System and method for establishing a connection between wireless devices

• US 7,215,923 B2
• Filed: 08/06/2001
• Issued: 05/08/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hillyard, Jason
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsang; Fan
• Assistant Examiner(s): ELAHEE, MD S
• Application Number:
  US09/924,306
• Publication Number:
  US 20030027526A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,101 Days
• Field of Search: 455 411- 413, 455/434, 455/557, 455/552.1, 455/422.1, 709/200, 709/229, 709/228, 370/338, 358/1.15, 340/539.1, 340/5.62
• US Class Current: 455/41.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/19 Connection re-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

A system and method according to the present invention allow two or more peer-to-peer wireless devices to automatically connect to each other with no knowledge or pre-configuration of client/server roles. According to a first aspect of the present invention, a wireless device performs inquiries at a random interval, and performs an inquiry scan and a page scan when not performing the inquiries. Upon receiving a first device address in response to one of the inquiries, the wireless device performs a first page using the device address to establish a connection. And upon receiving an inquiry during the inquiry scan, the wireless device responds with a second device address, and if a second page is received during the page scan, establishes a connection.

Claims

1. A method for establishing a connection between wireless devices, comprising:

(a) performing an inquiry;

(b) performing an inquiry scan for a random duration following said inquiry;

(c) establishing the connection after receiving a device address in response to said inquiry; and

(d) performing a page scan while performing said inquiry scan.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said inquiry has a fixed duration.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said operation (c) comprises paging said device address.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said method further comprises establishing the connection after receiving an inquiring device inquiry during said inquiry scan.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said operation (d) comprises responding with a second device address upon receiving said inquiring device inquiry, and if said second device address is paged during said page scan, establishing the connection.

6. A method for establishing a connection between wireless devices, comprising:

(a) performing inquiries at random intervals;

(b) performing an inquiry scan and a page scan when not performing said inquiries and performing said page scan while performing said inquiry scan;

(c) upon receiving a first device address in response to one of said inquiries, paging said first device address to establish the connection; and

(d) upon receiving an inquiring device inquiry during said inquiry scan, responding with a second device address, and if said second device address is paged during said page scan, establishing the connection.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said inquiries have a fixed duration.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the wireless devices are not assigned client roles or server roles prior to establishing the connection.

9. The method of claim 6, further comprising storing configuration information upon the connection being established, and re-establishing the connection using said configuration information upon the connection being lost.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein said re-establishing is attempted a number of attempts until the connection is re-established, and if the connection is not re-established, returning to operation (a).

11. The method of claim 9, wherein said configuration information comprises role and device address information.

12. A method for establishing a connection between a first wireless device and a second wireless device, comprising;

(a) at the first wireless device, perfonning first inquiries at random intervals and performing first inquiry scans when not performing said first inquiries, performing first page scans while performing said first inquiry scans;

(b) at the second wireless device, performing second inquiries at random intervals and performing second inquiry scans when not performing said second inquiries, performing second page scans while performing said second inquiry scans; and

(c) establishing the connection after the first wireless device receiving one of said second inquiries during one of said first inquiry scans.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein said first inquiries have a first fixed duration, and said second inquiries have a second fixed duration.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the first wireless device and the second wireless device are not assigned client roles or server roles prior to establishing the connection.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein said establishing comprises:

(c1) sending a first device address to the second wireless device, wherein said first device address corresponds to the first wireless device; and

(c2) paging the first wireless device using said first device address, thereby establishing the connection.

16. The method of claim 12, further comprising (d) assigning a server role to the first wireless device and a client role to the second wireless device, and if the connection is lost, re-establishing the connection using said client role and said server role.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein said re-establishing comprises paging the first wireless device, wherein said paging is repeated a first number of attempts until the connection is re-established, and if the connection is not re-established, returning to operation (a).

18. A wireless device that communicates via a wireless link, said wireless device comprising

means for performing inquiries at random intervals;

means for performing inquiry scans and page scans when not performing said inquiries;

means for performing said page scans while performing said inquiry scans; and

means for paging a responding device to establish the wireless link upon receiving a first device address in response to one of said inquiries, wherein said first device address identifies said responding device.

19. The wireless device of claim 18, further comprising:

means for providing a second device address upon receiving a discovering device inquiry during one of said inquiry scans, wherein said second device address identifies the wireless device; and

means for establishing the wireless link upon receiving a page to said second device address.

20. The wireless device of claim 18, wherein said inquiries have a fixed duration.

21. The wireless device of claim 18, further comprising a memory, wherein configuration information is stored in said memory upon establishing the wireless link.