This application claims priority from U.S. provisional patent application No. 61/545,147 filed on 8/10/2011 and U.S. patent application No. 13/440,834 filed on 5/4/2012, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
Detailed Description
As used herein, the terms "social network" and "SNET" include groups or social structures of devices and/or individuals, as well as connections, links, and dependencies between such devices and/or individuals. Members and actors (including devices) in or affiliated with a SNET may be referred to herein as "nodes," social devices, "" SNET members, "" SNET devices, "" user devices, "and/or" modules. Further, the terms "SNET circle," "SNET sub-circle," "SNET group," "SNET sub-group" generally represent a social network that includes social devices, and, depending on context, SNET human members and a personal area network ("PAN").
Referring now to fig. 1, a social network circle/group 100 (hereinafter referred to as a "SNET circle" or "SNET group") is shown that includes a social device 102. Beyond the features and services of traditional social networking, as described more fully below with general reference to the figures, SNET circle 100 and related social devices 102 in accordance with various embodiments of the present invention include a number of novel features and attributes.
Briefly, membership in SNET group 100 may include the docked social device 102 (an embodiment of which is described in connection with fig. 7) and SNET group human members 104, as well as their agents. Further, the SNET group 100 nodes may include various types of device services and software (e.g., applications) that participate as members. By way of example, SNET group members may include artificial intelligence agents/social bots 106, SNET security devices 108, appliances, vehicle and service providers 110, external social device resources 112, public or authorized members/functions of other SNET groups, and the like. Further, access to specific content and resources of the SNET group 100 may be shared with members of other SNETs 114, including remote or web-based applications. Such access may be restricted to acceptable archive and contact data. Similarly, a social device or individual may be permitted temporary or ad hoc membership with or without restricted access.
In the illustrated embodiment, the formation, retention, and operation of SNET group 100 is performed by individual or distributed SNET processing circuitry and software 116. Note that "SNET processing circuitry" may comprise hardware, software, applications, or various combinations thereof, and may be configured to support the various functionalities disclosed herein. Further, SNET processing circuitry 116 may be included on a stand-alone server, a server farm, a cloud-based resource, and/or the various types of devices described below, and incorporate authentication and security functionality 118. Furthermore, the SNET according to the present invention may also utilize proprietary middleware (middleware), including standardized middleware and/or standardized communication protocols with associated authentication procedures. Interactions and dependencies in SNET group 100 may include one or more of adaptive resource management, allocation and arbitration module 120, social device association/control module 122, and SNET group member archive module 124.
As described more fully below, the distribution of internal and external SNET data and content 126 may be accomplished in a variety of ways in accordance with various embodiments of the present invention. For example, data distribution may involve an adaptive or parallel network communication/routing infrastructure that includes a wide variety of communication protocols and wired and/or wireless communication channels. SNET data content 126 may include, for example, a variety of user driven (announcement) channels, pictures, video, audio communications, links, online text, and the like. Access to such content, as well as communication with or remote access to the social devices 102 of the SNET group 100, may be made through an internet backbone 128, cellular communication system, WAN, LAN, etc.
A member of a SNET according to various embodiments of the present invention (such as those disclosed herein) may establish permissions and/or personal settings that control and limit access to the member profile information, communication resources, connections, and people or things of the group, as well as define a desired degree of access. Permissions may enable a user to keep certain resources or information private or available based only on permission rules. For example, accessibility to available communication resources or social content may be limited to users or devices in a particular SNET or SNET group. Alternatively, such resources may be publicly available. Likewise, SNET members may selectively decide to grant other members access to personal information such as name, gender, contact information/email address, and the like.
FIG. 2 illustrates an embodiment of a social group 202 including various members according to the present invention. In this embodiment, the membership in the social group 202 may include a plurality of novel social system members 204 that run various functions in the social group 202. As will be appreciated, some of the social system members 204 may support direct or indirect connections between the social group 202 and human/non-members and the user 200.
In the illustrated embodiment, the social system members (or nodes) 204 include one or more local or remote servers and server clusters that provide a supporting infrastructure for social group functions and member operations (routing, data storage, services, etc.). Communication within the social group and communication with non-members may be made via dedicated or multi-functional communication path means.
The social system members 204 further include devices configured to act as nodes within the social group 202. Social functions in such devices and other social system members 204 may be implemented by a variety of means. For example, a device may have complete hardware/firmware/software to support social group access and member operations. Alternatively, the generic device 204a may include social code that enables participation in the social group 202. In further embodiments, devices 204b designed to include social functionality may participate in the social group 202 through a combination of non-social code and social shim (social shim) or driver wrapper (driver wrapper). In yet another embodiment, a member device 204c with a social design may utilize additional social codes, including codes specific to the social group 202.
The participating social groups 202 are supported through a functionality that includes automated and member-triggered membership invitation and processing (membership management) 206. More specifically, the membership management 206 may invite prospective members to participate in the social group 202 through an automatic, automated, and member-triggered process. For example, membership management 206 may be configured by the user 200 to establish social groups 202 by automatically inviting/accepting social system members having certain characteristics, such as devices owned or controlled by the user or the user's acquaintances.
The processing (e.g., through a user interface) of accepted invitations to join the social group 202 and unsolicited requests to join the social group 202 may be customized based on input or authorization from existing social system members 204 or the user 200. Similarly, membership management 206 may be configured to generate automated suggestions as to which prospective member received the invitation. Various other methods such as those described herein may be used to establish membership in accordance with the present invention.
Access to resources of the social group 202, including services and data, and visibility of the resources may be managed through the overall and member hierarchical access configuration 208. For example, if the membership of the social group 202 includes family members and related devices, then the unified access configuration (or the configuration of individual devices and people) can be applied across levels in an automated or automated manner. In other embodiments, access controls and constraints 210 are imposed on a per member basis.
The social group 202 may provide a wide variety of member services 212, including internal and external services that may be accessed by the social system members 204. By way of example, the social group 202 may provide email or other communication services between the full member and/or authorized guest members and guests. For other resources of the social group 202, access control and constraints to the member services 212 may be applied to individual members or members at various levels.
Fig. 3 is a functional block diagram illustrating a Social Network (SNET) infrastructure and (member) social devices 300 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Communication between social network infrastructure 301 and social device 300 and other SNET members may be over one or more wired and wireless communication networks 303. SNET infrastructure 301 and social device 300 are coupled to communication network 303 through communication interfaces 331 and 311, respectively, each of communication interfaces 331 and 311 may support communication with an individual SNET member or a group/level of SNET members.
The SNET infrastructure 301 of the illustrated embodiment includes a number of functions and resources to support the formation and maintenance of SNETs with social device members. In particular, the membership report management and processing 333 receives information from the SNET/group/membership report function 313 in the relevant social device 300. Such information may include: such as status data 315 regarding the location, address, and activity of the social device 300 and/or the device user.
Further, the social device 300 may provide device information 316, the device information 316 indicating, for example, device functionality and social performance, device model, device configuration, software version, attached peripheral and downstream (social) devices, device resources and usage, and the like. For purposes of SNET resource management (including dynamic resource allocation and arbitration), SNET infrastructure 301 may utilize device information 316 regarding the usage of available resources and current resources.
In various embodiments, the social device 300 may have the obligation to collect, store, and/or report device conditions/information 315/316 at different times. For example, reporting may be required when attaching or docking a SNET periodically and/or during operational engagements with other resources and devices (including upstream and downstream devices) within and between SNETs.
