Systems and methods for sharing digital information between mobile devices of friends and family using embedded devices

• US 9,525,991 B2
• Filed: 06/25/2013
• Issued: 12/20/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: OAE Technology Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Actiontec Electronics Incorporated
• Inventors: Li, Chuang, Xiong, Bo, Chang, Tsung-Yen Dean
• Primary Examiner(s): CHOUDHRY, SAMINA F
• Application Number:
  US13/926,719
• Publication Number:
  US 20140376452A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,274 Days
• Field of Search: 370/328
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/21 for social networking applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring

Abstract

A method is provided for sharing digital information between first and second mobile devices. The method may include, at an embedded device, receiving the digital information from the first mobile device; at the embedded device, notifying the second mobile device of the digital information via a push notification; and at the embedded device, maintaining communication with the first and second mobile devices. In some embodiments, the method further includes, at the embedded device, receiving an embedded device wide area network (WAN) Internet protocol (IP) address. Maintaining communication with the first and second mobile devices may include notifying the first and second mobile devices of the new embedded device WAN IP address via respective additional push notifications, or using a DDNS server.

Claims

1. A method for sharing digital information between first and second mobile devices, the method comprising:

at the first mobile device, sending to the second mobile device an invitation to join a group;

at the first mobile device, receiving from the second mobile device an identifier of the second mobile device;

at the first mobile device, sending the identifier of the second mobile device to an embedded device after receiving the identifier of the second mobile device from the second mobile device;

at the embedded device, enrolling the second mobile device in the group based upon receiving the identifier of the second mobile device from the first mobile;

at the embedded device, transmitting to the first mobile device an invitation push notification comprising an invitation for the first mobile device to share the digital information;

at the embedded device, receiving the digital information from the first mobile device, wherein the embedded device receives the digital information transmitted from the first mobile device responsive to the invitation push notification;

at the embedded device, notifying the second mobile device of the digital information via a push notification; and

at the embedded device, maintaining communication with the first and second mobile devices.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein maintaining communication with the first and second mobile devices comprises notifying the first and second mobile devices of a new embedded device WAN IP address via respective additional push notifications.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein maintaining communication with the first and second mobile devices comprises the first and second mobile devices using a domain name to retrieve the new embedded device WAN IP address from a dynamic domain name system (DDNS) server.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein sending the invitation comprises establishing communication with the second mobile device by emailing the invitation from the first mobile device to the second mobile device, the invitation prompting the second mobile device to download an application and to transmit the identifier of the second mobile device to the first mobile device.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein transmitting the identifier of the second mobile device to the first mobile device comprises emailing a reply message to the first mobile device, the reply message prompting the first mobile device to transmit the identifier of the second mobile device to the embedded device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein notifying the second mobile device of the digital information via the push notification comprises generating a message relating to the digital information and transmitting the message from the embedded device through a Global Push Notification Server or third-party push notification service.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

at the second mobile device, receiving the push notification; and

at the second mobile device, responsive to receipt of the push notification, requesting the digital information from the embedded device.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing the digital information at the embedded device, wherein the embedded device notifies the second mobile device of the digital information at a predetermined period after storing the digital information at the embedded device.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving at the embedded device, from the Internet or from one of the first and second mobile devices, an embedded device component of an application.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the one of the first and second mobile devices pushes the embedded device component of the application to the embedded device.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the embedded device requests the embedded device component of the application from the one of the first and second mobile devices responsive to detection by the embedded device of a mobile device component of the application on the one of the first and second mobile devices.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the embedded device is selected from the group consisting of:

a gateway, a wireless gateway, a router, a wireless router, a media player, a wireless media player, an access point, a wireless access point, a network access storage (NAS) device, a thumb drive, and an embedded server.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

at the embedded device, transmitting the digital information to a second embedded device;

at the second embedded device, notifying a third mobile device of the digital information via a second push notification; and

at the second embedded device, maintaining communication with the third mobile device.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising establishing communication between the embedded device and the second embedded device by performing steps comprising:

at the embedded device, receiving an identifier of the third mobile device from the first mobile device;

at the embedded device, sending an embedded device wide area network (WAN) Internet protocol (IP) address and access credential to the third mobile device via a third push notification;

at the second embedded device, receiving the embedded device WAN IP address and access credential from the third mobile device; and

at the second embedded device, transmitting a second embedded device WAN IP address and second access credential to the embedded device.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting second digital information from the embedded device to at least one of the first and second mobile devices on a high priority basis via a second push notification.

29. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

at the embedded device, wherein the digital information comprises a location of the first mobile device, determining second digital information relates to the location of the first mobile device; and

at the embedded device, transmitting the second digital information to the first mobile device.

16. An embedded device for sharing digital information between first and second mobile devices, the embedded device comprising:

a processor; and

a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a sharing module and a push module

the sharing module comprising instructions configured to cause the processor;

to transmit to the first mobile device an invitation push notification inviting the first mobile device to share the digital information, wherein the first mobile device sends to the second mobile device an invitation to join a group and receives from the second mobile device an identifier of the second mobile device;

to receive the identifier of the second mobile device from the first mobile device after the first mobile device receives the identifier of the second mobile device from the second mobile device;

to enroll the second mobile device in the group based upon receiving the identifier of the second mobile device from the first mobile; and

to receive the digital information from the first mobile device, wherein the embedded device receives the digital information transmitted from the first mobile device responsive to the invitation push notification;

the push module comprising instructions configured to cause the processor to notify the second mobile device of the digital information via a push notification.

17. The embedded device of claim 16, further comprising an IP address update module comprising instructions configured to cause the processor to maintain communication with the first and second mobile devices by notifying the first and second mobile devices of a new WAN IP address via respective additional push notifications.

18. The embedded device of claim 16, wherein the first and second mobile devices are configured to use a domain name to retrieve a new embedded device WAN IP address from a dynamic domain name system (DDNS) server.

19. The embedded device of claim 16, wherein the computer-readable medium further stores an enrollment module comprising instructions configured to cause the processor to receive an identifier of the second mobile device from the first mobile device.

20. The embedded device of claim 16, wherein the push module comprises instructions configured to cause the processor to notify the second mobile device of the digital information via the push notification by generating a message relating to the digital information and transmitting the message through a Global Push Notification Server or third-party push notification service.

21. The embedded device of claim 16, wherein the sharing module further comprises instructions configured to cause the processor to transmit the digital information to the second mobile device responsive to a request for the digital information by the second mobile device following the notification step.

22. The embedded device of claim 16, further comprising a storage device, the sharing module further comprising instructions configured to cause the processor to store the digital information in the storage device, wherein the sharing module comprises instructions configured to cause the processor to notify the second mobile device of the digital information at a predetermined period after storing the digital information in the storage device.

23. The embedded device of claim 16, wherein the computer-readable medium further stores a new application module comprising instructions configured to cause the processor to receive from the Internet or from one of the first and second mobile devices an embedded device component of an application.

24. The embedded device of claim 23, wherein the new application module comprises instructions configured to cause the processor to receive a push of the embedded device component of the application from the one of the first and second mobile devices.

25. The embedded device of claim 23, wherein the new application module comprises instructions configured to cause the processor to request the embedded device component from the one of the first and second mobile devices responsive to detection of a mobile device component of the application on the mobile device.

26. The embedded device of claim 16, wherein the embedded device is selected from the group consisting of:

a gateway, a wireless gateway, a router, a wireless router, a media player, a wireless media player, an access point, a wireless access point, a network access storage (NAS) device, a thumb drive, and an embedded server.

27. The embedded device of claim 16, wherein the computer-readable medium further stores a merge module comprising instructions configured to cause the processor to transmit the digital information to a second embedded device,

optionally wherein the merge module of the embedded device further comprises instructions configured to cause the processor to receive an identifier of a third mobile device from the first mobile device, to send a first embedded device wide area network (WAN) Internet protocol (IP) address and access credential to the third mobile device via a third push notification, and to receive a second embedded device WAN IP address and access credential from the second embedded device.

28. The embedded device of claim 16, wherein the push module comprises instructions configured to cause the processor to transmit second digital information to at least one of the first and second mobile devices on a high priority basis via a second push notification.

30. The embedded device of claim 16, wherein the digital information comprises a location of the first mobile device, and wherein the sharing module comprising instructions configured to cause the processor to determine second digital information relates to the location of the first mobile device;

and, wherein the push module comprises instructions configured to cause the processor to transmit the second digital information to the first mobile device.