Wireless communication system having a guest transmitter and a host receiver

• US 7,092,694 B2
• Filed: 06/19/2002
• Issued: 08/15/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/19/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Uniloc 2017 LLC (SoftBank Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Lambrechts, Marc Emiel Celine, Griep, Pieter Dingenis
• Primary Examiner(s): Kincaid, Lester G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Casca, Fred A.
• Application Number:
  US10/175,413
• Publication Number:
  US 20030069012A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,518 Days
• Field of Search: 455/426.1, 455/426.2, 455/435.2, 455/435.1, 455/462, 455/463, 455/403
• US Class Current: 455/403
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/725 Cordless telephones user interfaces specially adapted therefor H04M1/724
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72513 On hold, intercom or transfer communication modes
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/08 Access restriction or access information delivery, e.g. discovery data delivery signalling during connection H04W76/00
• 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 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/16 WPBX [Wireless Private Branch Exchange]

Abstract

A system including at least one host and at least one guest communicating with each other via a wireless medium and having structure for linking a selected host (10) to a selected guest (20). In order to be able to perform such selection and such linking in a simplified manner, the host (10) has structure for establishing the link on the double condition that the guest (20) transmits a declaration signal (50) and that this declaration signal (50) is transmitted from within a declaration area (40) of the host (10) which differs substantially from the normal operating area (60) of the guest/host pair. The selection and the linking of the host (10) and the guest (20) is performed simply by putting the selected guest (20) within the declaration area (40) of the selected host (10) and by triggering the transmission of a declaration signal (50) by the selected guest (20) from within this declaration area (40).

Claims

1. A wireless communication system comprising:

at least one guest having means including a guest transmitter for transmitting guest signals; and

at least one host having means including a host receiver for receiving the guest signals, said host comprising means for establishing a link with the guest upon reception of a declaration signal transmitted by the guest, after which the host will respond to regular operation signals transmitted by the linked guest, characterized in that;

the means for establishing the link with the guest establishes the link upon reception by the host of the declaration signal transmitted by the guest while the guest transmitter is located within a declaration area of the host, said declaration area being an area different from a normal operating area of the guest/host pair, and said means not establishing the link with the guest upon transmission of the declaration signal by the guest while the guest transmitter is located outside said declaration area, the difference between the declaration area and the normal operating area being set on the basis of a parameter other than transmission power level, and the guest uses substantially the same transmission power for transmitting the declaration signal and for transmitting the regular operation signals.

2. The wireless communication system as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the declaration area extends around the host receiver and is smaller than and is included in the normal operating area of the guest transmitter/host receiver pair.

3. The wireless communication system as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that the radius of the declaration area does not exceed 10% of the radius of the normal operating area of the guest transmitter/host receiver pair, the radius being measured from the host receiver.

4. The wireless communication system as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the host does not comprise means for intentionally transmitting signals to the guest.

5. The wireless communication system as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that the host does not comprise means for intentionally transmitting signals.

6. The wireless communication system as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the guest does not comprise means for intentionally receiving signals from the host.

7. The wireless communication system as claimed in claim 6, characterized in that the guest does not comprise means for intentionally receiving signals.

8. The wireless communication system as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the host comprises means for indicating to a user that the link is effectively established with the guest.

9. The wireless communication system as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the system comprises means for breaking up the link with the guest upon reception by the host of an unlinking signal transmitted by the guest while the guest transmitter is located within the declaration area of the host, said means not breaking up the link with the guest upon transmission of the guest unlinking signal by the guest while the guest transmitter is located outside said declaration area.

10. The wireless communication system as claimed in claim 9, characterized in that the host comprises means for indicating to a user that the link with the guest is effectively broken up.

11. The wireless communication system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said wireless communication system further comprises a first sensor for determining the declaration area and a second sensor for determining the normal operating area.

12. A host of a wireless communication system comprising at least one guest and at least one host, said guest having means including a guest transmitter for transmitting guest signals, said host having means including a host receiver for receiving the guest signals and means for establishing a link with the guest upon reception of a declaration signal transmitted by the guest, after which the host will respond to regular operation signals transmitted by the linked guest, characterized in that:

the host comprises means for establishing the link with the guest upon reception of the declaration signal transmitted by the guest while the guest transmitter is located with in a declaration area of the host, said declaration area being an area different from a normal operating area of the guest/host pair, and said means not establishing the link with the guest upon transmission of the declaration signal by the guest while the guest transmitter is located outside said declaration area, the difference between the declaration area and the normal operating area being set on the basis of a parameter other than transmission power level, and the guest using substantially the same transmission power for transmitting the declaration signal and for transmitting the regular operation signals.

13. A method of establishing a link between a host having a host receiver and a guest having a quest transmitter of a wireless communication system comprising at least one host and at least one guest, after which the host will respond to regular operation signals transmitted by the linked guest, said method comprising the steps of:

a) placing the guest transmitter within a declaration area of the host, said declaration area being different from a normal operating area of the guest transmitter/host receiver pair;

b) performing a user action on the guest, whereupon the guest transmits a declaration signal; and

c) establishing the link between the host and the guest if a transmission origin of the declaration signal is within the declaration area, and not establishing said link if the transmission origin is outside the declaration area, the difference between the declaration area and the normal operating area being set on the basis of a parameter other than transmission power level, the guest using substantially the same transmission power for transmitting the declaration signal and for transmitting the regular operation signals.

14. The method as claimed in claim 13, characterized in that the declaration area extends around the host receiver and is smaller than and is included in the normal operating area of the guest transmitter/host receiver pair.

15. The method as claimed in claim 14, characterized in that the volume of the declaration area does not exceed 10% of the volume of the normal operating area of the guest transmitter/host receiver pair.