Device beacon for communication management for peer to peer communications

Abstract

A wireless communication device transmits a device beacon in accordance with a system timing of a wireless wide area network (WWAN). For one example, the beacon is transmitted relative to WWAN uplink channels of the time-frequency space of the uplink WWAN channel assignment. In response to the reception of the device beacon by another wireless communication device, a peer to peer communication session is established.

1 . A wireless communication device comprising:
 a wireless wide area network (WWAN) transceiver configured to receive WWAN signals from a base station; and   a device beacon detector configured to apply WWAN system timing information derived from the WWAN signals to receive a device beacon transmitted by another wireless communication device in accordance with the WWAN system timing information.   
   
   
       2 . The wireless communication device of  claim 1 , wherein the WWAN transceiver is further configured to transmit a device proximity message to the WWAN invoking transmission of a search message instructing the another wireless communication device to adjust a searching scheme for searching for wireless communication device. 
   
   
       3 . The wireless communication device of  claim 1 , further comprising a WLAN interface configured to transmit a device proximity message to the another wireless communication device indicting that the device beacon was received. 
   
   
       4 . The wireless communication device of  claim 1 , wherein the device beacon detector comprises a WWAN receiver configured to receive WWAN uplink signals, the device beacon transmitted within a WWAN uplink channel. 
   
   
       5 . The wireless communication device of  claim 4 , wherein the device beacon is transmitted within a WWAN subcarrier time slot. 
   
   
       6 . The wireless communication device of  claim 5 , wherein the device beacon is transmitted within a WWAN OFDM subcarrier time slot. 
   
   
       7 . The wireless communication device of  claim 6 , wherein the device beacon is transmitted within a WWAN Single-Carrier Frequency Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA) subcarrier time slot. 
   
   
       8 . The wireless communication device of  claim 1 , wherein the device beacon Is transmitted in accordance with WWAN system timing information received at the another wireless communication device from a WWAN base station. 
   
   
       9 . The wireless communication device of  claim 1 , further comprising a transceiver for peer-to-peer communication with the another wireless communication device. 
   
   
       10 . A mobile wireless communication device comprising:
 a wireless wide area network (WWAN) receiver configured to receive WWAN downlink signals from a WWAN;   a device beacon generator configured to generate a device beacon signal based on a WWAN system timing derived from the WWAN downlink signals.   
   
   
       11 . The mobile wireless communication device of  claim 10 , further comprising:
 a searcher configured to search for transceiver node signals transmitted by a transceiver node and responsive to a search signal transmitted in response to detection of the device beacon signal at the transceiver node by adjusting a searching scheme of searching for the transceiver node signals.   
   
   
       12 . The mobile wireless communication device of  claim 11 , wherein the transceiver node is a wireless local area network (WLAN) access point and the searcher is further configured to adjust the searching scheme by activating a wireless local area network (WLAN) receiver. 
   
   
       13 . The mobile wireless communication device of  claim 11 , wherein the transceiver node is a femtocell base station and the searcher is further configured to adjust the searching scheme by changing searching parameters increasing the likelihood for detecting the transceiver node signals. 
   
   
       14 . The mobile wireless communication device of  claim 11 , wherein the transceiver node is another wireless communication device. 
   
   
       15 . The mobile wireless communication device of  claim 11 , wherein search signal is received from the WWAN.