Dual function device

• US 8,682,262 B2
• Filed: 10/08/2009
• Issued: 03/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Austin, Stephen Christopher, O'Connor, Michael Denis, Wilson, Terence
• Primary Examiner(s): HANNON, CHRISTIAN A
• Application Number:
  US12/576,154
• Publication Number:
  US 20100297964A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,629 Days
• Field of Search: 455/552.1, 455/556.1, 455/557, 455/559, 455/91
• US Class Current: 455/91
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4122 additional display device, e.g. video projector digital output for controlling a plurality of local displays G06F3/1423
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43637 involving a wireless protocol, e.g. Bluetooth, RF or wireless LAN [IEEE 802.11] arrangements for wireless networking or broadcasting of information in indoor or near-field type systems H04B10/114
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only

Abstract

A communication system for accessing media items via a display device. A receiver is coupled to the display device and a transmitter is coupled to a computer system. Media items stored locally on the computer system and/or remotely on a remote server may be wirelessly transferred from the transmitter to the receiver for display on the display device. In addition, the transmitter and the receiver may be pre-paired prior to delivery to the user, allowing for the network to be configured without any user input. Advantageously, embodiments provide a user with the ability to conveniently view content stored on a computer or a web server without the user having to perform any wireless network setup procedures.

Claims

1. A transmitter device, comprising:

a non-volatile memory storing network parameters for establishing a wireless network connection between the transmitter device and a receiver device, wherein the wireless network connection is established responsive to receiving a wireless Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) request from the receiver device, wherein the network parameters comprise at least one of a service set identifier (SSID) and a password;

a Universal Serial Bus (USB) connector adapted to couple the transmitter device to a computer system, wherein data is transmitted between the transmitter device and the computer system via the connector when the transmitter device is coupled to the computer system and operating in a mass storage mode;

a transceiver configured to perform two-way wireless communications with the receiver device when the transmitter device is operating in a wireless communications mode, wherein the receiver device is configured to output, to a display device coupled to the receiver device, a media item wirelessly received from the transmitter device, wherein the receiver device is configured to perform wireless communications only with the transmitter device to the exclusion of any other network devices based on uniquely pre-pairing of the transmitter device and the receiver device based on a unique identifier of the receiver device; and

a physical switch comprising a switching logic configured to switch from the mass storage mode to the wireless communications mode, wherein the transmitter device is configured to operate in one of the wireless communications mode and the mass storage mode while coupled to the computer system.

2. The transmitter device of claim 1, wherein the receiver device comprises a set-top box, a printer, or a scanner.

3. The transmitter device of claim 1, wherein an end-user need not pair the transmitter device and the receiver device as a condition to establishing the network connection.

4. The transmitter device of claim 1, wherein the transmitter device is enumerated by an operating system executing on the computer system as a mass storage device upon being coupled to the computer system.

5. The transmitter device of claim 1, wherein the switching logic is further configured to receive a signal from a software application executing on the computer system.

6. The transmitter device of claim 1, wherein the switching logic is configured to switch the transmitter device from the mass storage mode to the wireless communications mode based at least in part on a signal received from the computer system via the connector.

7. A method, comprising:

determining that a transmitter device coupled to a computer system is operating in a mass storage mode;

reading network parameters stored in a non-volatile memory included in the transmitter device;

transmitting a command to the transmitter device to cause the transmitter device to cease operating in the mass storage mode and to operate in the wireless communications mode, wherein the transmitter device is configured to operate in one of the wireless communications mode and the mass storage mode while coupled to the computer system; and

responsive to receiving a wireless Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) request broadcast by a receiver device, causing the transmitter device to establish a wireless network connection with the receiver device based at least in part on the network parameters, wherein the receiver device is configured output, to a display device coupled to the receiver device, a media item wirelessly received from the transmitter device, wherein the receiver device is configured to perform wireless communications only with the transmitter device to the exclusion of any other network devices based on uniquely pre-pairing of the transmitter device and the receiver device based on a unique identifier of the receiver device such that an end-user need not pair the transmitter device and the receiver device as a condition to establishing the network connection.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising the steps of:

