HK1182882B - Dynamic range wireless communications access point - Google Patents

Description

Dynamic range wireless communication access point

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to dynamic range wireless communication access points, and in particular, to a wireless access point system capable of connecting and communicating with one or more wireless devices and a method of enabling communication between one or more wireless devices and the access point system.

Background

Near Field Communication (NFC) is an emerging technology for enabling transactions (e.g., Point Of Sale (POS)) and communications between at least two NFC-enabled devices over a very short distance.

Touch-based gestures may be applicable to NFC-enabled devices to pair two such NFC-enabled devices. These proximity-based gestures provide selectivity between devices to be paired where there may be multiple other devices in the vicinity. Also, physically putting these devices together requires deliberate action to remove the uncertainty that may exist for longer distance radio connections such as bluetooth, Wifi or 3G/4G cells.

However, retailers interested in the potential to trade with NFC at points of sale or service points within their retail stores may find that few users carry NFC-enabled cell phones to enable such transactions.

To date, NFC enabled devices have not been as popular as other types of wireless communications (e.g., bluetooth enabled and/or WiFi enabled devices). In addition, these other wireless standards have many desirable characteristics in view of the infrastructure that has been established for these other wireless standards, but lack the selective and deliberate advantages in NFC transactions, as outlined previously.

Disclosure of Invention

The following presents a simplified summary of the invention in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects described herein. This summary is not an extensive overview of the claimed subject matter. It is intended to neither identify key or critical elements of the claimed subject matter nor delineate the scope of the subject innovation. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of the claimed subject matter in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.

Some embodiments of the present application provide systems and/or methods for a dynamic range wireless access point to initiate intentional and/or selective communication with one or more wireless devices on a short-range radio path. One embodiment of an access point system includes a processor that switches a communication path of one or more wireless devices from a short-range radio path to a long-range radio path when a transition condition is satisfied. In another embodiment, the access point system may affect a transaction between a user/customer's smart device and a commercial trading site, where the access point system and the smart device initiate communication in a portal of the commercial trading site.

Some embodiments of the access point system include two antennas and two radio systems, one short-range radio and the other long-range radio. In other embodiments, the access point system may include a single antenna and radio system, wherein the radio system may adjust its signal strength to affect both short-range and long-range communications. Such adjustments may be implemented in a time division multiplexed manner.

In other embodiments, the access point system may employ a bluetooth stack to initiate short-range communications with the smart device and to initiate communications with the smart device making an intentional gesture to begin communications.

In other embodiments, the access point system may switch communications with the wireless device upon detecting a suitable transition condition. The suitable transition condition may include an indication that the wireless device is out of range, or an indication that a security policy of a given business or environment implementing the access point system is satisfied.

Other features and aspects of the present system will become apparent from the following detailed description, which, when taken in conjunction with the drawings presented in this application.

Drawings

Exemplary embodiments are illustrated in referenced figures of the drawings. The embodiments and figures disclosed herein are to be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive.

Fig. 1 illustrates the general environment of a point of sale (POS) transaction system.

Fig. 2 illustrates one embodiment of a dynamic range wireless communication access point system.

Fig. 3A illustrates one embodiment of a directional Radio Frequency (RF) beam.

Figure 3B shows a comparison of a directional radio frequency beam with a variable power radio frequency beam.

Fig. 4 is a top view of one possible environment including multiple access points connected to users and their devices within one or more operating volumes of each access point.

Fig. 5 illustrates one embodiment of a flow chart describing a process of communication between an access point system and a smart device.

Fig. 6 illustrates one embodiment of a smart device operable with a dynamic range wireless access point system.

Fig. 7-9 illustrate alternative embodiments of dynamic range wireless access point systems.

Detailed Description

As used herein, "component," "system," and "interface," etc., refer to a computer-related entity, hardware, software (e.g., software in execution), and/or firmware. For example, a component may be a process running on a processor, an object, an executable, a program, and/or a computer. For purposes of illustration, both an application running on a server and the server can be a component. One or more components may be present in a process, and a component may be located on one computer and/or distributed between two or more computers.

The claimed subject matter is described with reference to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals are used to refer to like elements throughout. In the following description, for the purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. It may be evident, however, that the claimed subject matter may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form in order to facilitate describing the subject invention.

The following describes a wireless access point system that influences a communication connection with a smart device within its operating volume. In some embodiments, such an access point system may affect the communication path between the smart device and the commercial transaction processing system. Thus, in various embodiments, the access point system enables a customer entering a business to establish a connection with a service. For example, in one such embodiment, connection to the service may occur by a customer carrying the wireless device walking through a commercial portal that is within the operating volume of the wireless access point system. In another embodiment, the customer may intentionally place the smart device within a proximity range (e.g., within a few centimeters) of the wireless access point system. Such wireless access point systems give businesses flexibility in that there is a wide choice of connecting customers at the business service site, from passive (e.g., walking through the proximity of the access point system) to active (e.g., intentionally placing their smart devices within the proximity of the access point system). Referring now to FIG. 1, an overall system 100 for POS transactions is shown. The transaction device 102 authenticates and communicates with trusted devices 108a and 108b within the effective radius of the antenna 104. Authentication, the process used to establish secure communications and effect transactions, may be accomplished by the processor 106 under the control of appropriate software.

