System, method, and apparatus for extending wireless personal area networks using conferencing connection

• US 20070264988A1
• Filed: 03/31/2006
• Published: 11/15/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Polycom Incorporated (Plantronics, Inc.)
• Inventors: Wilson, George "Jed", Rousch, Charles, Nogarede, Katharine
• Granted Patent: US 7,675,537 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1813 for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms instant messaging H04L51/04; protocols for multimedia communication H04L65/1101; arrangements for multi-party communication H04L65/403; telephonic conference arrangements H04M3/56; television conference systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/189 in combination with wireless systems selective distribution or broadcast in wireless communication networks H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/4038 with floor control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/24 Negotiation of communication capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/02 Inter-networking arrangements

Abstract

A system, method, and apparatus are disclosed whereby a wireless Personal Area Network such as a Bluetooth piconet may be extended to a remote location beyond the normal range by means of a conferencing connection. The conferencing connection may comprise, for example, one or more ISDN lines or an IP connection between two or more conference endpoints. The broadband connection may include a video channel, an audio channel, a control channel, and a Bluetooth channel.

Claims

1. A method of extending a wireless Personal Area Network (PAN), the method comprising the acts of:

establishing a first PAN comprising a first PAN-enabled device and a first PAN-enabled conferencing unit;

establishing a conferencing connection between the first PAN-enabled conferencing unit and a second PAN-enabled conferencing unit, wherein the second PAN-enabled conferencing unit is at a location remote from the first PAN-enabled conferencing unit;

establishing a second PAN comprising a second PAN-enabled device and the second PAN-enabled conferencing unit; and

linking the first PAN to the second PAN via the conferencing connection.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the first PAN-enabled device, the second PAN-enabled device, the first PAN-enabled conferencing unit, and the second PAN-enabled conferencing unit each comply with the Bluetooth specification.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the conferencing connection comprises a Bluetooth channel.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the conferencing connection comprises an ISDN line.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the conferencing connection comprises an Internet Protocol connection.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the conferencing connection comprises a broadband connection.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the first PAN-enabled conferencing unit comprises a video conferencing unit.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the first PAN-enabled conferencing unit comprises an audio conferencing unit.

9. A method of extending a wireless Personal Area Network (PAN), the method comprising the acts of:

establishing a first PAN comprising a first Bluetooth-enabled device and a first Bluetooth-enabled video conferencing unit;

establishing a second PAN comprising a second Bluetooth-enabled device and a second Bluetooth-enabled video conferencing unit, wherein the second Bluetooth-enabled video conferencing unit is at a location remote from the first Bluetooth-enabled video conferencing unit;

establishing a video conferencing connection between the first Bluetooth-enabled conferencing unit and the second Bluetooth-enabled video conferencing unit; and

linking the first PAN to the second PAN via the video conferencing connection.

10. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein the video conferencing connection comprises an audio channel, a video channel, a control data channel, and a Bluetooth channel.

11. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein the video conferencing connection comprises an ISDN line.

12. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein the video conferencing connection comprises an Internet Protocol connection.

13. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein the video conferencing connection comprises a broadband connection.

14. A method of exchanging data via a wireless Personal Area Network (PAN), the method comprising the acts of:

establishing a first PAN comprising a first PAN-enabled device and a first PAN-enabled video conferencing unit;

establishing a second PAN comprising a second PAN-enabled device and a second PAN-enabled video conferencing unit, wherein the second PAN-enabled video conferencing unit is at a location remote from the first PAN-enabled video conferencing unit;

establishing a video conferencing connection between the first PAN-enabled conferencing unit and the second PAN-enabled video conferencing unit;

linking the first PAN to the second PAN via the video conferencing connection;

determining respective capabilities of the first PAN-enabled video conferencing unit and the second PAN-enabled video conferencing unit;

identifying one or more devices in the first PAN;

identifying one or more devices in the second PAN; and

transmitting data from the first PAN-enabled device to the second PAN-enabled device.

15. The method as recited in claim 14, wherein the data transmitted from the first PAN-enabled device to the second PAN-enabled device comprises an electronic business card.

16. The method as recited in claim 14, wherein the data transmitted from the first PAN-enabled device to the second PAN-enabled device comprises an image drawn on a Bluetooth-enabled whiteboard.

17. The method as recited in claim 14, wherein the data transmitted from the first PAN-enabled device to the second PAN-enabled device comprises an image drawn using a Bluetooth-enabled pen.

18. The method as recited in claim 14, wherein the data transmitted from the first PAN-enabled device to the second PAN-enabled device comprises an image drawn on a PDA.

