Transference of time sensitive data between a wireless communication device and a computer system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9686612-B2
Application number	US-201113230777-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 12, 2011
Priority date	Sep 12, 2011
Publication date	Jun 20, 2017
Grant date	Jun 20, 2017

Abstract

One or more techniques and/or systems are provided for communicating between two or more drivers respectively controlling and/or managing different channels through which data is transferred between a wireless communication device and a computer system and/or between a controller of the computer system and an application of the computer system. Typically, at least one of the channels is configured to transmit time sensitive data (e.g., such as audio data) while another channel is configured to transmit time insensitive data (e.g., such as call control data). A device driver interface may be configured to provide a medium through which the two or more drivers can communicate. The techniques and/or systems find particular application with respect to Bluetooth headsets used in combination with a computer system comprising a system on chip architecture, but other applications are also contemplated.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
receiving, at a device driver interface implemented at a computer system, a request from a first driver implemented at the computer system seeking information about a communication device, the device driver interface operably coupling a second driver implemented at the computer system, through which time insensitive data is routed, to the first driver, through which time sensitive data is routed;
at the device driver interface, after receiving a request from a first driver implemented at the computer system seeking information about a communication device, receiving the information about the communication device from the second driver; and
after receiving the information about the communication device from the second driver at the device driver interface, providing the information about the communication device to the first driver from the device driver interface.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the time sensitive data is not routed through the second driver.

3. The method of claim 1 , the wherein time insensitive data is not routed through the first driver.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising routing, from the second driver to the first driver via the device driver interface, a notification that a wireless audio channel between the computer system and the wireless communication device has been disconnected.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the information corresponds to a type of wireless communication device.

6. The method of claim 1 , the second driver comprising a Bluetooth profile driver.

7. The method of claim 1 , comprising receiving, at the device driver interface, a call from the audio driver requesting that the second driver open a wireless communication channel for transmitting the time sensitive data to the wireless communication device.

8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising providing the call to the second driver.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising receiving, at the device driver interface, a call from the second driver requesting that that first driver open a sideband audio channel of the computer system.

10. The method of claim 1 , the wireless communication device comprising a Bluetooth headset.

11. The method of claim 9 , further comprising providing the call to the first driver.

12. A system for routing audio between a wireless communication device and a computer system, comprising:
a first driver implemented on the computer system through which audio data is routed between the wireless communication device and the computer system;
a second driver implemented on the computer system through which wireless communication data is routed between the wireless communication device and the computer system; and
a device driver interface component implemented on the computer system configured to operably couple the first driver to the second driver, the device driver interface component configured to:
at the device driver interface, receive a call from the first driver requesting that the second driver open a wireless communication channel for transmitting the audio data to the wireless communication device; and
after receiving the call from the first driver requesting that the second driver open a wireless communication channel for transmitting the audio data to the wireless communication device, at the device driver interface, provide the call from the device driver interface to the second driver.

13. The system of claim 12 , the device driver interface component further configured to:
receive a notification from the second driver regarding a status of the wireless communication channel; and
provide the notification to the first driver.

14. The system of claim 12 , the device driver interface component further configured to:
receive details related to the wireless communication device from the second driver; and
provide the details to the first driver.

15. The system of claim 12 , wherein at least one of the wireless communication data is not routed through the first driver or the audio data is not routed through the second driver.

16. The system of claim 12 , the second driver comprising a Bluetooth profile driver.

17. The system of claim 12 , wherein the device driver interface component is configured to:
receive a second call from the second driver requesting that the first driver open a sideband audio channel of the computer system; and
provide the second call to the first driver.

18. The system of claim 14 , wherein the details correspond to a type of wireless communication device.

19. The system of claim 12 , the wireless communication device comprising a Bluetooth device.

20. A method comprising:
receiving, at a device driver interface at a computer system, a call from a second driver at the computer system requesting that an first driver at the computer system open a sideband audio channel of the computer system, the device driver interface operably coupling the second driver, through which time insensitive data is routed, to the first driver, through which time sensitive data is routed; and
at the device driver interface, after receiving the call from the second driver at the computer system requesting that the first driver at the computer system open the sideband audio channel of the computer system, providing the call from the device driver interface to the first driver, after which, the first driver opens the sideband audio channel of the computer system.

Assignees

• Yerrace Frank
• Suen Yuk Lai
• Bregar John
• Chung Rian
• Cooper Kenneth
• Microsoft Technology Licensing Llc

Inventors

• Yerrace Frank
• Suen Yuk Lai
• Bregar John
• Chung Rian
• Cooper Kenneth

Classifications

• H04R2225/55

  Communication between hearing aids and external devices via a network for data exchange · CPC title

• H04R5/033 Primary

  Headphones for stereophonic communication {(details thereof, e.g. relating to batteries, cables or control elements H04R1/10)} · CPC title

• H04R2420/07

  Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones · CPC title

• H04R2201/107

  Monophonic and stereophonic headphones with microphone for two-way hands free communication · CPC title