Cloud Context Handoff for Wireless Personal Area Networks
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wireless personal area networks (PANs) do not seamlessly allow users to access and switch between multiple devices, such as smartphones and laptops, for continuous multimedia experiences or content access, requiring manual login and navigation on each device.
Innovation Solution
A cloud-based service that creates a network of interconnected devices using a peer table and service module, enabling context handoffs between devices for seamless access and interaction, regardless of device type or location, through peer-to-peer connectivity and a cloud server that manages device profiles and context activity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If content is downloaded directly to a given device, then the user can access the content on that device, but the user is limited in being able to access the content unless the user has physical access to the given device
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a cloud server as an intermediary that stores content and manages device connectivity. Instead of content being locked to a single device, the cloud server acts as a mediator that enables access from multiple devices. When a user wants to access content on a different device, the system establishes peer-to-peer connectivity between the new device and the cloud server, allowing seamless content retrieval without physical access constraints to the original device.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables content to be universally accessible across multiple device types (smartphones, tablets, laptops, televisions) through a unified cloud-based architecture. The cloud server provides multi-functional access points, allowing the same content to be retrieved on any authorized device in the network, thereby achieving versatility in device switching while maintaining ease of access.
2Reliability
If manual login and navigation steps are required on each device, then device security is maintained, but user convenience and time efficiency deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary authentication and content retrieval actions through peer-to-peer connectivity establishment. When a user switches devices, the new device automatically initiates connection to the cloud server and retrieves necessary authentication tokens and content metadata in advance. This preliminary action reduces the need for repeated manual login steps while maintaining security through token-based authentication.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables self-service functionality where devices automatically manage their own authentication and content access without requiring manual user intervention for each switching event. The cloud server and peer devices work together to automatically establish connections, verify permissions, and transfer content, thereby reducing time loss while maintaining security through automated authentication protocols.
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus obtains application state information for another device and displays a login screen on a display that provides information for at least one application running on the other device. The information displayed may be an icon corresponding to an application running on the other device. The application state information may include an application identifier, a content identifier and a pointer to a location at which a given content is accessed by the application. An apparatus includes a display, application state monitor logic, operative to obtain application state information for another device, and login screen configuration logic, operatively coupled to the display. The login screen configuration logic is operative to configure a login screen on the display to provide information for at least one application running on the other device, based on the application state information for the other device obtained by the application state monitor logic.