Method and system for repackaging wireless data

• US 8,976,724 B2
• Filed: 04/19/2011
• Issued: 03/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ZOMM, LLC
• Original Assignee: ZOMM, LLC
• Inventors: Hauser, Peter Edmund Heinrich, Hillyard, Jason Edward Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Hailu, Kibrom T
• Assistant Examiner(s): Duffy, James P
• Application Number:
  US13/089,938
• Publication Number:
  US 20110255454A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,421 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/315
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/28 Discontinuous transmission [DTX]; Discontinuous reception [DRX]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

The present disclosure may include a method for repackaging data in a communications system. The method may include receiving low-power RF data at a wireless relay device from one or more low power wireless devices and translating the low-power RF data at the wireless relay device into one or more translated packets. The method may further include synchronizing the translated low-power RF data with one or more wireless links and transmitting the synchronized low-power RF data to a host device. The method may further include receiving wireless communications from a host device, translating the parsing the wireless packets, synchronizing the translated packets with one or more low-power RF connections, and transmitting the synchronized packets to one ore more low-power RF devices. The method may further include managing the network topology of the communications system via commands to the wireless relay device.

Claims

1. A method for relaying data in a communications system comprising:

establishing a first wireless link over one of Bluetooth or 802.11 (WiFi) between a wireless relay device and a host device;

transmitting a query by one of the host device and the wireless relay device and determining if one of the host device and the wireless relay device supports a particular protocol, based upon at least in part, on a received response to the query;

establishing one or more low-power wireless links including at least one of a Bluetooth Low Energy wireless link, an ANT+wireless link, and an IEEE 802.15.4 (ZigBee) wireless link between the wireless relay device and one or more low-power wireless devices;

receiving one or more low-power RF packets including one of Bluetooth Low Energy data, ANT+data and ZigBee data at a wireless relay device from the one or more low-power wireless devices;

translating the data including at least one of Bluetooth Low Energy data, ANT+data and ZigBee data at the wireless relay device into one or more translated packets, wherein translating includes, at least in part, encapsulating data including at least one of Bluetooth Low Energy data, ANT+data and ZigBee data with at least one of one or more standard Bluetooth and WiFi packets, and wherein translating further includes parsing a command associated with the data including at least one of Bluetooth Low Energy data, ANT+data and ZigBee data, preparing a protocol message from the parsed command, parsing the protocol message at a translator application, and parsing the protocol message at a network application;

synchronizing the translated data including at least one of Bluetooth Low Energy data, ANT+data and ZigBee data with the first wireless link; and

transmitting the translated and synchronized data including at least one of Bluetooth Low Energy data, ANT+data and ZigBee data to the host device, wherein the translated and synchronized data including at least one of Bluetooth Low Energy data, ANT+data and ZigBee data is wirelessly transmitted during a plurality of communication intervals to the host device via the at least one of the one or more Bluetooth and WiFi packets over the first wireless link;

wherein if the connection with the host device or the one or more low-power wireless devices is interrupted, aggregating and storing information from the host device or from the one or more low power wireless at the wireless relay device until the connection with the host device or one or more low-power wireless devices is reestablished.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the host device includes at least one of a mobile phone, personal computing device, a television, and a tablet device.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the one or more low-power wireless devices includes at least one of an RF tag, a wireless sensing device, a wireless fitness device, a medical sensor, and a proximity sensor.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein translating further includes, at least in part, at least one of Bluetooth Hands-Free Profile (HFP), Bluetooth Human Interface Device (HID) profile, MFI protocol and Serial Port Protocol (SPP).

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the host device includes one or more applications configured to present some or all of the Bluetooth Low Energy data from the one or more low-power wireless devices.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising negotiating the plurality of communication intervals at the wireless relay device.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein negotiating incorporates, at least in part, one or more sniff parameters.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein the plurality of communication intervals are negotiated such that the plurality of communication intervals coincide with at least one other activity on the wireless relay device and precedes communication with at least one of the one or more low-power wireless devices and the host device.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising generating an activation event using at least one of the host device, the wireless relay device, and the one or more low-power wireless devices.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the wireless relay device further include an LED configured for association with a specific low-power RF link of the one or more wireless links.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving a command from the host device at the relay device to manage one or more connections between the wireless relay device and the one or more low-power wireless devices.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the command includes an instruction for the wireless relay device to pair with the one or more low-power wireless devices.

