Method, apparatus, and computer program product for management of connected devices, such as in a wireless docking environment

• US 9,131,335 B2
• Filed: 08/22/2013
• Issued: 09/08/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Mostafa, Miraj, Aarnio, Ari, Huttunen, Juhani
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Tuan
• Application Number:
  US13/973,439
• Publication Number:
  US 20150056920A1
• Time in Patent Office: 747 Days
• Field of Search: 455/41.2, 455/66.1, 455/500, 455/507, 455/508, 455/517
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/26 at least one of which is mobile
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/22 Processing or transfer of terminal data, e.g. status or physical capabilities

Abstract

Method, apparatus, and computer program product embodiments enable a wireless docking center device to manage one or more wireless and/or wired peripheral devices on behalf of a wireless dockee device. Example embodiments of the invention include wireless docking management of peripheral devices, power management in wireless docking, intelligent and automatic connection activation in wireless docking, notification based on user proximity to a peripheral device in wireless docking, and redirect data transmission between peripheral devices in wireless docking. Wireless docking is mentioned as example herein, but similar solutions may also be applied to other connected device environments.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a wireless docking center device, at least from one or more wireless peripheral devices, capability-related information characterizing at least the one or more wireless peripheral devices;

receiving, by the wireless docking center device, from a wireless dockee device, or other capable device, planned use-related information of the wireless dockee device; and

analyzing, by the wireless docking center device, the received capability-related information and planned use-related information, and performing an action with respect to one or more wireless peripheral devices capable of performing at least a portion of services required by the planned use-related information of the wireless dockee device, based on the analysis.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing, by the wireless docking center device, information resulting from the analysis, to at least one of the wireless dockee device for user notification/information of selected ones of the one or more wireless peripheral devices capable of performing services required by the planned use-related information of the wireless dockee device and to the one or more wireless peripheral devices, for automatically performing an action with respect to one or more of the wireless peripheral devices capable of performing services required by the planned use-related information of the wireless dockee device.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting by the wireless docking center device, a status request to the one or more wireless peripheral devices, based on the planned use-related information of the wireless dockee device; and

receiving, by the wireless docking center device, from one or more wireless peripheral devices, in response to the status request, information characterizing the one or more wireless peripheral devices.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the wireless docking center device, a request from the wireless dockee device for status of the one or more wireless peripheral devices; and

transmitting by the wireless docking center device to the wireless dockee device, information based on the information characterizing the one or more wireless peripheral devices specified in the request.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the planned use-related information of the wireless dockee device is derived by the wireless dockee device from at least one of user settings and one or more applications or combinations of applications such as a calendar program in the dockee device, social networks or user activity related information.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the planned use-related information of the wireless dockee device is derived by the wireless dockee device from sources including at least one of user settings and one or more applications or combinations of applications such as a calendar program in the wireless dockee device, social networks available to the wireless dockee device, user activity related information accumulated by the wireless dockee device, such as phone calls recently made or received using the wireless dockee device, or current location determined by a location determining unit in the wireless dockee device, and

wherein the wireless dockee device is programmed to select one or more of the sources or combinations of the sources to generate the planned use-related information.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless docking center device and the wireless dockee device are integrated.

8. An apparatus, comprising:

at least one processor;

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 apparatus at least to;

receive at least from one or more wireless peripheral devices, capability-related information characterizing at least the one or more wireless peripheral devices;

receive from a wireless dockee device, or other capable device, planned use-related information of the wireless dockee device; and

analyze the received capability-related information and planned use-related information, and perform an action with respect to one or more wireless peripheral devices capable of performing at least a portion of services required by the planned use-related information of the wireless dockee device, based on the analysis.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising:

the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to;

provide information resulting from the analysis, to at least one of the wireless dockee device for user notification/information of selected ones of the one or more wireless peripheral devices capable of performing services required by the planned use-related information of the wireless dockee device and to the one or more wireless peripheral devices, for automatically performing an action with respect to one or more of the wireless peripheral devices capable of performing services required by the planned use-related information of the wireless dockee device.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising:

