Patent Grant
9137630
This application is a National Stage application of co-pending PCT application PCT/NL2010/050310 filed May 21, 2010, which claims the benefit of EP application number 09160934.7 filed May 22, 2009, EP application number 09160930.5 filed May 22, 2009, and EP application number 09179950.2 filed Dec. 18, 2009. These applications are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.
The present invention relates to a system for device identifications. More in particular, the present invention relates to a scalable system arranged for identifying devices, especially but not exclusively proximate mobile devices. Such a system may comprise at least one correlation server for correlating sets of identifications received from the devices, and at least one application server for carrying out an application in response to a correlated identification.
Mobile devices, such as mobile (cellular) telephones, PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants), laptop computers, and (portable) gaming consoles increasingly have multiple functions. Modern mobile telephones, for example, are not only suitable for making telephone calls but often also include a calculator, a calendar, and even games. Mobile phone games are typically designed for a single player, involving only the mobile device they are played on. However, some types of games require multiple players, each player using his/her own device. Before a multiple player game can begin, the players have to be selected and, accordingly, their mobile devices have to be identified.
It is possible to identify other mobile (or non-mobile) devices using a stored phone list containing the telephone numbers of other mobile devices and the respective names of their owners. However, the phone list contains no information regarding the availability and proximity of the other mobile devices. If a multiple player game is to be played with a group of players who are located in each other's vicinity, for example within viewing distance, the mobile devices of that group have to be identified in another way. Of course it is possible to manually enter the telephone numbers of participating mobile devices, if these numbers are known. However, this is cumbersome and prone to errors, in particular when the telephone numbers have to be read aloud.
Using Bluetooth© for identifying devices is also cumbersome. An elaborate procedure is required in which another device is selected from a so-called device discovery list and a password may be required to enable Bluetooth© pairing. This procedure is neither quick nor effortless.
Accordingly, there is a need for a simple yet effective identification mechanism for mobile devices located in each other's vicinity.
Such an identification mechanism can also be used in mobile devices other than mobile telephones, for example in PDAs, laptop computers and so-called notebook computers. An identification mechanism may not only be used in gaming applications, as PDAs and similar devices may in general need to identify other devices in order to initiate a transaction between the devices. An example of a transaction is exchanging information, such as data files, calendar appointments, and other information.
The identification mechanism would primarily be used for (mobile or non-mobile) devices which are located in each other's vicinity, as remote devices would not likely be involved in a multiple player game or data exchange. In particular, it is often desired to invite (the owner of) a device to join a game, to engage in gaming interaction, to exchange a data file, to exchange an electronic business card, to carry out a financial transaction or to exchange calendar data when (the owner of) the device is in view. For the invited device to join the game or exchange data, it first has to be identified. Accordingly, there is a need to automatically identify proximate devices and to subsequently activate a service, such as a game, involving the identified proximate devices.
International Patent Application WO2009/014438 (TNO/KPN) discloses a method of identifying proximate mobile devices by using sensory identifiers. The system of WO2009/014438, which may involve a server for verification and/or correlation, is very useful but is as such not scalable. That is, it is not possible to add one or more correlation servers without extensive modifications to the system.
It is an object of the present invention to overcome these and other problems of the Prior Art and to provide a system for identifying devices, for example a system according to WO2009/014438, which is scalable.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a scalable method for identifying devices.
Accordingly, the present invention provides a system for identifying devices arranged for detecting a sensory identifier and transmitting request messages containing representations of the detected sensory identifier, the system comprising at least one correlation server for correlating representations received from the devices so as to match two or more of those devices, characterised by at least one proxy server for routing a request message from a device to at least one correlation server, the routing being dependent on contents of the request messages.
By providing at least one proxy server for routing request messages to the at least one correlation server, the system has become scalable: it is now possible to add correlation servers without substantially altering the system. In addition, it is also possible to add devices without substantially altering the system. Accordingly, the system of the present invention is capable of accommodating a large number of users and user applications.
By making the routing dependent on contents of the request messages, these messages can be routed to selected correlation servers which may each be dedicated to a particular application or group of users.
In a preferred embodiment, each request message comprises the respective representation of the sensory identifier, and each request message further contains at least one of:
In a further preferred embodiment, a request message may further comprise an event fingerprint which comprises a representation of environmental information, such as the temperature, at the location of the device which detected the sensory identifier and hence produced the respective representation of the sensory identifier and the associated request message, and at the time the sensory identifier was detected.
In other words, event fingerprints contain data describing an event. An event fingerprint may describe the production of a sound (clapping hands, two mobile devices touching), the production of an image (symbol, bar code, movement), or pressing a button. Event fingerprints, therefore, provide additional information relating to the event, in addition to the (representation of the) sensory identifier, and assist in determining which devices are in each other's proximity. Event fingerprints, may also include data concerning the air pressure and/or other parameters,
A sensory identifier may for example comprises a sound, such as the sound of two devices touching, and/or an image, such as a symbol.
