Abstract:
Various aspects of the present disclosure enable a docking procedure where a dockee, when docking with a docking host that manages a docking environment, can become directly paired with the peripherals in the docking environment in a straightforward fashion. Furthermore, a persistent direct pairing may be established such that after a first docking session, subsequent docking sessions where the dockee is directly paired with the same peripherals can further be expedited. Other aspects, embodiments, and features are also claimed and described.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims priority to and the benefit of provisional patent application No. 61/649,863, titled “SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR WIRELESS DOCKING UTILIZING A WIRELESS DOCKING PROFILE” and filed in the United States Patent and Trademark Office on May 21, 2012; provisional patent application No. 61/651,991, titled “APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR PERSISTENT WIRELESS DOCKING” and filed in the United States Patent and Trademark Office on May 25, 2012; provisional patent application No. 61/658,352, titled “APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR DIRECT PAIRING IN A WIRELESS DOCKING SYSTEM” and filed in the United States Patent and Trademark Office on Jun. 11, 2012; and provisional patent application No. 61/658,363, titled “APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR WIRELESS DOCKING UTILIZING A WIRELESS DOCKING PROFILE IN THE PRESENCE OF WIRELESS DOCKING ENVIRONMENTS” and filed in the United States Patent and Trademark Office on Jun. 11, 2012, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
       [0002]    Aspects of the present disclosure relate generally to wireless docking systems, and more particularly, to systems and methods of establishing a direct pairing between a dockee and one or more peripherals in a wireless docking system. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    Wireless communication networks are widely deployed to provide various communication services such as telephony, video, data, messaging, broadcasts, and so on. Such networks, which are usually multiple access networks, support communications for multiple users by sharing the available network resources. 
         [0004]    Recent interest has been directed toward WLAN connectivity, where a dockee, e.g., a mobile device such as a cellular telephone, can utilize a WLAN interface (e.g., an IEEE 802.11 “Wi-Fi” interface) to establish wireless communication links with one or more peripheral devices. Here, peripheral devices can be any of numerous types, such as a mouse, keyboard, display, printer, camera, speakers, mass storage devices, media servers, sensors, and many others. Some such WLAN-enabled devices are configured for direct connectivity between devices, e.g., without the need of an intermediate wireless router or docking host. For example, Wi-Fi Direct is a known standard for direct connectivity between a device such as a mobile phone with peripheral devices. 
         [0005]    As the demand for mobile broadband access continues to increase, research and development continue to advance wireless technologies not only to meet the growing demand for mobile broadband access, but to advance and enhance the user experience with mobile communications. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF SOME EXAMPLES 
       [0006]    The following presents a simplified summary of one or more aspects of the present disclosure, in order to provide a basic understanding of such aspects. This summary is not an extensive overview of all contemplated features of the disclosure, and is intended neither to identify key or critical elements of all aspects of the disclosure nor to delineate the scope of any or all aspects of the disclosure. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of one or more aspects of the disclosure in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later. 
         [0007]    Various aspects of the present disclosure enable a docking procedure where a dockee, when docking with a docking host that manages a docking environment, can become directly paired with the peripherals in the docking environment in a straightforward fashion. Furthermore, a persistent direct pairing may be established such that after a first docking session, subsequent docking sessions where the dockee is directly paired with the same peripherals can further be expedited. 
         [0008]    In one aspect, the disclosure provides a method operable at a docking host for direct pairing between a dockee and a peripheral paired with the docking host, the method including the steps of establishing a first communication link with the peripheral such that the docking host is a P2P group owner (GO) and the peripheral is a P2P client of the docking host, establishing a second communication link with the dockee such that the dockee is a P2P client of the docking host, and transmitting information to the dockee over the second communication link to enable the dockee to establish a tunneled direct link setup (TDLS) connection with the peripheral. 
         [0009]    In another aspect, the disclosure provides a method operable at a dockee for direct pairing with a peripheral in a docking environment managed by a docking host, the method including the steps of establishing a first communication link with the docking host such that the docking host is a P2P group owner (GO) and the dockee is a P2P client of the docking host, receiving information from the docking host over the first communication link to enable the dockee to establish a tunneled direct link setup (TDLS) connection with the peripheral, and establishing a second communication link with the peripheral utilizing TDLS in accordance with the received information. 
         [0010]    In another aspect, the disclosure provides a method operable at a docking host for direct pairing between a dockee and a peripheral paired with the docking host, the method including the steps of establishing a first communication link with the peripheral such that the docking host is a P2P group owner (GO) and the peripheral is a P2P client of the docking host, establishing a second communication link with the dockee such that the dockee is a P2P GO and the docking host is a P2P client of the dockee, and receiving a request from the dockee over the second communication link for information enabling establishment of a direct pairing between the dockee and the peripheral. 
         [0011]    In another aspect, the disclosure provides a method operable at a dockee for direct pairing with a peripheral in a docking environment managed by a docking host, the method including the steps of establishing a first communication link with the docking host such that the dockee is a P2P group owner (GO) and the docking host is a P2P client of the dockee, transmitting a request to the docking host over the first communication link for information enabling establishment of a direct pairing between the dockee and the peripheral, and establishing a second communication link with the peripheral in accordance with the received information. 
         [0012]    In another aspect, the disclosure provides a method operable at a dockee for direct pairing with a peripheral in a docking environment managed by a docking host, the method including the steps of establishing an initial docking session with the docking host, receiving information from the docking host to enable a direct pairing between the dockee and the peripheral, communicating with the peripheral to obtain a persistent key adapted to enable a persistent direct pairing between the dockee and the peripheral, and communicating with the peripheral to obtain a session key adapted to enable secure communication during a first direct pairing session. 
         [0013]    In another aspect, the disclosure provides a method operable at a docking host for direct pairing between a dockee and a peripheral paired with the docking host, the method including the steps of establishing a docking session with the dockee, transmitting information to the dockee to enable a direct pairing between the dockee and the peripheral, determining that the dockee and the peripheral have engaged in direct pairing in a prior docking session, and transmitting a request for direct pairing to at least one of the peripheral or the dockee. 
         [0014]    In another aspect, the disclosure provides a docking host configured for direct pairing between a dockee and a peripheral paired with the docking host, including at least one processor, a transceiver communicatively coupled to the at least one processor, and a memory communicatively coupled to the at least one processor, wherein the at least one processor is configured to establish a first communication link with the peripheral such that the docking host is a P2P group owner (GO) and the peripheral is a P2P client of the docking host, to establish a second communication link with the dockee such that the dockee is a P2P client of the docking host, and to transmit information to the dockee over the second communication link to enable the dockee to establish a tunneled direct link setup (TDLS) connection with the peripheral. 
