WO2014167333A1

WO2014167333A1 - Improvements in or relating to communicating with electronics devices

Info

Publication number: WO2014167333A1
Application number: PCT/GB2014/051116
Authority: WO
Inventors: William George WALTERS; Stephen Richard SADLER
Original assignee: Mobbra Limited
Priority date: 2013-04-09
Filing date: 2014-04-09
Publication date: 2014-10-16
Also published as: GB2512879A; GB201306443D0

Abstract

A method of communicating with a plurality of electronics devices capable of sending and receiving wireless transmissions. The method includes the steps of providing a wireless local area network to which the devices may connect, and upon connection to the wireless local area network by the devices, adjusting the network settings of the respective devices so as to limit outgoing transmission of data by the devices over the wireless local area network. The devices may be grouped into different groups and permitted to transmit data wirelessly at different times.

Description

IMPROVEMENTS IN OR RELATING TO COMMUNICATING WITH

ELECTRONICS DEVICES

Technical Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to improvements in or relating to communicating with electronics devices.

Background to the Invention

Advances in mobile communication technology have given users the means to quickly send and receive large amounts of data wirelessly. So-called smart phones are capable of displaying web pages, streaming live video, uploading and downloading photographs and GPS navigation. One way in which data may be transmitted wirelessly to and from mobile electronic devices is using radio or micro waves over a computer network.

A problem with transmitting data wirelessly using radio or micro waves is that there is only a finite amount of frequency band available for data transmission. Thus, in areas in which there is a high density of electronic communication devices, there may not be sufficient frequency band available for all devices to transmit data wirelessly over the network. When the number of devices emitting wireless signals in the same frequencies has been reached, the devices begin to interfere with one another, thereby resulting in inefficient communication and data transfer. In such circumstances, IP packets sent from devices are lost due to interference, connections are dropped and the speed of data transmission is dramatically reduced. These problems might be encountered, for example, at music concerts or sporting events where a high density of mobile electronic communication devices might attempt to simultaneously transmit and receive data over a wireless network.

It is an object of the present invention to mitigate these difficulties.

Summary of the Invention According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of communicating with a plurality of electronics devices capable of sending and receiving wireless transmissions, the method comprising the steps of: providing a wireless local area network to which the devices may connect via stored or received network settings; upon connection to the wireless local area network by the devices, adjusting the network settings of the respective devices so as to limit outgoing transmission of data by the devices over the wireless local area network.

Advantageously, by limiting the amount of data being transmitted by each device, interference between the wireless signals transmitted by the devices is kept to a minimum, thereby enabling each device to correctly receive incoming wireless data transmissions.

The devices may be instructed to change their respective network settings such that they seek data from themselves. The devices may be instructed to change their respective domain name service address to their loopback address so that the devices do not wirelessly transmit data to a server requesting data from external devices.

The method may further comprise the step of providing a controller for controlling outgoing transmission of data by the devices. The method may further comprise the step of allocating one or more devices a defined time period in which data transmission by the devices is permitted by the controller.

One device may be allocated one defined time period in which it is permitted to transmit data and another device may be allocated a different defined time period in which it is permitted to transmit data.

The method may further comprise the step of assigning a device to a particular group. The wireless local area network may comprise one or more access points to enable the plurality of devices to connect to a wired network and wherein the method comprises the additional step of assigning a device to a particular group based upon the access point through which the device accesses the wired network. Permitted outgoing transmission of data by the plurality of devices may be determined by the group to which each device is assigned. Each group may be allocated a particular time period in which each device within each group is permitted to transmit data. Each group may be allocated a different time period from each other group. The method may comprise the additional step of instructing each device connected to the network to limit outgoing data transmission so that a centrally broadcast signal can be transmitted to each device. Data transmission by one or more devices may be permitted over frequencies that are different from the frequencies over which data is received by one or more devices. According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a server for controlling communication of a plurality of mobile electronics devices capable of sending and receiving wireless transmissions over a wireless network, the server comprising communication means capable of wirelessly communicating with the mobile electronics devices and a protocol engine for defining network settings of each mobile electronics device upon connection of the devices to a wireless network, wherein the protocol engine is arranged to adjust the network settings of the respective devices so as to limit outgoing transmission of data by the devices over the wireless network. The protocol engine may be arranged to adj ust the network settings such that each device seeks data from itself instead of a domain name server. The server may further comprise an authentication engine for authenticating the mobile electronics devices and permitting the devices to logon to the server, and a management engine that assigns transmission criteria to the mobile electronics devices. The authentication engine may use a predefined identifier to authenticate the mobile electronics devices and permit them to connect to the network. The management engine may assign the mobile electronics devices to particular groups. The mobile electronics devices may be assigned to groups based upon a device identifier or an access device with which the mobile electronics devices communicate. The management engine may be capable of permitting each group of electronics devices to transmit data at different times.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electronics device capable of sending and receiving wireless transmissions comprising a connection means for connecting to a server and a controller operable to permit or restrict outgoing transmission of data by the device based upon predetermined criteria, wherein the controller is activated upon connection to the server.

