Abstract:
A method for easily connecting electronic devices, wireless access points, and access point clients and for efficiently configuring and managing the connections in a manner that doesn&#39;t require a user to physically connect the electronic device to the access point is disclosed. Access Points are set to AP mode upon power up. The electronic device scans the environment for available connections and displays the information in a user interface. The interface displays the topology of the network, the relationship of the access points, and the connection status. Users can easily configure the network and access points wirelessly. All connection information and configuration data is stored in a database on the computer. Users are notified of any incompatibility issues and if any devices are not detected.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0002]    The present invention relates to connecting electronic devices. More specifically, the present invention discloses a method for easily connecting electronic devices, wireless access points, and access point clients and for efficiently managing the connections in a manner that doesn&#39;t require a user to physically connect the electronic device to the access point. 
         [0003]    2. Description of the Prior Art 
         [0004]    In the past, computers needed to be physically connected to a modem using a cable in order to access the Internet. This requires users to locate their computer in close proximity to the network connection. This is often inconvenient since the user cannot locate the computer in an ideal location. If a user locates the computer farther away from the network connection long cables are required to connect the computer to the network. This cabling is unsightly. In order to increase convenience for users, wireless network connections were invented. 
         [0005]    An access point (AP) is a device for connecting another device such as a notebook computer to a wired network such as a local area network (LAN). The AP is physically connected to the wired network and wirelessly connects to the computer. 
         [0006]    The AP is a hardware device or a computer&#39;s software that acts as a communication hub. APs provide heightened wireless security and extend the physical range of a wireless LAN. 
         [0007]    Refer to  FIG. 1 , which is a block diagram illustrating a conventional wireless network environment. 
         [0008]    Traditionally, a wireless network environment  100  includes a computer  110  and an access point  120 . The access point  120  wirelessly connects the computer  110  to the Internet  130 . 
         [0009]    To install a conventional access point  120  a user must perform a number of steps in order to complete the set up. Some of the required steps are to set the 802.11 settings such as transmit power, encryption, authentication, request-to-send/clear-to-send, and fragmentation. If any of these settings are incorrect, the access point  120  will be unable to communicate with the computer  110 . 
         [0010]    In addition to these settings, the user must manually configure the Internet Protocol (IP) address. In order to configure the IP address the user must physically connect the computer  110  to the access point  120  via a serial cable. This is time consuming and inconvenient for the user. 
         [0011]    In order to configure the access point  120 , the user must use a configuration program running on the computer  110  while the computer  110  is physically connected to the access point  120 . The user must also configure the access point  120  to a specific role such as access point, client access point, repeater, etc. 
         [0012]    The detailed steps required to complete the installation are often too complex for most users. As a result, the installation usually needs to be performed by a professional technical consultant which can be expensive. 
         [0013]    Refer to  FIG. 2 , which is a block diagram illustrating typical difficulties involved in using a conventional wireless network. 
         [0014]    While an AP  120  improves the convenience of wirelessly connecting to the Internet  130 , conventional APs  120  are inconvenient to set up. Additionally, it is very difficult for a typical user to troubleshoot communication problems. If the user&#39;s computer  110  is unable to establish a connection with the AP  120 , the user is unable to identify the problem. They only know that the network connection failed. 
         [0015]    Furthermore, if a user needs to reconfigure the configuration of their network the computer  110  must be physically reconnected to the access point  120  and the above installation routine must be performed again. 
         [0016]    As a result, users are easily frustrated when trying to set up or manage their wireless network. Furthermore, since these problems are common in conventional wireless network systems, users have been slow to adopt APs. 
         [0017]    Therefore, there is need for an improved method for easily connecting electronic devices, wireless access points, and access point clients and for efficiently managing the connections that doesn&#39;t require a user to physically connect the electronic device to the access point. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0018]    To achieve these and other advantages and in order to overcome the disadvantages of the conventional method in accordance with the purpose of the invention as embodied and broadly described herein, the present invention provides a method for easily connecting and configuring a wireless device to a wired network or other device without using a cable. The present invention also provides an efficient method for configuring and managing connections between a wireless device and other devices or networks. 
