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FIELD OF INVENTION
[0001] The present subject matter relates to communication networks and,
particularly but not exclusively, to establishing a device to device communication channel.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Advancement in technology has enabled users across the world to avail
several services, such as internet, voice calling, short messaging service, video calling, and email,
offered by service providers over a communication network. The users avail such
services through various communication devices, such as mobile phones, smart phones,
laptops, personal digital assistants (PDA's), and desktop computer. For availing such services,
a user establishes a connection with the communication network through a corresponding
^ t user device. For example, in order to make a voice call, a user dials a phone number of a
destination user through his mobile phone. The mobile phone in turn establishes a connection
with the communication network and the voice call is established between the users. In
essence, the communication network forms the backbone framework for interconnecting
users across the world.
SUMMARY
[0003] This summary is provided to introduce the concepts for establishing a device
to device communication channel between user devices. This summary is not intended to
identify essential features of the claimed subject matter nor is it intended for use in
determining or limiting the scope of the claimed subject matter.
[0004] In one implementation, a method for establishing a device to device (D2D)
communication channel between user devices is described. The method comprises, obtaining,
^ P by a first user device, calling information of a second user, where the calling information
comprises at least a unique code and a channel frequency value associated with the second
user. Further, a channel establishment request is transmitted by the first user device over the
channel frequency value of the second user, where the channel establishment request includes
at least the unique code of the second user. The method further comprises receiving, by the
first user device, a channel establishment acknowledgement for establishing the D2D
communication channel based on the channel establishment request.
[0005] In another implementation, a method for establishing a device to device (D2D)
communication channel between a first user device and a second user device is described.
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The method comprises receiving, by the second user device, a channel establishment request
over a channel frequency value of a second user of the second user device from the first user
device, wherein the channel establishment request includes at least a unique code of the
second user. Further, the first user device is authenticated, by the second user device, based
on a unique code of the first user included in the channel establishment request. The method
further comprises transmitting, by the second user device, a channel establishment
acknowledgement to the first user device for establishing the D2D communication channel
with the second user device.
[0006] In yet another implementation, a device for establishing a device to device
(D2D) communication channel is described. The user device includes a processor and a
communication setup module coupled to the processor. The communication setup module
obtains calling information of a second user, where the calling information comprises at least
^_ a unique code and a channel frequency value associated with the second user. The
^ ^ communication setup module further transmits a channel establishment request over the
channel frequency value of the second user, where the channel establishment request includes
at least the unique code of the second user. Further, the user device includes an authentication
module coupled to the processor, where the authentication module receives a channel
establishment acknowledgement for establishing the D2D communication channel based on
the channel establishment request.
[0007] In accordance with another implementation of the present subject matter, a
computer-readable medium having embodied thereon, a computer program for executing a
method for establishing device to device (D2D) communication channel between user
devices is disclosed. The method comprises, obtaining, by a first user device, calling
information of a second user, where the calling information comprises at least a unique code
^ ^ and a channel frequency value associated with the second user. Further, a channel
^ ^ establishment request is transmitted by the first user device over the channel frequency value
of the second user, where the channel establishment request includes at least the unique code
of the second user. The method further comprises receiving, by the first user device, a
channel establishment acknowledgement for establishing the D2D communication channel
based on the channel establishment request.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
[0008] The detailed description is described with reference to the accompanying
figures. In the figures, the left-most digit(s) of a reference number identifies the figure in
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which the reference number first appears. The same numbers are used throughout the figures
to reference like features and components. Some embodiments of system and/or methods in
accordance with embodiments of the present subject matter are now described, by way of
example only, and with reference to the accompanying figures, in which:
[0009] Figure 1 illustrates a network environment implementation for establishing a
device to device communication channel, according to an embodiment of the present subject
matter;
[0010] Figure 2 illustrates a method for establishing a device to device
communication channel, according to an embodiment of the present subject matter.
[0011] It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that any block diagrams
herein represent conceptual views of illustrative systems embodying the principles of the
present subject matter. Similarly, it will be appreciated that any flow charts, flow diagrams,
^ B state transition diagrams, pseudo code, and the like represent various processes which may be
substantially represented in computer readable medium and so executed by a computer or
processor, whether or not such computer or processor is explicitly shown.
DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS
[0012] Service providers offer several services, such as e-mail, internet, voice calling,
video calling, and messaging, to users over a communication network. Amongst the several
services offered by the service provider, voice calling has become an integral part of
communication amongst users all across the world. The users make voice calls through
corresponding user devices, such as mobile phone, smart phone, and personal digital assistant
(PDA). Typically, in order to make a voice call, a connection is established over the
communication network between the users.
gmi [0013] Conventionally, for establishing a voice call, the users connect to the
communication network through a base station deployed by the service provider. The base
station provides connectivity to the users in a limited region. Thus, in order to ensure good
quality of service to the users, the service provider may deploy several base stations
throughout the geographical region of operation. However, deployment of the base stations
may not be feasible in certain geographical regions, for example, hilly areas, deserts, and
forests, due to difficult nature of the terrain. Further, in some remote areas, the service
provider may not deploy the base stations due to various other factors, such as less users and
little or no profit as the service provider may incur loses due to high operational cost of the
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base stations as opposed to the low revenue generated from the remote region. The users in
such areas may thus not be able to make voice calls due to inability to establish a connection
with the communication network. Further, in populated cities, the network traffic is typically
high during peak hours, leading to burdening of network resources and increase in call drop
rate. Moreover, in case of an emergency, the user may not be able to connect to other users in
vicinity due to inability to connect to the communication network. Thus, the user may
experience a degraded quality of connection in such areas leading to dissatisfaction of users.
[0014] The present subject matter relates to establishing device to device (D2D)
communication channel, herein after referred to as D2D communication channel, between
user devices. The D2D communication channel may be understood as a one to one
communication channel established between a first user device and a second user device to
enable communication between the user devices. Further, the D2D communication channel,
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unlike a traditional communication channel, is not established over a communication
network. The communication network may be understood as a conventional communication
network based on conventional standards, such as global system for mobiles (GSM), code
division multiple access (CDMA), and long-term evolution (LTE). Further, the
communication networks may deploy several network entities, such as a base station
transceiver, a mobile switching centre, and a core network for establishing the traditional
communication channel. The present systems and methods for establishing the D2D
communication channel between the user devices involve establishing the D2D
communication channel based on calling information corresponding to each of the user
devices. The D2D communication channel may be understood as a communication channel
established between two users, in vicinity of each other, without the use of the network
entities.
ggf. [0015] According to an embodiment of the present subject matter, two or more users
^ ^ seeking to avail the service of using a D2D communication channel for communication with
each other may initially obtain calling information corresponding to each other. For instance,
a first user may obtain calling information corresponding to a second user from a user profile
server of a service provider with which the first user is registered. The calling information
may be understood as an information based on which the D2D communication channel may
be established between a first user device of the first user and a second user device of the
second user. In one implementation, the calling information may include a unique code and a
channel frequency value corresponding to the second user. In another implementation, the
calling information may include a unique code and a channel frequency value corresponding
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to each of the first user and the second user. The channel frequency value may be understood
as a frequency value pertaining to the spectrum over which a user device operates for
establishing communication with other user devices.
[0016] In order to obtain the calling information, the first user may transmit a caller
information request to the user profile server. In one example, the caller information request
may include user information pertaining to the second user, such as name, date of birth, or
mobile number of the second user. As will be understood, the second user may also send a
similar caller information request with information pertaining to the first user for obtaining
calling information corresponding to the first user. Upon receiving the calling information
from the service provider, the first user device and the second user device, collectively
referred to as the user devices, may store the calling information in a calling table for
establishing the D2D communication channel for communicating with each other in a D2D
^_ communication mode in future. For example, the users may switch to the D2D
^ ^ communication mode when the users are in a remote area with no connectivity
communication network or when the users are not able to communicate with each other over
the communication network due to heavy traffic over the communication network.
[0017] In order to switch to the D2D communication mode, the first user device and
the second user device may establish the D2D communication channel based on the calling
information. The first user device may initially transmit a channel establishment request over
the channel frequency value corresponding to the second user. In one example, the channel
establishment request may include the unique code of both the users.
