System, method and apparatus for binding communication devices through common association

• US 9,210,125 B1
• Filed: 10/17/2008
• Issued: 12/08/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ademco Inc. (Resideo Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Nichols, Steven
• Primary Examiner(s): Lazaro, David
• Application Number:
  US12/253,696
• Time in Patent Office: 2,608 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206, 709/227, 709/245
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/681 using addresses for wireless personal area networks or wireless sensor networks, e.g. Zigbee addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/611 for multicast or broadcast systems for broadcast or conference H04L12/18; arrangements for broadcast or distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/00; arrangements for broadcast applications with a direct linkage to broadcast information or to broadcast space-time H04H60/00; selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS], H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0833 involving conference or group key network architectures or network communication protocols for key management in group communication in a packet data network H04L63/065
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/00 Connection management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support

Abstract

Systems, methods and apparatuses for binding two or more communication devices through their common association with one or more other devices. Information associated with a common device is stored at a first device. The information associated with the common device is also stored at a second device. A message is transmitted from the first device using the stored information as at least part of a broadcast address identifier. The message can then be accepted at the second device as a result of the information being known to the second device. A “binding by association” is thus effected by virtue of each of the first and second devices having been privy to the same information affiliated with the common device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

storing information associated with a common device at a first device, wherein the information is received via a binding process between the common device and the first device;

storing the same information associated with the common device at a second device, wherein the same information is received via a binding process between the common device and the second device;

transmitting a message from the first device using the stored information as at least part of a broadcast address ID, wherein the message originates with the first device and is not a rebroadcast of a broadcast message received from the common device; and

accepting the message at the second device as a result of the information being known to the second device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving the transmitted message at the second device and comparing the broadcast address ID of the message to the stored information at the second device, wherein accepting the message at the second device comprises accepting the message at the second device if the received broadcast address ID matches the stored information at the second device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the message from the first device comprises transmitting a broadcast message that utilizes the information associated with the common device as at least part of the broadcast address ID of the broadcast message.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising transmitting a second address ID that will cause the common device to reject the broadcast message.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting a second message from the second device using the stored information as at least part of a broadcast address ID; and

accepting the second message at the first device as a result of the information being known to the first device.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

binding the first device to the common device to enable communication between the first device and the common device, and storing at the first device an address ID of the common device as the information associated with the common device; and

binding the second device to the common device to enable communication between the second device and the common device, and storing at the second device the address ID of the common device as the same information associated with the common device, wherein binding the first and second devices to the common device involves placing the respective devices in an active binding mode that causes the first and second devices to receive at least the address ID of the common device before exiting the active binding mode.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein transmitting the message from the first device comprises using the address ID of the common device as the broadcast address ID.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the message is accepted at the second device without the first and second devices second devices exchanging their address IDs via the active binding mode.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the message is accepted at the second device without the first and second devices having to undergo a binding process with each other to authorize communications therebetween.

10. A first device comprising:

storage configured to store one or more address identifiers of a common device to which the first device has been configured for communication, wherein the one or more address identifiers is received via a binding process between the first device and the common device;

a processor configured to frame a broadcast message including using one of the stored address identifiers as at least part of a broadcast address, wherein the broadcast message originates with the first device and is not a rebroadcast of a broadcast message received from the common device; and

a transmitter coupled to receive the framed broadcast message and to wirelessly broadcast the framed broadcast message using the broadcast address to one or more second devices, wherein the one or more second devices receive the same address identifiers of the common device via a binding process between the one or more second devices and the common device.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the processor is further configured to configure the first device for communication with the common device via a binding process.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the common device comprises an environmental host device, and wherein the first device comprises a sensor.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising a receiver configured to receive an incoming broadcast message from one of the second devices, and a compare module configured to compare an incoming broadcast identifier in the incoming broadcast message to the stored address identifiers;

and

wherein the processor is further configured to accept the incoming broadcast message if the compare module identifies a match of the incoming broadcast address and any of the stored address identifiers.

14. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the first device is a component of an environmental control system.

15. A first device comprising:

storage configured to store one or more address identifiers of a common device to which the first device has been configured for communication, wherein the one or more address identifiers is received via a binding process between the first device and the common device;

a receiver configured to receive a wireless broadcast message from a second device that includes a broadcast address identifier associated with the common device, wherein the received wireless broadcast message is not a rebroadcast of a broadcast message received from the common device by the second device;

a compare module configured to compare the received broadcast address identifier to the one or more stored address identifiers; and

a processor configured to accept the received broadcast message if the compare module identifies a match of the broadcast address identifier and any of the stored address identifiers.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the processor is further configured to reject the received broadcast message if the compare module does not identify a match of the broadcast address identifier and any of the stored address identifiers.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the processor is further configured to configure the first device for communication with the common device via the binding process.

18. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the processor is further configured to parse the received wireless broadcast messages to identify the broadcast address identifier.

19. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the common device comprises an environmental host device, and wherein the first device comprises a sensor.

20. A system comprising:

a shared device having an address identifier;

a first communication device having storage to store the shared device'"'"'s address identifier discovered by the first communication device during a binding process with the shared device;

a second communication device having storage to store the shared device'"'"'s address identifier discovered by the second communication device during a binding process with the shared device;

wherein the shared device is different from the first communication device and the second communication device;

wherein the first communication device comprises a transmitter configured to wirelessly broadcast one or more messages using the shared device'"'"'s address identifier as at least part of a broadcast address, wherein the one or more messages are not a rebroadcast of messages received from the shared device; and

wherein the second communication device comprises a receiver configured to wirelessly receive the one or more messages, and a compare module configured to compare the received address identifier of the shared device to the stored address identifier of the shared device to accept the one or more messages in response to identifying a match.