U.S. patent application number 13/740466 was filed with the patent office on 2013-11-21 for apparatus and method for direct pairing in a wireless docking system.
This patent application is currently assigned to QUALCOMM INCORPORATED. The applicant listed for this patent is QUALCOMM INCORPORATED. Invention is credited to George CHERIAN, Xiaolong HUANG, Jouni MALINEN.
Application Number | 20130311692 13/740466 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 49581689 |
Filed Date | 2013-11-21 |
United States Patent
Application |
20130311692 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
HUANG; Xiaolong ; et
al. |
November 21, 2013 |
APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR DIRECT PAIRING IN A WIRELESS DOCKING
SYSTEM
Abstract
Various aspects of the present disclosure enable a docking
procedure where a dockee, when docking with a docking host that
manages a docking environment, can become directly paired with the
peripherals in the docking environment in a straightforward
fashion. Furthermore, a persistent direct pairing may be
established such that after a first docking session, subsequent
docking sessions where the dockee is directly paired with the same
peripherals can further be expedited. Other aspects, embodiments,
and features are also claimed and described.
Inventors: |
HUANG; Xiaolong; (San Diego,
CA) ; CHERIAN; George; (San Diego, CA) ;
MALINEN; Jouni; (Espoo, FI) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
QUALCOMM INCORPORATED |
San Diego |
CA |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
QUALCOMM INCORPORATED
San Diego
CA
|
Family ID: |
49581689 |
Appl. No.: |
13/740466 |
Filed: |
January 14, 2013 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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61649863 |
May 21, 2012 |
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61651991 |
May 25, 2012 |
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61658352 |
Jun 11, 2012 |
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61658363 |
Jun 11, 2012 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
710/303 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04M 1/723 20130101;
G06F 1/1632 20130101; G06F 13/4068 20130101; H04B 7/26 20130101;
G06F 13/00 20130101; H04M 1/7253 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
710/303 |
International
Class: |
G06F 1/16 20060101
G06F001/16 |
Claims
1. A method operable at a docking host for direct pairing between a
dockee and a peripheral paired with the docking host, the method
comprising: establishing a first communication link with the
peripheral such that the docking host is a P2P group owner (GO) and
the peripheral is a P2P client of the docking host; establishing a
second communication link with the dockee such that the dockee is a
P2P client of the docking host; and transmitting information to the
dockee over the second communication link to enable the dockee to
establish a tunneled direct link setup (TDLS) connection with the
peripheral.
2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: severing the first
communication link with the peripheral.
3. The method of claim 1, further comprising: broadcasting an
advertisement message indicating TDLS as a payload connection
option.
4. The method of claim 3, further comprising: receiving a request
from the dockee to utilize TDLS as its payload connection type for
direct communication with the peripheral.
5. A method operable at a dockee for direct pairing with a
peripheral in a docking environment managed by a docking host, the
method comprising: establishing a first communication link with the
docking host such that the docking host is a P2P group owner (GO)
and the dockee is a P2P client of the docking host; receiving
information from the docking host over the first communication link
to enable the dockee to establish a tunneled direct link setup
(TDLS) connection with the peripheral; and establishing a second
communication link with the peripheral utilizing TDLS in accordance
with the received information.
6. The method of claim 5, further comprising: receiving a
broadcasted advertisement message from the docking host indicating
TDLS as a payload connection option.
7. The method of claim 5, further comprising: transmitting a
request to the docking host to utilize TDLS as a payload connection
type for direct communication with the peripheral.
8. A method operable at a docking host for direct pairing between a
dockee and a peripheral paired with the docking host, the method
comprising: establishing a first communication link with the
peripheral such that the docking host is a P2P group owner (GO) and
the peripheral is a P2P client of the docking host; establishing a
second communication link with the dockee such that the dockee is a
P2P GO and the docking host is a P2P client of the dockee; and
receiving a request from the dockee over the second communication
link for information enabling establishment of a direct pairing
between the dockee and the peripheral.
9. The method of claim 8, further comprising: severing the first
communication link with the peripheral.
10. The method of claim 9, further comprising: transmitting a
docking host-assigned direct link expiration time over the first
communication link to the peripheral, prior to the severing of the
first communication link; and re-establishing the first
communication link with the peripheral when the expiration time
passes without the dockee establishing the direct pairing with the
peripheral.
11. The method of claim 8, further comprising: receiving a request
from the dockee over the second communication link for a PIN
corresponding to the peripheral; transmitting a request to the
peripheral over the first communication link for the PIN; receiving
the PIN from the peripheral over the first communication link; and
transmitting the PIN to the dockee over the second communication
link.
12. The method of claim 8, further comprising: generating
credential information corresponding to a direct pairing between
the dockee and the peripheral; and transmitting the credential
information to the dockee and to the peripheral, such that the
dockee and the peripheral are enabled to directly, securely
communicate with one another utilizing the generated credential
information.
13. The method of claim 12, wherein the credential information
comprises a dynamically generated PIN corresponding to the
peripheral, such that the dockee is enabled to invite the
peripheral to join its P2P group and utilize a PIN-based Wi-Fi
Simple Configuration procedure utilizing the dynamically generated
PIN.
14. The method of claim 8, further comprising: transmitting one or
more of P2P Group Credentials, a P2P Group ID, or a P2P Group
Operating Channel corresponding to the dockee, to the peripheral,
such that the peripheral is enabled to connect to the dockee as a
P2P client connects to a P2P group owner.
15. The method of claim 8, further comprising: transmitting an SSID
and a P2P group credential corresponding to the dockee, to the
peripheral, such that the peripheral is enabled to establish a
direct communication link with the peripheral.
16. A method operable at a dockee for direct pairing with a
peripheral in a docking environment managed by a docking host, the
method comprising: establishing a first communication link with the
docking host such that the dockee is a P2P group owner (GO) and the
docking host is a P2P client of the dockee; transmitting a request
to the docking host over the first communication link for
information enabling establishment of a direct pairing between the
dockee and the peripheral; and establishing a second communication
link with the peripheral in accordance with the received
information.
17. The method of claim 16, further comprising: transmitting a
request to the docking host over the first communication link for a
PIN corresponding to the peripheral; and receiving the PIN from the
docking host over the first communication link.
18. The method of claim 16, further comprising: receiving
credential information generated by the docking host, from the
docking host over the first communication link, wherein the
credential information corresponds to a direct pairing between the
dockee and the peripheral, wherein the establishing of the second
communication link with the peripheral utilizes the received
credential information.
19. The method of claim 18, wherein the credential information
comprises a dynamically generated PIN corresponding to the
peripheral, wherein the establishing of the second communication
link with the peripheral comprises inviting the peripheral to join
its P2P group and utilize a PIN-based Wi-Fi Simple Configuration
procedure utilizing the dynamically generated PIN.
20. The method of claim 16, further comprising: receiving one or
more of P2P Group Credentials, a P2P Group ID, or a P2P Group
Operating Channel corresponding to the dockee, from the docking
host, wherein the establishing of the second communication link
with the peripheral comprises connecting to the dockee as a P2P
client connects to a P2P group owner.
21. The method of claim 16, wherein the establishing of the second
communication link with the peripheral comprises receiving P2P
Group Credentials from the peripheral, and utilizing the received
P2P Group Credentials to establish the direct communication link
with the dockee.
22. A method operable at a dockee for direct pairing with a
peripheral in a docking environment managed by a docking host, the
method comprising: establishing an initial docking session with the
docking host; receiving information from the docking host to enable
a direct pairing between the dockee and the peripheral;
communicating with the peripheral to obtain a persistent key
adapted to enable a persistent direct pairing between the dockee
and the peripheral; and communicating with the peripheral to obtain
a session key adapted to enable secure communication during a first
direct pairing session.
23. The method of claim 22, further comprising: establishing the
direct pairing between the dockee and the peripheral utilizing the
session key; and transmitting a direct pairing complete indication
to the docking host.
24. The method of claim 23, further comprising: ending the initial
docking session and ending the direct pairing between the dockee
and the peripheral; initiating a subsequent docking session with
the docking host; and utilizing the persistent key to enable a
subsequent direct pairing between the dockee and the
peripheral.
25. A method operable at a docking host for direct pairing between
a dockee and a peripheral paired with the docking host, the method
comprising: establishing a docking session with the dockee;
transmitting information to the dockee to enable a direct pairing
between the dockee and the peripheral; determining that the dockee
and the peripheral have engaged in direct pairing in a prior
docking session; and transmitting a request for direct pairing to
at least one of the peripheral or the dockee.
26. The method of claim 25, further comprising: receiving a direct
pairing complete indication from at least one of the dockee or the
peripheral.
27. A docking host configured for direct pairing between a dockee
and a peripheral paired with the docking host, comprising: at least
one processor; a transceiver communicatively coupled to the at
least one processor; and a memory communicatively coupled to the at
least one processor, wherein the at least one processor is
configured to: establish a first communication link with the
peripheral such that the docking host is a P2P group owner (GO) and
the peripheral is a P2P client of the docking host; establish a
second communication link with the dockee such that the dockee is a
P2P client of the docking host; and transmit information to the
dockee over the second communication link to enable the dockee to
establish a tunneled direct link setup (TDLS) connection with the
peripheral.
28. The docking host of claim 27, wherein the at least one
processor is further configured to sever the first communication
link with the peripheral.
29. The docking host of claim 27, wherein the at least one
processor is further configured to broadcast an advertisement
message indicating TDLS as a payload connection option.
