Information exchange between non-networked devices through an intermediary device via a piconet

• US 20020156861A1
• Filed: 04/18/2001
• Published: 10/24/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/18/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SZ DJI Technology Co., Ltd. (d/b/a DJI) (iFlight Technology Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Pierce, Shaun D.
• Granted Patent: US 7,152,110 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/00 Routing or path finding of packets in data switching networks routing or path finding in wireless networks H04W40/00

Abstract

Information exchange among non-networked devices is disclosed. The information exchange occurs through instantaneous networks, like piconets, established between the non-networked devices and an intermediary device. For example, the intermediary device receives information from a first device during a piconet including it and the first device. This piconet dissipates, and another piconet is established between the intermediary device and a second device. During this piconet, the intermediary provides the information it received from the first device to the second device. The second device has received information from the first device, even though these devices have not networked themselves in an ad hoc network like a piconet or a scatternet.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

establishing an instantaneous network between a first mobile device and a second mobile device, each mobile device having ad hoc networking capability;

sending first information from the first mobile device to the second mobile device automatically, the first information including at least information received by the first mobile device from one or more first devices other than the first mobile device and the second mobile device during instantaneous networks previously established between the first mobile device and the one or more first devices; and

,

storing the first information at the second mobile device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the instantaneous network between the first mobile device and the second mobile device is a piconet.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending second information from the second mobile device to the first mobile device, the second information including at least information received by the second mobile device from one or more second devices other than the first mobile device and the second mobile device during instantaneous networks previously established between the second mobile device and the one or more second devices; and

,

storing the second information at the first mobile device in a structure in which the first information has already been stored.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the first information is stored at the second mobile device in a structure in which the second information has already been stored.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein each of the structure at the first mobile device and the structure at the second mobile device is a tree structure.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first information includes identity information regarding each of the one or more first devices and identity information regarding the first mobile device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first information includes one or more of:

advertising information and dating information.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first information is divided into nodes.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein each node contains an associated decay value, such that information contained in the node decays over time and the node is deleted upon expiration.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein storing the first information at the second mobile device comprises copying each node of the first information into the structure, including the associated decay value contained in the node.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein storing the first information at the second mobile device comprises copying each node of the first information into the structure, and updating the associated decay value contained in the node.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more first devices and the one or more second devices is a mobile device.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more first devices and the one or more second devices is a stationary device.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the first information decays over time, such that the first information is deleted upon expiration.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the first information is formatted according to a markup language.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the instantaneous network established with the second device is a piconet.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the second information includes at least information received by the second device from one or more fourth devices other than the first device and the second device during instantaneous networks previously established between the second device and the one or more fourth devices.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the first information has already been stored in the structure.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein each of the first information and the second information is divided into nodes.

21. The computer-readable medium of claim 20, wherein each node contains an associated decay value, such that information contained in the node decays over time and the node is deleted upon expiration.

22. The computer-readable medium of claim 21, wherein storing the second information in the structure comprises copying each node of the second information into the structure, including the associated decay value contained in the node.

23. The computer-readable medium of claim 21, wherein storing the second information in the structure comprises copying each node of the second information into the structure, and updating the associated decay value contained in the node.

24. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein at least one of the first device and the second device is a mobile device.

25. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein at least one of the first device and the second device is a stationary device.

26. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the first device has Bluetooth communication capability that enables the ad hoc networking capability.

27. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the first device has 802.11b communication capability that enables the ad hoc networking capability.

29. The device of claim 28, wherein the instantaneous network established with the second network is a piconet.

30. The device of claim 28, wherein the device is a mobile device selected from a group of mobile devices comprising:

a wireless phone and a personal-digital assistant (PDA) device.

31. The device of claim 28, wherein each of the first information and the second information is divided into nodes, each node containing an associated decay value, such that information contained in the node decays over time and the node is deleted upon expiration.

32. The device of claim 28, further comprising one or more of:

an input component, and a display component.

16. A computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon for execution by a processor of a first device having ad hoc networking capability to perform a method comprising:

establishing an instantaneous network with a second device having ad hoc networking capability;

exchanging configuration information with the second device, each of the first device and the second device having a current configuration selected from at least a send-only configuration and a send-and-receive configuration;

in response to determining that the current configuration of the second device is the send-and-receive configuration, sending first information to the second device, the first information including at least information received by the first device from one or more third devices other than the first device and the second device during instantaneous networks previously established between the first device and the one or more third devices; and

, in response to determining that the current configuration of the first device is the send-and-receive configuration, receiving second information from the second device;

storing the second information in a structure.

28. A device comprising:

a communications component enabling ad hoc networking capability;

a memory storing a computer program to establish an instantaneous network with a second device using the ad hoc networking capability, to send first information from a structure stored in the memory where the second device has a receiving configuration, and to receive second information from the second device and store the second information in the structure where the device has a receiving configuration; and

,

a processor executing the computer program from the memory, the first information including at least information received by the device from one or more third devices other than the device and the second device during instantaneous networks previously established between the device and the one or more third devices.

33. A method for communicating information from a first device to a second mobile device via an intermediary mobile device, each of the first device, the second mobile device and the intermediary mobile device having ad hoc networking capability, the method comprising:

providing a first ad hoc network including at least the first device and the intermediary mobile device;

transmitting information from the first device to the intermediary mobile device through the first ad hoc network through which the information is provided from the first device to the intermediary mobile device;

storing the information in the intermediary mobile device;

establishing a second ad hoc network including at least the intermediary mobile device and the second mobile device; and

,

automatically sending the information from the intermediary mobile device to the second mobile device.