Referring again to SNET infrastructure 301, additional functions and resources include, but are not limited to: SNET member information capture and storage management 334; a SNET Application Programming Interface (API) 335 that allows SNET-related software components to communicate with each other; security and access control management 337 for maintaining the integrity of the SNET and ancillary data/resources; and (web) server services 338. Social network infrastructure 300 further includes other group application services 305 corresponding to the foregoing and other services such as those described herein. In an example implementation, SNET infrastructure 301 (e.g., via device information 316) may determine the nature and kind of social devices 300 that wish to participate in the SNET. The functioning of SNET infrastructure 301 may then indicate or trigger the installation of appropriate application software and underlying drivers in social device 300, as desired. Such operations may be performed with minimal involvement of the inherent functionality of the social device 300.
In the illustrated embodiment, the social device 300 includes a number of additional functions and resources to support participation in a social network. More specifically, the SNET, and/or member control functions 317 may include a slave function 318, a master function 319, and various combinations thereof. The slave functions 318 include, for example, device (re) configuration, indicated resource allocation, managed resource arbitration, bridging operations, and the like. The master function 319 enables the social device 300 to establish, manage, and terminate various interactions between nodes or groups of nodes in the social network, including interactions involving the social device 300 itself.
The social device 300 further includes a social API 321 and browser-based interaction capabilities 327 to support, for example, relevant social applications and services 323 (which may include slave and master functions 318 and 319). The security and access control 325 layer permits the social device 300 to interface with or establish a secure SNET group/circle and control access to internal and external SNET resources.
Note that the various functional blocks of the embodiment of the present invention shown in fig. 3 may be incorporated, in whole or in part, in one or more (application-specific) integrated circuit devices. For example, an integrated circuit device may include a membership reporting module that provides membership reporting functionality (including communication of device status and device characteristics), device control capabilities, master/slave functionality, security and access control modules, and the like. Such an integrated circuit device may also include on-board processing capabilities and/or an interface to a processor device. Alternatively, some of the functionality described above may be incorporated, in whole or in part, into software loaded on the operating system and/or operating system kernel.
Fig. 4 is a schematic block diagram of an embodiment of a social Set Top Box (STB)/gateway 401 in accordance with the present invention. The STB/gateway 401 provides a number of functions including signal conversion from upstream resources to content that can be consumed by downstream social devices. The STB/gateway 401 may further operate as a gateway that supports one-way or two-way communication and bridging between upstream and downstream devices.
As described more fully in connection with fig. 5, the illustrated social devices may operate in a social device "hierarchy" that includes social devices, social "parent" (SP) devices, and social "child" (SC) devices. Briefly, the SP devices may interact and/or connect related SC devices with the social network, either directly or indirectly. The social capabilities of the SC device may be provided via the SP device.
Further, some social devices according to various embodiments and applications of the present invention, such as STB/gateway 401 and downstream device 441-449, may simultaneously or selectively operate as social devices, SP devices and/SC devices. The association between the SP and SC devices may be established in a selective, automatic or automated manner. For example, interfacing the STB/gateway 401 with the SNET infrastructure 405 may result in automatic interfacing of the user's home devices.
The STB/gateway 401 of the illustrated embodiment interacts with the SNET infrastructure 405 and the (SNET) external media system 407 via one or more wired or wireless networks/links 403. The wired and wireless networks/links 403 (and 409) may utilize one or more of a variety of transmission media such as coaxial cable, shielded twisted pair, fiber optic cable, power line, and wireless media (radio frequency, microwave, satellite, infrared, etc.), and operate in accordance with a variety of communication and networking protocols (TCP/IP, UPuP, IPv6, etc.). Further, the wired and wireless networks/links 403 may include multi-hop networks utilizing spanning tree protocols, direct wireless connections, peer-to-peer links, and the like.
(SNET) external media system 407 may include, for example, one or more cable, satellite, and/or terrestrial television systems. These systems may use a variety of headend equipment and services, such as cable headends that receive television signals for further processing and distribution, and the headend equipment and services may also provide a variety of other services, such as internet connections.
Although the STB/gateway 401 is shown to operate as a social parent device, in alternative embodiments it may have a peer or parent relationship with the SNET infrastructure 405 (and with its associated SNET members) or (SNET) external media system 407. For example, the cable headend itself may include social capabilities that allow it to participate as a node in a social network.
The STB/gateway 401 of the illustrated embodiment includes a broadcast/unicast/multicast front end 413 for receiving compressed digital video, digital audio and other data signals from the (SNET) external media system 407 or SNET infrastructure 405 for further processing and distribution. The front end 413 includes a tuning circuit 419a for isolating a particular channel. The signal from the tuner circuit 419a may then be provided to an analog-to-digital (ADC) circuit 420a and a demodulation circuit 421a for conversion to a binary format/stream. Once in binary format, Forward Error Correction (FEC) circuit 422a checks the integrity of the received binary stream. The audio, video, and data extracted from the binary stream may then be decoded (e.g., by decoding 425) into a format suitable for consumption by downstream social devices. Note that demodulation circuit 421a may support one or more modulation techniques such as quadrature phase shift coding (QPSK), Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM), Coded Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (COFDM), and so forth.
The front end 413 may be integrated as one or more semiconductor devices that may further support, for example, interactive digital television, networked DVR functionality, IP video over DOCSIS applications, and 3D image support. In addition, multiple tuner circuits 419a (including in-band and out-of-band tuning), ADC circuit 420a, and demodulation circuit 421a may be provided for different television standards (such as PAL, NTSC, ATSC, SECAM, DVB-C, DVB-T (2), DVB-H, ISDB, T-DMB, open cable) and modulation schemes. Further, in some embodiments, the sharing of channels and related program information provided by the front end 413 may be considered a social function.
In an alternative embodiment of the invention, the functionality of the STB/gateway 401 functionality may be performed by a smartphone or mobile computing device. In such an embodiment, the "front end" 413 includes one or more wireless interfaces (including PHY and baseband functionality), such as cellular (3G, 4G, IMT-advanced, etc.) or wide area network (WiMax, etc.) interfaces. The interface may support one or more modulation and multiplexing techniques such as OFDM, OFDMA, SC-FDMA, QPSK, QAM, 64QAM, CSMA, MIMO, and the like. In the illustrated embodiment, the wireless interface includes a transceiver 419b, analog-to-digital (ADC) and digital-to-analog (DAC) circuits, a demodulation and modulation circuit 421b, and an FEC (e.g., turbo code or LDPC code) circuit 422 b. The processing circuitry 411 may provide encoding, decoding, and transcoding 425 functions.
The STB/gateway 401 may also include an upstream social communications interface circuit 415 to communicate with the SNET infrastructure 405 and/or (SNET) external media system 407. Through the social communication interface circuit 415, the STB/gateway 401 may communicate directly with upstream resources, or provide (bi-directional) bridge communication between devices coupled to the STB/gateway 401 (e.g., social device 441 and 449) and such resources.
In the embodiment of FIG. 4, the STB/gateway 401 interacts with a plurality of social devices 441- & 449 and upstream resources via an upstream social communication interface circuit 415 and a downstream social "sub" communication interface circuit 417 coupled to one or more wired and wireless communication networks 403/409. For example, the television interface module 431 communicates with a (digital) television 441 or other media display device to forward television programming and enable available interactive services. Similarly, audio interface 433 provides audio programming or audio library access to audio system 443.
