Gateway device, network service device, communication device, and method

Abstract

The gateway device comprises circuitry configured to wirelessly receive in a Bluetooth Low Energy advertising packet an identifier of the communication device and an indicator of whether the communication device has requested a wireless connection with the gateway device, and in response to the Bluetooth Low Energy advertising packet indicating that the communication device has requested a wireless connection with the gateway device, establish a wireless connection with the communication device, receive information from the communication device associated with the identifier of the communication device via the established wireless connection, and transmit the received information to the web service.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] background The present disclosure relates to a gateway device, a network service device, a communication device, and a method. [Background technology]

[0002] The "Background" discussion provided is for the purpose of generally presenting the contents of the present disclosure. To the extent described in the Background section, the inventors' work, as well as aspects of the description that may not be admitted as prior art at the time of filing, are not admitted expressly or implicitly as prior art to the present disclosure.

[0003] It is often desirable for communication devices, such as sensors, to be able to wirelessly communicate with web services. Existing wireless technologies can achieve this, each with different tradeoffs. Considerations may include modem cost, bandwidth, power consumption, and local radio requirements, as well as the cost of supporting equipment, infrastructure, and installation.

[0004] The low cost, low power consumption, and high bandwidth of Bluetooth (RTM)-based devices make them often the preferred solution if they can meet the needs of an application while being practical to deploy, but limitations of currently known techniques mean that they are often not suitable.

[0005] Several related use cases are known to be supported by Bluetooth-based devices.

[0006] One is a communications device that pairs with a smartphone and provides flexible, secure, two-way communication between the device and an app on the phone. No specific additional hardware or infrastructure is required. However, the device must be paired or associated with a specific smartphone to provide full functionality, potentially making the setup for interaction with a large number of communications devices (e.g., sensors) impractical.

[0007] The other is commercially available beacon or tracker devices that can advertise their presence to other devices (such as smartphones) in their vicinity without prior pairing or association, including detecting when the smartphone is asleep. This is excellent for simple applications that require detecting the presence of many different devices without prior association, but has limited functionality.

[0008] The other is a communications device that can communicate with a dedicated, always-on network infrastructure using a protocol that supports paired or unpaired bidirectional communications. This is because the protocols used perform well but do not easily translate to smartphone implementations, where functionality should persist even when the smartphone is asleep. Therefore, solutions are limited to those where a dedicated network infrastructure is deployed.

[0009] It is therefore desirable to overcome these drawbacks. Summary of the Invention

[0010] The present disclosure is defined by the claims.

[0011] Non-limiting embodiments and advantages of the present disclosure are described with reference to the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary gateway device, a network service device, and a communication device. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary network (system). [Figure 3] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary Bluetooth Low Energy advertising packet. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary information flow. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 illustrates an exemplary configuration screen. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary gateway device method. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary network service device method. [Figure 8] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary communication device method. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] Like reference numbers designate the same or corresponding parts throughout the drawings.

[0014] 1 illustrates multiple data processing devices according to one embodiment, including a communication device 100 (e.g., a sensor deployed in an environment), a gateway device 105, and a network service device 111.

[0015] The communication device 100 includes a processor 101 for executing electronic instructions, a memory 102 for storing the executed electronic instructions and electronic input / output information associated with the electronic instructions, a storage medium 103 (e.g., a hard disk drive, solid state drive, or flash storage) for long-term storage of information, and a Bluetooth (RTM) communication interface 104 for transmitting and receiving electronic information to and from one or more other devices using Bluetooth Low Energy. Each of the processor 101, memory 102, storage medium 103, and Bluetooth communication interface 104 is implemented, for example, using appropriate circuitry. The processor 101 controls the operation of each of the memory 102, storage medium 103, and Bluetooth communication interface 104.

[0016] The gateway device 100 includes a processor 106 for executing electronic instructions, a memory 107 for storing the executed electronic instructions and electronic input / output information associated with the electronic instructions, a storage medium 108 (e.g., a hard disk drive, solid-state drive, or flash storage) for long-term storage of information, a Bluetooth communication interface 109 for transmitting and receiving electronic information to and from one or more other devices using Bluetooth Low Energy, and a network communication interface 110 for transmitting and receiving electronic information to and from one or more other devices via a telecommunications network (e.g., a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN) such as the Internet). Each of the processor 106, the memory 107, the storage medium 108, the Bluetooth communication interface 109, and the network communication interface 110 is implemented, for example, using appropriate circuitry. The processor 106 controls the operation of each of the memory 107, the storage medium 108, the Bluetooth communication interface 109, and the network communication interface 110.

[0017] The network service device 111 includes a processor 112 for executing electronic instructions, a memory 113 for storing the executed electronic instructions and electronic input / output information associated with the electronic instructions, a storage medium 114 (e.g., a hard disk drive, solid-state drive, or FLASH storage) for long-term storage of information, and a network communication interface 115 for transmitting and receiving electronic information to and from one or more other devices via a telecommunications network (e.g., a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN) such as the Internet). Each of the processor 112, memory 113, storage medium 114, and network communication interface 115 is implemented, for example, using appropriate circuitry. The processor 112 controls the operation of the memory 113, storage medium 114, and network communication interface 115. The network service device 111 may be configured, for example, as a set of one or more data processing devices that provide cloud-hosted services.

[0018] FIG. 2 illustrates a network (system) according to one embodiment. The network enables multiple communication devices 100A-D (each having the configuration of the communication device 100 in FIG. 1) to communicate with third-party services hosted on a telecommunications network 200. In the example of FIG. 2, two third-party services are provided, each hosted on a respective third-party server 201A or 201B connected to the network 200. In practice, there may be a different number of third-party services and / or servers. Electronic information is transmitted between each of the communication devices 100A-D and one of the third-party servers 201A and 201B over the network 200 via one of gateway devices 105A-D (each having the configuration of the communication device 105 in FIG. 1) and network service device 111 (having the configuration of the network service device 111 in FIG. 1). In this example, third-party servers 201A and 201B are conventional servers capable of providing conventional web services.

[0019] A Bluetooth Low Energy connection is established with one of gateway devices 105A-D for each communication device 101A-D to send and receive electronic information to one of third-party servers 201A or 201B. Specifically, the gateway device establishes such a connection with one or more communication devices in response to detecting a particular type of Bluetooth Low Energy advertising packet from those communication devices, which is referred to as a "Type A advertising packet" and described below.

[0020] In this example, gateway device 105A and gateway device 105B each receive a Bluetooth Low Energy advertising packet from communication device 100A (e.g., because they are both within range of communication device 100A). One of them then establishes a Bluetooth Low Energy connection with communication device 100A. When both gateway devices 105A and 105B attempt to establish a connection with communication device 100A, communication device 100A accepts the connection from only one of them (e.g., the one that attempts to establish a connection first). Gateway device 105C receives a Bluetooth Low Energy advertising packet from communication device 100B and establishes a Bluetooth Low Energy connection with communication device 100B. Gateway device 105D receives Bluetooth Low Energy advertising packets from communication devices 100C and 100D and establishes a Bluetooth Low Energy connection with each of them.

