Touch inquiry

• US 9,603,112 B2
• Filed: 02/05/2015
• Issued: 03/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Palin, Arto, Reunamaki, Jukka
• Primary Examiner(s): Orgad, Edan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shah, Saumit
• Application Number:
  US14/614,576
• Publication Number:
  US 20150156739A1
• Time in Patent Office: 775 Days
• Field of Search: None
• 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 56/002 Mutual synchronization
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0473 the resource being transmission power
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/24 Transfer of terminal data

Abstract

A system for expediting wireless connection establishment between wireless-enabled apparatuses. In at least one example implementation an apparatus may transmit discovery messages for discovering other apparatuses. The apparatus may receive one or more messages responding to the discovery message, and may determine whether any of the received responses satisfy a predetermined response criteria. If the apparatus determines that any of the received messages satisfy the response criteria, wireless connection establishment may be expedited between the apparatus and a source apparatus for each of the received messages that satisfy the response criteria. In an alternative scenario where a touch mode may be active in an apparatus that receives a message from at least one other apparatus, the apparatus may determine whether the message satisfies a predetermined criteria. If the message is determined to satisfy the criteria, the apparatus may expedite wireless connection establishment to the other apparatus.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving a plurality of messages at an apparatus, each of the plurality of messages including at least a frequency hopping synchronization packet including an address of a source apparatus for the message;

determining by the apparatus if a predetermined response criteria is satisfied, the predetermined response criteria comprising receiving a plurality of messages, each of which includes a frequency hopping synchronization packet and an extended inquiry response packet, having a measured signal strength at or above a predetermined signal strength level, wherein the plurality of messages are received from a single source apparatus and the predetermined signal strength level correlates with the apparatus being located close to a touching range from the single source apparatus; and

when it is determined by the apparatus that the predetermined response criteria is satisfied, selecting said single source apparatus that satisfies the predetermined response criteria.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising establishing a connection between the apparatus and said selected single source apparatus.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined response criteria comprises the plurality of messages including certain types of messages, at least one of the certain types of messages having a measured signal strength at or above a predetermined signal strength level.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless connection is a Bluetooth connection and the plurality of messages comprise at least one of Bluetooth frequency hopping synchronization (FHS) packets and Bluetooth extended inquiry response (EIR) packets.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the predetermined response criteria comprises the plurality of messages including both FHS and EIR packets corresponding to a single source apparatus, the FHS packet having a received signal strength indication (RSSI) at or above a predetermined signal strength level.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined response criteria comprises a measured signal strength level at or above a first predetermined signal strength level for a first received message from a single source apparatus and a measured signal strength level at or above a second predetermined signal strength level for subsequently received messages from the same single source apparatus, the first predetermined signal strength level and the second predetermined signal strength level being different.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the first predetermined signal strength level is smaller than the second predetermined signal strength level.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the extended inquiry response packet comprises information regarding transmission power of the single source apparatus.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising adjusting the predetermined signal strength level based on the received transmission power of the single source apparatus.

6. A computer program product comprising computer executable program code recorded on a non-transitory computer readable storage medium, the computer executable program code comprising:

code configured to cause an apparatus to receive a plurality of messages, each of the plurality of messages including at least a frequency hopping synchronization packet including an address of a source apparatus for the message;

code configured to cause the apparatus to determine if a predetermined response criteria is satisfied, the predetermined response criteria comprising receiving a plurality of messages, each of which includes a frequency hopping synchronization packet and an extended inquiry response packet, having a measured signal strength at or above a predetermined signal strength level, wherein the plurality of messages are received from a single source apparatus and the predetermined signal strength level correlates with the apparatus being located close to a touching range from the single source apparatus; and

code configured to cause the apparatus to, when it is determined by the apparatus that the predetermined response criteria is satisfied, select said single source apparatus that satisfies the predetermined response criteria.

7. The computer program product of claim 6, further comprising code configured to cause the apparatus to establish a connection between the apparatus and said selected single source apparatus.

8. An apparatus, comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including executable instructions, the at least one memory and the executable instructions being configured to, in cooperation with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following;

receive a plurality of messages, each of the plurality of messages including at least a frequency hopping synchronization packet including an address of a source apparatus for the message;

determine if a predetermined response criteria is satisfied, the predetermined response criteria comprising receiving a plurality of messages, each of which includes a frequency hopping synchronization packet and an extended inquiry response packet, having a measured signal strength at or above a predetermined signal strength level, wherein the plurality of messages are received from a single source apparatus and the predetermined signal strength level correlates with the apparatus being located close to a touching range from the single source apparatus; and

when it is determined by the apparatus that the predetermined response criteria is satisfied, select said single source apparatus that satisfies the predetermined response criteria.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the at least one memory and the executable instructions are further configured to, in cooperation with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to establish a connection between the apparatus and said selected single source apparatus.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the predetermined response criteria comprises the plurality of messages including certain types of messages, at least one of the certain types of messages having a measured signal strength at or above a predetermined signal strength level.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the wireless connection is a Bluetooth connection and the plurality of response messages comprise at least one of Bluetooth frequency hopping synchronization (FHS) packets and Bluetooth extended inquiry response (EIR) packets.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the predetermined response criteria comprises the plurality of messages including both FHS and EIR packets corresponding to the single source apparatus, the FHS packet having a received signal strength indication (RSSI) at or above a predetermined signal strength level.

18. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the predetermined response criteria comprises a measured signal strength level at or above a first predetermined signal strength level for a first received message from a single source apparatus and a measured signal strength level at or above a second predetermined signal strength level for subsequently received messages from the same single source apparatus, the first predetermined signal strength level and the second predetermined signal strength level being different.

19. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the extended inquiry response packet comprises information regarding transmission power of the single source apparatus.

20. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the at least one memory and the executable instructions are configured to, in cooperation with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to adjust the predetermined signal strength level based on the received transmission power of the single source apparatus.

13. A system, comprising:

an apparatus; and

one or more other apparatuses;

the apparatus receiving a plurality of messages from the one or more other apparatuses, each of the plurality of messages including at least a frequency hopping synchronization packet including an address of a source apparatus for the message;

the apparatus further determining if a predetermined response criteria is satisfied, the predetermined response criteria comprising receiving a plurality of messages, each of which includes a frequency hopping synchronization packet and an extended inquiry response packet, having a measured signal strength at or above a predetermined signal strength level, wherein the plurality of messages are received from a single source apparatus and the predetermined signal strength level correlates with the apparatus being located close to a touching range from the single source apparatus, and when it is determined that the predetermined response criteria is satisfied, selecting said single source apparatus that satisfies the predetermined response criteria.