Framework for automatically establishing secure connections between devices for streaming audio and video data based on device state criteria

Abstract

Devices, methods, and non-transitory program storage devices are disclosed that enable automatic establishment of secure audio / video data streaming connections between electronic devices. For example, a first electronic device can enter a first state of a peer-to-peer advertisement protocol, and then, based on a determination that the first electronic device satisfies a first set of device state criteria (e.g., including at least orientation state criteria), the first electronic device can enter a second (e.g., enhanced) state of the peer-to-peer advertisement protocol. In response to detecting the presence of a second electronic device in its vicinity, the first electronic device is connectable to the second electronic device via a secure peer-to-peer connection protocol, one or more images captured by a first image capturing device of the first electronic device are then transmitted to a connected second electronic device via the secure wireless peer-to-peer connection protocol.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure generally relates to the field of video and audio data streaming. More specifically, but not by way of limitation, the present disclosure relates to techniques for automatically establishing a secure connection between a user's devices for streaming of audio and video data. Background Art

[0002] The advent of portable integrated computing devices has led to a widespread proliferation of cameras and other devices capable of video capture. These integrated computing devices typically take the form of a smartphone, tablet, or laptop computer, and typically include a general-purpose computer, a camera, a sophisticated user interface including a touch-sensitive screen, and wireless communication capabilities via Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, LTE, HSDPA, New Radio (NR), and other cellular-based or wireless technologies. The widespread proliferation of these integrated devices provides an opportunity to use the capabilities of these devices to perform tasks that would otherwise require dedicated hardware and software.

[0003] For example, portable integrated computing devices such as smartphones, tablets, and laptops typically have two or more embedded cameras. These cameras are typically equivalent to lens / camera hardware modules that can be controlled using firmware and / or software (e.g., "Apps") and user interfaces using a general-purpose computer, including touch screen buttons, fixed buttons, and / or non-touch controls (such as voice controls). The integration of high-quality cameras into these portable integrated communication devices such as smartphones, tablets, and laptops has enabled users to capture and share images and videos in unprecedented ways. It is now common that a user's smartphone is often their preferred image capture device.

[0004] With the increasing popularity of photo and video sharing via portable integrated computing devices with integrated cameras, video conferencing via such portable integrated computing devices has also emerged. Specifically, users often participate in video conference calls or meetings, and video images are usually captured by the front-facing camera on the device (i.e., a camera facing the same direction as the display screen of the camera device). Most prior art cameras are optimized for either wide-angle general photography or narrower angle photography (e.g., self-portraits and video conference streaming use cases). Those cameras that are optimized for wide angle are typically optimized for group and landscape compositions, but are not optimal for personal portraits due to distortion that occurs, for example, when the subject is close to the camera or at the edge of the camera's field of view.

[0005] As used herein, "field of view" or "FOV" refers to the angular range of a given scene imaged by a camera. FOV is typically measured in degrees, and may be expressed as a vertical FOV, a horizontal FOV, and / or a diagonal FOV. The diagonal FOV of an image sensor is often referred to herein because it is a more relevant measure of the camera optics, since it attempts to cover the corners of the image, where "falloff" (i.e., vignetting) issues associated with pixels at the corners of the image sensor may become more apparent. For reference, a typical 35mm camera with a lens having a focal length of 50mm will have a horizontal FOV of 39.6°, a vertical FOV of 27.0°, and a diagonal FOV of 46.8°.

[0006] Because cameras optimized for portraits and video conference streaming (e.g., "front-facing" cameras) have limited fields of view, they are generally not optimal for landscapes and group photos (or group video conference calls). Furthermore, the field of view of a given camera can also affect how the user frames the shot (i.e., how far away and at what angle they are positioned relative to the device's camera) and the quality of the resulting captured image. Additionally, certain devices that a user may be most comfortable or best suited to use during a lengthy video conference call (e.g., a desktop or laptop computer with a separate monitor) may not have an integrated camera or may have a low-quality integrated web camera.

[0007] Therefore, in order to provide users with greater flexibility in image capture sources, and the ability to utilize higher quality image capture devices during video conferencing sessions (e.g., via a camera integrated into one of their portable communications devices), it would be desirable to have methods and systems that provide such users with the ability to seamlessly and automatically create a secure connection between their electronic devices at a contextually appropriate time, thereby, for example, allowing audio and / or video image data captured by a first electronic device to be streamed directly to a second electronic device for subsequent presentation, storage, or further transmission by the second electronic device. Summary of the invention

[0008] Disclosed herein are devices, methods, and non-transitory program storage devices (NPSDs) that enable automatic establishment of a secure audio / video data streaming connection between electronic devices (e.g., electronic devices associated with the same user or the same user account). For example, a first electronic device including at least a first image capture device and a first position sensor may enter a first state of a peer device advertisement protocol and then determine a first orientation state of the first electronic device based at least in part on information obtained from the first position sensor. In response to determining that the first electronic device satisfies a first set of device state criteria, the first electronic device may then enter a second state of the peer device advertisement protocol (e.g., an "enhanced" or "high power" advertisement state), wherein determining that the first electronic device satisfies the first set of device state criteria includes determining that the first orientation state is within a threshold difference of a predetermined device activation orientation state (e.g., wherein the device activation orientation state may include a portrait orientation state, a landscape orientation state, etc.).

[0009] In response to detecting the presence of a second electronic device near the first electronic device while in the second state of the peer device advertisement protocol, the first electronic device may connect to the second electronic device via a secure wireless peer connection protocol, and the first electronic device may then transmit one or more images captured by the first image capture device to the connected second electronic device via the secure wireless peer connection protocol (where, for example, the secure wireless peer connection protocol may be a different protocol from the peer device advertisement protocol used to initially establish a connection between devices).

[0010] In some embodiments, an interruption event may be detected at the first electronic device, during which the transmission of image and / or video data to the second electronic device may be suspended. In other embodiments, the first electronic device may receive image capture related parameters from the second electronic device, and then use the first image capture device to capture subsequent images based on the received image capture related parameters.

[0011] According to other embodiments, the first device state criteria set may also include: determining that the first electronic device has exhibited less than a threshold amount of motion over a determined time period; determining that the first electronic device is in at least one of the following states: a standby state; a locked screen state; a screen off state; an active communication session; or an idle state; and / or determining that the first image capture device is oriented in a preferred direction relative to the second electronic device.

[0012] In some other embodiments, an "enhanced" second state of the peer advertisement protocol may have a higher duty cycle and / or a shorter advertisement interval between advertisement packets than the first state of the peer advertisement protocol.

[0013] In still other embodiments, in response to determining that the first electronic device does not satisfy the first device state criteria set, the first electronic device may remain in the first state of the peer device advertisement protocol and not attempt to connect to any peer device via the secure wireless peer connection protocol.

[0014] In yet other embodiments, in response to not detecting the presence of a second electronic device near the first electronic device while in the second state of the peer device advertisement protocol, the first electronic device may enter a third state of the peer device advertisement protocol, wherein the third state of the peer device advertisement protocol has a shorter advertisement interval between advertisement packets than the first state of the peer device advertisement protocol, but has a longer advertisement interval than the second state of the peer device advertisement protocol.

[0015] In still other embodiments, in response to determining that the first electronic device no longer satisfies the first set of device state criteria, the first electronic device may disconnect from the second electronic device via the secure wireless peer-to-peer connection protocol.

