Touch inquiry

ES 2 547 807 T3

DESCRIPTION

Touch query

Background

1. Field of the invention:

The present invention relates to wireless communication and, in particular, to facilitating the establishment of wireless connection between devices located in the vicinity.

two. Background:

The ability of devices to communicate wirelessly has progressed beyond the simple transmission of voice information to encompass a multitude of types of electronic data. For example, emerging wireless-capable devices can exchange text data (for example, text messages, e-mails, etc.), machine-readable data files, multimedia files, address data, Internet-related data such as a website, etc. Electronic data can be transmitted over various wireless media, such as long-range cellular architectures such as Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), etc., over networks. short-range wireless networks connected via Bluetooth, wireless local area networks (WLAN), etc., or through direct device-to-device interactions over very short distances such as Near Field Communication (NFC).

The forms of communication available to wireless-capable devices may each have benefits that make them appropriate for certain situations. For example, short-range wireless communications can operate in unregulated bandwidth between two or more devices either directly or through a local master device. Directed communication through such means (e.g. Bluetooth, WLAN, etc.) can have benefits since localized data transfers can take place relatively quickly with the ability to ensure the integrity and security of the data during the session. transfer. For example, short-range wireless communication may allow the use of wireless-capable peripherals (eg, keyboards, headsets, etc.) with mobile wireless communication devices for improved user experience. This activity can take place alone or together with data (for example, images of business cards, videos, sound files, etc.) that are exchanged between these devices without the need for support for long-range wireless networks that may not be available. in some areas (eg indoors).

However, in addition to the above benefits, short-range wireless communications can also involve some setup burden. As opposed to long-range wireless communications that can be used with a fixed configuration profile that can be recognized by any cell in the network, short-range wireless communications may need to be configured for each network. Therefore, the users of the apparatus that are coupled in a short-range wireless communication should have some knowledge of the setup procedure to establish a short-range wireless connection, and even if the user possesses the requirement of knowledge, time and / or effort expended by the user in establishing the wireless connection may negatively impact the overall user experience.

Document WO00 / 51293 discloses a method and device for wireless telecommunication in relation to establishing a wireless connection between two communication devices. Registration / authorization data must be exchanged between devices before the devices can connect with each other. This information exchange is initiated by bringing the devices into such physical proximity to each other that a signal transmitted from at least one of the devices is received by the other device with a power level that exceeds a threshold level. The threshold level is chosen at a value that is significantly higher than a minimally required power level for signal detection to ensure that the devices are located in close proximity to each other and thereby allow an unambiguous association between them.

Document WO2007040398 discloses a method of installing a wireless network component. The signal strength of a data packet communicated between the wireless network component and an additional network component is measured. The measured signal strength is used to allow installation of the wireless network component. Various embodiments are described that use the measured signal intensity. The method allows quick installation with a reliable connection of the wireless network component, in which the wireless network component joins another component on the network.

US2010 / 093280 discloses a Bluetooth ™ connection method and apparatus for the discovery and connection of Bluetooth ™ peripherals. An inquiry signal is sent with a minimum transmit power. It is determined whether a response signal to the query is received during a waiting time. A path loss corresponding to each query response signal is calculated when a plurality of response signals are received.

ES 2 547 807 T3 response to the query during the waiting time, the calculated travel losses are compared, and the Bluetooth ™ connection is made with the Bluetooth ™ device that sends a response signal to the query that has the loss of travel more low.

Summary

Various exemplary embodiments of the present invention can be directed to a method, apparatus, and computer program product to expedite the establishment of a wireless connection between wireless-capable apparatus.

According to a first implementation example an apparatus is provided with means for transmitting discovery messages; means for receiving response messages, each of the response messages including at least one frequency hopping synchronization packet including an address of a source apparatus; means for determining whether any of the one or more response messages satisfies a predetermined response criterion, the predetermined response criterion comprises receiving a plurality of response messages from a source apparatus having a signal strength measured at or above a predetermined signal strength level, including an extended query response packet comprising additional information regarding the source apparatus; and means for expediting the establishment of the wireless connection between the apparatus and the source apparatus that satisfies the predetermined response criteria.

According to a second implementation example a method is provided, which comprises transmitting discovery messages from an apparatus; receiving response messages to discovery messages, each response message including at least one frequency hopping synchronization packet including an address of a source apparatus; determining by the apparatus whether a predetermined response criterion is satisfied, the predetermined response criterion comprises receiving a plurality of response messages from a source apparatus having a measured signal strength at or above a signal level. predetermined signal strength including an extended query response packet comprising additional information regarding the source apparatus; and if it is determined by the apparatus that the predetermined response criteria is satisfied, initiating an automatic wireless connection establishment between the apparatus and the source apparatus that satisfies the predetermined response criteria.

