Connection device and protocol

• US 8,504,629 B2
• Filed: 07/01/2010
• Issued: 08/06/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/01/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Plantronics, Inc.
• Inventors: Winter, Richard, Findlay, Benedict Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): NANO, SARGON N
• Application Number:
  US12/828,655
• Publication Number:
  US 20120005281A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,132 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206, 709238-242, 709201-204, 709217-219, 709223-225, 719/238, 455/3.01, 455/41.2, 455/466, 455/567, 455/575.2
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/283 Processing of data at an internetworking point of a home automation network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/604 Address structures or formats
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/56 Unified messaging, e.g. interactions between e-mail, instant messaging or converged IP messaging [CPM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4555 Directories for electronic mail or instant messaging
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/54 Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring

Abstract

A common communications protocol is described among devices in a unified communications network. Native devices receive upstream commands and forward them to downstream devices without interpreting the commands. The native devices reformat commands intended for mapped devices in the unified communications network. The common communications protocol calls for left shifting address fields for transmitted commands until the command arrives at its intended destination.

Claims

1. A unified communications system having devices that reside in a network having a topology, comprising:

A computerized protocol manager resident in a computer, the computerized protocol manager configured to access a first API translation unit and translate dongle-specific commands into a common protocol and further configured to access a second API translation unit and translate headset-specific commands into the common protocol;

A dongle configured to receive commands formatted according to the common protocol, sort received commands into commands intended for the dongle or commands intended for another device among a plurality of devices below the dongle in the network topology, and forward commands intended for another device of the plurality of devices, wherein the dongle'"'"'s understanding of network topology consists of the computer and the devices of the network topology immediately below the dongle in the network topology; and

A headset residing below the dongle in the network typology and configured to receive commands formatted according to the common protocol, sort received commands into commands intended for the headset or commands intended for another device among a plurality of devices below the headset in the network topology, and forward commands intended for another device of the plurality of devices, wherein the headset'"'"'s understanding of network topology consists of the dongle and the devices of the network topology immediately below the headset in the network topology, wherein the computer is configured to formulate a command for a mobile phone, wherein the mobile phone resides below the headset in the network topology but is not configured to receive commands formatted in the common protocol, and wherein the computerized protocol manager is further configured to append to the command for the mobile phone a routing instruction in the common protocol, and wherein the headset receives the command intended for the mobile phone, and wherein the headset formats the received command according to a communication mechanism common between the headset and the mobile phone.

2. The unified communications system of claim 1, wherein the communication mechanism common between the headset and the mobile phone comprises at least one of Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, DECT, USB HID, wUSB and serial port.

3. The unified communications system of claim 1, wherein the dongle is configured to sort received commands by examining a portion of an address field associated with the received command and wherein the dongle is further configured to shift the address field by a fixed increment if the command is intended for another device of the plurality of devices.

4. The unified communications system of claim 3, wherein the address field in the common protocol comprises a series of integers and wherein the fixed increment comprises a left shift of the address field by one integer.

5. The unified communications system of claim 1, further comprising another mobile phone configured to receive commands formatted according to the common protocol, sort received commands into commands intended for the another mobile phone and commands intended for another device among a plurality of devices, and forward commands intended for another device of the plurality of devices, wherein the another mobile phone receives a command intended for a fourth device, the fourth device is not configured to receive commands formatted for the common protocol, and wherein another mobile phone formats the received command into a communication mechanism common between the another mobile phone and the fourth device.

6. The unified communications system of claim 1, wherein the dongle and the headset are each configured to communicate with up to seven other devices of the plurality of devices.

7. The unified communications system of claim 1, wherein the computer and the dongle are configured to use DECT as a communication mechanism and the dongle and the headset are configured to use Bluetooth as a communication mechanism.

8. The unified communications system of claim 1, wherein the computer further comprises a presence engine and commands among the protocol manager, the dongle , and the headset relate to the transmission of presence data associated with the presence engine.

9. A unified communications method for devices residing in a network having a topology, comprising:

accessing a first API translation unit by a computerized protocol manager in a computer;

translating dongle specific commands into a common protocol by the computerized protocol manager using the first API translation unit;

accessing a second API translation unit by the computerized protocol manager;

translating headset-specific commands into the common protocol by the computerized protocol manager using the second API translation unit;

formulating a command for a mobile phone by the computer, wherein the mobile phone resides below the headset in the network topology but the mobile phone is not configured to receive commands formatted in the common protocol;

appending by the computerized protocol manager a routing instruction in the common protocol to the command for the mobile phone;

receiving commands formatted according to the common protocol by a dongle wherein the dongle'"'"'s understanding of network topology consists of the computer and the devices of the network topology immediately below the dongle in the network topology;

sorting received commands by the dongle into commands intended for the dongle or commands intended for another device among a plurality of devices below the dongle in the network topology;

forwarding commands intended for another device of the plurality of devices by the dongle ;

receiving commands formatted according to the common protocol by a headset residing below the dongle in the network typology, wherein the headset'"'"'s understanding of network topology consists of the dongle and the devices of the network topology immediately below the headset in the network topology,

wherein the received commands include commands for a mobile phone associated with the headset;

sorting received commands by the headset into commands intended for the headset or intended for another device among a plurality of devices below the headset in the network topology, wherein the another device among the plurality of devices is a mobile phone;

formatting the received command for the mobile phone according to a communication mechanism common between the headset and the mobile phone; and

forwarding commands intended for another device of the plurality of devices by the headset.

10. The unified communication method of claim 9, further comprising:

sorting received commands by the dongle by examining a portion of an address field associated with the received command; and

shifting the address field by the dongle by a fixed increment if the command is intended for another device of the plurality of devices.

11. The unified communications method of claim 10, wherein the address field in the common protocol comprises a series of integers, and wherein shifting the address field by a fixed increment comprises a left shift of the address field by one integer.

12. The unified communications method of claim 10, wherein the computer further comprises a presence engine, the method further comprising:

transmitting presence data associated with the presence engine among the protocol manager, the first associated device, and the second associated device.