[0021] Each gateway device 105A-D may be a dedicated gateway device for routing electronic information between the telecommunications network 200 and the communication devices 100A-D. Alternatively, one or more of the gateway devices 105A-D may be a general-purpose information processing device, such as a mobile phone (particularly a smartphone), a tablet computer, or a personal computer, configured with appropriate programming to act as a gateway. In one example, the gateway devices 105A-D are smartphones configured to operate as gateway devices via a downloadable smartphone software application (app). As described below, each time a communication device desires to transmit electronic information over the network 200, a Bluetooth Low Energy connection is established between the communication device and the gateway device. Once the transmission of the electronic information is complete, the Bluetooth Low Energy connection can be terminated. The next time the communication device desires to transmit electronic information over the network 200, a new Bluetooth Low Energy connection is established with the gateway device. This may be the same gateway device (e.g., if the gateway device is still operating in the same location relative to the communication device and no other gateway devices are within range) or it may be a different gateway device (e.g., if the original gateway device is no longer operating (e.g., because its battery is depleted) or has moved out of range but another operating gateway device is now within range). Thus, communication devices are provided with improved flexibility in the gateway device they use to transmit electronic information over network 200. Furthermore, if an existing device such as a smartphone is used as a gateway device, no additional network infrastructure is required.

[0022] FIG. 3 shows an exemplary Bluetooth Low Energy advertising packet transmitted by each communication device 100A-D to enable transmission of electronic information between the communication devices and network 200.

[0023] 3 shows a typical Bluetooth Low Energy advertising packet 300. Such advertising packets are well known and are described, for example, in [1]. In summary, a Bluetooth Low Energy advertising packet comprises a header portion 301 (2 bytes), an advertising address portion 302 (6 bytes), a flag portion 303 (3 bytes), an advertising data portion 304 (28 bytes), and a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) portion 305 (3 bytes). The advertising packet 300 also comprises a preamble and an access address before the header (but these are not shown).

[0024] FIG. 3 shows a first specific configuration 300A of a Bluetooth Low Energy advertising packet 300. This is referred to as a Type A advertising packet. The advertising data of the Type A advertising packet includes a standard portion (present in a Bluetooth Low Energy service advertising packet) and a custom portion (customized portion that enables the functionality of the present technique). The standard portion includes a service portion 306 (4 bytes), a length portion 307 (1 byte), a type portion 308 (1 byte), and a service ID 310 (2 bytes). The custom portion includes a status portion 311 (1 byte), a power portion 312 (1 byte), a device ID 313 (16 bytes), and a battery portion 314 (2 bytes). The status portion 311 includes multiple subportions, including a blank subportion 311A (including 5 bits set to all 0), a fault subportion 311B (1 bit), an accept subportion 311C (1 bit), and a request subportion 311D (1 bit).

[0025] The request subportion contains a 0 when the communication device is not requesting a connection from one of the gateway devices 105A-D, and contains a 1 when the communication device is requesting a connection from one of the gateway devices 105A-D (or vice versa).

[0026] The accept subportion contains a 0 when the communication device cannot accept a connection from one of the gateway devices 105A-D and a 1 when the communication device can accept a connection from one of the gateway devices 105A-D (or vice versa). This allows the communication device to accept spontaneous connection requests (i.e., connection requests that the communication device has not specifically requested) from the gateway device, thus enabling improved functionality for the communication device and the gateway device. In one example, the gateway device establishes a spontaneous connection with the communication device only if the communication device indicates that this is acceptable using the accept subportion.

[0027] The fault sub-portion contains a 0 when the communication device 100A-D is not faulty and a 1 when the communication device is faulty (or vice versa), which allows the network service apparatus 111 to quickly and easily determine whether a communication device is faulty.

[0028] The device ID is an identifier that uniquely identifies the communication device that sent the Type A advertising packet. It is used by the network service device 111 to determine the third-party services with which the communication device is associated. In one example, this association is implemented by associating each third-party service with one or more unique network IDs. The device ID of each communication device is then associated with one of these network IDs. Information indicating the third-party service associated with each network ID and the device ID associated with each network ID is stored in a database accessible to the network service device 111 (e.g., stored in the storage medium 114). This enables the network service device 111 to determine which third-party service each communication device is associated with based on the device ID.

[0029] The battery portion allows the network service appliance 111 to quickly and easily determine the battery status of the communication device by indicating the amount of energy stored in the communication device's battery.

[0030] The power portion indicates a measure of the power of a signal from a communication device that is a known distance from the communication device (e.g., a received signal strength indicator, RSSI), which allows the distance of the receiver of the signal from the communication device to be estimated based on the measured signal power.

[0031] FIG. 3 shows a second specific configuration 300B of a Bluetooth Low Energy advertising packet 300. This is referred to as a Type B advertising packet. The advertising data of the Type B advertising packet includes a length portion 315 (1 byte), a type portion 316 (1 byte), a company ID 317 (2 bytes), a beacon type portion 318 (2 bytes), a universally unique identifier 319 (UUID—16 bytes), a major portion 320 (2 bytes) with a major identifier, a minor portion 321 (2 bytes) with a minor identifier, and a power portion 322 (1 byte). In one example, the Type B advertising packet is an iBeacon (RTM) advertising packet, and portions 315 to 322 are standard portions present in iBeacon advertising packets. The Type B advertising packet includes a first identifier and a second identifier. In this example, the first identifier is a UUID and the second identifier is a combination of a major and a minor identifier (so, for example, the second identifier is in the form [major identifier, minor identifier]). However, the second identifier may, for example, be only a major identifier or only a minor identifier.

[0032] The first identifier (e.g., UUID) is a predetermined identifier associated with the provider of the network service device 111 such that when the gateway device detects the first identifier in the type B advertising packet, the gateway device enters a mode for detecting type A advertising packets. There may be multiple predetermined first identifiers associated with the provider of the network service device 111. This allows the gateway device to initially operate in a first mode (e.g., low-power mode) in which only type B advertising packets are detectable. When a communication device desires that a type A advertising packet be detected (and thus desires that a connection with the gateway device be established), it therefore first transmits a type B advertising packet comprising the first identifier. Once this is detected by the gateway device, the gateway device subsequently switches to a second mode (e.g., high-power mode) in which the detected type A advertising packet is detectable. When the first mode is a low-power mode and the second mode is a high-power mode, this helps to reduce the power consumption of the gateway.

[0033] The gateway device's switching from the first mode to the second mode may be temporary, for example, to help further reduce power consumption of the gateway. For example, upon detecting the first identifier in a Type B advertising packet, the gateway device may transition to and remain in the second mode (allowing it to establish a connection in response to the received Type A advertising packet) for a first predetermined period (e.g., 10, 20, or 30 seconds) before returning to the first mode (in which the received Type A advertising packet is ignored). Furthermore, after switching from the first mode to the second mode (and subsequently returning to the first mode), the gateway device may not perform a further first-to-second mode transition until no further Type B advertising packets with the first identifier are detected by the gateway device for a second predetermined period (e.g., 10, 20, or 30 seconds).

[0034] While this helps reduce the power consumption of the gateway device, a further consequence of this is that if the gateway device continues to remain within range of a communication device that transmits further Type B advertising packets with the first identifier after the initial transition from the first mode to the second mode, it will return to the first mode after the first predetermined period of time and will not be able to transition again from the first mode to the second mode, and therefore the communication device with which it wishes to establish a connection will be ignored (because the gateway device will not detect the Type A advertising packets in the first mode).

