Personal area network with automatic attachment and detachment

• US 6,804,232 B1
• Filed: 03/27/2000
• Issued: 10/12/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: BBNT Solutions LLC (Rtx Corporation)
• Inventors: Donaghey, Robert J.
• Primary Examiner(s): PHAN, MAN U
• Application Number:
  US09/535,591
• Time in Patent Office: 1,660 Days
• Field of Search: 370/230, 370/259, 370/313, 370/310, 370/321, 370/337, 370/338, 370/347, 370/389, 370/330, 370/442, 370/461, 370/401, 370/402, 370/412, 455/89, 455/418, 455/419, 455/420, 455/556, 709/223, 709/224, 709/221, 709/220
• US Class Current: 370/389
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/10 Program control for peripheral devices G06F13/14 - G06F13/42 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/38 Information transfer, e.g. on bus G06F13/14 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/2612 Arrangements for wireless medium access control, e.g. by allocating physical layer transmission capacity H04B7/2615 - H04B7/2643 take precedence; provision for broadband connection H04Q11/0478
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/08 Annexed information, e.g. attachments
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5038 for local use, e.g. in LAN or USB networks, or in a controller area network [CAN]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5069 for group communication, multicast communication or broadcast communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• 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 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/00 Affiliation to network, e.g. registration; Terminating affiliation with the network, e.g. de-registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/00 Connection management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/245 from a network towards a terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

A network (100) includes a hub device (110) and at least one unattached peripheral device (120). The unattached peripheral device (120) transmits an attach request to the hub device (110) with a selected address, receives a new address from the hub device to identify the unattached peripheral device (120), and communicates with the hub device (110) using the new address.

Claims

1. A network comprising:

a hub device;

at least one unattached peripheral device that transmits an attach request to the hub device with a selected address, receives a new address from the hub device to identify the unattached peripheral device, and communicates with the hub device using the new address;

wherein the hub device is configured to broadcast a range of available addresses;

wherein the unattached peripheral device is further configured to select the selected address from the range of available addresses to identify the unattached peripheral device to the hub device in the attach request; and

wherein the hub device is further configured to periodically broadcast a heartbeat signal to announce the beginning of an attach cycle, and broadcast a new range of available addresses with each broadcast of the heartbeat signal.

2. The network of claim 1, wherein the unattached peripheral device is further configured to:

abandon a current attach attempt upon receipt of the heartbeat signal prior to receiving the new address from the hub device, and

begin a new attach attempt.

3. The network of claim 1, wherein when selecting the selected address, the unattached peripheral device is configured to:

choose the selected address at random from a last broadcast range of available addresses.

4. The network of claim 1, wherein the hub device is configured to:

select the new address from a predetermined set of addresses that includes the broadcast range of available addresses.

5. The network of claim 1, wherein the hub device is configured to:

select the new address from a predetermined set of addresses.

6. The network of claim 1, wherein the unattached peripheral device is further configured to:

attach to the hub device using the new address.

7. The network of claim 1, wherein the hub device is configured to:

receive the attach request from the unattached peripheral device,

generate the new address for the unattached peripheral device in response to the received attach request, and

send the new address to the unattached peripheral device using the selected address.

8. The network of claim 1, further comprising:

at least one attached peripheral device communicating with the hub device.

12. The network of claim 8, wherein the hub device is configured to:

receive an attach request from one of the attached peripheral devices, and

detach the attached peripheral device in response to receipt of the attach request from the attached peripheral device.

13. The network of claim 12, wherein the detached peripheral device is configured to:

reattach to the hub device.

14. The network of claim 13, wherein when reattaching, the detached peripheral device is configured to:

send an attach request to the hub device using a previously-assigned address.

15. The network of claim 13, wherein when reattaching, the detached peripheral device is configured to:

send an attach request to the hub device using a newly-selected address.