13. A communications system comprising:

one or more low power wireless devices;

a host device; and

a wireless relay device, wherein at least one of the host device and the wireless relay device is configured to establish a first wireless link over one of Bluetooth or 802.11 (WiFi) between the wireless relay device and the host device, transmit a query, wherein at least one of the host device and the wireless relay device is further configured to determine if one of the host device and the wireless relay device supports a particular protocol, based upon at least in part, on a received response to the query, establish one or more low-power wireless links including at least one of a Bluetooth Low Energy wireless link, an ANT+wireless link, and an IEEE 802.15.4 (ZigBee) wireless link between the wireless relay device and one or more low-power wireless devices, the wireless relay device further configured to receive one or more low-power RF packets including one of Bluetooth Low Energy data, ANT+data and ZigBee data from the one or more low power wireless devices, the wireless relay device further configured to translate data including at least one of Bluetooth Low Energy data, ANT+data and ZigBee data at the wireless relay device into one or more translated packets, wherein translating includes, at least in part, encapsulating data including at least one of Bluetooth Low Energy data, ANT+data and ZigBee data with at least one of one or more standard Bluetooth and WiFi packets, and wherein translating further includes parsing a command associated with the data including at least one of Bluetooth Low Energy data, ANT+data and ZigBee data, preparing a protocol message from the parsed command, parsing the protocol message at a translator application, and parsing the protocol message at a network application, the wireless relay device further configured to synchronize the translated data including at least one of Bluetooth Low Energy data, ANT+data and ZigBee data with one or more wireless links, the wireless relay device further configured to transmit the translated and synchronized data including at least one of Bluetooth Low Energy data, ANT+data and ZigBee data to a host device, wherein the translated and synchronized data including at least one of Bluetooth Low Energy data, ANT+data and ZigBee data, when transmitted to the host device, is wirelessly transmitted during a plurality of communication intervals to the host device via the at least one of the one or more Bluetooth and WiFi packets, wherein if the connection with the host device or the one or more low-power wireless devices is interrupted, at least one of the host device and the wireless relay device is further configured to aggregate and store information from the host device or from the one or more low power wireless at the wireless relay device until the connection with the host device or one or more low-power wireless devices is reestablished.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein the host device includes at least one of a mobile phone, personal computer, a television and a tablet device.

15. The system of claim 13 wherein the one or more low power wireless devices includes at least one of an RF tag, a wireless sensing device, a wireless fitness device, a medical sensor, and a proximity sensor.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein translating includes, at least in part, at least one of Bluetooth Hands-Free Profile (HFP), Bluetooth Human Interface Device (HID), and MFI protocol, and Serial Port Protocol (SPP).

17. The system of claim 13 wherein the host device includes one or more applications configured to present at least a portion of the Bluetooth Low Energy data from the one or more low energy devices.

18. The system of claim 13 wherein the wireless relay device is further configured to negotiate a plurality of communication intervals.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein negotiating incorporates, at least in part, one or more sniff parameters.

20. The system of claim 13 wherein at least one of the host device, the wireless relay device, and the one or more low-power wireless devices is further configured to generate an activation event.

21. A method for relaying data in a communications system comprising:

establishing a first wireless link over one of Bluetooth or 802.11 (WiFi) between a wireless relay device and a host device;

transmitting a query by one of the host device and the wireless relay device and determining if one of the host device and the wireless relay device supports a particular protocol, based upon at least in part, on a received response to the query;

establishing one or more low-power wireless links including at least one of a Bluetooth Low Energy wireless link, an ANT+wireless link, and an IEEE 802.15.4 (ZigBee) wireless link between the wireless relay device and one or more low-power wireless devices;

receiving one or more low-power RF packets including one of Bluetooth Low Energy data, ANT+data and ZigBee data at a wireless relay device from the one or more low-power wireless devices;

translating the data including at least one of Bluetooth Low Energy data, ANT+data and ZigBee data at the wireless relay device into one or more translated packets, wherein translating includes, at least in part, encapsulating data including at least one of Bluetooth Low Energy data, ANT+data and ZigBee data with at least one of one or more standard Bluetooth and WiFi packets, and wherein translating further includes parsing a command associated with the data including at least one of Bluetooth Low Energy data, ANT+data and ZigBee data, preparing a protocol message from the parsed command, parsing the protocol message at a translator application, and parsing the protocol message at a network application;

synchronizing the translated data including at least one of Bluetooth Low Energy data, ANT+data and ZigBee data with the first wireless link;

transmitting the translated and synchronized data including at least one of Bluetooth Low Energy data, ANT+data and ZigBee data to the host device, wherein the translated and synchronized data including at least one of Bluetooth Low Energy data, ANT+data and ZigBee data is wirelessly transmitted during a plurality of communication intervals to the host device via the at least one of the one or more Bluetooth and WiFi packets over the first wireless link;

wherein if the connection with the host device or the one or more low-power wireless devices is interrupted, aggregating and storing information from the host device or from the one or more low power wireless at the wireless relay device until the connection with the host device or one or more low-power wireless devices is reestablished; and

managing a network topology of the communications system by at least one of dynamically adding and removing at least one of the one or more low-power wireless devices using one or more commands sent to the wireless relay device from the host device.