[0035] To address this, the second identifier (e.g., major and / or minor identifier) of a Type B advertising packet transmitted by a communication device is indicated by the Type A advertising packet of that communication device. This means that even if the gateway device transitions from the first mode to the second mode only in response to detecting a Type B advertising packet having the first identifier (and therefore does not record the second identifier), it can determine the second identifier from a subsequently received Type A advertising packet. Then, to enable a further transition from the first mode to the second mode, instead of detecting that a Type B advertising packet having the first identifier is not received for a second predetermined period, the gateway device is configured to transition from the first mode to the second mode if it does not detect a Type B advertising packet having the second identifier for a second predetermined period. A different second identifier may be assigned to each communication device within a given geographical area (unlike the first identifier, which may be common to all communication devices). Thus, the gateway apparatus does not need to detect Type B advertising packets transmitted by only one of the communication devices (rather than all communication devices assigned the first identifier) for the second predetermined period of time so that it can transition from the first mode to the second mode again and thus detect Type A advertising packets again.

[0036] The use of the first and second identifiers in the Type B advertising packets in this manner enables any of multiple communication devices that transmit Type B advertising packets with the first identifier to initially cause the gateway device to transition from the first mode to the second mode. This enables the gateway device to act on the received Type A advertising packets and thus establish a connection with one of the communication devices. Furthermore, when a communication device that received a Type A advertising packet stops transmitting Type B advertising packets (e.g., as may occur when a connection with the communication device is established and the communication device therefore knows it is being serviced), the gateway device can determine when these particular Type B advertising packets are no longer being transmitted (because none are detected for a second predetermined period of time). The gateway device knows this because the second identifier provided in these particular Type B advertising packets is derivable from one of the received Type A advertising packets. The gateway device then transitions again from the first mode to the second mode, thus receiving additional Type A advertising packets and establishing additional connections. This helps to improve the availability of the gateway devices and therefore the robustness of the network.

[0037] In the example of Figure 3, respective portions of the Device ID of a Type A advertising packet broadcast by a given communication device match the major and minor identifiers of a Type B advertising packet broadcast by that communication device. For example, in Figure 3, bytes [3:2] of the Device ID of a Type A advertising packet correspond to the major identifier of a Type B advertising packet, and bytes [1:0] of the Device ID of a Type A advertising packet correspond to the minor identifier of a Type B advertising packet.

[0038] If the Type B advertising packet is an iBeacon advertising packet, one or more of the gateway devices 105-D may be an Apple (RTM) iOS device. An app is installed on the iOS device that causes the iOS device to scan for Type A advertising packets in response to detecting an iBeacon packet with a UUID associated with the provider of the network service device 111 and in response to no longer detecting iBeacon packets with the major and / or minor identifiers indicated by the previously received Type A advertising packet.

[0039] In the above description, gateway device 105 transitions from the first mode (no Type A advertising packet detected) to the second mode (a Type A advertising packet detected) in response to detecting a Type B advertising packet having a particular first identifier (e.g., a particular UUID) and / or a particular second identifier (e.g., a particular major and / or minor identifier) indicated by a previously received Type A advertising packet, but this is just one example. More generally, gateway device is configured to transition from the first mode to the second mode in response to receiving or no longer receiving one or more of a set of Type B advertising packets.

[0040] The set of Type B advertising packets is stored as a list in the memory 107 and / or storage medium 108 of the gateway device and includes one or more predetermined Type B advertising packets (e.g., those having a predetermined first identifier such as a predetermined UUID) and / or one or more Type B advertising packets configured based on one or more previously received Type A advertising packets (e.g., Type B advertising packets having a second identifier such as a major and / or minor identifier indicated by the device ID of a previously received Type A advertising packet). In other words, the gateway device maintains a list of Type B advertising packets having specific characteristics (e.g., those having a predetermined UUID or major and / or minor identifier indicated by the device ID of a previously received Type A advertising packet), and detection or non-detection of at least one Type B advertising packet in the list transitions the gateway device from the first mode to the second mode. Non-detection includes, for example, not detecting a Type B advertising packet in the list for a predetermined period of time (e.g., the second predetermined period described above).

[0041] Type B advertising packets may be added to the set defined in the gateway device list in any other manner. For example, Type B advertising packets with specific first and / or second identifiers (or any other characteristics) may be manually added to the list by entering relevant details via a user interface (not shown) of the gateway device 105 (e.g., via an appropriate user interface of an app if the gateway device is a smartphone). In one example, each communication device 100 periodically transmits Type A advertising packets, regardless of whether it is requesting a connection. The transmitted Type A advertising packets include information about the communication device 100 (e.g., indicating the battery status via the battery portion 314, indicating whether there is a fault via the fault subportion 311B, etc.), and, if a connection is not requested (e.g., indicated by the request subportion 311D), information about whether a spontaneous connection is accepted by the communication device (e.g., indicated by the accept subportion 311C).

[0042] This allows any gateway device 105 already in the second mode where the Type A advertising packet is detectable (e.g., because the gateway device previously received or stopped receiving a Type B advertising packet in a set of Type B advertising packets) to receive updated information about the communication device and establish a connection with the communication device (either at the request of the communication device or on its own initiative, as the communication device indicates it is open to spontaneous connections). The communication device 100 begins sending Type B advertising packets along with Type A advertising packets (e.g., alternately sending Type A and Type B advertising packets) only when it intends to request a connection using a Type A advertising packet.

[0043] This ensures that when a communication device requests such a connection, it can establish a connection with any gateway device within range (because the Type B advertising packets transition the gateway device from the first mode to the second mode if it is not already in the second mode). At the same time, it reduces the power consumption of the communication device because it only needs to send Type A advertising packets when a connection is not specifically requested. This therefore helps to balance network flexibility and power efficiency.

[0044] FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary flow of electronic information transmission between communication device 100, gateway device 105, network service device 111, and third-party server 201A or 201B, according to one embodiment.

[0045] The communication device 100 desires to connect to the network 200 to transmit electronic information to a third-party server. Therefore, it begins transmitting Bluetooth Low Energy advertising packets. In this particular example, it begins alternately transmitting Type B advertising packets (steps 400B, 400B') and Type A advertising packets (steps 400A, 400A'). The first transmission of the Type B and Type A advertising packets (steps 400B, 400A) is not picked up by the gateway device 100 (e.g., because the gateway device is too far away). However, the second transmission of the Type B and Type A advertising packets (400B', 400A') is picked up by the gateway device (e.g., because the communication device and / or gateway device have moved closer to each other). One or more repetitions of transmitting each Type A and Type B advertising packet may occur when Type A and Type B advertising packets are transmitted alternately (e.g., one Type A followed by one Type B, two Type A followed by two Type B, one Type A followed by two Type B, two Type A followed by one Type B, etc.).

[0046] In step 401, in response to the gateway device detecting a Type B advertising packet (comprising a UUID associated with the provider of network service device 111) in step 400B', the gateway device enters a mode in which it scans for Type A advertising packets. This may involve, for example, the gateway device waking up from a low power mode to a high power mode. Thus, in step 402, it detects the Type A advertising packet transmitted in step 400A'.