16. The network of claim 8, wherein the hub device is configured to:

determine whether a transmission from the attached peripheral device was successful, and

detach the attached peripheral device when the transmission fails to be successful in a predetermined number of attempts.

9. A network comprising:

a hub device;

at least one unattached peripheral device that transmits an attach request to the hub device with a selected address, receives a new address from the hub device to identify the unattached peripheral device, and communicates with the hub device using the new address; and

at least one attached peripheral device communicating with the hub device,

wherein the hub device is configured to transmits a heartbeat signal to each of the attached peripheral devices and periodically transmit a keep-alive signal to each of the attached peripheral devices.

10. The network of claim 9, wherein each of the attached peripheral devices is configured to:

receive the heartbeat signal,

receive the keep-alive signal, and

detach from the hub device when a predetermined number of heartbeat signals has been received prior to the keep-alive signal.

11. The network of claim 10, wherein each of the attached peripheral devices is further configured to:

begin an attach attempt after detaching from the hub device.

17. In a personal area network having at least one peripheral device not communicably attached to the network and a hub device connected to the network, a method for attaching the peripheral device to the network, comprising:

transmitting, by the peripheral device, an attachment request to attach to the network with a selected address;

receiving the attachment request by the hub device;

generating a new address for the peripheral device in response to the received attachment request;

sending the new address from the hub device to the peripheral device using the selected address;

further communicating between the hub device and the peripheral device using the new address; and

broadcasting, by the hub device, a heartbeat signal to begin an attach cycle.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the broadcasting a heartbeat signal includes:

periodically broadcasting the heartbeat signal; and

wherein the method further comprises;

broadcasting, by the hub device, a new range of available addresses with each heartbeat signal.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

abandoning a current attach attempt by the peripheral device upon receipt of the heartbeat signal prior to receiving the new address from the hub device, and

beginning a new attempt to attach to the network.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

broadcasting, by the hub device, a range of available addresses.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

selecting, by the peripheral device, an address from the range of available addresses to identify the peripheral device to the hub device in the attachment request.

22. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

listening, by the hub device, for an address in the range of available addresses, for a signal from an unattached peripheral device.

23. The method of claim 20, wherein the generating a new address includes:

selecting the new address from a predetermined set of addresses that includes the range of available addresses.

24. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

attaching the peripheral device to the network using the new address.

25. The method of claim 17, wherein the further communicating includes:

exchanging confirmation messages between the hub device and the peripheral

device to acknowledge the new address.

26. The method of claim 17, wherein the generating a new address includes:

selecting the new address from a predetermined set of addresses.

27. The method of claim 17, wherein the network further includes at least one other peripheral device communicably coupled to the hub device;

and

wherein the method further comprises;

determining, by the hub device, whether a transmission from the other peripheral device was successful; and

detaching the other peripheral device when the transmission fails to be successful in a predetermined number of attempts.

31. The method of claim 17, wherein the network further includes at least one other peripheral device communicably coupled to the hub device;

and

wherein the method further comprises;

receiving, by the hub device, an attach request from one of the other peripheral devices, and

detaching the other peripheral device in response to receipt of the attach request from the other peripheral device.

32. The method of claim 31, further comprising:

reattaching to the network by the detached peripheral device.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the reattaching includes:

sending an attach request to the hub device using a previously-assigned address.

34. The method of claim 32, wherein the reattaching includes:

sending an attach request to the hub device using a newly-selected address.

35. The method of claim 17, wherein the network further includes at least one other peripheral device communicably coupled to the hub device;

and

wherein the method further comprises;

determining whether a transmission from one of the other peripheral devices was successful, and

detaching the other peripheral device when the transmission fails to be successful in a predetermined number of attempts.