The controller may permit the device to transmit data during a predefined time period. The electronics device may be assigned to a particular group of devices, and wherein the controller permits the device to transmit data during a predefined time period for the group to which it is assigned.

The controller may permit the device to transmit data over a frequency range that is different from the frequency range over which the controller limits data transmission by the device. The controller may permit the electronics device to transmit data over cellular carrier frequencies. The controller may permit the device to transmit data over a frequency range of between approximately 800 and 900 MHz or a frequency range of between approximately 1800 and 1900 MHz.

The controller may limit the device from transmitting data over Wi-Fi frequencies. The controller may limit the device from transmitting data over frequencies of approximately 2.4GHz or approximately 5Ghz.

Detailed Description of the Invention

In order that the invention may be more clearly understood embodiments thereof will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:

Figure 1 is a schematic view of a plurality of mobile communication devices capable of wireless two way communication and three access points also capable of wireless two way communication which are connected to a LAN and the internet; Figure 2 is a schematic view of the network shown in Figure 1 comprising a plurality of communication devices each separated into groups A, B and C according to which access point is in closest proximity or has the strongest signal strength; and Figure 3 is a schematic view of a network according to a second aspect of the present invention.

With reference to Figures 1 and 2, there is shown a system comprising a plurality of mobile electronic communication devices 3 each capable of sending and receiving data wirelessly. An access point 5 comprising an antenna capable of receiving the wirelessly transmitted data from the mobile devices 3 and wirelessly transmitting data back to the devices 3 is provided. The access point 5 permits the mobile devices 3 to connect to a wireless local area network (WLAN) 7 and to access the internet.

The system further comprises a computer program or software application which is installed on each mobile device 3. The application has a predefined service set identifier (SSID) which permits each mobile device 3 to connect to a wireless local area network. Each mobile device 3 is assigned a unique identifier by the software application to enable the devices 3 to individually log on to the network and be identified when connected. The system is arranged such that, upon connection to the WLAN, a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) service running on the network assigns each mobile device 3 a unique IP address to enable each device to be individually identified on the network. The DHCP service is also arranged to set the DNS address of each mobile device to 127.0.0.1 which is the local address of each respective device, referred to as the 'loopback' address. The effect of changing the DNS address of each to device to its loopback address is that each device will attempt to communicate with itself when trying to access internet web addresses. Thus, if a user of a device connected to the network attempts to visit a particular website such as www. google. com, instead of the device communicating with the DNS server on the network, the device will attempt to retrieve the specified web address by communicating with itself and will therefore fail. Setting the DNS address to the loopback address therefore serves to minimise outgoing wireless data transmissions over the wireless network.

In this embodiment, the wireless local area network is a Wi-Fi™ network. A Wi- Fi network refers to any wireless local area network (WLAN) that permits wireless data transmission between products that are based on the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standards. Therefore, the wireless network operates over the current WiFi frequencies of approximately 2.4GHz or approximately 5GHz. It will be apparent, though, that the system may be used for wireless networks operating over any other suitable frequency band used for wireless data transmission. The system further comprises a second computer program on a server which is capable of transmitting a wireless signal via the antenna of the access point 5 to each mobile device 3. The second program may assign each electronics device 3 to a particular group based on, for example, the access point 5 through which a particular device accesses the network. So, for example, where the system comprises more than one access point, one device may connect to the network via a first access point and another device may connect to the network via a second access point in accordance with the device's proximity to the two access points. Thus, the first access point device will be assigned to group one and the second device will be assigned to group two. This process may be repeated depending upon the number of different access points present within the network.