         [0015]    In another aspect, the disclosure provides a dockee configured for direct pairing with a peripheral in a docking environment managed by a docking host, including at least one processor, a transceiver communicatively coupled to the at least one processor, and a memory communicatively coupled to the at least one processor, wherein the at least one processor is configured to establish a first communication link with the docking host such that the docking host is a P2P group owner (GO) and the dockee is a P2P client of the docking host, to receive information from the docking host over the first communication link to enable the dockee to establish a tunneled direct link setup (TDLS) connection with the peripheral, and to establish a second communication link with the peripheral utilizing TDLS in accordance with the received information. 
         [0016]    In another aspect, the disclosure provides a docking host configured for direct pairing between a dockee and a peripheral paired with the docking host, including at least one processor, a transceiver communicatively coupled to the at least one processor, and a memory communicatively coupled to the at least one processor, wherein the at least one processor is configured to establish a first communication link with the peripheral such that the docking host is a P2P group owner (GO) and the peripheral is a P2P client of the docking host, to establish a second communication link with the dockee such that the dockee is a P2P GO and the docking host is a P2P client of the dockee, and to receive a request from the dockee over the second communication link for information enabling establishment of a direct pairing between the dockee and the peripheral. 
         [0017]    In another aspect, the disclosure provides a dockee configured for direct pairing with a peripheral in a docking environment managed by a docking host, including at least one processor, a transceiver communicatively coupled to the at least one processor, and a memory communicatively coupled to the at least one processor, wherein the at least one processor is configured to establish a first communication link with the docking host such that the dockee is a P2P group owner (GO) and the docking host is a P2P client of the dockee, to transmit a request to the docking host over the first communication link for information enabling establishment of a direct pairing between the dockee and the peripheral, and to establish a second communication link with the peripheral in accordance with the received information. 
         [0018]    In another aspect, the disclosure provides a dockee configured for direct pairing with a peripheral in a docking environment managed by a docking host, including at least one processor, a transceiver communicatively coupled to the at least one processor, and a memory communicatively coupled to the at least one processor, wherein the at least one processor is configured to establish an initial docking session with the docking host, to receive information from the docking host to enable a direct pairing between the dockee and the peripheral, to communicate with the peripheral to obtain a persistent key adapted to enable a persistent direct pairing between the dockee and the peripheral, and to communicate with the peripheral to obtain a session key adapted to enable secure communication during a first direct pairing session. 
         [0019]    In another aspect, the disclosure provides a docking host configured for direct pairing between a dockee and a peripheral paired with the docking host, including at least one processor, a transceiver communicatively coupled to the at least one processor, and a memory communicatively coupled to the at least one processor, wherein the at least one processor is configured to establish a docking session with the dockee, to transmit information to the dockee to enable a direct pairing between the dockee and the peripheral, to determine that the dockee and the peripheral have engaged in direct pairing in a prior docking session, and to transmit a request for direct pairing to at least one of the peripheral or the dockee. 
         [0020]    In another aspect, the disclosure provides a docking host configured for direct pairing between a dockee and a peripheral paired with the docking host, including means for establishing a first communication link with the peripheral such that the docking host is a P2P group owner (GO) and the peripheral is a P2P client of the docking host, means for establishing a second communication link with the dockee such that the dockee is a P2P client of the docking host, and means for transmitting information to the dockee over the second communication link to enable the dockee to establish a tunneled direct link setup (TDLS) connection with the peripheral. 
         [0021]    In another aspect, the disclosure provides a dockee configured for direct pairing with a peripheral in a docking environment managed by a docking host, including means for establishing a first communication link with the docking host such that the docking host is a P2P group owner (GO) and the dockee is a P2P client of the docking host, means for receiving information from the docking host over the first communication link to enable the dockee to establish a tunneled direct link setup (TDLS) connection with the peripheral, and means for establishing a second communication link with the peripheral utilizing TDLS in accordance with the received information. 
         [0022]    In another aspect, the disclosure provides a docking host configured for direct pairing between a dockee and a peripheral paired with the docking host, including means for establishing a first communication link with the peripheral such that the docking host is a P2P group owner (GO) and the peripheral is a P2P client of the docking host, means for establishing a second communication link with the dockee such that the dockee is a P2P GO and the docking host is a P2P client of the dockee, and means for receiving a request from the dockee over the second communication link for information enabling establishment of a direct pairing between the dockee and the peripheral. 
         [0023]    In another aspect, the disclosure provides a dockee configured for direct pairing with a peripheral in a docking environment managed by a docking host, including means for establishing a first communication link with the docking host such that the dockee is a P2P group owner (GO) and the docking host is a P2P client of the dockee, means for transmitting a request to the docking host over the first communication link for information enabling establishment of a direct pairing between the dockee and the peripheral, and means for establishing a second communication link with the peripheral in accordance with the received information. 
         [0024]    In another aspect, the disclosure provides a dockee configured for direct pairing with a peripheral in a docking environment managed by a docking host, including means for establishing an initial docking session with the docking host, means for receiving information from the docking host to enable a direct pairing between the dockee and the peripheral, means for communicating with the peripheral to obtain a persistent key adapted to enable a persistent direct pairing between the dockee and the peripheral, and means for communicating with the peripheral to obtain a session key adapted to enable secure communication during a first direct pairing session. 
         [0025]    In another aspect, the disclosure provides a docking host configured for direct pairing between a dockee and a peripheral paired with the docking host, including means for establishing a docking session with the dockee, means for transmitting information to the dockee to enable a direct pairing between the dockee and the peripheral, means for determining that the dockee and the peripheral have engaged in direct pairing in a prior docking session, and means for transmitting a request for direct pairing to at least one of the peripheral or the dockee. 
         [0026]    In another aspect, the disclosure provides a computer-readable storage medium including instructions for causing a computer at a docking host to establish a first communication link with a peripheral such that the docking host is a P2P group owner (GO) and the peripheral is a P2P client of the docking host, to establish a second communication link with a dockee such that the dockee is a P2P client of the docking host, and to transmit information to the dockee over the second communication link to enable the dockee to establish a tunneled direct link setup (TDLS) connection with the peripheral. 
         [0027]    In another aspect, the disclosure provides a computer-readable storage medium including instructions for causing a computer at a dockee to establish a first communication link with a docking host such that the docking host is a P2P group owner (GO) and the dockee is a P2P client of the docking host, to receive information from the docking host over the first communication link to enable the dockee to establish a tunneled direct link setup (TDLS) connection with a peripheral, and to establish a second communication link with the peripheral utilizing TDLS in accordance with the received information. 
         [0028]    In another aspect, the disclosure provides a computer-readable storage medium including instructions for causing a computer at a docking host to establish a first communication link with a peripheral such that the docking host is a P2P group owner (GO) and the peripheral is a P2P client of the docking host, to establish a second communication link with a dockee such that the dockee is a P2P GO and the docking host is a P2P client of the dockee, and to receive a request from the dockee over the second communication link for information enabling establishment of a direct pairing between the dockee and the peripheral. 
