System and method for multi-radio control

• US 8,504,100 B2
• Filed: 05/22/2007
• Issued: 08/06/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ConnectSoft, Inc.
• Original Assignee: ConnectSoft, Inc.
• Inventors: Lankswert, Patrick C., Songer, Christopher M., Chang, Gene M., Groset, Peter E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Afshar, Kamran
• Assistant Examiner(s): Fahnert, Marisol
• Application Number:
  US11/751,903
• Publication Number:
  US 20070275683A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,268 Days
• Field of Search: 455/185.1, 455/403, 455410-411, 455/418, 4554321-4323, 4554351-4353, 455436-444, 455/445, 455/552.1, 370/328, 370/331, 370/338, 713/168, 713/169, 709/229
• US Class Current: 455/552.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/005 adapting radio receivers, transmitters andtransceivers for operation on two or more bands, i.e. frequency ranges
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/406 with more than one transmission mode, e.g. analog and digital modes
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/719 Interference-related aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2201/70711 with modular structure
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

A system and method for multi-radio control unifies disparate radio technologies and communication protocols and abstracts them such that a user of a personal electronic device having a plurality of disparate radios is not required to know or understand the radio technology needed to connect to a remote wireless device or service. An intermediate layer receives requests from a user interface application, generates specific driver commands to each radio, and returns information received from each radio to the user interface application module. A user interface application module initiates a search for available remote wireless devices, provides the user with information regarding the available remote wireless devices, and establishes a connection to an available remote wireless device in response to a user selection. The user interface application module also presents notifications to the user, and also handles disconnect requests and security credential dialogs.

Claims

1. A method for multi-radio control in a personal electronic device having a plurality of radios of disparate radio technologies, in an environment having at least one remote wireless device that is accessible through at least one of said plurality of radios, said method comprising:

searching for remote wireless devices available for two-way wireless communication with each radio of said plurality of radios of disparate radio technologies in response to receiving an instruction from a user to search for available remote wireless devices;

creating, in a user interface, selectable representations of the available remote wireless devices available for two-way wireless communication with each radio of said plurality of radios of disparate radio technologies in response to receiving information indicating the remote wireless devices that are available to each radio of said plurality of radios of disparate radio technologies; and

establishing a connection with at least one of said remote wireless devices in response to receiving a request from said user to establish a connection with said at least one of said remote wireless devices;

wherein said step of searching for remote wireless devices includes;

formatting a generic hardware interface request to search for available remote wireless devices;

generating specific driver commands to each radio to search for available remote wireless devices based on said generic hardware interface request;

sending said specific driver commands to a radio driver module associated with each radio; and

receiving information indicating available remote wireless devices to each radio from each radio driver module.

2. The method for multi-radio control of claim 1, further including receiving a disconnect request from said user to disconnect from a remote wireless device, and, responsive to receiving said disconnect request, disconnecting said remote wireless device from the radio to which the remote wireless device is connected.

3. The method for multi-radio control of claim 1, further including receiving a notification of a change in state of said connection between said personal electronic device and said remote wireless device from the associated radio driver module, and presenting said notification of a change in state of said connection to said user.

4. The method for multi-radio control of claim 1, further including determining whether access to the remote wireless device to which the user has requested connection requires security credentials, and, if so, requesting security credentials for access to the remote wireless device from said user, and providing security credentials for access to the remote wireless device for said user in response to receiving said security credentials from said user.

5. The method for multi-radio control of claim 4, further including determining whether a service offered by the remote wireless device to which the user has requested connection requires security credentials, requesting security credentials from said user for the service offered by said remote wireless device, and providing security credentials for said user for the service offered in response to receiving said security credentials for the service offered from said user.

6. A method for multi-radio control in a personal electronic device having a plurality of radios of disparate radio technologies in an environment having at least one remote wireless device that is accessible through at least one of said plurality of radios, said method comprising:

receiving a request from a user to search for remote wireless devices that are available for two-way wireless communication with each radio;

formatting a generic hardware interface request to search for available remote wireless devices;

generating specific driver commands to each radio of said plurality of radios of disparate radio technologies to search for available remote wireless devices based on said generic hardware interface request;

sending said specific driver commands to a radio driver module associated with each radio;

receiving information indicating available remote wireless devices to each radio from each radio driver module; and

creating, in a user interface, selectable representations of the remote wireless devices available for two-way wireless communication with each radio of said plurality of radios of disparate radio technologies without regard to the radios of disparate radio technologies to which the remote wireless devices are available.

7. The method for multi-radio control of claim 6, further including receiving a request from said user to connect to a remote wireless device selected from said available remote wireless devices, and establishing a connection between said personal electronic device and said remote wireless device using the radio to which the remote wireless device is available.

8. The method for multi-radio control of claim 7, further including receiving a request from said user to disconnect from a remote wireless device, and disconnecting said remote wireless device from the radio to which the remote wireless device is connected.

9. The method for multi-radio control of claim 7, further including receiving a notification of a change in state of said connection between said personal electronic device and said remote wireless device from the associated radio driver module, and presenting said notification of a change in state of said connection to said user.

