METHOD FOR USING BLUETOOTH MODULE TO PROCESS NON-BLUETOOTH SIGNALS

• US 20090203316A1
• Filed: 02/13/2008
• Published: 08/13/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Tang, John, Krueger, Scott, Dorogusker, Jesse
• Granted Patent: US 8,135,344 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/41.200
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1059 End-user terminal functionalities specially adapted for real-time communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/75 Media network packet handling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/756 adapting media to device capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/22 Negotiating communication rate
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/18 Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

An electronic device having a communications module with a first set of data rates can be enabled to use the communications module to process signals received from a source that uses a second set of data rates. The device may generate packets, frames, etc. at the first set of data rates using the communications module from the signals received from the remote source by sampling signals at one or more of the first set of data rates. The device may then reconstruct data or payloads originally transmitted in the signals at the second set of data rates from the packets generated at the first set of data rates. Thus, the device can process signals or transmissions at the second set of data rates using the first set of data rates without requiring additional receivers or communications modules to process the signals.

Claims

1. A method for communicating data, the method comprising:

receiving a packet transmitted at a first data rate;

generating information at a module that processes data at a second data rate in response to receiving the packet; and

outputting data transmitted using the packet based on the information.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein generating the information in response to the packet comprises over-sampling transmission of the packet to generate a second packet.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

reconstructing the packet; and

obtaining the data transmitted using the packet from the reconstructed packet.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising:

interpreting portions of the reconstructed packet as information formatted according to the Bluetooth protocol.

5. The method of claim 3 further comprising:

accepting or rejecting the reconstructed packet.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

prioritizing communications in response to a timing plan associated with the packet.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining a frequency associated with transmission of the packet; and

managing communications associated with the frequency.

8. A system for communicating data, the system comprising:

a first device configured to receive data and to generate a packet based on the data using a first data rate; and

a second device configured to receive the packet, to generate information using a module that processes data using a second data rate in response to receiving the packet, and to output data transmitted using the packet based on the information.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the second device is configured to over-sample transmission of the packet to generate a Bluetooth packet.

10. The system of claim 8 wherein the second device is further configured to reconstruct the packet based on the packet to obtain the data transmitted using the packet.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the second device is further configured to interpret portions of the reconstructed packet as information formatted according to the Bluetooth protocol.

12. The system of claim 10 wherein the second device is further configured to accepting or rejecting the reconstructed packet.

13. The system of claim 8 wherein the second device is further configured to prioritizing communications in response to a timing plan associated with the packet.

14. The system of claim 8 wherein the second device is further configured to determine a frequency associated with transmission of the packet and to manage communications associated with the frequency.

15. A computer readable medium configured to store a set of code modules which when executed by a processor of a device become operational with the processor to communicate data, the computer readable medium comprising:

code for processing a transmission sent using a first data rate at a module that processes transmissions using a second data rate;

code for generating information in response to receiving the transmission; and

code for obtaining portions of the transmission from the module based on the information.

16. An apparatus comprising:

an antenna; and

a Bluetooth receiver coupled to the antenna and configured to receive transmission of data in a non-Bluetooth packet, to generate a Bluetooth packet in response to receiving the non-Bluetooth packet, and to output the data transmitted in the non-Bluetooth packet.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the Bluetooth receiver is configured to over-sample the non-Bluetooth packet to generate the Bluetooth packet.

18. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the Bluetooth receiver is further configured to reconstruct the non-Bluetooth packet to obtain the data based on the reconstructed non-Bluetooth packet.

19. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein the Bluetooth receiver is further configured to interpreting portions of the reconstructed non-Bluetooth packet as information formatted according to the Bluetooth protocol.

20. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein the Bluetooth receiver is further configured to accept or reject the reconstructed non-Bluetooth packet.

21. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein the Bluetooth receiver is further configured to prioritize communications in response to a timing plan associated with the non-Bluetooth packet.

22. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein the Bluetooth receiver is further configured to:

determine a frequency associated with transmission of the non-Bluetooth packet; and

manage Bluetooth communications associated with the frequency.

23. A Bluetooth chipset comprising:

first circuitry configured to interface with a radio to communicate data;

second circuitry coupled to the first circuitry and configured to process Bluetooth communications using one or more first data rates; and

third circuitry coupled to the first circuitry and configured to process non-Bluetooth communications sent using one or more second data rates using the one or more first data rates associated with the second circuitry.