BACKGROUND INFORMATION

A short-range communication protocol enables a short-range communication to be exchanged between two or more devices. The short-range connection may be established manually or automatically. The manual approach may enable more control in establishing the link and may only cause connection operations to be used when activated. However, the manual approach may be time consuming. The automated approach may be more time efficient and require little or no input, which may provide an improved user experience. However, the automated approach may perform connection operations at predetermined times, potentially utilizing an increased amount of power from a limited power supply. To further improve the automated approach, a detection protocol may be used based on, for example a Bluetooth configuration including a paging protocol and an advertisement protocol.

Once the short-range communication link is established, a first device may exchange data with a second device. For example, the first device may be a source device that provides audio data to the second device. The second device may receive the audio data and generate an audio output that is played on an audio component of the second device. The short-range communication link may be maintained until the user selects to discontinue use. For example, when the second device is an audio output component such as earbuds or an earpiece that is worn, the user may remove the second device (e.g., removing from the ears, removing from the head, etc.). The short-range communication link may no longer be used for data exchanges other than control data exchanges. In this manner, the second device may be placed into a low-power state such as a sleep state.

The sleep state may enable the second device to conserve power by modifying the manner in which certain operations are performed. However, as noted above, the automated approach may be maintained where the connection operations continue to be performed. For example, to provide the improved user experience, the automated approach may continue so that the short-range communication link may be re-established at any time that the user selects to resume use of the second device. However, when the automated approach is used during the sleep state, the second device will continue to draw power for the connection operations including the paging protocol and the advertisement protocol. Thus, even when the sleep state is maintained for longer durations, the second device continues to draw power from a limited power supply to perform operations related to the automated connection approach. When the second device has stayed in the sleep state for a sufficient duration and depending on a remaining power of the limited power supply, the second device may drain the limited power supply so that the user must recharge the second device before any use is to be resumed, thereby negatively impacting a user experience.

SUMMARY

In an exemplary embodiment, a method is performed by a first device configured to establish a connection over a short-range communication link with a second device. The method includes transitioning the first device to a sleep state, terminating (i) a paging operation and a page scanning operation associated with a paging protocol and (ii) an advertisement scanning operation associated with an advertisement protocol; and performing an advertisement broadcast operation associated with the advertisement protocol, the advertisement broadcast operation generating an advertisement to be broadcast at a first interval, wherein the first interval is greater than a second interval for performing advertisement broadcast operations in an active state.

In another exemplary embodiment, a first device configured to establish a connection via a short-range communication link with a second device is described. The first device has a transceiver and a processor. The transceiver is configured to establish the connection. The processor is configured to transition the first device to a sleep state, the processor instructing the transceiver to terminate (i) a paging operation and a page scanning operation associated with a paging protocol or (ii) an advertisement scanning operation associated with an advertisement protocol and instructs the transceiver to perform an advertisement broadcast operation associated with the advertisement protocol, the advertisement broadcast operation generating an advertisement to be broadcast at a first interval greater than a second interval for performing advertisement broadcast operations in an active state.

In a still further exemplary embodiment, a method is performed by a first device configured to establish a connection over a short-range communication link with a second device. The method includes transitioning the first device from a sleep state to a non-sleep state, activating a page scanning operation associated with a paging protocol to listen for a page from the second device and updating an advertisement broadcast operation associated with an advertisement protocol, the advertisement broadcast operation generating an advertisement to be broadcast at a first interval that is less than a second interval for performing advertisement broadcast operations during the sleep state, wherein a paging operation associated with the paging protocol and an advertisement scanning operation associated with the advertisement protocol remain inactive.

