Granted Patent B2

US 7,706,749 · App. 11/269,142 · Granted Apr 27, 2010

Abstract

Claims (76)

1. An apparatus comprising:

a contact database configured to store Bluetooth™ identifiers identifying Bluetooth™ enabled devices; and

a processor configured to search in said contact database for stored Bluetooth™ identifiers; configured to present to a user a list of entries associated in said contact database to Bluetooth™ identifiers found in a search; configured to enable a user to select a presented entry; configured to present upon a user selection of a presented entry a list of subentries stored in said contact database, at least when a plurality of Bluetooth™ identifiers are associated to said entry; configured to enable a user to select a presented subentry; and configured to set up a Bluetooth™ connection to a Bluetooth™ enabled device, which Bluetooth™ enabled device is identified by a stored Bluetooth™ identifier that is associated in said contact database to a subentry selected by a user.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein each entry and each subentry comprises at least one of:

a contact person name;

a device type; and

a device name.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein each Bluetooth™ identifier and each associated entry in said contact database form parts of a respective contact card.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said processor is further configured to store a Bluetooth™ identifier identifying a Bluetooth™ enabled device in said contact database.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4 ,

wherein said processor is further configured to perform an inquiry procedure for obtaining Bluetooth™ identifiers of Bluetooth™ enabled devices in the vicinity of said Bluetooth™ enabled device;

wherein said processor is configured present to a user a list of Bluetooth™ enabled devices for which Bluetooth™ identifiers have been obtained; and

wherein said processor is configured to store Bluetooth™ identifiers associated to Bluetooth™ enabled devices selected from a list in said contact database.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein said processor is configured to perform an inquiry procedure in case no Bluetooth™ identifier is found in said contact database during a search for Bluetooth™ identifiers.

7. The apparatus according to claim 5 ,

wherein said processor is configured to perform an inquiry procedure upon an initiation by a user, while said user has called a contact card from said database; and

wherein said processor is configured to store a Bluetooth™ identifier associated to a selected Bluetooth™ enabled device in said contact database as a part of said contact card.

8. The apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein said processor is further configured to continue automatically with a search in said contact database for stored Bluetooth™ identifiers upon storage of a new Bluetooth™ identifier in said contact database.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said processor is further configured to offer to a user an option to store a Bluetooth™ identifier of a Bluetooth™ enabled device, which Bluetooth™ enabled device is trying to establish a Bluetooth™ connection to said apparatus or has established a Bluetooth™ connection to said apparatus and which Bluetooth™ enabled device has provided in this scope its own Bluetooth™ identifier; and to store said Bluetooth™ identifier in said contact database upon a user request.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said apparatus is a mobile phone.

11. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said apparatus is a laptop.

12. A contact database for a Bluetooth™ enabled device, said contact database being configured to store Bluetooth™ identifiers identifying other Bluetooth™ enabled devices, to store selectable entries and to store selectable subentries, wherein each stored selectable subentry is associated to a stored selectable entry, and wherein each stored Bluetooth™ identifier is associated at least to a stored selectable entry and, when at least one stored selectable subentry is associated to said entry, in addition to a stored selectable subentry that is associated to said stored selectable entry.

13. A method comprising at a first Bluetooth™ enabled device:

searching in a contact database for stored Bluetooth™ identifiers identifying other Bluetooth™ enabled devices;

presenting to a user a list of entries associated in said contact database to Bluetooth™ identifiers found in a search;

enabling a user to select a presented entry;

presenting upon a user selection of a presented entry a list of subentries stored in said contact database, at least when a plurality of Bluetooth™ identifiers are associated to said entry;

enabling a user to select a presented subentry; and

setting up a Bluetooth™ connection to another Bluetooth™ enabled device, which other Bluetooth™ enabled device is identified by a stored Bluetooth™ identifier that is associated in said contact database to a subentry selected by a user.

14. The method according to claim 13 , wherein each entry comprises at least one of:

a contact person name;

a device type; and

a device name.

15. The method according to claim 13 , wherein each Bluetooth™ identifier and each associated entry in said contact database form parts of a contact card.

16. The method according to claim 13 , wherein in case no Bluetooth™ identifier is found in said contact database during said search, said method further comprising:

performing an inquiry procedure for obtaining Bluetooth™ identifiers of Bluetooth™ enabled devices in the vicinity of said first Bluetooth™ enabled device;

presenting to a user a Bluetooth™ enabled device for which a Bluetooth™ identifier has been obtained; and

storing a Bluetooth™ identifier identifying a presented Bluetooth™ enabled device in said contact database upon a request by a user.