30. The docking host of claim 29, wherein the at least one
processor is further configured to receive a request from the
dockee to utilize TDLS as its payload connection type for direct
communication with the peripheral.
31. A dockee configured for direct pairing with a peripheral in a
docking environment managed by a docking host, comprising: at least
one processor; a transceiver communicatively coupled to the at
least one processor; and a memory communicatively coupled to the at
least one processor, wherein the at least one processor is
configured to: establish a first communication link with the
docking host such that the docking host is a P2P group owner (GO)
and the dockee is a P2P client of the docking host; receive
information from the docking host over the first communication link
to enable the dockee to establish a tunneled direct link setup
(TDLS) connection with the peripheral; and establish a second
communication link with the peripheral utilizing TDLS in accordance
with the received information.
32. The dockee of claim 31, wherein the at least one processor is
further configured to receive a broadcasted advertisement message
from the docking host indicating TDLS as a payload connection
option.
33. The dockee of claim 31, wherein the at least one processor is
further configured to transmit a request to the docking host to
utilize TDLS as a payload connection type for direct communication
with the peripheral.
34. A docking host configured for direct pairing between a dockee
and a peripheral paired with the docking host, comprising: at least
one processor; a transceiver communicatively coupled to the at
least one processor; and a memory communicatively coupled to the at
least one processor, wherein the at least one processor is
configured to: establish a first communication link with the
peripheral such that the docking host is a P2P group owner (GO) and
the peripheral is a P2P client of the docking host; establish a
second communication link with the dockee such that the dockee is a
P2P GO and the docking host is a P2P client of the dockee; and
receive a request from the dockee over the second communication
link for information enabling establishment of a direct pairing
between the dockee and the peripheral.
35. The docking host of claim 34, wherein the at least one
processor is further configured to sever the first communication
link with the peripheral.
36. The docking host of claim 35, wherein the at least one
processor is further configured to: transmit a docking
host-assigned direct link expiration time over the first
communication link to the peripheral, prior to the severing of the
first communication link; and re-establish the first communication
link with the peripheral when the expiration time passes without
the dockee establishing the direct pairing with the peripheral.
37. The docking host of claim 34, wherein the at least one
processor is further configured to: receive a request from the
dockee over the second communication link for a PIN corresponding
to the peripheral; transmit a request to the peripheral over the
first communication link for the PIN; receive the PIN from the
peripheral over the first communication link; and transmit the PIN
to the dockee over the second communication link.
38. The docking host of claim 34, wherein the at least one
processor is further configured to: generate credential information
corresponding to a direct pairing between the dockee and the
peripheral; and transmit the credential information to the dockee
and to the peripheral, such that the dockee and the peripheral are
enabled to directly, securely communicate with one another
utilizing the generated credential information.
39. The docking host of claim 38, wherein the credential
information comprises a dynamically generated PIN corresponding to
the peripheral, such that the dockee is enabled to invite the
peripheral to join its P2P group and utilize a PIN-based Wi-Fi
Simple Configuration procedure utilizing the dynamically generated
PIN.
40. The docking host of claim 34, wherein the at least one
processor is further configured to transmit one or more of P2P
Group Credentials, a P2P Group ID, or a P2P Group Operating Channel
corresponding to the dockee, to the peripheral, such that the
peripheral is enabled to connect to the dockee as a P2P client
connects to a P2P group owner.
41. The docking host of claim 34, wherein the at least one
processor is further configured to transmit an SSID and a P2P group
credential corresponding to the dockee, to the peripheral, such
that the peripheral is enabled to establish a direct communication
link with the peripheral.
42. A dockee configured for direct pairing with a peripheral in a
docking environment managed by a docking host, comprising: at least
one processor; a transceiver communicatively coupled to the at
least one processor; and a memory communicatively coupled to the at
least one processor, wherein the at least one processor is
configured to: establish a first communication link with the
docking host such that the dockee is a P2P group owner (GO) and the
docking host is a P2P client of the dockee; transmit a request to
the docking host over the first communication link for information
enabling establishment of a direct pairing between the dockee and
the peripheral; and establish a second communication link with the
peripheral in accordance with the received information.
43. The dockee of claim 42, wherein the at least one processor is
further configured to: transmit a request to the docking host over
the first communication link for a PIN corresponding to the
peripheral; and receive the PIN from the docking host over the
first communication link.
44. The dockee of claim 42, wherein the at least one processor is
further configured to: receive credential information generated by
the docking host, from the docking host over the first
communication link, wherein the credential information corresponds
to a direct pairing between the dockee and the peripheral, wherein
the establishing of the second communication link with the
peripheral utilizes the received credential information.
45. The dockee of claim 44, wherein the credential information
comprises a dynamically generated PIN corresponding to the
peripheral, wherein the establishing of the second communication
link with the peripheral comprises inviting the peripheral to join
its P2P group and utilize a PIN-based Wi-Fi Simple Configuration
procedure utilizing the dynamically generated PIN.
46. The dockee of claim 42, wherein the at least one processor is
further configured to: receive one or more of P2P Group
Credentials, a P2P Group ID, or a P2P Group Operating Channel
corresponding to the dockee, from the docking host, wherein the
establishing of the second communication link with the peripheral
comprises connecting to the dockee as a P2P client connects to a
P2P group owner.
47. The dockee of claim 42, wherein the wherein the at least one
processor, being configured to establish the second communication
link with the peripheral, is further configured to receive P2P
Group Credentials from the peripheral, and utilizing the received
P2P Group Credentials to establish the direct communication link
with the dockee.
48. A dockee configured for direct pairing with a peripheral in a
docking environment managed by a docking host, comprising: at least
one processor; a transceiver communicatively coupled to the at
least one processor; and a memory communicatively coupled to the at
least one processor, wherein the at least one processor is
configured to: establish an initial docking session with the
docking host; receive information from the docking host to enable a
direct pairing between the dockee and the peripheral; communicate
with the peripheral to obtain a persistent key adapted to enable a
persistent direct pairing between the dockee and the peripheral;
and communicate with the peripheral to obtain a session key adapted
to enable secure communication during a first direct pairing
session.
49. The dockee of claim 48, wherein the at least one processor is
further configured to: establish the direct pairing between the
dockee and the peripheral utilizing the session key; and transmit a
direct pairing complete indication to the docking host.
50. The dockee of claim 49, wherein the at least one processor is
further configured to: end the initial docking session and ending
the direct pairing between the dockee and the peripheral; initiate
a subsequent docking session with the docking host; and utilize the
persistent key to enable a subsequent direct pairing between the
dockee and the peripheral.
51. A docking host configured for direct pairing between a dockee
and a peripheral paired with the docking host, comprising: at least
one processor; a transceiver communicatively coupled to the at
least one processor; and a memory communicatively coupled to the at
least one processor, wherein the at least one processor is
configured to: establish a docking session with the dockee;
transmit information to the dockee to enable a direct pairing
between the dockee and the peripheral; determine that the dockee
and the peripheral have engaged in direct pairing in a prior
docking session; and transmit a request for direct pairing to at
least one of the peripheral or the dockee.
52. The docking host of claim 51, wherein the at least one
processor is further configured to receive a direct pairing
complete indication from at least one of the dockee or the
peripheral.
53. A docking host configured for direct pairing between a dockee
and a peripheral paired with the docking host, comprising: means
for establishing a first communication link with the peripheral
such that the docking host is a P2P group owner (GO) and the
peripheral is a P2P client of the docking host; means for
establishing a second communication link with the dockee such that
the dockee is a P2P client of the docking host; and means for
transmitting information to the dockee over the second
communication link to enable the dockee to establish a tunneled
direct link setup (TDLS) connection with the peripheral.
54. A dockee configured for direct pairing with a peripheral in a
docking environment managed by a docking host, comprising: means
for establishing a first communication link with the docking host
such that the docking host is a P2P group owner (GO) and the dockee
is a P2P client of the docking host; means for receiving
information from the docking host over the first communication link
to enable the dockee to establish a tunneled direct link setup
(TDLS) connection with the peripheral; and means for establishing a
second communication link with the peripheral utilizing TDLS in
accordance with the received information.
55. A docking host configured for direct pairing between a dockee
and a peripheral paired with the docking host, comprising: means
for establishing a first communication link with the peripheral
such that the docking host is a P2P group owner (GO) and the
peripheral is a P2P client of the docking host; means for
establishing a second communication link with the dockee such that
the dockee is a P2P GO and the docking host is a P2P client of the
dockee; and means for receiving a request from the dockee over the
second communication link for information enabling establishment of
a direct pairing between the dockee and the peripheral.
56. A dockee configured for direct pairing with a peripheral in a
docking environment managed by a docking host, comprising: means
for establishing a first communication link with the docking host
such that the dockee is a P2P group owner (GO) and the docking host
is a P2P client of the dockee; means for transmitting a request to
the docking host over the first communication link for information
enabling establishment of a direct pairing between the dockee and
the peripheral; and means for establishing a second communication
link with the peripheral in accordance with the received
information.
57. A dockee configured for direct pairing with a peripheral in a
docking environment managed by a docking host, comprising: means
for establishing an initial docking session with the docking host;
means for receiving information from the docking host to enable a
direct pairing between the dockee and the peripheral; means for
communicating with the peripheral to obtain a persistent key
adapted to enable a persistent direct pairing between the dockee
and the peripheral; and means for communicating with the peripheral
to obtain a session key adapted to enable secure communication
during a first direct pairing session.
