INPUT INTERFACE PROVIDING USB APPARATUS AND INTERFACE PROVIDING METHOD

• US 20120233365A1
• Filed: 11/08/2011
• Published: 09/13/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/09/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zaramtechnology Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Zaramtechnology Company Limited
• Inventors: BAEK, Joon Hyun
• Granted Patent: US 8,560,744 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 710/72
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4282 on a serial bus, e.g. I2C bus, SPI bus on daisy chain buses G06F13/4247
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2213/0042 Universal serial bus [USB]

Abstract

The present invention relates to an input interface providing USB apparatus which is capable of providing an input interface for a variety of external devices in Bluetooth communication with the USB apparatus without a separate input means by connecting the USB apparatus to USB ports of a terminal and sharing an input means of the terminal with the external devices, and an interface providing method. The input interface providing USB apparatus and method in accordance with the present invention is capable of providing an input interface for a variety of external devices in Bluetooth communication with the USB apparatus without a separate input means by connecting the USB apparatus to USB ports of a terminal and sharing an input means of the terminal with the external devices, thereby providing excellent user convenience.

Claims

1. An input interface providing USB apparatus comprising:

an USB connector which is connected to a terminal having an USB port and an input device;

a device recognition unit which is set to comply with a HID standard and allows the USB apparatus to be recognized as a HID compliance device by the terminal when the USB apparatus is connected to the USB port;

a Bluetooth communication unit which is recognized as a standard Bluetooth input device by an external device supporting a Bluetooth device and conducts Bluetooth communication with the external device;

a memory unit which stores an execution program which is executed in the terminal, receives data of an input device of the terminal corresponding to the kind of the standard Bluetooth input device, converts the input data into a protocol format according to the HID standard, and transmits the converted input data to the device recognition unit;

a data generation unit which receives input device data in the format of HID standard protocol from the device recognition unit, analyzes the input device data according to a format set depending on the kind of the input device, and generates data such that the analyzed data corresponds to a protocol of the standard Bluetooth input device;

a controller which transmits the data generated by the data generation unit 115 to the Bluetooth communication unit; and

a profile storage unit which stores Bluetooth profiles for Bluetooth input devices of the external device so that the Bluetooth communication unit can be recognized as the standard Bluetooth input device by the external device.

2. The input interface providing USB apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the device recognition unit complies with the HID standard and receives data having a data structure set depending on the kind of the standard Bluetooth input device from the execution program.

3. The input interface providing USB apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the Bluetooth communication unit is recognized as a standard Bluetooth HID input device by an external device supporting a Bluetooth HID device and conducts Bluetooth communication with the external device.

4. The input interface providing USB apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the device recognition unit provides an input interface further including receiving mouse pointer data in the terminal from the execution program.

5. The input interface providing USB apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the device recognition unit receives copied input data from the execution program if a pointer in the terminal is beyond a preset threshold or is moved to a preset position.

6. The input interface providing USB apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the memory unit is implemented with a readable/writable memory to allow the execution program to be updated.

7. The input interface providing USB apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the memory unit stores a plurality of execution programs depending on the kind of operating system of the terminal.

8. The input interface providing USB apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the external device is one of a smart phone, a tablet PC and a notebook PC and an operating system of the external device is one of Android OS, iOS, Windows OS, Symbian OS, Blackberry OS and Bada OS.

9. The input interface providing USB apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the device recognition unit further includes an USB hub for simultaneous recognition of the memory unit and the HID compliance device in the terminal.

10. An input interface providing USB apparatus connected to a terminal via an USB port, comprising:

a Bluetooth communication unit which is recognized as a standard Bluetooth input device by an external device supporting a Bluetooth device and conducts Bluetooth communication with the external device; and

an USB controller 110 which is set to comply with a HID standard, is recognized as an HID compliance device by the terminal when the USB controller is connected to the USB port, receives data of an input device of the terminal corresponding to the kind of the standard Bluetooth input device through an execution program which is executed in the terminal and converts the input data into a protocol format according to the HID standard, analyzes the received input data according to a format set depending on the kind of the input device, generates data such that the analyzed input data corresponds to a protocol of the standard Bluetooth input device, and transmits the generated data to the Bluetooth communication unit.

11. An input interface providing USB apparatus connected to a terminal via an USB port, comprising:

a device recognition unit which is set to comply with a HID standard and allows the USB apparatus to be recognized as a HID compliance device by a terminal when the USB apparatus is connected to the USB port;

a Bluetooth communication unit which is recognized as a standard Bluetooth keyboard by an external device and conducts Bluetooth communication with the external device;

a program storage unit which stores an execution program which is executed in the terminal, receives keyboard data of the terminal, converts the keyboard data into a protocol format according to the HID standard, and transmits the converted keyboard data to the device recognition unit;

a data analysis unit which analyzes the keyboard data from the device recognition unit according to a set format;

a data generation unit which generates data such that the data analyzed by the data analysis unit corresponds to a protocol of the standard Bluetooth keyboard; and

a controller which transmits the data generated by the data generation unit to the Bluetooth communication unit.