         [0019]    The method of the present invention integrates network settings in a software user interface. This ensures that the user does not need to be concerned about network connection issues. 
         [0020]    The software automatically resolves network connections and allows the user to easily access the network or device connected to the AP. Additionally, the software user interface allows the user to easily configure the connections between devices and networks. 
         [0021]    In addition to wirelessly connecting a computer to a network, the present invention can also be used in different applications such as Wi-Fi speakers, Wi-Fi TV applications, etc. For example, a computer can wirelessly connect to the Wi-Fi speakers and audio files being played on the computer will be heard from the Wi-Fi speakers. Using the method of the present invention, users can easily connect to wireless enabled devices. 
         [0022]    In the method of the present invention all application devices&#39; default setting is AP mode. This means that when the device is powered on or reset, the device automatically configures as an access point. 
         [0023]    Next, the computer scans and configures the settings for the device via a wireless connection. Since the device is automatically set to AP mode, the computer can easily detect the device and establish a connection. 
         [0024]    The device can be set to AP client mode and perform applications via another AP. For example, in a network where there is already one AP and the new device is added, the new device will be detected as a second AP. The new device can then be reconfigured as an AP client connected to the original AP. 
         [0025]    Once the wireless connection is established the computer can transmit data or content to the device. 
         [0026]    In the present invention all connection information is stored in a database. The database tracks all wireless network configurations. If a previously available AP is not detected during scanning of the network the present invention will notify the user. The user can decide whether to rescan or remove the connection information. 
         [0027]    Using the present invention users can easily reconfigure the configuration of the network and role of access points and access point clients. If any problems with the configuration of the network are encountered, users are notified and the problems can be easily resolved. 
         [0028]    These and other objectives of the present invention will become obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art after reading the following detailed description of preferred embodiments. 
         [0029]    It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary, and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0030]    The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the invention, and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention. In the drawings: 
           [0031]      FIG. 1  is a block diagram illustrating a conventional wireless network environment; 
           [0032]      FIG. 2  is a block diagram illustrating typical difficulty involved in using a conventional wireless network; 
           [0033]      FIG. 3  is a block diagram illustrating a wireless network environment according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0034]      FIG. 4  is a flowchart illustrating a method for wirelessly connecting a computer to an AP according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0035]      FIG. 5A  is a diagram illustrating a basic wireless environment according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0036]      FIG. 5B  is a flowchart illustrating a method for configuring the wireless network environment illustrated in  FIG. 5A  according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0037]      FIGS. 5C-5H  are diagrams illustrating a software user interface for the computer of the wireless network environment of  FIG. 5A  according to embodiments of the present invention; 
           [0038]      FIG. 6A  is a diagram illustrating a software user interface for a computer of a wireless network environment according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0039]      FIG. 6B  is a flowchart illustrating a method for configuring the wireless network environment illustrated in  FIG. 6A  according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0040]      FIG. 6C  is a diagram illustrating a software user interface for a computer of a wireless network environment according to an embodiment of the present invention; and 
           [0041]      FIG. 6D  is a diagram illustrating a software user interface warning message. 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0042]    Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers are used in the drawings and the description to refer to the same or like parts. 
         [0043]    Refer to  FIG. 3 , which is a block diagram illustrating a wireless network environment according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
         [0044]    Using the method of the present invention a wireless network environment  300  can be much more extensive while still being easy to configure and maintain. 
         [0045]    Such an environment  300  as shown in  FIG. 3  can comprise a computer  310 , an access point  320 , an access point client  340 , access point enabled devices  350 , 351 , 352 , and access to the Internet  330 . The access point enable devices  350 , 351 , 352  can comprise, for example, an AP enabled TV, AP enabled speakers, AP enabled gaming devices, or AP enabled stereo system. 
         [0046]    With the present invention the dream of a digital home can be realized. Media, for example music, that is stored on the computer can be easily listened to using an AP enabled audio device without physically connecting the computer to the audio device. This eliminates restraints on where users locate their devices. 
