METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR TRIGGERING NETWORK DEVICE DISCOVERY

• US 20130035039A1
• Filed: 10/11/2012
• Published: 02/07/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Patel, Parin, Piemonte, Patrick S., Huang, Ronald K.
• Granted Patent: US 8,725,072 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/41.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/02 including a Bluetooth interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion telephones including GPS signal receivers H04M2250/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup

Abstract

A compass output in a first portable electronic device is monitored as the first device and a second electronic device come closer to each other. It is determined, by a process running in the first device, whether a magnetic field signature that is based on the monitored compass output is associated with a previously defined type of electronic device with which a network device discovery process is to be conducted. Other embodiments are also described and claimed.

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising:

a speaker;

a digital audio player to drive the speaker; and

a magnetic field signature generator to drive the speaker in accordance with a magnetic field signature that is encoded with an identification value of the electronic device.