         [0029]    In another aspect, the disclosure provides a computer-readable storage medium including instructions for causing a computer at a dockee to establish a first communication link with a docking host such that the dockee is a P2P group owner (GO) and the docking host is a P2P client of the dockee, to transmit a request to the docking host over the first communication link for information enabling establishment of a direct pairing between the dockee and a peripheral, and to establish a second communication link with the peripheral in accordance with the received information. 
         [0030]    In another aspect, the disclosure provides a computer-readable storage medium including instructions for causing a computer at a dockee to establish an initial docking session with a docking host, to receive information from the docking host to enable a direct pairing between the dockee and a peripheral, to communicate with the peripheral to obtain a persistent key adapted to enable a persistent direct pairing between the dockee and the peripheral, and to communicate with the peripheral to obtain a session key adapted to enable secure communication during a first direct pairing session. 
         [0031]    In another aspect, the disclosure provides a computer-readable storage medium including instructions for causing a computer at a docking host to establish a docking session with a dockee, to transmit information to the dockee to enable a direct pairing between the dockee and a peripheral, to determine that the dockee and the peripheral have engaged in direct pairing in a prior docking session, and to transmit a request for direct pairing to at least one of the peripheral or the dockee. 
         [0032]    These and other aspects of the invention will become more fully understood upon a review of the detailed description, which follows. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0033]      FIG. 1  is a block diagram illustrating an example of a hardware implementation for an apparatus employing a processing system. 
           [0034]      FIG. 2  is a simplified block diagram of a dockee, peripheral, and docking host as may be utilized for direct pairing according to one example. 
           [0035]      FIG. 3  is a simplified schematic diagram of a wireless docking system utilizing a docking environment according to one example. 
           [0036]      FIG. 4  is a simplified schematic diagram of a wireless docking system with direct pairing according to one example. 
           [0037]      FIG. 5  is a block diagram illustrating various communication links as they may appear in a direct pairing system according to one example. 
           [0038]      FIG. 6  is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary process of direct pairing wherein the dockee is a P2P client for a docking host in accordance with one example. 
           [0039]      FIG. 7  is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary process of direct pairing wherein the docking host is a P2P client for a dockee in accordance with one example. 
           [0040]      FIG. 8  is a call flow diagram illustrating a process for persistent direct pairing in accordance with one example. 
           [0041]      FIG. 9  is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary process of direct pairing wherein the peripheral connects to the dockee as a P2P client connects to a P2P group owner according to one example. 
           [0042]      FIG. 10  is flow chart illustrating an exemplary process of direct pairing wherein the peripheral connects to the dockee as a legacy STA connects to an infrastructure AP. 
           [0043]      FIG. 11  is a call flow diagram illustrating a process for persistent direct pairing in accordance with one example. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0044]    The detailed description set forth below in connection with the appended drawings is intended as a description of various configurations and is not intended to represent the only configurations in which the concepts described herein may be practiced. The detailed description includes specific details for the purpose of providing a thorough understanding of various concepts. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that these concepts may be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well known structures and components are shown in block diagram form in order to avoid obscuring such concepts. 
         [0045]      FIG. 1  is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of a hardware implementation for an apparatus  100  employing a processing system  114 . In accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure, an element, or any portion of an element, or any combination of elements may be implemented with a processing system  114  that includes one or more processors  104 . For example, in various aspects, the apparatus  100  may represent any one or more of a wireless dockee, a wireless docking host, and/or a peripheral device. Examples of processors  104  that may be utilized in an apparatus  100  include microprocessors, microcontrollers, digital signal processors (DSPs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), state machines, gated logic, discrete hardware circuits, and other suitable hardware configured to perform the various functionality described throughout this disclosure. 
         [0046]    In this example, the processing system  114  may be implemented with a bus architecture, represented generally by the bus  102 . The bus  102  may include any number of interconnecting buses and bridges depending on the specific application of the processing system  114  and the overall design constraints. The bus  102  links together various circuits including one or more processors (represented generally by the processor  104 ), a memory  105 , and computer-readable media (represented generally by the computer-readable medium  106 ). The bus  102  may also link various other circuits such as timing sources, peripherals, voltage regulators, and power management circuits, which are well known in the art, and therefore, will not be described any further. A bus interface  108  provides an interface between the bus  102  and a transceiver  110 . The transceiver  110  provides a means for communicating with various other apparatus over a transmission medium. Depending upon the nature of the apparatus, a user interface  112  (e.g., keypad, display, speaker, microphone, joystick) may also be provided. 
         [0047]    The processor  104  is responsible for managing the bus  102  and general processing, including the execution of software stored on the computer-readable medium  106 . The software, when executed by the processor  104 , causes the processing system  114  to perform the various functions described infra for any particular apparatus. The computer-readable medium  106  may also be used for storing data that is manipulated by the processor  104  when executing software. 
         [0048]    One or more processors  104  in the processing system may execute software. Software shall be construed broadly to mean instructions, instruction sets, code, code segments, program code, programs, subprograms, software modules, applications, software applications, software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executables, threads of execution, procedures, functions, etc., whether referred to as software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description language, or otherwise. The software may reside on a computer-readable medium  106 . The computer-readable medium  106  may be a non-transitory computer-readable medium. A non-transitory computer-readable medium includes, by way of example, a magnetic storage device (e.g., hard disk, floppy disk, magnetic strip), an optical disk (e.g., a compact disc (CD) or a digital versatile disc (DVD)), a smart card, a flash memory device (e.g., a card, a stick, or a key drive), a random access memory (RAM), a read only memory (ROM), a programmable ROM (PROM), an erasable PROM (EPROM), an electrically erasable PROM (EEPROM), a register, a removable disk, and any other suitable medium for storing software and/or instructions that may be accessed and read by a computer. The computer-readable medium may also include, by way of example, a carrier wave, a transmission line, and any other suitable medium for transmitting software and/or instructions that may be accessed and read by a computer. The computer-readable medium  106  may reside in the processing system  114 , external to the processing system  114 , or distributed across multiple entities including the processing system  114 . The computer-readable medium  106  may be embodied in a computer program product. By way of example, a computer program product may include a computer-readable medium in packaging materials. Those skilled in the art will recognize how best to implement the described functionality presented throughout this disclosure depending on the particular application and the overall design constraints imposed on the overall system. 