The communication interface circuit 417 further includes a remote control interface 435 for receiving control signals from a remote control 445. In addition to conventional remote control operations, remote control 445 may further provide sound and/or motion control signals that are forwarded or mapped to an associated consumer device. User interface 437 may also provide one or more user interface devices 447 for communication. The game interface 439 is used to provide interactive communication with the game system 449. Such communications may involve, for example, online, multiplayer gaming among social network members and/or external gamers on the gaming platform.
Various communications between downstream devices 441-. Such bridging may operate independently of the set-top of the STB/gateway 401. For example, the social kid device may communicate directly with the SNET infrastructure 405 to receive a "social" channel broadcast from a social group or IPTV service.
The STB/gateway 401 of the illustrated embodiment includes a processing circuit 411 (which may be comprised of hardware, software, or a combination thereof), social upstream/downstream functionality support 432, and a decoder functionality 425 to support social interactions such as those described above. The social upstream/downstream functionality support 423 in this embodiment includes a variety of functionality such as social bridging 427, parent-child services 429, and other functionality such as functionality 313-327 in FIG. 3. Note that processing circuit 411 may be used in whole or in part as a SNET resource.
Referring now to FIG. 5, a schematic block diagram illustrates a social device 501 that may be used to support a variety of interactions between other social devices and social systems in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Social device 501 is configured with a number of functions that allow it to operate in a social device hierarchy that includes social (S) devices, social "parent" (SP) devices, and social "child" (SC) devices. For example, a social parent device may enable a docked social child device to access the parent device's resources and/or connect and interact with a social network (directly or indirectly). Social child devices may be configured with inherent social capabilities or gain access to such capabilities from or through related parent devices. Further, SNET human members may have related social child devices or be served by social parent devices via a user I/O interface (523).
The social device 501, according to various embodiments and applications of the present invention, may also simultaneously or selectively operate as a social device, an SP device, an SC device, or even a "grandparent" device that supports (e.g., in a multi-hop environment) a parent device in a SNET group. Dynamic and static hierarchical associations between SP and SC devices can be established in a selective, automatic, automated manner. Further, social device 501 may take a variety of forms, including but not limited to: a smart phone, personal computer, server, tablet device, access point, gateway, network switch/hub, bridge device, set-top box, or other social-enabled device.
In the illustrated embodiment, social device 501 is communicatively coupled to SNET infrastructure 509 and/or social parent system 511 via an upstream social communication interface circuit 507. Likewise, the downstream social peer and/or child communication interface circuit 513 enables coupling with social child devices 515, social peer devices 517, and/or social parent systems (devices) 519. Social resources of upstream and downstream devices may be accessible to each other via social device 501.
Social device 501 according to an embodiment includes social resources 503, where social resources 503 are managed by social resource management module 505 along with external SNET resources and are accessible to at least one other SNET group member. Specific social resources 503 may include user I/O interfaces 523, general and special purpose hardware processing power systems 524, peripheral circuits and components 525 (which may or may not have social capabilities), communication bandwidth and credit decision functions 526, exchange/bridging functions 527, application software 528, remote social resources 529 for SNET groups, external social resources 531 controlled by social devices 501, etc. External social resources 531 may include, for example, external data/digital libraries, or content from one or more cable, satellite, and/or terrestrial television systems.
The social resource management module 505 includes, among other functions, access, allocation, arbitration and scheduling functionalities 521, and functionalities 522 for establishing, retrieving and relinquishing control processing operations, the functionalities 521 and functionalities 522 including operations relating to accessing social resources 503. Note that there may be corresponding social resource manager functionality in SNET infrastructure 509 and/or SNET nodes.
In one embodiment, where social device 501 includes a switch bridge, bandwidth capacity may be dynamically allocated by access, allocation, arbitration, and scheduler function 521. Access to the bandwidth capacity and other resources of the social device 501 is only available for each access intent or request of each allocation and arbitration function, and is selectively terminated when excess bandwidth/resources are consumed or required.
FIG. 6 illustrates various embodiments of social device membership and accessibility in a social network circle/sub-circle in accordance with the present invention. In the illustrated embodiment, the membership of the SNET circle 610 may be extended to include public and private social devices and equipment. For example, in a SNET circle 610 including human members 606/608, each human member may have a respective personal SNET sub-circle 600 (a)/600 (b) capable of independently or collectively participating in a related or docked social device 606/608 of the SNET circle 610. The SNET sub-circle may be accessed locally or remotely by human members 606/608 and/or other SNET circle/sub-circle members by a variety of means, such as clicking on an icon or tag associated with a human member or a personal sub-circle.
Although SNET sub-circles 600 (a) and 600 (b) are shown as separate sub-circles, such sub-circles may be interchanged to include a single SNET circle or sub-circle, or any number of other SNET circles and/or sub-circles, each of which may include various combinations of social devices 602/604. Further, the SNET processing circuitry and software 612 of the illustrated embodiment manages the formation and operation of the SNET loop 610. The SNET processing circuitry and software 612 may be incorporated into a separate server, social device, and/or cloud-based resource. The SNET circle 610 may be persistent or of limited duration and include self-organized and/or static associations.
Exemplary social devices 602/604 may be broadly divided into: (i) a social device 602 that includes a user or SNET circle interface sufficient to provide meaningful input to SNET interactions and (ii) a social device 604 that supports minimal or no user input related to SNET interactions. More specifically, and without limitation, the first may include a computer, a tablet device, an IPTV set-top box, a smartphone, a server, a notebook, a cloud book, a network-attached storage device, a game console, a media player/resource, a communication node (access point, router, switch, gateway, etc.), a user interface device, a Power Line Communication (PLC) device, and the like. Such social devices may receive user input for SNET settings and management. The second may include, but is not limited to, printers, projectors, cameras and camcorders, scanners, speakers, headsets, smoke detectors, alarm systems, video cameras, mice, and the like. In general, dockable social devices include any electronic device that may be operatively coupled or docked to a SNET circle/sub-circle via a wired or wireless path to participate as a SNET member.
As will be appreciated, by interfacing with social devices, members of the SNET circle 610 may obtain full or partial remote control and interaction of such devices via an authorized member SNET account. For example, family members authorized to participate in the "family" SNET circle may remotely access the docked social device via one or more related SNET accounts. Exemplary methods of interfacing and accessing social devices are described more fully later in connection with fig. 8-10.
FIG. 7 is a schematic block diagram of an embodiment of a social device including overall functionality that may be used to support social network circle/sub-circle membership and communication in accordance with the present invention. In the illustrated embodiment, communications interface and transceiver circuitry 702 may be used for wired or wireless communications between social device 700 and SNET group/subgroup 724 over one or more communications channels. Depending on the capabilities and configuration of the social device 700, communication with the SNET may be unilateral or bidirectional/interactive and utilize proprietary or standard communication protocols. The communications may include, for example, device profile information, user and SNET circle profile information, control signals, audio/video content, interaction with host service data, user data, forwarded information, and the like.
Social device 700 further includes processing circuitry 704, which processing circuitry 704 may be used to process and manage communications, services, and associations between the device and other entities, including members of SNET group/subgroup 724, third parties, software agents, and the like. More specifically, the processing circuitry 704 may include, for example, a software management application 712, the software management application 712 including one or more interfacing logic 714 (including support for device discovery and configuration protocols as described below), communication protocol control 716, resource management 718, and security/authentication 720 functionalities.
Social device 700 further may utilize profile information in a variety of forms and maintained in static or dynamic memory 724. Such profile information allows the social device and/or user to display their own image and their ability to other SNET members. In particular, the device/group profile information and other resources 706 and user profile information 708 may be utilized in a variety of ways in accordance with the present invention for a variety of social interactions. The profile of a device or user may be static or dynamic, depending on the capabilities and requirements of the particular device (and other members of the SNET).
