Method for configuring a wireless device

• US 10,516,774 B2
• Filed: 02/09/2012
• Issued: 12/24/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/09/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Landry, Lawrence B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ibrahim, Mohamed
• Application Number:
  US13/369,327
• Publication Number:
  US 20130212233A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,875 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0803 Configuration setting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/344 Out-of-band transfers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/02 including a Bluetooth interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/06 including a wireless LAN interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring

Abstract

A method for configuring a first electronic device that includes first and second wireless communication systems. A first wireless connection is established between the first electronic device and a second electronic device using the first wireless communication system. Configuration information pertaining to the second wireless communication system is transmitted from the first electronic device to the second electronic device using the first wireless connection. Configuration instructions are transmitted from the second electronic device to the first electronic device over the first wireless connection. The configuration instructions are used to configure the first electronic device to communicate using the second wireless communication system, and the first wireless connection can then be terminated.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for configuring an electronic device to join a wireless network, comprising:

establishing, by a first electronic device, a first wireless connection with a second electronic device using a first wireless system and a first wireless communication protocol;

receiving, by the first electronic device over the first wireless connection from the second electronic device, an indication of a second wireless system available to the first electronic device,

wherein the second wireless system is selected at the second electronic device from a displayed plurality of available wireless communication systems,

wherein the plurality of available wireless communication systems are displayed in response to establishing the first wireless connection, and

wherein receiving the indication by the first electronic device comprises receiving configuration information comprising security credentials for joining the second wireless system;

joining, by the first electronic device, the second wireless system using the configuration information by establishing a second wireless connection with a third electronic device using a second wireless communication protocol; and

disabling, responsive to the joining, acceptance of a subsequent connection to the first wireless system.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising terminating, by the first electronic device, the first wireless connection with the second electronic device after the second wireless connection with the third electronic device has been established.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising power cycling the first electronic device to re-enable the first wireless connection with the second electronic device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein joining to the second wireless system comprises receiving connection status information from the third device, and wherein the connection status information provides information regarding detection of connection errors with the third device.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the connection errors include an invalid security credential, an indicator representing an inability of the first electronic device to communicate with the third device, or both.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising establishing, by the first electronic device, a third wireless connection with a fourth electronic device connected to the second wireless system after establishing the second wireless connection with the third electronic device.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising testing, by the first electronic device, the second wireless connection with the third electronic device to determine whether the first electronic device successfully joined the second wireless system.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the second electronic device comprises a handheld electronic device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the configuration information received over the first wireless connection includes information that was previously stored in the second electronic device.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the configuration information includes network identification information, and wherein the security credentials include a security key.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

after the disabling, re-enabling acceptance of subsequent connections to the first wireless system based at least in part on activation of a virtual push button or a physical button push on the first electronic device.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the second wireless system is selected based on an input received by the second wireless device from a user of the second wireless device.

13. A non-transitory computer program storage device comprising a non-transitory tangible computer readable storage medium that stores instructions when executed by at least one processor causes a first electronic device to:

establish a first wireless connection with a second electronic device before gaining access to a second wireless network, wherein the first wireless connection is associated with a first wireless network using a first wireless system and a first communication protocol;

receive over the first wireless connection from the second electronic device, an indication of a second wireless system available to the first electronic device,

wherein the second wireless system is selected at the second electronic device from a displayed plurality of available wireless communication systems,

wherein the plurality of available wireless communication systems are displayed in response to establishing the first wireless connection, and

wherein receiving the indication by the first electronic device comprises receiving configuration information that includes wireless access credentials for gaining access to the second wireless network;

establish a second wireless connection with a third electronic device using a second communication protocol associated with the second wireless network;

gain access to the second wireless network based at least in part on the wireless access credentials satisfying a security configuration of the second wireless network; and

disable, responsive to gaining access, acceptance of a subsequent connection to the first wireless system.

14. The non-transitory computer program storage device of claim 13, wherein the instructions when executed by at least one processor cause the first electronic device to gain access to the second wireless network comprise instructions that cause the first electronic device to receive connection status information from the third electronic device regarding whether the first electronic device is successful in joining the second wireless network.

15. The non-transitory computer program storage device of claim 13, wherein the instructions further cause the first electronic device to:

test the second wireless connection between the first electronic device and the third electronic device; and

determine whether joining the second wireless network is successful based on the test.

16. The non-transitory computer program storage device of claim 13, wherein the configuration information received from the second electronic device includes information that was previously stored in the second electronic device when the second electronic device previously gained access the second wireless network.

17. A wireless device comprising:

at least one processor;

a computer-readable memory communicatively coupled to the at least one processor and including instructions that when executed by the at least one processor, cause the wireless device to;

establish a first wireless connection over a first wireless system with a second wireless device using a first wireless protocol;

obtain an input to connect the second wireless device to a second wireless system from a plurality of available wireless systems,

wherein the second wireless system is selected at the second wireless device from a displayed plurality of available wireless communication systems and

wherein the plurality of available wireless communication systems are displayed in response to establishing the first wireless connection;

obtain a security credential for joining the second wireless system;

transmit over the first wireless connection the security credential to the second wireless device; and

disable, responsive to the transmitting, acceptance of a subsequent connection to the first wireless system.

18. The wireless device of claim 17, further comprising a display and a user control, wherein the instructions to obtain an input comprise instructions that cause the wireless device to:

produce a visual list of the plurality of available wireless systems on the display; and

receive the input from the user control based on the visual list of the plurality of available wireless systems.

19. The wireless device of claim 17, wherein the security credential was previously stored in the computer-readable memory.

20. The wireless device of claim 17, wherein the instructions further cause the wireless device to terminate the first wireless connection with the second wireless device after the second wireless device joins the second wireless system.