58. A docking host configured for direct pairing between a dockee
and a peripheral paired with the docking host, comprising: means
for establishing a docking session with the dockee; means for
transmitting information to the dockee to enable a direct pairing
between the dockee and the peripheral; means for determining that
the dockee and the peripheral have engaged in direct pairing in a
prior docking session; and means for transmitting a request for
direct pairing to at least one of the peripheral or the dockee.
59. A computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions for
causing a computer at a docking host to: establish a first
communication link with a peripheral such that the docking host is
a P2P group owner (GO) and the peripheral is a P2P client of the
docking host; establish a second communication link with a dockee
such that the dockee is a P2P client of the docking host; and
transmit information to the dockee over the second communication
link to enable the dockee to establish a tunneled direct link setup
(TDLS) connection with the peripheral.
60. A computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions for
causing a computer at a dockee to: establish a first communication
link with a docking host such that the docking host is a P2P group
owner (GO) and the dockee is a P2P client of the docking host;
receive information from the docking host over the first
communication link to enable the dockee to establish a tunneled
direct link setup (TDLS) connection with a peripheral; and
establish a second communication link with the peripheral utilizing
TDLS in accordance with the received information.
61. A computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions for
causing a computer at a docking host to: establish a first
communication link with a peripheral such that the docking host is
a P2P group owner (GO) and the peripheral is a P2P client of the
docking host; establish a second communication link with a dockee
such that the dockee is a P2P GO and the docking host is a P2P
client of the dockee; and receive a request from the dockee over
the second communication link for information enabling
establishment of a direct pairing between the dockee and the
peripheral.
62. A computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions for
causing a computer at a dockee to: establish a first communication
link with a docking host such that the dockee is a P2P group owner
(GO) and the docking host is a P2P client of the dockee; transmit a
request to the docking host over the first communication link for
information enabling establishment of a direct pairing between the
dockee and a peripheral; and establish a second communication link
with the peripheral in accordance with the received
information.
63. A computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions for
causing a computer at a dockee to: establish an initial docking
session with a docking host; receive information from the docking
host to enable a direct pairing between the dockee and a
peripheral; communicate with the peripheral to obtain a persistent
key adapted to enable a persistent direct pairing between the
dockee and the peripheral; and communicate with the peripheral to
obtain a session key adapted to enable secure communication during
a first direct pairing session.
64. A computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions for
causing a computer at a docking host to: establish a docking
session with a dockee; transmit information to the dockee to enable
a direct pairing between the dockee and a peripheral; determine
that the dockee and the peripheral have engaged in direct pairing
in a prior docking session; and transmit a request for direct
pairing to at least one of the peripheral or the dockee.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims priority to and the benefit of
provisional patent application No. 61/649,863, titled "SYSTEM AND
METHOD FOR WIRELESS DOCKING UTILIZING A WIRELESS DOCKING PROFILE"
and filed in the United States Patent and Trademark Office on May
21, 2012; provisional patent application No. 61/651,991, titled
"APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR PERSISTENT WIRELESS DOCKING" and filed in
the United States Patent and Trademark Office on May 25, 2012;
provisional patent application No. 61/658,352, titled "APPARATUS
AND METHOD FOR DIRECT PAIRING IN A WIRELESS DOCKING SYSTEM" and
filed in the United States Patent and Trademark Office on Jun. 11,
2012; and provisional patent application No. 61/658,363, titled
"APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR WIRELESS DOCKING UTILIZING A WIRELESS
DOCKING PROFILE IN THE PRESENCE OF WIRELESS DOCKING ENVIRONMENTS"
and filed in the United States Patent and Trademark Office on Jun.
11, 2012, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by
reference.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] Aspects of the present disclosure relate generally to
wireless docking systems, and more particularly, to systems and
methods of establishing a direct pairing between a dockee and one
or more peripherals in a wireless docking system.
BACKGROUND
[0003] Wireless communication networks are widely deployed to
provide various communication services such as telephony, video,
data, messaging, broadcasts, and so on. Such networks, which are
usually multiple access networks, support communications for
multiple users by sharing the available network resources.
[0004] Recent interest has been directed toward WLAN connectivity,
where a dockee, e.g., a mobile device such as a cellular telephone,
can utilize a WLAN interface (e.g., an IEEE 802.11 "Wi-Fi"
interface) to establish wireless communication links with one or
more peripheral devices. Here, peripheral devices can be any of
numerous types, such as a mouse, keyboard, display, printer,
camera, speakers, mass storage devices, media servers, sensors, and
many others. Some such WLAN-enabled devices are configured for
direct connectivity between devices, e.g., without the need of an
intermediate wireless router or docking host. For example, Wi-Fi
Direct is a known standard for direct connectivity between a device
such as a mobile phone with peripheral devices.
[0005] As the demand for mobile broadband access continues to
increase, research and development continue to advance wireless
technologies not only to meet the growing demand for mobile
broadband access, but to advance and enhance the user experience
with mobile communications.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF SOME EXAMPLES
[0006] The following presents a simplified summary of one or more
aspects of the present disclosure, in order to provide a basic
understanding of such aspects. This summary is not an extensive
overview of all contemplated features of the disclosure, and is
intended neither to identify key or critical elements of all
aspects of the disclosure nor to delineate the scope of any or all
aspects of the disclosure. Its sole purpose is to present some
concepts of one or more aspects of the disclosure in a simplified
form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is
presented later.
[0007] Various aspects of the present disclosure enable a docking
procedure where a dockee, when docking with a docking host that
manages a docking environment, can become directly paired with the
peripherals in the docking environment in a straightforward
fashion. Furthermore, a persistent direct pairing may be
established such that after a first docking session, subsequent
docking sessions where the dockee is directly paired with the same
peripherals can further be expedited.
[0008] In one aspect, the disclosure provides a method operable at
a docking host for direct pairing between a dockee and a peripheral
paired with the docking host, the method including the steps of
establishing a first communication link with the peripheral such
that the docking host is a P2P group owner (GO) and the peripheral
is a P2P client of the docking host, establishing a second
communication link with the dockee such that the dockee is a P2P
client of the docking host, and transmitting information to the
dockee over the second communication link to enable the dockee to
establish a tunneled direct link setup (TDLS) connection with the
peripheral.
[0009] In another aspect, the disclosure provides a method operable
at a dockee for direct pairing with a peripheral in a docking
environment managed by a docking host, the method including the
steps of establishing a first communication link with the docking
host such that the docking host is a P2P group owner (GO) and the
dockee is a P2P client of the docking host, receiving information
from the docking host over the first communication link to enable
the dockee to establish a tunneled direct link setup (TDLS)
connection with the peripheral, and establishing a second
communication link with the peripheral utilizing TDLS in accordance
with the received information.
[0010] In another aspect, the disclosure provides a method operable
at a docking host for direct pairing between a dockee and a
peripheral paired with the docking host, the method including the
steps of establishing a first communication link with the
peripheral such that the docking host is a P2P group owner (GO) and
the peripheral is a P2P client of the docking host, establishing a
second communication link with the dockee such that the dockee is a
P2P GO and the docking host is a P2P client of the dockee, and
receiving a request from the dockee over the second communication
link for information enabling establishment of a direct pairing
between the dockee and the peripheral.
[0011] In another aspect, the disclosure provides a method operable
at a dockee for direct pairing with a peripheral in a docking
environment managed by a docking host, the method including the
steps of establishing a first communication link with the docking
host such that the dockee is a P2P group owner (GO) and the docking
host is a P2P client of the dockee, transmitting a request to the
docking host over the first communication link for information
enabling establishment of a direct pairing between the dockee and
the peripheral, and establishing a second communication link with
the peripheral in accordance with the received information.
[0012] In another aspect, the disclosure provides a method operable
at a dockee for direct pairing with a peripheral in a docking
environment managed by a docking host, the method including the
steps of establishing an initial docking session with the docking
host, receiving information from the docking host to enable a
direct pairing between the dockee and the peripheral, communicating
with the peripheral to obtain a persistent key adapted to enable a
persistent direct pairing between the dockee and the peripheral,
and communicating with the peripheral to obtain a session key
adapted to enable secure communication during a first direct
pairing session.
[0013] In another aspect, the disclosure provides a method operable
at a docking host for direct pairing between a dockee and a
peripheral paired with the docking host, the method including the
steps of establishing a docking session with the dockee,
transmitting information to the dockee to enable a direct pairing
between the dockee and the peripheral, determining that the dockee
and the peripheral have engaged in direct pairing in a prior
docking session, and transmitting a request for direct pairing to
at least one of the peripheral or the dockee.
[0014] In another aspect, the disclosure provides a docking host
configured for direct pairing between a dockee and a peripheral
paired with the docking host, including at least one processor, a
transceiver communicatively coupled to the at least one processor,
and a memory communicatively coupled to the at least one processor,
wherein the at least one processor is configured to establish a
first communication link with the peripheral such that the docking
host is a P2P group owner (GO) and the peripheral is a P2P client
of the docking host, to establish a second communication link with
the dockee such that the dockee is a P2P client of the docking
host, and to transmit information to the dockee over the second
communication link to enable the dockee to establish a tunneled
direct link setup (TDLS) connection with the peripheral.
[0015] In another aspect, the disclosure provides a dockee
configured for direct pairing with a peripheral in a docking
environment managed by a docking host, including at least one
processor, a transceiver communicatively coupled to the at least
one processor, and a memory communicatively coupled to the at least
one processor, wherein the at least one processor is configured to
establish a first communication link with the docking host such
that the docking host is a P2P group owner (GO) and the dockee is a
P2P client of the docking host, to receive information from the
docking host over the first communication link to enable the dockee
to establish a tunneled direct link setup (TDLS) connection with
the peripheral, and to establish a second communication link with
the peripheral utilizing TDLS in accordance with the received
information.