The second program can instruct the first program on each electronics device 3 to permit the transmission of data in group order so that the amount of data being transmitted by the respective electronics devices 3 can be controlled. For example, where the wireless network comprises five access points and, hence, five groups of mobile devices 3, the second program assigns each group a particular window of time in which to transmit data to its associated access point 5. By separating the mobile devices into smaller manageable groups that are only permitted to transmit data at times different from each other group, it is possible to control the amount of data that is transmitted by all mobile devices on the network at any one time and therefore minimise interference that would otherwise be caused by all devices on the network communicating at once. In addition, it is possible to instruct each group of devices 3 on the network to stop transmitting data for a given period of time so that a centrally broadcast signal can be received by all devices without interference.

The mobile devices 3 are instructed to transmit data over a different WLAN channel from the channel used by the access point to transmit data to each mobile device. Thus, interference between the transmitted and received signals is minimised.

In use, the first program is installed on each electronics device 3 in an area of high device density. When the program is activated and each user enters his/her login details, each device 3 connects to the Wi-Fi network using the predetermined SSID. Upon logging on, the DHCP service sets the DNS address to the loopback address for each device so as to minimise all outgoing Wi-Fi communications by the devices 3. When all devices 3 have connected to the network, each device minimises its outgoing communications across the Wi-Fi network so that incoming signals can be received from the server without interference.

In the absence of interference from outgoing transmission from each mobile device within the network, a centrally transmitted signal may be communicated to each device over Wi-Fi by the second program via the antenna of the or each access point 5. This centrally transmitted signal may, for example, comprise data relating to a sporting event such as a video replay of an incident or it may comprise data instructing the devices to display colours that mimic the colours of a light display during a concert. Since there are no or minimal outgoing signals from the devices 3 that may interfere with the centrally transmitted signal, the centrally transmitted signal is correctly received by each device 3 with minimal delay, loss of connection and loss of data packets.

It is possible to use the centrally transmitted signal to dictate what data may be transmitted back from each device. By controlling what data may be transmitted back, it is possible to keep the amount of data transmitted by each device to a minimum to further minimise interference between communications by the devices and minimise loss of data so that data transmitted by the devices is quickly and accurately received. This also means that the time windows required for each group to transmit data can be kept to a minimum so that there is no noticeable delay for users of the network. For example, the centrally transmitted signal may comprise a menu of five different items, each item having its own unique identification number. The first program may be arranged to display each menu item on each respective device and ask a user to enter one or more items from the menu and a corresponding quantity. The first item may be a bottle of cola and the second item may be a pie. If a user enters three pies and two colas, the first program translates the order into a code which is dependent upon the menu item identification number and the order quantity. In this example, the code generated might be 3122 (quantity : menu item : quantity : menu-item). The mobile device 3 will then transmit the order code during its assigned window of time to the server via its associated access point 5. Since the order code comprises only a small amount of data, the window transmission time may be correspondingly short. The transmitted data received by the server includes the unique identifier number for the mobile device, its unique IP address, access point group number, session identification number and order code. Using this information, the server is able to ascertain which user placed the order and the user' s whereabouts in a particular locality within range of the associated access point 5. The order may then be processed and delivered to the user.

In an alternative embodiment as shown in Figure 3, the application is programmed so that, when outgoing communications across the Wi-Fi network are limited or prevented, the application still permits each electronics device 3 to transmit data using a different frequency from the frequencies of the Wi-Fi network. In this embodiment, the application permits the electronics devices 3 to transmit over cellular carrier frequencies that are allocated for cellular phone use. In this embodiment, the cellular carrier frequencies used are those allocated by the International Telecommunication Union for the operation of GSM mobile communications devices. These frequency bands include frequencies of approximately 800 to 900 MHz or approximately 1800 to 1900 MHz.

Since the GSM network uses a completely different frequency from Wi-Fi, transmission of data over the GSM network does not interfere with incoming Wi-Fi data transmissions to the devices 3. Using the signalling channel allows up to 140 bytes of data to be transmitted per device in a fraction of a second.

