Reverse wireless discovery for adding an IoT device to an IoT ecosystem

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12309036-B2
Application number	US-202318466057-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 13, 2023
Priority date	Jul 6, 2023
Publication date	May 20, 2025
Grant date	May 20, 2025

Abstract

A method and system to facilitate adding a new IoT device to an IoT ecosystem that includes an existing IoT device, where a mobile device is configured to control the IoT ecosystem. In an example, the new device detects a wireless broadcast from the existing device that provides identification information of the mobile device. In response, the new device then uses the provided identification information of the mobile device as a basis to scan for and discover wireless presence of the mobile device. And responsive to the discovering wireless presence of the mobile device based on the mobile-phone identification information provided by the existing device, the new device then transmits to the mobile device, via the existing device as a wireless proxy, new-device information about the new device—which enables the mobile device to prompt for and obtain user approval to add the new device to the IoT ecosystem.

First claim

We claim:

1. A method to facilitate adding a new Internet of Things (IoT) device to an IoT ecosystem, wherein a mobile device is configured to control the IoT ecosystem, the method comprising:
using, by the new IoT device, identification information of the mobile device as a basis to scan for and discover wireless presence of the mobile device; and
responsive to the discovering of the wireless presence of the mobile device based on use of the identification information of the mobile device, transmitting by the new IoT device to the mobile device new-device information about the new IoT device, wherein transmitting the new-device information to the mobile device enables the mobile device to prompt for and obtain user approval to add the new IoT device to the IoT ecosystem.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the IoT ecosystem further includes an existing IoT device, and wherein transmitting by the new IoT device to the mobile device the new-device information about the new IoT device is via the existing IoT device as a wireless proxy.

3. The method of claim 1 ,
wherein the identification information of the mobile device comprises a Media Access Control (MAC) address of the mobile device, and
wherein using by the new IoT device the identification information of the mobile device as a basis to scan for and discover wireless presence of the mobile device comprises scanning by the new IoT device in search of a wireless communication based on the wireless communication specifying the MAC address as a source MAC address of the wireless communication.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein using by the new IoT device the identification information of the mobile device as a basis to scan for and discover wireless presence of the mobile device comprises:
discovering the wireless presence of the mobile device based on detecting that a receive signal strength of the wireless communication at the new IoT device is at least as high as a predefined threshold level of signal strength indicating that the mobile device is proximate to the new IoT device.

5. The method of claim 1 ,
wherein using by the new IoT device the identification information of the mobile device as a basis to scan for and discover wireless presence of the mobile device comprises:
monitoring by the new IoT device to detect presence of a WiFi communication based on the WiFi communication (i) having the identification information of the mobile device and (ii) having a receive signal strength at the new IoT device that is at least as high as a predefined threshold level of signal strength indicating that the mobile device is proximate to the new IoT device.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein transmitting by the new IoT device to the mobile device the new-device information about the new IoT device comprises transmitting the new-device information in WiFi signaling from the new IoT device, to enable forwarding of the new-device information to the mobile device.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein forwarding of the new-device information to the mobile device is via a WiFi access point.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
based on the user approval to add the new IoT device to the IoT ecosystem, the new IoT device becoming added to the IoT ecosystem, thereby enabling the mobile device to control the new IoT device.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the new IoT device is new by being factory reset or by not having been previously used.

10. A system to facilitate adding a new Internet of Things (IoT) device to an IoT ecosystem, wherein a mobile device is configured to control the IoT ecosystem, the system comprising:
at least one processor in the new IoT device;
at least one non-transitory data storage in the new IoT device;
program instructions stored in the at least one non-transitory data storage and executable by the at least one processor to cause the new IoT device to carry out operations including:
using identification information of the mobile device as a basis to scan for and discover wireless presence of the mobile device, and
responsive to the discovering of the wireless presence of the mobile device based on use of the identification information of the mobile device, transmitting to the mobile device new-device information about the new IoT device, wherein transmitting the new-device information to the mobile device enables the mobile device to prompt for and obtain user approval to add the new IoT device to the IoT ecosystem.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the IoT ecosystem further includes an existing IoT device, and wherein transmitting by the new IoT device to the mobile device the new-device information about the new IoT device is via the existing IoT device as a wireless proxy.

12. The system of claim 10 ,
wherein the provided identification information of the mobile device comprises a Media Access Control (MAC) address of the mobile device, and
wherein using the identification information of the mobile device as a basis to scan for and discover wireless presence of the mobile device comprises scanning in search of a wireless communication based on the wireless communication specifying the MAC address as a source MAC address of the wireless communication.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein using the identification information of the mobile device as a basis to scan for and discover wireless presence of the mobile device comprises:
discovering the wireless presence of the mobile device based on detecting that a receive signal strength of the wireless communication at the new IoT device is at least as high as a predefined threshold level of signal strength indicating that the mobile device is proximate to the new IoT device.

14. The system of claim 10 ,
wherein using the provided identification information of the mobile device as a basis to scan for and discover wireless presence of the mobile device comprises:
monitoring to detect presence of a WiFi communication based on the WiFi communication (i) having the identification information of the mobile device and (ii) having a receive signal strength at the new IoT device that is at least as high as a predefined threshold level of signal strength indicating that the mobile device is proximate to the new IoT device.

15. The system of claim 10 , wherein transmitting to the mobile device the new-device information about the new IoT device comprises transmitting the new-device information in WiFi signaling from the new IoT device, to enable forwarding of the new-device information to the mobile device.

16. The system of claim 15 , wherein forwarding of the new-device information to the mobile device is via a WiFi access point.

17. The system of claim 10 , wherein the operations additionally include:
based on the user approval to add the new IoT device to the IoT ecosystem, the new IoT device becoming added to the IoT ecosystem, thereby enabling the mobile device to control the new IoT device.

18. The system of claim 10 , wherein the new IoT device is new by being factory reset or by not having been previously used.

19. At least one non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon program instructions executable by at least one processor to cause a new Internet of Things (IoT) device to carry out operations to facilitate adding the new IoT device to an IoT ecosystem, wherein a mobile device is configured to control the IoT ecosystem, the operations comprising:
using identification information of the mobile device as a basis to scan for and discover wireless presence of the mobile device

Assignees

• Roku Inc

Inventors

• Sassenrath Carl
• Garner Greg

Classifications

• H04W8/005

  Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals · CPC title

• H04W48/10

  using broadcasted information · CPC title

• H04L67/12 Primary

  specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks · CPC title

• H04L67/51

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

• H04L41/12 Primary

  Discovery or management of network topologies · CPC title