Communication system providing data transfer direction determination based upon motion and related methods

• US 9,485,611 B2
• Filed: 07/10/2015
• Issued: 11/01/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Deluca, Michael Joseph
• Primary Examiner(s): HSIEH, PING Y
• Application Number:
  US14/795,951
• Publication Number:
  US 20150341745A1
• Time in Patent Office: 480 Days
• Field of Search: 455/41.1, 455/41.2, 455/41.3
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/27 for locating or positioning the transmitter
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/72 for local intradevice communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2757 by data transmission, e.g. downloading
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/04 including near field communication means, e.g. RFID
• 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 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• 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

Abstract

A communication system may include at least one electronic device configured to wirelessly communicate via a short-range communications format, and at least one mobile communications device. The at least one mobile communications device may include a short-range communications device configured to wirelessly communicate with the at least one electronic device via the short-range communications format, and a controller coupled to the short-range communications device. The controller may be configured to determine a state of movement of the at least mobile communications device, and determine a direction of communication with respect to the at least one electronic device based upon the determined state of movement.

Claims

1. A mobile communication device comprising:

a memory that stores executable instructions;

a short-range communication device that wirelessly communicates via a short-range communication format; and

a controller coupled to the memory and the short-range communication device, wherein the controller, responsive to executing the executable instructions, performs operations comprising;

detecting a triggering event for movement determination;

responsive to the triggering event, determining a state of movement of the mobile communication device and an electronic device, wherein the determining of the state of movement includes determining whether the mobile communication device has moved based on a first acceleration of the mobile communication device exceeding a threshold and whether the electronic device has moved based on a second acceleration of the electronic device exceeding the threshold, wherein the state of movement is determined without a physical contact between the mobile communication device and the electronic device; and

determining whether to transmit data to the electronic device, receive data from the electronic device, or both transmit data to and receive data from the electronic device, based upon the state of movement of the mobile communication device and the electronic device.

2. The mobile communication device of claim 1, wherein the triggering event comprises initiation of short-range communication between the mobile communication device and the electronic device.

3. The mobile communication device of claim 1, wherein the triggering event comprises a determined proximity between the mobile communication device and the electronic device.

4. The mobile communication device of claim 1, wherein the triggering event comprises a physical contact between the mobile communication device and the electronic device.

5. The mobile communication device of claim 1, further comprising a movement detection sensor coupled to the controller, wherein the controller determines the state of movement of the mobile communication device based upon movement data received from the movement detection sensor, wherein the movement detection sensor comprises an accelerometer, an optical sensor, a gyroscope, a compass or a combination thereof.

6. The mobile communication device of claim 1, wherein the controller transmits digital content data to the electronic device based upon a determination that the state of movement indicates the mobile communication device moving toward the electronic device and the electronic device not moving.

7. The mobile communication device of claim 1, wherein the controller receives digital content data from the electronic device based upon a determination that the state of movement indicates the electronic device moving toward the mobile communication device and the mobile communication device not moving.

8. The mobile communication device of claim 1, wherein the controller receives digital content data from the electronic device based upon a determination that the state of movement indicates the mobile communication device moving away from the electronic device.

9. The mobile communication device of claim 1, wherein the controller receives digital content data from the electronic device based upon a determination that the state of movement indicates the mobile communication device moving toward the electronic device followed by the mobile communication device moving away from the electronic device.

10. The mobile communication device of claim 1, wherein the controller determines a magnitude of movement of the mobile communication device, wherein the determining of the state of movement is based in part on the magnitude of movement that is determined.

11. The mobile communication device of claim 1, wherein the short-range communication device comprises a Near-Field Communication (NFC) device.

12. The mobile communication device of claim 1, further comprising a wireless transceiver that enables communicating via a wireless communication network.

13. A method comprising:

responsive to a triggering event, determining, by a processor of a mobile communication device, a state of movement of the mobile communication device and an electronic device wherein the determining of the state of movement includes determining whether the mobile communication device has moved based on a first acceleration of the mobile communication device exceeding a threshold and whether the electronic device moved based on a second acceleration of the electronic device, wherein the state of movement is determined without a physical contact between the mobile communication device and the electronic device; and

determining, by the processor, whether to transmit data to the electronic device, receive data from the electronic device, or both transmit data to and receive data from the electronic device, utilizing a short range communication device of the mobile communication device, based upon the state of movement of the mobile communication device and the electronic device.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the triggering event comprises initiation of short-range communication between the mobile communication device and the electronic device, a determined proximity between the mobile communication device and the electronic device, a physical contact between the mobile communication device and the electronic device, or a combination thereof.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising determining, by the processor, a magnitude of movement of the mobile communication device, wherein the determining of the state of movement is based in part on the magnitude of movement.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising transmitting digital content data to the electronic device based upon a determination that the state of movement indicates the mobile communication device moving toward the electronic device.

17. The method of claim 13, further comprising receiving digital content data from the electronic device based upon a determination that the state of movement indicates the electronic device moving toward the mobile communication device.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable storage device comprising executable instructions which, responsive to being executed by a processor of a mobile communication device, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

responsive to a triggering event, determining a state of movement of the mobile communication device and an electronic device based on a movement threshold, wherein the determining of the state of movement includes determining whether the mobile communication device has moved based on a first acceleration of the mobile communication device exceeding a threshold and whether the electronic device has moved based on a second acceleration of the electronic device, wherein the state of movement is determined without a physical contact between the mobile communication device and the electronic device; and

determining whether to transmit data to the electronic device, receive data from the electronic device, or both transmit data to and receive data from the electronic device, utilizing a short range communication device of the mobile communication device, based upon the state of movement of the mobile communication device and the electronic device.