Communications system providing data transfer using selective wireless communications formats and related methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9961182-B2
Application number	US-201113037002-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 28, 2011
Priority date	Sep 23, 2010
Publication date	May 1, 2018
Grant date	May 1, 2018

Abstract

A communications system may include a plurality of electronic devices each configured to wirelessly communicate via an NFC format and another wireless communications format(s). A first electronic device may have an NFC transfer parameter associated therewith, and may be configured to establish an NFC link with a second electronic device of the plurality of electronic devices when in proximity therewith, designate data to be transferred to the second electronic device, and determine whether the designated data complies with the NFC transfer parameter. Based on a determination that the designated data complies with the NFC transfer parameter, the first electronic device may be configured to transfer at least some of the designated data via the NFC link, and otherwise transfer at least some of the designated data to the second electronic device over a separate wireless communications link using the at least one other wireless communications format.

First claim

That which is claimed is:

1. A communications system comprising:
a plurality of electronic devices each configured to wirelessly communicate via a near-field communication (NFC) format and at least one other wireless communications format;
wherein a first electronic device of the plurality of electronic devices has an NFC transfer parameter associated therewith, wherein the NFC transfer parameter comprises a data security threshold,
wherein the first electronic device performs operations comprising:
establishing an NFC link with a second electronic device of the plurality of electronic devices when in proximity therewith;
presenting output data via an output device coupled to the first electronic device, wherein the output data is associated with indicia of the output data;
identifying the indicia of the output data based on the presenting of the output data via the output device;
designating the indicia of the output data to obtain designated data to be transferred to the second electronic device responsive to the presenting of the output data via the output device, wherein a data security level of a plurality of data security levels is associated with the designated data, allowing for a determination whether the designated data is compliant with the NFC transfer parameter, based on the data security threshold associated with the designated data exceeding the data security level;
based on the determination being that the designated data is compliant with the NFC transfer parameter, transferring at least some of the designated data to the second electronic device via the NFC link, and
based on the determination being that the designated data fails to comply with the NFC transfer parameter:
exchanging connection data over the NFC link for establishing a separate wireless communications link with the second electronic device using the at least one other wireless communication format; and
establishing the separate wireless communications link with the second electronic device based upon the connection data and transfer at least some of the designated data to the second electronic device over the separate wireless communications link using the at least one other wireless communications format.

2. The communications system of claim 1 wherein the operations further comprise:
determining whether the designated data is compliant with the NFC transfer parameter based upon a size of the designated data; and
presenting a prompt via the first electronic device based on the designated data, wherein the transferring of the at least some of the designated data to the second electronic device via one of the NFC link, the separate wireless communications link or both is further based on a response to the prompt received via the first electronic device.

3. The communications system of claim 1 wherein the designated data has a given content type associated therewith from among a plurality of different content types, and wherein the operations further comprise determining whether the designated data is compliant with the NFC transfer parameter based upon the given content type of the designated data.

4. The communications system of claim 1 wherein the at least one other wireless communications format comprises a Bluetooth format, wherein the operations further comprise:
detecting an interruption of the transferring of a first portion of the at least some of the designated data to the second electronic device via the NFC link;
responsive to the detecting of the interruption:
establishing the separate wireless communications link with the second electronic device using the at least one other wireless communication format; and
transferring a second portion of the at least some of the designated data to the second electronic device over the separate wireless communications link using the at least one other wireless communications format.

5. The communications system of claim 1 wherein the output device comprises a display device, wherein the presenting of the output data comprises displaying the output data via the display device, and wherein the designated data is designated based upon the displaying of the output data via the display device.

6. The communications system of claim 1 wherein the designated data comprises at least one of audio data, image data, video data, markup language data, Internet address data, text data, contact data, calendar data, or message data.

7. The communications system of claim 1 wherein the first electronic device comprises a mobile wireless communications device and, wherein the plurality of data security levels comprises a public security level, a confidential security level and a strictly confidential security level, wherein the output data comprises a Web page, and wherein the indicia of the output data comprises a uniform resource locator (URL).

8. A mobile wireless communications device for use with an electronic device configured to wirelessly communicate via a near-field communication (NFC) format and at least one other wireless communications format, the mobile wireless communications device comprising:
an NFC transceiver;
a wireless communications transceiver configured to communicate using the at least one other wireless communications format; and
a processing system including a processor coupled to the NFC transceiver and the wireless communications transceiver, wherein the processor facilitates performance of operations comprising:
facilitating presentation of output data via an output device coupled to the mobile wireless communications device, wherein the output data is associated with indicia of the output data;
facilitating identification of the indicia of the output data based on the presentation of the output data via the output device;
designating the indicia of the output data to obtain designated data to be transferred to the electronic device responsive to the presentation of the output data via the output device;
causing the NFC transceiver to establish an NFC link with the electronic device when in proximity therewith, wherein a data security level of a plurality of data security levels is associated with the designated data, allowing for a determination whether the designated data is compliant with an NFC transfer parameter comprising a data security threshold, wherein compliance of the designated data with the NFC transfer parameter is based on the data security threshold exceeding the data security level;
based on the determination being that the designated data is compliant with the NFC transfer parameter, transferring at least some of the designated data to the electronic device via the NFC link, and
based on the determination being that the designated data fails to comply with the NFC transfer parameter:
exchanging connection data over the NFC link for establishing a separate wireless communications link with the electronic device using the at least one other wireless communication format; and
establishing the separate wireless communications link with the electronic device based upon the connection data and transfer at least some of the designated data to the electronic device over the separate wireless communications link using the at least one other wireless communications format.

9. The mobile wireless communications device of claim 8 wherein the operations further comprise:
determining whether the designated data is compliant with the NFC transfer parameter based upon a size of the designated data; and
presenting a prompt via the mobile wireless communications device responsive to the designating of the indicia of the output data, wherein the transferring of the at least some of the designated data to the electronic device via one of the NFC link or the

Assignees

• Walker David Ryan
• Moosavi Vahid
• Blackberry Ltd

Inventors

• Walker David Ryan
• Moosavi Vahid

Classifications

• H04M2250/04

  including near field communication means, e.g. RFID · CPC title

• H04W4/008

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04M1/7253 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04L69/18 Primary

  Multiprotocol handlers, e.g. single devices capable of handling multiple protocols · CPC title

• H04W88/06

  adapted for operation in multiple networks {or having at least two operational modes}, e.g. multi-mode terminals · CPC title