According to a third implementation example, a computer program product is disclosed, adapted to cause the method according to the second implementation example to be performed when said program is run on a computer.

The above summary includes exemplary embodiments of the present invention which are not intended to be limiting. The above embodiments are simply used to explain selected aspects or steps that can be used in implementations of the present invention. However, it is readily apparent that one or more aspects, or steps, belonging to an example embodiment can be combined with one or more aspects, or steps, of other embodiments to create new embodiments still within the scope of the present invention. Therefore, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various embodiments of the present invention may incorporate aspects of other embodiments, or may be implemented in combination with other embodiments.

Description of the drawings

The invention may be further understood from the following description of various example embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1A reveals devices, systems, configurations, etc. Examples that can be used when implementing the various embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 1B discloses additional details regarding the configuration of the example apparatus that can be used when implementing the various embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 2 discloses an example of touch activity according to at least one of the embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 3 discloses an example user interface display indication in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 discloses an example of wireless connection establishment according to at least one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 discloses an example of ID packet transmission according to at least one embodiment of the present invention.

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FIG. 6 discloses an example of signal intensity measurement according to at least one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 discloses another example of signal intensity measurement according to at least one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 discloses a modified example user interface display indication in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 discloses a flow chart of an example communication process from a transmission perspective in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 discloses a flow chart of an exemplary communication process from a reception perspective in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present invention.

Description of example embodiments

Although the invention is described below in terms of a multitude of example embodiments, various changes may be made to it without departing from the scope of the invention, as described in the appended claims.

I. Example system with which embodiments of the present invention can be implemented.

An example of a system that can be used for the implementation of various embodiments of the present invention is disclosed in FIG. 1A. The system comprises elements that can be included in, or omitted from, the configurations depending, for example, on the requirements of a particular application and, therefore, it is not intended to limit the present invention in any way.

The computer device 100 can be, for example, a laptop computer. Elements representing exemplary building blocks that comprise functional elements in computing device 100 are described at 102-108. Processor 102 may include one or more devices configured to execute instructions. In at least one scenario, execution of program code (eg, groups of computer-executable instructions stored in memory) by processor 102 may cause computer device 100 to perform processes that include, for example, steps of method that can result in data, events, or other output activities. Processor 102 may be a dedicated microprocessor device (eg, monolithic), or it may be part of a composite device such as an ASIC, gate array, multi-chip module (MCM), etc.

Processor 102 can be electronically connected to other functional components in computing device 100 through a wired or wireless bus. For example, processor 102 may access memory 104 to obtain stored information (eg, program codes, data, etc.) for use during processing. The memory 104 may generally include removable or embedded fixed memories (eg, non-transient computer-readable storage media) that operate in a static or dynamic mode. Additionally, memory 104 may include read-only memory (ROM), random access memories (RAM), and rewritable memories such as Flash, EPROM, etc. Examples of removable storage media based on magnetic, electronic and / or optical technologies are shown in I / O 100 in FIG. 1A, and can serve, for example, as a data input / output medium for the computer device 100. The code can include any interpreted or compiled computer language including computer-executable instructions. The code and / or data can be used to create software modules such as operating systems, communication utilities, user interfaces, more specialized program modules, etc.

One or more interfaces 106 may also be connected to various components in the computer device 100. These interfaces may allow communication between devices (eg, a software or protocol interface), device-to-device communication (eg, an interface wired or wireless communication) and even device-to-user communication (for example, a user interface). These interfaces allow components within computer devices 100, other appliances, and users to interact with computer device 100. Additionally, interfaces 106 can communicate machine-readable data, such as electronic, magnetic, or optical signals performed on a computer-readable medium, or they can translate user actions into activity that can be understood by computer device 100 (e.g. For example, typing on a keyboard, speaking into a mobile handset receiver, touching an icon or touch screen device, etc.). Interfaces 106 may additionally allow processor 102 and / or memory 104 to interact with other modules 108. For example, other modules 108 may comprise one or more components that support more specialized functionality provided by computing device 100.

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Computer device 100 can interact with other appliances over various networks as further shown in FIG. 1A. For example, hub 110 can provide wired and / or wireless support to devices such as computer 114 and server 116. Hub 110 may additionally connect to a router 112 that allows devices on the local area network (LAN) interact with devices on a large area network (WAN, such as the Internet 120). In such a scenario, another router 130 can transmit information to, and receive information from, router 112 so that devices on each LAN can communicate. Additionally, all of the components depicted in this example configuration are not required for the implementation of the present invention. For example, in the LAN served by the router 130 no additional hub is necessary since this functionality may be supported by the router.

