METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR COMBINED PEER TO PEER AND WIDE AREA NETWORK BASED DISCOVERY

摘要

A first wireless communications device includes a wide area network (WAN) interface and a peer to peer interface. The first device discovers the presence of a second wireless communications device via a peer discovery signal, received via its peer to peer interface. The second device has been transmitting, e.g., periodically, certain information, e.g., its location and/or shopping preferences, to a node within the WAN. The detected first signal triggers an application alert in the first device. The first device recovers past information about the second device through a second signal received via its WAN interface. The first device uses information communicated in the first signal, e.g., device identifier information, and information communicated in the second signal, e.g., past location and/or shopping information, to generate a targeted message for the second device. The first device communicates the targeted message via its peer to peer interface in a peer to peer traffic channel.