the wireless communications device, determining, for each antenna of the multiple antennas, at least one characteristic of the RF reference signal reflected back from the antenna. The method further includes, by the processor of the wireless communications device, characterizing, based on the at least one determined characteristic, at least one aspect of an environment around the device to determine that an object is approaching the device. The method also includes, by the processor of the wireless communications device, retrieving from the online system, based on determining that the object is approaching the device, information associated with the first user.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

by an RF transceiver of a wireless communications device associated with a first user of an online social-networking system, transmitting an RF reference signal to each antenna of a plurality of antennas coupled to the transceiver, wherein;

a social graph associated with the social-networking system comprises a plurality of nodes and a plurality of edges connecting the nodes, each of the nodes representing a user or a concept, and each edge between two nodes representing a single degree of separation between the two nodes; and

the first user is represented by a first user node in the social graph;

by a processor of the wireless communications device, determining, for each antenna of the plurality of antennas, at least one characteristic of the RF reference signal reflected back from the antenna;

by the processor of the wireless communications device, characterizing, based on the at least one determined characteristic, at least one aspect of an environment around the device to determine that an object is approaching the device; and

by the processor of the wireless communications device, retrieving from the online social-networking system, based on determining that the object is approaching the device, information associated with the first user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one determined characteristic comprises an amplitude, phase, dispersion, waveform shape, or distortion.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the object approaching the device comprises a body part.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the retrieved information comprises a newsfeed item, image, video, link, music, communication, article, or blog.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the retrieved information comprises one or more content objects, and further comprising prioritizing the content objects based at least in part on an affinity between the first user and each of the one or more content objects.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a location of the wireless communications device; and

if the determined location corresponds to a known location, then presenting for display to the first user at least a portion of the retrieved information, else authenticating the first user prior to presenting the portion of the retrieved information for display.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the known location comprises a location associated with the first user or a particular wireless network.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the retrieved information is associated with the first user node or with another node within a threshold degree of separation from the first user node.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the retrieved information comprises an indication that a second user of the online social-networking system is located within proximity of the first user, the second user being represented in the social graph by a second user node that is within a threshold degree of separation from the first user node.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising prioritizing the retrieved information based at least in part on a proximity of one or more second users associated with the first user.

11. One or more computer-readable non-transitory storage media embodying software that is operable when executed to:

transmit an RF reference signal to each antenna of a plurality of antennas coupled to an RF transceiver of a wireless communications device associated with a first user of an online social-networking system, wherein;

a social graph associated with the social-networking system comprises a plurality of nodes and a plurality of edges connecting the nodes, each of the nodes representing a user or a concept, and each edge between two nodes representing a single degree of separation between the two nodes; and

the first user is represented by a first user node in the social graph;

determine, for each antenna of the plurality of antennas, at least one characteristic of the RF reference signal reflected back from the antenna;

characterize, based on the at least one determined characteristic, at least one aspect of an environment around the device to determine that an object is approaching the device; and

retrieve from the online system, based on determining that the object is approaching the device, information associated with the first user.

12. The media of claim 11, wherein the at least one determined characteristic comprises an amplitude, phase, dispersion, waveform shape, or distortion.

13. The media of claim 11, wherein the object approaching the device comprises a body part.

14. The media of claim 11, wherein the retrieved information comprises a newsfeed item, image, video, link, music, communication, article, or blog.

15. The media of claim 11, wherein the retrieved information comprises one or more content objects, and the media is further operable when executed to prioritize the content objects based at least in part on an affinity between the first user and each of the one or more content objects.

16. The media of claim 11, wherein the media is further operable when executed to:

determine a location of the wireless communications device; and

if the determined location corresponds to a known location, then present for display to the first user at least a portion of the retrieved information, else authenticate the first user prior to presenting the portion of the retrieved information for display.

17. The media of claim 16, wherein the known location comprises a location associated with the first user or a particular wireless network.

18. The media of claim 11, wherein the retrieved information is associated with the first user node or with another node within a threshold degree of separation from the first user node.

19. The media of claim 11, wherein the retrieved information comprises an indication that a second user of the online social-networking system is located within proximity of the first user, the second user being represented in the social graph by a second user node that is within a threshold degree of separation from the first user node.

20. The media of claim 11, wherein the media is further operable when executed to prioritize the retrieved information based at least in part on a proximity of one or more second users associated with the first user.

21. A system comprising:

one or more processors; and

a memory coupled to the processors comprising instructions executable by the processors, the processors being operable when executing the instructions to;

transmit an RF reference signal to each antenna of a plurality of antennas coupled to an RF transceiver of a wireless communications device associated with a first user of an online social-networking system, wherein;

a social graph associated with the social-networking system comprises a plurality of nodes and a plurality of edges connecting the nodes, each of the nodes representing a user or a concept, and each edge between two nodes representing a single degree of separation between the two nodes; and

the first user is represented by a first user node in the social graph;

determine, for each antenna of the plurality of antennas, at least one characteristic of the RF reference signal reflected back from the antenna;

characterize, based on the at least one determined characteristic, at least one aspect of an environment around the device to determine that an object is approaching the device; and

retrieve from the online system, based on determining that the object is approaching the device, information associated with the first user.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the at least one determined characteristic comprises an amplitude, phase, dispersion, waveform shape, or distortion.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein the object approaching the device comprises a body part.

24. The system of claim 21, wherein the retrieved information comprises a newsfeed item, image, video, link, music, communication, article, or blog.

25. The system of claim 21, wherein the retrieved information comprises one or more content objects, and the processors are further operable when executing the instructions to prioritize the content objects based at least in part on an affinity between the first user and each of the one or more content objects.

26. The system of claim 21, wherein the processors are further operable when executing the instructions to:

determine a location of the wireless communications device; and

if the determined location corresponds to a known location, then present for display to the first user at least a portion of the retrieved information, else authenticate the first user prior to presenting the portion of the retrieved information for display.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the known location comprises a location associated with the first user or a particular wireless network.

28. The system of claim 21, wherein the retrieved information is associated with the first user node or with another node within a threshold degree of separation from the first user node.

29. The system of claim 21, wherein the retrieved information comprises an indication that a second user of the online social-networking system is located within proximity of the first user, the second user being represented in the social graph by a second user node that is within a threshold degree of separation from the first user node.

30. The system of claim 21, wherein the processors are further operable when executing the instructions to prioritize the retrieved information based at least in part on a proximity of one or more second users associated with the first user.