Additionally, integration with remote devices may be supported by various short- and long-range wireless communications providers 140. These providers may use, for example, long-range land-based cellular systems and satellite communications, and / or access points. short-range wireless to provide a wireless Internet connection 120. For example, a personal digital assistant (PDA) 142 and a cellular laptop 144 can communicate with the computer device 100 through an Internet connection provided by a wireless communication provider 140. Similar functionality can be included in devices, such as a laptop 146, in the form of hardware and / or software resources configured to allow short and / or long range wireless communication. Additionally, any or all of the devices described may enter into direct interaction, such as a short-range wireless interaction shown between the laptop 146 and the wireless-capable device 148. Examples of wireless-capable devices 148 can range from devices with wireless capability. more complex independent wireless devices to peripheral devices to support functionalities in devices such as the laptop 146.

Additional details are now explained in relation to the example interface component 106 described with respect to a computer device 100 in FIG. 1A, in relation to FIG. 1 B. As previously discussed, interfaces 106 can include interfaces for both communicating data to computer apparatus 100 (eg, as identified at 150) and other types of interfaces 170 including, for example, user interface 172 . A representative group of interfaces at the appliance level are described in 150. For example, a multi-radio controller 152 can manage the interoperation of long-range wireless interfaces 154 (for example, cellular voice and data networks), short-range wireless interfaces 156 (for example, Bluetooth and WLAN networks), proximity wireless interfaces 158 (for example, for interactions where electronic, magnetic, electronic, and optical information scanners interpret machine-readable data), wired interfaces 160 (for example, Ethernet), etc. The example interfaces shown in FIG. 1B have been presented for explanatory purposes only herein, and thus are not intended to limit the various embodiments of the present invention to the use of any particular interface. Embodiments of the present invention may also use interfaces that are not specifically identified in FIG. 1 B.

The multi-radio controller 152 may manage the operation of some or all of the interfaces 154-160. For example, multi-radio controller 152 can prevent interfaces that could interfere with each other from operating at the same time by allocating specific time periods during which each interface is allowed to operate. Additionally, the multi-radio controller 152 may be capable of processing environmental information, such as interference detected in the operational environment, to select an interface that is more resistant to interference. These multi-radio control scenarios are not meant to encompass an exhaustive list of possible control functionality, but are merely given as examples of how the multi-radio controller 152 can interact with interfaces 154-160 in FIG. 1 B.

II. Example widget interaction

The transmission of electronic information is no longer bound by the requirement of first being encoded on a physical medium for the transfer. For example, data can go from creation to distribution to consumption by an end user without ever touching a game cartridge, compact disc (CD), digital video disc (DVD), etc. The elimination of the physical medium as an intermediary has influenced the evolution of emerging electronic devices in which the additional resources used to access (eg, read from and / or write to) physical media are disappearing. This evolution has placed a new focus on the efficiency and ease of use for device-to-device communication.

While wired communication can still provide reliable data transmission between fixed devices, users of mobile devices demand flexibility without the impediment of cables, physical media, etc. While long-range wireless communication media may be capable of routing information between devices, communication does not take place directly between devices (for example, it is routed through the cellular base station architecture), which can lead to as a result costs to a user for access to a bandwidth licensed by the provider, delays caused by indirect routing and traffic on the provider's network, and possible inaccessibility because long-range wireless data networks are not always available (eg, indoors). Alternatively, short-range wireless networks may be considered a better solution because they provide relatively fast and secure device-to-device communication.

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However, short-range wireless communication may require initial setup. This configuration may involve a user manipulating various menus on one appliance to activate communication modes that allow the appliances to participate in wireless interaction to obtain communication configuration information necessary to access the other appliances. For example, devices that communicate via Bluetooth may initially go through "discovery" and then "pairing" processes during which participating devices obtain device identification information, security, channel hopping, etc. etc. which is usable when accessing other devices. These configuration activities take time and skill to complete, which can go against the growth of user expectations for more immediate and automatic communication operations when using their mobile devices.

III. Example widget interaction

In accordance with at least one embodiment of the present invention, an example wireless interaction is described in FIG. 2 which, from a user point of view, may be desirable because it can greatly simplify information exchanges. In the example shown in FIG. 2, two users may wish to wirelessly exchange electronic data between their mobile devices. In step 200 users can "touch" their devices together, which may trigger some configuration to take place, and thereby result in establishing a short-range wireless communication between the devices in step 202. The touch, At least for the purpose of current disclosure, it does not require that the appliances actually come into physical contact with each other. Keeping the devices in close proximity for a short period of time may be sufficient to activate operations, after which the devices can be separated and used within the communication range of whatever wireless communication medium is being used. using to support the interaction of the devices. Such wireless interaction can be implemented using various types of short-range wireless communication. Although a multitude of wireless communication means are available, the various embodiments of the present invention disclosed herein use Bluetooth for reasons of explanation. The use of Bluetooth in the following disclosure is indicated only as an example, and thus, other short-range wireless communication means may be employed in the implementation of the various embodiments.

