Apparatus and method for detecting proximate devices

• US 9,055,404 B2
• Filed: 05/21/2012
• Issued: 06/09/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: WSOU Investments, LLC (WSOU Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Setlur, Vidya Raghavan, Luo, Lu, Dearman, David Alexander, Pang, Hawk Yin, Bose, Raja, Shrivastava, Vivek Vishal
• Primary Examiner(s): Urban, Edward
• Assistant Examiner(s): Justus, Ralph H
• Application Number:
  US13/476,693
• Publication Number:
  US 20130309972A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,114 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1694 the I/O peripheral being a single or a set of motion sensors for pointer control or gesture input obtained by sensing movements of the portable computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1637 Sensing arrangement for detection of housing movement or orientation, e.g. for controlling scrolling or cursor movement on the display of an handheld computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/27475 using interactive graphical means or pictorial representations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/06 including a wireless LAN 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: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector digitizers for touch screens G06F3/041
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/64 file transfer between terminals download of applications H04M1/72406; transfer of messages, e.g. SMS, e-mail or MMS H04M1/7243
• 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 4/21 for social networking applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals

Abstract

An apparatus, method, and computer program product are described that provide for a user to share content with other users who are proximate to his or her device in a simple and intuitive manner. In some embodiments, a “wave” gesture is used to identify users of devices that nearby to the source user'"'"'s device with whom the source user may communicate, such as to share content. Upon receiving a first orientation input, a scanning mode may be initiated during which one or more devices proximate the apparatus are determined. A second orientation input that is different from the first orientation input, and the scanning mode may be terminated in response. As a result, a communication with at least one selected device of the one or more devices determined to be proximate the apparatus may be facilitated.

Claims

1. An apparatus 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 processor, cause the apparatus to at least:

receive a first orientation input applied to a device associated with the apparatus, wherein the first orientation input is indicative of a movement of the device from a first position to a second position made by tilting of the device associated with the apparatus in a first direction along a tilt plane;

initiate a scanning mode in response to receipt of the first orientation input during which one or more devices proximate the apparatus are determined;

receive a second orientation input applied to the device associated with the apparatus, wherein the second orientation input is indicative of a movement of the device from the second position to the first position made by tilting of the device associated with the apparatus in a second direction along the tilt plane;

terminate the scanning mode in response to receipt of the second orientation input; and

provide for communication with at least one selected device of the one or more devices determined to be proximate the apparatus,

wherein the device comprises an antenna disposed such that, in the first position, the antenna is prevented from carrying out the scanning mode and such that movement of the device from the first position towards the second position serves to expose the antenna of the device such that the antenna is able to carry out the scanning mode.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are further configured to, with the processor, further cause the apparatus to receive a sweep input and to maintain the scanning mode through a duration of the sweep input.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the sweep input is indicative of a rotating of the device associated with the apparatus along a sweep plane that is perpendicular to the tilt plane.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are further configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to provide for communication with the at least one selected device by providing for content to be shared with the at least one selected device.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are further configured to, with the processor, further cause the apparatus to receive an indication from at least one of the one or more devices determined to be proximate the apparatus and to provide for communication with the at least one device from which the indication is received.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the antenna comprises an array of antennas.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the array of antennas is configured to detect the one or more devices proximate the apparatus via directional radio frequency sensing that is enabled by alignment of a radiation beam pattern of the array of antennas.

8. A method comprising:

receiving a first orientation input applied to a device associated with the apparatus, wherein the first orientation input is indicative of a movement of the device from a first position to a second position made by tilting of the device associated with the apparatus in a first direction along a tilt plane;

initiating, via a processor, a scanning mode in response to receipt of the first orientation input during which one or more devices proximate the apparatus are determined;

receiving a second orientation input applied to the device associated with the apparatus, wherein the second orientation input is indicative of a movement of the device from the second position to the first position made by tilting of the device associated with the apparatus in a second direction along the tilt plane;

terminating the scanning mode in response to receipt of the second orientation input; and

providing for communication with at least one selected device of the one or more devices determined to be proximate the apparatus,

wherein the device comprises an antenna disposed such that, in the first position, the antenna is prevented from carrying out the scanning mode and such that movement of the device from the first position towards the second position serves to expose the antenna of the device such that the antenna is able to carry out the scanning mode.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising receiving a sweep input and maintaining the scanning mode through a duration of the sweep input.

10. The method of claim 8 further comprising providing for communication with the at least one selected device by providing for content to be shared with the at least one selected device.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the antenna comprises an array of antennas.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the array of antennas is configured to detect the one or more devices proximate the apparatus via directional radio frequency sensing that is enabled by alignment of a radiation beam pattern of the array of antennas.

13. A computer program product comprising at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable program code portions stored therein, the computer-executable program code portions comprising program code instructions for:

receiving a first orientation input applied to a device associated with the apparatus, wherein the first orientation input is indicative of a movement of the device from a first position to a second position made by tilting of the device associated with the apparatus in a first direction along a tilt plane;

initiating a scanning mode in response to receipt of the first orientation input during which one or more devices proximate the apparatus are determined;

receiving a second orientation input applied to the device associated with the apparatus, wherein the second orientation input is indicative of a movement of the device from the second position to the first position made by tilting of the device associated with the apparatus in a second direction along the tilt plane;

terminating the scanning mode in response to receipt of the second orientation input; and

providing for communication with at least one selected device of the one or more devices determined to be proximate the apparatus,

wherein the device comprises an antenna disposed such that, in the first position, the antenna is prevented from carrying out the scanning mode and such that movement of the device from the first position towards the second position serves to expose the antenna of the device such that the antenna is able to carry out the scanning mode.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the program code instructions are further configured for receiving a sweep input and maintaining the scanning mode through a duration of the sweep input.

15. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the sweep input is indicative of a rotating of the device associated with the apparatus along a sweep plane that is perpendicular to the tilt plane.

16. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the program code instructions are further configured for providing for communication with the at least one selected device by providing for content to be shared with the at least one selected device.

17. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the program code instructions are further configured for receiving an indication from at least one of the one or more devices determined to be proximate the apparatus and to providing for communication with the at least one device from which the indication is received.

18. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the antenna comprises an array of antennas.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein the array of antennas is configured to detect the one or more devices proximate the apparatus via directional radio frequency sensing that is enabled by alignment of a radiation beam pattern of the array of antennas.