12. An input interface providing USB apparatus comprising:

an USB connector which is connected to a terminal having an USB port and an input device;

a device recognition unit which is set to comply with a HID standard and allows the USB apparatus to be recognized as a HID compliance device by the terminal when the USB apparatus is connected to the USB port;

a memory unit which stores an execution program which is executed in the terminal, receives the kind of an input device of the terminal, receives input data corresponding to the input device, converts the received input data into a standard protocol format according to the HID standard, and transmits the converted input data to the device recognition unit;

a profile storage unit which stores Bluetooth profiles for one or more Bluetooth input devices of one or more external devices supporting a Bluetooth device;

a Bluetooth communication unit which selects a Bluetooth profile corresponding to the input device from the Bluetooth profiles and conducts Bluetooth communication with the external device while causing the external device to be recognized as the selected Bluetooth input device;

a data analysis unit which analyzes the input data from the device recognition unit according to a format set depending on the kind of the set input device;

a data generation unit which generates data such that the data analyzed by the data analysis unit corresponds to a protocol of the selected Bluetooth profile; and

a controller which transmits the data generated by the data generation unit to the Bluetooth communication unit.

13. The input interface providing USB apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the profile storage unit may add, delete and update the Bluetooth profiles and the memory unit may add, delete and update the execution program.

14. An input interface providing USB apparatus comprising:

an USB connector which is connected to a terminal having an USB port and an input device;

a device recognition unit which is set to comply with a HID standard and allows the USB apparatus to be recognized as a HID compliance device by the terminal when the USB apparatus is connected to the USB port;

a profile storage unit which stores Bluetooth profiles for one or more Bluetooth input devices of one or more external devices supporting a Bluetooth device;

a Bluetooth communication unit which selects one of the Bluetooth profiles and conducts Bluetooth communication with the external device after the external device is recognized as the selected Bluetooth input device;

an input interface setting unit which sets the kind of the Bluetooth input device and designates a Bluetooth profile to be selected by the Bluetooth communication unit;

a memory unit which stores an execution program which is executed in the terminal, receives data of an input device of the terminal corresponding to the kind of the input device, converts the input data into a standard protocol format according to the HID standard, and transmits the converted input data to the device recognition unit;

a data analysis unit which analyzes the input data from the device recognition unit according to a format set depending on the kind of the set input device;

a data generation unit which generates data such that the data analyzed by the data analysis unit corresponds to a protocol of the selected Bluetooth profile; and

a controller which transmits the data generated by the data generation unit 115 to the Bluetooth communication unit.

15. An input interface providing method of an USB apparatus connected to a terminal via an USB port, comprising the steps of:

a) setting the USB apparatus to comply with a HID standard and allowing the USB apparatus to be recognized as a HID compliance device by the terminal when the USB apparatus is connected to the USB port;

b) by the USB apparatus driving an execution program to be executed in the terminal;

c) recognizing the USB apparatus as a standard Bluetooth input device by an external device supporting a Bluetooth device and by the USB apparatus conducting Bluetooth communication with the external device;

d) by the USB apparatus receiving data of an input device of the terminal corresponding to the kind of the standard Bluetooth input device, with the input data being converted into a protocol format according to the HID standard, from the execution program;

e) by the USB apparatus analyzing the input data according to a format set depending on the kind of the input device;

f) by the USB apparatus generating data such that the analyzed data corresponds to a protocol of the standard Bluetooth input device; and

g) by the USB apparatus transmitting the generated data to the external device.

16. An input interface providing method of an USB apparatus connected to a terminal via an USB port, comprising the steps of:

a) setting the USB apparatus to comply with a HID standard and allowing the USB apparatus to be recognized as a HID compliance device by the terminal when the USB apparatus is connected to the USB port;

b) by the USB apparatus driving an execution program to be executed in the terminal and receiving the kind of input device of the terminal from the execution program;

c) by the USB apparatus selecting a Bluetooth profile corresponding to the kind of the input device from pre-stored Bluetooth profiles and conducting Bluetooth communication with the external device while causing an external device to be recognized as the selected Bluetooth input device;

d) by the USB apparatus receiving data of an input device of the terminal corresponding to the kind of the input device, with the input data being converted into a protocol format according to the HID standard, from the execution program;

e) by the USB apparatus analyzing the input data according to a format set depending on the kind of the input device;

f) by the USB apparatus generating data such that the analyzed data corresponds to a protocol of the standard Bluetooth input device; and

g) by the USB apparatus transmitting the generated data to the external device.