Bluetooth is an example of a short-range communications technology that was originally intended to replace the cable (s) that connect (s) portable and / or fixed electronic devices, but has grown to facilitate more general wireless communication. between various devices. Some of the key features of Bluetooth are robustness, low power consumption, and low cost. Many of the features discussed in the core Bluetooth specification are optional, allowing product differentiation. Existing Bluetooth interaction is based on a query method for device discovery, in which one device inquires about other devices within transmission range and other devices interested in interacting with the querying device respond to the query. More specifically, an apparatus that performs an inquiry scan can be discovered because it can respond to inquiry packets that were transmitted from other devices in the inquiry state (eg, trying to find discoverable devices). The querying device and any responding device can then proceed to form a wireless network (eg, a Bluetooth pico-network) through which the interaction of the appliances is directed.

During the polling process, when the low-level communication control resources in the polling appliance receive a response from other appliances, such as a frequency hopping synchronization (FHS) packet, the "discovered" appliances are informed usually to the center (eg higher-level processing resources on the querying appliance). Even though multiple reply messages can be received from each responding device, it is recommended that the controller report each device to the center only once. An example of user interface (UI) operation for this process is disclosed in FIG. 3. In UI 300 the consultation process has just started and two devices have responded. In UI 300, the inquiry process is completed and all responding fixtures are displayed in the list, where each fixture that responds to the inquiry is listed only once.

According to the various embodiments of the present invention, there may be a usability problem that can prevent the implementation of the touch system because all appliances within the range of the querying appliance can respond to a query. Given the existing operations, the user of the querying apparatus would then have to recognize which of the responding apparatus is indicated for the touch operation by recognizing its name as listed, for example, on UI 302. The identification may not be direct to the user because, for example, two or more responding devices have the same default name (for example, a name given to the device by the manufacturer that was not changed by the user), or the user of the querying apparatus does not own the target apparatus (eg, as in the example of FIG. 2 where the second apparatus in the touch operation is owned by another user). The user of the querying device would then be forced to ask the user of the second device for the name of the target device, which may not be known to many users.

In an existing solution to this problem the querying apparatus can measure the signal strength (for example, Received Signal Strength Indication or RSSI) of each reply message, which can be used

ES 2 547 807 T3 in the ordering of the devices that respond on the UI 302 so that the devices with the highest measured signal intensity are listed first (for example, in which the measured signal intensity can be correlated with the distance between the querying device and the responding devices). However, this solution does not provide reliable results because the measurement is limited to the first moment in which the response message was received (for example, since only one response is reported for each device), and therefore, the listing in the Ui 302 can be imprecise for mobile devices as shown in the touch example of FIG. two. Additionally it may happen that, due to irregularities in the wireless communication medium, the signal strength in a single transmission could give false results. Another possible solution may be to implement another form of wireless interaction that has a substantially shorter transmission range such as radio frequency (RF) or infrared (IR), in which communication via the secondary shorter wireless medium can serve as an indication. devices are within touch range. However, an obvious barrier to implementing this approach is that hardware / software resources must be implemented to support a second form of wireless interaction which consumes space, power and processing, which are limited in mobile devices.

IV. Sample tap implementation

The various embodiments of the present invention do not suffer from the above shortcomings, and thus may be capable of implementing continuous detection for device-to-device touch operations all within a single wireless communication medium. Touch operations, in at least one example implementation, can detect when appliances are held or moved closer together and can trigger automated wireless connection establishment only between appliances that are in close proximity to each other. In particular, features that are available in the Bluetooth 4.0 specification can be used in relation to extended query response (EIR), where EIR responses can be reported to the center multiple times during a query scan. These features can also be allowed for devices not configured to transmit EIR packets by requesting that these devices be notified to a center more than once, which is allowed by the specification but not normally implemented.

In the Bluetooth example, the querying device transmits ID packets that can be scanned by the discoverable devices. Discoverable devices can then respond to the ID packets by transmitting an FHS packet. Discoverable fixtures may further transmit an EIR packet after the FHS packet to supply information including, for example, fixture name, transmit power (Tx), etc. An example of wireless interaction is described in FIG. 4. The default duration of a Bluetooth inquiry scan is 11.25 ms when performing a standard scan and 22.5 ms when performing an interleaved scan. The default value for a query scan interval is 2.56 s. In the example of FIG. 4, the master-to-slave slot time can be 625ms, and the total master-to-slave and slave-to-master slot time can be 1250ms. A query can be performed to find discoverable devices within transmission range. Apparatus in a discoverable mode can receive inquiry packets (eg ID packets, which are typically 68 ms long) can transmit a response that includes an FHS packet. The FHS packet can comprise at least the Bluetooth addresses, device class, if it follows an extended response to the query, a page scan mode and clock phase. The clock shift and address information can be used by the querying devices to estimate the channel information, jump f (k), so that communication can be continued on future channels, jump f (k + I), according to a frequency hopping pattern. The estimation of the hopping pattern may allow the querying apparatus to follow the hops of the responding apparatuses to establish a network connection with the responding apparatuses.