         [0047]    Refer to  FIG. 4 , which is a flowchart illustrating a method for wirelessly connecting a computer to an AP according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
         [0048]    As shown in  FIG. 4 , the method of the present invention  400  begins by setting a device to AP mode upon power up or reset  410 . A user selects to perform a scan by clicking the scan button of the software user interface  415 . The computer will scan for any APs  420 . The computer software will scan using the scan application programming interface (API) provided by the operating system. 
         [0049]    The computer software gets the scanning information and displays it in the software user interface  425 . The computer software then connects to the detected AP using the connect API provided by the operating system  430 . After connecting to the AP, the computer gets the AP&#39;s information  435 . 
         [0050]    After performing the check the software stores all the data in the database  440  and displays appropriate information in the software user interface  445 . The detected APs and connections are displayed in a topological diagram. The user can easily configure or reconfigure the connections by dragging icons of the devices in the software user interface  450 . Any changes to the device hierarchy or device connections are automatically managed by the software  455 . In this way the connections between devices is automatically reconfigured by the software to reflect changes made by the user. The user isn&#39;t required to manually reconfigure the network. 
         [0051]    Refer to  FIG. 5A , which is a diagram illustrating a basic wireless environment according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
         [0052]    The wireless network environment  500  of  FIG. 5A  comprises a computer  501 , a first AP  502 , a second AP  504 , a wireless device  505 , and access to the Internet  503 . A user can access internet resources using the first AP  502 . The second AP  504  is configured as an AP client and connects the wireless device  505  to the computer  501  via the first AP  502 . 
         [0053]    Refer to  FIG. 5B , which is a flowchart illustrating a method for configuring the wireless network environment illustrated in  FIG. 5A  according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
         [0054]    As shown in  FIG. 5B , the method of the present invention  509  begins by setting an AP device to AP mode upon power up or reset  510 . A user selects to perform a scan by clicking the scan button of the software user interface  511 . The computer will scan for all APs. The computer software will scan using the scan application programming interface (API) provided by the operating system. 
         [0055]    The computer software will find all APs and display them in the topology diagram of the software user interface  512 . The computer software saves all the scanning information in a computer side database  513 . 
         [0056]    In this example the computer detects the first AP and the second AP. Initially both the first AP and the second AP are displayed as master APs. The user decides whether connection should be made with the second AP or if the second AP should be configured as an AP client  514 . 
         [0057]    If the user decides that the computer is to connect to the second AP, the user simply clicks the second AP icon in the topological diagram of the software user interface  515 . The computer software will then automatically connect the computer to the second AP  516 . 
         [0058]    If the user decides that the second AP should be an AP client, the second AP will connect under the first AP  517 . If the user is required to enter a WEP key, a pop-up window will ask the user to enter the key  518 . In a WEP key isn&#39;t required this step is skipped. 
         [0059]    Finally, the computer software will automatically reconfigure the network so that the computer will connect to the second AP or AP client via the first AP  519 . 
         [0060]    Refer to  FIG. 5C , which is a diagram illustrating a software user interface for the computer of the wireless network environment of  FIG. 5A  according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
         [0061]    The software user interface  520  of the present invention comprises a topological list  521 , a relation list  522 , connection status  523 , and an unused AP list  524 . 
         [0062]    After the computer  525  scans the environment, all detected APs  526 , 527  are display as icons in the topological list  521 . In the example environment of  FIG. 5A , the computer  525  detects a first AP  526  and a second AP  527  and the interface  520  displays both of these in the topological list  521 . 
         [0063]    The first AP  529  and the second AP  530  are displayed as icons in the relation list  522 . The relation list comprises an AP section and a section showing devices or networks connected to the AP. Since both the first AP  529  and second AP  530  were detected as APs, they are displayed in the AP section. At this time, the other section is empty. 
         [0064]    Refer to  FIG. 5D , which is a diagram illustrating a software user interface for the computer of the wireless network environment of  FIG. 5A  according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
         [0065]    In this example, the user selects to connect the computer  525  to the Internet  528  via the first AP  526 . The user simply clicks on the first AP  526  icon in the topological list  521 . The software saves the configuration information in the computer-side database and automatically configures the wireless environment. The topological list  521  of the software user interface  520  displays the connection between the computer  525  and the Internet  528  via the first AP  526 . 
