Techniques for context-based application invocation for short-range wireless communication interactions

• US 9,526,120 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Issued: 12/20/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Pelly, Nicholas J., Dodson, Benjamin J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Moise, Emmanuel L
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ye, Zi
• Application Number:
  US13/834,622
• Publication Number:
  US 20140280440A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,376 Days
• Field of Search: 709/201, 455/41.1, 455/414.1, 726/4, 715/812
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/72 for local intradevice communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/04 including near field communication means, e.g. RFID
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring
• 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 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals

Abstract

A computer-implemented technique for context-based application invocation for short-range wireless communication interactions can include exchanging sets of information between first and second computing devices via a short-range wireless communication medium. The set of information for a specific computing device can include at least one of (i) device type information for the specific computing device and (ii) user information for the specific computing device. The techniques can include performing, at one of the computing devices, at least one of a plurality of actions based on the set of information received from the other computing device. The plurality of actions can generally include (a) automatically configuring another wireless communication medium and (b) outputting a menu configured to receive a user selection from a set of operations associated with at least one of the short-range wireless communication medium and the other wireless communication medium.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

initiating, at a first computing device including one or more processors, a near field communication (NFC) link with a second computing device via an NFC communication medium;

determining, at the first computing device, a first set of information including at least one of (i) device type information for the first computing device and (ii) user information for the first computing device;

receiving, at the first computing device from the second computing device via the NFC link, a second set of information including (i) device type information for the second computing device and (ii) user information for the second computing device;

receiving, at the first computing device from the second computing device via the NFC link, an indication that the second computing device is currently executing an application in a foreground that is non-compliant with the NFC communication medium; and

in response to receiving the indication, performing, at the first computing device, at least one of a plurality of actions based on the first and second sets of information, the plurality of actions including;

(a) without user intervention/interaction, automatically configuring, at the first computing device, communication with the second computing device via a non-NFC communication medium, which is enabled when the application is compliant with the non-NFC communication medium, and

(b) determining, at the first computing device, a first set of operations that can be executed between the first computing device and the second computing device via at least one of the NFC communication medium and the non-NFC communication medium, and outputting, at the first computing device, a menu configured to (i) display the first set of operations and (ii) receive a selection of an operation from the first set of operations from a first user of the first computing device.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the device type information for the second computing device includes at least one of (i) a first configuration information for the non-NFC communication medium for the second computing device and (ii) a first indication of a device type of the second computing device.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the non-NFC communication medium is Bluetooth, and wherein the first configuration information is a listening Bluetooth socket for the second computing device.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the user information for the first computing device includes a first unique identifier for the first user associated with the first computing device, and wherein the user information for the second computing device includes a second unique identifier for a second user associated with the second computing device.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein the first set of operations includes a second set of operations when the first unique identifier and the second unique identifier are different, and wherein the first set of operations includes a third set of operations when the first unique identifier and the second unique identifier are associated with the same user, wherein the second set of operations is different than the third set of operations.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the second set of operations includes exchanging contact information for the first and second users between the first computing device and the second computing device.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the third set of operations includes at least one of (i) logging in, at the first computing device, to an account associated with the second computing device and (ii) receiving, at the first computing device, a digital item currently opened at the second computing device.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising determining, at the first computing device, a proposed selection for the user of one of the first set of operations based on at least one of preferences input by the user and past computing activity of the user.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein the menu is configured to display the first set of operations in a first configuration that automatically identifies the proposed selection for the user.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising determining, at the first computing device, a probability score for each of the first set of operations, wherein a specific probability score indicates a likelihood that the user will select a specific one of the first set of operations.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein the menu is configured to display the first set of operations in a second configuration that orders the first set of operations from a highest corresponding probability score to a lowest corresponding probability score.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the menu is a pop-up menu that is displayed at the first computing device upon determining the first set of operations.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising automatically performing, at the first computing device, at least one of a second set of operations when both the first computing device and the second computing device are currently executing applications in their foregrounds, the applications being compliant with the NFC communication medium, wherein the second set of operations is defined by at least one of the applications.

27. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising in response to receiving the indication and based on the first and second sets of information:

determining, at the computing device, a first set of operations that can be executed between the first computing device and the second computing device via at least one of the NFC communication medium and the non-NFC communication medium using the communication device; and

outputting, via a user interface of the first computing device, a menu configured to (i) display the first set of operations and (ii) receive a selection of an operation from the first set of operations from a first user of the first computing device.