         [0049]    One or more aspects of the disclosure relate to wireless docking systems. A wireless docking system can provide seamless connectivity, enabling a portable device such as a mobile handset, PDA, tablet computer, etc. to connect with a group of peripheral devices without needing wires or a docking connector, a PIN code or elaborate pairing process for between the dockee and each individual peripheral. The peripherals in any docking environment may act as a group, which needs only to be set up once. Many different types of peripherals may be supported in a docking environment, including the bridging of legacy peripherals. Ideally, the best link, protocol, and QoS would be automatically set up for each type of peripheral connection. The best connection may be selected depending on the application (e.g., for a productivity application, for watching videos, or for playing games, etc.), and the environment (e.g., the home enterprise, internet café, etc.). Here, existing application sessions/connections may be left intact. 
         [0050]      FIG. 2  includes a simplified block diagram illustrating an exemplary peripheral  210 , an exemplary docking host  220 , and an exemplary dockee  230  in accordance with some aspects of the disclosure. In the illustrated example, the peripheral  210  includes at least one processor  211 , a memory  213  communicatively coupled to the at least one processor  211 , a communication interface  212  communicatively coupled to the at least one processor  211 , and optional peripheral function circuitry  214 . In some aspects of the disclosure, the at least one processor  211  may be the processor  104  included in the processing system  114  described above and illustrated in  FIG. 1 ; similarly, the memory  212  may be the memory  105  described above and illustrated in  FIG. 1 . 
         [0051]    In various aspects of the disclosure, the communication interface  212  may be a wireless interface configured for communication with a docking host  220 . For example, the communication interface  212  may include a Wi-Fi interface compatible with any of the family of standards defined under the IEEE 802.11 standards, an IEEE 802.15.1 “Bluetooth” interface, an IEEE 802.15.4 “ZigBee” interface, or any other suitable wireless communication interface. Of course, some examples of a peripheral  210  may include two or more of the above-described or other communication interfaces. In a particular example described in further detail below, the communication interface  212  may be configured to be compatible with Wi-Fi Direct protocols. Further, when included in a peripheral  210 , the peripheral function circuitry  214  may be embodied in any number of ways, including for example a user interface, a display, microphone, speaker, network interface, etc. 
         [0052]    Further, in the illustrated example, the docking host  220  includes at least one processor  221 , a communication interface  222  communicatively coupled to the at least one processor  221 , and a memory  223  communicatively coupled to the at least one processor  221 . In some aspects of the disclosure, the at least one processor  221  may be the processor  104  included in the processing system  114  described above and illustrated in  FIG. 1 ; similarly, the memory  222  may be the memory  105  described above and illustrated in  FIG. 1 . 
         [0053]    In various aspects of the disclosure, the communication interface  222  may include a Wi-Fi interface compatible with any of the family of standards defined under the IEEE 802.11 standards, an IEEE 802.15.1 “Bluetooth” interface, an IEEE 802.15.4 “ZigBee” interface, or any other suitable wireless communication interface. Of course, some examples of a docking host  220  may include two or more of the above-described or other communication interfaces. In a particular example described in further detail below, the communication interface  222  may be configured to be compatible with Wi-Fi Direct protocols. 
         [0054]    Still further, in the illustrated example, the dockee  230  includes at least one processor  231 , a communication interface  232  communicatively coupled to the at least one processor  231 , a memory  233  communicatively coupled to the at least one processor  231 , and a user interface  234  communicatively coupled to the at least one processor  231 . In some aspects of the disclosure, the at least one processor  231  may be the processor  104  included in the processing system  114  described above and illustrated in  FIG. 1 ; similarly, the memory  232  may be the memory  105  described above and illustrated in  FIG. 1 . 
         [0055]    In various aspects of the disclosure, the communication interface  232  may include a Wi-Fi interface compatible with any of the family of standards defined under the IEEE 802.11 standards, an IEEE 802.15.1 “Bluetooth” interface, an IEEE 802.15.4 “ZigBee” interface, or any other suitable wireless communication interface. Of course, some examples of a dockee  230  may include two or more of the above-described or other communication interfaces. In a particular example described in further detail below, the communication interface  232  may be configured to be compatible with Wi-Fi Direct protocols. 
         [0056]    In a further aspect of the disclosure, the dockee  230  may include a user interface  234  for input/output functionality enabling communication between a user and the wireless docking system. As an illustrative but non-limiting example, the dockee  230  may be embodied as a smartphone or tablet device, including a touch-screen interface providing user input and output functionality. 
         [0057]    A wireless docking system may provide a wireless connection between a wireless dockee and a wireless docking environment.  FIG. 3  is a simplified schematic diagram that illustrates a wireless docking system  300  including a dockee  230  in wireless communication with a plurality of peripherals  210 ,  310  by way of a wireless docking host  220 , as a part of a wireless docking environment  306 . 
         [0058]    The dockee  230  may be any suitable device capable of wirelessly connecting to the wireless docking environment  306  utilizing any suitable communication protocol, which may include but is not limited to IEEE 802.11 “Wi-Fi.” By connecting to the wireless docking environment  306 , the dockee  230  may be capable of connecting directly or indirectly to each of the peripherals  210  that are part of the wireless docking environment  306 . 
         [0059]    The wireless docking environment  306  is a group of one or more physical devices, including one or more wireless docking hosts  220  and one or more peripherals  210 . A wireless docking environment  306  can take any suitable configuration or topology, for example, including nothing more than a wireless docking host  220 , or additionally including one or more peripherals  210 . 
         [0060]    The peripherals  210  may represent logical peripheral functions. In general, a peripheral function may be any I/O function implemented in a wireless docking host  220  that can be made available to a wireless dockee  230  through any of various suitable wireless interfaces; any I/O function in an external peripheral device that can be made available to the wireless dockee  230  through the wireless docking host  220 , where the external peripheral device may be directly connected to the wireless docking host  220 ; or any I/O function in an external peripheral device that can be connected directly to the wireless dockee  230 , and whose connection to the wireless dockee  230  is set up utilizing information provided by the wireless docking host  220 . Peripherals  210  may in some examples be embodied as physical devices having wired and/or wireless interfaces for communicating with the wireless dockee  230  through the wireless docking host  220 . Some nonlimiting examples of peripherals might include LCD monitors or other display devices, utilizing, e.g., an HDMI or VGA interface; speakers, microphones a keyboard, mouse, printer, scanner, camera, a mass storage device, etc. utilizing any suitable wired or wireless interface, such as USB; general purpose USB ports or hubs for coupling any suitable USB-compatible device; Ethernet ports for coupling to a network; or any other suitable device. 
