METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR ENABLING COMMUNICATIONS BETWEEN DEVICES

• US 20170094697A1
• Filed: 09/30/2016
• Published: 03/30/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sonifi Solutions, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sonifi Solutions, Inc.
• Inventors: Zdepski, Joel Walter, Marko, Shaun Eugene, Schroeder, Chad J.
• Granted Patent: US 10,291,956 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2463/101 applying security measures for digital rights management data processing systems or methods, specially adapted for commerce, e.g. marketing, shopping, billing, auctions or e-commerce G06Q30/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0457 wherein the sending and receiving network entities apply dynamic encryption, e.g. stream encryption cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for stream encryption H04L9/065
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/54 Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2143 located in a single building, e.g. hotel, hospital or museum arrangements specially adapted for plural spots in a confined site in broadcast systems H04H20/63; adaptations for transmission by electric cable for domestic distribution in television systems H04N7/106
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4126 The peripheral being portable, e.g. PDAs or mobile phones
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43615 Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43637 involving a wireless protocol, e.g. Bluetooth, RF or wireless LAN [IEEE 802.11] arrangements for wireless networking or broadcasting of information in indoor or near-field type systems H04B10/114
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44 Processing of video elementary streams, e.g. splicing a video clip retrieved from local storage with an incoming video stream or rendering scenes according to encoded video stream scene graphs
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4627 Rights management associated to the content security in data switching network management H04L41/28; security management or policies for network security H04L63/20; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6583 Acknowledgement
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8186 specially adapted to be executed by a peripheral of the client device, e.g. by a reprogrammable remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/11 Allocation or use of connection identifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/16 Involving different core network technologies, e.g. a packet-switched [PS] bearer in combination with a circuit-switched [CS] bearer
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

Methods and systems for selectively connecting a user device on a first network to a peripheral device on a second network are provided. More particularly, a communication server controls the peripheral devices that are visible to a user device in a discovery process. In addition, the communication server limits the peripheral devices that are available to a user device to those peripheral devices that the user device is authorized to access. The system further enables a user device to operably connect to a visible peripheral device.

Claims

1. A system for selectively enabling connections between devices, comprising:

a communication server;

a user device;

a first network, wherein the communication server and the user device are connected to the first network;

a plurality of peripheral devices;

a second network, wherein the peripheral devices are connected to the communication server through the second network, and wherein the communication server is operable to make at least one and less than all of the peripheral devices visible to the user device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the user device is operably connected to the at least one of the peripheral devices by the communication server.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a switch, wherein the first and second networks are connected through the switch.

4. The system of claim 3, further comprising:

an access point, wherein the user device is connected to the first network by the access point.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the access point is a WiFi access point.

6. The system of claim 3, wherein the at least one of the peripheral devices is connected to the second network by a wireline connection.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the user device is one of a smart phone, a tablet computer, and a laptop computer.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one of the peripheral devices is a printer.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one of the peripheral devices is a disk drive.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one of the peripheral devices is a data storage device.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one of the peripheral devices is a projector.

12. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of user devices, wherein the communication server makes a first set of peripheral devices visible to a first user device in the plurality of user devices, and wherein the communication server makes a second set of peripheral devices visible to a second user device in the plurality of user devices.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein none of the peripheral devices in the first set of peripheral devices is included in the second set of peripheral devices.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the user device is operably connected to a peripheral device that is visible to the user device, wherein content is provided to the peripheral device that is operably connected to the user device, and wherein the content provided to the peripheral device is output by a peripheral device operably connected to the peripheral device.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the user device includes a productivity application, wherein a document open in the productivity application is provided to the peripheral device that is visible to the user device.

16. A method, comprising:

providing a communication server;

providing a first access point, wherein the first access point is connected to the communication server by a first network;

providing a plurality of peripheral devices, wherein the plurality of peripheral devices include a first peripheral device, wherein the first peripheral device is operatively connected to the first access point through a second network;

providing a plurality of peripheral devices;

receiving a request to pair a user device to a peripheral device included in the plurality of peripheral devices;

in response to the request, the communication server causing a discovery response to be sent to the user device indicating the availability of at least a first peripheral device included in the plurality of peripheral devices;

receiving a request from the user device to operatively connect to the first peripheral device;

sending an acknowledgment to the request from the first peripheral device to the user device.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the response sent to the user device indicating the availability of at least a first peripheral device is received by a productivity application running on the user device.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein a document is delivered from the productivity application to be output by the first peripheral device.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the first peripheral device is a printer, and wherein the device is presented by the communication server.

20. A system for selectively connecting user devices to peripheral devices, comprising:

a communication server;

a plurality of user devices;

a plurality of access points, wherein each of the user devices is connected to one of the access points;

a first network, wherein the access points and the communication server are connected to the first network, and wherein the user devices are connected to the first network through the access point;

a second network;

a plurality of peripheral devices, wherein the communication server is operable to make a first peripheral device included in the plurality of peripheral devices selectively visible to the user devices, wherein a first peripheral device is visible to a first user device, wherein a second peripheral device is visible to a second user device, wherein the second peripheral device is not visible to the first user device, and wherein the first peripheral device is not visible to the first user device.