[0047] In step 403, in response to detecting the Type A advertising packet in step 402, at least a portion of the information provided in the Type A advertising packet is transmitted over the network 200 to the network service apparatus 111. This information may include, for example, a device ID, the battery level of the communication device 100 (determined from the battery portion of the Type A advertising packet), and whether the communication device 100 is faulty (determined from the fault portion of the Type A advertising packet). Further information, such as information indicating (at least approximately) the location of the communication device 100, may also be transmitted to the network service apparatus 111 in step 403. In one example, if the gateway apparatus 105 includes position determination functionality (e.g., Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) circuitry (not shown) controlled by the processor 106), the location of the gateway apparatus 105 is transmitted to the network service apparatus 111, which is considered to be the location of the communication device 100. This makes it possible to determine (at least approximately) the location of the communication device 100 even if the communication device 100 itself does not include position determination functionality. Thus, the information derivable upon receiving a Type A advertising packet may indicate one of many characteristics of the communication device 100 transmitting the information. This information may be directly indicated by the Type A advertising packet (e.g., battery level, or whether the communication device is faulty) or may be indirectly derivable (e.g., the communication device's approximate location based on the communication device's device ID and the determined location of the gateway device).

[0048] The information transmitted in step 403 is recorded as a detected event by network service device 111 in step 404 (eg, in storage medium 114).

[0049] Also, in response to detecting the Type A advertising packet in step 402, gateway device 105 determines whether communication device 100 is requesting a connection. This is determined based on the request portion of the Type A advertising packet. In this example, the request portion of the Type A advertising packet received in step 400A' indicates that the communication device is requesting a connection. This is detected in step 415.

[0050] In step 405, the gateway device 105 establishes a Bluetooth Low Energy connection with the communication device 100. To improve data security, in step 406, after establishing the Bluetooth Low Energy connection, the gateway device 105 may complete appropriate security protocol(s) with the communication device 100. For example, digitally signed data may be exchanged between the gateway device and the communication device (so that the gateway device and the communication device can authenticate each other), and / or an encrypted connection may be established between the gateway device and the communication device. Any appropriate security protocol(s) may be completed based on techniques known in the art and, for example, the security requirements of a third-party service that wishes to receive information from the communication device 100. The security protocol(s) may be performed, for example, at the application layer.

[0051] Once the Bluetooth Low Energy connection is established, the communication device 100 transmits electronic information to the gateway device 105 in step 407. This may occur simultaneously with at least part of the completion of the security protocol(s) completed in step 406 (e.g., this may be a digital signature of the information transmitted in step 407, if a digital signature is used to authenticate the communication device). The electronic information is then routed to the network service device 111 in step 408. The electronic information may be any information generated or received by the communication device 100. For example, the communication device may include or be connected to one or more sensors (not shown), and the electronic information may indicate measurements of the one or more sensors.

[0052] The electronic information sent in steps 407 and 408 comprises the device ID, which enables the network service device 111 to determine the third-party service (based on the network ID associated with the device ID and the third-party service associated with the network ID) in step 409. The electronic information is then forwarded to the relevant third-party server 201A or 201B in step 410.

[0053] In this example, the electronic information transmitted in steps 407, 408, and 410 indicates a request. For example, if the electronic information indicates one or more sensor measurements, this information may be transmitted as part of the request, along with information requesting a response indicating that third party servers 201A and 201B successfully received and stored the one or more sensor measurements. The response is transmitted from the third party server to network server device 111 in step 411, returned to gateway device 105 in step 412, and returned to communication device 100 in step 413. Once the response is successfully received by the communication device, the communication device closes the established Bluetooth Low Energy connection in step 414.

[0054] Receiving Type B advertising packets in steps 400B and 400B′ is optional. For example, gateway device 105 can instead detect only Type A advertising packets (e.g., by ignoring Type B advertising packets or because communication device 100 only transmits Type A advertising packets), and thus gateway device 105 can be configured to always scan for Type A advertising packets. This helps reduce any latency associated with gateway device 105 first detecting Type B advertising packets and switching modes and then being able to detect Type A advertising packets. On the other hand, including the use of Type B advertising packets can reduce power consumption in the gateway device because gateway device 105 can operate in a low-power mode until a Type B advertising packet is received (which wakes up the gateway device). This is particularly advantageous when the gateway device is a portable device such as a battery-powered smartphone. It will be appreciated that the use of Type B advertising packets may or may not be configured based on the requirements of the system (e.g., whether lower latency or lower gateway device power consumption should be prioritized).

[0055] 5 shows an exemplary configuration screen 507 of the network service device 111. The configuration screen 507 is displayed, for example, on an electronic display 508 of an information processing device 500 (e.g., a personal computer, a tablet, or a smartphone) connected to the network service device 111 via the network 200. In one example, the network service device 111 is a server, and the configuration screen 507 is accessed by an owner of a third-party service hosted on one of the third-party servers 201A or 201B logging on to a web service hosted by the network service device 111. Each owner of a third-party service can thus log on to the network service device 111 by previously registering with the network service device 111 and selecting a unique identifier (e.g., a username) and authentication information (e.g., a password, or biometric information such as a fingerprint or face profile) as their login information. Once logged on, the third-party service owner can create one or more networks (each having a respective unique network ID to which unique device IDs of one or more communication devices can be associated).

[0056] Configuration screen 507 shows exemplary configuration information for one network associated with the current logged-in third-party service owner. Each third-party service owner can create and maintain multiple networks in this manner (e.g., a configuration screen for each network is displayed in response to selecting the network they want to configure, such as using a selectable menu). This exemplary configuration information includes the network name, network ID, request webhook, event webhook, landing page, and number of associated devices. A table 506 showing the devices registered on the network is also displayed.

[0057] The network name is entered by the user in text field 501 (e.g., using a physical or virtual keyboard, a speech-to-text interface, etc.). In this example, the network name is set as "Test Network." By selecting a unique network name for each network that they maintain, each third-party service owner can easily distinguish each of their networks from one another.

[0058] The network ID is unique for each network managed by the network service device 111. The network ID is automatically generated by the network service device 111 for the network when it is created and displayed in text field 502. In this example, the network ID takes the form of a 128-bit universally unique identifier UUID. The network ID is associated with a unique ID that third-party service owners use to log on to web services hosted by the network service device 111.

[0059] The request webhook is entered by the user in text field 503. This is a uniform resource locator (URL) that acts as the address of third-party server 201A or 201B to which requests received from network-associated communication devices 100 are sent (e.g., see step 410).

[0060] The event webhook may be entered by the user in text field 504. This is a uniform resource locator (URL) that acts as the address of a third-party server 201A or 201B to which information contained in Type A advertising packets received from communication devices 100 associated with the network (e.g., battery status, whether a fault has been detected, etc.) can be sent. This allows information about the communication device to be ascertained by an associated third-party service even if a Bluetooth Low Energy connection has not been requested and established. This is useful, for example, to allow a third-party service to monitor one or more characteristics of its associated communication device(s) (e.g., battery status, whether a fault has been detected, etc.) in a power- and network-efficient manner. In this example, the request webhook and the event webhook are the same. However, they may be different.

[0061] A landing page may be entered by the user in text field 505, which may enable additional functionality associated with communication device 100 to be implemented. For example, communication device 100 may have a quick response (QR) code (not shown) or NFC circuitry (not shown) present on communication device 100 for exchanging NFC signals with another NFC-enabled data processing device (e.g., a smartphone). The QR code or NFC signal indicates both network service device 111 (e.g., via the URL of a web service hosted by network service device 111) and the device ID of communication device 100. In response to receiving a request at a URL comprising the device ID from a data processing device (e.g., a smartphone) that detects the QR code or NFC signal, network service device 111 performs a redirect to the URL indicated in text field 505. This URL may be associated, for example, with a third-party service, thereby enabling information about the network and / or communication device (again, based on the device ID) to be quickly and efficiently provided to the user in response to scanning the QR code or NFC signal.