[0016] In another aspect, the disclosure provides a docking host
configured for direct pairing between a dockee and a peripheral
paired with the docking host, including at least one processor, a
transceiver communicatively coupled to the at least one processor,
and a memory communicatively coupled to the at least one processor,
wherein the at least one processor is configured to establish a
first communication link with the peripheral such that the docking
host is a P2P group owner (GO) and the peripheral is a P2P client
of the docking host, to establish a second communication link with
the dockee such that the dockee is a P2P GO and the docking host is
a P2P client of the dockee, and to receive a request from the
dockee over the second communication link for information enabling
establishment of a direct pairing between the dockee and the
peripheral.
[0017] In another aspect, the disclosure provides a dockee
configured for direct pairing with a peripheral in a docking
environment managed by a docking host, including at least one
processor, a transceiver communicatively coupled to the at least
one processor, and a memory communicatively coupled to the at least
one processor, wherein the at least one processor is configured to
establish a first communication link with the docking host such
that the dockee is a P2P group owner (GO) and the docking host is a
P2P client of the dockee, to transmit a request to the docking host
over the first communication link for information enabling
establishment of a direct pairing between the dockee and the
peripheral, and to establish a second communication link with the
peripheral in accordance with the received information.
[0018] In another aspect, the disclosure provides a dockee
configured for direct pairing with a peripheral in a docking
environment managed by a docking host, including at least one
processor, a transceiver communicatively coupled to the at least
one processor, and a memory communicatively coupled to the at least
one processor, wherein the at least one processor is configured to
establish an initial docking session with the docking host, to
receive information from the docking host to enable a direct
pairing between the dockee and the peripheral, to communicate with
the peripheral to obtain a persistent key adapted to enable a
persistent direct pairing between the dockee and the peripheral,
and to communicate with the peripheral to obtain a session key
adapted to enable secure communication during a first direct
pairing session.
[0019] In another aspect, the disclosure provides a docking host
configured for direct pairing between a dockee and a peripheral
paired with the docking host, including at least one processor, a
transceiver communicatively coupled to the at least one processor,
and a memory communicatively coupled to the at least one processor,
wherein the at least one processor is configured to establish a
docking session with the dockee, to transmit information to the
dockee to enable a direct pairing between the dockee and the
peripheral, to determine that the dockee and the peripheral have
engaged in direct pairing in a prior docking session, and to
transmit a request for direct pairing to at least one of the
peripheral or the dockee.
[0020] In another aspect, the disclosure provides a docking host
configured for direct pairing between a dockee and a peripheral
paired with the docking host, including means for establishing a
first communication link with the peripheral such that the docking
host is a P2P group owner (GO) and the peripheral is a P2P client
of the docking host, means for establishing a second communication
link with the dockee such that the dockee is a P2P client of the
docking host, and means for transmitting information to the dockee
over the second communication link to enable the dockee to
establish a tunneled direct link setup (TDLS) connection with the
peripheral.
[0021] In another aspect, the disclosure provides a dockee
configured for direct pairing with a peripheral in a docking
environment managed by a docking host, including means for
establishing a first communication link with the docking host such
that the docking host is a P2P group owner (GO) and the dockee is a
P2P client of the docking host, means for receiving information
from the docking host over the first communication link to enable
the dockee to establish a tunneled direct link setup (TDLS)
connection with the peripheral, and means for establishing a second
communication link with the peripheral utilizing TDLS in accordance
with the received information.
[0022] In another aspect, the disclosure provides a docking host
configured for direct pairing between a dockee and a peripheral
paired with the docking host, including means for establishing a
first communication link with the peripheral such that the docking
host is a P2P group owner (GO) and the peripheral is a P2P client
of the docking host, means for establishing a second communication
link with the dockee such that the dockee is a P2P GO and the
docking host is a P2P client of the dockee, and means for receiving
a request from the dockee over the second communication link for
information enabling establishment of a direct pairing between the
dockee and the peripheral.
[0023] In another aspect, the disclosure provides a dockee
configured for direct pairing with a peripheral in a docking
environment managed by a docking host, including means for
establishing a first communication link with the docking host such
that the dockee is a P2P group owner (GO) and the docking host is a
P2P client of the dockee, means for transmitting a request to the
docking host over the first communication link for information
enabling establishment of a direct pairing between the dockee and
the peripheral, and means for establishing a second communication
link with the peripheral in accordance with the received
information.
[0024] In another aspect, the disclosure provides a dockee
configured for direct pairing with a peripheral in a docking
environment managed by a docking host, including means for
establishing an initial docking session with the docking host,
means for receiving information from the docking host to enable a
direct pairing between the dockee and the peripheral, means for
communicating with the peripheral to obtain a persistent key
adapted to enable a persistent direct pairing between the dockee
and the peripheral, and means for communicating with the peripheral
to obtain a session key adapted to enable secure communication
during a first direct pairing session.
[0025] In another aspect, the disclosure provides a docking host
configured for direct pairing between a dockee and a peripheral
paired with the docking host, including means for establishing a
docking session with the dockee, means for transmitting information
to the dockee to enable a direct pairing between the dockee and the
peripheral, means for determining that the dockee and the
peripheral have engaged in direct pairing in a prior docking
session, and means for transmitting a request for direct pairing to
at least one of the peripheral or the dockee.
[0026] In another aspect, the disclosure provides a
computer-readable storage medium including instructions for causing
a computer at a docking host to establish a first communication
link with a peripheral such that the docking host is a P2P group
owner (GO) and the peripheral is a P2P client of the docking host,
to establish a second communication link with a dockee such that
the dockee is a P2P client of the docking host, and to transmit
information to the dockee over the second communication link to
enable the dockee to establish a tunneled direct link setup (TDLS)
connection with the peripheral.
[0027] In another aspect, the disclosure provides a
computer-readable storage medium including instructions for causing
a computer at a dockee to establish a first communication link with
a docking host such that the docking host is a P2P group owner (GO)
and the dockee is a P2P client of the docking host, to receive
information from the docking host over the first communication link
to enable the dockee to establish a tunneled direct link setup
(TDLS) connection with a peripheral, and to establish a second
communication link with the peripheral utilizing TDLS in accordance
with the received information.
[0028] In another aspect, the disclosure provides a
computer-readable storage medium including instructions for causing
a computer at a docking host to establish a first communication
link with a peripheral such that the docking host is a P2P group
owner (GO) and the peripheral is a P2P client of the docking host,
to establish a second communication link with a dockee such that
the dockee is a P2P GO and the docking host is a P2P client of the
dockee, and to receive a request from the dockee over the second
communication link for information enabling establishment of a
direct pairing between the dockee and the peripheral.
[0029] In another aspect, the disclosure provides a
computer-readable storage medium including instructions for causing
a computer at a dockee to establish a first communication link with
a docking host such that the dockee is a P2P group owner (GO) and
the docking host is a P2P client of the dockee, to transmit a
request to the docking host over the first communication link for
information enabling establishment of a direct pairing between the
dockee and a peripheral, and to establish a second communication
link with the peripheral in accordance with the received
information.
[0030] In another aspect, the disclosure provides a
computer-readable storage medium including instructions for causing
a computer at a dockee to establish an initial docking session with
a docking host, to receive information from the docking host to
enable a direct pairing between the dockee and a peripheral, to
communicate with the peripheral to obtain a persistent key adapted
to enable a persistent direct pairing between the dockee and the
peripheral, and to communicate with the peripheral to obtain a
session key adapted to enable secure communication during a first
direct pairing session.
[0031] In another aspect, the disclosure provides a
computer-readable storage medium including instructions for causing
a computer at a docking host to establish a docking session with a
dockee, to transmit information to the dockee to enable a direct
pairing between the dockee and a peripheral, to determine that the
dockee and the peripheral have engaged in direct pairing in a prior
docking session, and to transmit a request for direct pairing to at
least one of the peripheral or the dockee.
[0032] These and other aspects of the invention will become more
fully understood upon a review of the detailed description, which
follows.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0033] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a
hardware implementation for an apparatus employing a processing
system.
[0034] FIG. 2 is a simplified block diagram of a dockee,
peripheral, and docking host as may be utilized for direct pairing
according to one example.
[0035] FIG. 3 is a simplified schematic diagram of a wireless
docking system utilizing a docking environment according to one
example.
[0036] FIG. 4 is a simplified schematic diagram of a wireless
docking system with direct pairing according to one example.
[0037] FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating various communication
links as they may appear in a direct pairing system according to
one example.
[0038] FIG. 6 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary process of
direct pairing wherein the dockee is a P2P client for a docking
host in accordance with one example.
[0039] FIG. 7 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary process of
direct pairing wherein the docking host is a P2P client for a
dockee in accordance with one example.
[0040] FIG. 8 is a call flow diagram illustrating a process for
persistent direct pairing in accordance with one example.
[0041] FIG. 9 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary process of
direct pairing wherein the peripheral connects to the dockee as a
P2P client connects to a P2P group owner according to one
example.
[0042] FIG. 10 is flow chart illustrating an exemplary process of
direct pairing wherein the peripheral connects to the dockee as a
legacy STA connects to an infrastructure AP.