[0018] Upon receiving the channel establishment request over the corresponding
channel frequency value, the second user device may authenticate the first user device based
on the unique codes included in the channel establishment request. The second user device
4fe may then transmit a channel establishment acknowledgement to the first user device for
establishing the D2D communication channel over the channel frequency value. Upon
receiving the channel establishment acknowledgement, the user devices may establish the
D2D communication channel for communication. For example, the first user in vicinity of the
second user may make a voice call to the second user over the D2D communication channel.
In another example, the first user and the second user may communicate by exchanging text
messages over the D2D communication channel.
[0019] For the sake of clarity, the foregoing description has been described in
reference to two user devices, however, as will be understood, a plurality of users devices
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may establish D2D communication channels for communication amongst each other in a
manner as described above.
[0020] The present subject matter thus describes systems and methods for
establishing D2D communication channels between user devices. The D2D communication
channel, as described previously, is not established over the communication network thereby
enabling the users to communicate in geographical regions where there is less or no
connectivity from the service provider's end. Furthermore, the service provider may allow the
users in vicinity to each other to communicate with each other by establishing D2D
communication channels amongst each other thereby reducing load on network resources
during peak hours.
[0021] It should be noted that the description and figures merely illustrate the
principles of the present subject matter. It will thus be appreciated that those skilled in the art
^ k will be able to devise various arrangements that, although not explicitly described or shown
herein, embody the principles of the present subject matter and are included within its spirit
and scope. Furthermore, all examples recited herein are principally intended expressly to be
only for pedagogical purposes to aid the reader in understanding the principles of the present
subject matter and the concepts contributed by the inventor(s) to furthering the art, and are to
be construed as being without limitation to such specifically recited examples and conditions.
Moreover, all statements herein reciting principles, aspects, and embodiments of the present
subject matter, as well as specific examples thereof, are intended to encompass equivalents
thereof.
[0022] The manner in which the systems and the methods for establishing D2D
communication channel between user devices may be implemented has been explained in
details with respect to the Figure 1 and Figure 2. While aspects of described systems and
^fe methods for establishing a D2D communication channel between user devices can be
implemented in any number of different computing systems, transmission environments,
and/or configurations, the embodiments are described in the context of the following
exemplary system(s).
[0023] Figure 1 illustrates a network environment 100 for establishing a D2D
communication channel between user devices. The network environment 100 includes one or
more user devices 102-1, 102-2, ...., and 102-N, hereinafter collectively referred to as the
user devices 102 and individually referred to as the user device 102, connected to one or
more user profile server 104-1 and 104-2, hereinafter collectively referred to as the user
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profile server 104, of a corresponding service provider through a network 106, according to
an embodiment of the present subject matter.
[0024] The user devices 102 may be defined as User Equipments (UEs) used by users
to communicate with each other. Examples of the user devices 102 may include, without
limitation, mobile phones, hand-held devices, smart phones, and the like. Further, the
communication devices 102 are configured to interact with each other over the network 106
either using network routed communication channels 108-1, 108-2, 108-3, ..., 108-n,
hereinafter collectively referred to as the network routed communication channels 108, or
device to device (D2D) communication channels 110. For the sake of brevity, and not as a
limitation, the D2D communication channel 110 has been shown only between the user
devices 102-1 and 102-2, however, it will be understood that the D2D communication
channel 110 may be established between a plurality of the user devices 102.
^fe [0025] The user profile server 104 may be a server for providing calling information
based on a caller information request received from the user device 102. For the sake of
clarity, only the user profile server 104-1 and the user profile server 104-2 have been shown
in the figure, however, as will be understood, separate user profile servers 104 may be
implemented for different service providers. Example of the user profile server 104 may
include, without limitation, a mainframe computer, a desktop computer, a workstation
computer, a laptop, and the like. In one implementation, the user profile server 104 may be
any existing network server, such as authentication, authorization and accounting (AAA)
server, home location register (HLR), visitor location register (VLR), equipment identity
register (EIR), authentication center (AuC) server. In another implementation, the user profile
server 104 may be a new entity implemented for providing the calling information.
[0026] The network 106 may be a wireless network, or a combination of wired and
^fe wireless network. The network 106 can be a collection of individual networks, interconnected
with each other and functioning as a single large network (e.g., the internet or an intranet).
Examples of such individual networks include, but are not limited to, 3rd Generation
Partnership Project (3GPP), Long Term Evolution (LTE), GSM, CDMA, and the like.