Devices 108a and 108b may be "smart devices," i.e., devices that are generally portable and have sufficient computing and communication capabilities, such as smart phones and tablet devices. For device 108a, device 108a is within the effective radius of antenna 104 and, therefore, is able to communicate with transaction device 102. However, as shown, the device 108b is outside the effective radius of the antenna 104.

Additionally, the transaction device 102 may communicate with other devices 112 directly or through the internet or cloud services 110. In this manner, the transaction may be further processed and many other typical background business functions (back office functions) may be customized, such as accounting, shipping, receiving, and order processing, among others.

It will be appreciated that the scenario illustrated in fig. 1 may be implemented by a variety of wireless technologies and standards. One such wireless technology may be NFC, which allows for a number of features that may be needed and features that are less necessary.

NFC devices typically have an antenna and an effective range that operates in a range of about 10 centimeters or less. This limited range establishes the following communication systems: have natural selectivity and require deliberate gestures to initiate, but support spontaneous use and use methods that are apparent to the end user.

However, as shown in FIG. 1, a small effective range, while enhancing secure communications, may not be satisfactory in certain environments where it is desirable to operate the infrastructure. As an example, the trading system may be required to be operated in a shopping mall (e.g.:or other similar retailer), a hospital, a theater, or even at home. Each of these environments, while sharing some features with commercial trading places that affect transactions with users/customers, also has unique challenges and features that are not well supported by NFC technology.

In the case of a shopping mall, the transaction device and infrastructure may enable the user/shopper to shop and communicate with the mall's back office functions over a wider base range than provided by the 10cm effective radius of the NFC-enabled antenna. A shopper may want to know instant information about the price, availability, or other specifications of items in a mall that the shopper may see while shopping. In addition, shoppers may want to transact in real time.

To implement such functionality by NFC may require a significant investment. For NFC enabled devices, an NFC reader may cost about five hundred dollars ($ 500), which is typically paid by the merchant. Thus, multiple NFC readers may be required in order to have an NFC enabled transaction environment, which may become a critical factor in whether any given merchant employs NFC enabled transactions.

As part of enforcing secure transactions through close proximity communication, NFC tends to influence device pairing in an intentional and selective manner. NFC device pairing is "deliberate" in that pairing gestures are performed frequently (i.e., touching two NFC-enabled devices) and are "selective" (i.e., an NFC-enabled device rarely connects to two devices when performing a single pairing gesture).

One embodiment of a dynamic range access point system

NFC has limited range and is slow to adopt in merchants and handset/smartphone manufacturers, in contrast to other existing wireless communication standards and/or protocols that are widely adopted and inexpensive to implement. One such wireless infrastructure is bluetooth.

As part of the bluetooth specification, bluetooth leverages multiple ranges of radio frequency communications. Indeed, bluetooth antennas may be referred to by categories as: a class 1 antenna having a range up to about 100 meters; a class 2 antenna having a range of up to about 10 meters; and a class 3 antenna having a range up to about 5 meters. While 5 meters is a significantly more selective operating range than 100 meters, in practical implementations its selectivity may not be sufficient to distinguish one user's device from another nearby device.

Fig. 2 depicts one embodiment of a dynamic range wireless communication access point system. In this embodiment, access point system 200 may include a low and/or variable power radio frequency radio 202. Low and/or variable power radio frequency signals may be transmitted to suitable antennas 204, where antennas 204 may be directional to reduce the likelihood of eavesdropping attacks; or the signal may be sent to antenna 204, which may be omni-directional but sends low and/or variable radio frequency radio signals. The radio frequency radio 202 is coupled to a processor 206, wherein the processor 206 may affect the bluetooth stack and other processing as described below. The processor 206 may include computing and computer-readable storage elements for the access point system to implement a wireless standard such as bluetooth or Wifi.

As part of this embodiment, processor 206 may be coupled to and transmit suitable control and data signals to a second longer range radio frequency 208 and a radio frequency antenna 210, where antenna 210 may be an omni-directional or directional antenna depending on the characteristics of the environment in which access point system 200 operates.

The processor 206 may interface and connect with other optional communication and/or computing devices through the interface 212. The interface 212 forms a connection 214, where the connection 214 may be wired (e.g., USB, serial or parallel, etc.), or it may be any suitable wireless interface. Such optional communication and/or computing devices that may be connected to interface 212 include: computer 216, POS device 218, smartphone 220, or connection 222 that may provide a connection to a broadband modem, WiFi system, ultra-wideband radio system, or cellular radio system.

As just one example, the computer 216 may be further connected to the Internet and/or a cloud-based system or service 224, and the cloud-based system or service 224 may be connected to other devices 226, wherein the devices 226 run a plurality of applications 228, such as background applications for sale, accounting, distribution, or ordering, and the like. Similarly, POS devices such as device 218 may be distributed in an exemplary shopping mall to affect the sale and ordering of goods and/or services. The smartphone 220, which typically includes a computing module, may perform functions similar to the computer 216 and/or the POS device 218. Finally, connection 222 may connect access point system 200 with other computing, communication, and/or smart devices through the internet and/or cloud-based systems or services.

