Method, apparatus and system for connecting a portable unit to a particular server unit from among a plurality of server units

• US 7,296,075 B2
• Filed: 08/23/2002
• Issued: 11/13/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/23/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Anoto Group AB
• Original Assignee: Anoto Group AB
• Inventors: Lynggaard, Stefan
• Primary Examiner(s): Wiley; David
• Assistant Examiner(s): BOUTAH, ALINA A
• Application Number:
  US10/226,112
• Publication Number:
  US 20030055986A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,908 Days
• Field of Search: 709217-219, 709227-229, 709/203, 345/173, 345/179
• US Class Current: 709/227
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0321 by optically sensing the absolute position with respect to a regularly patterned surface forming a passive digitiser, e.g. pen optically detecting position indicative tags printed on a paper sheet constructional details of pen-shaped pointing devices G06F3/03545, G06F3/03542, G06F3/037
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03545 Pens or stylus
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for connecting a portable unit (1) to a particular server unit from among a plurality of server units (5, 6, 7 and 8). The portable unit (1) comprises a first address list and the particular server unit comprises a second address list. The first and the second address lists comprise the attribute of at least one server unit and the address of this server unit. The method comprises the steps of updating the second address list from the first address list and updating the first address list from the second address list. The invention also relates to a server unit and a portable unit.

Claims

1. A method for connecting a portable unit to a particular server unit from among a plurality of server units, the portable unit comprising a first address list and the particular server unit comprising a second address list, the first and the second address lists including an attribute of at least one of said plurality of server units and an address of the at least one server unit, comprising the steps of:

recording a required attribute of a server unit, by electronically recording, using the portable unit, on a base provided with a subset of a position-coding pattern that codes coordinates on an imaginary surface, a pair of coordinates in a first partial area from among a plurality of partial areas on the imaginary surface, which partial area is associated with the required attribute;

searching for the recorded attribute in the first address list;

if the recorded attribute is found in the first address list, connecting the portable unit to the required server unit via the address in the first address list that is associated with the recorded attribute;

updating the second address list from the first address list; and

updating the first address list from the second address list.

2. A method according to claim 1,in which the first address list includes statistics of the number of connections to a server unit with a particular attribute.

3. A method according to claim 1, in which the second address list includes statistics of the number of portable units that have been connected to the particular server unit and that have had the respective server unit'"'"'s attribute in their address list.

4. A method according to claim 2, further comprising:

using the statistics to select which addresses and associated attributes are to be removed from the first address list due to a shortage of space.

5. A method according to claim 1, in which the first address list includes information about the time of the most recent connection to a server unit with a particular attribute.

6. A method according to claim 5, further comprising:

using the information concerning the time of the most recent connection to a server unit with a particular attribute to select which addresses and associated attributes in the first address list are to be removed due to a shortage of space.

7. A method according to claim 1, in which it is used for short-range communication.

8. A method according to claim 7, in which the addresses in the first and second address lists respectively are used to establish a short-range radio link.

9. A method according to claim 7, in which the addresses in the first and second address lists respectively are used to establish a short-range infra-red link.

10. A system comprising:

at least one portable unit including a first address list; and

a plurality of server units with unique addresses, said plurality of server units each including a second address list, and means for updating the particular server unit'"'"'s second address list from the first address list when the portable unit is connected to a particular server unit;

wherein the first and the second address lists include a parameter representing an attribute of at least one of said plurality of server units and the unique address of the at least one server unit; and

wherein the at least one portable unit further includes

means for updating the first address list from the particular server unit'"'"'s second address list when the portable unit is connected to the particular server unit;

means for determining a required attribute of a server unit, by electronically recording, on a base provided with a subset of a position-coding pattern that codes coordinates on an imaginary surface, a pair of coordinates from a first partial area among a plurality of partial areas on the imaginary surface, said first partial area being associated with the required attribute;

means for searching for a parameter representing the required attribute in the first address list; and

means for connecting the portable unit to the required server unit via the address associated with the parameter representing the required attribute in the first address list, if the parameter representing the recorded attribute is found in the first address list.

11. A computer readable medium having stored thereon computer executable instructions, said instructions computer system to:

determine a required attribute of a server unit, by electronically recording, using a portable unit, on a base provided with a subset of a position-coding pattern that codes coordinates on an imaginary surface, a pair of coordinates from a first partial area among a plurality of partial areas on the imaginary surface, said first partial area being associated with the required attribute;

search for a parameter representing the required attribute in a first address list stored in the portable unit; and

connect the portable unit to a required server unit via an address associated with the parameter representing the required attribute in the first address list, if the parameter representing the recorded attribute is found in the first address list;

update a second address list stored in the required server unit from the first address list in the portable unit; and

update the first address list in the portable unit from the second address list, wherein the first and second address list include a parameter representing an attribute of at least one of a plurality of server units and an address of the at least one server unit.

12. A portable unit comprising:

a first address list that includes a parameter representing an attribute of at least one server unit and an address of the at least one server unit;

means for determining a required attribute of a server unit, by electronically recording, on a base provided with a subset of a position-coding pattern that codes coordinates on an imaginary surface, a pair of coordinates from a first partial area among a plurality of partial areas on the imaginary surface, said first partial area being associated with the required attribute;

means for searching for a parameter representing the recorded attribute in the first address list;

means for connecting the portable unit to the required server unit via the address associated with the parameter representing the required attribute in the first address list, if the parameter representing the recorded attribute is found in the first address list;

means for updating the first address list from second address list in the required server unit, and

means for making it possible for the required server unit to obtain information from the first address list.

13. A method for connecting a portable unit to a particular server unit from among a plurality of server units, the portable unit comprising a first address list and the particular server unit comprising a second address list, the first and the second address lists including a parameter representing an attribute of at least one of said plurality of server units and an address of the at least one server unit, comprising the steps of;

recording a parameter associated with a required attribute of a server unit, by electronically recording, using the portable unit, from a base provided with a subset of a position-coding pattern that codes coordinates on an imaginary surface, a pair of coordinates in a first partial area from among a plurality of partial areas on the imaginary surface, the first partial area being associated with the required attribute;

searching for the recorded parameter in the first address list;

if the recorded parameter is found in the first address list, connecting the portable unit to the required server unit via the address associated with the recorded parameter in the first address list;

updating the second address list from the first address list; and

updating the first address list from the second address list.