Managing activities performed by a plurality of collocated mobile devices

• US 9,392,417 B1
• Filed: 03/03/2015
• Issued: 07/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Werner, Benjamin Alfred, Venkatraman, Sai Pradeep, Gao, Weihua
• Primary Examiner(s): Wang, Ted
• Application Number:
  US14/636,878
• Time in Patent Office: 497 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/021 Measuring pressure in heart or blood vessels A61B5/0205 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02438 with portable devices, e.g. worn by the patient
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/14 specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0072 Transmission between mobile stations, e.g. anti-collision systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/385 Transceivers carried on the body, e.g. in helmets
• 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 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/08 User group management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• 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 52/0209 in terminal devices terminal devices per se H04W88/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/20 Master-slave selection or change arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Systems and methods for managing activities among collocated mobile devices are disclosed. A controller determines a route of travel corresponding to two or more collocated mobile devices prior to a start of travel, and a set of activities to be performed by the two or more collocated mobile devices after the start of travel based, at least in part, on the route of travel. At least a portion of the set of activities is assigned to a first set of subsystems in a first mobile device and a second set of subsystems in a second mobile device of the two or more collocated mobile devices, wherein the first mobile device and the second mobile device are configured to communicate with one another, and the first set of subsystems and the second set of subsystems have at least one subsystem which is different.

Claims

1. A method for use in managing activities among two or more collocated mobile devices, the method comprising:

determining a route of travel corresponding to the two or more collocated mobile devices prior to a start of travel;

determining a set of activities to be performed by the two or more collocated mobile devices after the start of travel based, at least in part, on the route of travel; and

assigning at least a portion of the set of activities among a first set of subsystems in a first mobile device of the two or more collocated mobile devices and a second set of subsystems in a second mobile device of the two or more collocated mobile devices,

wherein the first mobile device and the second mobile device are configured to communicate with one another, and wherein the first set of subsystems and the second set of subsystems have at least one subsystem which is different.

2. The method of claim 1, and further comprising:

transmitting a signal to at least one of the two or more collocated mobile devices, the signal being indicative of at least one activity assigned to the at least one of the two or more collocated mobile devices.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the assigning at least the portion of the set of activities comprises:

disabling one or more subsystems in the first set of subsystems,

disabling one or more subsystems in the second set of subsystems, or

both.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the route of travel, determining the set of activities, and assigning at least the portion of the set of activities are performed by the first mobile device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first mobile device comprises a master device and the second mobile device comprises a slave device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the route of travel, determining the set of activities, and assigning at least the portion of the set of activities are performed by a remote computing device in communication with at least the first mobile device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first mobile device comprises a mobile phone and the second mobile device comprises a wearable electronic device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one activity of the set of activities corresponds to a positioning function.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one activity of the set of activities corresponds to a biometric function.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

detecting one or more changes associated with the route of travel, wherein the one or more changes include one or more of a new route of travel, changes in environmental conditions, or changes in speed or velocity along the route of travel;

determining a new or revised set of activities associated with the one or more changes; and

assigning at least a portion of the new or revised set of activities among the first set of subsystems in the first mobile device and the second set of subsystems in the second mobile device.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

detecting changes in one or more conditions related to at least one of the two or more collocated mobile devices, wherein the conditions include one or more of battery level, activity level, or availability of the at least one of the two or more collocated mobile devices;

determining a new or revised set of activities associated with the detected changes in the one or more conditions; and

assigning at least a portion of the new or revised set of activities among the first set of subsystems in the first mobile device and the second set of subsystems in the second mobile device.

12. The method of claim 1, and further comprising:

performing at least one activity from at least the portion of the set of activities based on a determination that at least one of the two or more collocated mobile devices is positioned within a threshold distance of a point on the route of travel.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the two or more collocated mobile devices is located on a user'"'"'s person.