[0062] The number of associated devices indicates the total number of communication devices registered on this particular network. In this case, there are two devices (hence the number "2" appears in text field 506). Table 506 also displays information indicating each registered device, where each device is identified by its unique device ID (which in this example is also a 128-bit UUID) in column 506A. Additional information is also provided. In this example, the additional information comprises information obtained from the Type A advertising packets sent by each communication device. Specifically, column 506B indicates the battery level (in mV, based on the battery portion of the Type B advertising packet), and column 506C indicates whether a fault was detected ("F" indicates false (i.e., no fault) and "T" indicates true (i.e., there is a fault based on the fault sub-portion of the Type A advertising packet). In this example, additional information also includes (in column 506D) the date and time when contact was last received from each communication device. This may be, for example, the time when the most recent Type A advertising packet was detected.

[0063] It will be appreciated that in practice, a much larger number of communication devices may be associated with the network and identified in table 506, and a much larger number of information types may be present in table 506. The information types presented in the table may be configurable in network service equipment 111 by a third-party service owner (e.g., via a further configuration screen (not shown) displayed on electronic display 508) and may depend on the capabilities of the communication device 100 involved.

[0064] A device ID may be assigned to each respective communication device 100 in any suitable manner, so long as each device ID is unique, such that a network (which is then represented by a unique network ID) can be unambiguously identified based on the device ID. In one example, each device ID and network ID is a 128-bit universally unique identifier (UUID), thereby ensuring that each device ID and network ID is globally unique.

[0065] Any suitable technique can be used to add communication device 100, such as a sensor, to the network. The added communication device appears as an additional device in table 506 of configuration screen 507. In one example, the device ID of the communication device is added manually by a user (e.g., by entering the device ID in a text field (not shown) provided in configuration screen 507). In another example, communication device 100 may have a QR code (not shown) or NFC circuitry (not shown) located on communication device 100 for exchanging NFC signals with another NFC-enabled data processing device (e.g., a smartphone). The QR code or NFC signal indicates the device ID of communication device 100. A web service of network service appliance 111 may then run on a device (e.g., on a browser on the smartphone) capable of scanning the QR code or NFC signal, and in response to receiving the device ID via the QR code or NFC signal, the web service adds the communication device to table 506 (thereby associating the device ID with a network ID). The electronic information received from that particular communication device is then routed, for example, via a request and / or event web hook, to a third-party server hosting the third-party service. Using QR codes or NFC signals in this manner allows communication devices (each with a unique device ID) to quickly and efficiently associate with a particular network (with a unique network ID) and third-party service (based on the request and / or event web hook associated with the network ID). Communication devices 100 may also be associated with a network ID using, for example, a Bluetooth scan. In this case, for example, a data processing device (e.g., a smartphone or personal computer) on which the web service of network service device 111 runs performs a Bluetooth scan, and the communication devices each output a Bluetooth signal indicating their device ID. In one example, the Bluetooth signal is a Type B advertising packet.The data processing device then associates each detected device ID with the network ID of the network being configured, thereby enabling multiple communication devices to be quickly and easily associated with a particular network ID.

[0066] Thus, the present technique allows any party hosting a web service on a web server (e.g., third-party server 201A or 201B) to establish a network of communication devices 100 configured to communicate with the web service. No infrastructure is required other than the communication device 100 itself and one or more data processing devices (e.g., smartphones with appropriate apps installed) configured to act as gateway devices 105. This is particularly beneficial in environments where there are many such gateway devices 105 in the vicinity of communication devices 100 (e.g., a factory with many communication devices for monitoring the performance of factory machines and where most factory workers carry smartphones, a shopping center with many communication devices for monitoring footfall and where most shoppers carry smartphones, or a stadium with many communication devices for monitoring crowd safety and where most people in the crowd carry smartphones). This allows any party to inexpensively and quickly set up a reliable and efficient communication device network.

[0067] In the above example, requests and / or events are reported to a third-party server (e.g., via web hooks). In another example, the network service apparatus 111 itself may receive requests and / or events and, in the case of requests, issue responses. For example, the network service apparatus 111 itself may operate a web service that exchanges information with one or more communication devices 100 in the described manner. Here, the described functions of both the network service apparatus 111 and the third-party server 201A or 201B are performed by a single data processing apparatus.

[0068] In the above example, the network service device 111 looks up the device ID to determine the third-party service with which the communication device 100 is associated and routes the information to the associated third-party service. In another example, the gateway device itself looks up the device ID and routes the information to the associated third-party service. In this case, the storage medium 108 of the gateway device 105 (rather than the storage medium 114 of the network service device 111) stores, for example, a database associating device IDs with associated network IDs and a database associating network IDs with associated third-party services. The databases may also be stored, for example, in another location (not shown) on the network 200. Here, the described functions of both the gateway device 105 and the network service device 111 are performed by a single data processing device.

[0069] For example, if multiple communication devices 100 are physically close to each other and Type B advertising packets are used, only some of the communication devices may transmit Type B advertising packets, which causes nearby gateway devices 105 to switch to a mode for scanning for Type A advertising packets. All of the communication devices may then transmit Type A advertising packets (which are then detected by nearby gateway devices 105). This allows for the benefits of using Type A advertising packets, but allows for reduced complexity for some of the communication devices 100 (i.e., those that only transmit Type A advertising packets). For example, less complex communication devices are desirable due to their low cost and low power consumption.

[0070] References herein to "Bluetooth (RTM) Low Energy" refer to any version that enables Bluetooth Low Energy advertising packets and Bluetooth Low Energy connection establishment according to the described embodiments. This includes the current version of Bluetooth Low Energy as of the effective filing date of this patent / patent application, previous versions of Bluetooth Low Energy that included these features, and future versions of Bluetooth Low Energy in which these features are retained. A non-limiting example of Bluetooth Low Energy that can be used with the present techniques is that described in [1].

[0071] References herein to "iBeacon" refer to any version that allows for iBeacon advertising packets with a UUID, major identifier, and minor identifier, and that allows gateway devices (particularly Apple iOS devices) to enter a mode to detect Type B advertising packets in accordance with the described embodiments. This includes the current version of iBeacon as of the effective filing date of this patent / patent application, previous versions of iBeacon that included these features, and future versions of iBeacon that retain these features. Non-limiting examples of iBeacons that can be used with the present techniques are those described in [2].

[0072] 6 illustrates a first method according to one embodiment, which is implemented by the gateway device 105.

[0073] The method begins at step 600 .

[0074] In step 601, the processor 106 controls the Bluetooth communication interface 109 to wirelessly receive, in a Bluetooth Low Energy advertising packet (e.g., Type A advertising packet 300A), an identifier of the communication device 100 (e.g., device ID 313) and an indicator of whether the communication device is requesting a wireless connection with a gateway device (e.g., request subportion 311D). This is illustrated, for example, in step 400A' of FIG. 4.

[0075] In step 602, the processor 106 determines whether the Bluetooth Low Energy advertising packet indicates that the communication device 100 is requesting a wireless connection with a gateway device (e.g., whether the request subportion 311D contains a 0 or a 1).

