Context-aware mobile computing for automatic environment detection and re-establishment

• US 9,648,490 B2
• Filed: 03/01/2012
• Issued: 05/09/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Linsky, Joel Benjamin
• Primary Examiner(s): Jaroenchonwanit, Bunjob
• Application Number:
  US13/409,864
• Publication Number:
  US 20130229929A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,895 Days
• Field of Search: 370252
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/14 Reselecting a network or an air interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

Automatically discovering and re-establishing wireless connections to other devices in a mobile computing environment (MCE) may be achieved by monitoring connections of different devices with the UE, correlating the connections of the different devices, determining an MCE based on the correlations, and storing information associated with the MCE. A known MCE may accordingly be automatically detected based on an identification of at least one of the different devices, for example, and connection with one or more of the different devices may be automatically re-established to re-establish the MCE based on the stored information.

Claims

1. A method for connecting user equipment (UE) comprising:

monitoring connections of different devices with the UE;

correlating a previous connection between the UE and a first device that uses a first wireless technology with a previous connection between the UE and a second device that uses a second wireless technology;

determining a mobile computing environment (MCE) based on the correlation;

storing information associated with the MCE;

automatically detecting the first device in the MCE based on a device identification number;

automatically re-establishing a connection with the second device in the MCE, using the second wireless technology, in response to detecting the first device that uses the first wireless technology that is different than the second wireless technology; and

disabling at least one radio-frequency (RF) device on the UE based on historical information for the MCE.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the device identification number comprises a MAC address, device ID, Bluetooth device address, network SSID, IP address, or cell tower address.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the correlating further comprises:

obtaining historical information regarding the connections with the different devices.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining the MCE based on GPS location and/or other location based services.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the monitoring connections of different devices with the UE comprises monitoring a first connection with the UE and a second connection with the UE;

and

wherein the correlating the connections of the different devices comprises correlating the first connection with the second connection.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprises adjusting lighting in a location, after the automatic re-establishing, in response to detecting the first device.

7. User equipment (UE) comprising:

logic configured to monitor connections of different devices with the UE;

logic configured to correlate a previous connection between the UE and a first device that uses a first wireless technology with a previous connection between the UE and a second device that uses a second wireless technology;

logic configured to determine a mobile computing environment (MCE) based on the correlation;

memory configured to store information associated with the MCE;

logic configured to automatically detect the first device in the MCE based on a device identification number;

logic configured to automatically re-establish a connection with the second device in the MCE, using the second wireless technology, in response to detecting the first device that uses the first wireless technology that is different than the second wireless technology; and

logic configured to disable at least one radio-frequency (RF) device on the UE based on historical information for the MCE.

8. The UE of claim 7, wherein the device identification number comprises a MAC address, device ID, Bluetooth device address, network SSID, IP address, or cell tower address.

9. The UE of claim 7, wherein the logic configured to correlate comprises:

logic configured to obtain historical information regarding the connections with the different devices.

10. The UE of claim 7, further comprising:

logic configured to determine the MCE based on GPS location and/or other location based services.

11. An apparatus for connecting user equipment (UE), comprising:

means for monitoring connections of different devices with the UE;

means for correlating a previous connection between the UE and a first device that uses a first wireless technology with a previous connection between the UE and a second device that uses a second wireless technology;

means for determining a mobile computing environment (MCE) based on the correlation;

means for storing information associated with the MCE;

means for automatically detecting the first device in the MCE based on a device identification number;

means for automatically re-establishing a connection with the second device in the MCE, using the second wireless technology, in response to detecting the first device that uses the first wireless technology that is different than the second wireless technology; and

means for disabling at least one radio-frequency (RF) device on the UE based on historical information for the MCE.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the device identification number comprises a MAC address, device ID, Bluetooth device address, network SSID, IP address, or cell tower address.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the means for correlating comprises:

means for obtaining historical information regarding the connections with the different devices.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising:

means for determining the MCE based on GPS location and/or other location based services.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium containing instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by at least one processor causes the at least one processor to perform operations for connecting user equipment (UE), the instructions comprising:

instructions to monitor connections of different devices with the UE;

instructions to correlate a previous connection between the UE and a first device that uses a first wireless technology with a previous connection between the UE and a second device that uses a second wireless technology; and

instructions to determine a mobile computing environment (MCE) based on the correlation;

instructions to store information associated with the MCE;

instructions to automatically detect the first device in the MCE based on a device identification number;

instructions to automatically re-establish a connection with the second device in the MCE, using the second wireless technology, in response to detecting the first device that uses the first wireless technology that is different than the second wireless technology; and

instructions to disable at least one radio-frequency (RF) device on the UE based on historical information for the MCE.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the instructions to correlate comprise:

instructions to obtain historical information regarding interactions and connections with the different devices.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, further comprising:

instructions to determine the MCE based on GPS location and/or other location based services.