Multi-operating system input device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9706015-B2
Application number	US-201514923380-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 26, 2015
Priority date	Oct 29, 2014
Publication date	Jul 11, 2017
Grant date	Jul 11, 2017

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention provide a method of establishing a wireless connection between a data input device and a host computing device. More specifically, the embodiments of the present invention relate to methods and systems for using a single input device (e.g., keyboard, mouse, or touchpad devices) with multiple host computing devices that may be running different operating systems, and efficiently switching the data protocols used to transmit HID data between the input device and the multiple host computing devices without requiring user interaction.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
advertising, by an input device, an availability for establishing a wireless communication with a host computer device, the advertising broadcasted in both a standard human interface device (HID) protocol and a proprietary HID protocol;
receiving a request from the host computing device to initiate a wireless connection;
accepting and establishing the wireless connection by the input device;
receiving, by the input device from the host computing device, an indication of a type of HID data report to send;
switching to the proprietary HID protocol with the host computing device when the indication of the type of HID data report corresponds to the propriety HID protocol; and
switching to the standard HID protocol with the host computing device when the indication of the type of HID data report corresponds to the standard HID protocol.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
discontinuing communication with the host computing device using the standard HID protocol when the type of HID data report corresponds to the propriety HID protocol; and
discontinuing communication with the host computing device using the proprietary HID protocol when the type of HID data report corresponds to the standard HID protocol.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the host computing device is a first host computing device, wherein the wireless connection is a first wireless connection, and wherein the method further comprises:
receiving a request, from a second host computing device, to initiate a second wireless connection with the input device;
accepting and establishing the second wireless connection with the second host computing device on a separate communication channel than the wireless connection with the first host computing device;
receiving, by the input device from the second host computing device, an indication of a type of HID data report to send;
switching to the proprietary HID protocol with the second host computing device when the indication of the type of HID data report corresponds to the propriety HID protocol; and
switching to the standard HID protocol with the second host computing device when the indication of the type of HID data report corresponds to the standard HID protocol.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the first wireless connection with the first host computing device is compatible with a first type of operating system, and wherein the second wireless connection with the second host computing device is compatible with a second type of operating system.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
sending, by the input device, a list of available services provided by the input device to the host computing device.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising:
receiving a request for characteristics of one or more of the available services; and
sending the characteristics of the available services to the host computing device.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the input device advertises a unique identifier recognized by a software component stored on the host computing device.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the data input device is one of a keyboard, a mouse, or a touchpad device.

9. A computer-implemented system on an input device, the system comprising:
one or more processors; and
one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage mediums containing instructions configured to cause the one or more processors to perform operations including:
advertising, by an input device, an availability for establishing a wireless communication with a host computer device, the advertising broadcasted in both a standard human interface device (HID) protocol and a proprietary HID protocol;
receiving a request from the host computing device to initiate a wireless connection;
accepting and establishing the wireless connection by the input device;
receiving, by the input device from the host computing device, an indication of a type of HID data report to send;
switching to the proprietary HID protocol with the host computing device when the indication of the type of HID data report corresponds to the propriety HID protocol; and
switching to the standard HID protocol with the host computing device when the indication of the type of HID data report corresponds to the standard HID protocol.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage mediums further contain instructions configured to cause the one or more processors to perform operations including:
discontinuing communication with the host computing device using the standard HID protocol when the type of HID data report corresponds to the propriety HID protocol; and
discontinuing communication with the host computing device using the proprietary HID protocol when the type of HID data report corresponds to the standard HID protocol.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein the host computing device is a first host computing device, wherein the wireless connection is a first wireless connection, and wherein the one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage mediums further contain instructions configured to cause the one or more processors to perform operations including:
receiving a request, from a second host computing device, to initiate a second wireless connection with the input device;
accepting and establishing the second wireless connection with the second host computing device on a separate communication channel than the wireless connection with the first host computing device;
receiving, by the input device from the second host computing device, an indication of a type of HID data report to send;
switching to the proprietary HID protocol with the second host computing device when the indication of the type of HID data report corresponds to the propriety HID protocol; and
switching to the standard HID protocol with the second host computing device when the indication of the type of HID data report corresponds to the standard HID protocol.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the first wireless connection with the first host computing device is compatible with a first type of operating system, and wherein the second wireless connection with the second host computing device is compatible with a second type of operating system.

13. The system of claim 9 wherein the one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage mediums further contain instructions configured to cause the one or more processors to perform operations including:
sending, by the input device, a list of available services provided by the input device to the host computing device.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein the one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage mediums further contain instructions configured to cause the one or more processors to perform operations including:
receiving a request for characteristics of one or more of the available services; and
sending the characteristics of the available services to the host computing device.

15. The system of claim 9 wherein the input device advertises a unique identifier recognized by a software component stored on the host computing device.

16. A method comprising:
receiving, by a host computing device from an input device, a request to establish wireless communicative connection, the request provided in both standard and proprietary HID communication protocols;
initiating a connection process to establish the wireless communicative connection with the input device;
requesting, by the host computing device, a list of available services offered by the input device;
receivin

Assignees

• Logitech Europe Sa

Inventors

• Chazot Philippe
• Salamin Patrick
• Holzbecher Jiri
• Zimmermann Remy

Classifications

• H04W4/008

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04L69/18 Primary

  Multiprotocol handlers, e.g. single devices capable of handling multiple protocols · 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

• G06F3/023 Primary

  Arrangements for converting discrete items of information into a coded form, e.g. arrangements for interpreting keyboard generated codes as alphanumeric codes, operand codes or instruction codes · CPC title