AUTO-DISCOVERY AND AUTO-CONFIGURATION OF MEDIA DEVICES

• US 20140370818A1
• Filed: 06/17/2013
• Published: 12/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: JAWB Acquisition LLC
• Original Assignee: AliphCom, Inc. (AliphCom Corp.)
• Inventors: Luna, Michael Edward Smith
• Application Number:
  US13/919,339
• Publication Number:
  US 20140370818A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/41.3
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0803 Configuration setting
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/22 Illumination; Arrangements for improving the visibility of characters on dials
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals

Abstract

Embodiments of the present application relate generally to electrical and electronic hardware, computer software, wired and wireless network communications, wearable, hand held, and portable computing devices for facilitating communication of information. Disclosed are wireless media devices that automatically discover and automatically configure themselves to communicate with and seamlessly operate with one or more wireless devices. A backend service in communication with the media devices and/or wireless devices queries the wireless device to obtain prerequisite configuration data (P-Data) and analyzes the P-Data to generate configuration data (C-Data) that is downloaded to the media device, the wireless device, or both. The C-Data is operative to configure the media device, the wireless device, or both. The backend service may be in wireless communication with one or more of the media devices. Media devices may include a proximity detection island for detecting presence and/or proximity of wireless user devices, users, and other objects.

Claims

1. A system for auto-discovery and auto-configuration, comprising:

a backend service including a first communication link;

a user device including a second communication link that is in communication with the first communication link; and

a media device including a third communication link,

the media device configured, at power up, to use the third communication link to wirelessly discover the second communication link and to establish a wireless connection between the second and third communications links, and

the backend service configured to query the user device for prerequisite configuration data (P-Data) and use the P-Data to retrieve device specific configuration data (C-Data) and download the C-Data to the user device, the media device, or both.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein a processor in communication with the backend service controls the query, retrieve, and download by executing program instructions fixed in a non-transitory computer readable medium.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the C-Data comprises an application (APP) stored in a non-transitory computer readable medium in the user device, the APP specifically configured to be executed on the user device and operative to configure the media device.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the APP is configured to cause configuration data (CFG) to be wirelessly downloaded to a non-transitory computer readable medium in the media device.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the CFG is operative to enable functions including control, command, and communication between the user device and the media device, and operative to wirelessly connect the media device with at least one wireless network.

6. The system of claim 3, wherein the CFG is wirelessly downloaded from the backend service using the first and third communications links.

7. The system of claim 3, wherein the CFG is wirelessly downloaded from the user device using the second and third communications links.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the second and third communications links both comprise at least two different types of radio frequency (RF) transceivers.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the at least two different types of RF transceivers include a Bluetooth (BT) radio and a wireless (WiFi) radio.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the at least two different types of RF transceivers in the media device further includes an Ad Hoc (AH) radio specifically configured for wireless communication with AH radios in other media devices, a cellular radio specifically configured for wireless communication with a cellular network or both.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the power up comprises powering up the media device for a first time after an un-boxing of the media device.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the P-Data includes a selected one or more of device type, device operating system (OS), device wireless communications protocols, names of wireless networks that are accessed by the user device, passwords for the wireless networks, device UI, and device data storage.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the backend service is in communication with a storage system that includes the C-Data.

11. (canceled)

12. (canceled)

15. (canceled)

17. A method for auto-detection and auto-configuration, comprising:

powering up a media device that includes a plurality of radio transceivers;

detecting, using at least one of the plurality of radio transceivers, a radio frequency (RF) signature from another device;

analyzing the RF signature to determine protocol compatibility of the RF signature with one or more of the plurality of radio transceivers;

establishing a wireless communications link between the media device and the another device using the radio transceiver from the plurality of radio transceivers that is protocol compatible with the RF signature of the another device;

querying the another device to gather prerequisite configuration data from the another device;

analyzing on a backend service, the prerequisite configuration data (P-Data);

generating configuration data (C-Data) based on the analyzing;

downloading the C-Data to the media device, the another device, or both; and

configuring the media device, the another device, or both using the C-Data.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the configuration data that is downloaded to the another device comprises an application (APP).

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the backend service does the generating of the C-Data.

20. A media device, comprising:

a controller in electrical communication with

a data storage system including non-volatile memory,

an input/output (I/O) system,

a radio frequency (RF) system including at least one RF antenna electrically coupled with a plurality of radio transceivers, each radio transceiver configured to wirelessly communicate with a different wireless protocol,

an audio/video (NV) system including a loudspeaker electrically coupled with a power amplifier and a microphone electrically coupled with a preamplifier, and

a power system configured to supply electrical power to the controller, the data storage system, the I/O system, the RF system, and the NV system,

wherein at power up, the media device is configured to activate the RF system to detect an RF signature of another device, to analyze the RF signature for protocol compatibility with the different wireless protocols of the plurality of radio transceivers, to establish a wireless connection with the another device and a backend service using at least one of the plurality of radio transceivers, and

wherein the backend service is operative to query the another device over the wireless connection, to gather and analyze prerequisite configuration data (P-Data) from the query, to generate configuration data (C-Data) from the P-Data, and to download the C-Data to the media device, the another device, or both.

21. The media device of claim 20, wherein the C-Data downloaded to the media device is operative to configure the media device.

22. The media device of claim 20, wherein one of the plurality of radio transceivers comprises an ad hoc (AH) radio transceiver configured to wirelessly communicate only with other media devices having the AH radio transceiver.

23. The media device of claim 20, wherein the power up comprises powering up the media device for a first time after an un-boxing of the media device.