Software Technology for Bluetooth connection establishment

Apple Inc. (Cupertino, CA)

The present disclosure provides embodiments that permit wireless connections between hosts device and an accessory device and the device. One example of a method for connecting an accessory device with an host device is by transmitting multiple beacons of advertising over wireless media. Each beacon could include information that indicates a date at which the device will begin the page scan. The accessory device can initiate the page scan at a specified time. It may also be able to receive pages from the host device within a page scan window over the wireless medium. You can make use of the pages received to create an ad-hoc network connection the accessory device and the host device.

Ad-hoc wireless networks that include hosts and an accessory device or two have become more popular in recent years. Wireless devices such as the smartphone as well as an accessory like wireless headphones can be connected to the smartphone and used to stream music and make phone calls. Wireless networks that are ad-hoc (e.g., Bluetooth networks) offer reliable and convenient connectivity between devices. They can be troublesome due to delay in setting up the network. The delay can adversely affect a user’s experience with usage of devices connected to the network.

The present disclosure provides an approach to create a connection between a host device and its accessory devices via the wireless medium. A number of accessory devices can be connected to a host device by different methods. The wireless transmission of multiple advertising beacons is possible. In certain instances an advertisement beacon could include information indicating a predetermined time when the accessory device willbegin a page scan. The accessory device may begin the page scan at a specified time and also receive pages from the host device using the wireless medium during page scanning. Some or all pages that are received can be used to create an an ad-hoc network connection between the accessory device and the host device.

In some embodiments, an advertising beacon could include information that identifies the duration of a page scan window, the value of a clock for the accessory device at the start of the page scan window, information that identifies a channel to be used in the window of page scan and/or a temporal offset from a time the advertised beacon is broadcast until the start of the page scan window. The beacons may be utilized as Bluetooth low-energy beacons, or beacons that conform to different radio protocols. The beacons for advertising can be sent at any time or at intervals determined by a dynamic algorithm. The advertising beacons can include information that is dynamically updated. In some cases the transmission of the advertising beacons as well as the opening of the page scan window could require a sequence of actions that cannot interrupt and must be completed prior to any other process can start.

Some embodiments may include devices and methods of establishing a connection over wireless media between these devices, e.g., between an accessory device and a host device. The methods may include receiving an advertising beacon containinginformation that identifies a time when the accessory device will begin a page scan window. The host device could continue to scan during the window of page scans, e.g. after or at the start of the page scan window as specified by the advertising beacon. The host device may then be able to connect to the accessory device via the wireless medium. In certain embodiments, the hostdevice may determine if the device is near to the host device based on received advertisingbeacons.

In some embodiments, a second beacon that also contains information identifying the time at which the accessory device will begin the page scan can also be transmitted/received. The transmission times of the second beacon may differ from the first beacon. However the information can be used to determine when the accessory device will begin the page scan.

Other embodiments comprise devices and methods of connecting the host device and an accessory device. In some embodiments the host device can detect that the device in question is near the host device. The accessory device could send a connection signal. The connection request might contain information that identifies a value for a clock on a host device. The accessory device can then acknowledge the host device. An exchange of data between the accessory device and the host device could then be established, e.g., in order to create an ad-hoc wireless network.

The host device may detect one or more wireless beacons that are transmitted by the accessory device to determine if the accessory device is within the range of the host device. The one or more beacons could be implemented as Bluetooth low energy beacons , or beacons that conform to other radio protocols, according to certain embodiments.

In certain embodiments, the devices for and methods of creating wireless connections between an accessory device and a host device are offered. The accessory device can send one or more advertising beacons in accordance with certain examples. The accessory device will receive a connection request from host device. The request for connection could contain information about the host device’s clock value. The clock on the local device of an accessory device could be synchronized with theclock of the host device and a connection with the host device could be established using the synchronized local clock.

Click here to view the patent on USPTO website.

 

Get Patents with PatentPC

What is a patent?

Granted by the government to safeguard an invention, a patent provides the inventor with the exclusive right to create, use, sell and promote the invention?society benefits when a new technology is brought into the marketplace. These benefits may be directly realized as people can achieve previously unattainable feats, or indirectly by the opportunities for economic growth that innovation offers (business growth, jobs).

Many drug companies and university researchers seek patent protection for their work and research. Patents may cover the physical or abstract nature of a product or process or a method or composition of materials unique to the field. Patent protection must be granted to an invention that is useful, novel, and not yet known by other people in the same area.

Patents are a way to give inventors a reward for commercially successful inventions. They provide a motivation for inventors to come up with new ideas. Patents permit inventors and small businesses to be confident that there’s a good chance they will be paid back for their time, effort and investment in the development of technology. It means that they can earn a living from their work.

Businesses that have the capacity to:

Protect your innovative products and services

Enhance the visibility and worth of your products on market

Make your company and products stand out from the competition;

Access to business and technical knowledge and information;

Avoid accidentally using third-party content or you could lose valuable data, creative outputs, and other outputs.

Patents can transform an inventor’s knowledge into a marketable asset, which creates new opportunities to create jobs and boost expansion of businesses by licensing or joint ventures.

Small businesses that have patent protection are more attractive to investors involved in the commercialization and development of technology.

Patenting could lead to the development of new ideas and inventions. This information could encourage innovation and may qualify for patent protection.

Patents can serve as a deterrent to untrustworthy third parties that profit from an invention’s efforts.

The profits from technology patents that are successful and commercially viable can be used to fund the development of technology through research and development (R&D) that will boost the likelihood of improved technology in the coming years.

Intellectual property ownership can be used to convince lenders and investors that there are real chances to commercialize your product. A single patent could lead to multiple financing opportunities. Patents as well as other IP assets can be used as collateral or as security for debt financing. Investors can also see your patent assets in order to boost the value of their company. Forbes and others have pointed out that each patent could increase the value of your company by as much as $500,000 to $1 million.

