Auto-connect in a peer-to-peer network

• US 9,565,708 B2
• Filed: 05/20/2011
• Issued: 02/07/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Hassan, Amer A., Desai, Mitesh K., Elhaddad, Mahmoud S., Roychoudhury, Trideepraj
• Primary Examiner(s): TANK, ANDREW L
• Application Number:
  US13/112,905
• Publication Number:
  US 20120297306A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,090 Days
• Field of Search: 715733-747, 715/853, 715/969, 726/3, 370/338, 710/303
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

A wireless device that automatically forms a connection to a remote device in accordance with a peer-to-peer protocol. The remote device may be designated as an auto-connect device for the wireless device such that, when the wireless device determines that it is in the vicinity of the auto-connect device, it can re-form a connection to the remote device based on stored information for re-establishing connections among a persistent group of devices, but without any express user input. When a user requests that the wireless device perform a function that involves interaction with an auto-connect device, that function may be performed with the delay associated with forming a connection. Any of multiple techniques may be employed for identifying devices designated as auto-connect devices and for determining when the wireless device and a remote, auto-connect devices are in close proximity.

Claims

1. A method of operating a wireless computing device having a display displaying a user interface, the method comprising:

wirelessly communicating in accordance with a peer-to-peer protocol to identify a plurality of remote devices;

displaying the user interface, the user interface comprising graphic representations of the respective remote devices in association with respective controls to accept user input designating the remote devices for auto-connection in accordance with the peer-to-peer protocol;

receiving through the user interface a designation of a device that is one of the remote devices, and in response storing, in a persistent store comprising information about the remote devices, an auto-connect designation designating the remote device as an auto-connect device; and

detecting, according to a message conforming to the peer-to-peer protocol from the remote device, the remote device which is in proximity to the wireless computing device, and automatically responding to the message by determining whether to perform an auto-connect operation with the remote device in response to the message, wherein the message was sent as part of a connection re-establishment procedure of the peer-to-peer protocol to re-establish a connection between the remote device and the wireless computing device, the determining performed by;

based on information in the message identifying the remote device, determining from the auto-connect designation in the persistent store that the remote device is designated for auto-connection;

identifying a current environment of the wireless computing device and determining that the identified current environment meets an environment requirement associated with the auto-connect operation; and

in further response to receiving the message, and in response to both the determining that the remote device is designated for auto-connection and the determining that the current environment meets the environment requirement, performing the auto-connect operation in accordance with the peer-to-peer protocol to reestablish a connection with the remote device according to the peer-to-peer protocol without requiring a user input to reestablish the connection.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

wirelessly communicating with the remote device at a first time; and

displaying the user interface at a second time that is later than the first time.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein:

wirelessly communicating comprises pairing with the remote device in accordance with the peer-to-peer protocol.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein:

rendering on the user interface comprises rendering representations of a plurality of remote devices with which the wireless computing device has paired.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein the environment condition comprises a type of locale of the wireless computing device.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein the peer-to-peer protocol comprises a protocol in which indicia of a peer-to-peer group is persistently maintained in participating peer devices when connectivity with the group is lost, and wherein determining whether to perform an auto-connect procedure depends on the persisted indicia.

7. A method according to claim 6, wherein the peer-to-peer protocol comprises a WiFi Direct protocol.

8. A method according to claim 1, wherein the identified current environment comprises one of a plurality of pre-defined environments identifiable by the wireless computing device, the pre-defined environments comprising a home environment, a work environment, and a public environment.

9. A wireless device comprised of:

processing hardware, storage hardware, and a radio;

the storage hardware storing instructions configured to cause the processing hardware to attempt to auto-connect, in accordance with an auto-connect procedure of a peer-to-peer wireless protocol, to remote devices by;

broadcasting, by the radio, a message conforming to a wireless peer-to-peer protocol, the message comprising a part of the auto-connect procedure of the peer-to-peer wireless protocol;

determining, by the processing hardware, a type of locale in which the wireless device is currently operating;

receiving, by the processing hardware via the radio, from a remote device, a response message corresponding to the broadcasted message, the response message conforming with the peer-to-peer wireless protocol and comprising part of the auto-connect procedure of the peer-to-peer wireless protocol, and determining, from information in the response message, a device type of the remote device, wherein the response message conforms to the peer-to-peer wireless protocol; and

responding to receiving the response message by making a determination that (i) the device type determined from information in the response message is suitable for auto-connecting, and (ii) the determined type of locale is a locale type that is suitable for performing the auto-connect procedure of the peer-to-peer wireless protocol, and responding to the determination of (i) and (ii) by performing the auto-connect procedure to automatically re-form a peer-to-peer connection with the remote device, and, in accordance with the peer-to-peer wireless protocol, without requiring user input, wherein the peer-to-peer connection is re-formed through the radio with the remote device according to the peer-to-peer wireless protocol.

10. A wireless device according to claim 9, wherein:

determining the type of locale comprises differentiating between whether the wireless device is operating in a first type of environment or is operating in a second type of environment, wherein the type of locale is the first type of environment, and wherein the apparatus comprises logic that, if executed by the processing hardware, would determine that the second type of environment is not suitable for auto-connecting.

11. A wireless device according to claim 9, wherein:

determining the type of locale comprises determining whether the wireless device is located in a home setting.

12. A wireless device according to claim 9, wherein re-forming the peer-to-peer connection comprises:

re-forming the peer-to-peer connection with the remote device when the remote device is determined to be a human interface device and the type of locale is determined to correspond a home setting.

13. A wireless device according to claim 9, further comprising:

logic configured to not re-form the peer-to-peer connection with the remote device if the remote device is not determined to be a human interface device.

14. A wireless device according to claim 9, wherein:

the type of locale is determined based on an identity of another wireless device detected by the apparatus.

15. A wireless device according to claim 9, wherein the current environment is identified by identifying a device in the current environment.

16. A method of managing auto-connecting by a wireless computing device, the method performed by the wireless computing device and comprising:

maintaining a store of profiles for respective wireless devices that have paired and connected with the wireless computing device using a peer-to-peer wireless protocol, the peer-to-peer wireless protocol comprising a version of the WiFi Direct protocol, the maintaining comprising updating or storing the profiles to include respective auto-connect designations for the wireless devices;

responsive to the wireless computing device receiving a message sent by a given one of the wireless devices, determining whether to automatically reconnect, without input from a user, with the given wireless protocol in accordance with an auto-connect procedure defined by the peer-to-peer wireless protocol, the message having been sent in accordance with the auto-connect procedure, the determining comprising;

based on information in the message identifying the given wireless device, selecting, from among the profiles, a profile corresponding to the given wireless device, and in further response to receipt of the message, making a first determination that the selected profile includes an auto-connect designation; and

making a second determination that an auto-connect environment requirement is satisfied by information indicating a current environment of the wireless computing device; and

in further response to receipt of the message, based on the first determination and on the second determination, automatically reconnecting with the given wireless device according to the auto-connect procedure of the peer-to-peer wireless protocol without requiring user input.

17. A method according to claim 16, further comprising providing a user interface that allows user inputs to associate the auto-connect designations with the respective wireless devices.

18. A method according to claim 16, wherein the message comprises a probe transmitted by the given wireless device.

19. A method according to claim 16, wherein the message comprises a reply transmitted by the given wireless device in response to a probe transmitted by the wireless computing device.

20. A method according to claim 16, wherein the profile corresponding to the given wireless device comprises a group profile associated with multiple wireless devices.

21. A method according to claim 16, wherein the current environment is identified as a type of room or is identified as a type of locale that is at least a public locale or a non-public locale.