In this embodiment, the number of mobile devices per group may be determined by dividing the maximum throughput or channel capacity of the signalling channel by the amount of data to be transmitted. As above, by dividing the devices 3 into separate groups and permitting transmission of data by each group in turn, it is possible to maximise the efficiency of data transmission over the GSM network without compromising the Wi-Fi network.

The above embodiments are described by way of example only. Many variations are possible without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Claims

1. A method of communicating with a plurality of electronics devices capable of sending and receiving wireless transmissions, the method comprising the steps of: providing a wireless local area network to which the devices may connect via stored or received network settings; upon connection to the wireless local area network by the devices, adjusting the network settings of the respective devices so as to limit outgoing transmission of data by the devices over the wireless local area network.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the devices are instructed to change their respective network settings such that they seek data from themselves.

3. A method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the devices are instructed to change their respective domain name service address to their loopback address so that the devices do not wirelessly transmit data to a server requesting data from external devices.

4. A method as claimed in any preceding claim, further comprising the step of providing a controller for controlling outgoing transmission of data by the devices.

5. A method as claimed in claim 4, further comprising the step of allocating one or more devices a defined time period in which data transmission by the devices is permitted by the controller.

6. A method as claimed in claim 5, wherein one device is allocated one defined time period in which it is permitted to transmit data and another device is allocated a different defined time period in which it is permitted to transmit data.

7. A method as claimed in any preceding claim, further comprising the step of assigning a device to a particular group.

8. A method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the wireless local area network comprises one or more access points to enable the plurality of devices to connect to a wired network and wherein the method comprises the additional step of assigning a device to a particular group based upon the access point through which the device accesses the wired network.

9. A method as claimed in claim 7 or claim 8, wherein permitted outgoing transmission of data by the plurality of devices is determined by the group to which each device is assigned.

10. A method as claimed in claim 9, wherein each group is allocated a particular time period in which each device within each group is permitted to transmit data.

11. A method as claimed in claim 10, wherein each group is allocated a different time period from each other group.

12. A method as claimed in any preceding claim, comprising the additional step of instructing each device connected to the network to limit outgoing data transmission so that a centrally broadcast signal can be transmitted to each device.

13. A method as claimed in any of claims 4 to 12, wherein data transmission by one or more devices is permitted over frequencies that are different from the frequencies over which data is received by one or more devices.

14. A server for controlling communication of a plurality of mobile electronics devices capable of sending and receiving wireless transmissions over a wireless network, the server comprising communication means capable of wirelessly communicating with the mobile electronics devices and a protocol engine for defining network settings of each mobile electronics device upon connection of the devices to a wireless network, wherein the protocol engine is arranged to adjust the network settings of the respective devices so as to limit outgoing transmission of data by the devices over the wireless network.

15. A server as claimed in claim 14, wherein the protocol engine is arranged to adjust the network settings such that each device seeks data from itself instead of a domain name server.

16. A server as claimed in claim 14 or claim 15, further comprising an

authentication engine for authenticating the mobile electronics devices and permitting the devices to logon to the server, and a management engine that assigns transmission criteria to the mobile electronics devices.

17. A server as claimed in claim 16, wherein the authentication engine uses a predefined identifier to authenticate the mobile electronics devices and permit them to connect to the network.

18. A server as claimed in claim 16 or claim 17, wherein the management engine assigns the mobile electronics devices to particular groups.

19. A server as claimed in claim 18, wherein the mobile electronics devices are assigned to groups based upon a device identifier or an access device with which the mobile electronics devices communicate.

20. A server as claimed in any of claims 16 to 19, wherein the management engine is capable of permitting each group of electronics devices to transmit data at different times.

21. An electronics device capable of sending and receiving wireless transmissions comprising a connection means for connecting to a server and a controller operable to permit or restrict outgoing transmission of data by the device based upon predetermined criteria, wherein the controller is activated upon connection to the server.

22. An electronics device as claimed in claim 21, wherein the controller permits the device to transmit data during a predefined time period.

23. An electronics device as claimed in claim 22, wherein the electronics device is assigned to a particular group of devices, and wherein the controller permits the device to transmit data during a predefined time period for the group to which it is assigned.