IP Library Granted Patent US 8,862,056
Granted Patent B2
US 8,862,056 · App. 13/401,166 · Granted Oct 14, 2014

Wireless communication device, wireless communication method, program, and wireless communication system

Inventors: Erika Saito (Tokyo, JP); Hideyuki Suzuki (Tokyo, JP)
Assignee: Sony Corporation
H04W84/20H04W8/005
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 8,862,056
App. No.
13/401,166
Granted
Oct 14, 2014
Kind
B2
Abstract

There is provided a wireless communication device including a wireless communication unit configured to receive application information, the application information indicating which of a content providing side or a content user side an application of each of one or more second wireless communication devices is, a setting unit configured to set a parameter indicating a priority to operate as a master unit in accordance with, among the wireless communication device and the second wireless communication device(s), a relationship between the number of providing devices whose applications are content providing sides and the number of user devices whose applications are content user sides, and a control unit configured to control a negotiation with at least one of the second wireless communication devices to determine a wireless communication device to operate as a master unit, using the parameter set by the setting unit.

Claims (31)

1. A wireless communication device comprising:

circuitry configured to

receive application information, the application information indicating which of a content providing side or a content user side an application of each of one or more second wireless communication devices is;

set a parameter indicating a priority to operate as a master unit in accordance with, among the wireless communication device and the second wireless communication device(s), a relationship between the number of providing devices whose applications are content providing sides and the number of user devices whose applications are content user sides, wherein the parameter is set so that the priority of the providing devices is lower than the priority of the user devices when the number of the providing devices is larger than the number of the user devices; and

control a negotiation with at least one of the second wireless communication devices to determine a wireless communication device to operate as a master unit, using the set parameter.

2. The wireless communication device according to claim 1 , wherein the circuitry is configured to set the parameter so that the priority of the providing devices is higher than the priority of the user devices when the number of the providing devices is smaller than the number of the user devices.

3. The wireless communication device according to claim 1 , wherein the circuitry is configured to:

extract, from the second wireless communication devices, second wireless communication devices to be paired with the wireless communication device when the number of the providing devices is equal to the number of the user devices; and

set the parameter in accordance with a relationship between the number of the providing devices and the number of the user devices among the extracted wireless communication devices and the wireless communication device.

4. The wireless communication device according to claim 3 , wherein

application information of an application that is a content providing side includes information indicating the number of destinations to which the content can be provided,

application information of an application that is a content user side includes information indicating the number of sources from which the content can be provided, and

the circuitry is configured to set the parameter in accordance with the number of the destinations or the number of the sources indicated by the application information when the number of the providing devices is equal to the number of the user devices among the extracted second wireless communication devices and the wireless communication device.

5. The wireless communication device according to claim 4 , wherein the application information is information about an application that is running on the second wireless communication device or an application that the second wireless communication device has.

6. The wireless communication device according to claim 5 , wherein the circuitry is configured to handle the second wireless communication device as a second wireless communication device to be paired with the wireless communication device when the second wireless communication device has both a content-providing-side application and a content-user-side application.

7. A wireless communication method comprising:

receiving, with a wireless communication device, application information, the application information indicating which of a content providing side or a content user side an application of each of one or more second wireless communication devices is;

setting a parameter indicating a priority to operate as a master unit in accordance with, among the wireless communication device and the second wireless communication device(s), a relationship between the number of providing devices whose applications are content providing sides and the number of user devices whose applications are content user sides, wherein the parameter is set so that the priority of the providing devices is lower than the priority of the user devices when the number of the providing devices is larger than the number of the user devices; and

controlling a negotiation with at least one of the second wireless communication devices to determine a wireless communication device to operate as a master unit, using the set parameter.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable medium including a program, which when executed by a wireless communication device, causes the wireless communication device to:

receive application information, the application information indicating which of a content providing side or a content user side an application of each of one or more second wireless communication devices is;

set a parameter indicating a priority to operate as a master unit in accordance with, among the wireless communication device and the second wireless communication device(s), a relationship between the number of providing devices whose applications are content providing sides and the number of user devices whose applications are content user sides, wherein the parameter is set so that the priority of the providing devices is lower than the priority of the user devices when the number of the providing devices is larger than the number of the user devices; and

control a negotiation with at least one of the second wireless communication devices to determine a wireless communication device to operate as a master unit, using the set parameter.

9. A wireless communication system comprising:

a first wireless communication device; and

one or more second wireless communication devices, wherein

the first wireless communication device includes:

circuitry configured to

receive application information, the application information indicating which of a content providing side or a content user side an application of each of the one or more second wireless communication devices is;

set a parameter indicating a priority to operate as a master unit in accordance with, among the first wireless communication device and the second wireless communication device(s), a relationship between the number of providing devices whose applications are content providing sides and the number of user devices whose applications are content user sides, wherein the parameter is set so that the priority of the providing devices is lower than the priority of the user devices when the number of the providing devices is larger than the number of the user devices; and

control a negotiation with at least one of the second wireless communication devices to determine a wireless communication device to operate as a master unit, using the parameter set by the setting unit.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Feb 21, 2012
From: SAITO, ERIKA; SUZUKI, HIDEYUKI
To: SONY CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 027737/0552 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2011-064109 · Mar 23, 2011 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20120244902A1 · Sep 27, 2012