System and method for electronically pairing devices

• US 20040253923A1
• Filed: 06/12/2003
• Published: 12/16/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/12/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Federal Express Corporation (FedEx Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Federal Express Corporation (FedEx Corporation)
• Inventors: Lemmon, Nathan, Pantlik, John G., Hollahan, Terrance P., Braley, Richard C., Naugle, Chris J.
• Application Number:
  US10/459,481
• Publication Number:
  US 20040253923A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/41.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/00 Network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/246 Connectivity information discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

A system and method for pairing wireless communication devices on a wireless personal area network allows communication between wireless communication devices and a master devices through the use of radio addresses. A barcode associated with each wireless communication is scanned by the master device. The scanned barcode is converted to a radio address associated with the scanned barcode. Software associated with the master device allows communication between the master device and the network devices through the use the radio addresses. The system of and method for pairing network devices on a wireless personal area network allows quicker and more efficient pairing of network devices when multiple wireless personal area networks are present in a confined space.

Claims

1. A system for pairing network devices, each network device having a communication radio, on a wireless personal area network, comprising:

a master device;

one or more network devices having on its exterior readable data representative of the radio address of the network device;

said master device, having a scanner and a master radio, for scanning the readable information of at least one network device; and

a memory storage, associated with the master device, which stores the readable information associated with each scanned network device;

wherein the master device is capable of establishing a wireless connection between the master radio and the communication radio for each scanned network device so that the master device and the scanned network devices can communicate.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the readable information is contained on a label.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the master device scans the label of at least one network device.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein a radio address for each scanned network device is associated with a communications port on the master device.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the label is a barcode.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the master device has a master barcode label.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the master device is a personal digital assistant (PDA).

8. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one wireless network device comprises a printer.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one wireless network device comprises a phone.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one wireless network device comprises a smartphone.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one wireless network device comprises a serial port adapter.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one wireless network device comprises a headset.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one wireless network device comprises a computer terminal.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one wireless network device comprises a laptop computer.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one wireless network device comprises a personal computer on a customer'"'"'s computer network.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the master device and at least one wireless network device communicate using Bluetooth technology.

17. A method for exchanging information on a wireless personal area network including a master device and at least one network device, comprising the steps of:

scanning readable information located on a network device using a scanner on a master device;

receiving information at the master device regarding the network device;

storing the information in a memory storage facility associated with the memory device;

establishing a connection between the master device and the network device using the received information; and

communicating, by the master device, with the network device.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising associating a radio address for each scanned network device on a communications port located on the master device.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the step of scanning comprises scanning a barcode label.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the step of scanning comprises a personal digital assistant (PDA) scanning the label.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein the step of scanning comprises the master device scanning a label from a printer.

22. The method of claim 17, wherein the step of scanning comprises the master device scanning a label from a phone.

23. The method of claim 17, wherein the step of scanning comprises the master device scanning a label from a smartphone.

24. The method of claim 17, wherein the step of scanning comprises the master device scanning a label from a serial port adapter.

25. The method of claim 17, wherein the step of scanning comprises the master device scanning a label from a headset.

26. The method of claim 17, wherein the step of scanning comprises the master device scanning a label from a computer terminal.

27. The method of claim 17, wherein the step of scanning comprises the master device scanning a label from a laptop computer.

28. The method of claim 17, wherein the step of scanning comprises the master device scanning a label from a personal computer on a customer'"'"'s computer network.

29. The method of claim 17, wherein the step of communicating comprises the master device and network device exchanging information using Bluetooth technology.

30. A data processing system-readable medium having a plurality of instructions executable by a data processing system embodied therein, wherein the instructions when executed cause the data processing system to:

retrieve information stored in a memory storage facility regarding data scanned from at least one network device by a master device; and

establish a connection between a master radio in the master device and a communication radio from each scanned network device using the information.

31. The data processing system-readable medium of claim 30, wherein the connection is established using Bluetooth technology.

32. The data processing system-readable medium of claim 30, wherein the information is a radio address uniquely identifying each network device

33. The data processing system-readable medium of claim 30, the plurality of instructions when executed further cause the data processing system to associate a radio address for each scanned network device on a communications port located on the master device.