[0076] If a wireless connection is not required, the method ends at step 606 .

[0077] If a wireless connection is requested, the method proceeds to step 603. In step 603, processor 106 controls Bluetooth communication interface 109 to establish a wireless connection with communication device 100 (via Bluetooth communication interface 104). This is illustrated, for example, in steps 415, 405, and 406 of FIG. 4.

[0078] In step 604, the processor 106 controls the Bluetooth communication interface 109 to receive information from the communication device 100 associated with the communication device's identifier (e.g., information indicative of the communication device's sensor measurements) via the established wireless connection. This is illustrated, for example, in step 407 of FIG. 4.

[0079] In step 605, processor 106 controls network communication interface 110 to transmit the information received in step 604 to the web service (e.g., to third-party server 201A or 201B hosting the web service). This is illustrated, for example, in steps 408 and 410 of Figure 4. In this particular example, the information is transmitted to the web service via network service device 111.

[0080] The method ends at step 606.

[0081] 7 illustrates a second method according to one embodiment, which is implemented by the network service device 111.

[0082] The method begins at step 700 .

[0083] In step 701, the processor 112 controls the network communication interface 115 to receive, via the gateway device 105, an identifier of the communication device 100 (e.g., device ID 313) and information from the communication device (e.g., information indicating sensor measurements of the communication device). This is illustrated, for example, in step 408 of FIG. 4. The identifier of the communication device is transmitted by the communication device to the gateway device in a Bluetooth Low Energy advertising packet (e.g., Type A advertising packet 300A), and the information from the communication device is transmitted by the communication device to the gateway device via the wireless connection established with the gateway device in response to an indicator (request subportion 311D) in the Bluetooth Low Energy advertising packet indicating a wireless connection with the gateway device requested by the communication device.

[0084] In step 702, processor 112 identifies a web service associated with the communication device identifier. This may be accomplished, for example, by retrieving the communication device identifier from a database stored in storage medium 114, associating the communication device identifier with a network identifier, and associating the network identifier with the web service. This is illustrated, for example, in step 409 of FIG. 4.

[0085] In step 703, processor 112 controls network communication interface 115 to transmit the received information to the identified web service (e.g., to third-party server 201A or 201B hosting the web service), as illustrated, for example, in step 410 of FIG.

[0086] The method ends at step 704.

[0087] 8 illustrates a third method according to one embodiment, which is implemented by the communication device 100.

[0088] The method begins at step 800 .

[0089] In step 801, the processor 101 controls the Bluetooth communication interface 104 to wirelessly transmit, in a Bluetooth Low Energy advertising packet (e.g., Type A advertising packet 300A), an identifier of the communication device (e.g., device ID 313) and an indicator of whether the communication device is requesting a wireless connection with the gateway device (e.g., request subpart 311D). This is illustrated, for example, in step 400A' of FIG. 4.

[0090] In step 802, the processor 101 controls the Bluetooth communication interface 104 to establish a wireless connection with the gateway device (via the Bluetooth communication interface 109) in response to receiving a wireless connection request from the gateway device 105, the wireless connection request being received from the gateway device when a Bluetooth Low Energy advertising packet indicates that the communication device is requesting a wireless connection with the gateway device. This is illustrated, for example, in steps 415, 405, and 406 of FIG. 4.

[0091] In step 803, the processor 101 controls the Bluetooth communication interface 104 to transmit information associated with the identifier of the communication device (e.g., information indicating sensor measurements of the communication device 100) to the gateway device 105 via the established wireless connection.

[0092] The method ends at step 804.

[0093] Embodiment(s) of the present disclosure are defined by the following numbered clauses:

[0094] 1. A gateway device, wirelessly receiving, in a Bluetooth Low Energy advertising packet, an identifier of a communication device and an indicator of whether the communication device is requesting wireless connection with a gateway device; establishing a wireless connection with the communication device in response to the Bluetooth Low Energy advertising packet indicating that the communication device is requesting a wireless connection with a gateway device; receiving information from the communication device associated with the identifier of the communication device via the established wireless connection; Sending the received information to a web service A gateway device comprising a circuit configured to:

[0095] 2. The gateway device of clause 1, wherein the web service is associated with the identifier of the communication device.

[0096] 3. The Bluetooth Low Energy advertising packet is a first type Bluetooth Low Energy advertising packet; the circuitry is configured to enter a mode of wirelessly receiving the first type of Bluetooth Low Energy advertising packets in response to receiving or no longer receiving one or more of a set of second type of Bluetooth Low Energy advertising packets; 2. A gateway device according to claim 1 or 2.

[0097] 4. The gateway device of clause 3, wherein a portion of the set of Bluetooth Low Energy advertising packets of the second type is configured based on one or more previously received Bluetooth Low Energy advertising packets of the first type.

[0098] 5. The gateway device of clause 4, wherein a portion of the set of Bluetooth Low Energy advertising packets of the second type is configured based on an identifier of a communication device indicated by the one or more previously received Bluetooth Low Energy advertising packets of the first type.

[0099] 6. The gateway device according to any one of clauses 3 to 5, wherein the second type Bluetooth Low Energy advertising packet is an iBeacon packet.

[0100] 7. The information received from the communication device is a request; the circuitry is configured to transmit a response to the request to the communication device via the established wireless connection. The gateway device according to any one of clauses 1 to 6.

[0101] 8. The gateway device according to any one of clauses 1 to 7, wherein the Bluetooth Low Energy advertising packet comprises information from which characteristics of the communication device can be derived.

[0102] 9. The gateway device of any one of clauses 1 to 8, wherein the circuitry is configured to send additional information to the web service together with the received information.

[0103] 10. The gateway device of clause 9, wherein the additional information comprises a location of the gateway device.

[0104] 11. A gateway device as described in any one of clauses 1 to 10, wherein the circuitry is configured to complete a security protocol to enable authentication and / or encryption of the information received from the communication device via the established wireless connection.

[0105] 12. The Bluetooth Low Energy advertising packet includes an indicator of whether the communication device is accepting a wireless connection with a gateway device; If the communication device has not requested a wireless connection with a gateway device, the circuitry is configured to establish a wireless connection with the communication device only if the Bluetooth Low Energy advertising packet indicates that the communication device is open to a wireless connection with a gateway device. The gateway device according to any one of clauses 1 to 11.

[0106] 13. The gateway device according to any one of clauses 1 to 12, wherein the gateway device is a smartphone.

[0107] 14. A network service device, comprising: receiving, via a gateway device, an identifier of a communication device and information from the communication device, the identifier of the communication device being transmitted by the communication device to the gateway device in a Bluetooth Low Energy advertising packet, and the information from the communication device being transmitted by the communication device to the gateway device via the wireless connection established with the gateway device in response to an indicator in the Bluetooth Low Energy advertising packet indicating a wireless connection with the gateway device being requested by the communication device; identifying a web service associated with the identifier of the communication device; Transmitting the received information to the identified web service. A network service device comprising a circuit configured to:

[0108] 15. The network service device of clause 14, wherein the circuitry is configured to access a database that associates identifiers of the identified web services with the identifiers of the communications devices.

[0109] 16. The information received from the communication device is a request; the circuitry receives a response to the request from the identified web service; Transmitting the response to the request to the communication device. It is configured as follows: 16. A network service device according to clause 14 or 15.

