Image triggered pairing

• US 9,712,948 B2
• Filed: 07/01/2014
• Issued: 07/18/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Avago Technologies General IP PTE Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Walley, John Stuart, Karaoguz, Jeyhan, Chen, Xuemin, Blanche, Bradley Donald, Kellerman, Marcus Christopher
• Primary Examiner(s): HUANG, WEN WU
• Application Number:
  US14/321,745
• Publication Number:
  US 20150319554A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,113 Days
• Field of Search: 455 411, 455 412, 455 413
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/52 including functional features of a camera constructional features concerning the integration of cameras in portable phones H04M1/0264
• 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 76/14 Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals

Abstract

An image triggered pairing system may include at least one processor circuit. The at least one processor circuit may be configured to identify a pairable device within an area. The at least one processor circuit may be further configured to determine a pairing status of the pairable device. The at least one processor circuit may be further configured to provide, for display, a graphical representation of the area and the pairable device that indicates the pairing status of the pairable device.

Claims

1. A device, comprising:

at least one processor circuit configured to;

identify a pairable device within an area;

determine a pairing status of the pairable device;

provide, for display, a graphical representation of the area and the pairable device, the graphical representation further comprising an indication of the pairing status of the pairable device, and the graphical representation having been generated at least in part by another device based at least in part on information that was captured from the area by the another device; and

responsive to a selection of the pairable device, provide, for display overlaid on the graphical representation, a list of services provided by the pairable device, the list of services being displayed separately from the indication of the pairing status.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor circuit is further configured to:

provide, for display, the graphical representation such that the pairable device is depicted within the graphical representation at a location that coincides with a physical location of the pairable device within the area.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor circuit is further configured to receive the graphical representation from another device over a network connection.

4. The device of claim 3, wherein the graphical representation comprises a map of the area, and wherein the at least one processor circuit is further configured to

identify a depiction of the pairable device within the graphical representation of the area.

5. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

an image capture device that is configured to capture an image corresponding to the area; and

wherein the at least one processor circuit is further configured to;

identify a portion of the captured image corresponding to the pairable device, wherein the graphical representation of the area and the pairable device comprises the image; and

provide, for display, the image that includes the pairable device with the indication of the pairing status of the pairable device.

6. The device of claim 5, wherein the indication comprises a first graphical attribute overlaid on the portion of the captured image corresponding to the pairable device when the pairing status indicates that the pairable device is paired with the device and a second graphical attribute overlaid on the portion of the captured image corresponding to the pairable device when the pairing status indicates that the pairable device is not paired with the device, the first graphical attribute being visually distinctive from the second graphical attribute.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor circuit is further configured to

identify the pairable device based at least in part on a signal transmitted by the pairable device, wherein the signal comprises information identifying the pairable device.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the device further comprises:

a memory that is configured to store information related to the area or pairable device; and

wherein the at least one processor circuit is further configured to;

identify the pairable device based at least in part on the stored information.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor circuit is further configured to:

receive input provided by a user; and

identify the pairable device based at least on the input provided by the user.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor circuit is further configured to:

provide, responsive to the selection of the pairable device, at least one of;

an opportunity to initiate pairing or unpairing of the pairable device to the device, or device status information corresponding to the pairable device.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor circuit is further configured to:

receive another selection of one of the services; and

initiate performance of the one of the services by the pairable device.

12. The device of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor circuit is further configured to:

identify another pairable device within the area;

provide, for display, the graphical representation of the area, the pairable device, and the another pairable device, wherein the graphical representation indicates another pairing status associated with the another pairable device that indicates that the another pairable device is pairable with the pairable device;

receive a request to pair the pairable device with the another pairable device; and

initiate pairing of the pairable device with the another pairable device.

13. The device of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor circuit is further configured to:

receive another selection of the pairable device from the graphical representation of the area and the pairable device;

pair with the pairable device;

receive information from the pairable device that relates to other pairable devices in the area; and

pair with the other pairable devices in the area based at least in part on the received information.

14. A method, comprising:

identifying a plurality of pairable devices within an area;

receiving, over a network and from an external device, a graphical representation of the plurality of pairable devices and the area, the graphical representation having been generated by the external device based at least in part on information that was captured from the area by the external device;

providing, for display, the graphical representation of the plurality of pairable devices and the area; and

performing an action related to at least one of the plurality of pairable devices in response to a selection thereof.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the action comprises at least one of:

initiating pairing or unpairing of the one of the plurality of pairable devices;

providing a list of services provided by the one of the plurality of pairable devices;

or

providing device status information corresponding to the one of the plurality of pairable devices.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

determining a pairing status of each of the plurality of pairable devices; and

providing an indication of the pairing status of each of the plurality of pairable devices within the graphical representation of the plurality of pairable devices and the area.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein identifying the plurality of pairable devices within the area comprises:

receiving an image corresponding to the area;

comparing a plurality of reference device images to the image corresponding to the area; and

matching one of the plurality of reference device images to at least a portion of the image corresponding to the area, wherein the at least the portion of the image corresponds to one of the plurality of pairable devices.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein identifying the plurality of pairable devices within the area comprises:

scanning for signals generated by the plurality of pairable devices within the area; and

identifying a signal that comprises information identifying one of the plurality of pairable devices.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

determining at least one service provided by the one of the plurality of pairable devices based at least in part on the identified signal; and

providing an indication of the at least one service for display in conjunction with the graphical representation of the plurality of pairable devices and the area.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

mapping a direction of the identified signal in the area based at least in part on a beamforming calculation, wherein the one of the plurality of pairable devices is represented within the graphical representation of the plurality of pairable devices at a location that coincides with the direction of the identified signal.

21. A computer program product comprising instructions stored in a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, the instructions being executable by a processor and the instructions comprising:

instructions to receive a signal from a device that is physically located within a proximal area;

instructions to estimate a physical location of the device within the proximal area based at least in part on the received signal; and

instructions to provide, for display, a graphical representation that virtually depicts the proximal area and the device, the device being depicted in the graphical representation at a location that coincides with the estimated physical location of the device within the proximal area, the graphical representation comprising a virtual three-dimensional map of the proximal area, and the graphical representation having been generated at least in part by another device based at least in part on information that was captured from the proximal area.

22. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein the instructions further comprise:

instructions to determine a direction of the received signal based at least in part on a beamforming calculation; and

instructions to estimate the physical location of the device within the proximal area based at least in part on the beamforming calculation.