[0043] FIG. 11 is a call flow diagram illustrating a process for
persistent direct pairing in accordance with one example.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0044] The detailed description set forth below in connection with
the appended drawings is intended as a description of various
configurations and is not intended to represent the only
configurations in which the concepts described herein may be
practiced. The detailed description includes specific details for
the purpose of providing a thorough understanding of various
concepts. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art
that these concepts may be practiced without these specific
details. In some instances, well known structures and components
are shown in block diagram form in order to avoid obscuring such
concepts.
[0045] FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of a
hardware implementation for an apparatus 100 employing a processing
system 114. In accordance with various aspects of the present
disclosure, an element, or any portion of an element, or any
combination of elements may be implemented with a processing system
114 that includes one or more processors 104. For example, in
various aspects, the apparatus 100 may represent any one or more of
a wireless dockee, a wireless docking host, and/or a peripheral
device. Examples of processors 104 that may be utilized in an
apparatus 100 include microprocessors, microcontrollers, digital
signal processors (DSPs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs),
programmable logic devices (PLDs), state machines, gated logic,
discrete hardware circuits, and other suitable hardware configured
to perform the various functionality described throughout this
disclosure.
[0046] In this example, the processing system 114 may be
implemented with a bus architecture, represented generally by the
bus 102. The bus 102 may include any number of interconnecting
buses and bridges depending on the specific application of the
processing system 114 and the overall design constraints. The bus
102 links together various circuits including one or more
processors (represented generally by the processor 104), a memory
105, and computer-readable media (represented generally by the
computer-readable medium 106). The bus 102 may also link various
other circuits such as timing sources, peripherals, voltage
regulators, and power management circuits, which are well known in
the art, and therefore, will not be described any further. A bus
interface 108 provides an interface between the bus 102 and a
transceiver 110. The transceiver 110 provides a means for
communicating with various other apparatus over a transmission
medium. Depending upon the nature of the apparatus, a user
interface 112 (e.g., keypad, display, speaker, microphone,
joystick) may also be provided.
[0047] The processor 104 is responsible for managing the bus 102
and general processing, including the execution of software stored
on the computer-readable medium 106. The software, when executed by
the processor 104, causes the processing system 114 to perform the
various functions described infra for any particular apparatus. The
computer-readable medium 106 may also be used for storing data that
is manipulated by the processor 104 when executing software.
[0048] One or more processors 104 in the processing system may
execute software. Software shall be construed broadly to mean
instructions, instruction sets, code, code segments, program code,
programs, subprograms, software modules, applications, software
applications, software packages, routines, subroutines, objects,
executables, threads of execution, procedures, functions, etc.,
whether referred to as software, firmware, middleware, microcode,
hardware description language, or otherwise. The software may
reside on a computer-readable medium 106. The computer-readable
medium 106 may be a non-transitory computer-readable medium. A
non-transitory computer-readable medium includes, by way of
example, a magnetic storage device (e.g., hard disk, floppy disk,
magnetic strip), an optical disk (e.g., a compact disc (CD) or a
digital versatile disc (DVD)), a smart card, a flash memory device
(e.g., a card, a stick, or a key drive), a random access memory
(RAM), a read only memory (ROM), a programmable ROM (PROM), an
erasable PROM (EPROM), an electrically erasable PROM (EEPROM), a
register, a removable disk, and any other suitable medium for
storing software and/or instructions that may be accessed and read
by a computer. The computer-readable medium may also include, by
way of example, a carrier wave, a transmission line, and any other
suitable medium for transmitting software and/or instructions that
may be accessed and read by a computer. The computer-readable
medium 106 may reside in the processing system 114, external to the
processing system 114, or distributed across multiple entities
including the processing system 114. The computer-readable medium
106 may be embodied in a computer program product. By way of
example, a computer program product may include a computer-readable
medium in packaging materials. Those skilled in the art will
recognize how best to implement the described functionality
presented throughout this disclosure depending on the particular
application and the overall design constraints imposed on the
overall system.
[0049] One or more aspects of the disclosure relate to wireless
docking systems. A wireless docking system can provide seamless
connectivity, enabling a portable device such as a mobile handset,
PDA, tablet computer, etc. to connect with a group of peripheral
devices without needing wires or a docking connector, a PIN code or
elaborate pairing process for between the dockee and each
individual peripheral. The peripherals in any docking environment
may act as a group, which needs only to be set up once. Many
different types of peripherals may be supported in a docking
environment, including the bridging of legacy peripherals. Ideally,
the best link, protocol, and QoS would be automatically set up for
each type of peripheral connection. The best connection may be
selected depending on the application (e.g., for a productivity
application, for watching videos, or for playing games, etc.), and
the environment (e.g., the home enterprise, internet cafe, etc.).
Here, existing application sessions/connections may be left
intact.
[0050] FIG. 2 includes a simplified block diagram illustrating an
exemplary peripheral 210, an exemplary docking host 220, and an
exemplary dockee 230 in accordance with some aspects of the
disclosure. In the illustrated example, the peripheral 210 includes
at least one processor 211, a memory 213 communicatively coupled to
the at least one processor 211, a communication interface 212
communicatively coupled to the at least one processor 211, and
optional peripheral function circuitry 214. In some aspects of the
disclosure, the at least one processor 211 may be the processor 104
included in the processing system 114 described above and
illustrated in FIG. 1; similarly, the memory 212 may be the memory
105 described above and illustrated in FIG. 1.
[0051] In various aspects of the disclosure, the communication
interface 212 may be a wireless interface configured for
communication with a docking host 220. For example, the
communication interface 212 may include a Wi-Fi interface
compatible with any of the family of standards defined under the
IEEE 802.11 standards, an IEEE 802.15.1 "Bluetooth" interface, an
IEEE 802.15.4 "ZigBee" interface, or any other suitable wireless
communication interface. Of course, some examples of a peripheral
210 may include two or more of the above-described or other
communication interfaces. In a particular example described in
further detail below, the communication interface 212 may be
configured to be compatible with Wi-Fi Direct protocols. Further,
when included in a peripheral 210, the peripheral function
circuitry 214 may be embodied in any number of ways, including for
example a user interface, a display, microphone, speaker, network
interface, etc.
[0052] Further, in the illustrated example, the docking host 220
includes at least one processor 221, a communication interface 222
communicatively coupled to the at least one processor 221, and a
memory 223 communicatively coupled to the at least one processor
221. In some aspects of the disclosure, the at least one processor
221 may be the processor 104 included in the processing system 114
described above and illustrated in FIG. 1; similarly, the memory
222 may be the memory 105 described above and illustrated in FIG.
1.
[0053] In various aspects of the disclosure, the communication
interface 222 may include a Wi-Fi interface compatible with any of
the family of standards defined under the IEEE 802.11 standards, an
IEEE 802.15.1 "Bluetooth" interface, an IEEE 802.15.4 "ZigBee"
interface, or any other suitable wireless communication interface.
Of course, some examples of a docking host 220 may include two or
more of the above-described or other communication interfaces. In a
particular example described in further detail below, the
communication interface 222 may be configured to be compatible with
Wi-Fi Direct protocols.
[0054] Still further, in the illustrated example, the dockee 230
includes at least one processor 231, a communication interface 232
communicatively coupled to the at least one processor 231, a memory
233 communicatively coupled to the at least one processor 231, and
a user interface 234 communicatively coupled to the at least one
processor 231. In some aspects of the disclosure, the at least one
processor 231 may be the processor 104 included in the processing
system 114 described above and illustrated in FIG. 1; similarly,
the memory 232 may be the memory 105 described above and
illustrated in FIG. 1.
[0055] In various aspects of the disclosure, the communication
interface 232 may include a Wi-Fi interface compatible with any of
the family of standards defined under the IEEE 802.11 standards, an
IEEE 802.15.1 "Bluetooth" interface, an IEEE 802.15.4 "ZigBee"
interface, or any other suitable wireless communication interface.
Of course, some examples of a dockee 230 may include two or more of
the above-described or other communication interfaces. In a
particular example described in further detail below, the
communication interface 232 may be configured to be compatible with
Wi-Fi Direct protocols.
[0056] In a further aspect of the disclosure, the dockee 230 may
include a user interface 234 for input/output functionality
enabling communication between a user and the wireless docking
system. As an illustrative but non-limiting example, the dockee 230
may be embodied as a smartphone or tablet device, including a
touch-screen interface providing user input and output
functionality.
[0057] A wireless docking system may provide a wireless connection
between a wireless dockee and a wireless docking environment. FIG.
3 is a simplified schematic diagram that illustrates a wireless
docking system 300 including a dockee 230 in wireless communication
with a plurality of peripherals 210, 310 by way of a wireless
docking host 220, as a part of a wireless docking environment
306.
[0058] The dockee 230 may be any suitable device capable of
wirelessly connecting to the wireless docking environment 306
utilizing any suitable communication protocol, which may include
but is not limited to IEEE 802.11 "Wi-Fi." By connecting to the
wireless docking environment 306, the dockee 230 may be capable of
connecting directly or indirectly to each of the peripherals 210
that are part of the wireless docking environment 306.
[0059] The wireless docking environment 306 is a group of one or
more physical devices, including one or more wireless docking hosts
220 and one or more peripherals 210. A wireless docking environment
306 can take any suitable configuration or topology, for example,
including nothing more than a wireless docking host 220, or
additionally including one or more peripherals 210.