Further, depending on the technology, the network 106 includes various network entities,
such as gateways and routers; however, such details have been omitted for ease of
understanding.
[0027] The network routed communication channels 108 may be understood as
communication channels used in conventional communication where the user devices 102
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interact with each other through a conventional communication network. The conventional
communication network may be based on conventional standards, such as GSM, CDMA, and
LTE. Further, the conventional communication networks may deploy several network
entities, such as a base station transceiver, a mobile switching centre, and a core network (not
shown in the figure) for establishing the network routed communication channels 108.
[0028] While the D2D communication channels 110 may be understood as
communication channels established for D2D communication, i.e., direct communication
between two or more user devices, in vicinity of each other, without using the network
resources. The D2D communication channels 110 may be used by the user devices 102 in
remote areas for facilitating communication with each other. Additionally, the user devices
102, in vicinity of each other, may utilize the D2D communication channels 110 for
communication with each other thereby reducing the load on the network resources.
^fe [0029] In one implementation, each of the user devices 102 includes one or more
processor(s) 112, I/O interface(s) 114, and a memory 116 coupled to the processor 112. The
processor(s) 112 may be implemented as one or more microprocessors, microcomputers,
microcontrollers, digital signal processors, central processing units, state machines, logic
circuitries, and/or any devices that manipulate signals based on operational instructions.
Among other capabilities, the processors) 112 are configured to fetch and execute computerreadable
instructions stored in the memory 116.
[0030] The functions of the various elements shown in the figures, including any
functional blocks labeled as "processor(s)", may be provided through the use of dedicated
hardware as well as hardware capable of executing software in association with appropriate
software. When provided by a processor, the functions may be provided by a single dedicated
processor, by a single shared processor, or by a plurality of individual processors, some of
^fe which may be shared.
[0031] The I/O interface(s) 114 may include a variety of software and hardware
interfaces, for example, interfaces for peripheral device(s), such as data input output devices,
referred to as I/O devices, storage devices, network devices, etc. The I/O device(s) may
include Universal Serial Bus (USB) ports, Ethernet ports, host bus adaptors, etc., and their
corresponding device drivers. The I/O interface(s) 114 facilitate the communication of the
user device 102 108 with various networks, such as the network 106, and various
communication and computing devices, such as the user profile server 104.
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[0032] The memory 116 may include any computer-readable medium known in the
art including, for example, volatile memory, such as static random access memory (SRAM)
and dynamic random access memory (DRAM), and/or non-volatile memory, such as read
only memory (ROM), erasable programmable ROM, flash memories, hard disks, optical
disks, and magnetic tapes.
[0033] The user device 102 may also include various modules 118. The modules 118,
amongst other things, include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc.,
which perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. The modules 118
may also be implemented as, signal processor(s), state machine(s), logic circuitries, and/or
any other device or component that manipulate signals based on operational instructions.
[0034] • Further, the modules 118 can be implemented in hardware, instructions
executed by a processing unit, or by a combination thereof. The processing unit can comprise
0 a computer, a processor, such as the processor 112, a state mach.ne, a logic array or any other
suitable devices capable of processing instructions. The processing unit can be a generalpurpose
processor which executes instructions to cause the general-purpose processor to
perform the required tasks or, the processing unit can be dedicated to perform the required
functions.
[0035] In another aspect of the present subject matter, the modules 118 may be
machine-readable instructions (software) which, when executed by a processor/processing
unit, perform any of the described functionalities. The machine-readable instructions may be
stored on an electronic memory device, hard disk, optical disk or other machine-readable
storage medium or non-transitory medium. In one implementation, the machine-readable
instructions can be also be downloaded to the storage medium via a network connection.
[0036] The user device 102 may further include data 120, which amongst other
^ y things, serves as a repository for storing data processed, received, associated, and generated
by one or more of the module(s) 118.
[0037] The module(s) 118 further include an interaction module 122, a
communication setup module 124, an authentication module 126, and other module(s) 128.
The other module(s) 128 may include programs or coded instructions that supplement
applications and functions of the user device 102. The data 120 includes, for example,
interaction data 130, communication setup data 132, authentication data 134, and other data
136. The other data 136 includes data generated as a result of the execution of one or more
modules in the other module(s) 128.