An EIR procedure can also be executed by devices that respond to the query. An extended query response procedure may include the transmission of an EIR packet that can provide various information on top of what is supplied in the basic query response (for example in an FHS packet). An EIR packet can typically comprise information regarding, for example, services offered by the apparatus or some vendor-specific information. The impending transmission of an EIR packet can be indicated by an EIR indicator bit that is set in the FHS packet. For example, device discovery can be streamlined by user-friendly names that are not sent in the FHS packets and thus, to display a user-friendly name for a discovered device the name must be provided in an EIR packet (e.g. , unless the Bluetooth address is already mapped to the user-friendly name in the device memory). If it is indicated in an FHS packet that an EIR packet follows (for example, the EIR bit is set), the transmission of the EIR packet can begin in the next slave-to-master slot and can be further extended over up to five (5) grooves. EIR packets are asynchronous connectionless link (ACL) packets of type DM1, DM3, DM5, DH1, DH3, or DH5.

Certain behaviors can be built into gadgets to facilitate discovery. For example, to avoid repeated collisions between devices waking up simultaneously on the same inquiry hop channel, a device will standby for a random period of time. Thus, if a device receives an ID packet and responds by transmitting an FHS packet, it will generate a random number, RAND, between 0 and MAX_RAND. MAX_RAND can be 1023 for scan intervals> 1.28 s. For intervals of

ES 2 547 807 T3 scan <1.28s, MAX_RAND can be as small as 127. Profiles using a special dedicated query access code (DIAC) can select a MAX_RAND> 1023 even when the scan interval is> 1.28 s. Discoverable fixtures can return a CONNECTION or STANDBY state for the duration of at least a few RAND time slots. Before returning to the CONNECTION or STANDBY state, the device can go through the page scan substate.

After at least the RAND timeslots, a discoverable fixture will add a "1" offset to the phase in the query jump sequence (for example, the phase has a resolution of 1.28 s) and then return to the query scan substate again. If a discoverable device is activated again, you will need to repeat the procedure using a new RAND. Clock offset accumulates each time an FHS packet is returned. During a scan window, a discoverable device may respond multiple times, but at different frequencies and at different times. Synchronous reserved slots should take precedence over reply packets, in which if a reply packet overlaps the synchronous reserved slot, it will not be sent but waits for the next inquiry message. If a device has EIR data to transmit but the EIR packet overlaps with a reserved synchronous slot, the FHS packet can be sent with the EIR bit set to zero in accordance with the Bluetooth v4.0 specification, incorporated herein by reference. .

In view of the above, responses to the query can be received by a querying apparatus within about 80 to 640 ms, depending on the query scan interval of the discovered devices. Random standby for devices using a scan interval <1.28 s is from 0 to 79,375 ms and for other devices (for example, using the default polling interval) it is from 0 to 639,375 ms. In view of these operational characteristics, collecting responses from all appliances within communication range in an ideal environment (e.g. error-free), the inquiry substate may have to remain for 10.24 s less than the Querying appliances receive enough responses and abort the query substate prematurely. In some cases (eg, in an error-prone environment), the query apparatus may also extend the query substate to increase the probability of receiving all responses. As a consequence of an extended query state and relatively short hold times, multiple responses may be received from some or all of the responding sets.

As mentioned above, the most recent Bluetooth specification includes features that can be used in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present invention. For example, Section 7.1.1 of the Bluetooth V 4.0 specification, titled “Inquiry Command” states that “A device that responds during an inquiry or inquiry period should always be notified to the center in a inquiry results event if the device does not previously reported during the current query or query period and the device has not been filtered using the Set_Event_Filter command. If the device has been previously notified during the current consultation or consultation period, it may or may not be notified depending on the implementation (depending on whether previous results have been saved in the BR / EDR controller and in that case how many responses have been saved) . It is recommended that the BR / EDR controller try to notify a particular device only once during an inquiry or inquiry period. When discovered devices are reported to the center, the RSSI parameter measured during the FHS packet for each responding device can be returned. " Furthermore, Section 7.7.38 entitled "Extended Inquiry Result Event" states "... if an extended query response packet is correctly received from the same device in a subsequent response, another event will be generated." In that way, a lower-level communication handler can generate events for each EIR packet if it receives, regardless of whether the response has already been reported by the query. It is this constant generation of events that can be shown to be beneficial for the implementation of an automated communication link and configuration in various example implementations.

