Method and device for enabling virtual docking in a wireless network

• US 10,171,984 B2
• Filed: 11/06/2013
• Issued: 01/01/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Vedula, Kiran Bharadwaj, Lee, Jong-Hyo, Kim, Jun-Hyung
• Primary Examiner(s): Rivero, Alejandro
• Application Number:
  US14/648,432
• Publication Number:
  US 20150319598A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,882 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1632 External expansion units, e.g. docking stations
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals

Abstract

A method and device to implement virtual docking host functionality in a wireless network is disclosed. The method manages at least one docking environment device within a wireless network. Further, the method discovers at least one docking environment and docks a dockee device to at least one docking environment device.

Claims

1. A method for docking by a virtual wireless docking host (VWDH) in a wireless network including a wireless docking environment (WDN) including a plurality of peripheral devices, the method comprising:

transmitting, by a dockee, to at least one additional peripheral device, a request of addition of the at least one additional peripheral device in the WDN by using a WDN identifier (ID);

receiving, by the dockee, from the at least one additional peripheral device, a response for configuring the WDN;

discovering, by the VWDH, implemented within the dockee, the WDN within the wireless network;

receiving, by the VWDH, WDN information of the plurality of peripheral devices in the WDN, wherein the WDN information includes security information and the WDN ID; and

docking, by the VWDH, to the plurality of peripheral devices in the WDN based on the WDN information,

wherein the WDN information is advertised by a proxy device, which is one of the plurality of peripheral devices other than the dockee, and the WDN information is stored in the plurality of peripheral devices in the WDN, and

wherein docking by the VWDH comprises establishing connections with the plurality of peripheral devices based on function protocols of the plurality of peripheral devices.

2. The method as in claim 1, further comprising:

managing the WDN by performing at least one of the addition of the at least one additional peripheral device to the WDN and removal of at least one of the plurality of peripheral devices from the WDN.

3. The method as in claim 2, further comprising:

storing configuration information of the managed WDN in at least one of the plurality of peripheral devices in the WDN, wherein the configuration information comprises the WDN information of the managed WDN.

4. The method as in claim 3, wherein the configuration information of the managed WDN is stored in the proxy device.

5. The method as in claim 1, further comprising:

identifying the WDN using the WDN ID.

6. The method as in claim 1, wherein docking comprises:

sending a dock request to the plurality of peripheral devices in the WDN; and

docking with the plurality of peripheral devices by using the WDN information of the WDN.

7. An apparatus of a virtual wireless docking host (VWDH) for docking in a wireless network including a wireless docking environment (WDN) including a plurality of peripheral devices, the apparatus comprising:

a processor configured to

transmit, to at least one additional peripheral device, a request of addition of the at least one additional peripheral device in the WDN by using a WDN identifier (WDN ID), and

receive from the at least one additional peripheral device a response for configuring the WDN; and

wherein the VWDH is configured to

discover the WDN within the wireless network;

receive WDN information of the plurality of peripheral devices in the WDN, wherein the WDN information includes security information and the WDN ID; and

dock to the plurality of peripheral devices in the WDN based on the WDN information,

wherein the WDN information is advertised by a proxy device, which is one of the plurality of peripheral devices other than the apparatus, and the WDN information is stored in the plurality of peripheral devices in the WDN, and

wherein docking by the VWDH comprises establishing connections with the plurality of peripheral devices based on function protocols of the plurality of peripheral devices.

8. The apparatus as in claim 7, wherein the processor is further configured to:

manage the WDN by performing at least one of the addition of the at least one additional peripheral device to the WDN and removal of at least one of the plurality of peripheral devices from the WDN.

9. The apparatus as in claim 8, wherein the processor is further configured to:

store configuration information of the managed WDN in at least one of the plurality of peripheral devices in the WDN, wherein the configuration information comprises the WDN—

information of the managed WDN.

10. The apparatus as in claim 9, wherein the configuration information of the managed WDN is stored in the proxy device.

11. The apparatus as in claim 7, wherein the processor is further configured to:

identify the WDN using the WDN ID.

12. The apparatus as in claim 7, wherein the VWDH is further configured to:

dock with the WDN by sending a dock request to the plurality of peripheral devices in the WDN; and

dock with the plurality of peripheral devices by using the WDN information of the WDN.