In addition to, or instead of a proxy server, a redirect server may be used. On the basis of the received information the redirect server sends a redirect message back to the device with the address(es) of the correlation servers to be polled. The system of the present invention may therefore further comprise a redirection server arranged for redirecting request messages back to the device while providing routing information.
The system of the present invention is preferably arranged for matching devices which are in each other's proximity, that is, for matching proximate devices. The devices to be matched are preferably, but not exclusively, mobile devices, such as mobile telephone devices.
The system of the present invention may further comprise at least one application server for carrying out an application involving matching devices. Such an application may be a game, an information service, or any other application. The at least one application server may be arranged for communicating with the devices through a correlation server.
The present invention further provides a proxy server for use in the system according to any of the preceding claims. The proxy server of the present invention is preferably arranged for routing request messages on the basis of information contained in those request messages, in particular, but not exclusively, representations of sensory identifiers.
The present invention also provides a method of identifying devices arranged for detecting a sensory identifier and transmitting request messages containing representations of the detected sensory identifier, the method comprising the step of correlating representations received from the devices so as to match two or more of those devices, characterised by the step of routing a request message from a device to at least one correlation server using at least one proxy server, the routing being dependent on contents of the request messages.
The present invention additionally provides a computer program product for carrying out the method as defined above. A computer program product may comprise a set of computer executable instructions stored on a data carrier, such as a CD or a DVD. The set of computer executable instructions, which allow a programmable computer to carry out the method as defined above, may also be available for downloading from a remote server, for example via the Internet. 15
The present invention will further be explained below with reference to exemplary embodiments illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:
The set of devices shown merely by way of non-limiting example in
Each mobile device 1, 2 has a front face 11 on which a display screen 13, a keypad 14, a loudspeaker 17 and a microphone 18 are arranged. It will be understood that the loudspeaker and/or the microphone may alternatively be arranged on a side face of the device. As shown in
The mobile devices 1, 2 are capable of detecting a sensory identifier. The merely exemplary sensory identifier ID shown in
A visual sensory identifier, such as a bar code or a symbol, may be applied on a sticker or label 9. Instead of a stationary spatial pattern, such as the regular bar code shown in
The sensory identifier may alternatively, or additionally, comprise an audio identifier, such as a sound signal. The audio identifier may be rendered by a loudspeaker of a device, or may be produced by a percussive element external to the device, such as a drum or a tuning fork. Alternatively, or additionally, the audio identifier may be produced by clapping hands or by tapping the (mobile) devices together. The sensory identifier may be accompanied by a time stamp, preferably indicating the “absolute” time (“wall clock time”). This allows sensory identifiers from multiple sources to be distinguished by using a maximum time delay between audio identifiers which are to correspond: if this time delay is exceeded, the audio identifiers are deemed not to be matching.
As stated above, an audio identifier may be produced by tapping the (mobile) devices 1 and 2 together. The tapping sound is received by the microphones 18 of both mobile devices. The audio identifier may alternatively be constituted by a sound signal produced by a loudspeaker (e.g. a loudspeaker 17 of the mobile devices shown in
Alternatively, or additionally, scent identifiers and/or touch identifiers may be used. The devices may, in such embodiments, be capable of detecting smells which are also detected by another device, or may be capable of sensing the surface of another object or device, the sensed surface containing touch identifiers, for example
Braille symbols. Movement detectors for detecting (common) movements of the (mobile) devices may also be used. The present invention is therefore not limited to audio or visual identifiers.
The sensory identifiers, in the example of
The system 20 shown merely by way of non-limiting example in
The system 20 may further comprise one or more application servers (not shown) arranged for running an application, that is, application software suitable for carrying out a specific game or other function, such as the exchange of telephone numbers or generating a common tune. Application servers may be connected to the correlation servers and/or proxy servers, or may be integrated in the correlation servers so as to form combined servers which have both a correlation and an application function.
The correlation servers (CS) 5A-5D are designed to find matches between devices by correlating data received from those devices. The term “correlation” refers to establishing the correspondence between the data concerned, that is, determining whether the received data are related by means of comparison or other methods. Thus it can be determined, for example, whether the received data are related to the same event, such as the detection of a sound or symbol by the client devices. The data received from the devices preferably comprise the representations of identifiers, in particular sensory identifiers. In other words, the correlation function determines whether (sensory or non-sensory) identifiers and any other relevant data received from the client devices match. Explicit reference is made to International Patent Application WO 2009/014438, in which techniques are disclosed for identifying proximate devices, such as mobile telephone devices, using sensory identifiers.
In the embodiment shown in
The system 20 of the present invention allows detections of sensory identifiers and associated matching requests to be routed to a suitable correlation server (or, in some cases, to suitable correlation servers). By using proxy servers, the number of correlation servers and/or the number of client devices can be changed relatively easily. In addition, the use of proxy servers removes the requirement that all client devices should be able to communicate with all correlation servers.
