Wireless docking device

• US 9,727,517 B2
• Filed: 04/11/2014
• Issued: 08/08/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
• Inventors: De Pee, Jente, Engelen, Dirk Valentinus Rene, Speelpenning, Tess, Broeksteeg, Gerardus Henricus Adrianus Johannes, Buddemeijer-Lock, Annemarie Paulien
• Primary Examiner(s): Abad, Farley
• Assistant Examiner(s): TSAI, HENRY
• Application Number:
  US14/784,591
• Publication Number:
  US 20160070670A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,215 Days
• Field of Search: 710 46, 710 8, 710 10, 710 14, 710 16, 710 36, 710 62, 710104, 710105, 710220, 710303, 726 1, 726 27
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/102 where the programme performs an interfacing function, e.g. device driver G06F13/105 takes precedence; scheduling within device drivers G06F9/52; contention policies within device drivers G06F9/4881
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4081 Live connection to bus, e.g. hot-plugging current or voltage limitation during live insertion H02H9/004
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/105 Multiple levels of security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices

Abstract

In a wireless docking system a dockee device (120) communicates with a host device (100) that is coupled to at least one peripheral (110, 111, 112). The host device has a host communication unit (102) and a docking processor (101) arranged for docking at least one dockee device. The dockee device has a dockee communication unit (121), and a dockee processor (122) for docking to the host device. The dockee processor is arranged for providing at least one virtual peripheral device in a virtual docking environment, the virtual peripheral device having a privacy level. When docking, the virtual peripherals are mapped on actual peripherals so as to apply the privacy level to the actual peripheral. When docked, data transfer with the actual peripheral is controlled according to the respective peripheral privacy level.

Claims

1. A dockee device for wireless docking to a host device, the host device being configured for coupling to at least one peripheral device, the dockee device comprising:

a dockee communication unit for accommodating wireless communication, and

a dockee processor arranged for wireless docking to the host device for getting access to at least one actual peripheral device, the dockee processor being configured for

providing at least one virtual peripheral device in a virtual docking environment, the virtual peripheral device having a peripheral device privacy level configured by assigning the peripheral device privacy level to the virtual peripheral device, the peripheral device privacy level defining a level of confidentiality that is indicative of a relation between a user of the dockee device and other persons having access to a respective peripheral device,

when docking, mapping the at least one virtual peripheral device on the at least one actual peripheral device, the mapping comprising assigning the peripheral device privacy level to the at least one actual peripheral device, and

when docked, controlling data transfer with the at least one actual peripheral device according to the peripheral device privacy level.

2. The dockee device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the dockee processor is configured for providing a user interface for enabling configuring the virtual peripheral device by assigning the peripheral device privacy level, or for displaying the virtual docking environment for enabling the user to perceive which data is to be transferred or rendered by a respective peripheral device.

3. The dockee device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the peripheral device privacy level is from a set comprising at least one of a public level, a group level, a personal level, and a private level.

4. The dockee device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the dockee processor is configured for

providing multiple virtual peripheral devices of a same predefined type, respective ones of the multiple virtual peripheral devices having respective different peripheral device privacy levels, and

when docked, controlling the data transfer to respective different actual peripheral devices according to the respective different peripheral device privacy levels.

5. The dockee device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the virtual peripheral device is of a predefined type being one of

virtual display screen;

a virtual audio device;

a virtual camera device.

6. The dockee device as claimed in claim 5, wherein the dockee processor is configured for providing the virtual display screen having the peripheral privacy device level for constituting one of

a public presentation screen,

a personal presentation screen,

a private display screen,

a group collaboration screen;

or

the virtual audio device having the peripheral device privacy level for constituting one of

a public audio installation,

a group audio installation,

a personal audio installation,

a private audio device,

a private audio recorder,

an audio silencer;

or

the virtual camera device having the peripheral device privacy level for constituting one of

a public camera,

a group camera,

a personal camera, or

a private camera.

7. The dockee device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the virtual peripheral device is a virtual shared memory, and the dockee processor is configured for

when docking, mapping the at least one virtual shared memory on an actual shared memory provided via the host device as the at least one actual peripheral device, and

when docked, controlling data transfer with the actual shared memory according to the peripheral device privacy level.