[0016] The technology disclosed herein may also be used to perform a "handover" method for a communication session (e.g., an active audio-visual (A / V) communication session), i.e., handing control of the communication session from a first electronic device associated with a user to a second electronic device associated with the user. According to some embodiments, the method may include: receiving, at a second electronic device associated with a first user, an indication that a first electronic device associated with the first user is providing one or more images captured by an image capture device of the first electronic device via an active communication session; then, in response to identifying the first electronic device as satisfying a first set of device state criteria: 1) joining the active communication session on behalf of the first user at the second electronic device (e.g., automatically joining the session or joining in response to confirmatory user input); and 2) selecting the image capture device of the first electronic device as an image source for the second electronic device in the active communication session. Once management of the communication session has been handed over to the second electronic device, the second electronic device may begin receiving (e.g., via a secure wireless peer-to-peer connection protocol) one or more images captured by the image capture device of the first electronic device, and then providing the one or more images received from the first electronic device to the active communication session. In some embodiments, the second electronic device may also display and / or store the one or more images received from the first electronic device, and / or send the one or more images to a third electronic device.

[0017] In some embodiments, identifying the first electronic device as satisfying the first device state criteria set may further include: entering a peer device advertisement protocol state at the second electronic device, wherein the peer device advertisement protocol state may include at least one of the following: a default advertisement state; an enhanced advertisement state; or a power reduction advertisement state. In still other embodiments, identifying the first electronic device as satisfying the first device state criteria set may further include: detecting the presence of the first electronic device via the peer device advertisement protocol. In still other embodiments, identifying the first electronic device as satisfying the first device state criteria set further includes: detecting at the second electronic device that the first electronic device is near the second electronic device and oriented in a first orientation state within a threshold difference of a predetermined device activation orientation state. In further embodiments, identifying the first electronic device as satisfying the first device state criteria set further includes: detecting at the second electronic device that the first electronic device is near the second electronic device, and detecting that the image capture device of the first electronic device is oriented in a preferred direction relative to the second electronic device.

[0018] According to yet other embodiments, a method is disclosed, comprising: receiving at a second electronic device an indication that a first electronic device is requesting the second electronic device to join an active communication session; in response to identifying the first electronic device as satisfying a first device state criteria set: 1) joining the active communication session at the second electronic device; and 2) selecting an image capture device of the first electronic device as an image source for the second electronic device in the active communication session; receiving at the second electronic device one or more images captured by the image capture device of the first electronic device; and providing from the second electronic device to the active communication session the one or more images received from the first electronic device. According to some such embodiments, the method may further comprise: displaying at the second electronic device the one or more images received from the first electronic device. According to other such embodiments, identifying the first electronic device as satisfying the first device state criteria set further comprises: entering a peer device advertisement protocol state at the second electronic device. According to still other such embodiments, the second electronic device may be configured to join the active communication session on behalf of the first user in response to user input. According to still other such embodiments, the received one or more images captured by the image capture device of the first electronic device are received via a secure wireless peer connection protocol. According to yet other such embodiments, the method may further include: sending, by the second electronic device to a third electronic device, the one or more images received from the first electronic device.

[0019] Various non-transitory program storage device embodiments are also disclosed herein. Such NPSDs can be read by one or more processors. Instructions can be stored on the NPSD to cause the one or more processors to execute any of the embodiments disclosed herein. According to the embodiments disclosed herein, various image processing and security device connection methods are also disclosed herein. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] Figure 1 Exemplary electronic device configurations for attempting to establish a secure connection between electronic devices for streaming audio and video data in accordance with one or more embodiments are illustrated.

[0021] Figure 2 An exemplary process flow diagram for establishing a secure connection between electronic devices for streaming audio and video data is illustrated in accordance with one or more embodiments.

[0022] Figure 3 Exemplary peer advertisement protocol states are illustrated in accordance with one or more embodiments.

[0023] 4A to 4F is a flow chart illustrating various methods of establishing a secure connection between electronic devices for streaming audio and video data according to various embodiments.

[0024] Figure 5 is a flow chart illustrating a method of transferring control of an active audio-visual (A / V) communication session from a first electronic device to a second electronic device according to various embodiments.

[0025] Figure 6 is a flowchart illustrating a method of pushing an active AV communication session from a first electronic device to a second electronic device according to various embodiments.

[0026] Figure 7 is a block diagram illustrating a programmable electronic computing device in which one or more of the techniques disclosed herein may be implemented. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] In the following description, for the purpose of explanation, a lot of specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the invention disclosed herein. However, it is obvious to those skilled in the art that the present invention can be practiced in the absence of these specific details. In other cases, structures and devices are shown in the form of block diagrams to avoid blurring the present invention. References to numbers without subscripts or suffixes should be understood as references to all subscripts and suffixes corresponding to the figure marks. In addition, the language used in this disclosure has been selected primarily for readability and instructive purposes, and may not be selected to delimit or limit the subject matter of the present invention, and therefore may need to resort to the claims to determine such subject matter of the invention. References to "one embodiment" or "embodiment" (or similar expressions) in the specification refer to specific features, structures or characteristics described in conjunction with the embodiment included in at least one embodiment of one of the inventions, and multiple references to "one embodiment" or "embodiment" should not be understood as all necessarily referring to the same embodiment.

[0028] Example device setup for attempting to establish a secure connection between user electronic devices

[0029] Now go to Figure 1, according to one or more embodiments, an exemplary electronic device configuration 100 for attempting to establish a secure connection between electronic devices for streaming audio and video data is shown. First, turn to scenario A (100A), where a first device (104A) and a second device (102) are near each other and attempt to form a secure connection. As used herein, the term "near..." may refer to devices within a discoverable distance of each other for a given wireless connection protocol. According to some specific implementations, measuring signal strength may be used as an agent for estimating the distance between two devices to determine whether they are within a sufficiently close range to each other. In some such specific implementations, the threshold signal strength required to determine that two devices are within a sufficient proximity to each other may not be a fixed threshold, and it may also be based on filtering (e.g., averaging) signal strength values ​​over time across many signal strength samples. In some embodiments, the first device (104A) may include one or more image capture devices (105), and the second device (102) may also include one or more image capture devices (106). In some cases, the image capture device 105 of the first device may have a higher quality, such as in terms of resolution, zoom, FOV, spatial resolution, focus, color quality, or any other imaging parameter, than the image capture device 106 of the second device. In such cases, it may be more desirable to use the image capture device 105 of the first device rather than the image capture device 106 of the second device to capture images to be used, displayed, stored, sent, etc. by the second device (102), such as as part of an active communication session. In still other cases, the user of the second device (102) may desire to select only the image capture device of the first device (104A) for any number of other reasons, such as to provide different (and / or additional) views of the scene surrounding the second device (102), because the second device (102) may not have its own image capture device, because the image capture device of the second device (102) is not functioning properly, because the image capture device of the first device (104A) may have special image capture features or modes desired by the user of the second device (e.g., a “portrait” or synthetic shallow depth of field (SDOF) photography mode, a “night” capture mode, a “slow motion” video capture mode, etc.), and so on.

[0030] According to some embodiments disclosed herein, a first device must satisfy a first device state criteria set before establishing a connection with a second device. In some such embodiments, the first device state criteria set may include one or more of the following: 1.) orientation state criteria; 2.) device motion criteria; 3.) device activity criteria; 4.) active communication session criteria; 5.) direction criteria; 6.) proximity criteria; 7.) user account criteria and / or any number of other criteria as may be desired to define an overall state of the first device in which the first device will be permitted to attempt to establish a secure connection with the second device.

