Proximity-based automatic ID code reconfiguration of wireless input/output systems

• US 6,989,762 B2
• Filed: 10/23/2002
• Issued: 01/24/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: ACCO Brands Incorporated
• Original Assignee: ACCO Brands Incorporated
• Inventors: Cavacuiti, John, Fraenkel, Cris
• Primary Examiner(s): Zimmerman, Brian
• Assistant Examiner(s): YANG, CLARA I
• Application Number:
  US10/278,749
• Publication Number:
  US 20040080426A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,189 Days
• Field of Search: 340/825.52, 340/825.69, 340/825.72, 340/10.1, 340/10.5, 340/10.51, 340/10.52, 340/5.72, 340/10.2, 340/5.2, 340/5.22, 340/5.23, 340/5.25, 455/423, 455/522
• US Class Current: 340/9.14
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0803 Configuration setting
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/245 from a network towards a terminal

Abstract

A system and method is disclosed for reconfiguring an ID code associated with a receiver to enable a receiver to respond to data packets tagged with the ID code sent from a desired transmitter. The system includes a transmitter, selectively responsive to an enable command, for broadcasting a data packet at a first power level when the enable command is asserted, the data packet including an ID code, the transmitter broadcasting an ID configuration command having a configuration ID code at a second power level less than the first power level when the enable signal is deasserted.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a transmitter for broadcasting a data packet at a first power level, said data packet including an ID code, said transmitter broadcasting an ID configuration command having a configuration ID code at a second power level less than said first power level, wherein a receiver is automatically configured with the configuration ID code when the transmitter is within a range such that the receiver receives the ID configuration command broadcasted at the second power level.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the transmitter is selectively responsive to an enable command, and wherein the transmitter broadcasts said ID configuration command when said enable command is asserted.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said transmitter broadcasts over a wireless communication channel.

4. A system, comprising:

a transmitter for broadcasting a data packet at a first power level, said data packet including an ID code, said transmitter broadcasting an ID configuration command including a configuration ID code at a second power level less than said first power level; and

a receiver, in communication with said transmitter and having an associated ID code, said receiver accepting said data packet when said ID code corresponds to said associated ID code and rejecting said data packet when said ID code does not correspond to said associated ID code, said receiver automatically reassociating with said configuration ID code when the transmitter is within a range such that the receiver receives said ID configuration command broadcasted at the second power level.

5. A system, comprising:

a transmitter for broadcasting a data packet at a first power level, said data packet including an ID code, said transmitter broadcasting an ID configuration command having a configuration ID code at a second power level less than said first power level; and

a computing system, in wireless communication with said transmitter through a receiver, said computing system having an associated ID code, said computing system accepting said data packet when said ID code corresponds to said associated ID code and rejecting said data packet when said ID code does not correspond to said associated ID code, said computer system automatically reassociating with said configuration ID code when the transmitter is within a range such that the receiver receives said ID configuration command broadcasted at the second power level.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein said reassociating is done using said receiver.

7. The system of claim 5 wherein said reassociating is done using a component of the computing system other than said receiver.

8. The system of claim 5 wherein said correspondence between said ID code and said associated ID code is satisfied when said ID codes match each other.

9. The system of claim 5 wherein said receiver includes a non-volatile memory for storing said associated ID code and wherein said configuration ID code is stored in said non-volatile memory upon reassociating said configuration ID code.

10. A method for operating a transmitter, comprising the steps of:

broadcasting a data packet at a first power level, said data packet including an ID code; and

broadcasting an ID configuration command at a second power level less than said first power level, said ID configuration command including a configuration ID code, wherein a receiver is automatically configured with the configuration ID code when the transmitter is within a range such that the receiver receives the ID configuration command broadcasted at the second power level.

11. A reconfiguration method for a receiver, comprising the steps of:

broadcasting, from a transmitter, a data packet at a first power level from a transmitter when an enable signal is asserted, said data packet including an ID code;

broadcasting, from a transmitter, an ID configuration command at a second power level less than said first power level from said transmitter when said enable signal is deasserted, said ID configuration command including a configuration ID code.

accepting said data packet at the receiver when said ID code corresponds to an associated ID code of the receiver;

rejecting said data packet at the receiver when said ID code does not correspond to said associated ID code; and

automatically configuring the receiver with said configuration ID code when receiving said ID configuration command when the transmitter is within a range such that the receiver receives the ID configuration command broadcasted at the second power level.

12. A method of configuring a receiver from a transmitter, comprising the step of:

decreasing a separation distance between the receiver and the transmitter so that the receiver and the transmitter are within a configuration distance that is less than an operational distance wherein the receiver responds to a configuration command transmitted at a reduced power than an operational command from the transmitter only when said separation distance is not greater than said configuration distance, wherein the receiver is automatically configured with the configuration command when the transmitter is moved within the configuration distance.

13. A method of configuring a receiver from a transmitter, comprising the steps of:

receiving a configuration signal from the transmitter at a first power, said configuration signal receivable within a configuration distance that is less than an operational distance of the transmitter so that the receiver within said operational distance but beyond said configuration distance receives data at a second power greater than the first power from said transmitter but does not configure itself responsive to said configuration signal; and

automatically configuring the receiver according to said configuration signal only when the transmitter is within said configuration distance from the receiver.

14. A method of configuring a wireless receiver from a transmitter, comprising the step of:

decreasing a separation distance between the transmitter and the receiver to enable the receiver to receive a reduced power configuration signal broadcast from the transmitter, said configuration signal broadcast with a lesser effective range than other data transmission broadcasts from the transmitter, wherein the receiver is automatically configured with the configuration signal when the transmitter is moved within the configuration distance.

15. A data transmission system, comprising:

a proximity-based configuring receiver for operating in cooperation with a transmitter, said receiver configuring itself responsive to information from said transmitter only when said receiver is within a configuration distance from said transmitter with said configuration distance less than an operational distance between said receiver and said transmitter, wherein the information at the configuration distance from the said transmitter is transmitted at a lower power than information transmitted at the operational distance, wherein the receiver is automatically configured with the information from said transmitter when the transmitter is moved within the configuration distance.

16. A system, comprising:

a transmitter for broadcasting a data packet tagged with a broadcast identifier and for broadcasting a receiver identifier configuration control; and

a receiver in communication with said transmitter and having a receiver identifier, said receiver operational to receive said data packet when said receiver identifier to said broadcast identifier and said receiver is within a first distance from said transmitter, said receiver operational to reconfigure said receiver identifier in response to said receiver identifier configuration control only when said receiver is within a second distance from said transmitter, said second distance less than said first distance, wherein the receiver is automatically configured with the receiver identifier when the transmitter is moved within the configuration distance such that the receiver receives the receiver identifier configuration control.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein said receiver identifier configuration control includes a configuration ID and said receiver overwrites a nonvolatile memory of said receiver with said configuration ID responsive to receipt of said receiver identifier configuration control.

18. The system of claim 16 wherein said receiver identifier configuration control includes a configuration ID and said receiver writes a nonvolatile memory of said receiver with said configuration ID responsive to receipt of said receiver identifier configuration control wherein said configuration ID is added to said memory with another ID code previously stored in said memory.