Automatic data exchange between peer devices

• US 9,894,507 B2
• Filed: 02/17/2016
• Issued: 02/13/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CA, Inc. (d/b/a CA Technologies) (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: CA, Inc. (d/b/a CA Technologies) (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Chakraborty, Saugata, Shrivastava, Swapnel, Mitra, Sudip
• Primary Examiner(s): Pan, Yuwen
• Assistant Examiner(s): SHERIF, FATUMA G
• Application Number:
  US15/045,858
• Publication Number:
  US 20170238161A1
• Time in Patent Office: 727 Days
• Field of Search: 455500, 455502
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/318 Received signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/10 Scheduling measurement reports ; Arrangements for measurement reports
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals

Abstract

A peer device has a proximity sensor that detects proximity to another object. Responsive to that detection, the peer device obtains a set of results that comprises results of different types of measurements. The set of results is sensitive to a location of the peer device and a time at which the measurements are performed by the peer device. The peer device configures itself to be discoverable by other peer devices. Responsive to wirelessly connecting with a target peer device that is also discoverable, the peer device determines an extent to which the obtained set of results matches a corresponding set of results obtained by the target peer device. Responsive determining that the sets of results respectively obtained by the devices match to a required extent, the peer device automatically transmits or receives application-specific data over an unauthenticated, non-persistent communication session between the peer device and the target peer device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

detecting, by a peer device, that the peer device is in proximity to another object, based on a proximity sensor of the peer device detecting a change in an electromagnetic field, or beam of electromagnetic radiation, emitted by the proximity sensor;

responsive to said detecting, obtaining a set of results that comprises results of different types of measurements, wherein the set of results is sensitive to a location of the peer device and a time at which the measurements are performed by the peer device, and configuring the peer device to be discoverable by other peer devices;

responsive to wirelessly connecting with a target peer device that is also discoverable, determining an extent to which the obtained set of results matches a corresponding set of results obtained by the target peer device, by;

sending only a portion of the results in the set to the target peer device and, for ones of the results in the sent portion, receiving a response indicating whether the result matches a result obtained by the target peer device, and

receiving a result obtained by the target peer device and indicating in response whether the received result matches one of the results in the set obtained by the peer device; and

responsive to the peer device determining that the sets of results respectively obtained by the devices match to a required extent, automatically transmitting or receiving application-specific data over an unauthenticated, non-persistent communication session between the peer device and the target peer device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the different types of measurements comprise a measurement of a strength of a wireless local or personal area network signal detected by the peer device, a measurement of ambient light detected by the peer device, and a measurement of noise detected by the peer device.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising identifying that the peer device and the target peer device are oriented relative to one another in a certain way predefined as a condition for said determining, by comparing the results of measurements by respective gravity or orientation sensors of the devices, and performing said determining further responsive to said identifying.

4. The method of claim 1, comprising sending the portion of results to the target peer device by withholding disclosure of when the corresponding measurements were performed by the peer device.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising wirelessly connecting with the target peer device at a random time that occurs within a defined time period after said detecting.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the obtained set of results further comprises a fictitious result fabricated to mischaracterize the location of the peer device, the time at which the measurement was performed, or both, and determining that the obtained sets of results do not match to the required extent if the target peer device indicates that a result obtained by the target peer device matches the fictitious result.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said determining is performed by alternating between (i) sending a single one of the results in said portion to the target peer device and receiving a response indicating whether the sent result matches a result obtained by the target peer device, and (ii) receiving a single result obtained by the target peer device and indicating in response whether the received result matches one of the results in the set obtained by the peer device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said alternating comprises:

selecting, from among any results in said portion that have not yet been sent to the target peer device, a result of a type of measurement for which the target peer device has not sent a result;

sending the selected result to the target peer device;

receiving from the target peer device a response for the selected result indicating whether or not the target peer device deems the selected result to match a result obtained by the target peer device for the same type of measurement; and

repeating the selecting, sending, and receiving only after the peer device has received a response from the target peer device for each result previously sent, and only until no result is selected for reporting.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising, for ones of multiple target peer devices, determining whether the sets of results obtained by the peer device and the target peer device match to the required extent, wherein said determining is performed in decreasing order of a signal strength with which discovery advertisements are respectively received from the target peer devices and is performed until a match is determined.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining the portion of results to send to the target peer device by randomly selecting that portion of results from the obtained set, and, for ones of multiple target peer devices, determining whether the sets of results obtained by the peer device and the target peer device match to the required extent by sending the same portion of results to that target peer device.