In some embodiments, social device 700 may interact with a user via user interface circuitry 710. User input to the social device 700 may include data input, for example, through a keyboard, touch screen, remote control device, game controller, device control buttons, voice or motion commands, storage device, and the like. Authorized access or control of the social device 700 may be through a unique biometric identification code, a password, token-based identification, a credential or document of trust such as a driver's license or passport, and other similar means of authentication.
The social device 700 may perform core or underlying functionality 720 (e.g., social machines, security devices, vehicle communication nodes, etc.). Alternatively, the social device may be used primarily as a social network interface or communication device. Or may be programmed to perform a particular function in a set/subset of SNETs.
FIG. 8 is a schematic block diagram of a social device interfacing with a social network circle/sub-circle in accordance with the present invention. In the illustrated embodiment, the social device 800 may indicate a willingness to associate, interface, or communicate with the (secure) SNET circle/sub-circle 802. The social device 800 device may be autonomous and independent, or alternatively, a participant of the second SNET circle 804 or other network served by SNET gateway 806.
In one embodiment, SNET gateway 806 or SNET circle gateway 808 operates as a proxy for social device 800. The proxy functionality in SNET gateway 806 may be provided by a software application or computer system (server) that acts as an intermediary to find resources from other servers or gateways such as SNET gateway 808 for requests from clients (including connected social devices). Such resources may include assignable communication capabilities, files, services, web pages, connections, archived information, and interactions with social devices and other available SNET circle resources 818.
SNET gateway 806 may evaluate the request from the social device according to a variety of filtering rules. For example, SNET gateway 806 may filter traffic by IP address or protocol. Once the request from the social device 800 is validated (if needed), the SNET gateway 806 connects to the SNET circle gateway 808 through a WLAN/LAN or other communication path and requests access to resources of the SNET circle/sub-circle 802 on behalf of the social device 800. SNET gateway 806 may selectively alter requests from social device 800 or responses from SNET circle gateway 808 as appropriate.
Membership of the SNET circle/sub-circle 802 is established by a docking module 810 in SNET processing circuitry and software 812 that can support one or more device discovery and configuration protocols. A local or cloud-based registrar 814 may be used to provide authentication when circle membership is restricted. The registrar 814 of the illustrated embodiment may utilize an administrator or directory service 816 such as a Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) based directory server that stores attribute data. LDAP is a well known application protocol for querying and modifying items in a directory service. When interfacing with an IP-based SNET circle, social devices may broadcast archive data to local domains using a text data format, such as extensible markup language (XML).
FIG. 9 is a schematic block diagram illustrating access of social devices participating in a social network circle/sub-circle in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. More specifically, membership or resources in the SNET circle/PAN 900 access social devices/servers 902 (or circle resources such as internet-based resources identified by URL references) associated with a second, secure SNET circle 904.
Members of SNET circle/PAN 900 may include, for example, human member 910 accessing SNET circle 904 via User Interface (UI) 912. In various embodiments of the invention described herein, the UI 912 may include a Graphical User Interface (GUI), voice controls, action commands, and the like. UI 912 may be in the form of, for example, a browser that graphically indicates available resources. Access to the SNET circle 904 may also be provided by a proxy server 914. The proxy 914 operates as an intermediary seeking communication with social devices and/or circle resources 918 in the SNET circle/sub-circle 904 for access requests from proxy clients 916 (including social devices connected to the proxy 914 via the internet or other IP-based network). Such resources may include files, services, web pages, connections, archive information, and other available SNET circle resources. Note that the human member 910 and proxy 914 may operate independently of the SNET circle or PAN. Further, the proxy 914 may be a distributed or cloud-based entity, or a member of (or a member incorporated into) the SNET circle/sub-circle 904.
In the illustrated embodiment, communications with SNET circle/sub-circle 904 flow between firewall 906 and/or SNET gateway/firewall 908 through WLAN/LAN communication channels. The firewall may be software-based (e.g., as part of an operating system), or include various combinations of software and/or hardware components. Further, the firewall may be incorporated into a gateway/router such as SNET gateway/firewall 908. In some cases, a firewall may be used to perform the underlying routing function.
FIG. 10 is a state diagram 1000 illustrating docking and remote access of a social device in accordance with the present invention. Diagram 1000 illustrates one embodiment of a method for (1) docking of a social device with a SNET circle and (2) granting non-member entities access to various resources of the SNET circle. Numerous other methods and protocols may be used to implement the foregoing operations without departing from the scope of the invention.
Referring first to the network aware social device 1002, exemplary steps are shown for interfacing or associating with the SNET circle 1004. In this embodiment, social device 1002 broadcasts a request to register or access a SNET circle. The request may occur as part of an initialization or startup of social device 1002, or other triggering event, based on proximity or ad hoc principles.
The registration request may be received by at least one gateway device. The gateway operates to configure social device 1002 so that it can communicate with other hosts. In an IP-based network, typical configuration information may include an IP address and default routes and route prefixes. The gateway may be a stand-alone device, a multifunctional computing device, etc., and may operate in an ad-hoc manner, or be fixed and persistent.
In an exemplary embodiment, the network configuration protocol utilized by the gateway may be the Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) and related standards published and held by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), or similar protocols that automate the assignment of network parameters to network aware social devices 1002. In addition to eliminating the need to manually configure devices, DHCP also provides a central database of devices connected to the network and eliminates duplicate resource allocations.
When a triggering event occurs (e.g., a SNET circle is initiated, registered, etc.), social device 1002 may transmit configuration/capability information to one or more other devices. Such information may be advertised to a particular device identified by social device 1002. The configuration/capability information may also be transmitted to any device in the SNET circle, or any device capable of accepting the transmission. In some embodiments, devices may determine their configuration/capability information by querying other devices individually or in groups.
SNET circle resources are also accessible via a zero configuration, multicast discovery protocol that uses the multicast discovery protocol and associated service record or archive information to locate devices, such as printers, on a local network and the services provided by those devices. Such protocols may operate at the application layer, e.g., may use the transmission of configuration/capability information to identify and utilize a common programming interface, protocol, packet format, etc. between two or more devices. Further, a bridge or proxy node communicatively coupling two or more devices may use a multicast-type discovery and access protocol. In some embodiments, the bridge or proxy node may communicate or forward queries and advertisements regarding configuration/capability information and may further operate to process, transcode, or modify transmissions regarding device configuration/capability information.
Wide area service discovery of SNET circle resources, such as communication resources, may be achieved through appropriately configured Domain Name Service (DNS) servers or the like or multicast-type protocols that perform similar DNS operations. Further, the SNET circle resource may be configured to support common policies and network protocols, such as universal plug and play (UPnP), that provide a unified mechanism and restriction for accessing resources and data on the network.
According to particular embodiments, a gateway (DHCP server) may assign and allocate IP addresses using various methods. Briefly, a network/SNET circle manager may assign a range of available IP addresses. Each social device may be configured to request an IP address when joining a SNET circle or during SNET circle initialization. In the following, IP addresses may be granted using a "lease" approach with a configurable time period, so that the gateway can dynamically reclaim and reallocate IP addresses that are not renewed after reclamation (e.g., the social device is powered off or communication with the SNET circle is interrupted).
Alternatively, the DHCP server may permanently assign an available IP address to the social device. In this manner (and the "leased" manner), the DHCP server maintains a previous IP address assignment table so that it can preferentially assign the IP address previously assigned to the requesting social device. In yet another implementation, the DHCP server may restrict IP address allocation to devices already included in the MAC address to IP address pair table.