         [0061]    In the illustration, some peripherals  210  are shown in the wireless docking environment  306 , and an extra peripheral  310  is shown outside the wireless docking environment  306 . Here, this extra peripheral  310  illustrates that not necessarily all peripherals  210 ,  310  that are paired with the wireless docking host  220  are included in a particular wireless docking environment  306 . That is, a wireless docking environment  306  associated with a wireless docking host  220  may include only a subset of the peripherals  210 ,  310  that are paired with, or in communication with the docking host  220 . Moreover, the extra peripheral  310  may be one of numerous extra peripherals  310 , and further, the wireless docking host may provide a plurality of wireless docking environments such as the environment  306 . Here, the set of peripherals in a particular wireless docking environment may include any number, from zero or greater, of peripherals, and further, in some examples, a particular peripheral  210 ,  310  may be included in zero, one, two, or more established wireless docking environments  306 . 
         [0062]    The wireless docking host  220  may be any suitable device capable of connecting to the wireless dockee  230  and one or more peripherals  210 . For example, a wireless docking host  220  may make available to a wireless dockee  230  peripheral functions on external peripherals  210  that are connected to the docking host  220  directly, as well as peripheral functions the wireless docking host  220  itself may implement (e.g., a display). 
         [0063]    The docking host  220  may provide different docking experiences or docking environments  306  to different dockees  230 . For example, at a given time a dockee  230  may have a particular need for certain peripheral functions, and upon learning of this need, the docking host  220  may therefore provide a corresponding docking environment  306  for that dockee. 
         [0064]    One example of a way for a docking host  220  to provide these capabilities to different dockees  230  is for the docking host  220  to preconfigure multiple docking environments  306 . That is, multiple groups of peripherals  210  can be preconfigured at the docking host  220 , e.g., by randomly selecting groups of available peripherals  210  or by selecting certain peripherals to be grouped together. Here, each group may be a logical group including suitable peripherals  210 , which may be manually or automatically configured with the docking host  220 . 
         [0065]    In this example, the docking host  220  may group its attached and/or wirelessly paired peripherals  210  into multiple hierarchical groups and enable each dockee to use one group. For example, assume that a particular docking host  220  has peripherals A-G available. Here, peripherals A, B, and C may be grouped together into a first group, and peripherals D, E, F, and G may be grouped together into a second group. This way, the groups may be disjoint groups of peripherals. In another example, peripherals A, B, and C may be grouped together into a first group, and peripherals C, D, and E may be grouped together into a second group. This way, the groups may have some intersection or overlap of peripherals. 
         [0066]    With a hierarchical grouping, separate groups of peripherals might be disjoint groups, and separate groups might have a common parent. For the common parent, peripherals A, B, C, D, E, and F might be a parent group in the hierarchy, and at the next level of the hierarchy, groups might include, for example, peripherals A, B, and C as a first group; and peripherals D, E, and F as a second group. By utilizing such groups of peripherals, each such group can be considered a separate wireless docking environment  306  as discussed above. That is, a particular wireless docking host  220  may be capable of providing any from a plurality of wireless docking environments  306  to a particular wireless dockee  230 , each wireless docking environment  306  including a different group of peripherals that may be one of a plurality of preconfigured hierarchical groups. 
         [0067]    In any wireless docking system utilizing docking environments as described above, there are certain disadvantages relating to the use of the docking host  220  in maintaining the docking session. For example, due to the interposition of the docking host  220  between the dockee  230  and the peripherals  210 , there can be a reduced efficiency according to any latency added by processing and communication at the docking host  220 . Furthermore, it may be the case that the docking host  220  is managing docking sessions for large numbers of dockees  230 , which can ultimately overload the processing and/or communication capabilities of the docking host  220 . 
         [0068]    Therefore, in accordance with an aspect of the disclosure, a direct pairing between the dockee  230  and one or more peripherals  210  may be enabled. For example,  FIG. 4  is a simplified illustration showing a direct pairing between the dockee  230  and various peripherals  210 . In the illustration, as compared to  FIG. 3 , here, the wireless connections between the wireless docking host  220  and the peripherals  210 , as well as the wireless connection between the wireless dockee  230  and the wireless docking host  220 , have been terminated. Further, a direct wireless connection is shown to be established between the wireless dockee  230  and each of the peripherals  210  in the docking environment  306 . However, in this example, a wireless connection between the wireless docking host  220  and a peripheral  310  outside the docking environment  306  is maintained. 
         [0069]    To enable the direct pairing between the wireless dockee  230  and the one or more peripherals  210 , it may be desirable to simplify a transition from the existence of the conventional docking environment (as in  FIG. 3 ) to a direct pairing between the dockee  230  and one or more peripherals  210  in the docking environment (as in  FIG. 4 ). To establish this direct pairing, it may further be desired not to require manual operation on the part of the dockee  230  or its user, e.g., typing in a personal identification number (PIN) or password phrase, touching a “pair” button at the dockee  230  and the peripheral  210 , etc. That is, if manual operations were required for the pairing between the dockee  230  and the peripheral  210 , the docking environment does not serve any purpose in assisting the direct pairing and conventional pairing procedures may be utilized. On the other hand, since it is known that the docking host  220  is already configured with information corresponding to the peripheral  210  by virtue of its pairing and utilization in the docking environment  306 , a handing over of the peripheral  210  to the dockee  230  for a direct pairing may be enabled. 
         [0070]      FIG. 5  is a simplified schematic diagram illustrating the various communication links that may be utilized in various aspects of the disclosure. In general, as described below, a peripheral  210  is paired, or has a first communication link  504  established, with the docking host  220 . At this time, the dockee  230  initiates a second communication link  502  with the docking host  220 , to establish a docking session including the peripheral  210 , e.g., as a part of a docking environment. In an aspect of the disclosure, a direct communication link  506  may be established between the dockee  230  and the peripheral  210 , such that the first communication link  504  between the docking host  220  and the peripheral  210  may be severed. 
         [0071]    One technology that may enable such a direct communication link  506  between the dockee  230  and the peripheral  210  without the use of a LAN access point such as the docking host  220  is frequently referred to as Wi-Fi Direct. Wi-Fi Direct is an existing, published standard that enables such wireless devices to communicate directly with one another, without requiring an intermediate wireless access point. In accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure, wireless LAN communication may utilize the Wi-Fi standard, the Wi-Fi Direct standard, or any other suitable standard for wireless communication over a LAN. For ease of explanation, in the description that follows, the dockee  230  and the peripheral  210  include a communication interface  232 ,  212 , respectively, configured for communication utilizing the Wi-Fi Direct standard. 
         [0072]    Various aspects of the present disclosure provide a dockee  230  with a capability to pair directly with one or more peripherals  210  paired with a docking host  220  within a docking environment  306 . Further aspects of the disclosure provide a persistent direct pairing capability, wherein the dockee  230  may return to the docking host  220  at a later time and the direct docking between the dockee  230  and the one or more peripherals  210  may be efficiently re-established. 