14. A first computing device, comprising:

a communication device configured to initiate a near field communication (NFC) link with a second computing device via an NFC communication medium; and

one or more processors configured to determine a first set of information including at least one of (i) device type information for the first computing device and (ii) user information for the first computing device,

wherein the communication device is further configured to;

receive, from the second computing device via the NFC link, a second set of information including (i) device type information for the second computing device and (ii) user information for the second computing device; and

receive, from the second computing device via the NFC link, an indication that the second computing device is currently executing an application in a foreground that is non-compliant with the NFC communication medium; and

wherein the one or more processors are further configured to, in response to receiving the indication, perform at least one of a plurality of actions based on the first and second sets of information, the plurality of actions including;

(a) without user intervention/interaction, automatically configuring the communication device for communication with the second computing device via a non-NFC communication medium, which is enabled when the application is compliant with the non-NFC communication medium, and

(b) determining a first set of operations that can be executed between the first computing device and the second computing device via at least one of the NFC communication medium and the non-NFC communication medium using the communication device, and outputting a menu via a user interface of the first computing device, wherein the menu is configured to (i) display the first set of operations and (ii) receive a selection of an operation from the first set of operations from a first user of the first computing device.

15. The first computing device of claim 14, wherein the device type information for the second computing device includes at least one of (i) a first configuration information for the non-NFC communication medium for the second computing device and (ii) a first indication of a device type of the second computing device.

16. The first computing device of claim 15, wherein the non-NFC communication medium is Bluetooth, and wherein the first configuration information is a listening Bluetooth socket for the second computing device.

17. The first computing device of claim 14, wherein the user information for the first computing device includes a first unique identifier for the first user associated with the first computing device, and wherein the user information for the second computing device includes a second unique identifier for a second user associated with the second computing device.

18. The first computing device of claim 17, wherein the first set of operations includes a second set of operations when the first unique identifier and the second unique identifier are different, and wherein the first set of operations includes a third set of operations when the first unique identifier and the second unique identifier are associated with the same user, wherein the second set of operations is different than the third set of operations.

19. The first computing device of claim 18, wherein the second set of operations includes exchanging contact information for the first and second users between the first computing device and the second computing device.

20. The first computing device of claim 18, wherein the third set of operations includes at least one of (i) logging in, using the one or more processors, to an account associated with the second computing device and (ii) receiving, using the communication device, a digital item currently opened at the second computing device.

21. The first computing device of claim 14, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to determine a proposed selection for the user of one of the first set of operations based on at least one of preferences input by the user and past computing activity of the user.

22. The first computing device of claim 21, wherein the menu is configured to display the first set of operations via the user interface in a first configuration that automatically identifies the proposed selection for the user.

23. The first computing device of claim 14, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to determine a probability score for each of the first set of operations, wherein a specific probability score indicates a likelihood that the user will select a specific one of the first set of operations.

24. The first computing device of claim 23, wherein the menu is configured to display the first set of operations via the user interface in a second configuration that orders the first set of operations from a highest corresponding probability score to a lowest corresponding probability score.

25. The first computing device of claim 14, wherein the menu is a pop-up menu that is displayed via the user interface of the first computing device upon determining the first set of operations.

26. The first computing device of claim 14, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to automatically perform at least one of a second set of operations when both the first computing device and the second computing device are currently executing applications in their foregrounds, the applications being compliant with the NFC communication medium, wherein the second set of operations is defined by at least one of the applications.

28. The first computing device of claim 14, wherein the one or more processors are configured to in response to receiving the indication and based on the first and second sets of information:

determine a first set of operations that can be executed between the first computing device and the second computing device via at least one of the NFC communication medium and the non-NFC communication medium using the communication device; and

output, via a user interface, a menu configured to (i) display the first set of operations and (ii) receive a selection of an operation from the first set of operations from a first user of the first computing device.

29. A computer-implemented method comprising:

executing, by a first computing device, an application in a foreground of the first computing device;

establishing a near field communication (NFC) link between the first computing device and a second computing device;

determining, by the first computing device, that the foreground application is not NFC-compliant;

transmitting, from the first computing device to the second computing device via the NFC link, communication information, wherein receipt of the communication information causes the second computing device to automatically configure itself for communication with the first computing device via a non-NFC medium that is compliant with the foreground application;

establishing a non-NFC link between the first computing device and the second computing device;

determining a set of operations that can be executed between the first and second computing devices via the non-NFC link; and

executing, between the first and second computing devices via the non-NFC link, at least one of the set of operations.

30. The computer-implemented method of claim 29, wherein the non-NFC medium is Bluetooth, wherein the non-NFC link is a Bluetooth link, and wherein the communication information includes a Bluetooth socket for communication with the first computing device.