[0110] 17. The circuit receiving information indicating characteristics of the communication device via the gateway device, the information indicating the characteristics of the communication device derived by the gateway device from information provided in the Bluetooth Low Energy advertising packet transmitted by the communication device to the gateway device; transmitting the information indicative of the characteristic of the communication device to the identified web service; The network service device according to any one of clauses 14 to 16, configured as follows:

[0111] 18. The circuit receiving additional information from the gateway device together with the information received from the communication device via the gateway device; Sending the additional information along with the received information to the identified web service. The network service device according to any one of clauses 14 to 17, configured as follows:

[0112] 19. The network service device of clause 18, wherein the additional information comprises a location of the gateway device.

[0113] 20. A network service device described in any one of clauses 14 to 19, wherein the information received via the gateway device and sent to the identified web service is sent to the identified web service using a web hook.

[0114] 21. A communication device, wirelessly transmitting in a Bluetooth Low Energy advertising packet an identifier of the communication device and an indicator of whether the communication device is requesting wireless connection with a gateway device; establishing a wireless connection with a gateway device in response to receiving a wireless connection request from the gateway device, the wireless connection request being received from the gateway device when the Bluetooth Low Energy advertising packet indicates that the communication device is requesting a wireless connection with the gateway device; transmitting information associated with the identifier of the communication device to the gateway device via the established wireless connection; A communication device comprising a circuit configured to:

[0115] 22. The Bluetooth Low Energy advertising packet is a first type Bluetooth Low Energy advertising packet; the circuit is configured to transmit a second type of Bluetooth Low Energy advertising packet to cause the gateway device to enter a mode in which the gateway device can receive the first type of Bluetooth Low Energy advertising packet; A communication device as described in clause 21.

[0116] 23. The communications device of clause 22, wherein the transmitted second type Bluetooth Low Energy advertising packet is configured based on the transmitted first type Bluetooth Low Energy advertising packet.

[0117] 24. The communications device described in clause 23, wherein the transmitted second type Bluetooth Low Energy advertising packet is configured based on the identifier of the communications device indicated by the transmitted first type Bluetooth Low Energy advertising packet.

[0118] 25. A communication device according to any one of clauses 22 to 24, wherein the second type of Bluetooth Low Energy advertising packet is an iBeacon packet.

[0119] 26. A communications device as described in any one of clauses 22 to 25, wherein the circuitry is configured to alternately transmit one or more repetitions of the first type of Bluetooth Low Energy advertising packet and one or more repetitions of the second type of Bluetooth Low Energy advertising packet.

[0120] 27. A communications device as described in any one of clauses 22 to 26, wherein the circuitry is configured to transmit the second type of Bluetooth Low Energy advertising packet when the first type of Bluetooth Low Energy advertising indicates that the communications device is requesting a wireless connection with a gateway device.

[0121] 28. The information sent to the gateway device is a request; the circuitry is configured to receive a response to the request from the gateway device via the established wireless connection. A communication device according to any one of clauses 21 to 27.

[0122] 29. A communications device as described in any one of clauses 21 to 28, wherein the Bluetooth Low Energy advertising packet comprises information from which characteristics of the communications device can be derived.

[0123] 30. The Bluetooth Low Energy advertising packet includes an indicator of whether the communication device is accepting a wireless connection with a gateway device; If the communication device has not requested a wireless connection with a gateway device, the circuitry is configured to establish a wireless connection with a gateway device only if the Bluetooth Low Energy advertising packet indicates that the communication device is open to a wireless connection with a gateway device. A communication device according to any one of clauses 21 to 29.

[0124] 31. A method for controlling a gateway device, comprising: wirelessly receiving, in a Bluetooth Low Energy advertising packet, an identifier of a communication device and an indicator of whether the communication device is requesting wireless connection with a gateway device; establishing a wireless connection with the communication device in response to the Bluetooth Low Energy advertising packet indicating that the communication device is requesting a wireless connection with a gateway device; receiving information from the communication device associated with the identifier of the communication device via the established wireless connection; Sending the received information to a web service and controlling the gateway device to:

[0125] 32. A method for controlling a network service device, comprising: receiving, via a gateway device, an identifier of a communication device and information from the communication device, the identifier of the communication device being transmitted by the communication device to the gateway device in a Bluetooth Low Energy advertising packet, and the information from the communication device being transmitted by the communication device to the gateway device via the wireless connection established with the gateway device in response to an indicator in the Bluetooth Low Energy advertising packet indicating a wireless connection with the gateway device being requested by the communication device; identifying a web service associated with the identifier of the communication device; Transmitting the received information to the identified web service. and controlling the network service device so that the

[0126] 33. A method for controlling a communication device, comprising: wirelessly transmitting in a Bluetooth Low Energy advertising packet an identifier of the communication device and an indicator of whether the communication device is requesting wireless connection with a gateway device; establishing a wireless connection with a gateway device in response to receiving a wireless connection request from the gateway device, the wireless connection request being received from the gateway device when the Bluetooth Low Energy advertising packet indicates that the communication device is requesting a wireless connection with the gateway device; transmitting information associated with the identifier of the communication device to the gateway device via the established wireless connection; and controlling the communication device to:

[0127] 34. A program for controlling a computer to carry out the method according to any one of clauses 31 to 33.

[0128] 35. A storage medium storing the program described in clause 34.

[0129] 36. A gateway device according to clause 1; a network service device according to clause 14; a communication device as described in Article 21; A system comprising:

[0130] Many modifications and variations of the present disclosure are possible in light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the present disclosure may be practiced other than as specifically described herein.

[0131] Insofar as embodiments of the present disclosure are described as being implemented, at least in part, by one or more software-controlled information processing devices, it will be understood that machine-readable media (particularly non-transitory machine-readable media) carrying software, such as optical disks, magnetic disks, semiconductor memories, etc., are also considered to represent an embodiment of the present disclosure. In particular, the present disclosure should be understood to include non-transitory storage media comprising code components that cause a computer to perform any of the disclosed method(s).

[0132] It will be appreciated that for clarity the above description describes embodiments with reference to different functional units, circuits and / or processors, but it will be apparent that any suitable distribution of functionality between different functional units, circuits and / or processors can be used without detracting from the embodiments.

[0133] The described embodiments may be implemented in any suitable form, including hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. The described embodiments may be implemented, at least in part, as computer software running on one or more computer processors (e.g., data processors and / or digital signal processors). The elements and components of any embodiment may be physically, functionally, and logically implemented in any suitable way. Indeed, functionality may be implemented in a single unit, in multiple units, or as part of other functional units. Thus, the disclosed embodiments may be implemented in a single unit, or may be physically and functionally distributed between different units, circuits, and / or processors.

[0134] While the present disclosure has been described in connection with several embodiments, it is not intended to be limited to these embodiments. In addition, while features may appear to be described in connection with particular embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the various features of the described embodiments can be combined in any manner suitable for implementing the present disclosure.