the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to;

transmit a status request to the one or more wireless peripheral devices, based on the planned use-related information of the wireless dockee device; and

receive from one or more wireless peripheral devices, in response to the status request, information characterizing the one or more wireless peripheral devices.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising:

the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to;

receive a request from the wireless dockee device for status of the one or more wireless peripheral devices; and

transmit to the wireless dockee device, information based on the information characterizing the one or more wireless peripheral devices specified in the request.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the planned use-related information of the wireless dockee device is derived by the wireless dockee device from at least one of user settings and one or more applications or combinations of applications such as a calendar program in the dockee device, social networks or user activity related information.

13. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the planned use-related information of the wireless dockee device is derived by the wireless dockee device from sources including at least one of user settings and one or more applications or combinations of applications such as a calendar program in the wireless dockee device, social networks available to the wireless dockee device, user activity related information accumulated by the wireless dockee device, such as phone calls recently made or received using the wireless dockee device, or current location determined by a location determining unit in the wireless dockee device, and

wherein the wireless dockee device is programmed to select one or more of the sources or combinations of the sources to generate the planned use-related information.

14. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the apparatus and the wireless dockee device are integrated.

15. A computer readable, non-transitory storage medium having computer executable program code recorded thereon, the computer executable program code, when executed by a computer processor, comprising:

code for receiving, by a wireless docking center device, at least from one or more wireless peripheral devices, capability-related information characterizing at least the one or more wireless peripheral devices;

code for receiving, by the wireless docking center device, from a wireless dockee device, or other capable device, planned use-related information of the wireless dockee device; and

code for analyzing, by the wireless docking center device, the received capability-related information and planned use-related information, and performing an action with respect to one or more wireless peripheral devices capable of performing at least a portion of services required by the planned use-related information of the wireless dockee device, based on the analysis.

16. The computer readable, non-transitory storage medium of claim 15, further comprising:

code for providing, by the wireless docking center device, information resulting from the analysis, to at least one of the wireless dockee device for user notification/information of selected ones of the one or more wireless peripheral devices capable of performing services required by the planned use-related information of the wireless dockee device and to the one or more wireless peripheral devices, for automatically performing an action with respect to one or more of the wireless peripheral devices capable of performing services required by the planned use-related information of the wireless dockee device.

17. The computer readable, non-transitory storage medium of claim 15, further comprising:

code for transmitting by the wireless docking center device, a status request to the one or more wireless peripheral devices, based on the planned use-related information of the wireless dockee device; and

code for receiving, by the wireless docking center device, from one or more wireless peripheral devices, in response to the status request, information characterizing the one or more wireless peripheral devices.

18. The computer readable, non-transitory storage medium of claim 15, further comprising:

code for receiving, by the wireless docking center device, a request from the wireless dockee device for status of the one or more wireless peripheral devices; and

code for transmitting by the wireless docking center device to the wireless dockee device, information based on the information characterizing the one or more wireless peripheral devices specified in the request.

19. The computer readable, non-transitory storage medium of claim 15, wherein the planned use-related information of the wireless dockee device is derived by the wireless dockee device from at least one of user settings and one or more applications or combinations of applications such as a calendar program in the dockee device, social networks or user activity related information.

20. The computer readable, non-transitory storage medium of claim 15, wherein the planned use-related information of the wireless dockee device is derived by the wireless dockee device from sources including at least one of user settings and one or more applications or combinations of applications such as a calendar program in the wireless dockee device, social networks available to the wireless dockee device, user activity related information accumulated by the wireless dockee device, such as phone calls recently made or received using the wireless dockee device, or current location determined by a location determining unit in the wireless dockee device, and

wherein the wireless dockee device is programmed to select one or more of the sources or combinations of the sources to generate the planned use-related information.

21. The computer readable, non-transitory storage medium of claim 15, wherein the wireless docking center device and the wireless dockee device are integrated.