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[0038] In accordance with the present subject matter, a first user and a second user,
collectively referred to as the users, may seek to avail the service of using a D2D
communication channel between corresponding user device 102-1 and user device 102-2
respectively. For the purpose, the users may obtain calling information corresponding to each
other. In one example, the calling information may include a unique code and a channel
frequency value corresponding to each of the first user and the second user. Examples of
unique code may include, but are not limited to, a code obtained based on the IMEI number
of a user device of a user, a device number of the user device associated with the user, a
combination of alphabets, numerals, and special characters. The channel frequency value may
be understood as a frequency value pertaining to the spectrum over which a user device
operates for establishing communication with other user devices.
[0039] In one implementation, the interaction module 122 may send a caller
^_ information request to a user profile server 104-1 corresponding to the service provider with
^ * which the first user is registered for obtaining the calling information. In one example, the
caller information request may include user information corresponding to the second user.
For example, the caller information request may include name, date of birth, or a mobile
number of the second user.
[0040] Based on the caller information request, the user profile module 138-1 may
determine the unique codes and the channel frequency values corresponding to the first user
and the second user. If the second user is registered with the same service provider as that of
the first user, the user profile module 138-1 may determine the unique code and the channel
frequency value for the second user. In a case where the second user is registered with a
service provider different than the service provider of the first user, say user profile server
104-2, the user profile server 104-1 may obtain the calling information of the second user
^ ^ from the user profile module 138-2 of the user profile server 104-2. In one implementation,
^ ^ the user profile module 138-1 may dynamically determine the calling information
corresponding to the second user based on the user information included in the caller
information request. Examples of the unique code may include, but are not limited to, IMEI
number, device serial number, a random code including alphabets and numerals. For instance,
the user profile module 138-1 may ascertain 102-label02-1 and 102-2abc 102-2 as the unique
codes for the first user and the second user respectively. In another example, the user profile
module 138-1 may ascertain 855Mhz and 860Mhz as the channel frequency value for the first
user and the second user respectively. The user profile server 104-1 may subsequently
provide the calling information to the user device 102-1.
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[0041] As will be understood, the user device 102-2 may also transmit a caller
information request to a user profile server with which it is registered for obtaining the
calling information in a manner as described above. For instance, on being registered with the
same service provider as the first user, the second user may obtain the calling information
from the user profile server 104-1. In case, the second user is registered with a service
provider, say user profile server 104-2, other than the user profile server 104-1, the second
user may obtain the calling information from the user profile server 104-2.
[0042] In one implementation, the interaction module 122 may receive the calling
information and may subsequently store the calling information in the interaction data 130. In
one example, the calling information may be stored in the form of a calling table and may be
used in future for establishing a D2D communication channel for communicating with each
other in a D2D communication mode. For instance, in a geographical region or a remote area
with low coverage, the user device 102-1 and the user device 102-2 may establish the D2D
^ P communication channel for communication with each other. In another example, in case of
frequent call drops during peak hours of network traffic, the user device 102-1 and the user
device 102-2 may seek to establish the D2D communication channel.
[0043] In order to switch to D2D communication mode, the user device 102-1 and the
user device 102-2 may establish the D2D communication channel based on the calling
information. For the purpose, the first user may provide a prompt to the user device 102-1 for
establishing the D2D communication channel with the user device 102-2. For example, a user
1 in order to establish a D2D communication channel with a user 2 may initially provide the
prompt by dialing the phone number of the user 2 through a corresponding first user device.
Upon determining absence of network connectivity, the first user device may switch to the
D2D communication mode. In another implementation, the first user device, upon
discovering no network connectivity, may provide a network prompt to the user 1 where the
^ & network prompt may indicate the user 1 to switch to the D2D communication mode. In yet
another implementation, the user 1 may provide a prompt to switch the first user device to the
D2D communication mode. Based upon the prompt, the communication setup module 124
may switch the first user device to the D2D communication mode. In one implementation, the
interaction module 122 may receive the prompt from the first user.
[0044] As will be understood, the user device 102-1 and the user device 102-2 may
use any known technique of modulation, switching, and multiplexing for switching to the
D2D communication mode.