10. A system for multi-radio control in a personal electronic device having a plurality of radios of disparate radio technologies, each said radio having an associated radio driver module, in an environment having remote wireless devices, said system comprising:

a program interface module for receiving requests from an interfaced third party application program regarding said remote wireless devices and providing responses to said requests;

a local hardware manager module for;

receiving requests from said program interface module to search for available remote wireless devices;

formatting generic hardware interface requests for each radio to search for available remote wireless devices;

receiving generic responses to said generic hardware interface requests and

providing said responses to said program interface module; and

an adaptation layer module associated with each radio, each adaptation layer module;

receiving said generic hardware interface requests to search for available remote wireless devices from said local hardware manager module;

generating specific driver commands to said associated radio driver modules to search for available remote wireless devices based on said generic hardware interface requests;

sending said specific driver commands to said associated radio driver modules;

receiving specific responses indicating available remote wireless devices to each radio from said radio driver modules;

generating generic responses based on said specific responses; and

providing said generic responses to said local hardware manager module.

11. The system for multi-radio control of claim 10, further comprising a remote device manager module for managing remote device objects for available remote wireless devices.

12. The system for multi-radio control of claim 11, further comprising a user interface application module for:

receiving a request from a user to change the connection status of at least one of said available remote wireless devices;

sending said request to change the connection status of said at least one of said available remote wireless devices to said program interface module;

receiving a response to said request to change the connection status of said at least one of said remote wireless devices from said program interface module; and

presenting said response to said user.

13. The system for multi-radio control of claim 12, wherein said user interface application module is further for receiving notifications of a change in status of a connection between said personal electronic device and a remote wireless device, and presenting said notification of a change in state of said connection to said user.

14. The system for multi-radio control of claim 12, wherein said request from a user to change the connection status of at least one of said available remote wireless devices is a request to connect to one of said available remote wireless devices, wherein said user interface application module is further for determining whether access to said one of said available remote wireless devices requires security credentials, and, if so, requesting security credentials from said user.

15. A system for multi-radio control in a personal electronic device having a plurality of radios of disparate radio technologies, said system comprising:

searching means for searching for remote wireless devices available for two-way wireless communication with each radio of said plurality of radios of disparate radio technologies, in response to receiving an instruction from a user to search for available remote wireless devices;

indicating means for indicating creating, in a user interface, a selectable representation of the available remote wireless devices available for two-way wireless communication with each radio of said plurality of radios of disparate radio technologies in response to receiving information indicating the remote wireless devices that are available to each radio of said plurality of radios of disparate radio technologies; and

connection means for establishing a connection with at least one of said available remote wireless devices in response to receiving request from the user to establish a connection with said at least one of said remote wireless devices;

wherein said searching means for searching for remote wireless devices includes means for;

formatting a generic hardware interface request to search for available remote wireless devices;

generating specific driver commands to each radio to search for available remote wireless devices based on said generic hardware interface request;

sending said specific driver commands to a radio driver module associated with each radio; and

receiving information indicating available remote wireless devices to each radio from each radio driver module.

16. The system for multi-radio control of claim 15, further including means for disconnecting from said at least one of said remote wireless devices in response to receiving an instruction to disconnect from said at least one of said remote wireless devices.

17. The system for multi-radio control of claim 15, further including means for communicating notifications of changes in state of said connection with said at least one of said remote wireless devices in response to receiving a notification of a change in state of said connection.

18. A system for multi-radio control in a personal electronic device having a plurality of radios of disparate radio technologies, each of said plurality of radios having an associated radio driver module, said system comprising:

an intermediate layer module having an program interface module, a local hardware manager module, an adaptation layer module associated with each of said plurality of radios, and a remote device manager module, wherein;

said program interface module;

receives a request to search for remote wireless devices that are available to each of said plurality of radios;

sends a request to said local hardware manager module to search for remote wireless devices that are available;

receives a list of available remote wireless devices; and

instantiates a remote device object for each remote device that is available;

said local hardware manager module;

receives said request to search for available remote wireless devices from said program interface module;

formats a generic hardware interface request to search for available remote wireless devices; and

sends said generic hardware interface request to search for remote wireless devices to each adaptation layer module;

each adaptation layer module;

receives said generic hardware interface request to search for remote wireless devices;

generates appropriate driver commands to each said associated radio driver module to search for available remote devices;

receives a list of available remote devices from each said associated radio driver module; and

sends said list of available remote devices to said local hardware manager module;

said remote device manager module manages said remote device objects for said available remote devices; and

a user interface application module configured for;

receiving a request from a user to view remote wireless devices that are available for two-way wireless communication with said personal electronic device using said plurality of radios of disparate radio technologies;

sending a request to search for remote wireless devices to said intermediate layer module;

receiving information indicating the remote wireless devices that are available to said personal electronic device from said intermediate layer module;

creating selectable representations of the remote wireless devices available for two-way wireless communication with each radio of said plurality of radios of disparate radio technologies;

receiving a request from said user to connect to a selected remote wireless device; and

connecting said personal electronic device to said selected remote wireless device.

19. The system for multi-radio control of claim 18, wherein said user interface application module is further for receiving a request from a user to disconnect from a selected remote wireless device, and, responsive to receiving said disconnect request, disconnecting from selected remote wireless device.

20. The system for multi-radio control of claim 18, wherein:

one of said adaptation layer modules receives a specific notification of a change in state of one of said plurality of radios from said associated radio driver module, formats a generic notification of said change in state of said one of said plurality of radios, and sends said generic notification to said local hardware manager module;

said local hardware manager module receives said generic notification of said change in state of said one of said plurality of radios and sends said generic notification to said user interface application module; and

said user interface application module communicates said notification of change in state of said one of said plurality of radios to said user.