Patent · US Active

Methods and apparatus for combined peer to peer and wide area network based discovery

US8082303B2 · kind B2 · utility

11Cited by
5References
22Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateMar 30, 2009
Grant dateDec 20, 2011
Priority date
Expiry dateMay 8, 2030

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH04W88/06
  • WIPO fieldDigital communication
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A first wireless communications device includes a wide area network (WAN) interface and a peer to peer interface. The first device discovers the presence of a second wireless communications device via a peer discovery signal, received via its peer to peer interface. The second device has been transmitting, e.g., periodically, certain information, e.g., its location and/or shopping preferences, to a node within the WAN. The detected first signal triggers an application alert in the first device. The first device recovers past information about the second device through a second signal received via its WAN interface. The first device uses information communicated in the first signal, e.g., device identifier information, and information communicated in the second signal, e.g., past location and/or shopping information, to generate a targeted message for the second device. The first device communicates the targeted message via its peer to peer interface in a peer to peer traffic channel.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.