Continuous short range wireless communication detection for user devices using a background application

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10863580-B1
Application number	US-202016983482-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Aug 3, 2020
Priority date	May 14, 2020
Publication date	Dec 8, 2020
Grant date	Dec 8, 2020

Abstract

A user device may receive, an output stream associated with an application session, wherein the output stream is associated with imperceptible content via an output component. The user device may transmit, via a short range wireless communication component, an advertisement associated with the application session. The user device may configure a main processing thread that is associated with executing the application session to provide the output stream to the output component. The main processing thread may be configured to provide the output stream to: cause the output component to operate in association with the imperceptible content and prevent an operating system from suspending the application session while the application session is executing in a background state.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A device, comprising:
one or more memories; and
one or more processors, communicatively coupled to the one or more memories, configured to:
initiate an application session associated with an application;
activate a continuous discovery mode associated with permitting discovery of the device during the application session,
wherein the continuous discovery mode is to cause a short range wireless communication component of the device to repeatedly transmit an advertisement;

obtain, based on the continuous discovery mode being activated, an output stream associated with the application session;
control an output component according to the output stream;
detect a background event associated with executing the application session in a background state;
execute, based on the background event, the application session in the background state; and
prevent, based on controlling the output component according to the output stream, an operating system of the device from suspending the application session in the background state until the continuous discovery mode is deactivated.

2. The device of claim 1 , wherein the application is initiated based on receiving a first user input and the continuous discovery mode is activated based on a second user input that is different from the first user input.

3. The device of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors, when activating the continuous discovery mode, are configured to:
configure the advertisement to include at least one of:
a device identifier associated with the device, or
a user identifier associated with a user of the application.

4. The device of claim 1 , wherein at least one of:
the output stream is associated with muted audio content and the output component is a speaker of the device; or
the output stream is associated with light emitting content and the output component is a light emitter of the device.

5. The device of claim 1 ,
wherein the one or more processors, when controlling the output component according to the output stream, are configured to:
cause the operating system of the device to provide the output stream to the output component using a main processing thread of the device,
wherein the operating system is prevented from suspending the application session in the background state based on the main processing thread being used to provide the output stream to the output component.

6. The device of claim 1 , wherein the background event comprises at least one of:
an opening of another application;
a deactivation of a graphical user interface of the application;
a shutdown of a display of the device;
an activation of a lock mode of the device; or
an activation of a standby mode of the device.

7. The device of claim 1 ,
wherein the one or more processors, when preventing the operating system of the device from suspending the application session in the background state, are configured to:
cause the operating system to permit the application session to execute in the background state after a threshold time period from detecting the background event,
wherein the operating system is preconfigured to suspend ongoing application sessions that are running in the background state of the device after the threshold time period.

8. A method, comprising:
transmitting, by a device, an advertisement associated with a short range wireless communication protocol,
wherein the advertisement is transmitted in association with a continuous discovery mode of an application session;

detecting, by the device, a background event associated with the application session;
executing, by the device, the application session in a background state based on detecting the background event;
processing, by the device, an output stream associated with the application session,
wherein the output stream is associated with executing the application session in the continuous discovery mode; and

controlling, by the device, an output component in association with providing muted audio content associated with the output stream while the application session is executing in the background state,
wherein the muted audio content is provided to prevent an operating system of the device from suspending the application session a threshold time period after the background event to permit continued transmission of the advertisement in association with the continuous discovery mode.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the advertisement is transmitted based on receiving a first user input that is associated with initiating the application session and the continuous discovery mode is activated based on a second user input that is associated with the application session.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein the advertisement includes at least one of:
a device identifier associated with the device that permits another device that receives the advertisement to discover the device, or
a user identifier associated with a user that is associated with the application session to permit the other device to identify the user.

11. The method of claim 8 , wherein the output stream is a first output stream,
wherein the method further comprises:
determining that the output component is to output audio content that is associated with a second output stream,
wherein the second output stream is associated with an audio application session that is executing on the device;

mixing the first output stream and the second output stream to form a mixed stream; and
controlling the output component to output the mixed stream to provide both the muted audio content and the audio content.

12. The method of claim 8 , wherein controlling the output component comprises:
causing the operating system of the device to provide the output stream to the output component using a main processing thread,
wherein the operating system is prevented from suspending the application session in the background state based on the main processing thread being used to provide the output stream to the output component.

13. The method of claim 8 , wherein the operating system is configured to:
suspend application sessions that are running in the background state after the threshold time period unless the application sessions are using one or more output components of the device,
wherein the output component is one of the one or more output components.

14. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:
receiving, while the application session is executing in the background state, a response that is associated with the advertisement,
wherein the response is received from another device and via the short range wireless communication protocol; and

establishing a short range wireless communication connection with the other device to enable a communication session between the device and the other device.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions, the instructions comprising:
one or more instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:
receive, an output stream associated with an application session,
wherein the output stream is associated with imperceptible content via an output component;

transmit, via a short range wireless communication component, an advertisement associated with the application session; and
configure a main processing thread that is associated with executing the application session to provide the output stream to the output component,
wherein the main processing thread is configured to provide the output stream to:
cause the output component to operate in assoc

Assignees

• Accenture Global Solutions Ltd

Inventors

• Baldassarre Emanuele
• De Marco Lucio Maria
• Del Greco Gabriele
• Valente Simone

Classifications

• H04L67/561

  Adding application-functional data or data for application control, e.g. adding metadata · CPC title

• H04L67/51

  Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services · CPC title

• H04W24/08 Primary

  Testing, {supervising or monitoring} using real traffic · CPC title

• H04W4/80 Primary

  Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication · CPC title

• G06F9/542

  Event management; Broadcasting; Multicasting; Notifications · CPC title