Using a wireless radio to manage power consumption

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9246554-B2
Application number	US-201313842156-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 15, 2013
Priority date	May 31, 2011
Publication date	Jan 26, 2016
Grant date	Jan 26, 2016

Abstract

Particular embodiments of a wireless communication system comprise a wireless device and a base station having at least one network connection and an RF transceiver. The base station may be configured to generate an RF signal and communicate with the wireless device using backscatter communication. The wireless device may be configured to generate operating power for the wireless device from the RF signal and to receive data transmitted using the RF signal and communicate data to the base station using backscatter communication.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A wireless communication system comprising:
a wireless device associated with a user of a social-networking system, the user being represented by a user node in a social graph of the social-networking system; and
a base station comprising:
a network connection configured to receive information from the social-networking system, the information comprising a plurality of content portions; and
a radio-frequency (RF) transceiver configured to transmit data to the wireless device using an RF signal, wherein:
the data transmitted to the wireless device comprises at least one of the content portions received from the social-networking system; and
at least some of the data transmitted to the wireless device is limited or prioritized based at least in part on social-networking information associated with the user, wherein the social-networking information associated with the user comprises a plurality of affinity coefficients corresponding, respectively, to the plurality of content portions, wherein each affinity coefficient represents an affinity of the user for one of the content portions and is based at least in part on a degree of separation in the social graph between the user node and another node associated with the one of the content portions;

wherein the wireless device is configured to:
generate operating power for the wireless device from the RF signal;
receive the data transmitted by the RF transceiver using the RF signal; and
communicate other data to the base station using backscatter communication.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the wireless device is configured to use the operating power generated from the RF signal to receive the data transmitted using the RF signal.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the wireless device is configured to receive the data transmitted using the RF signal by relying only on the operating power generated from the RF signal.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the wireless device is configured to generate a low-power alert.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the low-power alert is generated by either an integrated component or a peripheral device.

6. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of wireless devices each having a unique address, and each configured to generate operating power from the RF signal, and wherein the base station is configured to receive backscatter communication from each of the plurality of wireless devices.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the base station is configured to transmit data to each of the wireless devices using the RF signal.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the social-networking information associated with the user further comprises a degree of separation in the social graph between the user node and another user node representing another user, wherein the another user is associated with one or more of the content portions.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the each affinity coefficient is further based on a distance between a current location of the wireless device and a location associated with the one of the content portions.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one of the content portions transmitted to the wireless device are each associated with an affinity coefficient that is above a particular threshold affinity value.

11. A method comprising:
transmitting, by a radio-frequency (RF) transceiver of a base station, data to a wireless device using an RF signal, wherein:
the wireless device is associated with a user of a social-networking system, the user being represented by a user node in a social graph of the social-networking system;
the base station comprises a network connection configured to receive information from the social-networking system, the information comprising a plurality of content portions;
the data transmitted to the wireless device comprises at least one of the content portions received from the social-networking system; and
at least some of the data transmitted to the wireless device is limited or prioritized based at least in part on social-networking information associated with the user, wherein the social-networking information associated with the user comprises a plurality of affinity coefficients corresponding, respectively, to the plurality of content portions, wherein each affinity coefficient represents an affinity of the user for one of the content portions and is based at least in part on a degree of separation in the social graph between the user node and another node in the social graph associated with the one of the content portions; and

receiving, by the base station, other data from the wireless device, wherein the wireless device is configured to:
generate operating power for the wireless device from the RF signal;
receive the data transmitted by the RF transceiver using the RF signal; and
communicate the other data from the wireless device to the base station using backscatter communication.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the wireless device is configured to use the operating power generated from the RF signal to receive the data transmitted using the RF signal.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the wireless device is configured to receive the data transmitted using the RF signal by relying only on the operating power generated from the RF signal.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein the wireless device is configured to generate a low-power alert.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the low-power alert is generated by either an integrated component or a peripheral device.

16. The method of claim 11 , further comprising, receiving, by the base station, backscatter communication from each of a plurality of wireless devices, each of the wireless devices having a unique address, and each of the wireless devices configured to generate operating power from the RF signal.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the base station is configured to transmit data to each of the wireless devices using the RF signal.

18. The method of claim 11 , wherein the social-networking information associated with the user further comprises a degree of separation in the social graph between the user node and another user node representing another user, wherein the another user is associated with one or more of the content portions.

19. The method of claim 11 , wherein the each affinity coefficient is further based on a distance between a current location of the wireless device and a location associated with the one of the content portions.

20. The method of claim 11 , wherein the at least one of the content portions transmitted to the wireless device are each associated with an affinity coefficient that is above a particular threshold affinity value.

21. One or more computer-readable non-transitory storage media embodying software that is operable when executed to:
transmit, by a radio-frequency (RF) transceiver of a base station, data to a wireless device using an RF signal, wherein:
the wireless device is associated with a user of a social-networking system, the user being represented by a user node in a social graph of the social-networking system;
the base station comprises a network connection configured to receive information from the social-networking system, the information comprising a plurality of content portions;
the data transmitted to the wireless device comprises at least one of the content portions received from the social-networking system; and
at least some of the data transmitted to the wireless de

Assignees

• Maguire Yael G
• Facebook Inc

Inventors

• Maguire Yael G

Classifications

• H02J7/42

  with electronic devices having internal batteries, e.g. mobile phones · CPC title

• H04M1/6066

  including a wireless connection · CPC title

• H04W52/0261

  managing power supply demand, e.g. depending on battery level · CPC title

• H04B5/0037 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H02J7/025

  Electricity · mapped topic