Once the social device 1002 is configured, the gateway communicates with the firewall to open a communication port, permitting network transmissions to/from the social device 1002. Registered ports are typically used by networked applications as temporary source ports when contacting the server, but they can also identify named services that have been registered by a third party.
In addition to opening ports for devices, firewalls may be used to advertise social devices 1002 to local and remote users/devices and services over, for example, a WAN/(W) LAN communication channel. In one embodiment, social device 1002IP address and profile are communicated to SNET circle members and remote users/devices. In other embodiments, the gateway may act as a proxy for social devices (as described above in connection with fig. 8), including legacy devices (legacy devices) that may otherwise require human participation. The firewall may be software based (e.g., as part of an operating system) or include various combinations of software, firmware, and/or hardware components. Further, the gateway may comprise a branching firewall functionality for connection to the SNET circle/sub-circle and the remote device, respectively.
The participation of the social device 1002 in a SNET circle/sub-circle may be established by a docking module or similar mechanism in the SNET circle. When SNET circle membership is restricted, authentication services (e.g., using directory services) may be provided using a local or cloud-based registrar. The registrar may be located in or on either side of the gateway, including a firewall behind it, or it may operate independently of the gateway. Further, the registrar may provide registration functionality for both social device 1002 and/or remote user/device 1006.
When interfacing with an IP-based SNET circle, social devices 1002 may broadcast archive data to the local domain using a text data format, such as extended markup language (XML). When the new social device 1002 is successfully docked, the SNET circle node (e.g., docking module) provides authorized access to the SNET circle. It is contemplated that social device 1002 may participate in more than one SNET circle at the same time.
Referring to remote user/device 1006, a process for accessing a resource in a SNET circle, such as social device 1008, is shown. In one implementation, the remote user/device 1006 uses an embedded SNET circle client to establish communication with the social device 1008. In operation, a client queries the cloud for accessible SNET devices and APIs over a WAN/(W) LAN or like communication channel. The visibility of other SNET circle devices/resources may optionally be determined by the SNET circle owner or manager.
Upon detecting the social device 1008 and the attached SNET circle, access by the user/device 1006 may request a registration process as described above. If access is granted, the user/device 1006 receives authentication information, which may be encrypted and include an exchange with the SNET ring or registrar's encryption key. Access to the SNET social device 1008 may also require a username/password. Prior to or subsequent to authentication of the user/device 1006, the SNET circle client may be configured to broadcast profile information about the social device 1008.
In one implementation, after access to the social device 1008 is established, the user/device 1006 transmits data to the social device 1008 for further processing. Such data may be generated by a driver or device that matches the advertised capabilities of the social device 1008.
By way of example, if the social device 1008 is a networked printer, the user/device 1006 may transmit the document to the printer or a related SNET circle URL for printing. In another embodiment, where the social device 1008 is a digital picture frame, the user/device 1006 provides an image for display, either automatically or by remote activation (such as a voice command). In yet another exemplary embodiment, the social devices 1008 include shared folders that may be accessed, for example, by students in a classroom SNET circle. A confirmation protocol may be utilized to determine successful communication between the user/device 1006 and the social device 1008.
As noted, SNET circle resources such as social devices 1008 may be accessed via a zero configuration, multi-broadcast discovery protocol that locates devices on a local network and services provided by these devices using a multi-broadcast discovery protocol and related service record or archive information. Such protocols may operate at the application layer. Wide area service discovery of SNET circle resources configured in this manner may be accomplished through appropriately configured Domain Name Service (DNS) servers. Further, SNET circle resources may be configured to support common policies and network protocols (such as UPnP) that provide a unified mechanism and restriction for accessing resources and data on the network.
SNET circle communications according to the present invention may use a variety of transport protocols, by way of example, most communications over the internet now operate according to the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and the User Datagram Protocol (UDP). As is well known, TCP generally provides an intermediate level of communication service between, for example, an application program and the Internet Protocol (IP). Port numbers are used to identify endpoints (often identified as "internet sockets" or "network sockets") for sending and receiving applications on a host. The internet socket sends the incoming packet to the appropriate application process or thread as defined by the combination of local and remote (e.g., SNET circle) IP addresses and port numbers. In some embodiments, for video streaming applications, real-time multiplayer gaming, voice over internet protocol (VoIP), and similar applications that can tolerate some level of packet loss and do not require a dedicated end-to-end connection, real-time transport protocol (RTP) running over UDP may be used.
FIG. 11 is a schematic block diagram of an embodiment of social device based archiving to support advertisement and group provisioning in accordance with the present invention. Specifically, the circle archive and data correlation module 1100 operates within the SNET circle 1102 (or attached network) to compile archives and archive correlation data about the circle members. In the illustrated embodiment, members of SNET circle 1102 include social devices 1104, circle applications 1106, and SNET sub-circles 1104 including human members 1106 and attached social devices.
The data compiled by the circle archiving and data correlation module 1100 can be used by members of the SNET circle 1102 to perform a variety of operations. The data may be further accessed by individual or intersecting SNET circles/subcoils 1118. Membership in the SNET circle/subcolumn 1118 includes, for example, cloud-based applications 1112, human members 1114 (via APIs), and various social devices 1116. In an alternative embodiment, such entities operate independently of SNET circle/sub-circle.
As described more fully below in conjunction with fig. 12 and 13, a variety of information includes information (originating from) SNET members/circle archives, feedback and replies from SNET circles 1102, queries and other data mining operations, multimedia content of clips, advertisements of targets, introductions, and the like.
FIG. 12 is a logical diagram of an embodiment of a method 1200 for social device based archiving and self-push to support advertisement and group provisioning in accordance with the present invention. In step 1202, a SNET circle member archiving module or similar functionality compiles usage information and other archival information about the associated SNET circle device. Such information may include, for example, media consumption history, a list of web sites visited by the device, installed applications, device location, parental control restrictions, and/or device identification information sufficient to associate a particular browsing or tracking activity with a particular SNET circle member/device. Other information that may be compiled includes, but is not limited to, a list of relevant social devices and device capabilities.
In optional step 1204, the archive module or docked social device provides the SNET circle with compiled archived information about the social device or group of social devices. Communication of the archived information may be accomplished via self-push (self-movement) of the social devices accessing the archived information, or in response to (group) queries, data requests, and/or data mining actions. Further, archived information can be automatically or selectively provided to non-members of the relevant SNET circle.
Next, in step 1206, the archived information is used to generate, filter, distribute, and/or modify SNET circle content. In various exemplary embodiments, an application or widget (e.g., a shopping application) uses the archived information to generate targeted content. The use of archived information may include: adding personalized advertisements to the content stream; interacting features/announcements based on previously viewed content; generating or embedding an announcement channel for a particular SNET circle (with or without click-through transient access); time-synchronized or time-prioritized announcements; and generating an advertising content stream that is displayed differently for different SNET circle members.
Likewise, content may be dynamically modified based on a consumer's SNET circle membership. For example, if the consumer is a member of the anonymous SNET circle for abstinence, the beer bottles in the movie screen can be replaced by soda bottles. Announcements may also be filtered or sent to various member attachments (such as member's handsets) in the SNET circle based on proximity data, the SNET circle membership of the child, and so on. The SNET circle and circle member archive information may be updated (step 1208) on a continuous or periodic basis as needed to support the desired functionality.