In addition to the low power mode, antenna 204 may be configured to transmit directional and/or shaped radio frequency beams. Fig. 3A shows one possible embodiment of the directional radio frequency beam 302 transmitted by antenna 204, where antenna 204 is powered by radio frequency radio 202 under control of processor 206. Such directional antennas are known in the art and the use of such directional radio frequency beams may be further selectively enhanced by the deliberate placement of the radio frequency antenna 204. The beam 302 may be represented by a length L and a divergence angle (spread) α. The beam may be arranged as desired to cover a small area of space at the entrance or exit so that communication with patrons is only achieved when the patron enters or leaves the mall.

In contrast, fig. 3B shows a beam shape 302 that may be produced by a directional antenna relative to a beam shape 304 that may be produced by a low and/or variable power omni-directional antenna. If the power of the radio frequency signal is adjusted, beams 304 through 306 may represent the variable effective radius of the omni-directional antenna. As mentioned, the shape and intensity of the beam may be selected as desired, depending on the level of selectivity desired and the dimensions of the portal (or area to be paired with the customer's smart device).

Proximity (Proximity) and Proximity (Vicinity)

For the purposes of this application, the concept of proximity refers to a sufficiently small volume of operation (operative volume) within which a user must deliberately perform the following actions: i.e. its equipment is placed within the operating volume of the wireless access point system to affect communication. In this embodiment, the access point system includes a first proximity antenna having a first effective communication range, i.e., "proximity range," within which the access point system may initiate communication with one or more devices.

The concept of proximity refers to a sufficiently large volume of operation, as compared to the concept of proximity, for communications between the wireless access point system and the device to occur without deliberate action, such as touching the device to the access point; but the operational volume is small enough and selective enough that communication between the user and the access point can only occur within a limited (and specially shaped) operational volume (e.g., when walking through an entrance or other meaningful physical space that a person would walk through or bypass).

In contrast to "proximity," a user may communicate with an environment (e.g., mall, hospital, theater, home) when the user is in "proximity" to the access point system and/or its environment. As the user moves in space and time in this environment, the following situations may arise: some users have left the vicinity of the access point system. The access point system itself may include multiple volumes of operation as a beneficial design may be made for the environment. In space and time, some users move in and out of the vicinity of these operational volumes as they move. Communication occurs only when the user's movement places the user in proximity to at least one of the run volumes.

Fig. 4 shows a possible environment 400, such as a mall, in a top view. Environment 400 may include multiple access point systems (e.g., 402 a-402 d) purposely placed within environment 400. Each access point may itself include one or more distinct run volumes, where each run volume is purposely matched for a particular purpose. For example, some access points may be placed near one or more portals (e.g., 404a and 404 d) and their respective operational volumes 406a and 406d may be shaped such that the operational volumes cover the volumes of portals 404a and 404 d. Additionally, access point 402d may further include a second operational volume 408d, where the second operational volume 408d may be a static operational volume (as shown by the first dashed line) or a dynamic operational volume (which may expand the operational volume outward to the second dashed line). The second operational volume may be affected by a second remote antenna that, if of variable power, may produce an operational volume that exceeds the second dashed line.

As seen at entrances 404a and 404d, users 410a, 410a ', 410d, and 410 d' may be entering or leaving a mall as indicated by their arrows. User 410a has smart device 412a and will enter the store, but outside of the operating volume (406 a) of access point 402 a. While the user 410a 'is passing through the portal and the smart device 412 a' is within the run volume 406 a. Similarly, user 410d is entering a mall and is within the first operational volume 406d of the access point 402 d. The user 410 d' is leaving the mall and is outside the first operational volume 406d but within the second operational volume 408 d.

Other access points of environment 400 may be strategically and/or purposely placed to affect different business transactions. For example, the access point 402b may be placed in proximity to a particular product or display to affect a POS access point. In this case, the run volume 406b may be within a few centimeters of the POS, so that the user 410b must purposely place the device 412b within a small run volume (406 b) in order to achieve a particular purpose or accomplish a particular task, such as purchasing a particular item.

Another access point 402c is depicted having a first operational volume 406c that is greater than a few centimeters and that may be used to affect different purposes or tasks for a user 410c having a device 412c, such as obtaining pricing information or other product information related to items and/or services presented in proximity to the access point 402 c. Additionally, the access point 402c may have a second operational volume 408c that may be used to accomplish the same or different purposes or tasks as the first operational volume 406 c. The second run volume 408c allows the user 410c 'to move in space and time and continue to establish a connection through the device 412 c'.

It should be understood that the embodiment of fig. 4 is for illustration only, and that in another environment, multiple environments including multiple access points with multiple volumes of operation may be strategically placed to impart meaning and functionality to the environment and its users.

Intentional and selective communication

It may be desirable for initial communications between the access point system and one or more wireless devices to have an impact on the same awareness of the purposefulness and selectivity found in communications that support NFC functionality. In this case, the initial communication may be based on a deliberate gesture of the user/customer, such as placing the smart device beside (i.e., within its proximity to) a booth (koisk). Other intentional gestures of the user/customer may also be used with the present invention. For example, a user turning his smartphone on in proximity to an access point system is an example of an intentional gesture.