         [0073]    Among various possible configurations, below, two potential use cases are discussed. In a first example, the docking host  220  may be configured as a P2P group owner (GO), with the dockee  230  being configured as a P2P client of the docking host  220 ; in another example, the dockee  230  may be configured as a P2P (GO), such that the docking host  220  is a P2P client of the dockee  230 . 
       Docking Host as a P2P GO 
       [0074]    In an example where the dockee  230  is a client (e.g., a P2P client) of the docking host  220 , it is generally the case that one or more peripherals  210  would additionally be P2P clients of the docking host  220 . In this case, tunneled direct link setup (TDLS) may be utilized directly to connect the dockee  230  with the one or more peripherals  210 . Because TDLS is standardized, such a direct pairing can be simplified. That is, the dockee  230  may initiate the TDLS procedure through the docking host  220 , and accordingly, the dockee  230  can directly connect with the one or more peripherals  210 . 
         [0075]      FIG. 6  is a flow chart illustrating a simplified exemplary process  600  of establishing a direct pairing session in accordance with an aspect of the disclosure wherein the dockee  230  is a P2P client for a docking host  220 . In an aspect of the disclosure, the steps of the process  600  may be operable at the peripheral  210 , the docking host  220 , and/or the dockee  230 , as described below. At step  602 , the docking host  220  is established as a P2P GO, having the peripheral  210  attached to the docking host  220  as a P2P client. At  604 , when in a service discovery phase, the docking host  220  may advertise its peripherals for proximate dockees, and in an aspect of the disclosure, may additionally advertise TDLS as a payload connection option for use by a dockee in a direct pairing session. 
         [0076]    At  606 , the dockee  230  may establish a docking session with the docking host  220 , joining as a P2P client of the P2P group of which the docking host  220  is the P2P GO. Here, in some aspects of the disclosure, the attachment of the dockee  230  with the docking host  220  may include some manual operation on the part of the user; however, in a further aspect of the disclosure, the handing over of the peripheral(s)  210  to the dockee  230  for direct pairing need not include any further manual pairing operations. 
         [0077]    Here, if TDLS is enabled, then at step  610 , in a connection negotiation phase, the dockee  230  may transmit to the docking host  220  a request to utilize TDLS as its payload connection type to directly communicate with the peripheral(s)  210 . Once accepted, at  612  the dockee  230  may communicate with the docking host  220  to establish the TDLS direct communication link  506  between the dockee  230  and the peripheral(s)  210  for direct communication, and at  614  the direct communication link  506  utilizing TDLS may be established between the dockee  230  and the peripheral(s)  210 . 
       Dockee as a P2P GO 
       [0078]    Referring now to the second example introduced above, a direct pairing between a dockee  230  and one or more peripherals  210  may be enabled utilizing wherein the dockee  230  is a P2P group owner (GO), and the docking host  220  is a P2P client for the dockee  230 . 
         [0079]      FIG. 7  is a flow chart illustrating a simplified exemplary process  700  of establishing a direct pairing session in accordance with an aspect of the disclosure wherein the dockee  230  acts as a P2P GO for one or more peripherals  210 . At step  702 , one or more peripheral(s)  210  may be attached to the docking host  220  as a P2P client. That is, the docking host  220  may be a P2P GO for the one or more peripherals  210 . At  704 , when in a service discovery phase, the docking host  220  may advertise its peripherals  210  for proximate dockees. 
         [0080]    At  706 , the dockee  230  may establish a docking session with the docking host  220  by inviting the docking host  220  to join a P2P Group of which the dockee  230  is the P2P GO. Next, at  708 , the dockee  230  may dock with the docking host  220  and transmit to the docking host  220  a request to communicate with the one or more peripheral(s)  210  directly; and at  710 , the dockee  230  and peripheral(s)  210  may establish a direct communication link  506  wherein the dockee  230  is the P2P GO of a group including the peripheral(s)  210 . 
         [0081]    In various aspects of the disclosure, as a part of the process of step  710 , the docking host  220  may assist the peripheral(s)  210  to directly connect to the dockee  230  in various suitable manners. Below, three examples are provided for the docking host  220  to assist the peripheral  210  to establish the direct communication link  504  with the dockee  230 . In a first example, the peripheral  210  connects to the dockee  230  as a P2P client connects to a P2P GO, e.g., by going first through a PIN-based Wi-Fi Simple Configuration (WSC) procedure, wherein the PIN is dynamically generated and given by the docking host  220  to the dockee  230 . In a second example, the peripheral  210  may connect to the dockee  230  as a P2P Client connects to a P2P GO, utilizing the P2P Group Credential. In a third example, the peripheral  210  may connect to the dockee  230  as a legacy STA connects to an infrastructure AP, utilizing a credential created by the docking host  220 . Each of these examples is described in further detail below. 
         [0082]      FIG. 8  is a call flow diagram illustrating an exemplary process in accordance with a first example, wherein the dockee  230  acts as the P2P GO. To begin, as described above in relation to  FIG. 7 , the peripheral  210  is paired with the docking host  220 , and a docking session has been initiated between the dockee  230  and the docking host  220 . Further, as described above at step  708 , the dockee  230  may optionally transmit a request  802  for direct pairing with the peripheral  210 . In some aspects of the disclosure the request  802  may include a request to retrieve identification information such as a PIN corresponding to the peripheral  210  for provisioning the peripheral  210  at the dockee  230 . This information may be utilized to enable direct pairing between the peripheral  210  and the dockee  230 . 
         [0083]      804 A and  804 B illustrate two examples of different ways that PIN or other suitable credential information may be provided to the dockee  230  and/or the peripheral  210  to enable the direct pairing communication link  504  between the dockee  230  and the peripheral  210 . 
         [0084]    At  804 A, as one alternative, either in response to a request from the dockee  230  to retrieve a PIN, or in some examples upon the initiative of the docking host  220 , the docking host  220  may transmit a request to the peripheral  210  to retrieve the identification information such as the PIN corresponding to the peripheral  210  for the provisioning of the dockee  230 . In response, the peripheral  210  may transmit the corresponding identification information to the docking host  220  for provisioning the dockee  230 . Here, the identification information may be generated for the dockee  230 . For example, the identification information may be different from identification information utilized for pairing the peripheral  210  with the docking host.  220 . For example, if a first PIN were used for pairing the docking host  220  with the peripheral  210 , a second PIN different from the first PIN may be provided from the peripheral  220  to the docking host  220  in response to the request for provisioning information for the dockee  230 . In this fashion, in some examples, different identification information may be provided by the peripheral  210  corresponding to each dockee that wishes to employ a direct pairing. The identification information received at the docking host  220  may then be transmitted from the docking host  220  to the dockee  230  in a forwarding message, so that the dockee  230  may register the peripheral  210  utilizing the received identification information. For example, the dockee  230  may include a WTS registrar for registering the peripheral  210  utilizing a received PIN. 
