Automatic configuration of wireless device for router

• US 7,958,211 B2
• Filed: 10/22/2007
• Issued: 06/07/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Lam, Tom, Zhang, Guoxuan
• Primary Examiner(s): Moore; Ian N
• Assistant Examiner(s): Zuniga; Jackie
• Application Number:
  US11/876,273
• Publication Number:
  US 20090103547A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,324 Days
• Field of Search: 709220-222
• US Class Current: 709/222
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0879 Manual configuration through operator
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0886 Fully automatic configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/04 Key management, e.g. using generic bootstrapping architecture [GBA]

Abstract

A user of a wireless device connects a cable to a router and is given the option of manually or automatically creating a user profile to configure the wireless device for subsequent wireless communication with the router when the user removes the cable.

Claims

1. A computer, comprising:

a processor executing logic comprising;

prompting, on a display controlled by the processor, a user to establish a wired communication path with a wireless router;

giving the user a choice of automatic configuration of the computer for wireless communication with the router at least in part by presenting a user interface on the computer including a first selector element indicating a manual configuration procedure and a second selector element indicating an automatic configuration procedure,

wherein in response to the first selector element being selected the computer executes the manual configuration procedure including presenting to the user at least a default network name, the processor in response to receiving user input representing a new network name replacing the default network name with the new network name as part of the manual configuration procedure,

wherein in response to the second selector element being selected the computer executes the automatic configuration procedure in which the computer automatically establishes a user profile for the computer, the user profile including a network name automatically retrieved by the processor from the router over the wired communication path, wherein if the user selects automatic configuration, the user profile for the computer is established at least in part by using the wired communication path to automatically ascertain a passcode of the router and establish the passcode as the passcode of the computer.

2. The computer of claim 1, wherein the wired communication path is an Ethernet path.

3. The computer of claim 2, wherein the computer is a notebook computer.

4. The computer of claim 1, wherein the network name is a service set identifier (SSID).

5. The computer of claim 1, wherein if the user selects automatic configuration, the user profile for the computer is established at least in part by using the wired communication path to automatically ascertain an encryption type of the router and establish the encryption type as the encryption type of the computer.

6. A non-transitory computer readable medium usable by a processor to execute logic comprising:

instructing a user of a computer to establish a wired communication path with a router;

giving the user a choice of automatic configuration of the computer for wireless communication with the router at least in part by presenting a user interface on the computer including a first selector element indicating a manual configuration procedure and a second selector element indicating an automatic configuration procedure;

responsive to selection of the second selector element, automatically using the wired communication path to cause at least a network name, passcode, and encryption type associated with the router to be communicated to the computer; and

subsequently using the network name, passcode, and encryption type for wireless communication between the router and computer, the following parameters also being established in the computer;

transmit power level (watts);

power save mode;

security parameters including whether to use open system or shared key, with open system being set as a default;

data encryption key type; and

transmit rate frequency (GHz) and data rate (Mbps) set to match a transmit rate frequency and data rate.

7. The medium of claim 6, wherein the automatically using logic is invoked when a user enters a signal into the computer to automatically configure the computer.

8. The medium of claim 6, wherein the network name is a service set identifier (SSID).

9. The medium of claim 6, wherein the wired communication path is an Ethernet path.

10. The medium of claim 6, wherein the computer is a notebook computer.