         [0066]    The relation list  522  shows the first AP  529  in the AP section and the Internet  531  as being connected to the first AP  529  in the other section. At this time the second AP  530  is shown as being disconnected from the computer and Internet  531  in both the topological list  521  and the relation list  522 . 
         [0067]    Refer to  FIG. 5E , which is a diagram illustrating a software user interface for the computer of the wireless network environment of  FIG. 5A  according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
         [0068]    If the user decides that the computer  525  should connect to the second AP  527 , the user simply clicks on the second AP  527  icon in the topological list  521 . The software saves the configuration information in the computer-side database and automatically configures the wireless environment. The topological list  521  of the software user interface  520  displays the connection between the computer  525  and the second AP  527 . 
         [0069]    The relation list  522  shows the second AP  530  in the AP section and the other section is empty. At this time the first AP  529  is shown as being disconnected from the computer  525  but connected to the Internet  528  in both the topological list  521  and the relation list  522 . 
         [0070]    Refer to  FIG. 5F , which is a diagram illustrating a software user interface for the computer of the wireless network environment of  FIG. 5A  according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
         [0071]    Once AP configuration data is stored in the computer-side database, a user can simply click on an AP icon  527  in the topological list  521  and the software will automatically configure the environment. 
         [0072]    The connection information is displayed in the connection status section  523  of the software user interface  520 . In this example, the connection status section  523  shows the computer  532  connected to the second AP  533 . 
         [0073]    In an embodiment of the present invention, the second AP comprises an audio device, for example, a soundcard. Once the user clicks on the second AP in the topological list, audio being played by the computer is heard from the audio device. In this way, the present invention allows the computer to wirelessly connect to an audio device and audio normally heard from the computer&#39;s speakers can now be heard from the audio device. This allows users to listen to music on their quality home audio system rather than listening to the inferior audio quality from the computer speakers. 
         [0074]    Refer to  FIG. 5G , which is a diagram illustrating a software user interface for the computer of the wireless network environment of  FIG. 5A  according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
         [0075]    If a user decides that the second AP  527  should be an AP client, the user simply drags the icon for the second AP  527  over to the first AP  526 . The software reconfigures the second AP  527  as an AP client and saves the configuration information in the computer-side database. The software user interface  520  shows the computer  525  connected to the Internet  531  and second AP  530  via the first AP  529 . 
         [0076]    In situations where the user tries to configure the environment in a way that is not possible or where devices are incompatible, the software will notify the user that the connection or configuration is not possible. This prevents the user from inadvertently mis-configuring the environment. 
         [0077]    Refer to  FIG. 5H , which is a diagram illustrating a software user interface for the computer of the wireless network environment of  FIG. 5A  according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
         [0078]    When the user wants the computer  525  to connect to the second AP  527 , the user clicks on the icon for the second AP  527  and the computer  525  communicates with the second AP  527  via the first AP  526 . The connection information is displayed in the connection status section  523 . 
         [0079]    Refer to  FIG. 6A , which is a diagram illustrating a software user interface for a computer of a wireless network environment according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
         [0080]    The wireless network environment illustrated in  FIG. 6A  comprises a computer  525  connected to a first AP  526  and a second AP  527 . The first AP  526  is configured to allow the computer  525  to access the Internet  528 . A first AP client  540  and a second AP client  541  are connected to the second AP  527 . The software user interface  520  displays the connection data in the topological list  521  and relation list  522 . 
         [0081]    Refer to  FIG. 6B , which is a flowchart illustrating a method for configuring the wireless network environment illustrated in  FIG. 6A  according to an embodiment of the present invention, to  FIG. 6C , which is a diagram illustrating a software user interface for a computer of a wireless network environment according to an embodiment of the present invention, and to  FIG. 6D , which is a diagram illustrating a software user interface warning message. 