[0031] 1. Orientation status criteria

[0032] For example, in some embodiments, the orientation state criteria may include a requirement that the first device is within a threshold difference of a predetermined device activation orientation state. In some instances, the device activation orientation state may be a fully "horizontal" (i.e., horizontal) or "portrait" (i.e., vertical) orientation state, i.e., 0 degrees of rotation relative to a measured horizontal (or vertical) axis, and the threshold difference allowed may be plus or minus 5 degrees, for example, as measured by an internal position sensor (e.g., accelerometer) of the first device. In such cases, whenever the first device is oriented within plus or minus 5 degrees of a fully horizontal (or vertical, as the case may be) orientation, the first device may be considered to meet the orientation state criteria. It should be understood that the examples of fully horizontal or vertical orientations are merely examples of device activation orientation states that may be defined in a given specific implementation, and any suitable and determinable device activation orientation state may be defined for a given specific implementation. In yet other embodiments, the device activation orientation state may also include a specific gesture indicating that the user intends to use the first electronic device to establish a secure connection with another device near the first electronic device (e.g., shaking the phone back and forth a predetermined number of times, etc.). In still other embodiments, such as where the second electronic device has an integrated image capture device in which the user is already within its FOV, the user's formulation of a particular gesture (e.g., a "wave" or "finger pointing" gesture as captured and interpreted by the second electronic device or measured by another electronic device (e.g., a wearable device)) may also be used as an indication that the user intends to establish a secure connection between the second electronic device and a first electronic device in proximity to the second electronic device. In some specific implementations, additional device sensors may also be used to confirm or enhance the understanding of the orientation state of the device. For example, signals obtained from an ambient light sensor (ALS) and / or brightness sensor embedded in the device may be used as an auxiliary prompt to prevent false positive connections between devices in scenarios where the device may accidentally happen to be in a device activation orientation state (e.g., a fully "landscape" orientation), such as when the device is in a user's pocket or backpack, etc., which false positive connections may be indicated by such ALS and / or brightness sensors reporting an ambient brightness level below a predetermined threshold required to establish a secure device connection.

[0033] As shown in scenario A (100A), the first device (104A) appears to be in a fully landscape orientation. Therefore, assuming that landscape orientation is a specific implementation of a defined device activation orientation state, the first device (104A) will satisfy that particular device state criteria. However, as will be discussed in more detail below, additional device state criteria may also be defined and need to be satisfied before the first device will be eligible to attempt to establish a secure connection as described herein with the second device (102).

[0034] 2. Equipment Movement Guidelines

[0035] In other embodiments, the device motion criteria may include determining that the first device has exhibited less than a threshold amount of motion within a determined period of time. For example, such a device motion criterion may be used if it is desired that the first device be mounted or otherwise remain stationary for a determined period of time before being eligible to attempt to establish a secure connection with the second device (102).

[0036] 3. Equipment Activity Guidelines

[0037] In still other embodiments, the device activity criteria may include determining that the first electronic device is in at least one of the following states: a standby state; a locked screen state; a screen off state; or an idle state. For example, such a device activity criterion may be used if it is expected that the first device is not actively used by the user for any other function (e.g., reading email, browsing the Internet, etc.) before being eligible to attempt to establish a secure connection with the second device (102).

[0038] 4. Active Communication Session Guidelines

[0039] In yet other embodiments, the active communication session criteria may include determining that the first device is engaged in an active communication session, e.g., an active audio / visual communication session that may include the transmission of one or more images to another device. Such active communication session criteria may be used, for example, if it is desired that the first device be able to broadcast its qualifications (in the event that it is actively capturing images and / or audio that it is contributing to as part of the active communication session) in an attempt to establish a secure connection with a second device. In such a case, a user may wish to manage the active communication session that is transferred to the second device while continuing to use the image capture device of the first device to capture one or more images that are transmitted as part of the active communication session.

[0040] 5. Direction Guidelines

[0041] In yet other embodiments, the device orientation criteria may include determining that the first electronic device is facing a particular direction relative to the second device (102) before being eligible to attempt to establish a secure connection with the second device (102). For example, even if the first device satisfies the orientation state criteria (e.g., is in a fully landscape orientation), additional device orientation criteria may be established, such as that the "front" (or "back", depending on the convention used) of the first device is also facing the same direction as the display of the second device before being eligible to attempt to establish a secure connection with the second device (102). In some specific implementations, this may be due to the fact that it is known (or the user has indicated) that they are only interested in using the "back" image capture device of the first device during the secure connection with the second device. Therefore, unless the "back" of the first device is facing the user, there is no need to attempt to automatically establish a secure connection with the second device.

[0042] 6. Proximity criterion

[0043] In yet other embodiments, the device proximity criteria may include determining that the first device is within a threshold distance of the second device (e.g., within 2 feet, 1 meter, 6 feet, etc.). For example, such a device criterion may be used if it is desired that the first device is only eligible to attempt to establish a secure connection with the second device (102) if it is located near the second device (102). Figure 1 As shown, an exemplary boundary 108 is drawn in each of scenes A, B, and C, which is defined as a spherical area (with a radius 110) from the center of the second device 102. It should be understood that the spherical example is merely illustrative, and the device proximity criteria can be specified in any desired manner, for example, based on a fixed or dynamic signal strength value measured from a signal transmitted from another device, a raw distance, a line of sight, a successful type of mechanical or magnetic connection required between the first device and the second device, etc. As can now be understood, in Figure 1 In scenarios A, B, and C of FIG. 1 , the first device 104 must be within the exemplary boundary 108 in order to satisfy the proximity criteria and be eligible to attempt to establish a secure connection with the second device ( 102 ).

[0044] 7. User Account Guidelines

[0045] In yet other embodiments, user account criteria may be defined, where, for example, the first device and the second device must be associated with the same user or the same user account in order to be eligible to attempt to establish a secure connection between the first device (104) and the second device (102). For example, if it is desired that the first device does not inadvertently attempt to connect to another user's nearby second device, such user account criteria may be used, thereby protecting the privacy of the user of the first device and preventing the first device from appearing on any other user's device as an eligible device to establish a secure connection with that device.

[0046] In some embodiments, instead of (or in addition to) being explicitly specified by a user, a set of first device state criteria may be learned over time on an individual or customized basis for a given user and / or a given first device. For example, if a particular user consistently attempts to establish a connection between the first device and a second device when his or her first device is in a particular state (e.g., mounted in a retaining clip, the screen of the first device is locked, within 6 inches of the second device, and between 5:00 pm and 5:05 pm), the device may begin to learn (e.g., using machine learning techniques) and / or customize (e.g., with explicit user approval or confirmation) a particular set of device state criteria to be enforced prior to attempting to establish a secure connection with the second device. In this way, the device state criteria may be aligned with the most frequently observed (or explicitly defined by the user) device state when establishing a secure connection with the second device.

[0047] Returning now to scenario A (100A), the first device (104A) is within a threshold difference of a predetermined device activation orientation state (e.g., in this example, a fully landscape orientation). However, the first device (104A) is not within a threshold distance of the second device (102) (e.g., in this example, not within the exemplary boundary 108). Assuming, in this example, that the aforementioned horizontal device activation orientation state criteria and the boundary 108 proximity criteria are the only criteria defined in the first device state criteria set, the first device (104A) will not be eligible to establish a connection with the second device (102), as indicated by symbol 107A, thereby reflecting that no connection is established between the first device (104A) and the second device (102).