14. An apparatus configured to manage activities among two or more collocated mobile devices, the apparatus comprising:

memory; and

a processor coupled to the memory and configured to;

determine a route of travel corresponding to the two or more collocated mobile devices prior to a start of travel;

determine a set of activities to be performed by the two or more collocated mobile devices after the start of travel based, at least in part, on the route of travel; and

assign at least a portion of the set of activities among a first set of subsystems in a first mobile device of the two or more collocated mobile devices and a second set of subsystems in a second mobile device of the two or more collocated mobile devices,

wherein the first mobile device and the second mobile device are configured to communicate with one another, and wherein the first set of subsystems and the second set of subsystems have at least one subsystem which is different.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the processor is further configured to initiate transmission of a signal to at least one of the collocated mobile devices, the signal being indicative of at least one activity assigned to the at least one of the collocated mobile devices.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the processor is further configured to:

disable one or more subsystems in the first set of subsystems,

disable one or more subsystems in the second set of subsystems, or

both.

17. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the apparatus is provisioned within the first mobile device.

18. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein at least one of the two or more collocated mobile devices is located on a user'"'"'s person.

19. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the apparatus comprises a remote computing device in communication with at least the first mobile device.

20. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the first mobile device comprises a mobile phone and the second mobile device comprises a wearable electronic device.

21. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein at least one activity of the set of activities corresponds to a positioning function.

22. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein at least one activity of the set of activities corresponds to a biometric function.

23. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the processor is further configured to:

detect one or more changes associated with the route of travel, wherein the one or more changes include one or more of a new route of travel, changes in environmental conditions, or changes in speed or velocity along the route of travel;

determine a new or revised set of activities associated with the one or more detected changes; and

assign at least a portion of the new or revised set of activities among the first set of subsystems in the first mobile device and the second set of subsystems in the second mobile device.

24. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the processor is further configured to:

detect changes in one or more conditions related to at least one of the two or more collocated mobile devices, wherein the conditions include one or more of battery level, activity level, or availability of the at least one of the two or more collocated mobile devices;

determine a new or revised set of activities associated with the detected changes in the one or more conditions; and

assign at least a portion of the new or revised set of activities among the first set of subsystems in the first mobile device and the second set of subsystems in the second mobile device.

25. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the processor is further configured to:

perform at least one activity from at least the portion of the set of activities based on a determination that at least one of the collocated mobile devices is positioned within a threshold distance of a point on the route of travel.

26. A system for managing activities among two or more collocated mobile devices, the system comprising:

means for determining a route of travel corresponding to the two or more collocated mobile devices prior to a start of travel;

means for determining a set of activities to be performed by the two or more collocated mobile devices after the start of travel based, at least in part, on the route of travel; and

means for assigning at least a portion of the set of activities among a first set of subsystems in a first mobile device of the two or more collocated mobile devices and a second set of subsystems in a second mobile device of the two or more collocated mobile devices,

wherein the first mobile device and the second mobile device are configured to communicate with one another, and wherein the first set of subsystems and the second set of subsystems have at least one subsystem which is different.

27. The apparatus of claim 26, further comprising:

means for transmitting a signal to at least one of the collocated mobile devices, the signal being indicative of at least one activity assigned to the at least one of the collocated mobile devices.

28. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the apparatus is provisioned, at least in part, within at least one of the two or more collocated mobile devices.

29. An article for use in managing activities among two or more collocated mobile devices, the article comprising:

a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored therein instructions that are executable by a processor to;

determine a route of travel corresponding to the two or more collocated mobile devices prior to a start of travel;

determine a set of activities to be performed by the two or more collocated mobile devices after the start of travel based, at least in part, on the route of travel; and

assign at least a portion of the set of activities among a first set of subsystems in a first mobile device of the two or more collocated mobile devices and a second set of subsystems in a second mobile device of the two or more collocated mobile devices,

wherein the first mobile device and the second mobile device are configured to communicate with one another, and wherein the first set of subsystems and the second set of subsystems have at least one subsystem which is different.

30. The article of claim 29, wherein the instructions are further executable by the processor to:

initiate transmission of a signal to at least one of the collocated mobile devices, the signal being indicative of at least one activity assigned to the at least one of the collocated mobile devices.