Wireless devices that establish a wireless connection with a mobile information apparatus by wirelessly detecting, within physical proximity, the mobile information apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10140073-B2
Application number	US-201715627197-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 19, 2017
Priority date	Nov 1, 2000
Publication date	Nov 27, 2018
Grant date	Nov 27, 2018

Abstract

Wireless devices that establish a wireless connection with a mobile device (e.g., smart phone) by wirelessly detecting the mobile device within a physical proximity, are herein disclosed and enabled. To set up a wireless device (e.g., Bluetooth devices, audio output devices, television controllers, Internet appliances, digital cameras, etc.) for connecting with a smart phone, the wireless device and the smart phone are simply placed within physical proximity of each other for short range wireless detection. During the wireless detection, the smart phone and the wireless device may exchange, transmit, or receive device or security information to facilitate future wireless connections. Subsequent to the short range wireless detection, the wireless device and the smart phone are connected or locked for future wireless communications (e.g., Bluetooth or IEEE802.11), and future wireless connections between the wireless device and the smart phone can be established without having to repeat the short range wireless detection.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A wireless connection method for a wireless device to establish a wireless connection with a smart phone, the wireless device being a distinct device from the smart phone, and the wireless device includes wireless communication circuitry, memory, and one or more processors or controllers, wherein the wireless connection method, at the wireless device, comprises:
(1) wirelessly detecting, using the wireless communication circuitry of the wireless device, the smart phone, the wireless detection is based, at least in part, on physical proximity between the wireless device and the smart phone, and the wireless detection includes either the wireless device wirelessly detecting the smart phone or the smart phone wirelessly detecting the wireless device, and the wireless detection, using the wireless communication circuitry, is further based on direct short range wireless communication between the wireless device and the smart phone;
(2) wirelessly receiving, using the wireless communication circuitry of the wireless device, first information from the smart phone wirelessly detected in (1), the wireless receiving of the first information is via direct short range wireless communication between the wireless device and the smart phone, the first information includes at least one of identification information, identity information, device information, a name, a PIN, security information, biometrics information, or authentication information, individually or in any combination; and
(3) storing, by the wireless device, information related to the smart phone in the memory of the wireless device as part of a control list of approved identities or approved devices for accessing the wireless device; and wherein, subsequent to having wirelessly detected the smart phone in (1) and having stored at least part of the information related to the smart phone in the memory of the wireless device in (3), the wireless connection method at the wireless device further comprises:
(4) wirelessly receiving, using the wireless communication circuitry of the wireless device, second information from the smart phone, the second information includes at least one of identification information, identity information, device information, a name, a PIN, biometrics information, security information, or authentication information, individually or in any combination;
(5) verifying, comparing, or authenticating, at the wireless device, at least part of the second information wirelessly received from the smart phone in (4) with respect to the control list of approved identities or approved devices in (3); and
(6) providing service, using the wireless communication circuitry of the wireless device, to the smart phone via a wireless communication link between the wireless device and the smart phone, the providing of the service is based, at least in part, on a successful verification, comparison, or authentication in (5), and
wherein the wireless device is further operable to repeat at least part of step (4) to step (6) for establishing wireless communication between the wireless device and the smart phone without the need for repeating at least part of step (1) and step (2).

2. The wireless connection method according to claim 1 , wherein the wireless device includes one or more chips or chipsets, and the wireless communication circuitry either includes the one or more chips or chipsets, or is part of the one or more chips or chipsets; and wherein the one or more chips or chipsets support, at least part of a protocol within Bluetooth specifications or within IEEE 802.11 standards for establishing the wireless communication link in (6).

3. The wireless connection method according to claim 2 , further comprises:
(7) wirelessly receiving, by the wireless device and using the wireless communication circuitry of the wireless device, from the smart phone and over the wireless communication link in (6), output data that is related, at least in part, to digital content for outputting or playing at the wireless device; and wherein the wireless device is at least a wireless output device that outputs or plays at least part of the digital content, and wherein the wireless output device is embodied as one or more of a wireless speaker, a wireless sound output device, a sound output system, a display device, a television, a controller connectable to a television, a projector, a printer, or a Bluetooth-enabled audio output device, individually or in any combination.

4. The wireless connection method according to claim 2 , wherein the wireless connection method further comprises:
(7) wirelessly receiving by the wireless device, using the wireless communication circuitry of the wireless device, information or a service request from the smart phone and over the wireless communication link, the information or the data for wirelessly accessing the wireless device;
(8) wirelessly sending, by the wireless device, using the wireless communication circuitry of the wireless device, response data over the established wireless communication link to the smart phone subsequent to having wirelessly received the information or the service request from the smart phone in (7), the response data includes at least one of availability information, device attribute information, or user interface information, individually or in any combination; and
(9) repeating any combination of steps or operations in (7) and in (8), by the wireless device, for the smart phone to wirelessly access the wireless device.

5. The wireless connection method according to claim 2 , wherein the one or more chips or chipsets further support, at least in part, a protocol within IEEE 802.11 standards for wireless local area network communication, and wherein the wireless connection method further comprises:
(7) wirelessly detecting, by the wireless device and using the one or more chips or chipsets of the wireless device, data or information from the smart phone over the established wireless communication link in (6), the data or the information includes identification information, security information, or authentication information; and
(8) wirelessly establishing, by the wireless device and using the one or more chips or chipsets of the wireless device that are compatible, at least in part, to at least a protocol within IEEE 802.11 standards, a wireless local area network connection between the wireless device and the smart phone.

6. The wireless connection method according to claim 1 , wherein the wireless device further includes an interface with at least one of a button, a touch sensitive interface, a voice command interface, or other controls operable by a user, and wherein the wireless detection of the smart phone is in response to having received, via the interface of the wireless device, an indication from the user for initiating the wireless detection in (1).

7. The wireless connection method according to claim 1 , further comprises:
wirelessly synchronizing software or data between the wireless device and the smart phone over the established wireless communication link.

8. A wireless device for establishing a wireless connection with a mobile information apparatus, the wireless device being a distinct device from the mobile information apparatus, and the wireless device includes wireless communication circuitry and memory storing device information related to the wireless device, wherein the wireless device:
(1) uses the wireless communication circuitry of the wireless device to wirelessly detect the mobile information apparatus, the wireless detection is based, at least in part, on physical distance between the wireless device and the mobile information apparatus, and the wireless detection of the mobile information apparatus includ

Assignees

• Flexiworld Tech Inc

Inventors

• Chang William Ho
• Liu Christina Ying

Classifications

• G06F3/1292

  Mobile client, e.g. wireless printing · CPC title

• G06F3/1247

  by conversion to printer ready format · 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

• G06F3/0481

  based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance · CPC title

• G06F3/162

  Interface to dedicated audio devices, e.g. audio drivers, interface to CODECs · CPC title