System and method for managing communication links

• US 9,572,155 B2
• Filed: 10/28/2015
• Issued: 02/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Universal Electronics, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Universal Electronics, Inc.
• Inventors: Chambers, Christopher A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Crompton, Christopher R
• Application Number:
  US14/925,142
• Publication Number:
  US 20160050661A1
• Time in Patent Office: 475 Days
• Field of Search: 370/280
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/1143 Bidirectional transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0037 Inter-user or inter-terminal allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0446 Resources in time domain, e.g. slots or frames
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/04 Scheduled access hybrid access H04W74/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/00 Wireless network protocols or protocol adaptations to wireless operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

A system and method for managing a communication link between a consumer electronic device adapted for two-way, wireless communications with at least one peripheral. The communication link is managed using a controller that is associated with the consumer electronic device that functions to assign communication slots to the peripheral to facilitate communications between the peripheral and the consumer electronic device.

Claims

1. A time slot controller, comprising:

a processing device; and

a non-transitory, computer-readable media having stored thereon instructions executable by the processing device, the instructions facilitating communications between the time slot controller and a peripheral device via use of a wireless communications link system comprised of a plurality of communications time slots;

wherein the instructions cause the time slot controller to assign to the peripheral device a unique tag number for subsequent use by the peripheral device in connection with an individual communications session with the time slot controller via use of at least one of the plurality of time slots whereupon, in response to receiving a data communication from the peripheral device in the at least one of the plurality of time slots, the instructions further cause the time slot controller to automatically determine if the unique tag number included with the data communication has been made invalid and, when the unique tag number included with the data communication has been made invalid, to automatically send to the peripheral device a communication for causing the peripheral device to stop transmitting data communications to the time slot controller in the at least one of the plurality of time slots.

2. The time slot controller as recited in claim 1, wherein the instructions cause the time slot controller to automatically assign the unique tag number to the peripheral device in response to a registration request communication being received from the peripheral device.

3. The time slot controller as recited in claim 2, wherein the instruction cause the time slot controller to automatically communicate the assigned tag number to the peripheral device in an end-of-cycle data packet.

4. The time slot controller as recited in claim 1, wherein the instruction cause the time slot controller to make the unique tag number assigned to the peripheral device invalid upon an occurrence of a protocol cycle during which the peripheral device fails to transmit a data communication.

5. The time slot controller as recited in claim 1, wherein the instruction cause the time slot controller to include the unique tag number with a data communication intended for the peripheral device transmitted in one or more of the plurality of communications time slots.

6. A system, comprising:

a peripheral device; and

a time slot controller, wherein the time slot controller is adapted to assign to the peripheral device a unique tag number for subsequent use by the peripheral device in connection with an individual communications session with the time slot controller via use of at least one of a plurality of time slots in a communication system linking the peripheral device and the time slot controller whereupon, in response to receiving a data communication from the peripheral device in the at least one of the plurality of time slots, the time slot controller is caused to automatically determine if the unique tag number included with the data communication has been made invalid and, when the unique tag number included with the data communication has been made invalid, to automatically send to the peripheral device a communication for causing the peripheral device to stop transmitting data communications to the time slot controller in the at least one of the plurality of time slots.

7. The system as recited in claim 6, wherein the time slot controller automatically assigns the unique tag number to the peripheral device in response to a registration request communication being received from the peripheral device.

8. The system as recited in claim 7, wherein the time slot controller automatically communicates the assigned tag number to the peripheral device in an end-of-cycle data packet.

9. The system as recited in claim 6, wherein the time slot controller makes the unique tag number assigned to the peripheral device invalid upon an occurrence of a protocol cycle during which the peripheral device fails to transmit a data communication.

10. The system as recited in claim 6, wherein the time slot controller includes the unique tag number with a data communication intended for the peripheral device transmitted in one or more of the plurality of communications time slots.

11. The system as recited in claim 6, wherein the peripheral device communicates a request for a preferred tag number assignment for use as the unique tag number to the time slot controller in a registration request communication.

12. The system as recited in claim 11, wherein the time slot controller automatically communicates a confirmation of an acceptance of the preferred tag number assignment for use as the unique assigned tag number back to the peripheral device in response to the registration request communication.

13. The system as recited in claim 12, wherein the time slot controller automatically communicates the confirmation of the assigned tag number back to the peripheral device in an end-of-cycle data packet.