System and method for managing communication links

• US 8,472,356 B2
• Filed: 08/11/2006
• Issued: 06/25/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Universal Electronics, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Universal Electronics, Inc.
• Inventors: Chambers, Christopher Alan
• Primary Examiner(s): Rinehart, Mark
• Assistant Examiner(s): Crompton, Christopher R
• Application Number:
  US11/502,780
• Publication Number:
  US 20060294217A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,510 Days
• Field of Search: 370/280, 370/345, 370/347, 370/350, 370/421, 370/337, 370/348
• US Class Current: 370/280
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/1143 Bidirectional transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0037 Inter-user or inter-terminal allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0446 Resources in time domain, e.g. slots or frames
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/04 Scheduled access hybrid access H04W74/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/00 Wireless network protocols or protocol adaptations to wireless operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

A system and method for managing a communication link between a consumer electronic device adapted for two-way, wireless communications with at least one peripheral. The communication link is managed using a controller that is associated with the consumer electronic device that functions to assign communication slots to the peripheral to facilitate communications between the peripheral and the consumer electronic device.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a consumer electronic device having circuitry and programming for providing two-way, wireless communications; and

a plurality of peripheral devices each having circuitry and programming for providing two-way, wireless communications with the consumer electronic device;

wherein the programming of the consumer electronic device further provides for assigning a one of a plurality of general-purpose communication time slots within a protocol cycle comprised of a dedicated protocol control and synchronization time slot and the plurality of general-purpose communication time slots, with each of the plurality of general-purpose communication time slots accommodating a single inbound or a single outbound data packet, to a one of the plurality of peripheral devices to facilitate communications in the assigned one of the plurality of general-purpose communication time slots between the one of the plurality of peripheral devices and the consumer electronic device, for automatically de-assigning the one of the plurality of general-purpose communication time slots assigned to the at least one of the plurality of peripheral devices in response to the consumer electronic device detecting that the assigned one of the plurality of general-purpose communication time slots has no communication transmissions and is thus being unused by the one of the plurality of peripheral devices assigned thereto, and for broadcasting a notification that the one of the plurality of general-purpose communication time slots that was automatically de-assigned is again available for assignment to a one of the plurality of peripheral devices;

wherein an end-of-cycle data packet transmitted from the consumer electronic device in the dedicated protocol control and synchronization time slot includes the notification that the one of the plurality of general communication time slots that was automatically de-assigned is again available for assignment to a one of the plurality of peripheral devices; and

wherein the one of the plurality of peripheral devices is assigned the one of the plurality of general-purpose communication time slots by the consumer electronic device in response to the one of the plurality of peripheral devices transmitting to to the consumer electronic device in an occurrence of the one of the plurality of general-purpose communication time slots in which the one of the plurality of general-purpose communication time slots is unassigned a request to be assigned the one of the plurality of general-purpose communication time slots for use in exchanging communications with the consumer electronic device.

2. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein communications are by means of IR transmissions.

3. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the consumer electronic device is a game console and each peripheral device is a game controller.

4. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the time duration of each of the plurality of general-purpose communication time slots is dynamic during a protocol cycle.

5. The system as recited in claim 4, wherein the time duration of each of the plurality of general-purpose communication time slots is determined by the programming of the consumer electronic device.

6. The system as recited in claim 5, wherein an end of at least one of the plurality of general-purpose communication time slots is designated by a marker pulse.