Wireless device pairing

• US 9,504,072 B2
• Filed: 11/24/2015
• Issued: 11/22/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: BBY Solutions Incorporated (Best Buy Co., Inc.)
• Original Assignee: BBY Solutions Incorporated (Best Buy Co., Inc.)
• Inventors: Widner, Steven W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bilodeau, David
• Application Number:
  US14/950,944
• Publication Number:
  US 20160128109A1
• Time in Patent Office: 364 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/086 Portable receivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3827 Portable transceivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3883 Arrangements for mounting batteries or battery chargers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0813 characterised by the conditions triggering a change of settings
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• 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 76/11 Allocation or use of connection identifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices

Abstract

Generally discussed herein are wireless systems, apparatuses, and methods for pairing a device and a base station. For example, the disclosed techniques may enable communication between a headphone base station (broadcasting an audio signal over a wireless channel) and a headphone set device (receiving an audio signal over a wireless channel) that establish communications using one or more identifiers. In some examples, a device or base station identifier maintained at the base station or device, respectfully, is validated and reprogrammed when it does not match a corresponding provided from the device or base station. In further examples, the validation and reprogramming may occur in response to a condition such as a charging event (such as the placement of the headphone set device onto a charging station provided by the headphone base station).

Claims

1. A device, comprising:

a radio receiver adapted to receive communications transmitted from a radio transmitter of a base station;

a memory including a second base station ID store thereon; and

processing circuitry adapted to;

in response to detection of a condition that, when met, indicates the second base station ID is to be verified, determine whether a first base station ID received from the base station matches the second base station ID stored in the memory, and

in response to a determination that the first base station ID received from the base station does not match the second base station ID stored in the memory, cause a memory location of the device to be reprogrammed such that the first base station ID matches the second base station ID.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the second base station ID is stored on the memory at a first memory location, and wherein the processing circuitry is further adapted to cause the first memory location to be overwritten by storage of the first base station ID in the first memory location.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the radio receiver is further adapted to receive a first device ID from the base station, and wherein the memory of the device further includes a second device ID stored thereon;

and

wherein the processing circuitry is further adapted to;

in response to detection of the condition, determine whether the first device ID received from the base station matches the second device ID stored in the memory of the device; and

in response to a determination that the first device ID received from the base station does not match the second device ID stored in the memory of the device, cause the base station to be reprogrammed with the second device ID.

4. The device of claim 3, wherein the second base station ID is stored in a programmable non-volatile memory of the device, wherein the first device ID is stored in a programmable non-volatile memory of the base station.

5. The device of claim 4, wherein the second device ID is stored in a pre-programmed read-only memory (ROM) of the device, wherein the first base station ID is stored in a pre-programmed read-only memory (ROM) of the base station.

6. The device of claim 5, wherein the first device ID, second device ID, first base station ID, or second base station ID is a 12-digit hexadecimal Medium Access Control (MAC) address.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the radio receiver is further adapted to receive a first device ID from the base station, and wherein the memory of the device further includes a second device ID stored thereon, and wherein the device further comprises:

an indicator light to change state in response to a determination that the first device ID matches the second device ID and a determination that the first base station ID matches the second. base station ID.

8. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

a battery adapted to receive a charge from charging circuitry of the base station in response to the device being coupled to the base station through a charging connection feature.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the condition occurs in response to establishment of a charge connection between the device and the base station.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein the radio receiver is adapted to conduct communications with the base station using a frequency in an Industrial, Scientific, and Medical (ISM) radio band.

20. The device of claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry is to receive the first base station ID over a wired connection to the base station.

21. The device of claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry is to receive the first base station ID over a wireless connection to the base station.

11. A method, comprising electronic operations performed by at least one processor of a device, the operations including:

receiving, at the device, from a base station, and over a wired or wireless connection, a first base station identification (ID) stored in a memory of the base station;

determining, using the processor, whether the first base station ID matches a second base station stored in a memory of the device; and

in response to determining the first base station ID does not match the second base station ID, causing a first memory location in the memory of the device to be reprogrammed with the first base station ID received from the base station.

12. The method of claim 11, the operations further including:

determining that the device is electrically connected to the base station through a charging connection feature of the device before causing the first memory location to be reprogrammed.

13. The method of claim 11, the operations further including:

receiving, over the wired or wireless connection at the device and from the base station, a first device ID stored in the memory of the base station;

determining, using the processor, whether the first device ID matches a second device ID stored in the memory of the device; and

in response to determining the first device ID received from the base station does not match the second device ID stored in the memory of the device, causing a second memory location in the memory of the base station to be reprogrammed with the second device ID.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the first memory location is maintained in a programmable non-volatile memory within the device, and wherein the second memory location is maintained in a programmable non-volatile memory within the base station.

15. The method of claim 14, the operations further including:

changing a state of an indicator light of the device in response to determining the first device ID matches the second device ID and determining the first base station ID matches the second base station ID.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the memory of the device includes the second base station ID stored thereon at the first memory location, and wherein causing the first memory location of the device to be reprogrammed includes replacing the second base station ID with a value from the first base station ID at the first memory location in the memory of the device.

22. The method of claim 11, wherein the first base station ID is received over a wired connection.

23. The method of claim 11, wherein the first base station ID is received over a wireless connection.

17. A non-transitory machine readable storage medium comprising instructions stored thereon, the instructions, which when executed by a device, cause the device to perform operations comprising:

processing a first base station identification (ID) received from a wired or wireless connection with abuse station, the first base station ID originating in a memory of the base station;

detecting a condition for verifying the first base station ID;

in response to detecting the condition, determining whether the first base station ID matches a second base station ID stored in a memory of the device; and

in response to determining the first base station ID does not match the second base station ID, causing a first memory location in the memory of the device to be reprogrammed to a value of the first base station ID.

18. The machine readable medium of claim 17, wherein the instructions further cause the device to perform operations comprising:

receiving, over the wired or wireless connection at the device and from the base station, a first device ID stored in the memory of the base station;

determining whether the first device ID received from the base station matches a second device ID stored in the memory of the device; and

in response to determining that the first device ID received from the base station does not match the second device ID stored in the memory of the device, causing a second memory location in the memory of the base station to be reprogrammed to a value of the second device ID.

19. The machine readable medium of claim 17, wherein the instructions further cause the device to perform operations comprising:

determining that the device is electrically connected to the base station through a charging connection feature of the device before causing the first memory location of the device to be reprogrammed or causing the first memory location of the base station to be reprogrammed.