19. A conferencing system for enabling wireless communications via a virtual Personal Area Network (PAN), the system comprising:

a first wireless PAN comprising a first PAN-enabled conferencing unit, a first PAN-enabled device, and a second PAN-enabled device; and

a second wireless PAN comprising a second PAN-enabled conferencing unit, the first PAN-enabled device, and the second PAN-enabled device;

wherein the first PAN-enabled conferencing unit and the first PAN-enabled device are at a first location;

wherein the second PAN-enabled conferencing unit and the second PAN-enabled device are at a second location that is physically remote from the first location; and

wherein the first PAN-enabled conferencing unit and the second PAN-enabled conferencing unit are capable of communicating via a conference connection.

20. The system as recited in claim 19, wherein the conference connection comprises a Bluetooth channel.

21. The system as recited in claim 19, wherein the conference connection comprises an ISDN line.

22. The system as recited in claim 19, wherein the conference connection comprises an Internet Protocol connection.

23. The system as recited in claim 19, wherein the conference connection comprises a broadband connection.

24. The system as recited in claim 19, wherein the first PAN-enabled device comprises a Personal Digital Assistant.

25. The system as recited in claim 19, wherein the first PAN-enabled device comprises a personal computer.

26. The system as recited in claim 19, wherein the first PAN-enabled device comprises a mobile telephone.

27. The system as recited in claim 19, wherein the first PAN-enabled device comprises a camera.

28. The system as recited in claim 19, wherein the first PAN-enabled device comprises a microphone.

29. The system as recited in claim 19, wherein the first PAN-enabled device comprises a speaker.

30. The system as recited in claim 19, wherein the first PAN-enabled device comprises a Bluetooth whiteboard.

31. The system as recited in claim 19, wherein the first PAN-enabled device comprises a Bluetooth pen.

32. The system as recited in claim 19, wherein the first PAN-enabled device comprises a printer.

33. The system as recited in claim 19, wherein the first PAN-enabled device comprises a mouse.

34. The system as recited in claim 19, wherein the first PAN-enabled device comprises a keyboard.

35. The system as recited in claim 19, wherein the first PAN-enabled conferencing unit comprises a video conferencing unit.

36. The system as recited in claim 19, wherein the first PAN-enabled conferencing unit comprises an audio conferencing unit.

37. A conference endpoint at a near end, the conference endpoint comprising:

a processor;

an interface coupled to the processor, wherein the interface is configured to send and receive audio data, control data, and Bluetooth data via a conference link to a remote endpoint at a far end; and

a Bluetooth module coupled to the interface via a serial link, wherein the Bluetooth module is configured to wirelessly send and receive data to and from a near-end Bluetooth-enabled device.

38. The conference endpoint as recited in claim 37, further comprising a computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for dialing a phone number, wherein the phone number is received wirelessly from the near-end Bluetooth-enabled device.

39. The conference endpoint as recited in claim 37, further comprising a computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for sending an electronic business card to a far-end Bluetooth-enabled device, wherein the electronic business card is received wirelessly from the near-end Bluetooth-enabled device.

40. The conference endpoint as recited in claim 37, further comprising a computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for sending an image to a far-end Bluetooth-enabled device, wherein the image is received wirelessly from the near-end Bluetooth-enabled device.

41. The conference endpoint as recited in claim 37, further comprising a computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for sending a file to a far-end Bluetooth-enabled printer, wherein the file is received wirelessly from the near-end Bluetooth-enabled device.

42. The conference endpoint as recited in claim 37, further comprising a computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for synchronizing a first set of data stored on the near-end Bluetooth-enabled device with a second set of data stored on a far-end Bluetooth-enabled device.

43. A video conferencing unit at a first site, the video conferencing unit comprising:

a processor;

an interface coupled to the processor, wherein the interface is configured to send and receive audio data, video data, control data, and Bluetooth data via a conference link to an endpoint at a second site remote from the first site; and

a Bluetooth module coupled to the interface via a serial link, wherein the Bluetooth module is configured to wirelessly send and receive data to and from a Bluetooth-enabled device located at the first site.

44. The video conferencing unit as recited in claim 43, further comprising a computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for dialing a video number, wherein the video number is wirelessly transmitted from the Bluetooth-enabled device located at the first site.

45. The video conferencing unit as recited in claim 43, further comprising a computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for sending an electronic business card to a Bluetooth-enabled device located at the second site, wherein the electronic business card is received wirelessly from the Bluetooth-enabled device located at the first site.

46. The video conferencing unit as recited in claim 43, further comprising a computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for sending an image to a Bluetooth-enabled device located at the second site, wherein the image is received wirelessly from the Bluetooth-enabled device located at the first site.

47. The video conferencing unit as recited in claim 43, further comprising a computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for sending a file to a Bluetooth-enabled printer located at the second site, wherein the file is received wirelessly from the Bluetooth-enabled device located at the first site.

48. The video conferencing unit as recited in claim 43, further comprising a computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for synchronizing a first set of data stored on a Bluetooth-enabled device located at the first site with a second set of data stored on the Bluetooth-enabled device located at the second site.