In one embodiment, once the user/customer's smart device is in the vicinity or near range of the access point wireless system, the smart phone may detect the signal from the access point system and alert the user/customer of that fact, and the user/customer may then activate a physical or soft switch (as shown in fig. 5) to effect intentional wireless communication with the access point system now known to the user/customer.

Selectivity (i.e., reducing the likelihood of one wireless device intentionally attempting to connect to two different access points) may be enhanced by precisely defining the operating volume of the wireless access points. That is, if the operating volume of each access point is reasonably defined and limited so as not to overlap with the operating volumes of other access points, then in the same environment it is not possible for a user/client's smart device to attempt to establish a connection with more than one access point system at the same time. This is generally contrary to the design objectives of bluetooth, regardless of the type of antenna used.

As with the short-range radio and antenna designs described above, the design of the long-range antenna should take into account the environment in which it is to operate. For example, if the access point system is used to enable wireless communication with patrons in a large shopping mall, it may be desirable for the second remote radio to cover communications within the mall and may be beyond the physical confines of the mall (e.g., into a parking lot).

In another environment, such as a hospital, the operating volume of the long-range radio may be significantly reduced from the example of a store, but may be greater than the proximity and near range of the first short-range radio and/or antenna. In the case of a hospital with numerous beds in numerous rooms, there may be greater demands on the selectivity of the communication to ensure that appropriate communication endpoints are established. This may be ensured by placing a tight limit on the "proximity" of the first short-range radio and/or antenna, but once selective communication has been established, the communication may continue within a larger operating area, such as in a hospital ward or the like.

As will be discussed below, in some embodiments described herein, it may be desirable to have the first short-range radio and/or antenna be the same as the second long-range radio and/or antenna. This may be achieved by varying the power to combine the first and second radio/antenna systems. The requirement to use one antenna to affect both short-range and long-range communications may depend on the security and convenience of the use requirements of a given environment.

One environmental embodiment

The access point system may be implemented in a number of different environments, and can be configured as desired to function properly in a given environment, as discussed above in connection with fig. 4. The first embodiment may be a shopping mall. For such a shopping mall, the access point system may be implemented as a transaction device.

While there are many different types of marketplaces and different ways in which these types of marketplaces provide functionality and services to users, these types of marketplaces may have some of the same features. For example, it is reasonable to assume that a customer enters a store through one or a few entrances.

Through these portals, shoppers enter the store, and the number of shoppers may vary over time, depending on the goods and/or services available and the specific time of day. For example, a large "big box" mall may have a peak in traffic after work hours, i.e., when people leave work and start shopping.

When a patron enters a store, it may be the case that the patron has their smart phone or other such smart device activated in an "on" state so that the devices accept communications with the access point system. In fact, if the customer knows that the access point system is implemented in this particular mall, they would like to have their smart phone switched on and activated to communicate with the access point system to take advantage of the shopping convenience provided by the access point system.

In one embodiment, these access point systems may support bluetooth functionality and authenticate and pair with other bluetooth enabled devices. To detect a shopper as the shopper passes through a given physical location, such as an entrance, a low and/or variable power radio frequency radio signals a device to communicate with the access point system within a limited effective radius that covers a desired distance, such as the dimensions of the entrance.

Returning to the example of a large shopping mall, i.e., a "big box" mall, the low and/or variable power radio frequency radio may be dedicated to the task of authenticating and pairing the customer's smartphone with the access point system. Once a patron passes through the entrance of a mall and begins to visit with a smartphone, the patron may want to interact with the access point system for the following services: price checks, product availability checks, ordering and/or purchasing items and/or other services provided by a store.

To facilitate such interaction, in one embodiment, the access point system may employ a more remote radio and antenna (such as 208 and 210 in fig. 2), respectively, to maintain a communication session with the customer. The access point system may utilize any known and/or available such radio specification, including bluetooth (e.g., perhaps by class 2 or class 3 radio frequency radio), WiFi communication, or any other suitable wireless communication. As consumer smart devices have been upgraded and continue to be upgraded, the smart devices may allow for wireless communication via a variety of standards. In this way, communications (bluetooth wireless communications at a short range initiated by the access point system) can be switched to a longer range wireless communication system as needed. The switching may be accomplished in a substantially seamless and transparent manner to the customer.

By allowing proximity authentication and pairing on a selective and limited-capacity wireless subsystem and then automatically switching to another, more remote wireless subsystem, the access point system provides a natural and easy connection to conventional wireless systems without relying on NFC-radio-enabled customer devices (available from existing bluetooth customer devices).

Initial communication and transition/handover

As previously mentioned, one of the primary tasks of an access point system is to initiate communication with the smart devices of one or more users. It is well known that NFC pairing is relatively fast, such as about 100 and 500ms, using touch-based gestures, where two NFC-enabled devices are brought within a distance of about 10cm or less from each other. As discussed above, however, the access point system may employ a different first wireless subsystem that is not as limited in range as NFC, such as bluetooth or WiFi.

