CONFIGURING AND CONNECTING TO A MEDIA WIRELESS NETWORK

• US 20080092204A1
• Filed: 10/16/2007
• Published: 04/17/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: D&M Holdings Incorporated (Masimo Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Altec Lansing Australia Pty., Limited
• Inventors: Kinder, Richard, Bryce, Stuart
• Granted Patent: US 7,983,615 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/143
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2841 Wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2849 Audio/video appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0272 Virtual private networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0823 using certificates cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving certificates H04L9/3263
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43072 of multiple content streams on the same device
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43615 Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43637 involving a wireless protocol, e.g. Bluetooth, RF or wireless LAN [IEEE 802.11] arrangements for wireless networking or broadcasting of information in indoor or near-field type systems H04B10/114
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4367 Establishing a secure communication between the client and a peripheral device or smart card
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/56 Synchronising systems therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2205/024 Positioning of loudspeaker enclosures for spatial sound reproduction
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/07 Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information

Abstract

A method performed by a wireless media device such as a wireless loudspeaker subsystem for configuring and connecting to a media wireless network. The wireless media device first associates to an existing infrastructure based wireless network at a first phase. At a second phase, the wireless media device establishes a secure communications tunnel with a complementary wireless device that has also previously associated to the existing wireless network. Using the secure tunnel, the wireless media device shares with the complementary wireless device data indicative of a set of parameters for a second wireless media wireless network at a third phase. Once this sharing is complete, the wireless media device connects to the second wireless network at a fourth phase.

Claims

1. A method in a wireless media device for configuring and connecting to a media wireless network, the method including the steps of:

connecting to a first wireless network;

establishing a secure communications tunnel with a complementary wireless device on the first wireless network;

sharing with the complementary wireless device over the secure communications tunnel data indicative of a set of parameters for a media wireless network; and

connecting to the media wireless network.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein in response to completion of the sharing, the device disconnects from the first wireless network.

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein disconnecting from the first wireless network includes de-authenticating from the first wireless network.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein the set of parameters are selected to tune the media wireless network for a particular purpose.

5. A method according to claim 4, wherein the particular purpose is real-time data transport.

6. A method according to claim 4, wherein the purpose is wireless media streaming.

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein the step of establishing the secure identification tunnel uses a Diffie Hellman key exchange protocol.

8. A method according to claim 1, wherein the step of establishing the secure identification tunnel allows mutual authentication of the wireless media device and the complementary wireless device.

9. A method according to claim 8, wherein the wireless media device and complementary wireless device maintain respective digital certificates for facilitating the mutual authentication.

10. A method according to claim 1, wherein establishment of the secure identification tunnel provides a virtual network for interfacing the wireless media device with the complementary wireless device such that a packet sent at one side of the tunnel is securely delivered at the other end of the tunnel.

11. A method according to claim 1, further including a master/slave determination step for allowing the wireless media device to determine whether it is a relative slave device or relative master device by comparison to the complementary wireless device.

12. A method according to claim 11, wherein for the step of sharing data indicative of the set of parameters, the relative master device communicates to the relative slave device one or more configuration data packets indicative of the set of parameters.

13. A method according to claim 11, wherein the wireless media device and complementary wireless device have respective hierarchical identifiers for facilitating the master/slave determination step.

14. A method according to claim 13, wherein the hierarchical identifiers are embedded in respective unique device identifiers.

15. A method according to claim 14, wherein the unique device identifiers are MAC addresses.

16. A method according to claim 1, wherein upon connection to the first wireless network, the wireless media device undergoes a discovery procedure for allowing the wireless media device and the complementary wireless device to discover each other.

17. A method according to claim 1, wherein the first wireless network is provided by a third party access point.

18. A method according to claim 1, wherein the first wireless network is provided by the wireless media device.

19. A method according to claim 1, wherein first wireless network is provided by the complementary wireless device.

20. A method according to claim 1, wherein the step of connecting to a first wireless network includes the sub steps of:

searching for an available first wireless network; and

in the case that the searching finds an available first wireless network, associating to the found network and in the case that the searching does not find an available first wireless network, forming an access point for providing the first wireless network and associating to that network.

21. A method according to claim 20, wherein the wireless media device searches for an available wireless network for a predetermined period of time.

22. A method according to claim 21, wherein the predetermined period is based on a component of a unique identifier of the wireless media device.

23. A method according to claim 22, wherein the unique identifier is the MAC address of the wireless media device.

24. A method according to claim 1, wherein the complementary wireless device is enabled to perform substantially the same method as the wireless media device.

25. A carrier medium carrying computer readable instructions that when executed by one or more processors of a processing system in a wireless media device, cause the wireless media device to implement a method for configuring and connecting to a media wireless network, the method including the steps of:

connecting to a first wireless network;

establishing a secure communications tunnel with a complementary wireless device on the first wireless network;

sharing with the complementary wireless device over the secure communications tunnel data indicative of a set of parameters for a media wireless network; and

connecting to the media wireless network.

26. A wireless media device including:

a first wireless network interface for connecting to a first wireless network;

a second wireless network interface for establishing a secure communications tunnel with a complementary wireless device on the first wireless network;

a third wireless interface for sharing with the complementary wireless device over the secure communications tunnel data indicative of a set of parameters for a second wireless network; and

a fourth wireless interface for connecting to the second wireless network.

27. A wireless media device according to claim 26 wherein the first, second, third and fourth wireless interfaces are collectively defined by a wireless network interface coupled to a processor and memory unit.

28. A carrier medium carrying computer readable instructions that when executed by one or more processors of a processing system in a wireless media device, cause the wireless media device to implement a method for configuring and connecting to a media wireless network, the method including the steps of:

connecting to a first wireless network;

establishing a secure communications tunnel with a complementary wireless device on the first wireless network;

sharing with the complementary wireless device over the secure communications tunnel data indicative of a set of parameters for a second wireless network; and

connecting to the second wireless network.

29. A method for establishing a securely configurable network for a plurality of wireless media devices, the method including the steps of:

allowing the wireless media devices to connect to a first wireless network;

establishing one or more secure communication tunnels between the devices;

passing over the one or more tunnels data indicative of a set of parameters for a second wireless network; and

allowing the devices to connect to the second wireless network.

30. A method in a wireless audio device for configuring and connecting to a wireless audio network, the method including the steps of:

connecting to a first wireless network;

establishing a secure communications tunnel with a complementary wireless audio device on the first wireless network;

sharing with the complementary wireless device over the secure communications tunnel data indicative of a set of parameters for a media wireless network; and

connecting to the wireless audio network.