For example, four apparatuses 500-506 may be within relative communication range of each other as described in FIG. 5. The 500-506 devices may all be capable of communication using the same wireless communication medium (eg, Bluetooth). In an example use scenario, the user of apparatus 500 may wish to exchange data (eg, business cards, images, music or multimedia files, etc.) with apparatus 506. Apparatus 500 may then enter a polling mode when ID packets are transmitted. The ID package can be General Inquiry Access Code (GIAC) packages or DIAC packages. Devices 502-506 can then receive these ID packets.

In FIG. 6 apparatuses 502-506 can transmit packets that respond to the ID packets received in FIG. 5. In particular, devices 502 and 506 can transmit an EIR (for example, an FHS packet followed by an EIR packet), while the device 504 can transmit only one query response (IR) that includes only one FHS packet. . The center at device 500 can receive EIR events triggered by responses from devices 502 and 506, but not 504. In accordance with at least one embodiment of the present invention, this lack of EIR event notification for appliances 504 can be used as an initial filter to exclude the appliance 504 as a potential touch appliance (e.g., appliances that do not transmit EIR packets do not are touch devices). However, it is important to note that other embodiments of the present invention may be configured for apparatus that do not have the ability to send EIR packets. A system in which the lack of

ES 2 547 807 T3 EIR response is used as a filter is only an example.

Reported EIR events may include RSSI measurement values ​​as shown, for example, with respect to apparatus 502 and 506. From the RSSI values ​​the center in apparatus 500 can detect when a device is most strongly in the " touch range ”(for example, within a distance from the querying device indicating that touch-related operations should be performed). For example, there may be a predetermined response criteria that includes one or more events indicating that a device is within touch range, required to verify that the device is close enough.

It may also be possible to determine when fixtures are moving closer to other fixtures to "touch" fixtures, or alternatively, when a query fixture is moving closer to other fixtures. An example of the first case is described in FIG. 7. In the example described a Bluetooth controller in apparatus 500 can receive multiple inquiry responses from fixtures 502 to 506. The response from the 504 devices does not provide an EIR, and thus the Bluetooth controller can only report the first of a multiplicity of responses to the center's software stack as an HCI query event that may contain the RSSI of the received response. . This may allow the apparatus 500 to handle the response in a "standard" manner, in which the apparatus are displayed on the UI 302 in the order based on the detected RSSI. In cases where EIR responses are received (eg, from appliances 502 and 506), the Bluetooth controller may report each EIR received as an EIR HCI event. This becomes important when apparatus 506 in FIG. 7 is moving close to apparatus 500. Because the controller also reports an RSSI for each EIR response, it is easy to track changes in RSSI levels and movement of apparatus 506. When the measured RSSI satisfies a predetermined response criterion (for example, the RSSI is measured to be at or above the predetermined level), the corresponding apparatus can be selected for touch-related operations (for example, agile establishment of a connection) . In accordance with at least one embodiment of the present invention, sensor information from appliances (for example, motion or acceleration sensors in the appliance) can be used to determine when, for example, a querying appliance has stopped its movement, what they can indicate on the device is when touch measurements can be taken (for example, when a device user has stopped movement of the device to another device to touch the two devices). Fixtures that have the RSSI high enough in this position can be selected for touch-related processing.

In FIG. 7 the apparatus 500 is a query device. Apparatus 502 and 506 respond with EIR and apparatus 504 responds with normal IR. The BT controller of apparatus 500 notifies these responses to its center which also has a touch selection software running. A typical response criterion, as shown in FIG. 7, is when the RSSI values ​​are expected to be above a certain fixed threshold value, such as -30 dBm. Detecting a response packet that has -30 dBm will activate device selection while -31 dBm will not. It may also be possible that the responding apparatus can send a Tx power information in the EIR packet, since this is an existing feature in the Bluetooth v4.0 specification. In cases where Tx power information is available in the EIR packet, the default response criteria may include an adjustable RSSI threshold value that takes into account the Tx power. For example, the threshold value can be set 30 dBm below the Tx EIR power, so if the Tx power level in an FHS packet is +20 dBm then the threshold value that triggers the selection it will be the FHS packet that is measured at -10 dBm, or 30 dBm below the Tx power level. Second, to ensure that the devices are kept in close proximity, the predetermined response criteria may require that more than one EIR has detected an RSSI for the corresponding FHS packet at or above the threshold value. In addition, different thresholds could be used for different phases, for example, first the threshold value can be set above -45 dBm to select one or more candidate fixtures and then secondly, finally decide that the threshold value can be set. above -30 dBm.

Another filtering factor for selecting handsets for touch operations can be based on the services available on a responsive handset. For example, EIR packets may contain service level information, and thus only the response above a certain level of measured signal strength and from devices that support certain types of BT services (for example, RSSI above - 30 dBm and OBEX file transfer support) can be selected for touch-related operations. Multiple devices can be selected (for example, two devices close to each other), activating an agile establishment of the connection between the query device and the two selected devices. It may also be possible to select multiple devices by tapping one after the other, in which all addresses that satisfy the predetermined response criteria (eg, having an RSSI above the set threshold) can be selected in order. In this way you can easily select a distribution group that contains more than one device.