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[0045] In the D2D communication mode, the communication setup module 124 may
then transmit a channel establishment request to the user device 102-2 over the channel
frequency value of the second user. For the purpose, the communication setup module 124
may obtain the calling information from the calling table stored in the interaction data 130. In
one implementation, the channel establishment request may include unique codes for the first
user and the second user. For the purpose, the communication setup module 124 may initially
switch the channel frequency value over which the user device 102-1 is operating to the
channel frequency value of the second user. For instance, as described in the previous
example, the user device 102-1 may switch to the channel frequency 860 Mhz of the second
user and then transmit the channel establishment request at 860Mhz.
[0046] The user device 102-2 may then receive any signal transmitted over the
channel frequency value of the second user. In one implementation, the communication setup
module 124 of the user device 102-2 may receive the channel establishment request. The
^ P channel establishment request may be stored in communication setup data 132. The
authentication module 126 of the user device 102-2 may authenticate the user device 102-1
based on the channel establishment request. For the purpose, the authentication module 126
may obtain the unique code of the user device 102-1 included in the channel establishment
request stored in the communication setup data 132. The authentication module 126 then
compares the unique code of the first user with a unique code of the first user stored in a
calling table of the user device 102-2. If it is determined that the unique code of the first user
included in the channel establishment request is equal to the unique code of the first user
stored in the calling table of the user device 102-2, the authentication module 126 may
authenticate the first user. Subsequently, the authentication module 126 may transmit a
channel establishment acknowledgement to the user device 102-1. If it is determined that the
unique code of the first user included in the channel establishment request is different from
^fe the unique code of the first user stored in the calling table of 102-2, the authentication module
126 may not allow the user device 102-1 to establish the D2D communication channel.
[0047] In one implementation, the authentication module 126 of the user device 102-1
may receive the channel establishment acknowledgement. The channel establishment request
may be stored in the authentication data 134. Subsequently, the D2D communication channel
is established between the user device 102-1 and the user device 102-2 based on the calling
information.
[0048] In one embodiment, the service provider may ascertain a channel frequency
value as emergency channel frequency value corresponding to an emergency number for
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providing help to users seeking help in D2D communication mode. For instance, the service
provider may ascertain 911 Mhz as the emergency channel frequency value corresponding to
the emergency helpline number 911. Upon receiving the caller information request from the
user device 102, the service provider may provide the calling information including the
emergency channel frequency value to the user device 102.
[0049] As described previously, in D2D communication mode the user device 102 is
listening to a channel frequency value associated with the user device 102. In one
implementation, the user device 102 may be preconfigured in a manner such that the user
device 102 may listen to the emergency channel frequency value in addition to the channel
frequency value of the user device 102 simultaneously. Thus, the user device 102 may
receive any transmission for help transmitted over the emergency channel frequency value.
Further, in a case where a user of the user device 102 may seek to obtain help, the user may
provide a prompt to the user device 102. Upon receiving the prompt, the user device 102 may
^ P switch to the emergency channel frequency value and the user may subsequently seek help
over the emergency channel frequency value.
[0050] Further, the interaction module 122 may monitor connection information
associated with the D2D communication channel. In one implementation, the connection
information may include call duration indicative of the duration of time for which the D2D
communication channel is established and calling party information indicative of the source
caller device and the destination caller device. The interaction module 122 may subsequently
store the connection information in other data 136. Upon entering the network coverage area,
the interaction module 122 may transmit the connection information to the service provider
of the user device 102-1 and the user device 102-2. The service provider may subsequently
use the connection information for various purposes, such as for billing the first user and the
second user respectively.
J A [0051] Although the foregoing description has been described with reference to a first
user device and a second user device, however, as will be understood, the present subject
matter as described herein may be implemented for establishing D2D communication channel
between a plurality of user devices.
[0052] Figure 2 illustrates a method 200 for establishing a D2D communication
channel between user devices, in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject
matter. The order in which the method 200 is described is not intended to be construed as a
limitation, and any number of the described method blocks can be combined in any order to
implement the method 200, or an alternative method. Additionally, individual blocks may be
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deleted from the method without departing from the spirit and scope of the subject matter
described herein. Furthermore, the method can be implemented in any suitable hardware,
software, firmware, or combination thereof.