In the case of bluetooth radio communication, it is well known that bluetooth takes longer on average to perform the following operations for two bluetooth-enabled devices: (1) discover each other and then (2) pair and prepare for application communication. In a typical scenario where two devices have not previously perceived each other, the discovery and pairing time for bluetooth may be about 10 seconds. This delay may not be desirable, for example, in a mall. In fact, a designer of a mall access point system may wish to initiate secure communications in about the time (e.g., one or a few seconds, or less) that the user crosses the threshold of the mall entrance.

One reason bluetooth latency reaches 10 seconds is that two devices discover each other by knowing each other's Media Access Control (MAC) address. In the bluetooth environment, communication is performed in a frequency hopping scheme, which increases the delay of initially discovering each other's MAC addresses.

To speed up the pairing process for bluetooth, one embodiment of the access point system of the present invention is to receive a set of pre-assigned MAC addresses for the manufacturer of the access point system. These pre-assigned MAC addresses may be stored in a computer readable Memory (e.g., Random Access Memory (RAM) or Read-Only Memory (ROM)) of a processor of the Access point system and in the user's smart device. With the cache of pre-assigned MAC addresses searched, the user's smart device may first attempt to initiate communication using the set of MAC addresses, thereby reducing the amount of time for the access point system and the user's smart device to discover each other. Thus, in one embodiment, when an access point receives a pairing request from one of a plurality of devices having multiple MAC addresses (where the multiple MAC addresses are not known a priori by the access point) and the access point MAC address is one of a number of MAC addresses known a priori by the device initiating the pairing request, the access point may reply to the pairing request to accept the request and establish communication. Once the two devices discover each other, authentication and pairing can be handled based on standard procedures of the bluetooth specification. In one embodiment, by speeding up the time to complete the pairing process, the time for pairing the customer's smart device with the access point system is approximately the time it takes for the customer to walk through an entrance in the vicinity of the access point system. Pairing of their smart devices with the access point system can be seamless and automatic for the customer.

Fig. 5 shows one possible embodiment of a flow chart describing the communication process between the access point system and the smart device of the present invention. At 502, the access point system, once installed and activated in a given environment, can issue an interrogation signal to discover any smart devices that may be entering its proximity and/or nearby range. At 504, if a user/customer carrying a suitably configured and enabled smart device is passing from or placing its suitably configured and enabled smart device within proximity of the access point system, the smart device may begin communicating with the access point system.

At step 506, the user may be presented with possible choices in the form of performing intentional gestures to further affect communication and connectivity with services provided by the access point. One such intentional gesture is a user "touching" the access point with the device. In another scenario, at 506, the user/customer may activate a switch (physical switch on the smart device or soft switch of an application running on the smart device). Fig. 6 depicts an alternative embodiment of such a smart device 600, wherein the smart device 600 may alert the user that the smart device has detected a signal via its wireless antenna 606 and the smart device is entering the operating volume of the access point system, and then the user may press a physical button and/or switch 602 on the smart device, or alternatively, a soft switch on a touch screen 604. In another embodiment, the switch or UI (User Interface) characteristics of the device may be affected when a PIN code is entered to confirm intentional action or a confirmation session is entered to confirm passive proximity action.

However, it should be understood that steps 504 and 506 may be optional, as selective communication between the access point and the device may be performed in a manner transparent to the user or accomplished passively. As a process transparent to the user, the access point system and the smart device can discover each other, authenticate, and pair. Thus, the present invention may support such deliberate actions (e.g., touching or actuating a switch, etc.) or passive actions (e.g., the access point system is tuned to only detect devices passing within a well-defined proximity range, without requiring additional deliberate actions).

Once the access point system and the smart device discover each other, the access point system and the smart device may attempt to connect directly by attempting a predefined set of MAC addresses stored in the access point system and the smart device, step 508. As described above, this may speed up the process of initiating communication. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, the smart device may include a processor 608 and a memory 610, wherein the memory 610 has stored therein a set of pre-assigned MAC addresses in order to expedite initial communications.

It should be understood that this step is also optional. Alternatively, the access point system and the smart device may authenticate and pair in the usual way, such as according to the standard of bluetooth. In step 510, the access point system and the smart device authenticate and pair. At 512, the access point system and the smart device begin communicating through the short-range radio system.

At 514, the short-range communication may continue until a transition condition is satisfied. It should be appreciated that the transition conditions can be considered flexible, subject to the design of any given access point system and the environment in which the access point system is to operate. For example, one suitable transition condition may be that the short-range radio detects a weakening or already weakened signal from the smart device, indicating that the smart device is leaving the range of the short-range radio (i.e., a "device out of range" condition). This transition condition may be well-suited for a mall environment where many users may connect and communicate with a short-range radio near the mall entrance and then quickly come to a stop.

Many possible different embodiments may produce a hybrid access point configuration. For example, one configuration may employ proximity (e.g., the device is within the operational volume of a close-range access point) to access a restricted space or service. Once access is allowed and communication within the space or service is initiated, access and/or communication may continue to be monitored and authorized as long as the device is still within proximity of the access point. The access and/or communication may be terminated when the device moves out of the vicinity (e.g., the operating volume of the access point). This hybrid example may allow the use of the access point system to monitor and/or supervise the physical attributes (physics) of the device while relying on other conventional telecommunications for service delivery (e.g., 3G/4G, WiFi, etc.).