[0060] The peripherals 210 may represent logical peripheral
functions. In general, a peripheral function may be any I/O
function implemented in a wireless docking host 220 that can be
made available to a wireless dockee 230 through any of various
suitable wireless interfaces; any I/O function in an external
peripheral device that can be made available to the wireless dockee
230 through the wireless docking host 220, where the external
peripheral device may be directly connected to the wireless docking
host 220; or any I/O function in an external peripheral device that
can be connected directly to the wireless dockee 230, and whose
connection to the wireless dockee 230 is set up utilizing
information provided by the wireless docking host 220. Peripherals
210 may in some examples be embodied as physical devices having
wired and/or wireless interfaces for communicating with the
wireless dockee 230 through the wireless docking host 220. Some
nonlimiting examples of peripherals might include LCD monitors or
other display devices, utilizing, e.g., an HDMI or VGA interface;
speakers, microphones a keyboard, mouse, printer, scanner, camera,
a mass storage device, etc. utilizing any suitable wired or
wireless interface, such as USB; general purpose USB ports or hubs
for coupling any suitable USB-compatible device; Ethernet ports for
coupling to a network; or any other suitable device.
[0061] In the illustration, some peripherals 210 are shown in the
wireless docking environment 306, and an extra peripheral 310 is
shown outside the wireless docking environment 306. Here, this
extra peripheral 310 illustrates that not necessarily all
peripherals 210, 310 that are paired with the wireless docking host
220 are included in a particular wireless docking environment 306.
That is, a wireless docking environment 306 associated with a
wireless docking host 220 may include only a subset of the
peripherals 210, 310 that are paired with, or in communication with
the docking host 220. Moreover, the extra peripheral 310 may be one
of numerous extra peripherals 310, and further, the wireless
docking host may provide a plurality of wireless docking
environments such as the environment 306. Here, the set of
peripherals in a particular wireless docking environment may
include any number, from zero or greater, of peripherals, and
further, in some examples, a particular peripheral 210, 310 may be
included in zero, one, two, or more established wireless docking
environments 306.
[0062] The wireless docking host 220 may be any suitable device
capable of connecting to the wireless dockee 230 and one or more
peripherals 210. For example, a wireless docking host 220 may make
available to a wireless dockee 230 peripheral functions on external
peripherals 210 that are connected to the docking host 220
directly, as well as peripheral functions the wireless docking host
220 itself may implement (e.g., a display).
[0063] The docking host 220 may provide different docking
experiences or docking environments 306 to different dockees 230.
For example, at a given time a dockee 230 may have a particular
need for certain peripheral functions, and upon learning of this
need, the docking host 220 may therefore provide a corresponding
docking environment 306 for that dockee.
[0064] One example of a way for a docking host 220 to provide these
capabilities to different dockees 230 is for the docking host 220
to preconfigure multiple docking environments 306. That is,
multiple groups of peripherals 210 can be preconfigured at the
docking host 220, e.g., by randomly selecting groups of available
peripherals 210 or by selecting certain peripherals to be grouped
together. Here, each group may be a logical group including
suitable peripherals 210, which may be manually or automatically
configured with the docking host 220.
[0065] In this example, the docking host 220 may group its attached
and/or wirelessly paired peripherals 210 into multiple hierarchical
groups and enable each dockee to use one group. For example, assume
that a particular docking host 220 has peripherals A-G available.
Here, peripherals A, B, and C may be grouped together into a first
group, and peripherals D, E, F, and G may be grouped together into
a second group. This way, the groups may be disjoint groups of
peripherals. In another example, peripherals A, B, and C may be
grouped together into a first group, and peripherals C, D, and E
may be grouped together into a second group. This way, the groups
may have some intersection or overlap of peripherals.
[0066] With a hierarchical grouping, separate groups of peripherals
might be disjoint groups, and separate groups might have a common
parent. For the common parent, peripherals A, B, C, D, E, and F
might be a parent group in the hierarchy, and at the next level of
the hierarchy, groups might include, for example, peripherals A, B,
and C as a first group; and peripherals D, E, and F as a second
group. By utilizing such groups of peripherals, each such group can
be considered a separate wireless docking environment 306 as
discussed above. That is, a particular wireless docking host 220
may be capable of providing any from a plurality of wireless
docking environments 306 to a particular wireless dockee 230, each
wireless docking environment 306 including a different group of
peripherals that may be one of a plurality of preconfigured
hierarchical groups.
[0067] In any wireless docking system utilizing docking
environments as described above, there are certain disadvantages
relating to the use of the docking host 220 in maintaining the
docking session. For example, due to the interposition of the
docking host 220 between the dockee 230 and the peripherals 210,
there can be a reduced efficiency according to any latency added by
processing and communication at the docking host 220. Furthermore,
it may be the case that the docking host 220 is managing docking
sessions for large numbers of dockees 230, which can ultimately
overload the processing and/or communication capabilities of the
docking host 220.
[0068] Therefore, in accordance with an aspect of the disclosure, a
direct pairing between the dockee 230 and one or more peripherals
210 may be enabled. For example, FIG. 4 is a simplified
illustration showing a direct pairing between the dockee 230 and
various peripherals 210. In the illustration, as compared to FIG.
3, here, the wireless connections between the wireless docking host
220 and the peripherals 210, as well as the wireless connection
between the wireless dockee 230 and the wireless docking host 220,
have been terminated. Further, a direct wireless connection is
shown to be established between the wireless dockee 230 and each of
the peripherals 210 in the docking environment 306. However, in
this example, a wireless connection between the wireless docking
host 220 and a peripheral 310 outside the docking environment 306
is maintained.
[0069] To enable the direct pairing between the wireless dockee 230
and the one or more peripherals 210, it may be desirable to
simplify a transition from the existence of the conventional
docking environment (as in FIG. 3) to a direct pairing between the
dockee 230 and one or more peripherals 210 in the docking
environment (as in FIG. 4). To establish this direct pairing, it
may further be desired not to require manual operation on the part
of the dockee 230 or its user, e.g., typing in a personal
identification number (PIN) or password phrase, touching a "pair"
button at the dockee 230 and the peripheral 210, etc. That is, if
manual operations were required for the pairing between the dockee
230 and the peripheral 210, the docking environment does not serve
any purpose in assisting the direct pairing and conventional
pairing procedures may be utilized. On the other hand, since it is
known that the docking host 220 is already configured with
information corresponding to the peripheral 210 by virtue of its
pairing and utilization in the docking environment 306, a handing
over of the peripheral 210 to the dockee 230 for a direct pairing
may be enabled.
[0070] FIG. 5 is a simplified schematic diagram illustrating the
various communication links that may be utilized in various aspects
of the disclosure. In general, as described below, a peripheral 210
is paired, or has a first communication link 504 established, with
the docking host 220. At this time, the dockee 230 initiates a
second communication link 502 with the docking host 220, to
establish a docking session including the peripheral 210, e.g., as
a part of a docking environment. In an aspect of the disclosure, a
direct communication link 506 may be established between the dockee
230 and the peripheral 210, such that the first communication link
504 between the docking host 220 and the peripheral 210 may be
severed.
[0071] One technology that may enable such a direct communication
link 506 between the dockee 230 and the peripheral 210 without the
use of a LAN access point such as the docking host 220 is
frequently referred to as Wi-Fi Direct. Wi-Fi Direct is an
existing, published standard that enables such wireless devices to
communicate directly with one another, without requiring an
intermediate wireless access point. In accordance with various
aspects of the present disclosure, wireless LAN communication may
utilize the Wi-Fi standard, the Wi-Fi Direct standard, or any other
suitable standard for wireless communication over a LAN. For ease
of explanation, in the description that follows, the dockee 230 and
the peripheral 210 include a communication interface 232, 212,
respectively, configured for communication utilizing the Wi-Fi
Direct standard.
[0072] Various aspects of the present disclosure provide a dockee
230 with a capability to pair directly with one or more peripherals
210 paired with a docking host 220 within a docking environment
306. Further aspects of the disclosure provide a persistent direct
pairing capability, wherein the dockee 230 may return to the
docking host 220 at a later time and the direct docking between the
dockee 230 and the one or more peripherals 210 may be efficiently
re-established.
[0073] Among various possible configurations, below, two potential
use cases are discussed. In a first example, the docking host 220
may be configured as a P2P group owner (GO), with the dockee 230
being configured as a P2P client of the docking host 220; in
another example, the dockee 230 may be configured as a P2P (GO),
such that the docking host 220 is a P2P client of the dockee
230.
Docking Host as a P2P GO
[0074] In an example where the dockee 230 is a client (e.g., a P2P
client) of the docking host 220, it is generally the case that one
or more peripherals 210 would additionally be P2P clients of the
docking host 220. In this case, tunneled direct link setup (TDLS)
may be utilized directly to connect the dockee 230 with the one or
more peripherals 210. Because TDLS is standardized, such a direct
pairing can be simplified. That is, the dockee 230 may initiate the
TDLS procedure through the docking host 220, and accordingly, the
dockee 230 can directly connect with the one or more peripherals
210.
[0075] FIG. 6 is a flow chart illustrating a simplified exemplary
process 600 of establishing a direct pairing session in accordance
with an aspect of the disclosure wherein the dockee 230 is a P2P
client for a docking host 220. In an aspect of the disclosure, the
steps of the process 600 may be operable at the peripheral 210, the
docking host 220, and/or the dockee 230, as described below. At
step 602, the docking host 220 is established as a P2P GO, having
the peripheral 210 attached to the docking host 220 as a P2P
client. At 604, when in a service discovery phase, the docking host
220 may advertise its peripherals for proximate dockees, and in an
aspect of the disclosure, may additionally advertise TDLS as a
payload connection option for use by a dockee in a direct pairing
session.
