Automated information handling system component compatibility

• US 9,098,499 B2
• Filed: 08/19/2014
• Issued: 08/04/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Terwilliger, Kevin D., Lauffer, Scott C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Labaze, Edwyn
• Application Number:
  US14/462,803
• Publication Number:
  US 20140353374A1
• Time in Patent Office: 350 Days
• Field of Search: 235/375, 235/487, 235/462.09, 235/462.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/00 Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1404 Methods for optical code recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/20 Administration of product repair or maintenance

Abstract

An application running on portable information handling system automatically inventories the portable information handling system to identify one or more components that perform one or more functions based upon information embedded in a barcode. For example, a barcode affixed to an information handling system identifies the information handling system as having a near field communication (NFC) device. The application searches the portable information handling system to determine if the portable information handling system has a NFC device and, if so, presents an activator at a display to use the NFC device to communicate with the information handling system NFC device.

Claims

1. A method for interacting between first and second electronic devices, the method comprising:

capturing an image of the first electronic device with a camera integrated in the second electronic device;

extracting a component identifier from the image with the second electronic device;

determining that the second electronic device has a physical component with the component identifier, the physical component integrated in a housing of the second electronic device; and

in response to determining, presenting a function associated with the physical component at a display of the second electronic device.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein extracting a component identifier further comprises reading information embedded in a barcode captured in the image.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the second electronic device comprises a mobile telephone.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the first electronic device comprises a server information handling system.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the component identifier comprises an NFC device.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein presenting a function comprises presenting an image at the display of the second electronic device that depicts a location of the NFC device of the first electronic device.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein presenting a function comprises presenting an activator at the display, the activator operable to activate the NFC device of the second electronic device to interact with the NFC device disposed in the first electronic device.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein extracting a component identifier further comprises reading information from a barcode captured in the image, the information including a wireless device identifier.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising automatically establishing a wireless interface with the wireless device between the first and second electronic devices.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

failing to locate the component; and

in response to failing to locate the component, disregarding the information associated with the component.

11. An electronic device comprising:

a display operable to present information as visual images;

a wireless communication device;

a camera operable to capture images; and

a component identifier module operable to analyze an image captured by the camera of a second electronic device to identify an integrated component of the second electronic device that communicates wirelessly with the wireless communication device and to present an interface at the display for using the wireless communication device and the integrated component to communicate.

12. The electronic device of claim 11 wherein the integrated component comprises an NFC device.

13. The electronic device of claim 12 wherein the interface comprises an activator operable to activate the wireless communication device to interact with the NFC device.

14. The electronic device of claim 13 wherein the interface comprises a depiction of the NFC device location.

15. The electronic device of claim 14 further comprising a barcode reader operable to extract barcode information from a barcode captured in the image by the camera, wherein the component identifier module identifies the integrated component with a component identifier embedded in the barcode.

16. The electronic device of claim 15 wherein the barcode comprises a QR code.

17. A system for automated electronic device capability compatibility, the system comprising:

a component identifier module stored in non-transitory memory of a first electronic device and having instructions to;

extract information from an image of a second electronic device, the image captured by a camera integrated in the first electronic device;

search for a physical component integrated in the first electronic device based upon the information extracted from the image; and

in response to finding the physical component, presenting an activator at a display of the first electronic device for activation of the physical component to perform a function compatible with the second electronic device.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein the physical component comprises a NFC device and the function compatible with the second electronic device comprises retrieving information with the first electronic device NFC device from the second electronic device NFC device.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein the image includes a barcode and the function comprises a function defined by information embedded in the barcode.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein the barcode comprises a QR code.