System and method for managing communication links

• US 20060294217A1
• Filed: 08/11/2006
• Published: 12/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Universal Electronics, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Universal Electronics, Inc.
• Inventors: Chambers, Christopher Alan
• Granted Patent: US 8,472,356 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/1143 Bidirectional transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0037 Inter-user or inter-terminal allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0446 Resources in time domain, e.g. slots or frames
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/04 Scheduled access hybrid access H04W74/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/00 Wireless network protocols or protocol adaptations to wireless operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

A system and method for managing a communication link between a consumer electronic device adapted for two-way, wireless communications with at least one peripheral. The communication link is managed using a controller that is associated with the consumer electronic device that functions to assign communication slots to the peripheral to facilitate communications between the peripheral and the consumer electronic device.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a consumer electronic device adapted for two-way, wireless communications; and

at least one peripheral device adapted for two-way, wireless communications with the consumer electronic device;

wherein the consumer electronic device includes programming for assigning communication slots to each peripheral device to facilitate communications in the communication slots between each peripheral device and the consumer electronic device.

2. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein communications are by means of IR transmissions.

3. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the consumer electronic device is a game console and each peripheral device is a game controller.

4. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the communication slots are dynamically assigned and relinquished by the consumer electronic device.

5. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the communication slots are used to support both inbound and outbound traffic relative to the consumer electronic device.

6. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the time duration of the communication slot is dynamic.

7. The system as recited in claim 6, wherein the time duration of the communication slot is determined by the programming of the consumer electronic device.

8. The system as recited in claim 7, wherein an end of the communication slot is designated by a marker pulse.

9. A method for communicating data to a plurality of peripheral devices from a consumer electronic device, comprising:

transmitting from the consumer electronic device a packet which indicates slots in a forthcoming protocol cycle that will contain one or more outbound data packets and which of the plurality of peripheral devices are intended to receive the one or more outbound data packets; and

transmitting the outbound data packets from the consumer electronic device to the plurality of peripheral devices in the indicated slots.

10. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein the packet indicates that the one or more outbound data packets are intended for each of the plurality of peripheral devices.

11. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein the packet indicates that the peripheral device registered in a time slot one ahead of the current time slot is intended to receive an outbound data packet.

12. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein the packet indicates that an intended recipient peripheral device is to transmit an acknowledgement message upon receipt of an outbound data packet.

13. A method for receiving data at a consumer electronic device from a plurality of peripheral devices, comprising:

(a) broadcasting from the consumer electronic device a message which indicates a time slot and a numerical identifier of a peripheral device;

(b) causing the peripheral device assigned the numerical identifier to transmit data to the consumer electronic device during the time slot;

(c) causing the peripheral device assigned the next sequentially highest numerical identifier to transmit data to the consumer electronic device during the next sequentially higher time slot; and

(d) repeating step (c) until each of the plurality of peripheral devices has transmitted data to the consumer electronic device or no further time slots are available in which data may be transmitted.