Unsolicited broadcast packet transmission through close-by communication protocol

• US 9,456,340 B2
• Filed: 06/29/2011
• Issued: 09/27/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Inventors: Koehler, Yannick
• Primary Examiner(s): Hanidu, Ganiyu A
• Application Number:
  US13/172,545
• Publication Number:
  US 20130005256A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,917 Days
• Field of Search: 455/507, 455/432.1, 455/41.2, 455/466, 455/434, 455/465, 455/419, 455/422, 455/435, 455/515, 455/517, 455/552, 370/469, 370/328, 370/349, 370/312, 370/442, 370/324
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support

Abstract

A method is provided for generating a broadcast packet at a first device including an address; transmitting the generated broadcast packet to a second device through a first protocol. The first device may communicate with the second device via the transmitted address through a second protocol different from the first protocol. Alternatively, an apparatus is provided to receive an unsolicited broadcast packet including an address through a wireless, close-by communication protocol; extract from the broadcast packet identification information about the remote device; and store the extracted identification information in association with the remote device. Alternatively, a computer-readable medium is provided storing instructions to receive a an unsolicited broadcast packet including an address through a first protocol; extract from the broadcast packet identification information, including the address and a service available at the remote device; and communicate with the remote device via a second protocol.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

generating a broadcast packet at a first device including an internet protocol address of the first device;

transmitting the generated broadcast packet through a first protocol, the first protocol being a wireless, close-by communication protocol, wherein the transmission of the generated broadcast packet is not solicited by a second device; and

receiving, in the first device, a communication from the second device via the internet protocol address communicated in the broadcast packet through a second protocol that is different from the first protocol, wherein the second protocol comprises a set of rules that the first device and the second device use to communicate packets of data over a local area network.

2. The method of claim 1,

wherein receiving the communication from the second device further comprises receiving the communication from the second device through the second protocol via a third protocol.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the broadcast packet includes identification information of the first device and services available at the first device.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

retransmitting the generated broadcast packet at periodic intervals.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein generating a broadcast packet includes:

selecting identification information to include in the broadcast packet from a plurality of identification information; and

generating the broadcast packet to include the selected identification information.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first device comprises a printer and wherein receiving the communication in the first device from the second device further comprises receiving data to be printed by the printer.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

encrypting the generated broadcast packet.

8. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

receiving an indication of the identification information to include in the broadcast packet from an interface presented on a display.

9. An apparatus, comprising:

a receiver to receive an unsolicited broadcast packet from a remote device through a wireless, close-by communication protocol, the unsolicited broadcast packet including an internet protocol address of the remote device;

an extraction module to extract from the unsolicited broadcast packet, identification information about the remote device, including the internet protocol address of the remote device;

storage to store the extracted identification information in association with the remote device; and

a transmitter to transmit a communication to the remote device via the internet protocol address of the remote device through a second protocol that is different from the first protocol.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the unsolicited broadcast packet is encrypted, said apparatus further comprising:

a decryption module to decrypt the received unsolicited broadcast packet with a pre-shared key.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the storage is further to store information pertaining to a relationship between the remote device and a service, wherein the relationship is determined based upon an association between the service and the identification information included in the broadcast packet.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the apparatus is a mobile computing device and the remote device is a printer.

13. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein:

the receiver is to receive the unsolicited broadcast packet from the remote device periodically, the broadcast packet including the identification information of the remote device;

the extraction module is to extract the identification information of the remote device from the unsolicited broadcast packet each time the unsolicited broadcast packet is received; and

the storage is to update a date and time each time the unsolicited broadcast packet is received from the remote device.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the internet protocol address of the remote device, the identification information about with remote device, and the time and date the unsolicited broadcast packet is received is stored in a close-by-device list in the storage.

15. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the receiver is to receive the broadcast packet from the remote device through a proxy device.

16. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising:

a display device to display an indication that the service of the remote device is available at the apparatus.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable medium, storing a set of instructions, that when executed by a processor, cause the processor to:

receive an unsolicited broadcast packet from a remote device through a first protocol, the first protocol being a wireless, close-by communication protocol, the unsolicited broadcast packet including an internet protocol address of the remote device and a service available at the remote device;

extract from the unsolicited broadcast packet, identification information about the remote device, including the internet protocol address of the remote device and the service available at the remote device;

store the extracted identification information in association with the remote device; and

communicate with the remote device via the internet protocol address extracted from the unsolicited broadcast communication packet via a second protocol that is different from the first protocol.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the instructions are further to cause the processor:

receive the unsolicited broadcast packet from the remote device periodically;

extract the identification information of the remote device from the unsolicited broadcast packet each time the unsolicited broadcast packet is received; and

update a date and time each time the unsolicited broadcast packet is received from the remote device.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the instructions are further to cause the processor to:

remove the extracted identification information of the remote device from the storage when an unsolicited broadcast packet has not been received from the remote device within a predetermined period of time.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the unsolicited broadcast packet is encrypted, and wherein the instructions are further cause the processor to:

decrypt the received unsolicited broadcast packet with a pre-shared key.