[0053] The method(s) may be described in the general context of computer
executable instructions. Generally, computer executable instructions can include routines,
programs, objects, components, data structures, procedures, modules, functions, etc., that
perform particular functions or implement particular abstract data types. The method may
also be practiced in a distributed computing environment where functions are performed by
remote processing devices that are linked through a communications network. In a distributed
computing environment, computer executable instructions may be located in both local and
remote computer storage media, including memory storage devices.
[0054] A person skilled in the art will readily recognize that steps of the method can
4Kk be performed by programmed computers. Herein, some embodiments are also intended to
cover program storage devices, for example, digital data storage media, which are machine or
computer readable and encode machine-executable or computer-executable programs of
instructions, wherein said instructions perform some or all of the steps of the described
method. The program storage devices may be, for example, digital memories, magnetic
storage media, such as a magnetic disks and magnetic tapes, hard drives, or optically readable
digital data storage media. The embodiments are also intended to cover all the
communication networks and communication devices configured to perform said steps of the
exemplary method.
[0055] At block 202, a prompt for establishing a device to device (D2D)
communication channel with a second user device is received by a first user device. The D2D
communication channel may be understood as a communication channel used for D2D
^^ communication, i.e., direct communication between the first user device and the second user
^ * device, in vicinity of each other, without using the network resources, such as the base station
(BTS), the mobile switching centre (MSC), and the core network (CN). In one
implementation, a first user of the first user device may provide the prompt for establishing
the D2D communication channel with the second user device. For instance, the first user may
provide the prompt by dialing the phone number of a second user of the second user device.
Upon receiving the prompt, the first user device may try to establish a conventional
communication channel.
[0056] The conventional communication channel may be understood as a
communication channel established over a communication network based on protocols like
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1
:]
GSM, CDMA, LTE, and utilizes network resource, such as BTS, MSC, and CN. In absence
of network connectivity, the first user device may switch to a D2D communication mode for
establishing the D2D channel with the second user device. In another implementation, upon
receiving the prompt, the first user device may provide a network mode prompt to the first
user indicating the first user to switch to the D2D communication mode. In yet another
implementation, the first user may provide the prompt to switch the first user device to D2D
communication mode.
[0057] At block 204, calling information corresponding to the second user is obtained
by the first user device from a calling table, where the calling information includes a unique
code and a channel frequency value corresponding to the second user. The first user may
obtain the calling information corresponding to the second user from a user profile server
with which the first user is registered. In case the second user is registered with a service
provider different that the service provider of the first user, the user profile server may obtain
^ P the calling information from a user profile server of the service provider of the second user.
For instance, the user profile server 104-1 may obtain the calling information of a second
user, not registered with the user profile server 104-1, from the user profile server 104-2 with
which the second user is registered. The calling information may include the unique code and
the channel frequency value of the second user. In another implementation, the calling
information may include the unique code and the channel frequency value for each of the first
user and the second user. The first user device may store the calling information in a calling
table. Upon receiving the prompt from the first user, the first user obtains the calling
information for establishing the D2D communication channel for communicating in the D2D
communication mode.
[0058] At block 206, the first user device may transmit a channel establishment
request to the second user device over the channel frequency value of the second user device,
^ R where the channel establishment request includes at least the unique code of the second user.
In order to establish the D2D communication channel, the first user device transmits the
channel establishment request to the second user device. The channel establishment request
may include the unique code for each of the first user and the second user. In one
implementation, the first user device 102-1 may transmit the channel establishment request to
the second user device 102-2. Upon receiving the channel establishment request, the second
user device may then compare the unique code of the first user with a unique code of the first
suer stored in a calling table of the second user device. In case both the unique codes are
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equal, the second user device may authenticate the first user. In case, the unique codes are not
equal, the second user device may not authenticate the first user.
[0059] At block 208, a channel establishment acknowledgement for establishing the
D2D communication channel, transmitted by the second user device, is received by the first
user device. In one example, the second user device upon successful authentication of the
first user may transmit a channel establishment acknowledgement to the first user device.
Subsequently, upon receiving the channel establishment acknowledgement, the first user
device may establish the D2D communication channel with the second user device. In one
implementation, the authentication module 126 may transmit the channel establishment
request to the first user device 102-1.