A properly-crafted business plan is essential for new businesses. It should be based on IP and show how your product/service stands out. Additionally, investors will be impressed when you prove that your IP rights are secured or are is in the process of becoming secure and that they are in line with your business plan.

It is crucial to keep an invention secret before submitting a patent application. Public divulging an invention could often damage its novelty and make it invalid. Therefore, prior filing disclosures (e.g., for test-marketing investors, test-marketing, or any other business partners) must only be done following the signing of a confidentiality agreement.

There are many kinds of patents. Understanding the different types of patents is vital to safeguard your invention. Utility patents cover new processes and machine creations. Design patents cover ornamental designs. Utility patents are best and protect the owner against copycats and other competitors. In most cases they are granted for alterations or improvements to existing inventions. Utility patents also cover enhancements and modifications in existing inventions. A process patent would cover the acts or methods of performing a specific act. But, a chemical composition would include the combination of ingredients.

How long does a patent last? Although utility patents last for 20 years from the date of their earliest filing, they may be extended by delay at the Patent Office.

Are you interested in the patenting of your idea? Patents are granted only to the first applicants to file so you must file quickly. Contact PatentPC today to file your patent application approved!

When you are writing your patent application, you should do a patent search. the search will give you an understanding of other people’s concepts. This can help you limit the potential of your invention. Furthermore, you’ll learn about state of the technology in your field of invention. You’ll get a better understanding of what your invention should be and be better prepared to write your patent application.

How to Search for Patents

The first step in getting your patent is to do a patent search. You can do a google patent search or do a USPTO search. Patent-pending is the term for the product included in the patent application. You can search for the public pair to locate the patent application. After the patent office has approved the patent application, you will be able to conduct a patent number search to find the patent that was issued which means that your product is now patented. Alongside the USPTO search engine, you can also utilize other search engines like espacenet, as detailed below. You can get help from an attorney who is a patent or patent attorney. In the US, patents are granted by the US trademark and patent office or by the United States patent and trademark office, which also reviews trademark applications.

Are you interested in finding similar patents? These are the steps you should follow:

1. Brainstorm terms that describe your invention, based on the purpose, composition and application.

Write down a concise detailed description of the invention. Do not use generic terms like “device”, “process” or “system”. Instead, think about synonyms for the terms you chose initially. Next, note important technical terms and keywords.

Use the questions below to help you determine key words or concepts.

• What is the goal of the invention? Is it a utilitarian device or an ornamental design?
• Invention is a method to make something or carry out a function? Is it an item?
• What is the purpose and composition of the invention? What is the physical composition of the invention?
• What’s the purpose of this invention?
• What are technical terms and keywords that describe the essence of an invention? A technical dictionary can help you identify the correct terms.

2. These terms will enable you to search for pertinent Cooperative Patent Classifications at Classification Search Tool. If you are unable to find the correct classification to describe your invention, look through the class Schemas (class schedules) and try again. If you don’t see any results from the Classification Text Search, you might consider substituting your words that describe your invention using synonyms.

3. Review the CPC Classification Definition to verify the validity of the CPC classification that you have discovered. The hyperlink to a CPC classification definition is given if the chosen classification title has a blue box that includes “D” on its left. CPC classification definitions can help you determine the applicable classification’s scope, so you can pick the one that is the most appropriate. Additionally, these definitions can include search tips and other suggestions that may be useful for further study.

4. Get patent documents using the CPC classification from the Patents Full-Text and Image Database. By focusing on the abstracts and representative drawings it is possible to narrow your search for the most relevant patent publications.

5. This collection of patent publication is the best to examine for similarities to your invention. Pay attention to the claims and specifications. Refer to the applicant and patent examiner for additional patents.

6. Retrieve published patent applications with the CPC classification you chose in Step 3 from the Applications Full-Text and Image Database. It is also possible to use the same strategy of searching you employed in step 4 to limit down your search results to the most relevant patents by reading the abstracts as well as the drawings on each page. After that, take a close look at the patent applications published and pay particular attention to the claims as well as additional drawings.

7. Find other US patent publications by keywords searching in the PatFT and AppFT databases, classification searching of non-U.S. patents according to below, and also searching for non-patent literature disclosures of inventions using web search engines. Here are some examples:

• Add keywords to your search. Keyword searches may turn up documents that are not well-categorized or have missed classifications during Step 2. For example, US patent examiners often supplement their classification searches with keyword searches. Think about the use of technical engineering terminology rather than everyday words.
• Search for foreign patents using the CPC classification. Then, re-run the search using international patent office search engines such as Espacenet, the European Patent Office’s worldwide patent publication database of over 130 million patent publications. Other national databases include:
• European Patent Office (EPO) provides esp@cenet to access a network of Europe’s patent databases with access to machine translation of European patents. 
• Japan Patent Office (JPO) – with access to machine translations of Japanese patents.
• World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) offers PATENTSCOPE with a full-text search of published international patent applications and machine translations for some documents, as well as a list of international patent databases.
• Korean Intellectual Property Rights Information Service (KIPRIS)
• State Intellectual Property Office (SIPO) with machine translation of Chinese patents.
• Other International Intellectual Property Offices with online patent databases include Australia, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, India, Israel, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, and Taiwan.
• Search non-patent literature. Inventions can be made public in many non-patent publications. It is recommended that you search journals, books, websites, technical catalogs, conference proceedings, and other print and electronic publications.

To review your search, you can hire a registered patent attorney to assist. A preliminary search will help one better prepare to talk about their invention and other related inventions with a professional patent attorney. In addition, the attorney will not spend too much time or money on patenting basics.