[0076] At 606, the dockee 230 may establish a docking session with
the docking host 220, joining as a P2P client of the P2P group of
which the docking host 220 is the P2P GO. Here, in some aspects of
the disclosure, the attachment of the dockee 230 with the docking
host 220 may include some manual operation on the part of the user;
however, in a further aspect of the disclosure, the handing over of
the peripheral(s) 210 to the dockee 230 for direct pairing need not
include any further manual pairing operations.
[0077] Here, if TDLS is enabled, then at step 610, in a connection
negotiation phase, the dockee 230 may transmit to the docking host
220 a request to utilize TDLS as its payload connection type to
directly communicate with the peripheral(s) 210. Once accepted, at
612 the dockee 230 may communicate with the docking host 220 to
establish the TDLS direct communication link 506 between the dockee
230 and the peripheral(s) 210 for direct communication, and at 614
the direct communication link 506 utilizing TDLS may be established
between the dockee 230 and the peripheral(s) 210.
Dockee as a P2P GO
[0078] Referring now to the second example introduced above, a
direct pairing between a dockee 230 and one or more peripherals 210
may be enabled utilizing wherein the dockee 230 is a P2P group
owner (GO), and the docking host 220 is a P2P client for the dockee
230.
[0079] FIG. 7 is a flow chart illustrating a simplified exemplary
process 700 of establishing a direct pairing session in accordance
with an aspect of the disclosure wherein the dockee 230 acts as a
P2P GO for one or more peripherals 210. At step 702, one or more
peripheral(s) 210 may be attached to the docking host 220 as a P2P
client. That is, the docking host 220 may be a P2P GO for the one
or more peripherals 210. At 704, when in a service discovery phase,
the docking host 220 may advertise its peripherals 210 for
proximate dockees.
[0080] At 706, the dockee 230 may establish a docking session with
the docking host 220 by inviting the docking host 220 to join a P2P
Group of which the dockee 230 is the P2P GO. Next, at 708, the
dockee 230 may dock with the docking host 220 and transmit to the
docking host 220 a request to communicate with the one or more
peripheral(s) 210 directly; and at 710, the dockee 230 and
peripheral(s) 210 may establish a direct communication link 506
wherein the dockee 230 is the P2P GO of a group including the
peripheral(s) 210.
[0081] In various aspects of the disclosure, as a part of the
process of step 710, the docking host 220 may assist the
peripheral(s) 210 to directly connect to the dockee 230 in various
suitable manners. Below, three examples are provided for the
docking host 220 to assist the peripheral 210 to establish the
direct communication link 504 with the dockee 230. In a first
example, the peripheral 210 connects to the dockee 230 as a P2P
client connects to a P2P GO, e.g., by going first through a
PIN-based Wi-Fi Simple Configuration (WSC) procedure, wherein the
PIN is dynamically generated and given by the docking host 220 to
the dockee 230. In a second example, the peripheral 210 may connect
to the dockee 230 as a P2P Client connects to a P2P GO, utilizing
the P2P Group Credential. In a third example, the peripheral 210
may connect to the dockee 230 as a legacy STA connects to an
infrastructure AP, utilizing a credential created by the docking
host 220. Each of these examples is described in further detail
below.
[0082] FIG. 8 is a call flow diagram illustrating an exemplary
process in accordance with a first example, wherein the dockee 230
acts as the P2P GO. To begin, as described above in relation to
FIG. 7, the peripheral 210 is paired with the docking host 220, and
a docking session has been initiated between the dockee 230 and the
docking host 220. Further, as described above at step 708, the
dockee 230 may optionally transmit a request 802 for direct pairing
with the peripheral 210. In some aspects of the disclosure the
request 802 may include a request to retrieve identification
information such as a PIN corresponding to the peripheral 210 for
provisioning the peripheral 210 at the dockee 230. This information
may be utilized to enable direct pairing between the peripheral 210
and the dockee 230.
[0083] 804A and 804B illustrate two examples of different ways that
PIN or other suitable credential information may be provided to the
dockee 230 and/or the peripheral 210 to enable the direct pairing
communication link 504 between the dockee 230 and the peripheral
210.
[0084] At 804A, as one alternative, either in response to a request
from the dockee 230 to retrieve a PIN, or in some examples upon the
initiative of the docking host 220, the docking host 220 may
transmit a request to the peripheral 210 to retrieve the
identification information such as the PIN corresponding to the
peripheral 210 for the provisioning of the dockee 230. In response,
the peripheral 210 may transmit the corresponding identification
information to the docking host 220 for provisioning the dockee
230. Here, the identification information may be generated for the
dockee 230. For example, the identification information may be
different from identification information utilized for pairing the
peripheral 210 with the docking host. 220. For example, if a first
PIN were used for pairing the docking host 220 with the peripheral
210, a second PIN different from the first PIN may be provided from
the peripheral 220 to the docking host 220 in response to the
request for provisioning information for the dockee 230. In this
fashion, in some examples, different identification information may
be provided by the peripheral 210 corresponding to each dockee that
wishes to employ a direct pairing. The identification information
received at the docking host 220 may then be transmitted from the
docking host 220 to the dockee 230 in a forwarding message, so that
the dockee 230 may register the peripheral 210 utilizing the
received identification information. For example, the dockee 230
may include a WTS registrar for registering the peripheral 210
utilizing a received PIN.
[0085] At 804B, as another alternative, in an aspect of the
disclosure, the docking host 220 may dynamically generate a PIN for
a WSC procedure for direct pairing between the dockee 230 and the
peripheral 210, and transmit the generated PIN to the peripheral
210 and the dockee 230. In some examples, the docking host 220 may
additionally transmit the P2P Device Address of the peripheral 210
to the dockee 230, and may complementarily send the P2P Device
Address of the dockee 230 to the peripheral 210, indicating that
the PIN is used for the WSC procedure between the peripheral 210
and the dockee 230. In some examples, here, the P2P Group Operating
Channel of the dockee 230 may be included, as well as a docking
host-assigned direct link expiration time.
[0086] Following either alternative 804A or 804B, the dockee 230
may begin a process to contact with the peripheral 210. Thus, at
806 a device phase may begin. Here, the dockee 230 may request the
docking host 220 to make the peripheral 210 discoverable, and then
invite the peripheral 210 to join the P2P Group of which the dockee
230 is the GO.
[0087] For example, the dockee 230 may transmit a device discovery
request for the peripheral 210 to the docking host 220; and the
docking host 220 may forward the discoverability request as a GO
discoverability request to the peripheral 210. This discoverability
request may be configured to inform the peripheral 210 about its
needed availability on a particular channel used by the dockee 230,
or other communication information for use between the dockee 230
and the peripheral 210. The docking host 220 may further transmit a
device discovery response for the peripheral 210 to the dockee 230,
such that the dockee 230 is configured with information for
communicating with the peripheral 210.
[0088] Thereafter, at 808 the dockee 230 may configure its
communication interface 232 to utilize the configuration
information received above so that it may communicate with the
peripheral 210, and accordingly transmit a P2P group invitation
request directly to the peripheral 210. The peripheral 210 may
accordingly respond with a P2P group invitation response to the
dockee 230. Next, the dockee 230 and the peripheral 210 may enter
into an authentication phase 810.
[0089] As illustrated, two authentication phases 810 and 814 are
utilized. Here, the first authentication phase 810 may establish a
persistent key for implementing a persistent direct pairing between
the dockee 230 and the peripheral 210; and the second
authentication phase 814 may establish a session key for
implementing a particular direct pairing session between the dockee
230 and the peripheral 210. The persistent direct pairing and the
session are described in further detail below.
[0090] That is, the first authentication message 810 may include an
authentication request that may specify the dockee 230 or the
peripheral 210. The authentication may utilize the identification
information (e.g., a PIN) provided to the dockee 230 by the docking
host 220 (as described above in alternatives 804A and 804B).
Following the first authentication phase 810, provisioning may be
implemented utilizing a Wi-Fi Simple Configuration (WSC) exchange
812. At this point, both entities, i.e., the dockee 230 and the
peripheral 210, will have a persistent key to utilize to
communicate with one another. Here, the persistent key may be a
different entity than the identification information discussed
above, and may be a secret key shared only by the dockee 230 and
the peripheral 210. From that time, the dockee 230 and the
peripheral 210 may utilize the second authentication message 814,
an association message, and a 4-way handshake 816 to establish a
session key to be utilized for the current pairing session. Once
the session key is established during the 4-way handshake 816 for
the current pairing session, data 818 may begin to flow between the
dockee 230 and the peripheral 210 in a secure fashion.
[0091] Furthermore, with the persistent key established at the
first authentication phase 810 described above, a persistent direct
pairing session may be established between the dockee 230 and the
peripheral 210. That is, the above-described process shown and
described in relation to FIG. 8 may be utilized upon an initial
pairing of the dockee 230 with the docking environment 306
including the peripheral 210. However, upon subsequent docking
sessions between the dockee 230 and the docking host 220 to utilize
the peripheral 210, the prior pairing may persist and the
subsequent pairing procedure may be simplified, as described below
in relation to FIG. 11.
[0092] Referring once again to FIG. 7, a second example for
establishing the direct communication link 504 between the dockee
230 and the peripheral 210 as in step 710 is described herein
below, wherein the peripheral 210 may connect to the dockee 230 as
a P2P client connects to a P2P GO, utilizing a P2P Group Credential
forwarded to the peripheral 210 by the docking host 220. FIG. 9 is
a flow chart illustrating an exemplary process 900 of establishing
the direct communication link 504 in accordance with this second
example.
