Apparatus systems and methods for proximity-based service discovery and session sharing

• US 9,936,351 B2
• Filed: 10/26/2011
• Issued: 04/03/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dish Network Technologies India Private Limited
• Original Assignee: Sling Media Pvt Ltd. (Dish Network Corporation)
• Inventors: Gomes, Conrad Savio Jude
• Primary Examiner(s): Huq, Farzana
• Application Number:
  US13/282,264
• Publication Number:
  US 20130111039A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,351 Days
• Field of Search: 709204, 709217, 709224, 709227, 709229-231
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/125 by balancing the load, e.g. traffic engineering
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/127 by using congestion prediction
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/215 using token-bucket
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0861 between base stations
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0942 based on measured or predicted load of entities- or links
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals

Abstract

Methods and systems are provided that facilitate sharing or a hand-off of program content or a user session (e.g., running within a computer application) of a user device such that a user can easily select and then switch devices on which program content is being viewed or on which a user session is being run without having to sift through a myriad of other devices such as remote discoverable devices on the same network that are not in close proximity to the user device. A user device determines which of a plurality of discovered devices from which a short range wireless signal including a defined key was received and provides a list of discovered devices with which a session may be shared over the computer network with the user device based on this determination.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving information regarding a plurality of discovered devices on a computer network by using a discoverable device protocol, each of the plurality of discovered devices being on the computer network;

in response to receiving information regarding a plurality of discovered devices on a computer network, and separate from the discoverable device protocol, sending instructions via the computer network to the plurality of discovered devices for the plurality of discovered devices to send a short range wireless signal, not over the computer network, including a defined key;

receiving the short range wireless signal including the defined key from one or more of the plurality of discovered devices, wherein the short range wireless signal is not received via the computer network;

determining which of the plurality of discovered devices from which the short range wireless signal including the defined key was received;

providing a list of discovered devices with which a session may be shared over the computer network with the user device based on the determination of which of the plurality of discovered devices from which the short range wireless signal including the defined key was received, wherein the providing the list includes determining which of the plurality of discovered devices are in proximity of the user device by determining that the one or more of the plurality of discovered devices from which the short range wireless signal including the defined key was received are in proximity to the user device; and

enabling a session to be shared between the user device and a selected one of the list of discovered devices over the computer network.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the short range wireless signal is one or more of:

an audio signal;

a near field communication signal;

an infrared signal;

a short range radio signal, an optical signal;

a radio frequency identification signal; and

a signal sent using a short range wireless protocol.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the short range wireless signal is received over a personal area network separate from the computer network.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the session is a session including streaming video data.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the enabling the session to be saved includes sending a state of an application running on the user device over the computer network.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the enabling the session to be shared occurs automatically once the selected one of the list of discovered devices is selected.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the list of discovered devices includes fewer discovered devices than the plurality of discovered devices.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein determining which of the plurality of discovered devices from which the short range wireless signal including the defined key was received includes matching a device identifier received via the short range wireless signal with a stored reference device identifier of at least one of the plurality of discovered devices.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the device identifier received via the short range wireless signal is received with the defined key.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

sending a session from the user device over the computer network to a selected one of the list of discovered devices.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer executable instructions thereon, that when executed by a computer processor, cause the following method to be performed:

receiving, by a discovered device on a computer network, instructions over the computer network to send a short range wireless signal, not over the computer network, including a defined key in order to facilitate determination by a user device on the computer network which of a plurality of discovered devices on the computer network including the discovered device are in proximity of the user device; and

determining, by the discovered device, whether the short range wireless signal is able to be sent;

enabling a session to be shared between the user device and the discovered device over the computer network by sending, not over the computer network, and separate from a discoverable device protocol used over the computer network, the short range wireless signal from the discovered device according to the instructions if, based on the determination by the discovered device, the short range wireless signal is able to be sent, to facilitate determination by the user device of which of the plurality of discovered devices are in proximity of the user device by enabling the user device to determine that one or more of the plurality of discovered devices from which short range wireless signals including the defined key were received are in proximity to the user device.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11 wherein the sending the short range wireless signal includes sending a key and a device identifier of the discovered device in the short range wireless signal.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11 wherein the computer executable instructions thereon, that when executed by a computer processor, further cause the following to be performed:

receiving a session from the user device over the computer network, the receiving the session having been in response to the sending the short range wireless signal according to the instructions.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11 wherein the computer executable instructions thereon, when executed by a computer processor, further cause the following to be performed:

receiving, in response to the sending the short range wireless signal including the defined key, a response from the user device identifying the user device.

sending a session to the user device over the computer network, the sending the session having been a result of receiving a response from the user device.

15. A system comprising:

a memory of a device;

a processor coupled to the memory configured to;

receive, from one or more of a plurality of discovered devices that are on a computer network, a short range wireless signal over a wireless network, separate from a discoverable device protocol used over the computer network, and not over the computer network;

determine which of the plurality of discovered devices are in proximity of the device by determining that the one or more of the plurality of discovered devices from which the short range wireless signal including the defined key was received are in proximity to the device, wherein the processor is configured to make the determination by at least being configured to automatically determine that the one or more devices of the plurality of discovered devices from which a short range wireless signal was received not over the computer network are in proximity to the device;

enable a session to be shared between the device and at least one of the one or more of the plurality of discovered devices over the computer network by the processor at least being configured to send a session to at least one of the one or more of the plurality of discovered devices over the computer network in response to the automatic determination.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein the short range wireless signal includes a defined key.

17. The system of claim 15 wherein the proximity is defined by a range of the short range wireless signal.

18. The system of claim 15 wherein the processor is further configured to send instructions via the computer network to the plurality of discovered devices for the plurality of discovered devices to send, not over the computer network, the short range wireless signal.

19. The system of claim 15 wherein the processor is further configured to send, not over the computer network, a short range wireless signal to determine whether one or more of the plurality of discovered devices on the computer network are in proximity to the device and wherein the receiving, not over the computer network, the short range wireless signal from the one or more of a plurality of discovered devices on the computer network is in response to the sending, not over the computer network, the short range wireless signal over the wireless network.