[0048] Turning now to scenario B (100B), the first device (104B) and the second device (102) are also in proximity to each other and attempting to form a secure connection. However, in scenario B (100B), the first device (104A) is in a portrait orientation and is therefore not within a threshold difference of a predetermined device activation orientation state (e.g., in this example, a fully landscape orientation), but the first device (104A) is within a threshold distance of the second device (102) (i.e., within the exemplary boundary 108). Also assuming that in this example, the aforementioned horizontal device activation orientation state criteria and the boundary 108 proximity criteria are the only criteria defined in the first device state criteria set, the first device (104B) will also be ineligible to establish a connection with the second device (102), as indicated by symbol 107B, thereby reflecting that no connection is established between the first device (104B) and the second device (102).

[0049] Turning now to scenario C (100C), the first device (104C) and the second device (102) are also in proximity to each other and attempting to form a secure connection. In scenario C (100C), the first device (104C) is in a landscape orientation and is therefore within a threshold difference of a predetermined device activation orientation state (e.g., in this example, a fully landscape orientation), and the first device (104C) is also within a threshold distance of the second device (102) (i.e., within the exemplary boundary 108). Assuming also in this example that the aforementioned horizontal device activation orientation state criteria and the boundary 108 proximity criteria are the only criteria defined in the first device state criteria set, the first device (104C) will be eligible to establish a connection with the second device (102), as indicated by symbol 107C, thereby reflecting the successful establishment of a secure wireless connection between the first device (104C) and the second device (102).

[0050] Exemplary image 109 represents an image captured by image capture device 105 of first device (104C) and then sent to second device (102) via secure connection 107C, where the image may subsequently be stored, displayed, and / or sent to another third device, etc. In some embodiments, first device (104C) may automatically attempt to establish its connection with second device (102) (i.e., in response to satisfying a first device state criteria set), and if the connection is successful, first device (104C) may be automatically selected for use by second device (102) (or appear in a list of available image capture device sources at second device 102 for manual user selection). In some embodiments, first device 104C may appear seamlessly alongside any other image capture sources available for selection at second device 102, e.g., alongside image capture devices internal to second device 102 (such as image capture device 106), image capture devices directly connected to second device 102 (e.g., via a USB port), and so on.

[0051] In some embodiments, if a first electronic device has not been connected to a second electronic device of a particular user according to the secure connection techniques described herein after a predetermined amount of time (e.g., 30 days, 60 days, 1 year, etc.), the device state criteria detection and use of the secure connection framework described herein may be disabled, for example until affirmatively reactivated by the user.

[0052] Exemplary process flow chart for establishing a secure connection between electronic devices

[0053] Now go to Figure 2, shows an exemplary process flow chart 200 for establishing a secure connection between electronic devices for streaming audio and video data according to one or more embodiments. Beginning at block 202, a first device (104) may enter a first peer device advertisement protocol state. Figure 3 Explaining in more detail, in some embodiments, the first peer device advertisement protocol state may include a "default" or "low power" advertisement state that is configured to have a minimum advertisement duty cycle and / or a maximum time interval delay between broadcasts of advertisement packets.

[0054] Next, at 206, the first device broadcasts an announcement packet to any device in the vicinity of the first device, for example, based on the parameters of the first peer device announcement protocol state. Figure 2 As shown, in some cases, a second device (102) may be proximate to a first device and operating in the second device's own default peer advertisement state (box 204), which default peer advertisement state may or may not be the same as a first peer advertisement protocol state under which the first device operates.

[0055] Next, at box 208, the first device determines its own first device state (which, in some embodiments, may include at least an orientation state component). At box 210, if the first device state criteria set is not met (i.e., 'No' at box 210), the first device may return to box 202 and remain in a "default" or "low power" first peer device advertisement protocol state. Conversely, if it is determined at box 210 that the first device satisfies the first device state criteria set (i.e., 'Yes' at box 210), the first device may proceed to box 212 and enter a second peer device advertisement protocol state. At 214, the first device broadcasts an advertisement packet to any devices in the vicinity of the first device, for example based on the parameters of the second peer device advertisement protocol state. As will be referenced below Figure 3Explaining in more detail, in some embodiments, the second peer device advertisement protocol state may include an "enhanced" or "high power" advertisement state that is configured to have a maximum permitted advertisement duty cycle and / or a minimum permitted time interval delay between broadcasts of advertisement packets. In some such embodiments, the second peer device advertisement protocol state may be configured to facilitate a faster connection between the first device and the second device because it has been determined that the first device currently satisfies a set of first device state criteria (e.g., the first device is in a state indicating the fact that it is ready and / or may desire to connect with the second device). In some embodiments, a first device operating in an "enhanced" or "high power" second peer device advertisement protocol state may also cause a second device to enter an enhanced peer device advertisement state (box 216), and vice versa, i.e., either device that is part of the formed connection may initiate the other device to enter an enhanced or higher power advertisement state, e.g., if any necessary preconditions or criteria are met.

[0056] Next, at block 218, if the first device and the second device are able to successfully form a connection (i.e., "yes" at block 218), the process flow 200 may proceed to 220 to establish a secure connection for data transfer, for example, via a secure wireless peer-to-peer connection protocol. Note that in some embodiments, the secure wireless peer-to-peer connection protocol may be a different protocol (and / or use a different radio) than the peer device advertisement protocol that was initially used for the devices to locate each other. At block 222, the first device may proceed to capture one or more images (or other desired forms of A / V data, or even non-A / V data), and transmit the one or more captured images to the second device via the secure connection at 224.

[0057] In some embodiments, the first device may be able to detect an interruption event (e.g., an incoming phone call, text message, email, etc.) at the first device, and in response to such detection, suspend the transmission of images to the second device at 224 for the duration of the interruption event, and optionally resume the transmission of images after the detected interruption event ends. In other embodiments, there may be a user interface option for the user to affirmatively indicate a desire to pause / interrupt the image sharing session, such as when the user needs to access the functionality of the first electronic device for some other reason. In still other embodiments, the first device may be able to receive image capture-related parameters (e.g., focus parameters, zoom parameters, exposure parameters, etc.) from the second device, and in response to receiving such image capture-related parameters, capture subsequent images using the first image capture device according to the received image capture-related parameters at 222.

[0058] At block 230, the second device may then proceed to store, display, and / or transmit the received one or more images, etc., as desired. For example, if the second device is participating in (or managing) an active communication session with another device, the received one or more images may be seamlessly transmitted to the other device as part of the communication session. Receipt of images may then continue at the second device until an indication is received at the second device to end the connection session, such as by a user affirmatively ending the session, selecting a different image capture device to serve as the image source, ending the active communication session, taking the first device out of a state where it satisfies a set of first device state criteria, etc.

[0059] Returning now to block 218, if the first device and the second device cannot successfully form a connection (ie, "No" at block 218), process flow 200 may proceed to 232, where the first device enters a third peer device advertisement protocol state. Figure 3 Explaining in more detail, in some embodiments, the third peer device advertisement protocol state may include an advertisement state that uses a duty cycle and / or time interval delay between broadcasts of advertisement packets having a value that falls between a "default" or "low power" first advertisement state and an "enhanced" or "high power" second advertisement state. Once in the third peer device advertisement protocol state, the first device may continue to monitor the state of the first device at box 234 for changes. For example, if the first device no longer satisfies the first device state criteria set (i.e., "No" at box 236), the process flow 200 may return to 202, where the first device returns to the first peer device advertisement protocol state. Conversely, if the first device still satisfies the first device state criteria set (i.e., "Yes" at box 236), the first device may continue to broadcast advertisement packets according to the third peer device advertisement protocol state at 238. If there is a new successful connection between the first device and the second device (i.e., "Yes" at box 240), the first device may return to Figure 2 , and reestablishes a secure connection at 220. Conversely, if there is no new successful connection between the first device and the second device (i.e., "No" at box 240), the first device may return to box 232 and remain in the third peer advertisement protocol state, thereby attempting to find a second device to successfully connect to. In some embodiments, there may be a maximum permissible time interval that the first device may remain in the third peer advertisement protocol state, after which the first device may simply return to box 202 and the default or first peer advertisement protocol state.