         [0085]    At  804 B, as another alternative, in an aspect of the disclosure, the docking host  220  may dynamically generate a PIN for a WSC procedure for direct pairing between the dockee  230  and the peripheral  210 , and transmit the generated PIN to the peripheral  210  and the dockee  230 . In some examples, the docking host  220  may additionally transmit the P2P Device Address of the peripheral  210  to the dockee  230 , and may complementarily send the P2P Device Address of the dockee  230  to the peripheral  210 , indicating that the PIN is used for the WSC procedure between the peripheral  210  and the dockee  230 . In some examples, here, the P2P Group Operating Channel of the dockee  230  may be included, as well as a docking host-assigned direct link expiration time. 
         [0086]    Following either alternative  804 A or  804 B, the dockee  230  may begin a process to contact with the peripheral  210 . Thus, at  806  a device phase may begin. Here, the dockee  230  may request the docking host  220  to make the peripheral  210  discoverable, and then invite the peripheral  210  to join the P2P Group of which the dockee  230  is the GO. 
         [0087]    For example, the dockee  230  may transmit a device discovery request for the peripheral  210  to the docking host  220 ; and the docking host  220  may forward the discoverability request as a GO discoverability request to the peripheral  210 . This discoverability request may be configured to inform the peripheral  210  about its needed availability on a particular channel used by the dockee  230 , or other communication information for use between the dockee  230  and the peripheral  210 . The docking host  220  may further transmit a device discovery response for the peripheral  210  to the dockee  230 , such that the dockee  230  is configured with information for communicating with the peripheral  210 . 
         [0088]    Thereafter, at  808  the dockee  230  may configure its communication interface  232  to utilize the configuration information received above so that it may communicate with the peripheral  210 , and accordingly transmit a P2P group invitation request directly to the peripheral  210 . The peripheral  210  may accordingly respond with a P2P group invitation response to the dockee  230 . Next, the dockee  230  and the peripheral  210  may enter into an authentication phase  810 . 
         [0089]    As illustrated, two authentication phases  810  and  814  are utilized. Here, the first authentication phase  810  may establish a persistent key for implementing a persistent direct pairing between the dockee  230  and the peripheral  210 ; and the second authentication phase  814  may establish a session key for implementing a particular direct pairing session between the dockee  230  and the peripheral  210 . The persistent direct pairing and the session are described in further detail below. 
         [0090]    That is, the first authentication message  810  may include an authentication request that may specify the dockee  230  or the peripheral  210 . The authentication may utilize the identification information (e.g., a PIN) provided to the dockee  230  by the docking host  220  (as described above in alternatives  804 A and  804 B). Following the first authentication phase  810 , provisioning may be implemented utilizing a Wi-Fi Simple Configuration (WSC) exchange  812 . At this point, both entities, i.e., the dockee  230  and the peripheral  210 , will have a persistent key to utilize to communicate with one another. Here, the persistent key may be a different entity than the identification information discussed above, and may be a secret key shared only by the dockee  230  and the peripheral  210 . From that time, the dockee  230  and the peripheral  210  may utilize the second authentication message  814 , an association message, and a 4-way handshake  816  to establish a session key to be utilized for the current pairing session. Once the session key is established during the 4-way handshake  816  for the current pairing session, data  818  may begin to flow between the dockee  230  and the peripheral  210  in a secure fashion. 
         [0091]    Furthermore, with the persistent key established at the first authentication phase  810  described above, a persistent direct pairing session may be established between the dockee  230  and the peripheral  210 . That is, the above-described process shown and described in relation to  FIG. 8  may be utilized upon an initial pairing of the dockee  230  with the docking environment  306  including the peripheral  210 . However, upon subsequent docking sessions between the dockee  230  and the docking host  220  to utilize the peripheral  210 , the prior pairing may persist and the subsequent pairing procedure may be simplified, as described below in relation to  FIG. 11 . 
         [0092]    Referring once again to  FIG. 7 , a second example for establishing the direct communication link  504  between the dockee  230  and the peripheral  210  as in step  710  is described herein below, wherein the peripheral  210  may connect to the dockee  230  as a P2P client connects to a P2P GO, utilizing a P2P Group Credential forwarded to the peripheral  210  by the docking host  220 .  FIG. 9  is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary process  900  of establishing the direct communication link  504  in accordance with this second example. 
         [0093]    In this example, as above, while the peripheral  210  is connected to the docking host  220  as a P2P client, the dockee  230  approaches the docking host  220  and establishes a communication link  502  such that the dockee  230  is a P2P GO. 
         [0094]    At step  902 , the docking host  220  may forward the Group Credentials and P2P Group ID of the P2P GO (i.e., the dockee) to the peripheral  210 . In some examples, at step  904  the docking host  220  may additionally forward the P2P Group Operating Channel of the dockee  230  and the docking host-assigned direct link expiration time to the peripheral  210 . 
         [0095]    At step  906 , the docking host  220  may then request the peripheral  210  to disconnect the first communication link  504  from the docking host  220 , and instead find the dockee  230 . Upon the expiration of a timer, at  908  the peripheral  210  may reconnect to the docking host to check whether the establishment of the direct communication link  506  can continue. Finally, at step  910  the dockee  230  and the peripheral  210  may find each other and establish the direct communication link  506  utilizing the P2P Group, i.e., utilizing the Group Credentials received at step  902 . 
         [0096]    Referring yet again to  FIG. 7 , a third example for establishing the direct communication link  504  between the dockee  230  and the peripheral  210  as in step  710  is described herein below, wherein the peripheral  210  may connect to the dockee  230  as a legacy STA connects to an infrastructure AP utilizing a credential created by the docking host  220 .  FIG. 10  is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary process  1000  of establishing the direct communication link  504  in accordance with this third example. 
         [0097]    In this example, as above, while the peripheral  210  is connected to the docking host  220  as a P2P client, the dockee  230  approaches the docking host  220  and establishes a communication link  502  such that the dockee  230  is a P2P GO. However, here, the docking host may serve as an external registrar for the dockee&#39;s direct connection to the peripheral  210 , and therefore may push the credential for the direct connection to the dockee  210  utilizing an EAP procedure. 
         [0098]    At step  1002 , the docking host  220  may transmit to the peripheral  210  an SSID of the dockee  230  and a P2P group credential for the direct connection. In some examples, at step  1004  the docking host  220  may additionally transmit a docking host-assigned direct link expiration time to the peripheral  210 . 
         [0099]    At step  1006 , the docking host  220  may then request the peripheral  210  to disconnect the first communication link  504  from the docking host  220 , and instead find the dockee  230 . Upon the expiration of a timer, at  1008  the peripheral  210  may reconnect to the docking host  220  to check whether the direct communication link  506  can continue. Finally, at step  1010  the dockee  220  and the peripheral  210  may then find each other and establish the direct communication link  506  utilizing the dockee&#39;s SSID and Group Credential received at step  1002  to authenticate each other and to directly connect to one another. 