[0135] References [1]LINDH,Joakim Bluetooth low energy Beacons Texas Instruments Application Report SWRA274A-January 2015-Revised October 2015 https: / / www.ti.com / lit / an / swra475a / swra475a.pdf [2]iBeacon-Apple Developer https: / / developer.apple.com / ibeacon /

Claims

1. A gateway device, wirelessly receiving a first type of Bluetooth Low Energy advertising packet; in response to receiving the first type of Bluetooth Low Energy advertising packet, controlling the gateway device to switch from a first power-saving mode in which the first type of Bluetooth Low Energy advertising packet can be detected to a second high-power mode in which a second type of Bluetooth Low Energy advertising packet can be detected; wirelessly receiving the second type of Bluetooth Low Energy advertising packet including an identifier of a communication device and an indicator of whether the communication device is requesting a wireless connection with a gateway device; establishing a wireless connection with the communication device in response to the second type Bluetooth Low Energy advertising packet indicating that the communication device is requesting a wireless connection with a gateway device; receiving information from the communication device associated with the identifier of the communication device via the established wireless connection; Sending the received information to a web service A gateway device comprising a circuit configured to:

2. The gateway device of claim 1 , wherein the web service is associated with the identifier of the communication device.

3. the circuitry is configured to, in response to receiving one or more of the set of Bluetooth Low Energy advertising packets of the first type, enter a mode to wirelessly receive Bluetooth Low Energy advertising packets of the second type; 3. The gateway device according to claim 1.

4. 4. The gateway device of claim 3, wherein a portion of the set of the first type Bluetooth Low Energy advertising packets is constructed based on one or more previously received Bluetooth Low Energy advertising packets of the second type.

5. 5. The gateway device of claim 4, wherein a portion of the set of the first type Bluetooth Low Energy advertising packets is configured based on an identifier of a communication device indicated by one or more previously received Bluetooth Low Energy advertising packets of the second type.

6. 3. The gateway device according to claim 1, wherein the first type of Bluetooth Low Energy advertising packet is an iBeacon packet.

7. the information received from the communication device is a request; the circuitry is configured to transmit a response to the request to the communication device via the established wireless connection.

3. The gateway device according to claim 1.

8. 3. The gateway device according to claim 1, wherein the second type Bluetooth Low Energy advertising packet comprises information from which characteristics of the communication device can be derived.

9. 3. The gateway device of claim 1, wherein the circuitry is configured to transmit additional information to the web service together with the received information.

10. The gateway device of claim 9 , wherein the additional information comprises a location of the gateway device.

11. 3. The gateway device of claim 1, wherein the circuitry is configured to complete a security protocol to enable authentication and / or encryption of the information received from the communication device over the established wireless connection.

12. the second type Bluetooth Low Energy advertising packet comprises an indicator of whether the communication device is accepting a wireless connection with a gateway device; If the communication device has not requested a wireless connection with a gateway device, the circuitry is configured to establish a wireless connection with the communication device only if the second type Bluetooth Low Energy advertising packet indicates that the communication device is open to a wireless connection with a gateway device.

3. The gateway device according to claim 1.

13. The gateway device according to claim 1 , wherein the gateway device is a smartphone.

14. A communication device, wirelessly transmitting a first type of Bluetooth Low Energy advertising packet receivable by a gateway device to control the gateway device to switch from a first power-saving mode in which the first type of Bluetooth Low Energy advertising packet is detectable to a second high-power mode in which the second type of Bluetooth Low Energy advertising packet is detectable; wirelessly transmitting the second type of Bluetooth Low Energy advertising packet including an identifier of the communication device and an indicator of whether the communication device is requesting a wireless connection with the gateway device; establishing a wireless connection with the gateway device in response to receiving a wireless connection request from the gateway device, the wireless connection request being received from the gateway device when the second type Bluetooth Low Energy advertising packet indicates that the communication device is requesting a wireless connection with a gateway device; transmitting information associated with the identifier of the communication device to the gateway device via the established wireless connection; A communication device comprising a circuit configured to:

15. 15. The communication device of claim 14, wherein the transmitted first type of Bluetooth Low Energy advertising packet is constructed based on the transmitted second type of Bluetooth Low Energy advertising packet.

16. 16. The communications device of claim 15, wherein the transmitted first type Bluetooth Low Energy advertising packet is constructed based on the identifier of the communications device indicated by the transmitted second type Bluetooth Low Energy advertising packet.

17. The communication device according to any one of claims 14 to 16, wherein the first type of Bluetooth Low Energy advertising packet is an iBeacon packet.

18. 17. The communications device of claim 14, wherein the circuitry is configured to alternately transmit one or more repetitions of the first type of Bluetooth Low Energy advertising packet and one or more repetitions of the second type of Bluetooth Low Energy advertising packet.

19. the information transmitted to the gateway device is a request; the circuitry is configured to receive a response to the request from the gateway device via the established wireless connection. A communication device according to any one of claims 14 to 16.

20. A communications device according to any one of claims 14 to 16, wherein the second type Bluetooth Low Energy advertising packet comprises information from which characteristics of the communications device can be derived.

21. the second type Bluetooth Low Energy advertising packet comprises an indicator of whether the communication device is accepting a wireless connection with a gateway device; If the communication device has not requested a wireless connection with a gateway device, the circuitry is configured to establish a wireless connection with a gateway device only if the second type Bluetooth Low Energy advertising packet indicates that the communication device is open to a wireless connection with a gateway device. A communication device according to any one of claims 14 to 16.

22. A method for controlling a gateway device, comprising: wirelessly receiving a first type of Bluetooth Low Energy advertising packet; in response to receiving the first type of Bluetooth Low Energy advertising packet, control to switch from a first power-saving mode in which the first type of Bluetooth Low Energy advertising packet can be detected to a second high-power mode in which a second type of Bluetooth Low Energy advertising packet can be detected; wirelessly receiving a Bluetooth Low Energy advertising packet of the second type, the Bluetooth Low Energy advertising packet including an identifier of a communication device and an indicator of whether the communication device is requesting wireless connection with a gateway device; establishing a wireless connection with the communication device in response to the second type Bluetooth Low Energy advertising packet indicating that the communication device is requesting a wireless connection with a gateway device; receiving information from the communication device associated with the identifier of the communication device via the established wireless connection; Sending the received information to a web service and controlling the gateway device to:

23. 1. A method for controlling a communication device, comprising: wirelessly transmitting a first type of Bluetooth Low Energy advertising packet receivable by a gateway device to control the gateway device to switch from a first power-saving mode in which the first type of Bluetooth Low Energy advertising packet is detectable to a second high-power mode in which the second type of Bluetooth Low Energy advertising packet is detectable; wirelessly transmitting the second type of Bluetooth Low Energy advertising packet, the second type of Bluetooth Low Energy advertising packet including an identifier of the communication device and an indicator of whether the communication device is requesting wireless connection with a gateway device; establishing a wireless connection with a gateway device in response to receiving a wireless connection request from the gateway device, the wireless connection request being received from the gateway device when the second type Bluetooth Low Energy advertising packet indicates that the communication device is requesting a wireless connection with a gateway device; transmitting information associated with the identifier of the communication device to the gateway device via the established wireless connection; and controlling the communication device to:

24. A program for controlling a computer to carry out the method according to claim 22 or 23.

25. A storage medium storing the program according to claim 24.

26. The gateway device according to claim 1; a communication device according to claim 14; A network service device, receiving, via the gateway device, an identifier of a communication device and information associated with the identifier of the communication device; identifying a web service associated with the identifier of the communication device; transmitting the information associated with the identifier of the communication device to the identified web service; the network service device including a circuit configured to A system comprising:

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