11. The method of claim 1, comprising performing said determining also responsive to the peer device and the target peer device actively executing an application to which the application-specific data is specific.

12. A peer device, comprising:

a communications interface to a target peer device; and

processing circuitry configured to;

detect that the peer device is in proximity to another object, based on a proximity sensor of the peer device detecting a change in an electromagnetic field, or beam of electromagnetic radiation, emitted by the proximity sensor;

responsive to said detection, obtain a set of results that comprises results of different types of measurements, wherein the set of results is sensitive to a location of the peer device and a time at which the measurement is performed by the peer device, and configure the peer device to be discoverable by other peer devices;

responsive to wirelessly connecting with a target peer device that is also discoverable, determine an extent to which the obtained set of results matches a corresponding set of results obtained by the target peer device, by;

sending a result in the set to the target peer device and receiving a response indicating whether the result matches a result obtained by the target peer device, and

receiving a result obtained by the target peer device and indicating in response whether the received result matches one of the results in the set obtained by the peer device; and

responsive to the peer device determining that the sets of results respectively obtained by the devices match to a required extent, automatically transmit or receive application-specific data over an unauthenticated, non-persistent communication session between the peer device and the target peer device.

13. The peer device of claim 12, wherein the different types of measurements comprise a measurement of a strength of a wireless local or personal area network signal detected by the peer device, a measurement of ambient light detected by the peer device, and a measurement of noise detected by the peer device.

14. The peer device of claim 12, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to identify that the peer device and the target peer device are oriented relative to one another in a certain way predefined as a condition for said determining, by comparing the results of measurements by respective gravity or orientation sensors of the devices, and perform said determining further responsive to said identifying.

15. The peer device of claim 12, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to send the result to the target peer device by withholding disclosure of when the corresponding measurement was performed by the peer device.

16. The peer device of claim 12, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to wirelessly connect with the target peer device at a random time that occurs within a defined time period after said detection.

17. The peer device of claim 12, wherein the obtained set of results further comprises a fictitious result fabricated to mischaracterize the location of the peer device, the time at which the measurement was performed, or both, and wherein the processing circuitry is configured to determine that the obtained set of results do not match to the required extent if the target peer device indicates that a result obtained by the target peer device matches the fictitious result.

18. The peer device of claim 12, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to perform said determining by alternating between (i) sending a single result to the target peer device and receiving a response indicating whether the sent result matches a result obtained by the target peer device, and (ii) receiving a single result obtained by the target peer device and indicating in response whether the received result matches one of the results in the set obtained by the peer device.

19. The peer device of claim 12, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to perform said alternating by:

selecting, from among any results that have not yet been sent to the target peer device, a result of a type of measurement for which the target peer device has not sent a result;

sending the selected result to the target peer device;

receiving from the target peer device a response for the selected result indicating whether or not the target peer device deems the selected result to match a result obtained by the target peer device for the same type of measurement; and

repeating the selecting, sending, and receiving only after the peer device has received a response from the target peer device for each result previously sent, and only until no result is selected for sending.

20. The peer device of claim 12, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to, for ones of multiple target peer devices, determine whether the sets of results obtained by the peer device and the target peer device match to the required extent, wherein said determination is performed in decreasing order of a signal strength with which discovery advertisements are respectively received from the target peer devices and is performed until a match is determined.

21. A computer program product stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium and comprising computer program code that, when executed by processing circuitry of a peer device, configures the peer device to:

detect that the peer device is in proximity to another object, based on a proximity sensor of the peer device detecting a change in an electromagnetic field, or beam of electromagnetic radiation, emitted by the proximity sensor;

responsive to said detection, obtain results of different types of measurements that are each sensitive to a location of the peer device and a time at which the measurement is performed by the peer device, and configure the peer device to be discoverable by other peer devices;

responsive to wirelessly connecting with a target peer device that is also discoverable, determine an extent to which the obtained results match corresponding results obtained by the target peer device, by;

sending a result in the set to the target peer device and receiving a response indicating whether the result matches a result obtained by the target peer device, and

receiving a result obtained by the target peer device and indicating in response whether the received result matches one of the results in the set obtained by the peer device; and

responsive to the peer device determining that the results respectively obtained by the devices match to a required extent, automatically transmit or receive application-specific data over an unauthenticated, non-persistent communication session between the peer device and the target peer device.