FIG. 13 is a logic diagram of a method 1300 for correlation-based interaction with a SNET circle based on archived data in accordance with the present invention. More specifically, the archive and data correlation module (900) operates in the SNET circle, attached network, or cloud to assemble archives and archive correlation data about the circle members in step 1302.
In step 1304, the compiled profile is selectively provided to SNET circle members by the profiling module accessing the profile or the interfacing social device. Communication of archived information may be accomplished via self-push of the social device, or in response to (group) queries, data requests, and/or data mining actions. Further, archived information can be automatically or selectively provided to non-members of the relevant SNET circle.
Next, in step 1306, the archive module and data correlation module of the illustrated embodiment directly use such information in a correlated manner to find matches (alignments) to SNET circle activities, queries, and requests. The SNET circle may then provide responses to queries, recommendations, feedback, services, targeted announcements, media content, and the like using the archived data and correlations, as shown in step 1308. The SNET circle and circle member archive information may be updated (step 1310) on a continuous or periodic basis as needed to support the desired operation. Further, a device profile associated with the social device may be based on the relevant information and allow the device to present its own persona and its capabilities to other members in the SNET circle. Such device profiles may be static or dynamic depending on the existing capabilities and requirements of the particular device (and other members in the SNET).
In an effort to better understand the various human differences and behaviors, exemplary correlation operations in accordance with the present invention may collect different (disparate) data. By way of example, a person wishing to purchase a gift may use past content consumption by SNET circle members to guide the gift selection process. The recommendation-based purchases may be tracked for the purposes of providing delegation, credit, discounts, and the like. Data mining information may be made available for soliciting recommendations and suggestions from other SNET circle nodes or remote devices and services. In addition, the archive and data correlation module may be used to aggregate anonymous data to identify interests of the SNET circle. Such data may include, for example, preferred member devices, purchase history, website interactions, travel preferences, and the like. In one embodiment, the correlation and aggregation of data can be performed using selected member archive information and/or licensed use of tracking software such as "Cookies".
The archive and related information may also be used to generate referrals to people with similar interests (appointments, friends and contacts, interests and sports, game behavior with the same platform/software, occupation, device ownership, etc.). If desired, proposals to participate in a particular SNET circle may be generated or received on an anonymous basis.
The member profile information may further indicate areas of excellence, level of esteem, feedback from other members, and the like. For example, if one social network human member is honored and purchases and docks social devices in a circle, other members who are not willing to take the time to purchase competitive similar items may simply purchase the same device. Such sales may be via redirected communication with an external sales website.
Through automatic self-push or response to group queries, a docked social device in accordance with the present invention may also communicate notification information, including providing support for executing commands to another social network member. The device may also provide the presentation using the identifiable social devices of the remote members. Further, the device may also perform competitive testing with other devices.
SNET members, such as those disclosed herein, according to various embodiments of the present invention, may establish permissions and/or privacy settings that control and limit the persons or things that may access the member profile information, connections, circles, and define the desired degree of access. Permissions may enable users to keep certain information private or available based only on permission principles. For example, visibility of particular user information may be restricted to users/devices in the SNET. Alternatively, the specific user information may be publicly available. Also, SNET members may selectively decide to allow others to access personal information such as name, gender, contact information/email address, and the like.
As described above in connection with fig. 1 and other aspects, various embodiments of SNET circles in accordance with the present invention may include a wide variety of social devices, device services, agents, and various types of software applications that participate as SNET circle members. Further, social devices and other types of SNET circle members having related or particular characteristics and dependencies may form SNET circles having particular purposes such as those described below in connection with fig. 14. Various embodiments may include: such as SNET/circle members such as device manufacturers, vehicle owners, hospitals and medical providers, repair shops, insurance companies, and other third parties who may be interested in communicating with human members and/or related SNET devices, for example. Such SNET/circle may be a single or an extension of other SNET/circles.
Referring to fig. 14, various embodiments of a vehicle SNET circle/sub-circle 1406 according to the present disclosure are shown. The SNET circle/sub-circle 1406 comprises a vehicle 1402 and may further comprise one or more other vehicles 1404, such as a co-owned or home vehicle. Various other devices, SNET sub-circles, service and content providers, entities may participate in the vehicle SNET circle/sub-circle 1406. In another embodiment, the vehicle SNET sub-circle 1400 itself may incorporate another SNET circle (e.g., an owner or passenger SNET circle).
More specifically, the membership of the vehicle SNET circle/sub-circle 1406 may include the passenger SNET sub-circle 1406, the sub-circle 1406 including human members and related entertainment devices 1408, communication devices 1410, computing devices 1412, and other social devices 1414. Other participants may include, for example, payment process services (for automated payment of gas, tolls, vehicle services/inspections, remuneration for drive-through restaurants () and the like), insurance companies 1418, emergency services/devices 1420, vehicle manufacturers 1422, and (locally-based) content providers 1424. Each node of the vehicle SNET circle/sub-circle 1406 may include an interface for communication over a cellular network, WAN, or mobile hotspot 1426, or the like. Various usage models include, for example, proximity-based activation of SNET circle nodes, such as garage door openers, environmental controls, and the like. Additionally, insurance companies may participate to view and verify driving behavior history/data and possibly provide relevant discounts.
The vehicle 1402 according to the present invention may be an automobile, a bus, a train, an industrial or agricultural vehicle, a ship, or an aircraft. The vehicle node/module according to the invention may control specific components with respect to the corresponding functionality. Such on-board circle nodes may include, for example, cameras and sensors, entertainment systems, environmental controls, computing resources, guidance and positioning functions, security systems, braking and suspension systems, battery systems/fuel cell monitoring, emissions control modules, performance/engine control modules, and the like. Various such vehicle zone nodes may be configured to communicate with one another.
Communication between members and modules of the vehicle circle/sub-circle 1400 CAN be directed, at least in part, by using standard protocols over the vehicle network, such as vehicle domain network (VAN) or controller domain network (CAN). A number of specialized protocols have been developed and are now being employed for vehicle communications, but it is envisioned that many of these protocols will eventually be replaced by more general networking technologies such as ethernet and TCP/IP. Communication in the vehicle SNET circle/sub-circle 1400 may employ wireless communication techniques and/or physical transmission media such as single/twisted pair cables, fiber optics, power line communication (e.g., via a grid connection of a charging station for a battery powered vehicle), etc.
In SNET circles according to various embodiments of the present invention, related social devices and user equipment may have bandwidth, power, and cost limitations. Sometimes, via a single social device or group of devices, a member may expect a reallocation of additional bandwidth or communication resources for various purposes, including: such as minimizing battery consumption or cost, or co-participating in downloads.
And more particularly to fig. 15, adaptive communication resource allocation and aggregation is illustrated in accordance with various embodiments of the present invention. In this embodiment, the communication resources of the social devices 1504 and 1506 participating in the SNET circle/sub-circle 1500 may be pre-configured (in the SNET circle/sub-circle 1500) to implement techniques such as alternating or complementary communication path flows and/or channel bonding to enhance or enable communication with internal and/or external resources. Such social circles may be established and maintained by a variety of means, including: self-organizing the association; cloud and SNET login processes and/or website management; proximity-based association (e.g., in-range detection using GPS or via wireless LAN or near field communication); and the like.
The communication resources of the various nodes of SNET circle/sub-circle 1500 may include, for example, but are not limited to: integrating and/or combining radio technologies that enable standard-compliant wireless connections with diverse bandwidth, performance, and traffic. Data communication in SNET circle/sub-circle 1500 may include, but is not limited to: video content from network or cloud based resource host service providers (including required video) and content from other SNET circles/sub-circles.