8. The dockee device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the dockee processor is configured for assigning the peripheral device privacy level to selected data in the dockee device, and, when docked, controlling the data transfer with the at least one actual peripheral according to the peripheral device privacy level and the data privacy level.

9. The dockee device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the dockee processor is configured for assigning the peripheral device privacy level to any data of a selected application in the dockee device, and, when docked, controlling the data transfer of the selected application with the at least one actual peripheral according to the peripheral device privacy level and the data privacy level.

10. The dockee device as claimed in claim 8, wherein the dockee processor is configured for

automatically assigning a predetermined peripheral device privacy level to any data in the dockee device, and

providing a user interface for enabling a user to override the automatically assigned predetermined peripheral device privacy level by a selectable peripheral device privacy level.

11. The dockee device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the dockee processor is configured for providing at least one presentation policy in the virtual docking environment, the presentation policy comprising at least one of

an assignment of data of elements in a multimedia presentation to a selected virtual peripheral device to be applied when selecting the presentation policy;

an assignment of respective data of a same type as generated by an application to respective different virtual peripheral devices of a same type but having different peripheral device privacy levels to be applied when selecting the presentation policy;

a mapping configuration to be applied when selecting the presentation policy;

a privacy level assignment for at least one virtual peripheral device and/or a privacy level assignment for selected data and/or a selected application to be applied when selecting the presentation policy.

12. The dockee device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the dockee processor is configured for receiving configuration data from the host device, and for adapting the configuration of the virtual docking environment or the mapping in accordance with the configuration data, the configuration data comprising at least one of

an instruction to create a virtual peripheral device of a predefined type;

a peripheral device privacy level for a virtual peripheral device of a predefined type;

a peripheral device privacy level for a docked peripheral device of a predefined type;

a data privacy level for selected data in the dockee device;

a data privacy level for any data of a selected application in the dockee device;

a mapping instruction for mapping a virtual peripheral device of a predefined type having a predefined peripheral device privacy level on an actual peripheral device as coupled to the host device.

13. A host device for wireless docking a dockee device, the host device being configured for coupling to at least one peripheral device, the host device comprising:

a host communication unit for accommodating wireless communication, and

a docking processor configured for docking at least one dockee device for providing access to the at the least one peripheral device for the dockee device, wherein the docking processor is configured for providing configuration data and sending the configuration data via said wireless communication to the dockee device, the configuration data comprising at least one of

an instruction to create a virtual peripheral device of a predefined type;

a peripheral device privacy level for a virtual peripheral device of a predefined type;

a peripheral device privacy level for a docked peripheral device of a predefined type;

a data privacy level for selected data in the dockee device;

a data privacy level for any data of a selected application in the dockee device;

a mapping instruction for mapping a virtual peripheral device of a predefined type having a predefined peripheral device privacy level on an actual peripheral device as coupled to the host device, and

the peripheral device privacy level defining a level of confidentiality that is indicative of a relation between a user of the dockee device and other persons having access to a respective peripheral device.

14. A method for wireless docking a host device and a dockee device, the method comprising, in a dockee device,

providing at least one virtual peripheral device in a virtual docking environment, the virtual peripheral device having a peripheral device privacy level,

configuring the virtual peripheral device by assigning a peripheral device privacy level to the virtual peripheral device,

the peripheral device privacy level defining a level of confidentiality that is indicative of a relation between a user of the dockee device and other persons having access to a respective peripheral device,

when docking, mapping the at least one virtual peripheral device on the at least one actual peripheral device, the mapping comprising assigning the peripheral device privacy level to the at least one actual peripheral device, and

when docked, controlling data transfer with the at least one actual peripheral device according to the peripheral device privacy level.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having one or more executable instructions stored thereon, which when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a method for wireless docking a host device and a dockee device, the method comprising, in a dockee device:

providing at least one virtual peripheral device in a virtual docking environment, the virtual peripheral device having a peripheral device privacy level;

configuring the virtual peripheral device by assigning a peripheral device privacy level to the virtual peripheral device,

the peripheral device privacy level defining a level of confidentiality that is indicative of a relation between a user of the dockee device and other persons having access to a respective peripheral device;

when docking, mapping the at least one virtual peripheral device on the at least one actual peripheral device, the mapping comprising assigning the peripheral device privacy level to the at least one actual peripheral device; and

when docked, controlling data transfer with the at least one actual peripheral according to the peripheral device privacy level.