Method and system for role management for complex bluetooth® devices

• US 8,655,280 B2
• Filed: 05/22/2013
• Issued: 02/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hillyard, Jason, Jose, Jaku
• Primary Examiner(s): Afshar, Kamran
• Assistant Examiner(s): Iqbal, Khawar
• Application Number:
  US13/900,074
• Publication Number:
  US 20130252557A1
• Time in Patent Office: 272 Days
• Field of Search: 455572-574, 455/444, 455/41.2, 370/331, 370/338, 370/401, 370/440, 370465-466, 709/228, 709/248
• US Class Current: 455/41.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/20 Master-slave selection or change arrangements

Abstract

Methods and systems for controlling a plurality of personal area network access devices are disclosed herein. In a personal area network device, a new connection is received from another personal area network device in a personal area network. The new connection is associated with a first application having a first role preference. It is determined whether the first role preference conflicts with a current role. It is determined whether the first role preference conflicts with a second role preference associated with a second application using the current role. The current role is switched to a role specified in the first role preference in response to determining that the first role preference conflicts with the current role and that the first role preference does not conflict with the second role preference.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a first personal area network device in a personal area network, a new connection from a second personal area network device, the new connection being associated with a first application in the first personal area network device having a first role preference; and

establishing the new connection, the establishing comprising;

determining whether the first role preference conflicts with a current role of the first personal area network device;

determining whether the first role preference conflicts with a second role preference associated with a second application using the current role in the first personal area network device; and

switching the current role of the first personal area network device to a role specified in the first role preference in response to determining that the first role preference conflicts with the current role and that the first role preference does not conflict with the second role preference.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the establishing further comprises preserving the current role of the first personal area network device in response to determining that the first role preference does not conflict with the current role.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the establishing further comprises preserving the current role of the first personal area network device in response to determining that the first role preference conflicts with the second role preference.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether the new connection is a scatternet connection; and

switching the current role of the first personal area network device based at least in part on a scatternet capability of the first personal area network device in response to determining that the new connection is a scatternet connection.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the scatternet capability corresponds to a partial scatternet capability that indicates support for the scatternet connection for a period of time.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first role preference and the second role preference are stored in a lookup table of the first personal area network device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the second application has an existing connection to the personal area network using the current role when the new connection is received.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first role preference and the second role preference respectively correspond to a master-only preference, a slave-only preference, or a master-or-slave preference.

9. A system, comprising:

a first personal area network device configured to;

receive a new connection from a second personal area network device in a personal area network, the new connection being associated with a first application in the first personal area network device having a first role preference;

determine whether the first role preference conflicts with a current role of the first personal area network device;

determine whether the first role preference conflicts with a second role preference associated with a second application using the current role in the first personal area network device; and

switch the current role of the first personal area network device to a role specified in the first role preference in response to determining that the first role preference conflicts with the current role and that the first role preference does not conflict with the second role preference.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the first personal area network device is further configured to refrain from switching the current role of the first personal area network device in response to determining that the first role preference does not conflict with the current role.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the first personal area network device is further configured to refrain from switching the current role of the first personal area network device in response to determining that the first role preference conflicts with the second role preference.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the first personal area network device is further configured to:

determine whether the new connection is a scatternet connection; and

switch the current role of the first personal area network device based at least in part on a scatternet capability of the first personal area network device in response to determining that the new connection is a scatternet connection.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the scatternet capability corresponds to a partial scatternet capability that indicates support for the scatternet connection for a period of time.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the first role preference and the second role preference are stored in a lookup table of the first personal area network device.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the second application has an existing connection to the personal area network using the current role when the new connection is received.

16. The system of claim 9, wherein the first role preference and the second role preference respectively correspond to a master-only preference, a slave-only preference, or a master-or-slave preference.

17. A system, comprising:

a first personal area network device configured to;

receive a new connection from a second personal area network device in a personal area network, the new connection being associated with a first application in the first personal area network device;

determine a first role preference associated with the first application;

determine whether the first role preference conflicts with a current role of the first personal area network device based at least in part on a scatternet capability of the first personal area network device;

determine whether the first role preference conflicts with a second role preference associated with a second application using the current role in the first personal area network device; and

switch the current role of the first personal area network device to a role specified in the first role preference in response to determining that the first role preference conflicts with the current role and that the first role preference does not conflict with the second role preference.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the first personal area network device is further configured to delay switching the current role of the first personal area network device based at least in part on the scatternet capability being a partial scatternet capability.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the switching is delayed until an existing connection used by the second application is disconnected.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the new connection is an outgoing connection.