In the illustrated embodiment, an embedded or decentralized adaptive routing control functionality 1502 is used to establish and maintain external and/or internal wired and/or wireless communication paths between social devices 1504 and 1506 participating in SNET circle/sub-circle 1500. As described in other aspects herein, SNET processing circuitry and software 1508 (which may include adaptive routing control functionality 1502) may be employed to support and supervise the SNET circle/sub-circle 1500.
Considerations for establishing and maintaining SNET device relationships may include: cost, battery status, current or historical usage, device owner, etc. Device associations/bindings and performance allocations may be established for all future communication flows or only for specific purposes. Further, the security and sub-addressing schemes may allow device association on a per application, single source or proxy transport, etc.
Social device resource aggregation in accordance with the illustrated embodiments may involve a variety of techniques, such as channel binding, channel preemption, channel listening, beam shaping, and so forth. In one embodiment, an adaptive/parallel SNET routing infrastructure is employed in which communication with the SNET group/subgroup 1500 may be optimized using routing strategies that adjust communication link state information. Further, devices employing listening techniques may use a variety of Acknowledgement (ACK) services for communication (e.g., WLAN communication) with the user equipment address/proxy. As will be appreciated, certain assigned embodiments may use various combinations of such communication topologies and protocols.
According to some embodiments of the invention, social device resource aggregation/allocation enables a variety of cost sharing techniques. For example, paid content, such as a requested video, may be transmitted from an LTE eNodeB (eNB) to the first user 1510 via the social device 1506, the content being shared by one or more other user devices in the SNET. In this example, the sharing device may share or bear the cost of the content alone. Alternatively, the bound devices may each pay a download price via the LTE infrastructure, or use an automatic price generated (credit) based on an imbalance of WLAN traffic exchanges, etc. Considerations for forming a device group having such attributes may include: battery information, cost, bandwidth limitations, and other information that is exchanged in advance and then dynamically adjusted as needed.
In one contemplated embodiment, the vehicle (e.g., a member of the vehicle SNET circle/sub-circle 1406) or tablet and smartphone user 1510 within the respective defined area may desire to consume the same video. The device may (i) form a binding group that involves a WLAN transmission or listening exchange of video content; or (ii) an unbound download over one device/channel while the other device transmits or listens to receive video content over the WLAN. Such a binding group of devices, as well as other ad-hoc associations, may take the form of an ad-hoc SNET circle that is terminated upon reaching a destination. Alternatively, the remaining or new passenger may continue to have the SNET circle of the revised group of members. Further, SNET circle 1500, or individual nodes therein, may access content through opportunistic associations with other SNET circles/sub-circles or agents. Note that the above concepts may be extended outward by social devices/user equipment in a strict sense to other nodes, such as nodes with any one or more of the at least one participating user equipment devices, and even other SNET circles/sub-circles.
Communication between the nodes of SNET circle/sub-circle 1500 may be conducted via a server/client or peer-to-peer infrastructure. The peer-to-peer implementation allows ad-hoc connections to be established without access points or gateways and can be used, for example, when streaming video or sharing/backing files among social devices in the SNET circle where access to the internet is unavailable or undesirable. Other applications for communication of SNET circles/sub-circles in accordance with various embodiments of the present invention may include collaborative content generation and sharing, similar group interactions, and the like. Content distributed to and in SNET circle/sub-circle 1500 may be subject to various Digital Rights Management (DRM) and content protection operations so that certain data is only available to authorized users/devices of SNET circle/sub-circle 1500.
Further, the social device 1504 in some embodiments may be operated as a bridge or proxy node that communicatively couples two or more social devices 1504/1506 (utilizing, for example, a multicast-type discovery and access protocol). In such embodiments, the bridge or proxy node may communicate or forward queries and advertisements regarding configuration/capability information, and may further be used to process, transcode, or modify data and transmissions regarding device configuration/capability information.
The social device 1504/1506 may use an operating system that supports standardized and open source Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) and widgets that work across various cellular networks and service providers. Such APIs may handle physical layer control, scheduling of packets, network monitoring, and the like. E.g., LTE-Advanced, standardizes some technologies on different networks and ad hoc, and communication with such networks may involve small-element/standardized APIs that enable cooperation between hardware and protocol software.
In the embodiment of fig. 15, the adaptive routing control functionality 1502 or the like can access and forward data from multiple sources via one or a combination of service providers (e.g., responsible local switching bearers and mobile wireless carriers) and the external network 1512. The external networks 1512 may include, for example, one or more Wi-Fi access points/hotspots, urban cells/micro-cells, pico-cells, femto-cells (networks that typically use cellular and WLAN technologies and connect to service providers via broadband connections and backhaul transport networks), small cell multi-access networks, traditional cellular infrastructure, and so forth. The external networks 1512 may further include wireless heterogeneous networks ("HetNets") that improve communication performance and coverage and effectively enable local area networks (e.g., Wi-Fi networks or hotspots) to be extensions of one or more mobile networks by mixing such things as small/large cells, air interfaces, access technologies, and frequency bands.
Communication resource aggregation in accordance with various embodiments of the present invention may use a variety of existing or emerging external network discovery and attachment methods to provide seamless mobility (including authentication) between networks and automatic selection of the best communication link based on categorical metrics and criteria such as network congestion, comparative service subscription, data consumption cost, location, SNET member profile information, and device capabilities. Such emerging and standardized techniques may include: such as hotspot2.0/Passpoint, a set of standards and authentication procedures established by the Wi-Fi alliance to enable seamless, cellular Wi-Fi authentication and roaming (using IEEE 802.11u, WPA2-Enterprise, and EAP-based authentication), and the Next Generation Hotspot (NGH) initiative of the wireless broadband alliance (itself using hotspot2.0 and other standardized techniques for network discovery, selection, and attachment). Such techniques allow for different authentication methods, including direct authentication with the network operator (e.g., through mobile credentials stored in the SIM card of the social device 1504) and authentication through a third party hub or proxy to the network operator's server. The adaptive routing control functionality 1502 may incorporate and/or support a variety of such techniques and capabilities.
Fig. 16 is a functional block diagram of a local or cloud-based SNET gateway/access point 1600 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The adaptive routing control 1602 of this embodiment includes a communication resource configuration and management functionality 1604 that analyzes various metrics associated with a given communication path or link using one or more routing algorithms to determine whether one path or link performs better than another. The associated cost metrics may include: such as link usage, hop count, bandwidth and speed of the path, packet loss/congestion, time delay, throughput, load, and other information as generally shown in the communication channel state information/description table 1606. The profile information may be used, for example, to recover communication paths that are temporarily aggregated/assigned to support SNET circle data communications. In this embodiment, a preferred SNET communication path may be established and maintained through the communication resource access, allocation, arbitration and scheduling function 1608. A path table 1610 may be employed to store information about such preferred communication paths.
The illustrated SNET gateway/access point 1600 further includes an access control function 1612 for enabling full or limited access to certain communication paths, e.g., based on member profile information and access rights 1614. Similarly, the authentication and security functions 1616 and browser-based or application-based (downloaded or pre-installed) resource access services 1618 enable automated or user-directed selection of communication paths (within or outside of the SNET circle/sub-circle).
Content aggregation, de-aggregation, and transcoding operations 1620 are used to customize (condition) the transmitted content on the selected communication path. Such operations may occur prior to, concurrently with, or subsequent to the transfer of content to the SNET circle/sub-circle. Other operations performed or directed by SNET gateway/access point 1600 may include, for example, account and service provider based provisioning 1622 that allows end users or (bound) social devices to share content costs based on usage data, subscription (e.g., "family plan") restrictions, etc. in an efficient and fair manner. In this embodiment, account and service provider based provisioning 1622 may utilize compiled or available SNET member account and usage data 1624 a-n.