The exchange of messages in the system 20 of
The client devices 1 and 2 may produce request messages RQ1 and RQ2 which constitute match requests. These messages contain a representation of an identifier, and possibly also an identification of the devices. The message RQ1 may thus be written as:
It is noted that the representation of an identifier may be a string of digits or numbers representing the identifier. A bar code, as illustrated in
The (sensory) identifier can be produced by an event, such as the tapping together of two client devices, or by the detection of a symbol (such as a bar code) by the devices, and will be related to a “fingerprint” of the event: data which uniquely characterise the event. It can thus be seen that the correlation servers 5A-5C will preferably attempt to match the “fingerprints” of events detected by the client devices, in addition to attempting to match the (digital) representations of the sensory identifier.
According to the present invention, the request messages (and any other messages) are not sent to the correlation servers directly, but via the proxy servers 8X and 8Y. That is, the proxy servers receive the messages from the client devices, and route these messages to the appropriate correlation server(s). To this end, each proxy server carries out an analysis of the request messages, as illustrated in
The analysis carried out by the proxy servers may further involve other items which may be contained in the (request or other) messages, such as a client identification (CI), an application handle, a handling policy and/or a payload. This will later be explained with reference to
Assuming, for the sake of the example, that the analysis by the proxy servers involves only the representations of sensory identifiers, the proxy servers each forward a received message towards a suitable correlation server, the correlation server being chosen on the basis of the analysis.
The correlation servers can each cover a separate range of representations, for example a frequency range in the case of audio identifiers or a range of code values in the case of image identifiers, the code representing a symbol, such as a bar code. The ranges are preferably overlapping to a certain extent so as to avoid any gaps between the ranges.
If, for example, correlation server A (5A in
In the example of
In all cases, each proxy server analyses the request message(s) it receives and determines the representation (RE1, RE2) of the sensory identifier and, optionally, other parameters such as the client identification (CI1, CI2). The proxy server then forwards the request message to a selected server, this server being selected on the basis of the parameters that the proxy server produced during the analysis of the received request messages. In other words, the parameters resulting from the analysis control the selection of the correlation server. The proxy server 8X produces modified request messages RQ1′ and RQ1″ which are both based upon the original request message RQ1 but need not be identical to RQ1. For example, some data may have been deleted from the original request message if these data are irrelevant to the subsequent correlation process. Similarly, the proxy server 8Y produces modified request messages RQ2′ and RQ″ which are both based upon, but not necessarily identical to, the original request message RQ2.
In the present example it will be assumed that the sensory identifier is an audio identifier having three dominant frequencies of 0.4 kHz, 3 kHz and 15 kHz respectively. It will further be assumed that the correlation servers 5A, 5B and 5C are each dedicated to the following audio frequency ranges:
The servers each send a response indicating whether a match has been made, and if this is the case, the response may contain an identification of the matching client device(s). In the example of
A proxy server analyses incoming events (such as “touch events”) and routes these events to the relevant correlation server(s) on the basis of one or more of the following items:
The priority of the various elements which may be used for routing (application handle elements and/or fingerprint vector elements) can be previously configured in the proxy server, or sent along in the handling policy.
When routing on the basis of the “fingerprint vector”, first an algorithm is applied to determine a characteristic of (a part of) the fingerprint vector. Examples:
If the proxy server sends the touch event to more than one correlation server, it will wait until it has received the responses from all servers (or time-out).
For further scaling cascades of proxy servers and/or redirect servers can also be employed. Such cascades are known per se in the field of proxy and redirect servers. The Domain Name System (DNS) for example, used in the Internet and in private networks, utilises proxy and/or redirect servers.
An alternative embodiment is shown in
Similar to the embodiment of
In response to the redirect message RD, the client device 1 produces a new request message RQ′ which contains the information identifying its target correlation server(s). So the new request message RQ′ may be written as:
It will be understood that the embodiments illustrated in
The diagram of
More in particular, the data model comprises:
It is noted that the correlation procedure used in the present invention may have alternative embodiments. In a first embodiment, the correlation procedure is stateless: it does not take its history into account. This embodiment has the advantage of simplicity. In a second embodiment, the correlation procedure is stateful: it takes its history into account.
The present invention is based upon the insight that the use of proxy servers and/or redirection servers makes a system for identifying devices scalable and increases its flexibility.
It is noted that any terms used in this document should not be construed so as to limit the scope of the present invention. In particular, the words “comprise(s)” and “comprising” are not meant to exclude any elements not specifically stated. Single (circuit) elements may be substituted with multiple (circuit) elements or with their equivalents.
It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments illustrated above and that many modifications and additions may be made without departing from the scope of the invention.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 09160930 | May 2009 | EP | regional |
| 09160934 | May 2009 | EP | regional |
| 09179950 | Dec 2009 | EP | regional |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/NL2010/050310 | 5/21/2010 | WO | 00 | 3/6/2012 |
| Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| WO2010/134816 | 11/25/2010 | WO | A |
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