[0060] Returning now to 224, where the first device is transmitting one or more captured images to the second device via the secure connection, during this time, the first device may also continue to monitor changes in the state of the first device at box 226. For example, if the first device no longer satisfies the first device state criteria set (i.e., "No" at box 228), the process flow 200 may return to 202, where the first device disconnects from the second device and returns to the first peer device advertisement protocol state. Conversely, if the first device still satisfies the first device state criteria set (i.e., "Yes" at box 228), the first device may continue to capture one or more images at box 222 for transmission to the second device via the secure connection until, for example, an indication to end the connection session is received at the second device, a different image capture device is selected to serve as an image source for the second device, an active communication session in which the first device is capturing images ends, the first device leaves a state in which it satisfies the first device state criteria set, etc.

[0061] Example of a peer advertising protocol status

[0062] Now go to Figure 3 , shows an example 300 of various peer device advertising protocol states according to one or more embodiments. In example 300, a first advertising protocol state (302) includes sending a message at corresponding periodic time intervals 304. n Multiple sequential announcement packets sent 306 n According to some embodiments, the peer advertisement protocol may include (BT), low power consumption (BLE) or any other suitable type of wireless peer-to-peer device advertising protocol. (BLUETOOTH is a registered trademark of Bluetooth SIG, Inc.) The horizontal time axis (301) represents the passage of time from left to right across the page, wherein the farther apart any two advertising packets are, the longer the advertising interval between consecutive advertising packets. Thus, in one embodiment, the advertising protocol state may be represented based on the advertising interval between consecutive advertising packets.

[0063] like Figure 3 As also illustrated in the example, each notification packet 306 nOccupies a limited duration during which the device is broadcasting an announcement packet. Thus, in a second embodiment, the announcement protocol state may be represented in terms of a duty cycle (i.e., the percentage of time that the device spends broadcasting an announcement packet within a given time interval). It should be understood that if a second device is within the broadcast range of the device that is advertising itself, an appropriate handshake / connection protocol may be followed to allow the two devices to pair with each other (or otherwise connect to each other), for example, wirelessly and in a peer-to-peer manner. It should also be understood that while the first device is advertising itself, other devices may also be advertising themselves, and each device may also have a timing interval and / or duty cycle with which the device "wakes up" or actively listens to see if any nearby device may advertise itself as being interested in making a connection.

[0064] The second notification protocol state (312) includes sending a notification at corresponding periodic time intervals 314. n Multiple sequential announcement packets sent 316 n As shown, in this example 300, the time interval 314 n than the periodic time interval 304 in the first notification protocol state (302) n shorter, thereby also producing a greater advertising duty cycle than the advertising duty cycle experienced in the first advertising protocol state (302). Figure 2 As explained, in some embodiments, the exemplary second advertising protocol state (312) may be entered by the first device after determining that the first device satisfies a set of first device state criteria. In some cases, satisfying the set of first device state criteria may indicate the fact that the first device is ready or expects to enter into a connection with the second device, and thus may decide to (at least temporarily) enter the aforementioned second advertising protocol state, which may place greater power and / or thermal requirements on the first device broadcasting its advertising packets. To this end, in some embodiments, the first device may remain in the second state for no longer than a predetermined maximum time interval, such as 5 seconds, 10 seconds, 1 minute, etc.

[0065] The third notification protocol state (322) includes sending a corresponding periodic time interval 324 n Multiple sequential announcement packets sent 326 n As shown in the figure, in this example 300, the time interval (time interval 324 n ) is greater than the periodic time interval 304 in the first notification protocol state (302) n Shorter, but shorter than the periodic time interval 314 in the second notification protocol state (312) nThe time interval 304 is longer, thereby producing a larger advertising duty cycle than the advertising duty cycle experienced in the first advertising protocol state (302), but producing a smaller advertising duty cycle than the advertising duty cycle experienced in the second advertising protocol state (312). n It can be 60ms, and the time interval is 314 n It can be 10ms, and the time interval is 324 n It can be 30ms.

[0066] As mentioned above Figure 2 As explained, in some embodiments, the exemplary second advertising protocol state (312) may be entered by the first device after determining that the first device satisfies the first device state criteria set, but no successful connection with the second device has been made after a predetermined maximum time interval has elapsed in the second state. In this way, an amount of device power / thermal resources may be saved while still allowing for a faster than default connection time if / when a second device ready to complete a peer connection arrives in proximity to the first device. Also as described above with reference to Figure 2 As explained, in some embodiments, if the first device does not make a successful connection with the second device after spending some second predetermined maximum time interval in the second state, the first device may return to the first advertising protocol state (302). Likewise, in some embodiments, if the first device no longer satisfies the first device state criteria set, the first device may return to the first advertising protocol state (302).

[0067] Exemplary method for automatically establishing a secure connection between devices for streaming audio and video data

[0068] Figure 4A 400 is a flowchart illustrating a method for establishing a secure connection between electronic devices for streaming audio and video data according to various embodiments. First, at step 402, method 400 may enter a first state of a peer-to-peer advertisement protocol at a first electronic device, wherein the first electronic device includes a first image capture device (e.g., a camera) and a first position sensor (e.g., an accelerometer or a gyroscope). Next, at step 404, method 400 may determine a first orientation state of the first electronic device at the first electronic device, wherein the first orientation state is detected based at least in part on information obtained from the first position sensor. The first orientation state obtained may include one or more of the following: pitch, roll, or yaw of the first electronic device. In the case of roll and pitch, the orientation of the first electronic device may be expressed in terms of an angular displacement (positive or negative) from the direction of a gravity vector.

[0069] Next, at step 406, in response to determining that the first electronic device satisfies the first set of device state criteria, method 400 may cause the first electronic device to enter a second state of the peer device advertisement protocol (e.g., having an enhanced or increased duty cycle compared to the first state), wherein determining that the first electronic device satisfies the first set of device state criteria includes determining that the first orientation state is within a threshold difference of a predetermined device activation orientation state. For example, if the predetermined device activation orientation state includes the first electronic device being positioned in a fully horizontal landscape orientation, a threshold difference of plus or minus 5 degrees may be established such that at any time the first electronic device is within 5 degrees of the fully horizontal landscape orientation, at least the orientation state criteria in the first set of device state criteria may be determined to be satisfied by method 400. (It should be understood that the first set of device state criteria may also include one or more other criteria that are not orientation state related, such as criteria related to an amount of movement, a device power state, and the like.)

[0070] Next, at step 408, in response to detecting the presence of the second electronic device in the vicinity of the first electronic device when the first electronic device is in the second state of the peer device advertisement protocol (i.e., via the peer device advertisement protocol), the method 400 may cause the first electronic device to connect to the second electronic device via a secure wireless peer-to-peer connection protocol. In some specific implementations, once a successful connection has been established, a visual or auditory prompt may be generated at the first electronic device and / or the second electronic device. Once the connection is established, at step 410, the method 400 may cause the first electronic device to transmit one or more images captured by the first image capture device of the first electronic device to the connected second electronic device via the secure wireless peer-to-peer connection protocol, wherein the images may be displayed, stored, further manipulated, sent, etc. by the second electronic device. In some cases, the images captured by the first image capture device may include a cropped portion of the FOV of the first image capture device, such as a portion specifically cropped to capture the face of a human or animal subject, a predetermined portion of the FOV of the first image capture device, or a document, table or other flat surface in the captured scene, etc.