As will be appreciated, the various illustrated functional blocks of SNET gateway/access point 1600, such as those in adaptive routing control 1602, may be performed in whole or in part by SNET circles, other devices or nodes (including bridging and proxy nodes) in a service provider network, etc., or by opportunistic association with other SNET circles/sub-circles. Further, the social device 1504/1506 according to some embodiments may include functionality accessible by a server provider, including auto-configuration, security, authentication, and conditional access functions. Such functional blocks may be implemented, for example, in programmable and secure semiconductor devices.
Fig. 17 is a logic diagram of a method 1700 for allocating communication resources of a SNET circle in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. In step 1702 of the present embodiment, the routing control function of the SNET circle/sub-circle identifies SNET circle members or nodes requesting internal/external media content. Next, in step 1704, allocable SNET communication resources are identified and used to determine a communication path capable of supporting the transmission of the requested media content.
Thereafter, in step 1706, a cost metric associated with such communication path is evaluated (as described above). For example, each link in a given communication path may be assigned a consumption dependent on the description table, the total consumption of the communication path being the sum of the consumption of each link. Based on the evaluation of such consumption metrics, at least one of the communication paths is assigned to the delivery of all or part of the requested media content in step 1708. The method may be repeated to cope with new/changed requests for content, or changes in availability or network connectivity and allocated communication resources (e.g., participating social devices have passed over the communication cell and experienced a deterioration in coverage or started to generate roaming charges). In such a case, portions of the requested content may be downloaded from one service provider and the remaining portions downloaded from a second service provider, SNET database, or the like.
As used herein, the terms "approximately" and "approximately" provide an industry-accepted deviation from its corresponding item and/or correlation between items. Such industry-accepted deviations range from less than one percent to fifty percent and correspond to, but are not limited to, component values, integrated circuit process variables, temperature variables, rise and fall times, and/or thermal noise. Such inter-item correlations range from few percent differences to large differences. Also as may be used herein, the terms "operatively coupled," "coupled," and/or "coupled" include direct coupling between items and/or indirect coupling between items via intervening items (e.g., items including, but not limited to, components, elements, circuits, and/or modules), where, for indirect coupling, an intervening item does not modify signal information but may adjust its current level, voltage level, and/or power level. As further used herein, inferred coupling (i.e., where one element is coupled to another element by inference) includes direct and indirect coupling between two items in the same manner as "coupled". As still further used herein, the term "available to" or "available to couple" means that the item includes one or more of a power connection, input, output, etc. to perform one or more of its corresponding functions when activated and may further include deducing other items coupled to the one or more. As used herein, the term "associated with" includes direct and/or indirect coupling of separate items and/or embedding of one item within another item. As used herein, the term "satisfactorily (volatile) contrast" means that a contrast between two or more items, signals, etc. provides a desired relationship. For example, when the desired relationship is that signal 1 has a greater amplitude than signal 2, then a satisfactory contrast may be obtained when the amplitude of signal 1 is greater than the amplitude of signal 2 or when the amplitude of signal 2 is less than the amplitude of signal 1.
As used herein, the terms "processing module," "processing circuit," and/or "processing unit" may be a single processing device or a plurality of processing devices. Such a processing device may be a microprocessor, microcontroller, digital signal processor, microcomputer, central processing unit, field programmable gate array, programmable logic device, state machine, logic circuitry, analog circuitry, digital circuitry, and/or any device that manipulates signals based on hard coding of the circuitry and/or operational instructions (analog and/or digital). The processing module, processing circuit, and/or processing unit may be, or further include, memory and/or integrated memory elements, which may be single memory devices, multiple memory devices, and/or embedded circuitry of other processing modules, processing circuits, and/or processing units. Such a memory device may be a read-only memory, random access memory, volatile memory, non-volatile memory, static memory, dynamic memory, flash memory, cache memory, and/or any device that stores digital information. Note that if the processing module, processing circuit, and/or processing unit includes more than one processing device, the processing devices may be centrally located (e.g., directly coupled together via a wired and/or wireless bus structure) or may be distributed (e.g., via indirectly coupled cloud computing over a local area network and/or a wide area network). It is further noted that if the processing module, processing circuit, and/or processing unit implements one or more of its functions via a state machine, analog circuitry, digital circuitry, and/or logic circuitry, the memory and/or memory elements storing the corresponding operational instructions may be embedded within or external to the circuitry comprising the state machine, analog circuitry, digital circuitry, and/or logic circuitry. It is further noted that hardcoded and/or operational instructions corresponding to at least some of the steps and/or functions illustrated in one or more of the figures may be stored by a memory element and executed by a processing module, processing circuit, and/or processing unit. Such a memory device or memory element may be included in an article of manufacture.
The invention has been described above with the aid of method steps illustrating its operation with specific functions and relationships. Boundaries and sequence of these functional blocks and method steps have been arbitrarily defined herein for convenience of description. Alternative boundaries and sequences may be defined so long as the specific functions and relationships are appropriately performed. Any such alternate boundaries or sequences are thus included within the scope and spirit of the claimed invention. Further, boundaries of these functional blocks may be arbitrarily defined for convenience of description. Alternative boundaries may be defined so long as certain important functions are performed appropriately. Similarly, the flow diagram blocks herein may also be arbitrarily defined to illustrate certain significant functionality. To the extent used, flow block boundaries and sequences may be otherwise defined and still perform certain important functions. Such alternative definitions of functional blocks and flowchart blocks and sequences are, therefore, included within the scope and spirit of the claimed invention. Those skilled in the art will recognize that the functional blocks, as well as other example blocks, modules, and components herein, may be implemented as illustrated or as discrete components, application specific integrated circuits, processors executing appropriate software, etc., or any combination thereof.
The invention may also be described, at least in part, in terms of one or more embodiments. Embodiments of the present invention are used herein to illustrate the invention and its aspects, its features, its concepts and/or examples thereof. The apparatus, article, machine, and/or physical embodiments implementing the processes of the present invention may include one or more aspects, features, concepts, examples, etc., described with reference to one or more of the embodiments discussed herein. Further, from figure to figure, embodiments may combine the same or similarly named functions, steps, modules, etc. using the same or different reference numbers, and as such, the functions, steps, modules, etc. may be the same or similar functions, steps, modules, etc. or different functions, steps, modules, etc.
Signals to, from, and/or between elements in any of the figures herein may be analog or digital, time continuous or time discrete, and single ended or differential, unless specifically stated to the contrary. For example, if the signal path is shown as a single-ended path, it may also represent a differential signal path. Similarly, if a single via is shown as a differential via, it also represents a single-ended signal via. Although one or more particular architectures are described herein, other architectures may also be implemented using one or more data buses, direct communication between elements, and/or indirect coupling between other elements, which are not explicitly shown, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art.
The term "module" is used in the description of the various embodiments of the present invention. The modules include processing modules, functional blocks, hardware, and/or software stored on memory to perform one or more of the functions described herein. Note that if the module is implemented via hardware, the hardware may work independently and/or in conjunction with software and/or firmware. As used herein, a module may include one or more sub-modules, each of which may be one or more modules.
Although specific combinations of features and functions are described herein, other combinations of features and functions are also possible. The present invention is not limited by the specific examples disclosed herein and explicitly incorporates such other combinations.