determining that a software application stored in the non-volatile memory is not installed on the computer system; and

causing the software application to be installed on the computer system.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the receiver device comprises at least one of a set-top box and a computer peripheral, wherein the network parameters include at least one of an SSID (Service Set Identifier) and a network password, the method further comprising:

upon determining that a first version of a software application stored in the non-volatile memory is less recent than a second version of the software application installed on the computer system, causing the second version of the software application to be stored in the non-volatile memory included in the transmitter device.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the network parameters include at least one of an SSID (Service Set Identifier) and a network password, the method further comprising:

responsive to receiving a request from the transmitter device to update firmware associated with the receiver device, causing a signal to be transmitted to the receiver device that causes the firmware to be updated to a more recent version.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the connector is a USB (Universal Serial Bus) connector.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein the transmitter device further comprises a switching logic configured to switch from the mass storage mode to the wireless communications mode.

13. A computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause a transmitter device to operate in two modes, by performing the steps of:

reading network parameters stored in a non-volatile memory included in the transmitter device responsive to determining that the transmitter is coupled to a computer system when the transmitter is operating in a mass storage mode;

transmitting a command to the transmitter device to cause the transmitter device to cease operating in the mass storage mode and to operate in the wireless communication mode, wherein the transmitter device is configured to operate in one of the wireless communication mode and the mass storage mode while coupled to the computer system; and

causing the transmitter device to establish, responsive to receiving a wireless Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) request from a receiver device, a wireless network connection with the receiver device based at least in part on the network parameters, wherein the receiver device is configured output, to a display device coupled to the receiver device, a media item wirelessly received from the transmitter device, wherein the receiver device is configured to perform wireless communications only with the transmitter device to the exclusion of any other network devices based on uniquely pre-pairing of the transmitter device and the receiver device based on a unique identifier of the receiver device such that an end-user need not pair the transmitter device and the receiver device as a condition to establishing the network connection.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, further comprising the steps of:

determining that a software application stored in the non-volatile memory is not installed on the computer system; and

causing the software application to be installed on the computer system.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the network parameters include at least one of an SSID (Service Set Identifier) and a network password, the computer-readable storage medium further comprising the steps of:

upon determining that a first version of a software application stored in the non-volatile memory is less recent than a second version of the software application installed on the computer system, causing the second version of the software application to be stored in the non-volatile memory included in the transmitter device; and

responsive to receiving a request from the transmitter device to update firmware associated with the receiver device, causing a signal to be transmitted to the receiver device that causes the firmware to be updated to a more recent version.

16. A computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by a processor, perform the steps of:

determining that a transmitter device coupled to a computer system is operating in a mass storage mode;

reading network parameters stored in a non-volatile memory included in the transmitter device;

transmitting a command to the transmitter device to cause the transmitter device to cease operating in the mass storage mode and to operate in the wireless communications mode, wherein the transmitter device is configured to operate in one of the wireless communications mode and the mass storage mode while coupled to the computer system; and

responsive to receiving a wireless Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) request broadcast by a receiver device, causing the transmitter device to establish a wireless network connection with the receiver device based at least in part on the network parameters, wherein the receiver device is configured output, to a display device coupled to the receiver device, a media item wirelessly received from the transmitter device.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, further comprising:

determining that a software application stored in the non-volatile memory is not installed on the computer system; and

causing the software application to be installed on the computer system.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, further comprising:

responsive to receiving a request from the transmitter device to update firmware associated with the receiver device, causing a signal to be transmitted to the receiver device that causes the firmware to be updated to a more recent version.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the receiver device comprises at least one of a set-top box and a computer peripheral, wherein the network parameters include at least one of a Service Set Identifier (SSID) and a network password.