Systems and techniques for intelligently switching between multiple sources of universal serial bus signals
First Claim
1. A computer-implemented method for switching between multiple sources of Universal Serial Bus (USB) signals, the method comprising:
- examiningwhether a USB connector is physically coupled to a USB port of an electronic device by determining whether a power signal is presently being received at a first electrical contact within the USB port, andwhether an accessory is wirelessly coupled to a wireless transceiver of the electronic device by determining whether a physical connection is presently being maintained between a second electrical contact accessible through a housing of the electronic device and a third electrical contact accessible through a housing of the accessory;
processing a first USB signal received at a first source,wherein the first source is the USB port or the wireless transceiver;
determining that a second USB signal has been received at a second source,wherein the second source is whichever of the USB port and the wireless transceiver is not the first source; and
executing a switching routine that enables the electronic device to sequentially receive the first and second USB signals at the first and second sources.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Various embodiments concern techniques for intelligently switching between multiple sources of USB signals. More specifically, user devices are described that include a physical USB port for receiving a USB connector and one or more wireless transceivers that communicate with an accessory. The wireless transceiver(s) may communicate with the accessory using a USB-based protocol (e.g., Wireless USB). The user devices described herein can intelligently switch between these different sources of USB signals so that USB signals can be simultaneously or sequentially received from a peripheral (via the USB port) and an accessory (via the wireless transceiver(s)). In some embodiments, a switching routine is executed (e.g., by a processor or signal switch) that determines which peripheral and/or accessory is connected to a user device at a given point in time.
41 Citations
19 Claims
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1. A computer-implemented method for switching between multiple sources of Universal Serial Bus (USB) signals, the method comprising:
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examining whether a USB connector is physically coupled to a USB port of an electronic device by determining whether a power signal is presently being received at a first electrical contact within the USB port, and whether an accessory is wirelessly coupled to a wireless transceiver of the electronic device by determining whether a physical connection is presently being maintained between a second electrical contact accessible through a housing of the electronic device and a third electrical contact accessible through a housing of the accessory; processing a first USB signal received at a first source, wherein the first source is the USB port or the wireless transceiver; determining that a second USB signal has been received at a second source, wherein the second source is whichever of the USB port and the wireless transceiver is not the first source; and executing a switching routine that enables the electronic device to sequentially receive the first and second USB signals at the first and second sources. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A non-transitory computer-readable medium with instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:
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monitoring whether a Universal Serial Bus (USB) connector is physically coupled to a USB port of an electronic device by determining whether a power signal is presently being received at a first electrical contact within the USB port, and whether an accessory is wirelessly coupled to a wireless transceiver of the electronic device by determining whether a physical connection is presently being maintained between a second electrical contact accessible through a housing of the electronic device and a third electrical contact accessible through a housing of the accessory; and executing a switching routine that enables the electronic device to sequentially process USB signals at the USB port and the wireless transceiver. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. An electronic device comprising:
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a housing that includes a wireless accessory bus for receiving an accessory, and a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port for receiving a USB connector; a wireless transceiver operable to communicate with the accessory via a Wireless USB communication link; a signal switch operable to simultaneously or sequentially receive USB signals at the USB port and the wireless transceiver; and a processor configured to query whether the USB connector is coupled to the USB port by determining whether a power signal is presently being received at a first electrical contact within the USB port, and query whether the accessory is coupled to the wireless transceiver by determining whether a physical connection is presently being maintained between a second electrical contact accessible through the housing of the electronic device and a third electrical contact accessible through a housing of the accessory. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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Specification