28. In a personal area network having at least one peripheral device not communicably attached to the network and a hub device connected to the network, a method for attaching the peripheral device to the network, comprising:

transmitting, by the peripheral device, an attachment request to attach to the network with a selected address;

receiving the attachment request by the hub device;

generating a new address for the peripheral device in response to the received attachment request;

sending the new address from the hub device to the peripheral device using the selected address; and

further communicating between the hub device and the peripheral device using the new address;

wherein the network further includes at least one other peripheral device communicably coupled to the hub device; and

wherein the method further comprises;

transmitting, by the hub device, a heartbeat signal to each of the other peripheral devices; and

periodically transmitting, by the hub device, a keep-alive signal to each of the other peripheral devices.

29. The method of claim 28, further comprising:

receiving the heartbeat signal at the other peripheral devices;

receiving the keep-alive signal at the other peripheral devices; and

detaching from the network when a predetermined number of heartbeat signals has been received prior to the keep-alive signal.

30. The method of claim 29, further comprising:

beginning an attach attempt after detaching from the network.

36. A hub device in a network having a plurality of attached peripheral devices and an unattached peripheral device, comprising:

a memory having instructions for;

broadcasting a range of available addresses from which a selected address is selected by the unattached peripheral device,

generating a new address to identify the unattached peripheral device in response to receipt of an attach request from the unattached peripheral device, the attach request identifying the unattached peripheral device to the hub device,

sending the new address to the unattached peripheral device using the selected address,

receiving confirmation from the unattached peripheral device using the new address, and

sending a confirmation message to the unattached peripheral device using the new address, and

a processor that executes the instructions in the memory;

wherein the memory further includes instructions for broadcasting a heartbeat signal to begin an attach cycle.

37. The hub device of claim 36, wherein the instructions for broadcasting include:

broadcasting a new range of available addresses with each heartbeat signal.

38. The hub device of claim 36, wherein the memory further includes instructions for:

listening, for each of the addresses in the range of available addresses, for a signal from the unattached peripheral device.

39. The hub device of claim 36, wherein the memory further includes instructions for:

determining whether a transmission from one of the attached peripheral devices was successful, and

detaching the attached peripheral device when the transmission fails to be successful in a predetermined number of attempts.

40. The hub device of claim 36, wherein the memory further includes instructions for:

receiving an attach request from one of the attached peripheral devices, and

detaching the attached peripheral device in response to receipt of the attach request from the attached peripheral device.

41. A method for attaching an unattached peripheral device to a network having a hub device connected to a set of peripheral devices, the method, performed by the hub device, comprising:

receiving an attach request from the unattached peripheral device, the attach request identifying the unattached peripheral device to the hub device;

generating a new address to identify the unattached peripheral device in response to the received attach request;

sending the new address to the unattached peripheral device;

sending a confirmation message to the unattached peripheral device using the new address to attach the unattached peripheral device;

periodically broadcasting a heartbeat signal to announce the beginning of an attach cycle;

broadcasting a range of available addresses with each broadcast of the heartbeat signal from which the unattached peripheral device selects to use when sending the attach request to the hub device;

listening, for each of the addresses in the range of available addresses, for a signal from the unattached peripheral device;

determining whether a transmission from the unattached peripheral device at one of the addresses was successful;

discarding an attach attempt by the unattached peripheral device at the one address when the transmission fails to be successful in a predetermined number of attempts; and

attaching the unattached peripheral device to the network to create a newly attached peripheral device capable of communicating with the hub device.

42. A computer-readable medium that stores instructions executable by a hub device to cause the hub device to perform a method for attaching an unattached peripheral device to a network, the method comprising:

periodically broadcasting a heartbeat signal to announce the beginning of an attach cycle;

broadcasting a new range of available addresses with each broadcast of the heartbeat signal;

listening, for each of the available addresses, for an attach request from an unattached peripheral device;

generating a new address to identify the unattached peripheral device in response to receipt of the attach request from the unattached peripheral device, the attach request identifying the unattached peripheral device to the hub device;

sending the new address to the unattached peripheral device;

receiving confirmation from the peripheral device using the new address; and

attaching the unattached peripheral device using the new address.