Dynamic device collaboration

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9838266-B2
Application number	US-201313768607-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 15, 2013
Priority date	Feb 15, 2013
Publication date	Dec 5, 2017
Grant date	Dec 5, 2017

Abstract

Using various functionalities of electronic devices such as applications that gather location information to provide a service to the user can come at the cost of significant power consumption, and consequently battery drainage. A data sharing system enables the creation of a network of participant devices where participant devices in the network can take turns in collecting and sharing data with the rest of the participant devices in the network. The one or more participant devices can share the obtained data through Bluetooth® low energy (BTLE) or other low consumption channel, so that the ensemble of participant devices could have better battery life, higher availability, and/or better accuracy, compared to each device having to individually obtain the data.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
identifying, by a first device in a plurality of devices, the plurality of devices to be part of a local network for sharing one or more predetermined information items;
receiving a selection of the one or more predetermined information items;
determining a requirement specific to being able to provide the one or more predetermined information items, wherein the requirement includes providing a location;
determining a set of hardware and networking capabilities for each of the plurality of devices;
identifying, by the first device, a subset of the plurality of devices that are potential hosts based on whether the set of hardware and networking capabilities for each of the plurality of devices meets the requirement specific to being able to provide the one or more predetermined information items, the subset of the plurality of devices including the first device;
determining a sharing pattern for the local network, the sharing pattern designating a particular device from the subset of the plurality of devices to obtain and share the one or more predetermined information items with other devices in the plurality of devices for a first period of time, the sharing pattern further designating another device from the subset of devices to obtain and share the one or more predetermined information items when one or more criteria is satisfied;
receiving, at the first device, an indication to obtain the one or more predetermined information items for the plurality of devices for the first period of time, the indication being based on the sharing pattern;
obtaining, by the first device, the one or more predetermined information items for the plurality of devices for the first period of time;
distributing, by the first device, the one or more predetermined information items to the other devices in the plurality of devices;
determining, based on a periodic polling of the subset of devices, that a second device satisfies the one or more criteria, wherein the subset of devices includes the second device; and
notifying the second device to obtain the one or more predetermined information items for the plurality of devices.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more criteria is satisfied when power level of the second device has reached a threshold.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the sharing pattern further designates the other device to obtain and share the one or more predetermined information items with other devices in the plurality of devices for a second period of time when the one or more criteria is satisfied.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
creating a data sharing session for the plurality of devices using the local network, wherein the plurality of devices communicate with each other via the local network.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more predetermined information items includes at least one of a location, a weather condition, a frequency, or a time.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the sharing pattern is determined based on at least one of a battery life of the plurality of devices, a network connectivity of the plurality of devices, or hardware capability of the plurality of devices.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more predetermined information items is obtained on a periodic basis.

8. The method of claim 3 , further comprising:
sharing the sharing pattern for the local network with the other devices in the plurality of devices; and
causing, based on the sharing pattern, the other device in the plurality of devices to obtain the one or more predetermined information items for the second period of time after the first period of time.

9. An electronic device comprising:
a processor;
a memory device coupled to the processor, the memory device including instructions to be executed, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:
identify a plurality of devices to be part of a local network for sharing one or more predetermined information items;
receive a selection of the one or more predetermined information items;
determine a requirement specific to being able to provide the one or more predetermined information items, wherein the requirement includes providing a location;
determine a set of hardware and networking capabilities for each of the plurality of devices;
identify a subset of the plurality of devices that are potential hosts based on whether the set of hardware and networking capabilities for each of the plurality of devices meetings the requirement specific to being able to provide the one or more predetermined information items, the subset of the plurality of devices including the electronic device;
determine a sharing pattern for the local network, the sharing pattern designating a particular device from the subset of the plurality of devices to obtain and share the one or more predetermined information items with other devices in the plurality of devices for a first period of time, the sharing pattern further designating another device from the subset of devices to obtain and share the one or more predetermined information items when one or more criteria is satisfied;
receive an indication to obtain the one or more predetermined information items for the plurality of devices for the first period of time, the indication being based on the sharing pattern;
obtain the one or more predetermined information items for the plurality of devices for the first period of time;
distribute the one or more predetermined information items to the other devices in the plurality of devices;
determine, based on a periodic polling of the subset of devices, that a second device satisfies the one or more criteria, wherein the subset of devices includes the second device; and
notify the second device to obtain the one or more predetermined information items for the plurality of devices.

10. The electronic device of claim 9 , wherein the one or more criteria is satisfied when a power level of the second device has reached a threshold.

11. The electronic device of claim 9 , wherein the sharing pattern further designates the other device to obtain and share the one or more predetermined information items with other devices in the plurality of devices for a second period of time when the one or more criteria is satisfied.

12. The electronic device of claim 9 , wherein the instructions further cause the processor to:
create a data sharing session for the plurality of devices using the local network, wherein the plurality of devices communicate with each other via the local network.

13. The electronic device of claim 9 , wherein the one or more predetermined information items includes at least one of a location, a weather condition, a frequency, or a time.

14. The electronic device of claim 9 , wherein the sharing pattern is determined based on at least one of a battery life of the plurality of devices, a network connectivity of the plurality of devices, or hardware capability of the plurality of devices.

15. A computer product comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium storing a plurality of instructions that when executed cause a processor to perform a set of instructions, the set of instructions comprising:
identifying, by a first device in a plurality of devices, the plurality of devices to be part of a local network for sharing one or more predetermined information items;
presenting a plurality of information items on a graphical user interface of the first device;
receiving a selection of the one or more predetermined information items from the plurali

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Bruins Jay N
• Soto Matamala Leonardo A
• Huang Ronald K

Classifications

• H04W52/0261

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

• H04L41/26 Primary

  using dedicated tools for LAN [Local Area Network] management · CPC title

• Y02B60/50

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• H04W52/0209 Primary

  in terminal devices · CPC title

• H04W52/0219

  where the power saving management affects multiple terminals · CPC title