17. A method comprising in a first Bluetooth™ enabled device:

storing a Bluetooth™ identifier identifying another Bluetooth™ enabled device in a contact database of said first Bluetooth™ enabled device;

storing selectable entries in said contact database;

storing selectable subentries in said contact database;

associating each stored selectable subentry to a stored selectable entry; and

associating each stored Bluetooth™ identifier at least to a stored selectable entry and, when at least one stored selectable subentry is associated to said entry, in addition to a stored selectable subentry that is associated to said stored selectable entry.

18. The method according to claim 17 , further comprising:

performing an inquiry procedure for obtaining Bluetooth™ identifiers, which Bluetooth™ identifiers identify Bluetooth™ enabled devices located in the vicinity of said first Bluetooth™ enabled device;

presenting to a user a Bluetooth™ enabled device for which a Bluetooth™ identifier has been obtained; and

storing a Bluetooth™ identifier identifying a presented Bluetooth™ enabled device in said contact database upon a request by a user.

19. The method according to claim 18 , wherein presenting to a user a Bluetooth™ enabled device comprises presenting to a user a list of all Bluetooth™ enabled devices for which Bluetooth™ identifiers have been obtained, and wherein storing a Bluetooth™ identifier in said contact database comprises storing a Bluetooth™ identifier associated to a Bluetooth™ enabled device selected from said list.

20. The method according to claim 18 , wherein said inquiry procedure is initiated by a user while having called a contact card from said database, and wherein a Bluetooth™ identifier associated to a selected Bluetooth™ enabled device is stored in said contact database as a part of said contact card.

21. The method according to claim 18 , further comprising:

searching in said contact database for stored Bluetooth™ identifiers identifying other Bluetooth™ enabled devices;

presenting to a user a list of entries associated in said contact database to Bluetooth™ identifiers found in said search; and

enabling a user to select of one of said presented entries for setting-up a Bluetooth™ connection to another Bluetooth™ enabled device identified by a Bluetooth™ identifier that is associated to said selected entry.

22. The method according to claim 17 , further comprising:

offering to a user an option to store a Bluetooth™ identifier of another Bluetooth™ enabled device, which other Bluetooth™ enabled device is trying to establish a Bluetooth™ connection to said Bluetooth™ enabled device or has established a Bluetooth™ connection to said Bluetooth™ enabled device and which other Bluetooth™ enabled device has provided in this scope its own Bluetooth™ identifier; and

storing said Bluetooth™ identifier in said contact database upon a user request.

23. A software program product in which a software code is stored in a readable memory, said software code realizing the following when being executed by a processor of a first Bluetooth™ enabled device:

searching in a contact database for stored Bluetooth™ identifiers identifying other Bluetooth™ enabled devices;

presenting to a user a list of entries associated in said contact database to Bluetooth™ identifiers found in a search;

enabling a user to select a presented entry;

presenting upon a user selection of a presented entry a list of subentries stored in said contact database, at least when a plurality of Bluetooth™ identifiers are associated to said entry;

enabling a user to select a presented subentry; and

setting up a Bluetooth™ connection to another Bluetooth™ enabled device, which other Bluetooth™ enabled device is identified by a stored Bluetooth™ identifier that is associated in said database to a subentry selected by a user.

24. The software program product according to claim 23 , said software code further realizing the following when being executed by a processor of said first Bluetooth™ enabled device:

performing an inquiry procedure for obtaining Bluetooth™ identifiers of Bluetooth™ enabled devices in the vicinity of said Bluetooth™ enabled device;

presenting to a user a list of Bluetooth™ enabled devices for which Bluetooth™ identifiers have been obtained; and

storing Bluetooth™ identifiers associated to Bluetooth™ enabled devices selected from a list in said contact database.

25. The software program product according to claim 24 , wherein said inquiry procedure is performed in case no Bluetooth™ identifier is found in said contact database during a search for Bluetooth™ identifiers.

26. An apparatus comprising:

means for searching in a contact database for stored Bluetooth™ identifiers identifying other Bluetooth™ enabled devices;

means for presenting to a user a list of entries associated in said contact database to Bluetooth™ identifiers found in a search;

means for enabling a user to select a presented entry;

means for presenting upon a user selection of a presented entry a list of subentries stored in said contact database, at least when a plurality of Bluetooth™ identifiers are associated to said entry;

means for enabling a user to select a presented subentry; and

means for setting up a Bluetooth™ connection to another Bluetooth™ enabled device, which other Bluetooth™ enabled device is identified by a stored Bluetooth™ identifier that is associated in said contact database to a subentry selected by a user.

Assignments (8)