System and method for configuration of network-capable appliances

• US 8,254,352 B2
• Filed: 06/28/2007
• Issued: 08/28/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Universal Electronics, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Universal Electronics, Inc.
• Inventors: Negron, Eric, Hayes, Patrick H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Roberts, Brian
• Application Number:
  US11/823,737
• Publication Number:
  US 20090003240A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,888 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2807 Exchanging configuration information on appliance services in a home automation network arrangements for maintenance or administration involving network analysis for automatically determining the actual topology of a network H04L41/12; hardware or software tools for network management using graphical user interfaces H04L41/22; address allocation H04L61/50
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2849 Audio/video appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0803 Configuration setting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0813 characterised by the conditions triggering a change of settings
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5054 Automatic deployment of services triggered by the service manager, e.g. service implementation by automatic configuration of network components
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5067 Customer-centric QoS measurements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42221 Transmission circuitry, e.g. infrared [IR] or radio frequency [RF]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42225 characterized by types of remote control, e.g. universal remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42226 Reprogrammable remote control devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8186 specially adapted to be executed by a peripheral of the client device, e.g. by a reprogrammable remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

A controlling device is used to configure an appliance for wireless network communications through use of a setup wizard installed on a computing device. The setup wizard is used to obtain from a user information required to perform communications on a wireless network via a wireless network router and a digital representation of the information obtained from the user through use of the setup wizard is provided to the controlling device. The controlling device is then used to transfer the digital representation of the information to the appliance whereupon the appliance will use the digital representation of the information to configure itself for wireless network communications.

Claims

1. A method for using a controlling device, adapted to transmit commands to an appliance via a communication link, to configure the appliance for wireless network communications, comprising:

generating via use of a setup wizard a key entry sequence representative of information required to associate with a wireless local area network and information required to configure the controlling device to communicate commands to the appliance via the communication link;

receiving into the controlling device via activation of one or more keys the key entry sequence representative of the information required to associate with a wireless local area network and the information required to configure the controlling device to communicate commands to the appliance via the communication link;

using the information required to configure the controlling device to communicate commands to the appliance provided to the controlling device via activation of the one or more keys to configure the controlling device to communicate commands to the appliance via the communication link; and

using the communication link to transfer from the controlling device to the appliance a digital representation of the information required to associate with a wireless local area network provided to the controlling device via activation of the one or more keys whereupon the appliance will use the digital representation of the information required to associate with a wireless local area network to configure itself for association with the wireless local area network.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the communication link comprises an infrared communication link between the controlling device and the appliance.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the communication link comprises a radio frequency communication link between the controlling device and the appliance.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the information required to associate with a wireless local area network comprises at least a network name.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the information required to associate with a wireless local area network comprises at least a network password.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, comprising causing the controlling device to communicate a command to the appliance via the communication link to place the appliance into a mode to receive the digital representation of the information required to associate with a wireless local area network prior to using the communication link to transfer from the controlling device to the appliance the digital representation of the information required to associate with a wireless local area.

7. The method as recited in claim 6, comprising receiving at the controlling device via the communication link a signal transmitted by the appliance in response to receipt of the command wherein the signal is used to cause the controlling device to automatically initiate a transfer of the digital representation of the information required to associate with a wireless local area network to the appliance via the communication link.

8. The method as recited in claim 6, comprising causing the controlling device to initiate a transfer of the digital representation of the information required to associate with a wireless local area network to the appliance via the communication link in response to a user activating one or more predetermined keys of the controlling device.

9. The method as recited in claim 6, comprising causing the controlling device to automatically initiate a transfer of the digital representation of the information required to associate with a wireless local area network to the appliance via the communication link at a time after the command is communicated to the appliance via the communication link.

10. The method as recited in claim 9, comprising using a timer to determine the time at which the controlling device automatically initiates the transfer of the digital representation of the information required to associate with a wireless local area network.

11. The method as recited in claim 6, comprising causing the controlling device to communicate the command to the appliance via the communication link in response to a user activating one or more predetermined keys of the controlling device.

12. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the setup wizard resides on a computer device and wherein the setup wizard is also used to setup the computing device as a network media server.

13. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the digital representation of the information required to associate with a wireless local area network transferred from the controlling device to the appliance is encrypted.