Apparatus and method for connecting to device in wireless terminal

• US 9,479,224 B2
• Filed: 08/03/2015
• Issued: 10/25/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Choi, Jong-Mu, Kim, Chang-Soon
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, TUAN HOANG
• Application Number:
  US14/816,735
• Publication Number:
  US 20150341976A1
• Time in Patent Office: 449 Days
• Field of Search: 455 411- 413, 455/411, 455/436
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/72 for local intradevice communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/062 Pre-authentication
• 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 76/14 Direct-mode setup

Abstract

An apparatus and a method for connecting to a device in a wireless terminal, and more particularly, to an apparatus and method for more conveniently connecting to a desired device in a communication mode of a wireless terminal are provided. The apparatus includes a near distance communication module for exchanging device information for a communication connection through a contact with a specific device, and a controller for controlling the near distance communication module to connect communication to the specific device based on the exchanged device information.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, at an electronic device including a first communication module and a second communication module, a signal from an external device using the first communication module while the second communication module is in a first state;

transitioning the second communication module to a second state based at least in part on the signal; and

establishing, using the second communication module, a communication between the electronic device and the external device based at least in part on the transitioning.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving is performed in response to the external device being in proximity of the electronic device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first communication module comprises a near field communication module or a bluetooth module.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the second communication module comprises a wi-fi module.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first state comprises an inactive state and the second state comprises an active state.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the establishing comprises:

setting the second communication module to a mode to perform a peer to peer communication.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the establishing comprises:

receiving, using the first communication module, a device identifier corresponding to the external device from the external device.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the device identifier comprises a media access control address or a device name.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the establishing comprises:

transmitting authentication information to the external device.

10. An apparatus comprising:

a first communication module configured to provide a first wireless communication;

a second communication module configured to provide a second wireless communication; and

a controller operatively coupled with the first communication module and the second communication module, the controller configured to;

receive, using the first communication module, a signal from an external device in accordance with the first wireless communication while the second communication module is in a first state,

transition the second communication module to a second state based at least in part on the signal, and

establish, using the second communication module, the second wireless communication between the electronic device and the external device based at least in part on the transitioning.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the first communication module comprises a near field communication module or a bluetooth module.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the second communication module comprises a wi-fi module.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the first state comprises an inactive state and the second state comprises an active state.

14. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the controller is further configured to:

set the second communication module to a mode to perform a peer to peer communication.

15. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the controller is further configured to:

receive, using the first communication module, a device identifier corresponding to the external device from the external device.

16. A method comprising:

transmitting, at an electronic device including a first communication module and a second communication module, a signal to an external device using the first communication module while the second communication module is in a first state;

transitioning the second communication module to a second state based at least in part on the signal; and

establishing, using the second communication module, a communication between the electronic device and the external device based at least in part on the transitioning.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the first state comprise an inactive state and the second state comprises an active state.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the establishing comprises:

setting the second communication module to a mode to perform a peer to peer communication.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the establishing comprises:

receiving, using the first communication module, a device identifier corresponding to the external device from the external device; and

searching one or more external devices including the external device based at least in part on the device identifier.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the searching comprises:

selecting at least one external device of the one or more external devices as the external device based at least in part on a determination that another device identifier received from the at least one external device corresponds to the device identifier.

21. An apparatus comprising:

a first communication module configured to provide a first wireless communication;

a second communication module configured to provide a second wireless communication; and

a controller operatively coupled with the first communication module and the second communication module, the controller configured to;

transmit, using the first communication module, a signal to an external device in accordance with the first wireless communication while the second communication module is in a first state,

transition the second communication module to a second state based at least in part on the signal, and

establish, using the second communication module, the second wireless communication between the electronic device and the external device based at least in part on the transitioning.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the first communication module comprises a near field communication module or a bluetooth module and the second communication module comprises a wi-fi module.

23. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the controller is further configured to:

set the second communication module to a mode to perform a peer to peer communication.

24. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the controller is further configured to:

receive, using the first communication module, a device identifier corresponding to the external device from the external device; and

search one or more external devices including the external device based at least in part on the device identifier.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the controller is further configured to:

select at least one external device of the one or more external devices as the external device based at least in part on a determination that another device identifier received from the at least one external device corresponds to the device identifier.

26. A machine-readable storage device storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

receiving, at an electronic device including a first communication module and a second communication module, a signal from an external device using the first communication module while the second communication module is in a first state;

transitioning the second communication module to a second state based at least in part on the signal; and

establishing, using the second communication module, a communication between the electronic device and the external device based at least in part on the transitioning.

27. The machine-readable storage device of claim 26, wherein the establishing comprises;

setting the second communication module to a mode to perform a peer to peer communication.

28. A machine-readable storage device storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

transmitting, at an electronic device including a first communication module and a second communication module, a signal to an external device using the first communication module while the second communication module is in a first state;

transitioning the second communication module to a second state based at least in part on the signal; and

establishing, using the second communication module, a communication between the electronic device and the external device based at least in part on the transitioning.

29. The machine-readable storage device of claim 28, wherein the establishing comprises:

receiving, using the first communication module, a device identifier corresponding to the external device from the external device; and

searching one or more external devices including the external device based at least in part on the device identifier.

30. The machine-readable storage device of claim 28, wherein the searching comprises:

selecting at least one external device of the one or more external devices as the external device based at least in part on a determination that another device identifier received from the at least one external device corresponds to the device identifier.