Computer peripheral device method and apparatus

• US 7,840,314 B2
• Filed: 10/28/2005
• Issued: 11/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Motors LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: General Motors LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Simon, Anthony Luke
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran; Khoi
• Assistant Examiner(s): Broadhead; Brian J
• Application Number:
  US11/261,999
• Publication Number:
  US 20070100507A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,852 Days
• Field of Search: 701/1, 701/29, 701/30, 701/45, 340/431, 340/539.1, 340/636.15, 439/357, 439/354, 180/128, 303/7, 307/10.12 R, 307/112.R
• US Class Current: 701/1
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/20 Manipulation of established connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/02 Hierarchically pre-organised networks, e.g. paging networks, cellular networks, WLAN [Wireless Local Area Network] or WLL [Wireless Local Loop]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

A vehicle peripheral device system comprising a first peripheral state manager that manages a persistent connection between a computing device and a vehicle and a second peripheral state manager that manages on-demand connections between the computing device and the vehicle, wherein the vehicle is presented to a user of the computing device as a persistent peripheral device when either the persistent connection or the on-demand connection is available, wherein at least some on-demand connections are initiated by the computing device requiring access to the vehicle device.

Claims

1. A computer peripheral device method comprising the steps of:

initiating a first connection from a computing device to a vehicle device wherein the first connection is a wired or a short-range wireless connection, wherein the computing device is external to and not physically part of the vehicle, and the vehicle device is within the vehicle;

designating on the computing device the vehicle device as a peripheral device if the first connection is achieved;

initiating a second connection from the computing device to the vehicle device if the first connection is not available, wherein the second connection is not a short-range wireless connection or a wired connection;

designating on the computing device the vehicle device as the peripheral device if the second connection is achieved;

disconnecting the second connection while maintaining the vehicle device as the peripheral device, and reestablishing connection to the vehicle upon demand for services from the vehicle.

2. An apparatus comprising:

a computing device spatially separated from a vehicle;

a device driver software on the computing device, wherein with the device driver software installed on the computing device, the computing device recognizes the vehicle or a device in the vehicle as a peripheral of the computing device, operates a first connection to the vehicle when the vehicle is in proximity of the computing device allowing a short range connection, and

operates a second long-range connection to the vehicle when the vehicle is not in proximity of the computing device and the short-range connection is not available;

wherein the long-range connection is selectively released while the computing device maintains the device as an available peripheral; and

wherein the long-range connection is reconnected upon demand for services.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, also comprising a vehicle driver software installed on the computing device.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, also comprising a device control application on the computer for controlling operation of a plurality of devices for managing the short-range connection and the long-range connection.

5. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the long-range connection is reconnected upon a demand by the computing device for services from the device.

6. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the long-range connection is reconnected upon request of the device for services from the computing device.

7. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the short-range connection is obtained during synchronization with a wake-up cycle of the device in the vehicle.

8. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein if the short-range connection is lost the long-range connection is established.

9. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein requested services are rejected if both the short-range connection is not available and the long-range connection is not available.

10. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein following startup of the computing device, the short-range connection is established.

11. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein following startup of the computing device, the long-range connection is established if the short-range connection is not available.