It may also be important for a responding device to ensure that a querying device is within touch range, and not some other device that is far away, to ensure that communication with the desired device is established. There are several possibilities for checking the proximity of the touch. The connection between the devices can be created after the touch and the correct responding device checks if the RSSI levels meet the criteria of a device in close proximity. The responding appliance could use a vendor-specific command that provides RSSI information for the particular connection. If the criterion is satisfied, the data can be accepted from the querying device, and otherwise the connection

ES 2 547 807 T3 can be rejected. Operation using this type of check may cause some delay in the connection establishment process because the devices have to be in close proximity all the time. It may also be possible for a responding apparatus equipped for touch operations to be configured to measure the RSSI of all received ID packets in certain cases (eg when a touch mode is active). Having this information up front would speed up the process since the connection does not have to be established prior to checking the RSSI of ID packets received from a particular querying appliance (for example, the responding appliance does not transmit response messages to the particular consulting device). In accordance with at least one embodiment of the present invention, a touch mode can be initiated by the touch movement of the devices. In particular, movement can be recorded by the acceleration sensor, which can activate the touch mode by performing steps such as activating Bluetooth on the device and putting the device into a visible Bluetooth pairing mode during a certain duration (for example, 10 s). The inquiring apparatus may then transmit ID packets received by the responding apparatus that accepts the connection (eg, if determined to satisfy the predetermined response criteria).

FIG. 8 describes a responsive example user interface in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present invention. Similar to FIG. 3, UI 800 displays the start of a query process when information is first being received by a querying apparatus. Some of the response devices (eg "Nokia N900" and "x61s") have already been discovered and presented to the user at this stage. In UI 802, a touch apparatus has been identified. In accordance with previously described example implementations, some determination has taken place within the querying apparatus that results in the finding that the apparatus responding "Nokia N900" satisfies the predetermined response criteria, resulting in that the device is selected for touch operations. In this example the touch operations include an agile establishment of the connection, which is shown in the UI 802 where an indication is presented to the user that the “Nokia N900” device will automatically connect to the consulting device in 4 seconds. It is important to note that UI 802 and the particular indications presented therein are purely for explanatory purposes in the present disclosure. The various embodiments of the present invention are not specifically limited to the activities in FIG. 8 and therefore, other actions relating to establishing the wireless connection between two or more apparatuses may also be performed as a result of determining that the responding apparatus satisfies the predetermined response criteria.

An exemplary process flow diagram from the perspective of a querying apparatus in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present invention is described in FIG. 9. The process can be started in step 900, which can be followed by transmitting packets from a device, in which the packets are discovery packets (eg ID packets in terms of the operation of devices using communication Bluetooth). The process can then proceed to step 904 where a determination can be made as to whether or not any initial responses have been received from other appliances (eg, FHS packets in Bluetooth terms). If no FHS packets have been received at the apparatus, the process may continue to transmit ID packets and check responses at step 902-904 until a stop condition is determined to exist at step 906. The shutdown conditions may include, for example, a period of time for the inquiry, a number of ID messages transmitted, an apparatus condition (eg, power level), and so on. If it is determined in step 906 that a stop condition exists, then the process can be completed in step 908 and the process can be restarted in step 900.

If it is determined in step 904 that an FHS packet has been received, the process may proceed to step 910 where a further determination can be made as to whether or not an extended response (e.g., an EIR packet in Bluetooth terms). If it is determined in step 910 that no EIR packets have been received, the apparatus may perform standard apparatus identification and handling according to the wireless communication medium being employed. In Bluetooth terms such identification and handling may include the identification of device-relevant information that corresponds to the FHS response on a user interface and possibly listing the devices on the user interface in an order based on a power intensity. signal (for example, RSSI) measured for the FHS packet. The process can then return to step 906 to execute transmission and reception steps 902-904 until it is determined that a stop condition exists, after which the process can be completed in step 908.

