Peripheral Sharing USB Hub for a Wireless Host
First Claim
1. An apparatus, comprising:
- a Universal Serial Bus (USB) switching hub, comprising;
a plurality of upstream ports; and
a plurality of downstream ports;
wherein a first upstream port of the plurality of upstream ports is operable to couple to a first host;
wherein a second upstream port of the plurality of upstream ports is operable to communicate with a wireless host;
wherein the at least a subset of downstream ports of the plurality of downstream ports are accessible to the first upstream port and the second upstream port.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
In various embodiments, a wireless host and a wired host may communicate with downstream devices through a USB switching hub. A wireless host/wireless bridge may be temporarily physically coupled to an upstream port of the USB switching hub to complete association with another wireless bridge coupled to the USB switching hub as a downstream device through a downstream port. During association, the host and downstream wireless bridge may exchange an encryption key to be used for future wireless communications. After association, the wireless host may be disconnected from the USB switching hub to communicate remotely. In some embodiments, the wireless host may not need to be physically coupled to the USB switching hub during association.
233 Citations
21 Claims
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1. An apparatus, comprising:
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a Universal Serial Bus (USB) switching hub, comprising; a plurality of upstream ports; and a plurality of downstream ports; wherein a first upstream port of the plurality of upstream ports is operable to couple to a first host; wherein a second upstream port of the plurality of upstream ports is operable to communicate with a wireless host; wherein the at least a subset of downstream ports of the plurality of downstream ports are accessible to the first upstream port and the second upstream port. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 21)
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11. A method, comprising:
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communicating between a wired host and at least a subset of a plurality of downstream devices coupled to a Universal Serial Bus (USB) switching hub; and wirelessly communicating between a wireless host and at least a subset of a plurality of downstream devices coupled to the USB switching hub. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A system, comprising:
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a Universal Serial Bus (USB) switching hub, comprising; a plurality of upstream ports; a plurality of downstream ports; and downstream switching logic coupled between the plurality of upstream ports and the plurality of downstream ports; wherein a first upstream port of the plurality of upstream ports is operable to couple to a first host; wherein a second upstream port of the plurality of upstream ports is operable to communicate with a second wireless host; wherein the at least a subset of downstream ports of the plurality of downstream ports are accessible to the first upstream port and the second upstream port; wherein the USB switching hub is configured to be enumerated with a substantially similar hub configuration by each of the plurality of upstream devices coupled to its respective one of the plurality of upstream ports. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20)
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Specification