METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR A BLUETOOTH-ENABLED ETHERNET INTERFACE

• US 20120069838A1
• Filed: 09/21/2010
• Published: 03/22/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Sarkar, Shantanu, Inn, Glenn, Dunlap, Richard, Nandakumar, Suhas
• Granted Patent: US 9,370,034 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/047 using dedicated repeater stations
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

In one embodiment, a method includes determining when a relay arrangement is available to pair with an endpoint. The relay arrangement is arranged to wirelessly communicate with the endpoint and to communicate over a wired network. The method also includes authenticating the endpoint with respect to the relay arrangement when the relay arrangement is available to pair with the endpoint, and pairing the endpoint with the relay arrangement if the endpoint is authenticated with respect to the relay arrangement. Pairing the endpoint with the relay arrangement includes the endpoint and the relay arrangement engaging in wireless communications, as well as the relay arrangement engaging in wired communications over the wired network.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining when a first relay arrangement is available to pair with an endpoint, the first relay arrangement being arranged to wirelessly communicate with the endpoint, the first relay arrangement further being arranged to communicate over a wired network;

authenticating the endpoint with respect to the first relay arrangement when it is determined that the first relay arrangement is available to pair with the endpoint; and

pairing the endpoint with the first relay arrangement if the endpoint is authenticated with respect to the first relay arrangement, wherein pairing the endpoint with the first relay arrangement includes the endpoint and the first relay arrangement engaging in wireless communications and the first relay arrangement engaging in wired communications over the wired network.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the first relay arrangement is a Bluetooth relay arrangement and the endpoint is a Bluetooth-capable endpoint, the wireless communications being Bluetooth communications, the wired communications being Ethernet communications.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the Ethernet communications are associated with a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) call.

4. The method of claim 1 further including:

determining if a second relay arrangement is available to pair with the endpoint after the endpoint is paired with the first relay arrangement;

determining whether the second relay arrangement is more suitable to pair with the endpoint than the first relay arrangement if it is determined that the second relay arrangement is available to pair with the endpoint;

authenticating the endpoint with respect to the second relay arrangement when it is determined that the second relay arrangement is more suitable to pair with the endpoint than the first relay arrangement; and

pairing the endpoint with the second relay arrangement if the endpoint is authenticated with respect to the second relay arrangement, wherein pairing the endpoint with the second relay arrangement includes the endpoint and the second relay arrangement engaging in wireless communications and the second relay arrangement engaging in wired communications over the wired network.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein determining whether the second relay arrangement is more suitable to pair with the endpoint than the first relay arrangement includes at least one selected from the group including analyzing signal strength, analyzing noise, and analyzing bandwidth.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein pairing the endpoint with the second relay arrangement includes un-pairing the endpoint from the first relay arrangement.

7. An apparatus comprising:

means for determining when a first Bluetooth relay arrangement is available to pair with a Bluetooth-capable endpoint, the first Bluetooth relay arrangement being arranged to wirelessly communicate with the Bluetooth-capable endpoint, the first Bluetooth relay arrangement further being arranged to communicate over an Ethernet network;

means for authenticating the Bluetooth-capable endpoint with respect to the first Bluetooth relay arrangement when it is determined that the first Bluetooth relay arrangement is available to pair with the Bluetooth-capable endpoint; and

means for pairing the Bluetooth-capable endpoint with the first Bluetooth relay arrangement if the Bluetooth-capable endpoint is authenticated with respect to the first Bluetooth relay arrangement, wherein the means for pairing the Bluetooth-capable endpoint with the first Bluetooth relay arrangement include means for causing the Bluetooth-capable endpoint and the first Bluetooth relay arrangement to engage in Bluetooth communications and means for causing the first Bluetooth relay arrangement to engage in Ethernet communications over the Ethernet network.

8. A computer-readable medium comprising computer program code, the computer program code, when executed, configured to:

determine when a first relay arrangement is available to pair with an endpoint, the first relay arrangement being arranged to wirelessly communicate with the endpoint, the first relay arrangement further being arranged to communicate over a wired network;

authenticate the endpoint with respect to the first relay arrangement when it is determined that the first relay arrangement is available to pair with the endpoint; and

pair the endpoint with the first relay arrangement if the endpoint is authenticated with respect to the first relay arrangement, wherein the computer code configured to pair the endpoint with the first relay arrangement includes computer code configured to enable the endpoint and the first relay arrangement to engage in wireless communications and computer code configured to enable the first relay arrangement to engage in wired communications over the wired network.

9. The computer-readable medium of claim 8 wherein the first relay arrangement is a Bluetooth relay arrangement and the endpoint is a Bluetooth-capable endpoint, the wireless communications being Bluetooth communications, the wired communications being Ethernet communications.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 9 wherein the Ethernet communications are associated with a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) call.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 8 wherein the computer program code is further configured to:

determine if a second relay arrangement is available to pair with the endpoint after the endpoint is paired with the first relay arrangement;

determine whether the second relay arrangement is more suitable to pair with the endpoint than the first relay arrangement if it is determined that the second relay arrangement is available to pair with the endpoint;

authenticate the endpoint with respect to the second relay arrangement when it is determined that the second relay arrangement is more suitable to pair with the endpoint than the first relay arrangement; and

pair the endpoint with the second relay arrangement if the endpoint is authenticated with respect to the first relay arrangement, wherein the computer program code configured to pair the endpoint with the second relay arrangement is further configured to enable the endpoint and the second relay arrangement to engage in wireless communications and to enable the second relay arrangement to engage in wired communications over the wired network.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 11 wherein the computer program code configured to determine whether the second relay arrangement is more suitable to pair with the endpoint than the first relay arrangement include computer program code configured to perform at least one selected from the group including an analysis of signal strength, an analysis of noise, and an analysis of bandwidth.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 11 wherein the computer code configured to pair the endpoint with the second relay arrangement includes computer code configured to un-pair the endpoint from the first relay arrangement.

14. An apparatus comprising:

a network interface, the network interface being configured to interface with a wired network and to engage in communications with the wired network;

a Bluetooth interface, the Bluetooth interface being configured to engage in Bluetooth communications with an endpoint; and

a first module, the first module being configured to cooperate with the endpoint to determine when the apparatus is appropriate to provide support for the endpoint, the first module further being configured to determine when to handoff the support for the endpoint.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 further including:

a power module, the power module being configured to provide power to the apparatus.

16. The apparatus of claim 14 further including:

an Ethernet socket, the Ethernet socket being configured to directly interface with the wired network.

17. An apparatus comprising:

Bluetooth communications logic, the Bluetooth communications logic being arranged to send and to receive Bluetooth communications; and

a first module, the first module being configured to identify at least a first relay arrangement and a second relay arrangement that are each suitable for supporting the Bluetooth communications with the apparatus, the first module further being configured to pair the apparatus to the first relay arrangement and to un-pair the apparatus from the first relay arrangement if the second relay arrangement is subsequently determined to be more suitable for supporting the Bluetooth communications with the apparatus.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the first module is further configured to authenticate the first relay arrangement, and wherein the first module is configured to pair the apparatus to the first relay arrangement if the first relay arrangement is authenticated.

19. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the first module is further configured to analyze at least one selected from the group including signal strengths, amounts of noise, and bandwidths.

20. The apparatus of claim 19 wherein the first module is configured to analyze the at least one selected from the group including the signal strengths associated with the first relay arrangement and the second relay arrangement, the amounts of noise associated with the first relay arrangement and the second relay arrangement, and the bandwidths associated with the first relay arrangement and the second relay arrangement.