Indirect Pairing of Communication Devices

• US 20120030465A1
• Filed: 01/11/2011
• Published: 02/02/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/12/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm technologies international, ltd. (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cambridge Silicon Radio Limited (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bailey, Neil
• Granted Patent: US 9,763,270 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/168
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup

Abstract

A method for establishing a communication link between two devices, the communication link employing a protocol that provides for link establishment information sufficient for establishing a link between two devices to be negotiated between those devices; the method comprising: establishing communication links between each of the two devices and one or more further devices; transmitting from the one or more further devices to each of the two devices information that defines link establishment parameters for a link between the two devices; and establishing the link between the two devices using the defined link establishment parameters.

Claims

1. A method for establishing a communication link between two devices, the communication link employing a protocol that provides for link establishment information sufficient for establishing a link between two devices to be negotiated between those devices;

the method comprising;

establishing communication links between each of the two devices and one or more further devices;

transmitting from the one or more further devices to each of the two devices information that defines link establishment parameters for a link between the two devices; and

establishing the link between the two devices using the defined link establishment parameters.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the defined link establishment parameters include a link key and the step of establishing the link between the two devices using the defined link establishment parameters comprises the step of each of the two devices using the link key for one or more of:

(i) authentication of the other of the two devices and (ii) encryption of communications over the link.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the defined link establishment parameters transmitted to each of the two devices include a device address of the other of the two devices and the step of establishing the link between the two devices using the defined link establishment parameters comprises the step of each of the two devices using the device address of the other of the devices for one or more of:

(i) authentication of the other of the two devices, (ii) encryption of communications over the link and (iii) addressing communications over the link.

4. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the protocol is Bluetooth.

5. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of establishing communication links between each of the two devices and one or more further devices comprises the one or more further devices operating in discoverable mode.

6. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the two devices is configured to store the link establishment information in such a way that it is not subsequently available to the respective device after it has been powered down.

7. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the two devices are user input devices.

8. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the two devices are user input devices having different user interfaces.

9. A method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the two devices are game controllers.

10. A method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the one or more further devices comprise a computing device.

11. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the computing device is a game console.

12. A method as claimed in claim 10, wherein one of the two devices is configured to provide user input that it has sensed to the computing device by way of the communication link to the other of the two devices.

13. A method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the said other of the two devices is configured to provide user input that it has sensed and user input that it has received from the said one of the two devices to the computing devices by way of a communication link between the said other of the two devices and the computing device.

14. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the defined link establishment parameters transmitted to at least one the two devices include information indicating an operational state and the step of establishing the link between the two devices using the defined link establishment parameters comprises the step of the or each of the two devices adopting the operational state defined by the link establishment information transmitted to it.

15. A method as claimed in claim 14, wherein the operational state defined by the link establishment information transmitted to one of the devices is a state in which it awaits the initiation of a link from another device.

16. A method as claimed in claim 14, wherein the operational state defined by the link establishment information transmitted to one of the devices is a state in which it initiates a link to the other device.

17. A communication system comprising two devices and one or more further devices, the two devices and the one or more further devices being configured for establishing a communication link between two devices, the communication link employing a protocol that provides for link establishment information sufficient for establishing a link between two devices to be negotiated between those devices by a method comprising:

establishing communication links between each of the two devices and one or more further devices;

transmitting from the one or more further devices to each of the two devices information that defines link establishment parameters for a link between the two devices; and

establishing the link between the two devices using the defined link establishment parameters.