[0093] In this example, as above, while the peripheral 210 is
connected to the docking host 220 as a P2P client, the dockee 230
approaches the docking host 220 and establishes a communication
link 502 such that the dockee 230 is a P2P GO.
[0094] At step 902, the docking host 220 may forward the Group
Credentials and P2P Group ID of the P2P GO (i.e., the dockee) to
the peripheral 210. In some examples, at step 904 the docking host
220 may additionally forward the P2P Group Operating Channel of the
dockee 230 and the docking host-assigned direct link expiration
time to the peripheral 210.
[0095] At step 906, the docking host 220 may then request the
peripheral 210 to disconnect the first communication link 504 from
the docking host 220, and instead find the dockee 230. Upon the
expiration of a timer, at 908 the peripheral 210 may reconnect to
the docking host to check whether the establishment of the direct
communication link 506 can continue. Finally, at step 910 the
dockee 230 and the peripheral 210 may find each other and establish
the direct communication link 506 utilizing the P2P Group, i.e.,
utilizing the Group Credentials received at step 902.
[0096] Referring yet again to FIG. 7, a third example for
establishing the direct communication link 504 between the dockee
230 and the peripheral 210 as in step 710 is described herein
below, wherein the peripheral 210 may connect to the dockee 230 as
a legacy STA connects to an infrastructure AP utilizing a
credential created by the docking host 220. FIG. 10 is a flow chart
illustrating an exemplary process 1000 of establishing the direct
communication link 504 in accordance with this third example.
[0097] In this example, as above, while the peripheral 210 is
connected to the docking host 220 as a P2P client, the dockee 230
approaches the docking host 220 and establishes a communication
link 502 such that the dockee 230 is a P2P GO. However, here, the
docking host may serve as an external registrar for the dockee's
direct connection to the peripheral 210, and therefore may push the
credential for the direct connection to the dockee 210 utilizing an
EAP procedure.
[0098] At step 1002, the docking host 220 may transmit to the
peripheral 210 an SSID of the dockee 230 and a P2P group credential
for the direct connection. In some examples, at step 1004 the
docking host 220 may additionally transmit a docking host-assigned
direct link expiration time to the peripheral 210.
[0099] At step 1006, the docking host 220 may then request the
peripheral 210 to disconnect the first communication link 504 from
the docking host 220, and instead find the dockee 230. Upon the
expiration of a timer, at 1008 the peripheral 210 may reconnect to
the docking host 220 to check whether the direct communication link
506 can continue. Finally, at step 1010 the dockee 220 and the
peripheral 210 may then find each other and establish the direct
communication link 506 utilizing the dockee's SSID and Group
Credential received at step 1002 to authenticate each other and to
directly connect to one another.
[0100] As described above, once an initial direct pairing session
has been established between a dockee 230 and one or more
peripherals 210 in a wireless docking environment, the pairing
between the dockee 230 and the peripherals 210 may persist and
accordingly enable the establishment of subsequent docking sessions
to become even more efficient, as described below.
[0101] FIG. 11 is a call flow diagram illustrating the subsequent
docking session, to illustrate persistent direct pairing between
the dockee 230 and the peripheral 210 in accordance with an aspect
of the disclosure. The process illustrated in FIG. 11 may follow
any of the above-described examples of the establishment of an
initial direct pairing session. That is, at the beginning of FIG.
11, the dockee 230 and the peripheral 210 are directly paired, as
described above in relation to any of FIGS. 6-10. That is,
referring in particular to FIG. 8, the persistent key established
during the first authentication phase 810 and the session key
established during the second authentication phase 814 may be
established and shared between the dockee 230 and the peripheral
210. Thus, at 1102 the dockee 230 may transmit a direct pairing
complete indication to the docking host 220; and/or the peripheral
210 may transmit a direct pairing complete indication to the
docking host 220. This way, the docking host 220 is informed about
the direct pairing between the dockee 230 and the peripheral 210
and can accordingly sever the first communication link 504 as the
data 1104 flows directly between the dockee 230 and the peripheral
210.
[0102] At this time, dockee 230 may wish to end the docking session
with the docking host 220, thereby accordingly resulting in an
ending of the direct pairing between the dockee 230 and the
peripheral 210. Therefore, at step 508 the dockee 230 may
communicate with the docking host 220 to sever the docking session.
For example, the user of the dockee 230 may explicitly indicate an
instruction utilizing the user interface 234, or in another
example, the user may simply pick up the dockee 230 and walk away.
In any case, the direct communication link 506 between the dockee
230 and the peripheral 210 may be disconnected. Once the direct
pairing is disconnected, at 1106, the peripheral 210 may pair back
with the docking host 220 so that it may be utilized within a
docking environment in the future by one or more dockees as
needed.
[0103] At 1108, the dockee 230 may return to the docking host 220,
and may once again dock with the docking host 220, requesting to
utilize a docking environment 306 that includes the peripheral 210.
In this case, in accordance with an aspect of the present
disclosure, the persistent pairing described above may be enabled
to simplify the re-establishment of a direct pairing between the
dockee 230 and the peripheral 210.
[0104] That is, the docking host 220 may recognize that the dockee
230 and the peripheral 210 have utilized a direct pairing in a
previous docking session. For example, the docking host 220 may
determine that a direct pairing previously occurred in accordance
with the direct pairing complete indication 1102 previously
received from either the dockee 230 or the peripheral 210. In this
case, the docking host 230 may suggest to the dockee 230 or the
peripheral 210 to utilize direct pairing once again. Two
alternatives are described herein for the docking host to suggest
direct pairing between the dockee 230 and the peripheral 210, and
illustrated as alternatives 1110A and 1110B. In an aspect of the
disclosure, a process may choose to implement one or the other of
1110A or 1110B.
[0105] In some aspects of the disclosure, as illustrated at 1110A,
in one alternative the docking host 220 may transmit to the
peripheral 210 a request for direct pairing between the dockee 230
and the peripheral 210.
[0106] In another aspect of the disclosure, as another alternative
as illustrated at 1110B, the docking host 220 may transmit a
request to the dockee 230 for direct pairing. Here, the dockee 230
may respond with a device discovery request for the peripheral 210,
and the docking host 220 may transmit a corresponding GO
discoverability request to the peripheral 210. Further, the docking
host 220 may transmit a device discovery response to the dockee
230.
[0107] Thereafter, the dockee 230 and the peripheral 210 may be
configured to communicate on a suitable channel and may be enabled
for direct communication with one another. As described above, the
dockee 230 and the peripheral 210 are already provisioned with a
persistent key to be utilized for persistent pairing. Thus, at
1112, the dockee 230 and the peripheral 210 may undergo
authentication and association to establish a session key for the
current pairing session, and at 1114 they may engage in a 4-way
handshake.
[0108] At this time, the dockee 230 and the peripheral 210 are
paired, and thus, in an aspect of the disclosure (as described
above at 1102), at 1116 a direct pairing complete indication may be
transmitted from the dockee 230 to the docking host 220, as well as
a direct pairing complete indication may be transmitted from the
peripheral 210 to the docking host 220 to inform the docking host
220 that the dockee 230 and the peripheral 210 are directly paired,
and thus, the docking host 220 need not act as an intermediate host
between the dockee 230 and the peripheral 210. Thereafter, data
1118 may be transferred directly between the dockee 230 and the
docking host 210 utilizing the direct communication link 506.
[0109] Several aspects of a wireless docking system have been
presented with reference to a system utilizing IEEE 802.11 "Wi-Fi"
communication protocols. As those skilled in the art will readily
appreciate, various aspects described throughout this disclosure
may be extended to other communication systems, network
architectures and communication standards. The actual
telecommunication standard, network architecture, and/or
communication standard employed will depend on the specific
application and the overall design constraints imposed on the
system.
[0110] It is to be understood that the specific order or hierarchy
of steps in the methods disclosed is an illustration of exemplary
processes. Based upon design preferences, it is understood that the
specific order or hierarchy of steps in the methods may be
rearranged. The accompanying method claims present elements of the
various steps in a sample order, and are not meant to be limited to
the specific order or hierarchy presented unless specifically
recited therein.
[0111] The previous description is provided to enable any person
skilled in the art to practice the various aspects described
herein. Various modifications to these aspects will be readily
apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles
defined herein may be applied to other aspects. Thus, the claims
are not intended to be limited to the aspects shown herein, but are
to be accorded the full scope consistent with the language of the
claims, wherein reference to an element in the singular is not
intended to mean "one and only one" unless specifically so stated,
but rather "one or more." Unless specifically stated otherwise, the
term "some" refers to one or more. A phrase referring to "at least
one of" a list of items refers to any combination of those items,
including single members. As an example, "at least one of: a, b, or
c" is intended to cover: a; b; c; a and b; a and c; b and c; and a,
b and c. All structural and functional equivalents to the elements
of the various aspects described throughout this disclosure that
are known or later come to be known to those of ordinary skill in
the art are expressly incorporated herein by reference and are
intended to be encompassed by the claims. Moreover, nothing
disclosed herein is intended to be dedicated to the public
regardless of whether such disclosure is explicitly recited in the
claims. No claim element is to be construed under the provisions of
35 U.S.C. .sctn.112, sixth paragraph, unless the element is
expressly recited using the phrase "means for" or, in the case of a
method claim, the element is recited using the phrase "step
for."
* * * * *