         [0082]    The method  600  illustrated in  FIG. 6B  shows the steps taken to allow a user to reconfigure the network environment. The computer scans and saves all connection information in the computer-side database  610 . The user drags an AP client over to the first AP in order to reconfigure network so that the AP client is under the first AP  620 . Next, the software determines whether the first AP is a routing AP  630 . 
         [0083]    If the first AP is a routing AP the software will connect to the AP client and change its configuration to link to the first AP  640 . If the AP requires a WEP key, the user is prompted to enter the key  650 . 
         [0084]    After the configuration is saved, the user will see the new configuration information in the software user interface  660  as shown in  FIG. 6C . 
         [0085]    In some cases a user may try to reconfigure the network in a manner that is invalid  625 . For example, if a user dragged AP  1  to be under AP  2  which isn&#39;t allowed. The software will notify the user that the connection or configuration is not possible  670  and as shown in  FIG. 6D . This prevents the user from inadvertently mis-configuring the environment. 
         [0086]    When the user reconfigures the network environment the software automatically prompts the user with a message asking if the original connection and configuration information should be saved. In the above example, the first AP client was moved to be under the first AP. The original configuration comprised a first AP client and second AP client under a second AP. The software asks the users if the connection information for the first AP client and second AP client should be saved. If the user opts to save the information it is saved in the computer-side database. In this way, if the user reconfigures the environment back to the original state, the software retrieves the information from the database and automatically configures the environment. 
         [0087]    If an AP client needs to be changed to AP mode, the software prompts the user as to whether the software should automatically reconfigure the AP client or not. If the user chooses not to reconfigure the AP client, the user can hard-reset the AP client and the AP will automatically restart in AP mode. 
         [0088]    If the user wants to connect to an AP client and the computer cannot detect the master AP, the software will automatically scan for the master AP. If the software detects the master AP the connection information is stored in the connection database. If the computer still cannot detect the master AP, the software will prompt the user asking whether or not to keep the connection information. If the user wants to keep the information it is stored in the database. If the user doesn&#39;t want to keep the information it is discarded and the user is prompted to reset the AP client. 
         [0089]    During the time that the computer cannot detect the master AP, the software user interface will show that there is a problem in connection status. This is illustrated in the topological list, the relation list, and the connection status section. 
         [0090]    Similarly, if the user wants to connect to an AP client and the computer cannot detect the AP client, the software will automatically scan for the AP client. If the software detects the AP client the connection information is stored in the connection database. If the computer still cannot detect the AP client, the software will prompt the user asking whether or not to keep the AP client connection information. If the user wants to keep the information it is stored in the database. If the user doesn&#39;t want to keep the information it is discarded. 
         [0091]    The software user interface shows the current connection and configuration status. When the computer can&#39;t detect an AP client, the situation will be displayed in the user interface. 
         [0092]    When a user tries to add another AP or device that exceeds the maximum allowable devices or connections, the software will prompt the user to first remove the AP or device. The user can easily remove a device by clicking and dragging the icon for the device and placing the icon in the unused AP list. The icon for the device will be displayed in the unused AP list for future use. When the user wants to use the device, the user simply drags the device back into the relation list or the topological list. 
         [0093]    After removing the device, the user is able to add the new device. The computer will connect to the device and configuration is achieved as described above. The connection information is saved in the computer-side database and the user interface shows the current connection status. 
         [0094]    When a computer cannot detect a particular AP or AP client and the computer has an Ethernet connection, the computer scans to detect the AP or AP client via the Ethernet. If the computer detects the device, the computer will reconfigure the device as an Ethernet device. The device will now be displayed in the user interface as an Ethernet device in the unused AP list. 
         [0095]    Similarly, if the computer is wirelessly connected to an AP with an Ethernet connection, the computer scans the Ethernet via the AP. If the computer detects the device, the computer will reconfigure the device as an Ethernet device. 
         [0096]    As described above, the method of the present invention provides easy connection and configuration of electronic devices in a wireless network environment. Additionally, electronic devices do not need to be physically connected to access points via a cable in order to configure the connection. 
         [0097]    It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the present invention without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. In view of the foregoing, it is intended that the present invention cover modifications and variations of this invention provided they fall within the scope of the invention and its equivalent.