Method and electronic device for establishing connection with external electronic device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10075530-B2
Application number	US-201715424679-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 3, 2017
Priority date	Feb 4, 2016
Publication date	Sep 11, 2018
Grant date	Sep 11, 2018

Abstract

A method and electronic device for establishing a connection with an external electronic device are disclosed. The electronic device may include: at least one communication interface configured to acquire information on at least one external device and a processor. The processor is configured to acquire, from a first external electronic device, a signal associated with identification information on the first external electronic device through the at least one communication interface. The processor is further configured to generate connection information for establishing a connection with a second external electronic device at least partially based on the identification information. The processor is further configured to establish the connection with the second external electronic device through the at least one communication interface at least partially based on the generated connection information.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electronic device comprising:
at least one communication interface configured to acquire information on at least one external device; and
a processor,
wherein the processor is configured to:
acquire, from a first external electronic device, a signal associated with identification information on the first external electronic device through the at least one communication interface;
generate connection information for establishing a connection with a second external electronic device at least partially based on the identification information; and
establish the connection with the second external electronic device through the at least one communication interface at least partially based on the generated connection information.

2. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the connection information comprises at least one of information on the electronic device that is used for establishing the connection with the second external electronic device and information on the second external electronic device.

3. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one communication interface comprises a first communication interface and a second communication interface, and
the processor is configured to:
acquire the signal from the first external electronic device through the first communication interface, and
establish the connection with the second external electronic device through the second communication interface.

4. The electronic device of claim 3 , wherein the first communication interface comprises a sensing unit for sensing a light, and
the processor is configured to receive the signal from the first external electronic device through the light sensed by the sensing unit.

5. The electronic device of claim 3 , wherein the first communication interface comprises a microphone for sensing a sound, and
the processor is configured to receive the signal from the first external electronic device through the sound sensed by the microphone.

6. The electronic device of claim 3 , wherein the first communication interface comprises a first short-range wireless communication circuit;
the second communication interface comprises a second short-range wireless communication circuit; and
the processor is configured to:
receive the signal from the first external electronic device through the first short-range wireless communication circuit, and
establish the connection with the second external electronic device through the second short-range wireless communication circuit.

7. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one external device comprises a third external electronic device and a fourth external electronic device, and
the processor is configured to:
generate connection information for establishing a connection with the third external electronic device and the fourth external electronic device at least partially based on the identification information; and
establish a connection with the third external electronic device and the fourth external electronic device through the at least one communication interface at least partially based on the generated connection information.

8. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to:
acquire network information corresponding to the second external electronic device and a third external electronic device that has received a signal from the first external electronic device through the at least one communication interface; and
establish the connection with the second external electronic device and a connection with the third external electronic device through the at least one communication interface, based on the connection information and the network information.

9. The electronic device of claim 8 , wherein the processor is configured to:
receive, from the second external electronic device and the third external electronic device, respectively, a first control signal and a second control signal through the at least one communication interface; and
execute a command corresponding to a control signal having a greater signal strength between the first and second control signals.

10. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to:
receive a connection request from a third external electronic device that has acquired the signal from the first external electronic device through the at least one communication interface, and
upon receiving the connection request, transmit, to the third external electronic device, information on the second external electronic device with which the connection has been established by using the at least one communication interface.

11. The electronic device of claim 1 , further comprising a display, and
wherein the processor is configured to:
determine whether user biometric information is requested for establishing the connection with the second external electronic device at least partially based on the signal, and
when it is determined that the user biometric information is requested, display, on the display, a pop-up message requiring the user biometric information.

12. The electronic device of claim 11 , further comprising at least one sensor for sensing the user biometric information,
wherein the processor is configured to generate connection information at least partially based on the identification information and the user biometric information sensed by the sensor.

13. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the first external electronic device is configured to determine whether a user has access, through at least one sensor included in the first external electronic device, and broadcast the signal when it is determined that the user has achieved access.

14. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to:
compare the connection information for the connection establishment with connection information generated by the second external electronic device at least partially based on the identification information, and
when the connection information generated by the second external electronic device corresponds to the connection information for the connection establishment, establish the connection with the second external electronic device.

15. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one communication interface comprises a wireless communication circuit, and
the processor is configured to receive the signal, from the first external electronic device, through a network connected using the wireless communication circuit.

16. The electronic device of claim 1 wherein when the identification information is changed, the processor is configured to change the connection information using at least a part of the changed identification information.

17. A method for establishing, by an electronic device, a connection with an external electronic device, comprising:
acquiring, from a first external electronic device, a signal associated with identification information on the first external electronic device;
generating connection information for establishing a connection with a second external electronic device at least partially based on the identification information; and
establishing the connection with the second external electronic device at least partially based on the generated connection information.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the connection information comprises at least one of information on the electronic device that is used for establishing the connection with the second external electronic device and

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd
• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Park Chun-Ho
• Kwon Jun-Sik
• Kim Gi-Beom
• Lim Jun-Hak
• Kang Hyuk
• Jin In-Ji

Classifications

• H04L67/12 Primary

  specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks · CPC title

• H04W84/18

  Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks · CPC title

• H04W76/10

  Connection setup · CPC title

• H04L63/0861

  using biometrical features, e.g. fingerprint, retina-scan (cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using biological data H04L9/3231) · CPC title

• H04W4/80

  Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication · CPC title