[0071] Figure 4B is a flowchart 420 illustrating additional details of method 400 according to various embodiments. First, at step 422, which may be performed during execution of step 404, method 420 may maintain the first electronic device in a first state of the peer device advertisement protocol in response to determining that the first electronic device does not satisfy a first set of device state criteria, and not attempt to connect to any peer device via a secure wireless peer-to-peer connection protocol.

[0072] Figure 4C4 is a flowchart 430 illustrating additional details of method 400 according to various embodiments. First, at step 432, which may be performed during execution of step 406, method 430 may cause the first electronic device to enter a third state of the peer advertisement protocol in response to not detecting the presence of a second electronic device near the first electronic device when the first electronic device is in the second state of the peer advertisement protocol. In this embodiment, the third state of the peer advertisement protocol may have a shorter advertisement interval (434) between advertisement packets than the first state of the peer advertisement protocol, but a longer advertisement interval (436) between advertisement packets than the second state of the peer advertisement protocol. Next, at step 438, method 430 may continue to monitor changes in device state of the first electronic device state and attempt to connect to any second electronic device near the first electronic device.

[0073] Figure 4D 4 is a flowchart 440 illustrating additional details of method 400 according to various embodiments. First, at step 442, which may be performed during execution of step 404, method 440 may disconnect the first electronic device from the second electronic device via a secure wireless peer-to-peer connection protocol in response to determining that the first electronic device no longer satisfies the first device state criteria set, and then return the operational flow to step 402.

[0074] Figure 4E 4 is a flowchart 450 illustrating additional details of the method 400 according to various embodiments. First, at step 452, which may be performed during the execution of step 410, the method 450 may detect an interruption event at the first electronic device. Next, at step 454, the method 450 may suspend the transmission of images from the first electronic device to the second electronic device during the interruption event. Examples of the interruption event at the first electronic device causing the first electronic device to suspend the transmission of images to the second electronic device may include receiving an incoming call, message, notification, etc.

[0075] Figure 4F 4 is a flowchart 460 illustrating additional details of the method 400 according to various embodiments. First, at step 462, which may be performed during the execution of step 410, the method 460 may receive image capture related parameters from the second electronic device at the first electronic device. Next, at step 464, the method 460 may capture subsequent images using the first image capture device of the first electronic device according to the received image capture related parameters. Examples of image capture related parameters received at the first electronic device may include changes to the focus setting, zoom setting, exposure setting, white balance, etc. of the first image capture device at the first electronic device.

[0076] Figure 5500 is a flowchart illustrating a method of "handing over" control of an active communication session (e.g., an audiovisual communication session) from a first electronic device to a second electronic device according to various embodiments. First, at step 502, the method 500 may receive an indication at a second electronic device (e.g., a media device, such as a smart TV type device) that a first electronic device (e.g., a mobile device, such as a cellular phone or a tablet) is providing one or more images captured by an image capture device of the first electronic device via an active communication session. In some embodiments, the first electronic device and the second electronic device are associated with the same user account. For example, in some specific implementations, the indication may include a broadcast invitation transmitted by the first electronic device to nearby devices associated with the same user or the same user account, i.e., there is an ongoing communication session that can be "handed over". In some embodiments, there is a trust relationship between the first electronic device and the second electronic device. In some specific implementations, the first electronic device and the second electronic device have been paired. For example, in some specific implementations, the indication may include a broadcast invitation transmitted by the first electronic device to nearby devices (already paired with the first electronic device), i.e., there is an ongoing communication session that can be "handed over".

[0077] Next, at step 504, in response to identifying the first electronic device as satisfying the first set of device state criteria, the second electronic device may: 1) join the active communication session on behalf of the first user; and 2) select the image capture device of the first electronic device as the image source for the second electronic device in the active communication session. When the second electronic device joins the active communication session on behalf of the first user, all management and control of the session (e.g., when to initiate the session, when to terminate the session, add new participants to the session, apply filters or other visual effects to images contributed to the session, switch image capture devices used to capture images for the session, etc.) can be effectively transferred to the second electronic device without terminating the user's participation in the communication session during the handover operation.

[0078] Next, at step 506, the second electronic device may receive one or more images captured by the image capture device of the first electronic device. Finally, at step 508, the second electronic device may provide the one or more images received from the first electronic device to the active communication session. It should be understood that the received images may also be displayed, stored, etc. locally at the second electronic device as needed. It should also be understood that the second electronic device may also be able to switch between various image capture devices to serve as the image source for the active communication session, such as from various image capture devices that may be integrated into the first electronic device, various image capture devices that may be integrated into the second electronic device (or directly connected to the second electronic device), or even other devices associated with the user that have image capture devices and are located near the second electronic device (and are capable of forming a suitable connection with the second electronic device).

[0079] Figure 6 600 is a flowchart illustrating a method of pushing an active communication session (e.g., an audiovisual communication session) from a first electronic device to a second electronic device according to various embodiments. First, at step 602, method 600 may receive an indication at a second electronic device (e.g., a media device, such as a smart TV type device) that a first electronic device (e.g., a mobile device, such as a cellular phone or a tablet) is requesting a second electronic device to join an active communication session. In some embodiments, there is a trust relationship between the first electronic device and the second electronic device. In some specific implementations, the first electronic device and the second electronic device are already paired. For example, in some specific implementations, the indication may include a broadcast invitation transmitted by the first electronic device to a nearby device (already paired with the first electronic device). In some embodiments, the first electronic device and the second electronic device are associated with the same user account. For example, in some specific implementations, the indication may include a broadcast invitation transmitted by the first electronic device to a nearby device associated with the same user or the same user account.

[0080] Next, at step 604, in response to identifying the first electronic device as satisfying the first device state criteria set, the second electronic device may: 1) join the active communication session; and 2) select the image capture device of the first electronic device as the image source for the second electronic device in the active communication session. In some embodiments, when the second electronic device joins the active communication session, one or more operations for managing and controlling the session (e.g., when to initiate a session, when to terminate a session, add new participants to the session, apply filters or other visual effects to images contributed to the session, switch image capture devices used to capture images for the session, etc.) may be effectively transferred to the second electronic device. In some embodiments, when the second electronic device joins the active communication session, the first electronic device maintains control of the orchestration of the communication session so that if the first electronic device leaves the communication session, the second electronic device also leaves the communication session.

[0081] In some embodiments, when a second electronic device joins an active communication session, the second electronic device constructs a temporary video stream before receiving the video stream from the first electronic device.

[0082] Next, at step 606, the second electronic device may receive one or more images captured by the image capture device of the first electronic device. Finally, at step 608, the second electronic device may provide one or more images received from the first electronic device to the active communication session (e.g., as a video stream). In some embodiments, if the second electronic device has created a temporary video stream, then at step 608, the second electronic device replaces the temporary video stream with the video stream provided by the first electronic device. It should be understood that the received images may also be displayed, stored, etc. locally at the second electronic device as needed. It should also be understood that the second electronic device may be able to switch between various image capture devices to serve as an image source for an active communication session, such as from various image capture devices that can be integrated into the first electronic device, various image capture devices that can be integrated into the second electronic device (or directly connected to the second electronic device), or even other devices associated with the user that have image capture devices and are located near the second electronic device (and are capable of forming a suitable connection with the second electronic device).

