APPLICATION COMMUNICATION WITH EXTERNAL ACCESSORIES

• US 20100235454A1
• Filed: 03/09/2010
• Published: 09/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Bolton, Lawrence, Holden, Paul, Ganatra, Nitin, Toprani, Shyam
• Granted Patent: US 8,402,145 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/385 for adaptation of a particular data processing system to different peripheral devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0254 comprising one or a plurality of mechanically detachable modules
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72409 by interfacing with external accessories hands-free H04M1/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention provide various communication techniques for communication between a mobile computing device and an accessory. An accessory protocol that is generic to the mobile computing device can be used for some communication. An application executing at the mobile computing device can communicate with the accessory using an application communication protocol. In some embodiments, the application communication protocol can be different from the accessory communication protocol. In other embodiments the application protocol may only be recognized by the application and the accessory. In some embodiments, messages conforming to an application protocol can be communicated between the application and the accessory by packaging the messages inside a message conforming to the accessory communication protocol.

Claims

1. A method for establishing a communication session between an application executing on a mobile computing device and an accessory in communication with the mobile computing device, the method executing at the mobile computing device, the method comprising:

receiving a request from the application for information related to the accessory;

providing accessory information to the application, wherein the accessory information comprises an identifier of at least one application communication protocol with which the accessory is compatible;

receiving a request for a communication session between the accessory and the application for communication using the application communication protocol;

receiving a message from the application, wherein the message is formatted according to the application communication protocol;

wrapping the message with an accessory communication protocol wrapper; and

communicating the message to the accessory, wherein the message is communicated according to an accessory communication protocol that is different from the application communication protocol.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the accessory communication protocol wrapper includes a tunneling command.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the identifier of at least an application communication protocol comprises the identifier provided in reverse domain name format.

4. The method according to claim 1 further comprising:

receiving a message from the accessory, wherein the message is formatted according to an accessory communication protocol;

stripping the accessory communication protocol wrapper from the message; and

sending the message to the application, wherein the message is communicated according to the application communication protocol.

5. The method according to claim 1 further comprising:

monitoring a communication interface for accessory connectivity; and

in the event an accessory is communicatively coupled with the communication interface, receiving a capabilities message including accessory capabilities, wherein the message includes an identifier for at least one application communication protocol with which the accessory is compatible.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the capabilities message is formatted according to the accessory communication protocol.

7. A mobile computing device, comprising:

a housing;

a communication interface disposed at least partially within the housing, and configured to exchange commands and data with an accessory using an accessory communication protocol ;

memory disposed within the housing; and

control logic disposed within the housing, and communicatively coupled with the memory and the communication interface, the control logic being configured to execute an accessory manager as a background process and an application, wherein the control logic executing as an accessory manager is configured to;

monitor the communication interface for an accessory being coupled with the communication interface;

in the event an accessory becomes coupled with the communication interface, receive accessory capability information including compatible application protocols from the accessory using the accessory communication protocol;

receive, from the accessory, application communication protocol formatted messages wrapped with an accessory communication protocol wrapper;

remove the accessory communication protocol wrapper from the messages; and

communicate messages to the application.

8. The mobile computing device according to claim 7, wherein the accessory capabilities are received using the accessory communication protocol.

9. The mobile computing device according to claim 7, wherein the control logic executing as an accessory manager is further configured to establish an input data stream such that data can be read from the input data stream.

10. The mobile computing device according to claim 9, wherein the control logic executing as an accessory manager communicates messages received from the accessory to the application using the input data stream.

11. The mobile computing device according to claim 7, wherein the control logic executing as an accessory manager is further configured to:

receive, from the application, application communication protocol formatted messages;

wrap the accessory communication protocol messages with an accessory communication protocol wrapper; and

communicate the messages to the accessory.

12. The mobile computing device according to claim 11, wherein the control logic executing as an accessory manager is further configured to establish an output data stream such that data can be written to the output data stream by the application and sent to the accessory.

13. The mobile computing device according to claim 12, wherein the control logic executing as an accessory manager communicates messages received from the output data stream to the accessory.

14. A method comprising:

monitoring an accessory interface of the mobile computing device for an indication that an accessory has been communicatively coupled with the accessory interface;

in the event an accessory is communicatively coupled with the accessory interface, receiving capabilities information from the accessory, wherein the capabilities information is received using an accessory communication protocol, and the capabilities information includes information indicating one or more application communication protocols compatible with the accessory;

establishing an input data stream for an application executing at the mobile computing device, wherein an application message received from the accessory wrapped in an accessory communication protocol wrapper is stripped from the accessory communication protocol wrapper and written to the application using the input data stream; and

establishing an output data stream for the application, wherein an application message written to the output data stream from the application is wrapped in an accessory communication protocol wrapper and sent to the accessory through accessory interface.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the accessory interface comprises a wireless communication interface.

16. The method according to claim 14, wherein the information indicating one or more application communication protocols is provided using a reverse domain name format.

17. A method executing on a mobile computing device, the method comprising:

receiving from an application executing on the mobile computing device a request for a communication session between the mobile computing device and an external accessory using an application protocol;

determining whether the application protocol is supported by the accessory;

in the event the application protocol is supported by the accessory, providing an input stream and an output stream to the application for communication with the accessory using the application protocol;

receiving a message from the application through the output stream wherein the message is formatted according to the application protocol;

wrapping the message within an accessory protocol message; and

sending the message to the accessory.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the determining further comprises:

looking up the application protocol in a lookup table.

19. The method according to claim 17 further comprising:

receiving a message from the accessory, wherein the message is an application protocol message wrapped within an accessory protocol message;

unwrapping the accessory protocol wrapper from the application protocol message; and

writing the application protocol message to the input stream of the application.

20. A method executing on a mobile computing device, the method comprising:

opening a first communication session between a first application and a first accessory, wherein the communication session provides communication between the first application and the first accessory using a first communication protocol;

receiving a first message from the first application;

sending the first message to the accessory wrapped within an accessory protocol wrapper;

opening a second communication session between a second application and the first accessory, wherein the communication session provides communication between the first application and the first accessory using a second communication protocol, wherein the first and second application protocols are different; and

receiving a second message from the second application and sending the second message to the accessory wrapped within the accessory protocol wrapper.