The transition condition may be the following rule: once communication with the access point system is established, all smart devices transition to long-range radio communication. (i.e., a "communication initiation" condition). Another such transition condition may be a "timeout" condition, such as a handover occurring after a certain amount of time has elapsed. Of course, many other transition conditions may be designed depending on the design of the access point system and its operating environment.

If the transition condition is satisfied, the access point system may transition the smart device communication to the remote radio at step 516. The remote communication may continue in time, for example, as long as the smart device is within the vicinity of the access point system, within its operating environment, or at any other desired temporal or spatial characteristic. In one embodiment, communications with the access point system may ultimately be switched to a tunneled communication channel.

If the termination condition is met at 518, communication between the access point system and the smart device may be terminated at 520. As with the transition condition, the termination condition may be flexible depending on the design of the access point system. For example, one termination condition may be that the smart device is out of remote radio range, thereby terminating the communication. In another embodiment, communications with the smart device may be switched to another communication route, such as to a commercial wireless carrier, without going through the access point system.

Alternative access point embodiments

Fig. 7 illustrates another embodiment of a dynamic range wireless access point system and its environment 700. In this particular embodiment, there is a single antenna subsystem 702, the single antenna subsystem 702 further including a short range antenna 704, a short range radio and stack 706, and a USB controller 708. In one embodiment, the radio and stack 706 is a bluetooth stack or any other suitable communication standard.

The radio and stack 706 interface through a USB controller 708, where the USB controller 708 is connected to a host PC (Personal Computer) 710. Host PC 710 includes sufficient processing and memory to enable communication between the smart device 716 and the access point system as described herein. The host PC is further connected to a remote radio 712, which remote radio 712 is in turn connected to a remote antenna 714.

In the embodiment of fig. 7, a single antenna subsystem in the access point device may handle intentional and selective gestures (in wireless communication path 718) between the access point antenna and the smart device 716. An application on the smart device may attempt to pair with a known MAC address (as discussed above) and upon entering the pairing radius, may initiate a data exchange with the host PC 710 over the USB connection 708. Thus, host PC 710 may dynamically increase access point range to extend data exchange with the cellular telephone. It may also exchange appropriate keys (keys) to enable the cell phone to connect easily and seamlessly with another local bluetooth or WiFi network.

In a single antenna embodiment, time division multiplexing between long range and short range (and/or directional) access point functions may also be performed by adjusting the power into the antenna 704 to dynamically change the range. In this case, the remote antenna 714 and remote radio and stack 712 may be optional.

Fig. 8 illustrates another embodiment of a dynamic range wireless access point system and its environment 800. In this embodiment, there is a dual antenna subsystem 802, the dual antenna subsystem 802 including a short range antenna 804, a short range radio and stack 806, a processor 808, a long range radio and stack 810, and a long range antenna 812. The dual antenna subsystem 802 may communicate with the host PC 814 through a USB connection. As discussed above, the smart device 816 may communicate with the dual-antenna subsystem 802 along a short-range communication path 818 and a long-range communication path 820.

In one possible embodiment of the dual antenna scheme, the short-range radio and stack 806 includes a bluetooth module, wherein the bluetooth module may connect to an application running on the smart device when the smart device 816 enters pairing range. However, at this point, the short range access point antenna may not need to be adjusted to a larger radius (as in the single antenna embodiment) because higher bandwidth wireless systems may also be incorporated into the access point system. This may allow the host PC to securely communicate with the smart device 816 over a larger radius without requiring additional infrastructure. The processor 808 may manage data flow to the appropriate interfaces of the access point bluetooth module, high bandwidth and long range wireless connections, and USB connections to connect with the local PC.

Fig. 9 illustrates another embodiment of a dynamic range wireless access point system and its environment 900. In this embodiment, there is a dual antenna subsystem 902, the dual antenna subsystem 902 including a short range antenna 904, a short range radio and stack 906, a processor 908, a long range radio and stack 910, and a long range antenna 912. The dual antenna subsystem 902 may communicate with a host PC816 over a long range wireless communication path 914. As discussed above, smart device 918 may communicate with dual-antenna subsystem 902 along short-range communication path 920 and long-range communication path 922.

In embodiments of the remote access point system, the host PC may be anywhere within the remote wireless connection range of the access point, which may increase the ease of placing the access point where placement of a local notebook or PC may be prohibited. This may be required in any situation where there is a physical distance between the access point and the host PC. This also adds additional flexibility to the designer and installer of the access point system.

Examples of the invention are described above. It is, of course, not possible to describe every conceivable combination of components or methodologies for purposes of describing the claimed subject matter, but one of ordinary skill in the art may recognize that many further combinations and permutations of the subject invention are possible. Accordingly, the claimed subject matter is intended to embrace all such alterations, modifications and variations that fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

In particular regard to the various functions performed by the above described components, devices, circuits, systems and the like, the terms (including a reference to a "means") used to describe such components are intended to correspond, unless otherwise indicated, to any component which performs the specified function of the described component (e.g., a functional equivalent), even though not structurally equivalent to the disclosed structure, which performs the function in the herein illustrated exemplary aspects of the claimed subject matter. In this regard, it will also be recognized that the innovation includes a system as well as a computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing the acts and/or events of the various methods of the claimed subject matter.

