Managing a group of wireless devices in close proximity

• US 9,380,615 B2
• Filed: 06/19/2014
• Issued: 06/28/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/19/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Telematics Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Nevarez Pedroza, Aaron Olaff
• Primary Examiner(s): Milord, Marceau
• Application Number:
  US14/308,820
• Publication Number:
  US 20150373747A1
• Time in Patent Office: 740 Days
• Field of Search: 455/41.2, 455/569.2, 455/567, 455/556.2, 455/562.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/11 Allocation or use of connection identifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support

Abstract

A first device may transmit a message, such as a connection request, to a second device, and the message may include a friendly name associated with the first device. A connection may be established between the first and second devices based on the message, and first data may be transmitted via the connection. The first device may generate a modified message by modifying the friendly name based on second data, and the first device may forward the modified message to a third device. The third device may evaluate the modified message to identify and extract the second data.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

transmitting, by a processor associated with a first device, a connection request to second device that differs from the first device, wherein the connection request includes an identifier for the first device, and wherein the connection request relates to a wireless personal area network (WPAN) associated with the first device;

receiving, by the processor, an acceptance of the connection request from the second device;

exchanging, by the processor and after receiving the acceptance, first data between the first device and the second device, wherein the first data is exchanged via an in-band communication associated with the WPAN;

modifying, by the processor, the connection request to form a modified connection request, wherein modifying the connection request includes;

modifying, in the connection request, identifier to include second data; and

transmitting, by the processor, the modified connection request through out-of-band signaling toward the second device, wherein the second device extracts the second data from the modified connection request.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting the modified connection request toward a third device that differs from the first device and the second device, wherein the third device is not connect to the first device via the WPAN, and wherein the third device extracts the second data from the modified connection request.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the modified connection request and exchanging the first data occur concurrently.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein modifying the connection request further includes:

including, in the modified connection request, information indicating that that the second data does not identify the first device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifier includes data identifying at least one of a device type, a manufacturer, a function, a location, an available service, a physical attribute, a status, a characteristic associated with the first device, and wherein modifying the identifier further includes:

replacing, in the modified connection request, the identifier with the second data.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein first device is included in a telematics device associated with a vehicle, and wherein the second device is associated with a driver or a passenger of the vehicle.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the second data includes information about the vehicle that is collected by the telematics device.

8. A device comprising:

a memory configured to store an identifier associated with the device; and

a processor configured to;

transit a connection request to another device, wherein the connection request includes the identifier, and wherein the connection request relates to a wireless personal area network (WPAN) associated with the device;

receive an acceptance of the connection request from the other device;

exchange, after receiving the acceptance, first data between the device and the other device, wherein the first data is exchanged via an in-band communication associated with the WPAN;

modify the connection request to form a modified connection request, wherein processor, when modifying the connection request, is further configured to modify the identifier to include second data and

transmit the modified connection request through out-of-band signaling to the other device, wherein the other device extracts the second data from the modified connection request.

9. The device of claim 8, wherein the device is a first device and the other device is a second device, and wherein the processor is further configured to:

transmit the modified connection request toward a third device that differs from the first device and the second device, wherein the third device is not connect to the first device via the WPAN, and wherein the third device extracts the second data from the modified connection request.

10. The device of claim 8, wherein the processor is further configures to transmit the modified connection request and exchange the first data concurrently.

11. The device of claim 8, wherein the processor, when modifying the connection request, is further configured to:

add, in the modified connection request, the second data to the identifier.

12. The device of claim 8, wherein the connection request further includes information identifying at least one of:

a device class associated with the device,

a service offered by the device,

a feature of the device,

a manufacturer of the device,

a set of communication protocols that are accepted by the device, or

a clock offset used by the device.

13. The device of claim 8, wherein the processor, when modifying the connection request, is further configured to:

include, in the modified connection request, information indicating that that the second data does not identify the device.

14. The device of claim 8, wherein an on-board diagnostics (OBD) interface collects information associated with a vehicle, and wherein the second data includes the information associated with the vehicle that is collected by the OBD interface.

15. A non-transitory computer readable medium to configured to store:

one or more instructions that, when executed by a processor associated with a first device to;

transmit a connection request to a second device, wherein the connection request includes an identifier for the first device, and wherein the connection request relates to a wireless personal area network (WPAN) associated with the first device;

receive an acceptance of the connection request from the second device;

exchange, after receiving the acceptance, first data between the first device and the second device, wherein the first data is exchanged via an in-band communication associated with the WPAN;

modify the connection request to form a modified connection request, wherein the one or more instructions further cause the processor, when modifying the connection request, to modify the identifier to include second data; and

transmit the modified connection request through out-of-band signaling to the second device, wherein the second device extracts the second data from the modified connection request.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the one or more instructions further cause the processor to:

transmit the modified connection request toward a third device that differs from the first device and the second device, wherein the third device is not connect to the first device via the WPAN, and wherein the third device extracts the second data from the modified connection request.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the one or more instructions further cause the processor, when modifying the connection request, to:

include, in the modified connection request, information indicating that that the second data does not identify the device.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the WPAN implements Bluetooth®

protocols.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the second device is associated with a telematics unit associated with a vehicle, and wherein the second data includes information about the vehicle that is collected by the telematics unit.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the connection request further includes third information identifying at least one of:

a device class associated with the first device,

a service offered by the first device,

a feature of the first device,

a manufacturer of the first device,

a communication protocols that are accepted by the first device, or

a clock offset used by the first device, wherein the third information is included in the modified connection request.