[0083] As can be appreciated, the present invention, for example, refers to Figures 4 to Figure 6The various methods described may be performed by an electronic device, for example, via an application (or "App") executing on the device and / or the native operating system (OS) of the device. For example, an App executing on a device may initiate or implement all steps in a method or at least a portion of the steps in a method, while calling the device's OS to perform other steps in the method. Similarly, the device's OS may receive API calls from an App or elsewhere and process / execute these calls to cause the method to be performed by the device.

[0084] Exemplary Electronic Computing Devices

[0085] See now Figure 7 , a simplified functional block diagram of an exemplary programmable electronic computing device 700 according to one embodiment is shown. The electronic device 700 may be, for example, a mobile phone, a personal media device, a portable camera, or a system of a tablet, a laptop or a desktop computer. As shown, the electronic device 700 may include a processor 705, a display 710, a user interface 715, a graphics hardware 720, a device sensor 725 (e.g., a proximity sensor / ambient light sensor, an accelerometer, an inertial measurement unit and / or a gyroscope), a microphone 730, an audio codec 735, a speaker 740, a communication circuit 745, an image capture device 750 (which may, for example, include multiple camera units / optical image sensors with different characteristics or capabilities (e.g., still image stabilization (SIS), HDR, OIS systems, optical zoom, digital zoom, etc.), a video codec 755, a memory 760, a storage device 765 and a communication bus 770.

[0086] The processor 705 may execute instructions necessary to implement or control the operation of many functions performed by the electronic device 700 (e.g., such as the generation, processing and / or streaming of image and video data according to various embodiments described herein). The processor 705 may, for example, drive the display 710 and may receive user input from the user interface 715. The user interface 715 may take a variety of forms, such as buttons, keypads, dials, click wheels, keyboards, display screens and / or touch screens. The user interface 715 may be, for example, a channel through which a user can view a captured video stream and / or indicate a specific image frame that the user wants to capture (e.g., by clicking a physical or virtual button at the moment when the desired image frame is displayed on the display screen of the device). In one embodiment, the display 710 may display the video stream as it is being captured, while the processor 705 and / or the graphics hardware 720 and / or the image capture circuitry simultaneously generates the video stream and stores the video stream in the memory 760 and / or the storage device 765. The processor 705 may be a system on a chip (SOC), such as those found in mobile devices, and may include one or more dedicated graphics processing units (GPUs). Processor 705 may be based on a reduced instruction set computer (RISC) or complex instruction set computer (CISC) architecture or any other suitable architecture, and may include one or more processing cores. Graphics hardware 720 may be specialized computing hardware for processing graphics and / or assisting processor 705 in performing computing tasks. In one embodiment, graphics hardware 720 may include one or more programmable graphics processing units (GPUs) and / or one or more specialized SOCs, for example, a SOC specifically designed to implement neural network and machine learning operations (e.g., convolutions) in a more energy-efficient manner than a host device central processing unit (CPU) or a typical GPU, such as Apple's Neural Engine processing core.

[0087] For example, according to the present disclosure, the image capture device 750 may include one or more camera units configured to capture images, for example, images that may be processed to generate image positioning and / or distortion corrected versions of the captured images. The image capture device 750 may include two (or more) lens assemblies 780A and 780B, wherein each lens assembly may have a separate focal length. For example, relative to the focal length of lens assembly 780B, lens assembly 780A may have a shorter focal length. Each lens assembly may have a separate associated sensor element, for example, sensor element 790A / 790B. Alternatively, two or more lens assemblies may share a common sensor element. The image capture device 750 may capture static images and / or video images. The output from the image capture device 750 may be processed at least in part by a video codec 755 and / or processor 705 and / or graphics hardware 720 and / or a dedicated image processing unit or image signal processor incorporated into the image capture device 750. The images thus captured may be stored in a memory 760 and / or a storage device 765.

[0088] The memory 760 may include one or more different types of media used by the processor 705, the graphics hardware 720, and the image capture device 750 to perform device functions. For example, the memory 760 may include a memory cache, a read-only memory (ROM), and / or a random access memory (RAM). The storage device 765 may store media (e.g., audio files, image files, and video files), computer program instructions or software, preference information, device profile information, and any other suitable data. The storage device 765 may include one or more non-transitory storage media, which include, for example, disks (fixed hard disks, floppy disks, and removable disks) and tapes, optical media (such as CD-ROMs and digital video discs (DVDs)), and semiconductor memory devices (such as electrically programmable read-only memories (EPROMs)) and electrically erasable programmable read-only memories (EEPROMs). The memory 760 and the storage device 765 may be used to maintain computer program instructions or codes organized into one or more modules and written in any desired computer programming language. When executed by, for example, the processor 705, such computer program codes may implement one or more of the methods or processes described herein. The power supply 775 may include a rechargeable battery (e.g., a lithium-ion battery, etc.) or other electrical connection to a power source (e.g., a mains power source) for managing and / or providing power to the electronic components and associated circuits of the electronic device 700.

[0089] It should be understood that the above description is intended to be illustrative and not restrictive. For example, the above embodiments may be used in combination with each other. Upon reviewing the above description, many other embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the scope of the present invention should be determined with reference to the attached claims and the full scope of equivalents to such claims.

Claims

1. A method comprising: entering, at a first electronic device, a first state of a peer advertisement protocol, wherein the first electronic device comprises a first image capture device and a first position sensor; determining, at the first electronic device, a first orientation state of the first electronic device, wherein the first orientation state is detected based at least in part on information obtained from the first position sensor; entering, at the first electronic device, a second state of the peer advertisement protocol in response to determining that the first electronic device satisfies a first set of device state criteria, wherein determining that the first electronic device satisfies the first set of device state criteria comprises determining that the first orientation state is within a threshold difference of a predetermined device activation orientation state; responsive to detecting presence of a second electronic device in proximity to the first electronic device while in the second state of the peer advertisement protocol, connecting the first electronic device to the second electronic device via a secure wireless peer-to-peer connection protocol; as well as One or more images captured by the first image capture device are sent by the first electronic device to a connected second electronic device via the secure wireless peer-to-peer connection protocol. 2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the predetermined device activation orientation state comprises at least one of: a portrait orientation state; or a landscape orientation state. 3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first set of device state criteria further comprises determining that the first electronic device has exhibited less than a threshold amount of motion within a determined time period.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first device state criteria set further comprises determining that the first electronic device is in at least one of the following states: a standby state; Locked screen state; screen off state; active communication session; or idle state.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first set of device state criteria further comprises the first image capture device being oriented in a preferred orientation relative to the second electronic device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the second state of the peer advertisement protocol has a shorter advertisement interval between advertisement packets than the first state of the peer advertisement protocol.

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein in response to determining that the first electronic device does not satisfy the first set of device state criteria, the first electronic device remains in the first state of the peer device notification protocol and does not attempt to connect to any peer device via the secure wireless peer connection protocol.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein in response to not detecting the presence of a second electronic device in the vicinity of the first electronic device while in the second state of the peer advertisement protocol, entering a third state of the peer advertisement protocol at the first electronic device, wherein the third state of the peer advertisement protocol has an advertisement interval between advertisement packets that is shorter than the first state of the peer advertisement protocol, and wherein the third state of the peer advertisement protocol has an advertisement interval between advertisement packets that is longer than the second state of the peer advertisement protocol.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein in response to determining that the first electronic device no longer satisfies the first set of device state criteria, disconnecting the first electronic device from the second electronic device via the secure wireless peer-to-peer connection protocol.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the first set of device state criteria is learned individually for the first electronic device.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the secure wireless peer-to-peer connection protocol is a different protocol than the peer device advertisement protocol. 12 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first electronic device and the second electronic device are associated with the same user or the same user account.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein during transmission of the one or more images, the first electronic device and the second electronic device are required to be within a threshold distance of each other.

14. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: detecting an interruption event at the first electronic device; as well as The sending of images to the second electronic device is suspended during the interruption event.

15. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: receiving, at the first electronic device, image capture related parameters from the second electronic device; as well as Subsequent images are captured using the first image capture device in accordance with the received image capture related parameters.

16. An electronic device comprising: Memory; a first image capture device; a first position sensor; and one or more processors operatively coupled to the memory, wherein the one or more processors are configured to execute instructions that cause the one or more processors to: causing the electronic device to enter a first state of a peer device advertisement protocol; determining a first orientation state of the electronic device, wherein the first orientation state is detected based at least in part on information obtained from the first position sensor; causing the electronic device to enter a second state of the peer advertisement protocol in response to determining that the electronic device satisfies a first set of device state criteria, wherein determining that the electronic device satisfies the first set of device state criteria comprises determining that the first orientation state is within a threshold difference of a predetermined device activation orientation state; causing the electronic device to connect to the second electronic device via a secure wireless peer-to-peer connection protocol in response to detecting the presence of a second electronic device in proximity to the electronic device while in the second state of the peer advertisement protocol; and One or more images captured by the first image capture device are transmitted to a connected second electronic device via the secure wireless peer-to-peer connection protocol.

17. The electronic device of claim 16, wherein the second state of the peer advertisement protocol has a shorter advertisement interval between advertisement packets than the first state of the peer advertisement protocol.

18. The electronic device of claim 16, wherein in response to not detecting the presence of a second electronic device in proximity to the electronic device while in the second state of the peer advertisement protocol, executing instructions that cause the one or more processors to: causing the electronic device to enter a third state of the peer device advertisement protocol, wherein the third state of the peer advertisement protocol has an advertisement interval between advertisement packets that is shorter than the first state of the peer advertisement protocol, and wherein the third state of the peer advertisement protocol has an advertisement interval between advertisement packets that is longer than the second state of the peer advertisement protocol.

19. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising computer readable instructions executable by one or more processors to: entering, at a first electronic device, a first state of a peer advertisement protocol, wherein the first electronic device comprises a first image capture device and a first position sensor; determining, at the first electronic device, a first orientation state of the first electronic device, wherein the first orientation state is detected based at least in part on information obtained from the first position sensor; entering, at the first electronic device, a second state of the peer advertisement protocol in response to determining that the first electronic device satisfies a first set of device state criteria, wherein determining that the first electronic device satisfies the first set of device state criteria comprises determining that the first orientation state is within a threshold difference of a predetermined device activation orientation state; In response to detecting the presence of a second electronic device in proximity to the first electronic device while in the second state of the peer advertisement protocol, connecting the first electronic device to the second electronic device via a secure wireless peer-to-peer connection protocol; and One or more images captured by the first image capture device are sent by the first electronic device to a connected second electronic device via the secure wireless peer-to-peer connection protocol.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the secure wireless peer-to-peer connection protocol is a different protocol than the peer device advertisement protocol.

21. A method comprising: receiving, at a second electronic device associated with a first user, an indication that a first electronic device associated with the first user is providing, via an active communication session, one or more images captured by an image capture device of the first electronic device; In response to identifying the first electronic device as satisfying a first set of device state criteria: 1) joining the active communication session on behalf of the first user at the second electronic device; and 2) selecting the image capture device of the first electronic device as an image source for the second electronic device in the active communication session; receiving, at the second electronic device, one or more images captured by the image capture device of the first electronic device; as well as The one or more images received from the first electronic device are provided from the second electronic device to the active communication session.

22. The method according to claim 21, further comprising: The one or more images received from the first electronic device are displayed at the second electronic device.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein identifying the first electronic device as satisfying a first set of device state criteria further comprises: A peer advertisement protocol state is entered at the second electronic device.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the peer advertisement protocol state comprises at least one of: a default advertisement state; an enhanced advertisement state; or a power reduction advertisement state.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein identifying the first electronic device as satisfying a first set of device state criteria further comprises: The presence of the first electronic device is detected via the peer advertisement protocol.

26. The method of claim 21, wherein identifying the first electronic device as satisfying a first set of device state criteria further comprises: The first electronic device is detected at the second electronic device in proximity to the second electronic device and oriented in a first orientation state that is within a threshold difference of a predetermined device activation orientation state.

27. The method of claim 21, wherein identifying the first electronic device as satisfying a first set of device state criteria further comprises: The first electronic device is detected at the second electronic device in proximity to the second electronic device, and the image capture device of the first electronic device is detected to be oriented in a preferred direction relative to the second electronic device.

28. The method of claim 21, wherein the second electronic device is configured to join the active communication session on behalf of the first user without user input.

29. The method of claim 21, wherein the second electronic device is configured to join the active communication session on behalf of the first user in response to user input.

30. The method of claim 21, wherein the received one or more images captured by the image capture device of the first electronic device are received via a secure wireless peer-to-peer connection protocol.

31. The method of claim 21, further comprising: The one or more images received from the first electronic device are transmitted by the second electronic device to a third electronic device.

32. A method comprising: receiving, at a second electronic device, an indication that the first electronic device is requesting the second electronic device to join the active communication session; In response to identifying the first electronic device as satisfying a first set of device state criteria: 1) joining the active communication session at the second electronic device; and 2) selecting an image capture device of the first electronic device as an image source for the second electronic device in the active communication session; receiving, at the second electronic device, one or more images captured by the image capture device of the first electronic device; as well as The one or more images received from the first electronic device are provided from the second electronic device to the active communication session.

33. The method of claim 32, further comprising: The one or more images received from the first electronic device are displayed at the second electronic device.

34. The method of claim 32, wherein identifying the first electronic device as satisfying a first set of device state criteria further comprises: A peer advertisement protocol state is entered at the second electronic device.

35. The method of claim 32, wherein the second electronic device is configured to join the active communication session on behalf of the first user in response to user input.

36. The method of claim 32, wherein the received one or more images captured by the image capture device of the first electronic device are received via a secure wireless peer-to-peer connection protocol.

37. The method of claim 32, further comprising: The one or more images received from the first electronic device are transmitted by the second electronic device to a third electronic device.

38. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising computer readable instructions executable by one or more processors to: receiving, at a second electronic device, an indication that the first electronic device is requesting the second electronic device to join the active communication session; In response to identifying the first electronic device as satisfying a first set of device state criteria: 1) joining the active communication session at the second electronic device; and 2) selecting an image capture device of the first electronic device as an image source for the second electronic device in the active communication session; receiving, at the second electronic device, one or more images captured by the image capture device of the first electronic device; and The one or more images received from the first electronic device are provided from the second electronic device to the active communication session.

39. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 38, further comprising computer-readable instructions executable by one or more processors to cause the second electronic device to: The one or more images received from the first electronic device are displayed.

40. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 38, wherein the computer-readable instructions executable by one or more processors to identify the first electronic device as satisfying a first set of device state criteria further comprise computer-readable instructions executable by one or more processors to cause the second electronic device to: Entering the peer advertisement protocol state.

Images