In addition, a particular feature of the invention may be disclosed with respect to only one of several implementations, and such feature may be combined with one or more other features of the other implementations as may be desired and advantageous for any given or particular application. Furthermore, to the extent that the term "includes" is used in either the detailed description or the claims, such term is intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term "comprising" as "comprising" is interpreted.

According to the above examples, the invention can be implemented by the following schemes:

1. a wireless access point system capable of connecting and communicating with one or more wireless devices, the wireless access point system comprising:

a first short-range radio having a first effective communication range, the first effective communication range including a first operational volume;

a second remote radio having a second effective communication range greater than the first effective communication range;

a processor that transmits data and control signals to the first short-range radio and the second long-range radio and receives data signals from the first short-range radio and the second long-range radio;

wherein the wireless access point system is capable of initiating selective and intentional communication with the one or more wireless devices through the first short-range radio when the one or more wireless devices are within a first operational volume of the first short-range radio; and is

Wherein further, when the processor detects a transition condition, the wireless access point system is capable of transitioning communications with the one or more wireless devices to the second remote radio.

2. The wireless access point system of claim 1, wherein the first operational volume comprises a proximity range within which initial communication between the one or more wireless devices and a first proximity antenna is affected by an intentional gesture.

3. The wireless access point system of claim 1, wherein the first operational volume of the first effective communication range comprises a dimension of an entrance to an environment through which a user of the one or more wireless devices passes.

4. The wireless access point system of item 1, further comprising:

a first proximity antenna connected to the first proximity radio; and is

The first proximity antenna further comprises a directional antenna.

5. The wireless access point system of claim 1, wherein the transition condition comprises one of a group, the group comprising: a device out of range condition, a communication initiation condition, and a timeout condition.

6. The wireless access point system of claim 1, wherein the first short-range radio comprises a bluetooth-enabled radio.

7. The wireless access point system of item 6, further comprising

A computer readable memory connected to the processor; and

the computer readable memory stores a predefined set of MAC addresses, the predefined set of MAC addresses being specific to the wireless access point system.

8. The wireless access point system of claim 1, wherein the wireless access point system further comprises an interface connected to the processor and transmitting and receiving control and data signals to and from outside the wireless access point system.

9. The wireless access point system of claim 8, wherein the data and control signals are transmitted and received by one of the group consisting of: computers, point-of-sale service devices, smart phones, local area networks, broadband modems, WiFi systems, ultra-wideband radio frequency systems, and cellular radio systems.

10. The wireless access point system of claim 8, wherein the wireless access point system is implemented in a mall and transmits and receives data and control signals to and from a back-end service system of the mall.

11. A method of enabling communication between one or more wireless devices and an access point system, the access point system comprising: a first short-range radio having an effective communication range including a first operational volume; a second remote radio having an effective communication range including a second operational volume; and a processor connected to the first short-range radio and the second long-range radio, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) discovering one or more wireless devices within a first operational volume of the first short-range radio;

(b) pairing the one or more wireless devices discovered in step (a) with the wireless access point system; and

(c) transitioning the one or more wireless devices paired in step (b) to the second remote radio within a second operational volume of the second remote radio when a transition condition is satisfied.

12. The method of enabling communication between one or more wireless devices and an access point system of claim 11, wherein the method further comprises the steps of:

(d) communicating with one or more wireless devices when the one or more wireless devices are within a second operational volume of the second remote radio.

13. The method of enabling communication between one or more wireless devices and an access point system of claim 11, wherein the step of discovering the one or more wireless devices within a first operational volume of the first short-range radio further comprises the steps of:

(a1) receiving a signal from one of the one or more wireless devices indicating that a user of the one or more wireless devices has actuated a switch to purposely communicate with the wireless access point system.

14. The method of enabling communication between one or more wireless devices and an access point system of claim 11, wherein the step of discovering the one or more wireless devices within a first operational volume of the first short-range wireless further comprises the steps of:

(a1) when a pairing request is received from one of a plurality of devices having a plurality of MAC addresses, wherein the MAC address is not known in advance by an access point, and wherein the MAC address of the access point is known in advance by the device that initiated the pairing request, the pairing request is replied to accept the request and establish communication.

15. The method of enabling communication between one or more wireless devices and an access point system of claim 11, wherein the transition condition comprises one of a group comprising: a device out of range condition, a communication initiation condition, and a timeout condition.

16. The method of enabling communication between one or more wireless devices and a system of access points of claim 11, wherein the transition condition comprises a transition policy set according to an environment in which the wireless access point system is implemented.

17. The method of enabling communication between one or more wireless devices and an access point system of claim 11, wherein the first operational volume of the first short-range radio comprises an entrance to a space through which a user of the one or more wireless devices passes.

18. The method of enabling communication between one or more wireless devices and an access point system of claim 12, wherein the vicinity of the second remote radio is a space occupied by a user of the one or more wireless devices.

