Communication between a client device and a wireless peripheral unit

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9426835-B2
Application number	US-201214004509-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 15, 2012
Priority date	Mar 18, 2011
Publication date	Aug 23, 2016
Grant date	Aug 23, 2016

Abstract

A communication between a client device ( 2 ) and a peripheral unit ( 14 ) uses tunneling over another communication mode. The other communication mode is implemented between the client device and a host device ( 1 ), in addition to a communication mode implemented between the host device and the peripheral unit. The host device and the client device are each provided with additional communication modules ( 3 - 6 ), at application level and transport level. Security issues against intrusions into the communication may be implemented by the modules added to the host or client unit.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for enabling communication between a client device and a peripheral unit, the peripheral unit being arranged for communicating with a host device using packets of a first type transmitted between the peripheral unit and the host device according to a first communication mode, the first communication mode being a Bluetooth communication mode and the packet of the first type being Bluetooth packets, the host device being further arranged for communicating with the client device using packets of a second type transmitted between the host device and the client device according to a second communication mode, the method comprising:
directing, by a server transport module of the host device, first packets of the first type received from the peripheral unit to a process chain internal to the host device configured for arranging the first packets of the first type within corresponding first packets of the second type;
transmitting the first packets of the second type to the client device;
recovering, by the server transport module, second packets of the first type intended to the peripheral unit and contained in corresponding second packets of the second type received from the client device;
directing the second packets of the first type for transmission by the host device to the peripheral unit;
directing, by a client transport module of the client device, the second packets of the first type intended to the peripheral unit, to a process chain internal to the client device configured for arranging the second packets of the first type within the corresponding second packets of the second type;
transmitting the second packets of the second type by the client device to the host device;
recovering, by the client transport module, the first packets of the first type contained in the corresponding first packets of the second type received from the host device, wherein a communication interface is formed at transport level between the client transport module in the client device and the server transport module in the host device, for communication between the client device and the peripheral unit;
wherein the host device is further provided with a server application module at application level, for controlling an operation of the server transport module at the transport level within the host device; and the client device is further provided with a client application module at an application level, for managing the peripheral unit, and for producing instructions based on application instructions output by an application run by the client device, and the second packets of the first type being based on the instructions, and the client application module controlling an operation of the client transport module at a transport level within the client device;
the method further comprising in the host at an application level, controlling an operation at the transport level within the host device at Host Controller Interface (HCI) level within a Bluetooth protocol stack; and
providing at least one additional function relating to communication security when handling the packets, the at least one additional function comprises supporting a restricted subset of commands available to the client device so as to limit the subset of commands available to the client device, and handling but not executing commands which do not pertain to the subset but are produced by the client device.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the server application module is exposing the peripheral unit to the client device.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the packets of the second type are Internet Protocol (IP) packets.

4. The method according to claim 3 , wherein the host device and the client device are adapted to transmit the Internet Protocol packets by Wi-Fi transmission.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the host device is configured for disabling discovery of some peripheral units by the client device using the server transport module.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the host device is adapted for preventing the client device from obtaining security data of the first communication mode used by the host device and the peripheral unit.

7. A host device adapted for communicating with a peripheral unit using packets of a first type transmitted between the peripheral unit and the host device according to a first communication mode, the first communication mode being a Bluetooth communication mode and the packets of the first type being Bluetooth packets, the host device being further adapted for communicating with a client device using packets of a second type transmitted between the host device and the client device according to a second communication mode, the host device comprising:
a transmitter;
a receiver;
a processor circuit to the transmitter and receiver, the processor circuit configured to:
first packets of the first type received from the peripheral unit to a process chain internal to the host device configured for arranging the first packets of the first type within corresponding first packets of the second type,
cause transmission of the first packets of the second type to the client device,
recover second packets of the first type intended to the peripheral unit and contained in corresponding second packets of the second type received from the client device,
direct the second packets of the first type for transmission by the host device to the peripheral unit; and
a server application module at an application level, configured to control an operation of the processor circuit at a transport level within the host device, the processor circuit being at Host Controller Interface (HCI) level within a Bluetooth protocol stack; and
provide at least one additional function relating to communication security when handling the packets, the at least one additional function comprises supporting a restricted subset of commands available to the client device so as to limit the subset of commands available to the client device, and handling but not executing commands which do not pertain to the subset but are produced by the client device.

8. The host device of claim 7 , wherein the server application module is exposing the peripheral unit to the client device.

9. The host device of claim 7 , wherein the packets of the second type are Internet Protocol (IP) packets.

10. The host device of claim 9 , wherein the host device is adapted to transmit the Internet Protocol packets by Wi-Fi transmission.

11. The host device of claim 7 , wherein the host device is configured for disabling discovery of some peripheral units by the client device using the server transport module.

12. The host device of claim 7 , wherein the host device is adapted for preventing the client device from obtaining security data of the first communication mode used by the host device and the peripheral unit.

13. A client device adapted for communicating with a host device using packets of a second type transmitted between the client device and the host device according to a second communication mode, the client device comprising:
a transmitter;
a receiver;
a processor circuit coupled to the transmitter and receiver;
an application for outputting application instructions when the application is run by the client device;
a client application module at an application level, configured to produce instructions based on the application instructions, the instructions being intended to a peripheral unit adapted for communicating with the host device via a first communication mode, the first communication mode being a Bluetooth communication mode; and

Assignees

• Van De Laar Franciscus Antonius Maria
• Bernsen Johannes Arnoldus Cornelis
• Holtman Koen Johanna Guillaume
• Koninklijke Philips Nv

Inventors

• Van De Laar Franciscus Antonius Maria
• Bernsen Johannes Arnoldus Cornelis
• Holtman Koen Johanna Guillaume

Classifications

• H04W92/02

  Inter-networking arrangements · CPC title

• H04W76/02 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04W84/18

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

• H04L69/08

  Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion · CPC title

• H04W88/06

  adapted for operation in multiple networks {or having at least two operational modes}, e.g. multi-mode terminals · CPC title