Peripheral communication

• US 20040185778A1
• Filed: 03/20/2003
• Published: 09/23/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Chapple, Loren, Bunn, Jeremy, Biundo, Marc C.
• Application Number:
  US10/392,562
• Publication Number:
  US 20040185778A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/41.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor

Abstract

A system for sending a service request to a single peripheral among multiple peripherals includes a first communication link for identifying the multiple peripherals, and over which the service request will be sent to the single peripheral. The system also includes a second communication link for identifying the single peripheral, wherein the range of the second communication link is less than the range of the first communication link.

Claims

1. A system for sending a service request to a single peripheral among multiple peripherals, comprising:

a first communication link for identifying the multiple peripherals, and over which the service request will be sent to the single peripheral; and

a second communication link for identifying the single peripheral, wherein the range of the second communication link is less than the range of the first communication link.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first communication link is a radio frequency (RF) communication link.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the RF communication link is selected from the group consisting of the IEEE 802.11 protocols and the Bluetooth protocol.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the second communication link is a tactile communication link.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the second communication link is an infrared (IR) communication link.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the second communication link is an acoustic communication link.

7. An electronic device, comprising:

a first communication link;

a second communication link; and

a controller coupled to the first communication link and the second communication link, wherein the controller is configured to;

detect multiple peripherals on the first communication link;

detect a single peripheral on the second communication link; and

send a service request to the single peripheral over the first communication link.

8. The electronic device of claim 7, wherein the first communication link is a radio frequency (RF) communication link.

9. The electronic device of claim 7, wherein the second communication link is selected from the group consisting of a tactile communication link, an infrared (IR) communication link, and an acoustic communication link.

10. The electronic device of claim 7, wherein the second communication link is an acoustic communication link, comprising:

a sending transducer; and

a receiving transducer.

11. The electronic device of claim 7, wherein the second communication link is an acoustic communication link, comprising a sending and receiving transducer.

12. A peripheral, comprising:

a first communication link;

a second communication link; and

a controller coupled to the first communication link and the second communication link, wherein the controller is configured to transmit a unique identifier over the first communication link and the second communication link.

13. The peripheral of claim 12, wherein the first communication link is a radio frequency (RF) communication link.

14. The peripheral of claim 12, wherein the second communication link is selected from the group consisting of a tactile communication link, an infrared communication link, and an acoustic communication link.

15. The peripheral of claim 12, further comprising a connection to a network.

16. A method for an electronic device to select a single peripheral among multiple peripherals, comprising:

detecting the multiple peripherals on a first communication link;

detecting the single peripheral on a second communication link; and

sending a service request to the single peripheral over the first communication link.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein sending the service request to the single peripheral comprises:

rendering data on the electronic device;

sending the rendered data to the single peripheral over the first communication link; and

printing the rendered data with the single peripheral on a print media.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein sending the service request to the single peripheral comprises:

sending non-rendered data to the single peripheral over the first communication link;

rendering the non-rendered data to form rendered data on the single peripheral; and

printing the rendered data with the single peripheral on a print media.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein sending the service request to the single peripheral comprises:

sending a reference to data to the single peripheral over a first communication link;

retrieving the data based on the reference;

rendering the data if not already rendered; and

printing the rendered data with the single peripheral on a print media.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the first communication link is a radio frequency (RF) communication link.

21. The method of claim 16, wherein the second communication link is selected from the group consisting of a tactile communication link, an infrared (IR) communication link, and an acoustic communication link.

22. The method of claim 16, wherein sending the service request to the single peripheral comprises sending information for a financial transaction.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the financial transaction is selected from the group consisting of:

paying for a vending machine product;

paying for a purchase at a cash register;

paying for a purchase at an automated checkout stand;

interacting with an automated teller machine (ATM);

paying for fuel at a fueling station;

paying for a purchase at a photo kiosk;

paying for network usage in a hotspot area; and

paying for printed output on a print media.

24. A method for an electronic device to select a single peripheral among multiple peripherals, comprising:

detecting the multiple peripherals on a first communication link;

detecting the single peripheral on a second communication link; and

sending a service request to the single peripheral over the second communication link.

25. The method according to claim 24, wherein sending the service request to the single peripheral comprises:

sending a reference to data to the single peripheral over the second communication link;

retrieving the data from the reference;

rendering the data if not already rendered; and

printing the rendered data with the single peripheral on a print media.

26. The method according to claim 25, wherein the second communication link is an acoustic communication link.

27. A method for a first peripheral to avoid communication conflicts with a second peripheral, comprising:

monitoring an acoustic communication link for the presence of a second peripheral using a same acoustic wavelength; and

upon detecting a second peripheral using the same acoustic wavelength, changing the acoustic wavelength to a different acoustic wavelength.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein changing the acoustic wavelength comprises changing the acoustic wavelength to a randomly selected acoustic wavelength.

29. A method for an electronic device to avoid communication conflicts with multiple peripherals, comprising:

monitoring an acoustic communication link for the presence one or multiple peripherals;

after detecting a garbled acoustic communication signal, emitting an acoustic conflict signal indicating that there is an audio conflict; and

on the one or multiple peripherals which receive the acoustic conflict signal, changing the acoustic wavelength transmitted by the one or multiple peripherals.

30. A method for an electronic device to select a local peripheral among multiple peripherals, comprising:

detecting a global list of the multiple peripherals on a first communication link;

detecting a local list of at least two of the multiple peripherals on a second communication link;

selecting the local peripheral from the local list; and

sending a service request to the local peripheral over the first communication link.