19. An access point system that enables transactions between one or more wireless devices and a commercial trading site, the access point system comprising:

a radio subsystem capable of effecting short-range wireless communication and long-range wireless communication, the short-range wireless communication defining a first operational volume, the first operational volume further including an entrance to the commercial trading site;

a processor connected to the radio subsystem and capable of transmitting data and control signals to the radio subsystem and capable of receiving data and control signals from the radio subsystem;

an interface connected to the processor, the interface capable of communicating transaction data and commands between the commercial trading site and the one or more wireless devices;

wherein the access point system is capable of initiating intentional and selective communication with the one or more wireless devices through the short-range wireless communication; and is

Further wherein the wireless access point system is capable of transitioning communications with the one or more wireless devices to a second remote radio when the processor detects a transition condition.

20. The access point system of claim 19 wherein the radio subsystem is one of a group, the group comprising: (1) a first short-range radio and a second long-range radio; and (2) a single radio capable of adjusting its power to affect the short-range wireless communication and the long-range wireless communication.

Claims (10)

1. A wireless access point system disposed within a commercial site and capable of connecting and communicating with one or more wireless devices to effect a point-of-sale transaction with users of the one or more wireless devices, the wireless access point system comprising:

a first short-range radio having a first effective communication range, the first effective communication range including a first operational volume;

a second remote radio having a second effective communication range greater than the first effective communication range;

a processor that transmits data signals and control signals to the first short-range radio and the second long-range radio and receives data signals from the first short-range radio and the second long-range radio;

wherein, when the one or more wireless devices are within a first operational volume of the first short-range radio, the wireless access point system is capable of initiating selective and intentional communication via the first short-range radio by alerting the one or more wireless devices and receiving a signal from the one or more wireless devices, the signal representing an intentional gesture from the user to effect communication with the wireless access point system to conduct a point-of-sale transaction; and is

Wherein further, when the processor detects a transition condition, the wireless access point system is capable of transitioning communications with the one or more wireless devices to the second remote radio.

2. The wireless access point system of claim 1, wherein the first operational volume comprises a proximity range within which initial communication between the one or more wireless devices and a first proximity antenna is enabled by an intentional gesture by a user of the one or more wireless devices, the intentional gesture being a group comprising: activating a physical switch on the one or more wireless devices and activating a soft switch on the one or more wireless devices.

3. The wireless access point system of claim 2, wherein the first operational volume of the first effective communication range comprises a dimension of an entrance to an environment through which a user of the one or more wireless devices passes.

4. The wireless access point system of claim 1, further comprising:

a first proximity antenna connected to the first proximity radio; and is

The first proximity antenna further comprises a directional antenna.

5. The wireless access point system of claim 1, wherein the transition condition comprises one of a group, the group comprising: an out-of-range condition for the wireless device, a communication initiation condition, and a timeout condition.

6. The wireless access point system of claim 1, further comprising

A computer readable memory connected to the processor; and

the computer readable memory stores a predefined set of medium access control addresses that are specific to the wireless access point system.

7. A method of enabling communication for a point-of-sale transaction between one or more wireless devices within a commercial site and an access point system disposed within the commercial site, the access point system comprising: a first short-range radio having an effective communication range including a first operational volume; a second remote radio having an effective communication range including a second operational volume; and a processor connected to the first short-range radio and the second long-range radio, the method comprising the steps of:

discovering one or more wireless devices within a first operational volume of the first short-range radio;

alerting the one or more wireless devices of the presence of the access point system for performing a point-of-sale transaction within the commercial venue;

receiving a signal from the one or more wireless devices, the signal representing an intentional gesture made by a user of the one or more wireless devices to effect communication with the access point system to conduct a point-of-sale transaction within the commercial site;

pairing the one or more wireless devices with the access point system; and

transitioning the one or more wireless devices to the second remote radio within a second operational volume of the second remote radio when a transition condition is satisfied.

8. The method of enabling communication for a point-of-sale transaction between one or more wireless devices and an access point system disposed within a commercial site as recited in claim 7, wherein the method further comprises the steps of:

communicating with one or more wireless devices when the one or more wireless devices are within a second operational volume of the second remote radio.

9. The method of enabling communication for a point-of-sale transaction between one or more wireless devices within a merchant and an access point system disposed within the merchant as recited in claim 7, wherein the step of discovering the one or more wireless devices within the first operational volume of the first short-range radio further comprises the steps of:

receiving a signal from one of the one or more wireless devices indicating that a user of one of the one or more wireless devices has actuated a switch to engage in a point-of-sale transaction with the access point system on purpose, actuating the switch comprising: activating a physical switch and activating a soft switch on the one or more wireless devices.

10. The method of enabling communication for a point-of-sale transaction between one or more wireless devices within a merchant and an access point system disposed within the merchant as recited in claim 7, wherein the step of discovering the one or more wireless devices within the first operational volume of the first short-range radio further comprises the steps of:

when a pairing request is received from one of a plurality of wireless devices having a plurality of media access control addresses, wherein the plurality of media access control addresses are not known in advance by an access point system, and wherein the media access control address of the access point is one of the plurality of media access control addresses known in advance by the wireless device that initiated the pairing request, the pairing request is replied to the pairing request to accept the request and establish communication.