[0060] Although embodiments for establishing a D2D communication channel
between user devices have been described in a language specific to structural features and/or
method(s), it is to be understood that the invention is not necessarily limited to the specific
^ P features or method(s) described. Rather, the specific features and methods are disclosed as
exemplary embodiments for establishing the D2D communication channel between user
devices.
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I/We claim:
1. A method for establishing a device to device (D2D) communication channel between
user devices, wherein the method comprises:
obtaining, by a first user device, calling information of a second user, wherein
the calling information comprises at least a unique code and a channel frequency
value associated with the second user;
transmitting, by the first user device, a channel establishment request over the
channel frequency value of the second user, wherein the channel establishment
request includes at least the unique code of the second user; and
receiving, by the first user device, a channel establishment acknowledgement
for establishing the D2D communication channel based on the channel establishment
request.
2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the calling information further comprises
^ P a unique code and a channel frequency value associated with the first user seeking to
establish the D2D communication channel.
3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the channel establishment request further
includes the unique code of the first user.
4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the transmitting comprises
switching, by the first user device, to the channel frequency value of the second user.
5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:
transmitting, by the first user device, a caller information request for obtaining
the calling information corresponding to each of the first user and the second user to a
user profile server, wherein the caller information request includes user information of
the second user; and
receiving, by the first user device, the calling information based on the caller
^ P information request.
6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the method further comprises establishing,
by the first user device, the D2D communication channel with the second user device
to allow the first user device to communicate with the second user device.
7. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the method further comprises:
monitoring, by the first user device, connection information associated with the
D2D communication channel, wherein the connection information comprises at least
one of a call duration and calling party information; and
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transmitting, by the first user device, the connection information to the user
profile server.
8. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the method further comprises
authenticating, by the second user device, the first user device based on the unique
code corresponding to the first user.
9. A user device (102-1) for establishing a device to device (D2D) communication
channel comprising:
a processor (112);
a communication setup module (124) coupled to the processor (112) to
obtain calling information of a second user, wherein the calling
information comprises at least a unique code and a channel frequency value
associated with the second user; and
transmit a channel establishment request over the channel frequency value
^ p of the second user, wherein the channel establishment request includes at least
the unique code of the second user; and
an authentication module (126) coupled to the processor (112) to
receive a channel establishment acknowledgement for establishing the
D2D communication channel based on the channel establishment request.
10. The user device (102-1) as claimed in claim 9, wherein the user device (102-1) further
comprises an interaction module, wherein the interaction module is coupled to the
processor (112) to
transmit a caller information request to a user profile server for obtaining the
calling information corresponding to at least a first user of the user device (102-1) and
the second user of a user device (102-2), wherein the calling information includes at
least the unique code and the channel frequency value corresponding to each of the
^fe first user and the second user; and
receive the calling information based on the caller information request.
11. The user device (102-1) as claimed in claim 9, wherein the interaction module further
monitors connection information associated with the D2D communication
channel established between the user device (102-1) and the user device (102-2); and
transmits connection information to the user profile server.
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12. The user device (102-1) as claimed in claim 9, wherein the communication setup
module 124 further switches the user device (102-1) to the channel frequency value of
the second user.
13. A method for establishing a device to device (D2D) communication channel between
a first user device and a second user device, wherein the method comprises:
receiving, by the second user device, a channel establishment request over a
channel frequency value of a second user of the second user device from the first user
device, wherein the channel establishment request includes at least a unique code of
the second user;
authenticating, by the second user device, the first user device based on a
unique code of the first user included in the channel establishment request; and
transmitting, by the second user device, a channel establishment
acknowledgement to the first user device for establishing the D2D communication
^ y channel with the second user device.
14. The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the authenticating, by the second user
device, comprises determining whether the unique code of the first user is equal to a
unique code corresponding to the first user stored with the second user device.
15. A computer-readable medium having embodied thereon a computer program for
executing a method for establishing a device to device (D2D) communication channel
between user devices, the method comprising:
obtaining, by a first user device, calling information of a second user, wherein
the calling information comprises at least a unique code and a channel frequency
value associated with the second user;
transmitting, by the first user device, a channel establishment request over the
channel frequency value of the second user, wherein the channel establishment
Mb request includes at least the unique code of the second user; and
receiving, by the first user device, a channel establishment acknowledgement
for establishing the D2D communication channel based on the channel establishment