Alternatively, if it is determined in step 910 that an EIR packet has been received, the process may proceed to step 914 where a further determination can be made as to whether or not the response including the EIR packet satisfies a response criteria. predetermined. The predetermined response criterion may comprise, for example, a measured signal intensity (eg RSSI), at or above a predetermined signal intensity level for an FHS packet corresponding to at least one received EIR packet, which which can possibly be evaluated in conjunction with certain service offerings etc. If it is determined in step 914 that the response including the EIR packet does not meet the predetermined response criteria, the process may return to step 912 for standard apparatus identification and handling. Otherwise, the process can proceed to step 916 where identification and operation of the "touch" apparatus can be executed. For example, the appliances designated for touch-related operations in step 916 may be indicated to the user at a user interface on the appliance as touch appliances that will automatically couple to the appliance, which can

ES 2 547 807 T3 be followed by the establishment of the actual agile connection between the apparatus and the responding apparatus that corresponds to the response that includes the EIR packet that has been found to satisfy the predetermined response criteria. Processing can then proceed to step 918 where a determination of whether a stop condition or the like exists can be made at step 906 in the apparatus. An additional stop condition that may exist in step 908 is that at least one other appliance has connected to the appliance through a touch operation. If the stop condition is determined to exit from step 918, the process can be completed again at step 908 and can be restarted at step 900. Otherwise, the process can return to step 902 for a transmission of packets. Additional IDs.

A flow chart of another example process from the perspective of a responsive apparatus, in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present invention, is described in FIG. 10. The process can be started in step 1000, which can be followed by initiating a touch mode on the apparatus in optional step 1002. Step 1002 may be optional in that software related to touch operations may always be active on a device (eg, as a background service). Alternatively, initiation of the touch mode may occur in step 1002 manually (eg, as configured in a user interface of the apparatus by a user) or through activities detected by sensors in the apparatus. For example, a certain movement can be detected by the motion sensors in the apparatus, a certain type of acceleration can be detected by an acceleration sensor, a certain orientation of the apparatus can be detected by a gyro, and so on. Activating the touch mode can activate the launch of touch-related software, as well as the activation of the resources of the wireless communication medium (for example, the activation of Bluetooth in a device, as well as make the device visible for the establishment connection).

The process can then proceed to step 1004 where a determination can be made as to whether any messages (eg, discovery packets transmitted from another appliance) have been received at the appliance. If it is determined in step 1004 that no messages have been received, the process may proceed to step 1006 where a further determination can be made as to whether a stop condition exists. The shutdown conditions may include, for example, a predetermined duration time for listening to messages, an apparatus condition (e.g., power level, etc.). If a shutdown condition is determined to exist, then in step 1008 the process can be completed and the procedure can be restarted at step 1000. Otherwise, the process can return to step 1004 until a determination is made that a message has been received. After determining that a message has been received, the process may proceed to step 1010 where a further determination may be made as to whether the message satisfies predetermined criteria. The predetermined criteria may comprise, for example, a detected signal intensity (RSSI) for the message received in step 1004 that is at or above a predetermined intensity level. If in step 1010 the received message does not satisfy the predetermined criteria, then the process may return to steps 1002-1006 to await the receipt of additional messages.

Alternatively, if a determination is made in step 1010 that the message satisfies predetermined criteria, the process may proceed to step 1012 where identification and operation of the "touch" apparatus can be performed. Identifying and managing the touch device may comprise, for example, the agile establishment of a connection to the querying device (eg, the device that transmitted the message received in step 1004). The process can then end at step 1008 and can be restarted at step 1000.

The various embodiments of the present invention are not limited solely to the examples disclosed above, and may encompass other configurations or implementations.

For example, embodiments of the present invention may encompass an apparatus comprising means for transmitting discovery messages, means for receiving one or more messages responding to the invitation messages, means for determining whether any of the or more response messages satisfy a predetermined response criteria and means to, if it is determined by the apparatus that any of the one or more response messages satisfies the predetermined response criteria, the agile establishment of a wireless connection between the apparatus and a source apparatus for each of the one or more response messages that satisfies the default criteria.

At least one other exemplary embodiment of the present invention may encompass an apparatus comprising means for activating a touch mode, means for receiving the message from at least one other apparatus, means for determining whether the message satisfies a predetermined criterion and means for, if determined by the apparatus that the message satisfies the predetermined criteria, the agile establishment of a wireless connection between the apparatus and the at least one other apparatus.

At least one other exemplary embodiment of the present invention may include electronic signals that cause the apparatus to transmit discovery messages, receive one or more messages that respond to invitation messages, determine whether any of the one or more response messages satisfy a predetermined response criteria, and if it is determined by the apparatus that any of the one or more response messages satisfies the predetermined response criteria, the agile establishment of a wireless connection between the

ES 2 547 807 T3 apparatus and a source apparatus for each of the one or more response messages satisfying the predetermined criteria.

At least one other exemplary embodiment of the present invention may include electronic signals that cause an appliance to activate a touch mode, receive a message from at least one other appliance, determine by the appliance whether the message satisfies a predetermined criteria, and, if it is determines by the apparatus that the message satisfies the predetermined criteria, the agile establishment of a wireless connection between the apparatus and the at least one other apparatus.

Accordingly, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes in shapes and details can be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention. The breadth and scope of the present invention should not be limited by any of the example embodiments described above, but should only be defined in accordance with the following claims and their equivalents.