         [0100]    As described above, once an initial direct pairing session has been established between a dockee  230  and one or more peripherals  210  in a wireless docking environment, the pairing between the dockee  230  and the peripherals  210  may persist and accordingly enable the establishment of subsequent docking sessions to become even more efficient, as described below. 
         [0101]      FIG. 11  is a call flow diagram illustrating the subsequent docking session, to illustrate persistent direct pairing between the dockee  230  and the peripheral  210  in accordance with an aspect of the disclosure. The process illustrated in  FIG. 11  may follow any of the above-described examples of the establishment of an initial direct pairing session. That is, at the beginning of  FIG. 11 , the dockee  230  and the peripheral  210  are directly paired, as described above in relation to any of  FIGS. 6-10 . That is, referring in particular to  FIG. 8 , the persistent key established during the first authentication phase  810  and the session key established during the second authentication phase  814  may be established and shared between the dockee  230  and the peripheral  210 . Thus, at  1102  the dockee  230  may transmit a direct pairing complete indication to the docking host  220 ; and/or the peripheral  210  may transmit a direct pairing complete indication to the docking host  220 . This way, the docking host  220  is informed about the direct pairing between the dockee  230  and the peripheral  210  and can accordingly sever the first communication link  504  as the data  1104  flows directly between the dockee  230  and the peripheral  210 . 
         [0102]    At this time, dockee  230  may wish to end the docking session with the docking host  220 , thereby accordingly resulting in an ending of the direct pairing between the dockee  230  and the peripheral  210 . Therefore, at step  508  the dockee  230  may communicate with the docking host  220  to sever the docking session. For example, the user of the dockee  230  may explicitly indicate an instruction utilizing the user interface  234 , or in another example, the user may simply pick up the dockee  230  and walk away. In any case, the direct communication link  506  between the dockee  230  and the peripheral  210  may be disconnected. Once the direct pairing is disconnected, at  1106 , the peripheral  210  may pair back with the docking host  220  so that it may be utilized within a docking environment in the future by one or more dockees as needed. 
         [0103]    At  1108 , the dockee  230  may return to the docking host  220 , and may once again dock with the docking host  220 , requesting to utilize a docking environment  306  that includes the peripheral  210 . In this case, in accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure, the persistent pairing described above may be enabled to simplify the re-establishment of a direct pairing between the dockee  230  and the peripheral  210 . 
         [0104]    That is, the docking host  220  may recognize that the dockee  230  and the peripheral  210  have utilized a direct pairing in a previous docking session. For example, the docking host  220  may determine that a direct pairing previously occurred in accordance with the direct pairing complete indication  1102  previously received from either the dockee  230  or the peripheral  210 . In this case, the docking host  230  may suggest to the dockee  230  or the peripheral  210  to utilize direct pairing once again. Two alternatives are described herein for the docking host to suggest direct pairing between the dockee  230  and the peripheral  210 , and illustrated as alternatives  1110 A and  1110 B. In an aspect of the disclosure, a process may choose to implement one or the other of  1110 A or  1110 B. 
         [0105]    In some aspects of the disclosure, as illustrated at  1110 A, in one alternative the docking host  220  may transmit to the peripheral  210  a request for direct pairing between the dockee  230  and the peripheral  210 . 
         [0106]    In another aspect of the disclosure, as another alternative as illustrated at  1110 B, the docking host  220  may transmit a request to the dockee  230  for direct pairing. Here, the dockee  230  may respond with a device discovery request for the peripheral  210 , and the docking host  220  may transmit a corresponding GO discoverability request to the peripheral  210 . Further, the docking host  220  may transmit a device discovery response to the dockee  230 . 
         [0107]    Thereafter, the dockee  230  and the peripheral  210  may be configured to communicate on a suitable channel and may be enabled for direct communication with one another. As described above, the dockee  230  and the peripheral  210  are already provisioned with a persistent key to be utilized for persistent pairing. Thus, at  1112 , the dockee  230  and the peripheral  210  may undergo authentication and association to establish a session key for the current pairing session, and at  1114  they may engage in a 4-way handshake. 
         [0108]    At this time, the dockee  230  and the peripheral  210  are paired, and thus, in an aspect of the disclosure (as described above at  1102 ), at  1116  a direct pairing complete indication may be transmitted from the dockee  230  to the docking host  220 , as well as a direct pairing complete indication may be transmitted from the peripheral  210  to the docking host  220  to inform the docking host  220  that the dockee  230  and the peripheral  210  are directly paired, and thus, the docking host  220  need not act as an intermediate host between the dockee  230  and the peripheral  210 . Thereafter, data  1118  may be transferred directly between the dockee  230  and the docking host  210  utilizing the direct communication link  506 . 
         [0109]    Several aspects of a wireless docking system have been presented with reference to a system utilizing IEEE 802.11 “Wi-Fi” communication protocols. As those skilled in the art will readily appreciate, various aspects described throughout this disclosure may be extended to other communication systems, network architectures and communication standards. The actual telecommunication standard, network architecture, and/or communication standard employed will depend on the specific application and the overall design constraints imposed on the system. 
         [0110]    It is to be understood that the specific order or hierarchy of steps in the methods disclosed is an illustration of exemplary processes. Based upon design preferences, it is understood that the specific order or hierarchy of steps in the methods may be rearranged. The accompanying method claims present elements of the various steps in a sample order, and are not meant to be limited to the specific order or hierarchy presented unless specifically recited therein. 
         [0111]    The previous description is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the various aspects described herein. Various modifications to these aspects will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other aspects. Thus, the claims are not intended to be limited to the aspects shown herein, but are to be accorded the full scope consistent with the language of the claims, wherein reference to an element in the singular is not intended to mean “one and only one” unless specifically so stated, but rather “one or more.” Unless specifically stated otherwise, the term “some” refers to one or more. A phrase referring to “at least one of” a list of items refers to any combination of those items, including single members. As an example, “at least one of: a, b, or c” is intended to cover: a; b; c; a and b; a and c; b and c; and a, b and c. All structural and functional equivalents to the elements of the various aspects described throughout this disclosure that are known or later come to be known to those of ordinary skill in the art are expressly incorporated herein by reference and are intended to be encompassed by the claims. Moreover, nothing disclosed herein is intended to be dedicated to the public regardless of whether such disclosure is explicitly recited in the claims. No claim element is to be construed under the provisions of 35 U.S.C. §112, sixth paragraph, unless the element is expressly recited using the phrase “means for” or, in the case of a method claim, the element is recited using the phrase “step for.”