System and method for provision of proximity networking activity information

• US 7,725,112 B2
• Filed: 02/08/2005
• Issued: 05/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/08/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Lehikoinen, Jaakko (Ha{umlaut over, Uusitalo, Severi, Impio, Jussi, Perala, Timo K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Corsaro; Nick
• Assistant Examiner(s): BROOKS, SHANNON
• Application Number:
  US11/054,008
• Publication Number:
  US 20060178214A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,932 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456.1, 455/414.1, 455/519, 455/456.2, 455/456.3, 455/41.2, 455/414, 455/414.2, 455/414.3, 709/223, 709/219, 713/168, 370/255
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/00 Communication routing or communication path finding
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/08 Access restriction or access information delivery, e.g. discovery data delivery signalling during connection H04W76/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information

Abstract

Systems and methods applicable, for instance, in proximity networking activity. For example, nodes and/or other computers may record, receive, and/or provide information regarding proximity networking activity. As another example, nodes and/or other computers may act to inform their users of proximity networking activity instances.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

recording, at a first node, descriptive attributes of proximity node network activity instances, wherein the proximity node network activity instances are proximity node network activity instances in which the first node is capable of partaking via proximity network connection with one or more other nodes;

providing some or all of the descriptive attributes to a second node, wherein the second node holds descriptive attributes of proximity node network activity instances;

receiving at the first node from the second node some or all of the descriptive attributes held by the second node;

informing a user of the first node of proximity node network activity instances associated with one or more geographical locations; and

displaying at the first node a map with one or more indicators at geographical locations thereon, the indicators representing different types of proximity node network activities with different graphics,

wherein one of descriptive attributes includes historical statistics regarding proximity network activity instances that have already occurred.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the map shows streets at the one or more geographical locations, and

the proximity node network activity types include at least two of proximity gaming, proximity messaging, proximity audio media streaming, proximity video media streaming, proximity file sharing, proximity picture taking, and proximity grid computing.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the descriptive attributes recorded at the first node include geographical location information corresponding to each of the proximity node network activity instances in which the first node is capable of partaking.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the descriptive attributes received at the first node are employed in updating descriptive attributes of proximity node network activity instances held by the first node.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein some or all of the descriptive attributes recorded at the first node include time information and are, based on associated timestamp information, valid for only certain periods of time.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first node and the second node communicate via proximity connection.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more of the first node and the second node are mobile nodes.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the descriptive attributes held by the first node include one of proximity gaming information, proximity messaging information, and proximity media streaming information.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first node includes a first software module associated with one of the network activity instances, and the second node includes a second software module associated with the one of the network activity instances, the method further comprising:

determining whether the first software module and the second software module are identical.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the first software module and the second software module are gaming software, and the historical statistics relate to the gaming software.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

participating by the first node in a proximity networking activity instance previously unknown to the first node; and

subscribing by the first node to the second node to receive interprocess communication notifications.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the map shows at least one of an indicator of close or open for participating the proximity node network activity instances, an indicator of a number of participants or how long the proximity node network activity instances have been going on, and an indicator of a fee or membership requirement for the proximity node network activity instances.

14. The method of claim 1 further comprising preparing, at the first node, historical statistics corresponding to some or all of the descriptive attributes held by the first node.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

updating some or all of descriptive attributes, held by the first node, of proximity node network activity instances in which one or more nodes are capable of partaking via proximity network connection with one or more other nodes, wherein some or all of descriptive attributes of proximity node network activity instances received at the first node are employed in the updating; and

providing from the first node to a requesting node some or all of the descriptive attributes held by the first node.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the first node communicates with at least one of a mobile node, a fixed node, and the requesting node via non-proximity connection.

13. A computer-readable storage medium carrying one or more sequences of one or more instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause a first node to at least perform the following steps:

recording, at the first node, descriptive attributes of proximity node network activity instances, wherein the proximity node network activity instances are proximity node network activity instances in which the first node is capable of partaking via proximity network connection with one or more other nodes;

providing some or all of the descriptive attributes to a second node, wherein the second node holds descriptive attributes of proximity node network activity instances;

receiving at the first node from the second node some or all of the descriptive attributes held by the second node;

informing a user of the first node of proximity node network activity instances associated with one or more geographical locations; and

displaying at the first node a map with one or more indicators at geographical locations thereon, the indicators representing different types of proximity node network activities with different graphics,

wherein one of descriptive attributes includes historical statistics regarding proximity network activity instances that have already occurred.

17. A mobile node, comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program code,

the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the mobile node to perform at least the following,

record, at the mobile node, descriptive attributes of proximity node network activity instances, wherein the proximity node network activity instances are proximity node network activity instances in which the mobile node is capable of partaking via proximity network connection with one or more other nodes;

provide some or all of the descriptive attributes to a second node, wherein the second node holds descriptive attributes of proximity node network activity instances;

receive at the mobile node from the second node some or all of the descriptive attributes held by the second node;

inform a user of the mobile node of proximity node network activity instances associated with one or more geographical locations; and

displaying at the first node a map with one or more indicators at geographical locations thereon, the indicators representing different types of proximity node network activities with different graphics,

wherein one of descriptive attributes includes historical statistics regarding proximity network activity instances that have already occurred.

18. The mobile node of claim 17, wherein

the map shows streets at the one or more geographical locations, and

the proximity node network activity types include at least two of proximity gaming, proximity messaging, proximity audio media streaming, proximity video media streaming, proximity file sharing, proximity picture taking, and proximity grid computing.

19. The mobile node of claim 17, wherein the descriptive attributes recorded at the mobile node include geographical location information corresponding to each of the proximity node network activity instances in which the mobile node is capable of partaking.

20. The mobile node of claim 17, wherein the descriptive attributes received at the mobile node are employed in updating descriptive attributes of proximity node network activity instances held by the mobile node.

21. The mobile node of claim 17, wherein some or all of the descriptive attributes recorded at the mobile node include time information and are, based on associated timestamp information, valid for only certain periods of time.

22. The mobile node of claim 17, wherein the mobile node and the second node communicate via proximity connection.

23. The mobile node of claim 17, wherein the mobile node includes a first software module associated with one of the network activity instances, and one of the other nodes includes a second software module associated with the one of the network activity instances and the mobile node is further caused to determine whether the first software module and the second software module are identical.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the first software module and the second software module are gaming software, and the historical statistics relate to the gaming software.

25. A network device, comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program code,

the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the network device to perform at least the following,

receive from a mobile node descriptive attributes of proximity node network activity instances;

receive from a fixed node descriptive attributes of proximity node network activity instances;

update some or all of held descriptive attributes of proximity node network activity instances in which one or more nodes are capable of partaking via proximity network connection with one or more other nodes, wherein some or all of received descriptive attributes of proximity node network activity instances are employed in the updating;

provide to a requesting node some or all of the held descriptive attributes; and

cause, at least in part, to display at the requesting node a map with one or more indicators at geographical locations thereon, the indicators representing different types of proximity node network activities with different graphics,

wherein some or all of the held descriptive attributes include geographical location information corresponding to one or more proximity node network activity instances and historical statistics regarding proximity network activity instances that have already occurred.

26. The network device of claim 25 wherein the processor further performs preparing historical statistics corresponding to some or all of the held descriptive attributes.

27. The network device of claim 25 wherein the network device communicates with at least one of the mobile node, the fixed node, and the requesting node via proximity connection.

28. The network device of claim 25 wherein the network device communicates with at least one of the mobile node, the fixed node, and the requesting node via non-proximity connection.

29. The network device of claim 25, wherein the held descriptive attributes include one of proximity gaming information, proximity messaging information, and proximity media streaming information.